Deep Sea

A massive plume of blue flames soared from the passenger ship. The thunderous roar followed shortly after, rolling in alongside surging waves. *Smack!* The waves crashed against the pier, throwing up great sheets of spray. A protective barrier formed above Karen, shielding him and the two women behind him from the falling seawater. It was a spontaneous manifestation of magic, as Karen hadn't chanted any incantations. Right now, he had no mind to worry about keeping his clothes dry. Following the explosion, the ship began to list. But right then, two more bursts of blue flames erupted from the hull, followed by two deafening blasts: *Boom!* *Boom!* As another wave surged toward them, Karen raised a hand. This time, he consciously summoned the protective barrier to deflect the seawater once more. Before their eyes, the liner snapped down the middle. Its bow and stern began sinking, thrusting the midsection upward. Two coast guard cutters previously anchored nearby started their engines and closed in on the vessel. Karen turned his head, looked back at Fanny and Peige standing behind him, and asked, "What do we do?" Fanny took a deep breath. "If he hasn't stepped ashore and the handover hasn't taken place, an accident isn't our responsibility." Karen nodded. Yet none of the three felt any relief from those words. Such self-deceptive comfort was entirely useless, serving only to fill an awkward silence. Because this wasn't about accountability; the prize practically in their mouths had just flown away. From the first explosion to the secondary double blast, the interval had been exceedingly brief. In so short a window, there had been nothing Karen and the other two could do except stand on the pier and watch. Now, as the two coast guard boats drew near the sinking liner, the Sea God's Armor materialized over Karen's body. "I'll go check. Let's hope that Holy Child jumped overboard in time." "Be careful," Fanny cautioned. Peige pressed the shell against her ear. "The captain has already ordered search-and-rescue boats deployed. He also warned us to stay safe—there might still be danger in the water." "Got it." *Splash!* Karen dived into the sea. Another property of the Sea God's Armor came into play beneath the surface. Karen felt virtually no resistance in the water, swimming at tremendous speed. Peige and Fanny didn't follow him into the sea. Standing by the edge of the pier, they kept one eye on the sinking ship and the other on Karen's position. Just then, Karen broke the surface and returned to the pier. "Peige, tell the captain to call off the maritime search. We need to head back to the hotel as fast as possible." "Back to the hotel?" Peige asked in surprise. *Whoosh...* A blue cuboid barrier surfaced from beneath the water. Inside, a man in a blue clerical robe could be seen holding a bead radiating white light. Behind this young man stood over a dozen rather bedraggled retainers. The barrier rose from the sea, reached the pier, and dissolved. The young man turned to glance at the passenger ship, which was now mostly submerged, before looking at Karen, who had just climbed back onto the pier. "Church of Order?" "Yes. And you are...?" "I am Derius. I require security protection at once." Derius—the name of the Church of Pamires's Holy Child. "Please get in the car. We're returning to the hotel immediately. Your entourage will be accommodated by other personnel; our primary duty is your safety." Fanny opened the car door. Peige got into the driver's seat, Derius stepped inside, and Karen climbed in behind him, shutting the door. Peige pressed her earlobe and spoke: "Captain, the Holy Child is in the vehicle. We're departing now, destination Ankara Hotel." Having reported, Peige started the engine and floored the accelerator. Fanny produced two towels, handing one to Derius and the other to Karen. Derius took the towel and began drying his hair. Formations were undoubtedly engraved into his clerical robe; by the time he finished wiping his hair, his clothes were already dry. Karen wasn't wearing a clerical robe and could only wipe down his head and hands carelessly. He couldn't be bothered to fuss over it further; he would change once they got back to the hotel room. After leaving the pier, Peige got onto the ring road, but after driving just a short stretch, she seemed to receive a new instruction from the captain. Smashing through the guardrail, she sent the VIP car sliding down an embankment before steering onto a back road. After that, she switched routes several more times, not hesitating to take long detours. Half an hour later, Peige finally eased off the gas and steadied the vehicle, signaling that they had bypassed the danger zone. The Ankara Hotel was now visible ahead. Karen ended his vigil outside the window and turned to examine the Church of Pamires's Holy Child more closely. For one, he was young—under thirty, most likely. His complexion was fair, though his face was slightly long with sharp, well-defined contours. He had blond hair, lending him an aura of melancholy and depth. "Greetings, Lord Derius. I am the head of your close-protection security detail for the York City talks. You may call me Karen. My team and I will be responsible for your safety throughout your stay in York City." *Whew... I almost thought I'd never get the chance to deliver that prepared speech.