God's Shepherd!

Pushing open the front door, Karen did not see Purr or Kevin. He went up to the second floor and still didn't see them, but he noticed that the clothes he had changed out of today, originally left in the bathroom, were gone. He walked out onto the rooftop terrace and saw Kevin holding a clothes pole in his mouth, hoisting clothes upward, while Purr crouched at one end of the clothesline, holding a hanger in her jaws to hang them up. Karen folded his arms and watched his two pets diligently doing housework. After hanging the last piece, the golden retriever turned its head and spotted Karen. "Woof!" Purr saw Karen as well and jumped down from the drying rack. "How did you wash them?" Karen asked. Kevin imitated Purr, placing his front paws forward and pressing down repeatedly. "Thank you for your hard work," Karen said, bending down toward them. "Meow~" Purr felt a little embarrassed and was the first to run down from the terrace. In her two hundred years as both human and cat, this was the first time she had ever washed clothes for someone else—and for a man, no less! "Woof!" The golden retriever trotted right behind her. Karen looked at the clothes hanging on the line. Water was still dripping from them; evidently, the two hadn't been able to wring them out completely. Night was falling now, and at this temperature, the clothes would probably be frozen stiff by tomorrow morning. Even so, Karen didn't take them down to redo the chore. He simply nodded and walked downstairs. For dinner, Karen boiled dumplings. He had wrapped them several days ago and kept them in the freezer. Three plates of dumplings: one person, one cat, one dog. The only special human privilege Karen gave himself was mixing a small dish of dipping sauce. After finishing his meal, Karen carried the plates to the kitchen sink. He had intended to let them sit for a while before washing, but suddenly remembered the plate Purr had shattered earlier that day while trying to do the dishes. With a sigh, he washed and put away all the bowls and plates. Shaking the water from his hands, Karen went to the bathroom and splashed water over his face. Afterward, instead of returning to his bedroom, he poured a glass of ice water and stepped into the study. Opening the dossier he had brought back from Eva's Pastry Shop, he began to read. Inside were original notes, evidently recorded by Mr. Pavaro as he conducted his investigation. Scattered through the notes were Mr. Pavaro's "internal monologues," resembling a diary. In these pages, he referred to the woman Karen had met at the pastry shop today as "Annie." There was also intelligence gathered by "Annie" through the Church of Mills—or, more accurately, through the circle of prostitutes. The progression of each investigative stage and its findings had been compiled clearly and meticulously. Judging by the handwriting, Annie had organized and summarized the material. Karen skipped past the preliminary investigative details for now, focusing first on the summaries of each stage. In the first stage, Mr. Pavaro had sought to personally source ingredients to make blood spirit powder for his two daughters, only to discover a glaring discrepancy between the import of raw materials on the market and the volume of blood spirit powder shipped out. Karen took a sip of water. For a specialized material like blood spirit powder, prices would never plummet due to "supply exceeding demand." The so-called "market economy" was entirely useless here, as workshops supplied the churches directly. Given the sheer scale of the major churches, they could absorb and store whatever volume was produced. Even if they couldn't consume it all themselves, they could simply mark it with point coupon prices and circulate it internally. Moreover, recalling Alfred practicing magic circles back at Allen Manor—where the manor had prepared an abundance of materials for him—if one truly indulged in luxury, these raw materials would perpetually remain in short supply. Inquisitors of the Church of Order favored running funeral parlors partly because of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and partly because it made it convenient to observe the city's "dynamics" and promptly detect individuals who died under abnormal circumstances. Mr. Pavaro noticing this production imbalance in the York City region was well within an Inquisitor's "scope of observation." Stage Two: Mr. Pavaro began investigating the Raphael family, the largest supplier of blood spirit powder in the York City area, confirming that the imbalance originated with them. Stage Three: Mr. Pavaro analyzed the efficacy of blood spirit powder and researched substitutes for the raw materials... Karen took another sip of water. Not much was written about this part of the investigation, likely because Mr. Pavaro had already researched the subject beforehand when planning to brew blood spirit powder himself. At the end, however, Mr. Pavaro obtained confirmation from Professor Lofren of the Physics Department at the Dass Academy of Sciences: a certain raw material could serve as a far cheaper substitute in blood spirit powder—menstrual blood. Evidently, Professor Lofren was a follower of the Church of Principles. *Every Inquisitor of the Church of Order knows a believer of the Church of Principles.