Flip the Table!

Karen stood up as well. The Lord Jurist had returned much earlier than he had anticipated. He had initially assumed the man would not return before daybreak, but in truth, in the eyes of the Lord Jurist, this place was what truly mattered. A miscalculation... Karen looked at Little John. Had the Rax copper coin been damaged, necessitating it to be nurtured and consecrated anew? Even if damaged, a Rax copper coin was nothing an ordinary sacred relic could compare to. This was... a divine artifact. "Afraid?" Little John asked. "Yeah." "Why doesn't your answer sound like a hero who's come to save people?" "What kind of hero did you expect?" "They used to tell me stories about heroes, and the heroes in their tales were all very similar. I even feel that the soulless man from earlier seemed more like a hero than you." "Right. That's why he died." "I think I can tell you another piece of good news." "Is the good news that the last bad news was a joke, and he hasn't actually come back?" "No, he's back. He has already landed outside the factory. However, I can sense that he is severely injured. Isn't that good news?" "In my opinion, no matter how badly he's hurt, as long as he walked back on his own two feet instead of being carried in on a stretcher, it makes no difference to me." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" Kevin barked loudly toward a spot down below. Alfred immediately began setting up an array there, while Mr. Pavaro's body swayed. He turned his head in disbelief, looking up at Karen standing above. "I think I know what you intend to do," Little John said. "So his memories weren't wrong. You truly planned everything all along." "This kid has something wrong with his head, honestly." "Yet I can sense that he reveres you. Right now, you are his sole reliance—his anchor, even." "I'll find him an orphanage right away, where he can have plenty of little playmates." With that, Karen turned and walked down. "Do you want me to help hold Grandfather back?" Little John asked. "Why would you do that?" Karen asked. "Didn't you say earlier that our stances align? Since we share the same stance, we'll naturally do the same thing." "Actually, there's no real need." "But I want to go. I feel that if I don't say what's in my heart to his face at a moment like this, I will deeply regret it." "I can understand that sentiment, even though that kind of feeling often leads to failure and turned tables. Still, I can give you a little time. I also want to give Mr. Pavaro a moment to prepare." Little John smiled. Then, his smile froze, and his whole body went limp, losing consciousness. Karen stepped forward and caught him in his arms. In the next moment, Karen felt a wave of coolness wash over his eyes, as though someone had lightly brushed a hand across them. Immediately afterward, he saw a little girl dressed in dark red clerical robes appear before him. "These are Grandfather's clothes," the little girl said. Then, with a twirl, her clothing changed into suspenders just like Little John's. "Hmm..." The little girl twirled again, changing into a valet's attire identical to what Karen was wearing. "I'll go with this one, because I think you look best in these clothes." "Thank you." The girl drifted toward the sliding door. Without opening it, her form passed right through it. Carrying the unconscious Little John, Karen walked down from the elevated platform toward Purr and the others. ... A black mist drifted into the factory building, descending all the way until it halted at the truck entrance. For before him stood a young girl dressed in valet's attire. "Luoya, where did you see those clothes?" Only after seeing something could she "wear" it. "One of the big sisters brought in yesterday was wearing it. She said it was her favorite outfit. Does it look nice, Grandfather?" "Our Luoya looks lovely in whatever she wears." "Oh? Grandfather, you're hurt?" "Yes, just a minor wound." Beneath the old man's dark red robes, white bones had long been exposed. The lingering power of Light continued to flare, preventing him from promptly healing his injuries. "Let Luoya help heal Grandfather." "No, you mustn't touch this wound. The residual power of Light will scorch your very existence. We can't have our Luoya getting hurt; Grandfather's heart would ache." "Grandfather is so good to Luoya, hehe." "Of course. You are Grandfather's granddaughter, the only one in my eyes." "Mm! I will definitely grow up fast, too. When that time comes, I'll be able to leave this place and stay by Grandfather's side forever. With me around, no one will ever be able to hurt Grandfather again. Whoever dares lay a hand on my grandfather, I'll tear them to shreds first!" "Cough, cough... Heh-heh." "Grandfather, I want to go out and play. Will you take me out for a stroll? Just around here, not anywhere far." "That won't do, Luoya. The wind is fierce outside tonight, unfit for going out. It's precisely because the wind is so strong that I rushed back to see you." "Oh, so that's how it is." An aggrieved expression appeared on Luoya's face. "Grandfather promises you, once some time passes and the wind dies down, Grandfather will take you out to play, all right?" "All right, Luoya will listen to Grandfather." "Good girl." Just then, the smile on the old man's face suddenly froze. Even at night, this area had regular patrols, yet he had stood here for so long and spoken at such length without seeing a single patrol team pass by. Instantly realizing something was amiss, his form turned back into mist, intending to head toward the depths behind the sliding doors. The smile on Luoya's face vanished at that moment, replaced by a cold, aloof gaze. "Qihe!" The Lord Jurist in mid-mist halted instantly and looked back at Luoya. "What... did you