* At the same time, Karen added inwardly: *As for what just happened on the ship, your feet hadn't yet touched York City ground, so it had nothing to do with us.* Derius nodded slightly. "Forgive me for making a spectacle of myself." *A spectacle of yourself?* Karen immediately caught the implication and asked, "My Lord, was the earlier attack on the ship orchestrated by someone close to you?" "Yes. One of the elders accompanying me betrayed me, intending to bury me in the sea." Evidently, that elder had failed. Karen began weighing the Holy Child's strength in his mind. The treacherous elder certainly wouldn't have delivered a grand speech out in the open before detonating the bombs. And had Derius known about the betrayal beforehand, he wouldn't have brought the man aboard in the first place, only to stage such a drama right before docking. Therefore, what likely happened was that the elder had struck without warning just as the ship approached port, when everyone's guard was lowest. Even so, Derius had made it ashore completely unscathed—and brought a group of his people with him. "In that case, to ensure your safety, all interactions between you and the members of your entourage will need to be screened and arranged by us beforehand. This may affect your talks with our side to some extent, but rest assured, it will merely lengthen the procedure and won't alter the intended direction of the negotiations. Please have faith in Order's sincerity." "I believe you, and I am willing to comply with your arrangements." Derius proved remarkably agreeable, consenting without hesitation. Karen asked again, "May I ask if you have any intention of visiting relatives or friends, or any desire to go sightseeing? If so, please tell me now so I can submit a request to my superiors. Should the trip be approved, my team will oversee your security while traveling." During the last protection detail, Ophelia had requested a visit to Allen Manor, which led to an ambush on the way back. Strictly speaking, of course, that incident hadn't been directly Ophelia's fault; the attack hadn't been aimed at her. Still, as a bodyguard, Karen much preferred his charge to remain quietly inside the hotel without stepping out. "I have no such needs," Derius replied. "My only wish is to expedite the meeting schedule as much as possible." "Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. Should you need anything else, please let me know right away." Derius withdrew a lodestone card from his robe's pocket and handed it to Karen. Karen reached out and accepted it. Cards like this functioned similarly to bank cards; every orthodox church issued something equivalent, whereas members within a church could simply use their official credentials. The card was marked with the seal of the Church of Samsara, featuring a stone idol of Samsara—a wolf's body with a human head, the "loyal hound" tasked with guarding the underworld in Samsara mythology. It was a bearer card, usable by whoever held it. Even a registered card wouldn't have been an issue, as no church wanted its point coupons circulating only within its own ranks. However, with a registered card, any anomaly in spending or purchased goods relative to the holder's registered identity would inevitably trigger an internal audit from the church—though such audits didn't target outsiders. For that reason, Karen never deposited his point coupons into his official identity account, and the same held true for his squadmates. Everyone preferred spending them on the black market. Now, however, Karen had his little cousin Richard. If he ever wanted to spend coupons through legitimate channels in the future, he could have Richard do it for him. After all, given Richard's wealthy family background, large expenditures were entirely justifiable and wouldn't arouse suspicion. That was probably a form of money laundering... or rather, "coupon laundering." "There are one hundred thousand Samsara coupons on this card. Treat yourself and your team to afternoon tea." One hundred thousand Samsara coupons was equivalent to nearly eighty thousand Order coupons on the black market. The Church of Pamires naturally issued its own church coupons, but their circulation was limited, and the range of purchasable goods was far narrower than those of an orthodox church, commanding little acceptance in the coupon market. Most importantly, once word leaked that the Church of Pamires was merging into the Church of Order, the value of Pamires-issued coupons on the market would plummet drastically. In an extreme scenario, their