* The figure of old Mr. Hoffen surfaced in Karen's mind. This made sense. The Church of Principles possessed little formidable military power, yet they had endured and expanded precisely because of this sharing of "information" and "research." Why would any church target an organization that posed little threat, loved research, and freely shared its findings? Karen took out his paper and pen, jotting down "Professor Lofren." Stage One was the discovery of an anomaly; Stage Two was targeted investigation to identify the source; Stage Three was uncovering the most probable factor behind the discrepancy. Having reached this point in the investigation, Mr. Pavaro submitted an "Anomaly Report" directly to the regional headquarters. It could be said that he had fulfilled every duty expected of a qualified Inquisitor of the Church of Order. And then... Karen flipped back through the earlier notes. He found it. Mr. Pavaro had written: "The regional office sent no receipt. I was very surprised. After waiting for a while, I assumed the report had gotten stuck somewhere in the bureaucracy, or perhaps misplaced—though I knew deep down that this was unlikely. "So I submitted another 'Anomaly Report,' but still received no reply. "Then, Inquisitor Covendi from the neighboring district paid me a visit. He said he had heard my two daughters' illness required blood spirit powder to alleviate, so he brought me a bag of it, adding that he could deliver another bag just like it every month from now on. "The Raphael family, who owns the blood spirit powder workshop, resides in Covendi's jurisdiction. "I was thrilled, "Because I realized my hypothesis must be correct. This was hush money, meant to make me turn a blind eye. "I was terrified, "Because how could Covendi, who holds the same rank as me, have seen my 'Anomaly Report'? "I am torn, "I do not know whether I should tell my dear wife about this." Reading this, Karen took another drink of water. He could understand Mr. Pavaro's state of mind at that moment, and he was certain Pavaro hadn't told Mrs. Lake; otherwise, she would have shouted it in Karen's face today. Karen looked away, continuing through the stage summaries while writing down "Inquisitor Covendi" on the paper. Mr. Pavaro certainly hadn't been bought off by the hush money, or there wouldn't have been further stages to the investigation. In Stage Four, Inquisitor Covendi's appearance had only strengthened Mr. Pavaro's conviction in his deductions, leading him to focus on investigating how such vast quantities of menstrual blood were being collected. *(Here, Mr. Pavaro sought out Annie at Eva's Pastry Shop, asking her to mobilize her connections to help him investigate.)* Karen frowned slightly. The summary for this stage was written somewhat cursorily—or rather, there wasn't truly a summary at all. This meant the investigation had been grueling and prolonged, and Mr. Pavaro had likely faced mounting pressure from other quarters. He would probably learn the specific details when he read the investigation notes in full later, but Karen habitually flipped through Mr. Pavaro's notes, which had effectively become a diary. "Adjudicator Ruke sent me an official notice stating that a report of dereliction of duty had been filed against me. "Am I to understand this as a warning? "A warning directed at my investigation? "Annie's intelligence network is truly formidable, and her perception and analytical skills are astonishing. She actually discovered that over the past few years, the number of girls arriving through illegal immigration to earn a living in pastry shops has been steadily declining year by year. "Yes, "Illegal immigrants. "Only this demographic goes unnoticed and uncounted. Even the government has no idea how many illegal immigrants come ashore each year, nor how many perish from a lack of food and medicine. "They are a forgotten people. "The cruel irony is, "The only thing that remembers them "Is the devil's claw." Karen wrote "Adjudicator Ruke" on the paper and continued turning pages in the diary. "Squad Leader Tyers of the Whip of Order sent me an official notice initiating an inquiry into the report of my dereliction of duty. "Laughably, I still haven't been informed of what specific dereliction I am accused of. "Was I negligent in my post? Did I slack off in my duties? Did I engage in corruption or favoritism? "They haven't given me a single reason, "Yet the investigation has already begun. "This is a further warning. "If I dare to continue investigating, the next warning will likely be my suspension." Karen wrote down "Order Squad Leader Tyers" and turned the page. "Through my own visits and Annie's information, I discovered that over recent years, a large number of female illegal immigrants, especially young women, were recruited under the pretext of employment, after which they lost all contact with their families. "Yet every month, their families still receive a remittance of around 800 riels. These remittances continue for varying lengths of time—some last over a year, while others last only a month, meaning only a single payment was ever made. "Damn it, "A horrifying realization has struck me!" "I went to investigate the remittance accounts. Sure enough... nothing came of it. Even after pulling certain strings, the sender's accounts and methods were concealed and falsified from the start. I couldn't obtain any useful leads from them." Turning the page: "I have been