call me?" "Qihe. What, isn't your name Qihe, you old geezer?" "Have you been contaminated? Perhaps I should purify you." "It's useless, Qihe. Unless you choose to annihilate me outright, no matter how many times you purify me, you will never become a benevolent grandfather to me. In my heart, you will forever be nothing more than a sickening, revolting old geezer whom I wish nothing more than to curse!" "Did you knock out the patrolmen?" "Yes. They're circling around a few pillars over there, unable to get out." "And you obscured the arrays here as well?" "That's right. So those God's Servants in the array room still think nothing has happened." "What on earth do you want?" "Me? I just wanted to take this chance to share what's truly on my mind with you." "Luoya, you're sick. But I can cure you." "It's useless, Qihe. Do you think my consciousness appeared out of thin air? Look at who nurtured me: it was their grievances and resentment that served as the nourishment for my consciousness to awaken! When I first opened my eyes, I saw your face, but there was no possibility of me seeing you as a parent the way an animal cub imprints on the closest being upon opening its eyes. Because the moment your face entered my view, my mind was already filled with the heartfelt hatred of countless women for you—along with the curses accumulated night after night!" Hearing these words, the Lord Jurist clenched his fists in silence. He had realized one thing: all these years, he had been deceived. Deceived by the girl before him. "Are you angry?" Luoya asked with a laugh. "You wanted to tame me. You wanted to raise me from childhood, wanting me to develop affection and a bond with you so that you could control my true form, the copper coin. That was your calculation, your plan. However, I'm sorry to say: When you try to use me to control the coin, you'd better never give me an opportunity. Otherwise, I will definitely seize the moment to turn on my master." Red light flickered in the Lord Jurist's eyes. "The Rax copper coin truly is the Source of Sin." "Yes, I am the Source of Sin! Hahahahaha..." Luoya threw her head back and laughed loudly. As she laughed, glistening tears began to slide from the corners of her eyes. "Yet why is it that you, a believer of Order, treat them like pigs to bleed, while I, the Source of Sin, am filled with pity for them?" "I was wrong." "Hmm?" "I realize that I was wrong," the Jurist said with utmost solemnity. "Will you... stop all this?" Luoya asked. As she asked this, a hint of conflict and hesitation actually stirred within her heart. "I misunderstood the meaning of the Source of Sin," the Lord Jurist said with a faint smile. "True God Rax forged the world's greed into nine copper coins. Though they are called the Source of Sin, in truth, the coins themselves are exceptionally pure. For only the purest white can be stained with the greatest amount of black!" The Lord Jurist sighed. "A pity I have only understood this now. Yet fortunately, understanding it now is still not too late. I will start over, Luoya." "Start... over?" "Although you are the crystallization of my painstaking efforts over all these years, since your core nature is like this, and since I have allowed you to witness the filthy side of my heart, I am left with no choice but to annihilate you completely. I will continue to use this method to nurture a new consciousness for the coin. However, I will not show my face. I will send a subordinate to play the role I held over these past years. When you mature, I shall descend in the guise of righteousness, saving these pitiful girls, and saving you. I believe the next you will successfully form a bond with me." "You intend to open this pigsty all over again?" "Mm. After all, this world has no shortage of such livestock." "Qihe, you are the one who truly belongs in a pigsty!!!" "Heh." Qihe reached out his hand. "Order: Cage!" A cage materialized, directly locking Luoya within. The Lord Jurist's cage could imprison not only physical entities, but also intangible forms. Luoya, to whom even Karen dared turn his back, could never have been a match for the Lord Jurist. Imprisoned, Luoya roared sharply, "Why don't you undo my seals?!" Layers of seals had consistently suppressed her to a very low level. All she could manage was occasionally and accidentally contaminating one or two people. One could say that among aberrant demons, she was of an extremely weak sort. Qihe smiled faintly. Opening his palm, he began chanting an incantation, preparing to annihilate this consciousness that had been raised "wrong." Yet right at that moment, he suddenly looked down toward the underground depths. "There's someone else below!" Luoya burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha! Yes, a madman who's no hero!" ... "Karen, have you lost your mind?" Mr. Pavaro asked Karen as the young man walked over carrying Little John. By now, Alfred had already set up the array around the spot indicated by Kevin. It was a very simple array—so simple that the only reason it appeared in Mr. Hoffen's notes was to serve as an introductory exercise for novices to practice their craft. In practical terms, its function was simply to help villagers dig water wells. Even now, in many village communities, certain rituals were performed before drilling a well, including drawing a talisman where the borehole would be. That talisman was actually derived from this very array, though the former had long retained only ceremonial significance. Karen set Little John down, letting him lie on the ground. Having just been possessed, Little John seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, murmuring, "I don't want to go to an orphanage... not the orphanage..." Karen dusted off his hands and looked at Alfred. "Young