purchasing power might sink below even the Kingdom of Vien's riels. Thus, whether for the sake of gifting convenience or expressing sincerity, presenting coupons from an orthodox church was the most fitting choice. Karen didn't bother with polite refusals; he accepted the card directly. "My Lord, on behalf of my entire squad, I thank you for your generosity." "Think nothing of it." Suddenly, the Holy Child whipped his head toward the driver's cabin—no, through the windshield toward the road ahead. Karen sensed it too. A presence was emanating from ahead, sending a chill through his heart. "Stop the car!" "Stop the car!" Derius and Karen shouted almost in unison at Peige behind the wheel. Peige didn't hit the brakes, maintaining their speed as she explained, "The captain ordered us to keep moving forward." *Buzz!* In the air ahead, several black fissures abruptly tore open. The space around them twisted and spun, coalescing into a black hole roughly ten meters in diameter. A gigantic, pristine white hand reached out from the black hole. Extending its index finger, it pressed down toward the speeding vehicle below! The index finger was as thick as a utility pole, gleaming with chilling light. Were it to strike the VIP car, it would undoubtedly cause a catastrophic disaster. The Sea God's Armor instantly materialized across Karen's body. Now dyed black with the power of Order, it was no longer so conspicuous. A blue radiance surfaced in Derius's eyes as his aura surged violently. Even protected by the Sea God's Armor, Karen felt little sense of security against such a rising presence. Peige trusted her captain unconditionally. Even as she saw that colossal finger plunging toward her driver's cab, she neither stepped on the brake nor turned the steering wheel. Right then, a dark figure appeared in front of the car. It was Neo! Black flames surged around Neo as he threw his body straight into the massive finger. *Bang!* Neo was blasted backward by the impact, but the black flames traced their way up the finger, spreading relentlessly. Karen seemed to catch the faint sound of a woman screaming as the enormous finger withdrew into the warped space with blinding speed. Immediately after, the distorted vortex vanished. *Phew...* Karen dismissed the Sea God's Armor, and Derius's aura receded as well. Peige spoke up: "The captain says he's fine. We head straight into the hotel." Before long, the VIP car entered the grounds of the Ankara Hotel. Passing through the security checkpoint meant Karen and his companions could finally breathe a slight sigh of relief. The car pulled up in front of the main building. Karen escorted Derius into the lobby to check in. The front desk was exceptionally efficient, finishing the paperwork in half a minute. Karen then led Derius to the elevators. For security reasons, every floor had its own dedicated elevator to ensure the area remained secure and uncontaminated. Anyone attempting to reach the upper floors by other means would find the omnipresent defensive formations enough to drive most intruders to despair. *Ding...* The elevator doors slid open. Karen saw standing inside, dressed in a hotel attendant's uniform... Richard. *Did Fanny really assign him to play "elevator girl"?* Richard made a gesturing "after you" motion. Once Karen and the others stepped inside, he promptly pressed the floor button and closed the doors. Then, clasping his hands in front of his waist, he matched the poised posture of Karen's group. From the side, Richard looked dead serious, the muscles in his face pulled tight. By the time they reached their floor, veins bulged on the hand Richard used to hold the door-open button. As Karen escorted Derius out of the elevator, he made a point of looking back and nodding to Richard. Richard nodded back firmly before closing the doors. Fanny unlocked the door to Derius's suite. Once inside, Karen picked up the room phone to order room service, while Fanny had already poured Derius a cup of coffee. "My Lord, your entourage will be checking into this hotel shortly. Will you be meeting with any members of your team tonight?" Karen asked. "No, that won't be necessary." "Very well, My Lord. The welcoming banquet is scheduled for tomorrow morning. According to the preliminary itinerary, the first round of talks will begin in the afternoon following the banquet." "Good, I understand." "Hotel staff will wheel up food and beverages shortly. Everything has gone through a secondary inspection by our team, so you may enjoy them without worry. Furthermore, should you wish to place an extra order, please notify us three hours in advance. Preparing the meals and conducting our checks both take time." "I understand." "We are stationed in the suite directly across the hall. If you need anything, feel free to ring the desk bell." "All right, thank you." "Please get some rest, My Lord. We will take our leave." Karen withdrew from Derius's room with Fanny and Peige and returned to