suspended. I am forbidden from using my status as an Inquisitor of the Church of Order during the suspension and ordered to remain confined at home for self-reflection. "At least tell me what mistake I actually made! Otherwise, what am I supposed to reflect on?!" Turning the page: "Annie urged me to be careful, even advising that I temporarily abandon the investigation because she fears for my life. She knows my situation and understands that repeatedly submitting reports upward has only brought me escalating warnings, culminating in my current suspension. "She said the upper echelons of the Church of Order are already corrupt and definitely entangled in this affair. She worries that even if I uncover the truth, nothing will come of it. "No, my dear friend, my comrade, my respected Annie—that is not how it is! "To outright kill an Inquisitor—for an Inquisitor to suddenly die, no matter how natural the death might appear—would trigger an official inquiry within the Church of Order. "Why didn't they choose the most direct route and silence me? "Why did they bother issuing repeated warnings, going through official channels, and then suspending me? "Because they don't dare to kill me outright! "And why don't they dare? "Because they are afraid! They fear an investigation from above; they fear that my death would crack open a seam in their darkness! "Therefore, the fact that I am still alive, that I was merely suspended, proves that there are things they fear! It proves that although rotten flesh has grown within the Church of Order, the Church of Order remains the Church of Order! "I will not back down. "I will not cower. "I will keep investigating. "Not only for those poor, imprisoned girls, "But for the faith in my heart, "For supreme Order, and for the great, supreme God of Order in my soul! "No matter what suppression I face, "No matter what treatment I endure, "Even if they lock shackles onto my wrists with their own hands, I will still sincerely proclaim: "'Praise Order!' "I firmly believe "The God of Order will hear my prayer!" Reading this, Karen paused. He lifted his glass, only to find it already empty. Carrying the glass, he walked out of the study, refilled it with water, and added some ice cubes from the refrigerator. As he walked back toward the study, he saw Purr standing by the bedroom door. "Karen, aren't you going to rest?" "Were there any calls this afternoon?" Karen asked. "None," Purr said, shaking her head. "That means there are no appointments. I don't even have to go to work tomorrow." "Oh, my little Karen, you really found a job that countless people would envy." "Heh, I'm going to read through some documents tonight, and it might run rather late. You and Kevin must be tired today, so go to bed early. Also, both of you should read the papers on my desk tomorrow." Purr had spent the day washing dishes and doing laundry; she was bound to be exhausted. "What papers?" Purr asked curiously. "I want to finish reading them by myself first. You two can read them tomorrow." "All right." Purr nodded. "Don't stay up too late, then." "Mm." Karen walked back into the study, sat down, and continued reading Mr. Pavaro's diary entries: "A concrete lead has been found. Annie located an insane woman. She reeked of a foul stench, her face deathly pale from severe anemia. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, she had already died. "Annie said when she found her, the woman was lying on the roadside covered in filth, but the municipal workers ignored her completely because she had purple hair. Sigh..." Karen rubbed the bridge of his nose in silence and read on: "I used 'Awakening' on her, and she sat up. "Tragically, likely due to prolonged torture before her death, her consciousness was in utter disarray after waking. Soon, she flew into a berserk frenzy, and I was forced to suppress her again. "Mercifully, even in her incoherent state, she cried out a few words: "Blood; "Blue; "Bridge;" Karen's fingers twitched slightly. *Blue bridge?* "The Blue Bridge Community! Heavens, that demon's swamp might very well be located right in the community where I currently live! "I will search this entire neighborhood, place by place. I believe the day I locate that demon's swamp is not far off!" The diary ended there. Because the subsequent focus of his work had been finding that location, Mr. Pavaro hadn't made any further entries. Evidently, before he could pinpoint the exact location, he was detained; otherwise, Annie would have had no reason to keep the result from him. In other words, those above him had moved to arrest him before he could truly find it. *Blue Bridge...* *Right here in the Blue Bridge Community.* *The very community where he was living now.