Master, it's ready." "Woof!" "Meow!" "Mr. Pavaro, the Lord Jurist has arrived. He'll likely appear on that high platform shortly, so if you have anything you wish to say to him, you can start drafting your speech now." "Karen, you can't do this! It's too dangerous!" "Ms. Annie is already dead." "I know, but—" "You are already dead as well. You promised me just moments ago that as a dead man, you wouldn't interfere." "Earlier I was only guessing. I truly didn't expect you all to actually be able to... This is what you planned all along, isn't it?" "Yes." "So every time I asked what you intended to do once you found the place, and you answered that you'd decide after finding it, you had actually settled on this idea from the start?" "Yes." "Though I don't know how it managed it, I have a premonition that the location this dog found is correct—and precise!" "Woof!" Kevin raised his dog head proudly. Karen looked at Kevin, smiled, and answered, "Yes." "You want to detonate this contamination source?" "Yes." "I'll bet that when this contamination source is detonated, the impact and uproar it causes will immediately alert the Church of Order. And not just the Church of Order—the other church factions in York City will be alerted rapidly as well. That would have a far greater impact than the Light remnants operating in York City." "You want to draw the attention of the church high-ups here by detonating the contamination source, exposing the Lord Jurist's secrets and crimes?" "Yes. Since we have no way to report to the true superiors above, we'll drag their eyes right to this place." "Then have you considered what happens if the church high-ups arrive too late and fail to contain the overflow of contamination in time? How many ordinary people living nearby will suffer contamination? This is York City. Even if it contaminates just a single community, do you know how many people live there?" "Mr. Pavaro, I respect you very much. Ever since I first read your notes, I have held deep respect for you." "Now is not the time to talk about that—" "No. Do you know why I respect you? Because I cannot do what you did. That is why I express respect for someone who can accomplish what I cannot. Mr. Pavaro, to solve this case, Ms. Annie has already died, and you have already died. I want to solve this case, too. However, I don't want to die." "..." Pavaro said nothing. "You have to trust the response speed of the Church of Order, and even more, the response speed of the other churches in York City. The impact generated when this massive contamination source is detonated will certainly draw everyone's eyes the very instant it happens. They will contain this spill of contamination. They certainly will." Pavaro closed his eyes. He made no further move to stop Karen. When Karen stated so bluntly that he didn't want to die, Pavaro—already dead—lost any standing to persuade him otherwise. Karen took a deep breath, looking at the array Alfred had already set up. In truth, once he learned that Little John had been infected here, combined with the information from the investigation notes, he was almost certain that a terrifying contamination source existed in this place. And indeed, that was reality. The purpose of the women lying in these pigsties was to die in agony, so their grudge-filled corpses could nourish the consciousness of that copper coin. The coin's consciousness had been incubated right inside this artificially engineered contamination source. What Karen needed to do now was detonate this "cesspool." Mr. Pavaro and Ms. Annie, who had played the game properly at the table, had already died at that card table. Karen didn't believe he had what it took to step into their shoes and win the game. Therefore, his idea from the very beginning had been... to flip the table! Because he possessed a unique advantage: the evil god by his side. It had the keen ability to pinpoint the precise location of the contamination source. It was an evil god; if it didn't even have this much capability, it truly wouldn't deserve the title. As for Alfred's array, it was so rudimentary and low-level that one would feel embarrassed just presenting it. Yet it didn't need to be complex, nor did it require immense power. So long as the location was chosen correctly, even a simple needle could burst a gigantic balloon in an instant. "Alfred." "Young Master." "A cigarette." "Yes, Young Master." Alfred pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Karen, who held it between his lips. Immediately following that, Alfred wiped his palm against his clothes to brush away sweat that was never there to begin with, recalling in his mind the cigarette-lighting routine he had practiced over and over in the past. *Fwip!* The lighter traced an elegant arc in Alfred's hand. *Snap!* By the time it reached Karen's lips, the flame was already dancing, its flickering outer cone perfectly lighting Karen's cigarette before snapping shut and extinguishing. With the routine completed, Alfred exhaled a long breath. Once upon a time, he had believed he would earn his place on a fresco by virtue of this "art of lighting cigarettes." He needed to reflect on himself: even though the Young Master had quit smoking now and barely touched them on regular days, his own hands could never afford to grow rusty. At that moment, a cloud of black mist appeared on the high platform, and the Lord Jurist's figure materialized within it. Karen, who had originally intended to allow Mr. Pavaro a conversation with the Lord Jurist, immediately scrapped all the burdensome plans from before upon seeing the man appear, discarding every step that might invite unnecessary complications. Yet he still granted himself the composure to flick his ash twice. The ash drifted to the floor. "Alfred." "Sir!" "Ignite it!"