their own suite across the hall. As soon as the door closed, Peige grinned. "That Holy Child seems pretty easy to talk to." Fanny nodded. "He's very eager for the negotiations." Karen sat on the sofa. "My guess is that he's the one championing the merger, which must be facing tremendous resistance within his church. Right now, he probably wants to wrap up the talks and finalize the strategy as quickly as possible so he can use our Church's power to suppress the opposition back home." "Mm, makes a lot of sense, but none of that is our concern," Peige said. "Who wants to shower first? Oh, Karen, your clothes are wet. You go ahead." "All right." Karen didn't decline. Standing up, he added, "Next time, I'm wearing a clerical robe." "You were always allowed to wear one," Fanny remarked. "The only catch is that our style has to match. If we wear robes, everyone wears them." Karen opened the bathroom door, paused, and asked, "How is the captain?" "The captain is fine." Peige tapped the seashell on her ear. "Have a little faith in him, please." Fanny chimed in, "Wende is the most senior member of our squad now. I asked him once, and he said he couldn't recall a single time the captain ever fell behind when facing an opponent one-on-one." "What about when the captain met Miss Elisa...?" "He was ambushed and outnumbered," Fanny said. "That's all I know. I joined later. A lot of senior squad members died that time." Karen nodded thoughtfully. Just as he was about to head in for a shower, Peige suddenly spoke up: "Bishop Bern has taken the elevator up. He wants to see Derius." Fanny explained, "Bishop Bern is one of the delegates representing our side in these negotiations." Karen put his shower on hold. While Peige and Fanny went to inform Derius, Karen walked toward the elevators. Right then, the elevator doors parted, and Bishop Bern, sporting a white goatee, stepped out. "Take me to see the Holy Child of the Church of Pamires." "Please present your credentials." Bishop Bern nodded. Though clearly anxious, he patiently handed his documents to Karen. Karen checked the papers, confirmed their authenticity, and returned them with both hands. "Please follow me." Karen led the way. Arriving at Derius's door, he knocked softly. "Come in." The door was unlocked. Karen pushed it open. Once Bishop Bern entered, Karen followed closely behind. When Derius saw Bishop Bern, an intense surge of emotion flashed in his eyes. Then he looked at Karen. "I wish to speak with Bishop Bern in private." Karen shook his head. "I apologize. According to security regulations, even when meeting personnel from our side, at least one member of the close-protection detail must remain present." Bishop Bern smiled. "Rules are rules. As you know, our Church of Order has no shortage of regulations. Besides, I trust the professionalism of this Hound squad, so we can speak openly. More importantly, time is short, and I don't have time to apply for a private audience." "Truly?" Derius asked. "Of course it's true." Bishop Bern pointed at the floor beneath their feet. "This is the Ankara Hotel, named after the daughter of the great God of Order. You, me, all of us—we are absolutely safe here." The next instant, Derius vanished in a blur, appearing right in front of Bishop Bern. He seized the bishop by the collar and glared ferociously into his face. "Lord Derius, please—" Startled by the sudden outbreak, Karen immediately moved to intervene, but Bishop Bern raised a hand toward him, gesturing for him to stay back. "Our Lord Derius simply needs to vent some emotions. It's fine; please don't stop him. He won't harm me, because he, just like you—" Karen froze in his tracks. *Just like me?* Derius thrust his face almost against Bishop Bern's, his expression twisted with raw, agonizing fury. "Count it yourself! How many years has it been since you arranged for me to infiltrate the Church of Pamires? How many years have passed?! "All these years, I applied to you time and again, begging to return to the embrace of Order, but time and again you thwarted me with every excuse imaginable! "Lord Bishop Bern! "No... "Father! "Do you have any idea what your son has gone through all these years?!" Bishop Bern let Derius clutch his collar, maintaining a calm smile. "See? Isn't this outcome wonderful?" "Wonderful?" Derius laughed mirthlessly. "You call this wonderful?" Bishop Bern nodded and countered, "Is it not?" "Father, what did you tell me back then?! You told me you were only assigning me to go undercover in the Church of Pamires for two months, just to see a different change of scenery! But that undercover assignment lasted twenty years! "Are you feeling regretful right now?! "After all, your son has already worked his way up to Holy Child of the Church of Pamires! "If not for a few uncontrollable accidents, "had I endured undercover for a few more years, wouldn't I have ended up infiltrating my way straight into becoming the Pontiff of the Church of Pamires?!"