Salvatore asked with some uncertainty, "Have you grown stronger again?"
"Your perception is quite sharp, senior."
Annan smiled and leaned against the door frame, "But of course, purifying nightmares is bound to make one stronger..."
Salvatore thought back to the nightmares he had entered, nodded with a lingering fear on his face: "But if possible, I’d still rather not enter nightmares..."
"...To be fair, I quite enjoy it."
Annan shrugged his shoulders.
That statement of his was one of the rare instances where he was being one hundred percent honest.
He indeed enjoyed nightmares—mainly for the experience of living through others’ lives, which gave him a sense of pleasure from peering into others’ fates.
"Quickly ask him what Gerald’s nightmare was about."
The shadow’s deep and hoarse voice echoed at the bottom of Salvatore’s heart, "Maybe you can find information about the teacher!"
This was not a baseless suggestion, but rather a "reminder" of something Salvatore had forgotten.
Despite such suggestions, Salvatore still needed to consider carefully...
But he soon made up his mind.
—It’s better not to ask.
If Tan Juan wanted to speak about it, he surely would. If he didn’t, that meant he had encountered something inconvenient to mention to me in there...
So, Salvatore changed the subject, "Do you have any plans today? Do you need my help?"
His agenda for the day was as follows.
First, to find the tax officer Notre Dame—the man who was about to become a father in middle age, had asked Annan last night if there was anything he could do to repay Annan for saving his life.
Annan merely responded with a smile.
"A home-cooked meal would be nice."
That’s what he said cheerfully.
Because Annan truly didn’t need Notre Dame to do anything... Whatever Notre Dame could do, Annan didn’t need him to do.
In other words, to Annan, Notre Dame—the person—had no utilitarian value.
If the two had not known each other, Annan wouldn’t bother with him at all as their worlds did not intersect.
But since they had met through a common enemy, the old Viscount, Annan wouldn’t go out of his way to sever their connection.
Just as helping others can bring genuine pleasure to someone with sound moral principles like Annan.
Just like their conversation in the carriage. Annan would instinctively make the other party continue to have a good impression of him.
"Making others fond of oneself" was as natural a talent for Annan as breathing.
As long as he wished, everything would come naturally.
The reason was simple.
Animals have an innate ability to vaguely sense the attitudes of their own kind.
Even if not very clear, they would subconsciously choose to draw closer or to be wary... This was not an issue that could be compensated by conversational skills.
Those with malicious intent, after all, are malicious.
But Annan was different—he really was treating people with sincerity, and the more perceptive the person, the more they trusted Annan.
Annan truly believed: If they are friends, then one should try to make them happy and joyful, to solve their troubles.
It was common sense that everyone knew.
And in the process, naturally gained the other party’s trust.
To Annan, this trust and favor were only inconsequential by-products.
Because Annan chose to do good, it wasn’t based on material desires or a want for spiritual recognition. It wasn’t even a repulsion toward sin or a hatred of evil.
It was a completely whimsical, unrequited act of kindness—
If one had to mention a sin that Annan should be remembered for...
That would be "flirt not, propose not".
Due to all kinds of troubles around him, Annan always knew something was unusual about himself, and he even once thought it was some kind of curse...
He only wanted to pursue a peaceful and comfortable life, and hadn’t properly utilized his talents... This was due to the laziness of his heart that feared trouble. Annan saw it very clearly.
Nevertheless, the former Annan had unknowingly surrounded himself with both male and female friends.
They all thought Annan was a quirky person.
But they all sincerely wanted to become friends with Annan.
Annan could feel the emotions of others, including his own. This made him extremely sensitive to his actions:
Doing evil would make him feel guilty.
Doing good would bring him joy.
But now, he had lost half of his emotions.
Laziness and guilt disappeared at the same time...
This had made the once harmless man become dangerous.
The current Annan frankly believed—this anomaly was commendable.
Praising kindness and glorifying the holy could make one happy.
This was a trait too splendid to be true, one that he could acknowledge with head held high.
...Why run away from it?
Why be so afraid of it?
"His wife is about to give birth, and I’m going to bless them. It would be best if you came along... Our statuses are enough to suppress those he has offended in the past."
Annan said with a smile, "And doesn’t Notre Dame want to thank me? Having this favor loom over him isn’t good for him. If he’s a man of honor, he would constantly worry about it, affecting his work and many other decisions; if he’s a heartless man, long-held gratitude can naturally turn into enmity.
"No matter what kind of person he is, he will be happy to see me early..."
"Certainly, he’ll think you place great importance on him."
Looking at Annan’s crystal-clear eyes, Salvatore chuckled softly, "Alright then, shall you take me with you?"
"Together, he’ll be even happier."
Annan nodded, "After we eat, I’ll go to the police station. The archbishop has to accompany me through some rather complicated power transfer procedures... you won’t like it. During that time, you can either stay with him or come back and wait for me.
"We should return to Frostwater Harbor around three o’clock in the afternoon, and we should be able to make it for dinner—I mean your dinner. Since you sleep late, naturally, you should eat later; otherwise, you’ll be hungry after midnight."
Annan answered naturally.
Salvatore quickly replied, "Just wait for me to wash my hair, and I’ll be there."
In fact, Salvatore wasn’t the type to trust everyone. With twice the amount of information the average person had, it was difficult to deceive him.
...But being with Annan was just too comfortable.
Salvatore thought Annan was someone you could tell was "a good kid" the moment you laid eyes on him.
If he were a mature and trustworthy man, this intense personal charisma would become a strong and powerful leadership quality, warm like the sun.
But because of Annan’s current image, this strong favor turned into adoration and trust.
Nevertheless, the essence was the same.
Although Salvatore had only known Annan for a few days—
He genuinely wanted to become friends with Annan from the bottom of his heart.