* Karen glanced at the names he had noted down. Apart from the professor from the Church of Principles, everyone else was an Inquisitor at the lowest, along with an Adjudicator and a Whip of Order squad leader. They couldn't be all of them, nor would they be. Karen had no idea what kind of treatment the detained Mr. Pavaro was facing. Did he even have the right to defend himself? Would they ever grant him that right? And while detained, what fate awaited Mr. Pavaro? Karen leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. He wanted to take a short nap and clear his mind. So even the Church of Order harbored such darkness within. Having accepted this dossier, was he supposed to continue the investigation Mr. Pavaro had left unfinished and hunt down the demon's swamp in the Blue Bridge Community? And if so... What would await him? Karen's brow knitted tightly. He felt a sudden chill. In the drift of his light sleep, he murmured: "Order... Oh, Order..." All at once, three black walls materialized without Karen even chanting an incantation, floating gently around his body as if offering protection and bringing him peace of mind. At the same time, a faint white halo lit up in the study. Immediately afterward, an old man holding a book sat in a chair beside Karen. Karen seemed to sense something and stirred from his nap. As he woke, the black walls encircling him dissolved away on their own. Turning his head, he looked at the old man who had appeared before him. There was no fear, no panic—only a touch of annoyance. "Don't look so annoyed. This time, you were the one who chose to sit in my study," the old man said with a smile. "This is my study," Karen corrected. "A study is actually the place most prone to retaining its master's scent—even more so than a kitchen," the old man said. "Are you hesitating?" "I wouldn't call it hesitating." "Oh? Because you've already made your decision?" "More or less, but I still feel I'm not being rational enough," Karen said. "Because the most rational approach would be like a seed newly planted in the soil—silently absorbing water, soaking in sunlight, and growing slowly." "I don't think so." "Oh?" "I believe I understand your meaning. Something like: drink only as much water as your cup can hold for now, yes?" "Something like that." "You want to postpone the problems until you've grown and become strong enough to solve them, believing that to be the most rational path, don't you?" "Mm." "Then why have you made the opposite choice?" "You're very annoying." "I suspect it's because while some matters can be set aside, there are others your heart simply will not allow you to abandon or shelve. "That is life, after all. Dodging the boulders along life's path is human instinct. "Go around it, leap over it, avoid it, "Thinking that once you grow older and stronger, you'll go back and move it aside. "The trouble is, "By the time you've grown, you will have walked far, far down that path. You won't be able to turn back to move a stone that blocked your way so far behind you. "Most importantly, your body might have bypassed it and traveled far, but your soul will remain forever wedged right there." Listening to the old man, Karen shifted his tone and said, "You are quite right." "Heheheh. From your earlier attitude, did you think I was trying to evangelize you?" "Mm." "In truth, that is precisely what I'm doing. What is imprinted in this study are my thoughts while reading. The longer you talk with me, the easier it is for me to convert you." "I'm not afraid of being converted by you. I just find it troublesome." Karen had rejected even a revelation from the God of Order; he hardly believed he could be swayed by remnants left behind by a remnant of the Church of Light. "Oh, is that so? Still, I'd like to try again. May I?" "Suit yourself." "Young man, let me ask you a question: What does a god mean to those who are powerful and high in station?" Karen pressed his lips together and said, "An embellishment. A decoration." "An exquisite analogy. I like it very much. Because they are powerful, because their status is exalted, the difficulties they face are few, and the dilemmas they must solve are fewer—practically nonexistent, one might say. "Then, "What does a god mean to those who are weak and lowly?" Karen considered it for a moment before answering, "Courage. Hope." "Indeed. For the powerful and exalted, a single snowflake or a drop of dew is, to the weak and downtrodden, an avalanche or a tsunami. "In such moments, "They need a god, "Because a god can grant them courage and bring them hope! "Right now, you are facing the very same dilemma. "You could certainly choose to set it aside, but your heart will not allow it. You have already decided to raise your pickaxe against that boulder. "Therefore, "At this moment, "You need more courage, and your eyes need more hope!" "You are quite right. Since I have already made my choice, I shouldn't harbor any more hesitation or wandering doubt. Even if I am still weak, I should stand upright before it and face it head-on." "Yes, young man! You finally understand! So, place a god before you now. A god will grant you guidance, blessing you with hope and courage! "That great existence will bring you light! It is the great God of Li—" "No." Karen shook his head. "Uh..." The old man, having built up his momentum and reached the peak of his pitch, choked on his words. Karen closed his eyes and said with grave solemnity, "Before me, there is no god." "Without the guidance of a god, how can you walk this path?" the old man asked in an anxious rush. "Because on this path, I myself walk at the very front." The moment his words fell, a black mark appeared between Karen's brows. Beneath him, black chains began to rotate around him in a strict, orderly arrangement. His aura and presence condensed, turning solid and profound. The old man's eyes widened, and he cried out in utter disbelief: "Heavens, how is this possible?! "You just committed blasphemy against a god, yet now you've begun to step into God's Shepherd?!"