Chapter 406: Dreams of Unfamiliar Women...
As of late, Azmodeus quite enjoyed sleeping, and considering that he could still cultivate while catching some Z's, he made sure to do so whenever humanly possible. However, the reason behind his sudden liking for sleep was related to the content of his dreams. In these dreams, he would see the silhouette of a woman so beautiful that no words could hope to describe her beauty. This was where the really weird part was, as this beautiful woman did not have just one face. Instead, her beauty was the culmination of the beauty of countless different women. Yet, for the life of him, Azmodeus couldn't make out the appearances of a single one of the women. It was almost like something inside the deepest depths of his existence was preventing him from discerning these women.
Things only got weirder from here, as he instinctively considered all these women to be the same woman. He also had no doubt in his mind that this woman was the most beautiful woman in the universe. Moreover, for some reason, his heart stung with pain every time he thought of this woman he saw in his dreams. It was a pain so indescribably painful that all the pain he felt thus far paled in comparison. He had already lost his sense of hearing in one ear and his sense of taste was beginning to dull, but when faced with this dream woman, the fear of losing more of what made him him was overwhelmed by the fear of losing this woman.
'Losing a woman…' Azmodeus grimaced in his sleep. 'Why do I feel as if I am forgetting something extremely important?? And why can't I remember what I was doing or where I was before arriving in the Immortal Realm!? Why… What is happening to me…? It hurts… It hurts so much…'
Unknowingly, the intrepid protagonist of this twisted story of tragedy disguised as a laid-back power grind had forgotten. He had forgotten everything about Yang Hua, Nao Long, and the other girls he met along the way. And the worst part of all was that he didn't even remember that he lost them. As soon as Azmodeus wakes up from these dreams, he forgets all that happened within them. Yet, despite this indescribable pain he feels, his mind keeps on subconsciously pulling him into the land of dreams. It makes him stand in still motion, watching as scenes of unfamiliar blank-faced women interact with a man who had no form. Incessantly, these scenes flashed by his eyes, with each one inscribing even deeper amounts of pain into his core existence.
Something was calling to him. Something was telling him to remember! It was telling him to remember what he had forgotten! To remember what was more dear to him than anything else in existence!
Yet…
Azmodeus couldn't remember.
His will was strong enough, but some things were just impossible to change, no matter how strong your will was. In this life, he pursued the Infinite peak of power. However, his true purpose for living was to make it back to 'her'. Just like all the previous incarnations of the young mortal man who got accidentally summoned to the Goddess's caged abode, this version of him only yearned for a single thing.
To see her face. If not just one more time…
But fate was cruel, and destiny even crueler.
"Uhmff!" Azmodeus leaned up from his bed in a cold sweat, his eyes glossy. He wiped off the perspiration on his forehead before laying his arm over his head, blocking his face from view. After taking a moment to soothe something he couldn't discover the source of, he leaned back up and rose from his bed. The soft morning rays made his impeccable skin glow, which further worked to prep him for the day to come.
It was around 6 am, and it was at 6:30 am that he was tasked with beginning his day of stableboy duties. In the meantime, he decided to descend from the second floor, where his makeshift room was located, and head out into town. The stable was located at an easily accessible corner of the Azureflask Royal Capital, so leaving for the bustling town was made a cinch.
"In times when my mind is dazed, it is best to occupy myself," he said evenly. "And as the morning is new, I still have time. Maybe I can sell some more goods in the meantime."
As Azmodeus thought about how he could make use of his free time, his lonesome silhouette could be seen exiting through a gap in the Castle's gates. He then went on to aimlessly saunter and meander in his own thoughts. However, in this perplexing state of mind, he heard someone call out from the side.
"We're selling chocolates! Rare chocolates from the land unknown! Who wants to purchase some exotic sweets!?"
'Chocolates…?'
Azmodeus's eyes followed the source of the voice, which was where he saw a corpulent man standing by a street stall. He wore opulent clothing and expensive jewelry, indicating that business was treating him well. In his hands, however, was what truly interested the crimson-haired onlooker.
Step, Step, Step.
Azmodeus approached the stall and pointed to the wrapped chocolates in the salesman's hands. "You have chocolate," he asked. And it came from the lands unknown? What are the lands unknown?"
The merchant's brows raised in glee at a new potential customer. However, after hearing this customer talk about something that wasn't related to selling goods, his face soured as he quietly clicked his tongue. "Listen, kid," he lectured. "I see that you are quite young, and your clothing is lackluster; thus, you are likely a lower-born citizen of the Azureflask Empire. As such, I will tell you right now that you won't be able to afford either the chocolate or information pertaining to the Lands Unknown."
Azmodeus's brows furrowed. "Is that so," he said with a dangerous gleam in his gaze. His fearsome presence quickly overwhelmed the merchant as he changed his tune right away. Sweating profusely, he said, "I-I didn't know I was in the presence of a noble young master playing the sheep to eat the tiger! You must surely come from a very prestigious household—"
"No."
....