Richard opened the front door, walked through the entryway into the living room, and found two people sitting there. They sat facing each other like complete strangers; there was no sign at all that they had once had a child together.
Yes, sitting in the living room were his father and... his mother.
The woman turned and saw Richard returning. She immediately stood up, opened her arms, and said happily, "Oh, my dear son is back."
"Mom!"
Richard embraced his mother.
"I heard you went on a mission?"
"Yes, because I wanted to earn some point coupons on my own so I can get my favorite mother an exquisite gift for her next birthday."
"Oh, what a good boy." Kaixi planted a kiss on her son's forehead.
Aisen stood up at that moment and said, "Richard, attend to your mother."
With that, as if fleeing disaster, he hurried into a room on the first floor and shut the door behind him.
"If only your father could be cheerful like you..." Kaixi sighed.
"That's because Father gave all his sunshine to me."
"You're getting better and better with words, my son. How was it? Was the mission hard?"
"Not hard at all. It was very fulfilling."
"And what was your role in the squad?"
"Hiding in the shadows with my captain and teammates to protect the target."
"Is that so? That must have been exhausting. Do you want to take a bath first?"
"All right, Mom. I'll head upstairs and take a bath first."
"By the way, your grandfather is upstairs. Go say hello to him."
"Grandpa is here too? All right, I got it, Mom."
Richard went up to the second floor and knocked on the study door.
"Come in."
"Grandpa."
"You're back." Delon wasn't sitting behind his desk. Instead, he stood before the wall, looking at that old family portrait.
"Yes, I'm back. The mission is over."
"Tired?"
"Not really. It was my first mission, and it felt fulfilling from beginning to end."
"Are your father and mother talking down there?"
"Even if you went upstairs to leave the living room to the two of them, do you think they'd talk to each other?"
"Sigh. I don't know how your father ended up like this either. When he was little, he was just a bit introverted. Now that his son is so grown, he's regressing more and more."
"I think we could find Father a psychiatrist to take a look."
"Would that help?"
"If he doesn't see one, it definitely won't."
"Then let's give it a try. Keep an eye out and look for one."
"All right, Grandpa. But once I find a suitable psychiatrist, I'll still need you to give the word to make Father go."
"Of course I know that."
Delon took two steps back, but his gaze remained fixed on the photograph.
"Are you thinking about Eldest Aunt, Grandpa?"
"Yeah. When your father was young, the only time he'd smile or be a bit lively was when your eldest aunt was looking after him. I've always thought that if your eldest aunt were still alive, still living in this house, your father probably wouldn't have turned out like this.
"Your eldest aunt's child would be about your age, maybe just a little older. You'd have a cousin too."
"By the way, Grandpa, why are you, Father, and Mother all at home? Did Mother come back from Sangpu City specially to visit?"
"She had official business in York City, so she came home to visit."
"Oh, I see."
"Richard, don't blame your mother."
"I've never blamed Mother. If I were her, it would probably be hard for me to face a husband like that every day, too."
"A son shouldn't say such things."
"We're family, so of course it's understandable. Grandpa, I'll go take a bath now."
"Go on."
Richard closed the study door. Hearing noises downstairs, he leaned toward the staircase and recognized his youngest aunt's voice.
Youngest Aunt was here too?
Instead of heading down, Richard walked into the washroom. As he undressed, he paused: The whole family was back, and all in the house?
Keep in mind, this family hadn't been gathered like this in years.
Richard couldn't help recalling what the captain had said to him before he came home.
*Looks like something really is about to happen.*
After bathing, Richard changed into clean clothes, walked into his bedroom, deliberately left the door open, and lay down on the bed.
Faint sounds carried from the living room downstairs, mostly Youngest Aunt and Mother chatting. After a while, he also heard Grandfather's voice—Grandfather must have gone downstairs too.
Lying on the bed, Richard began to feel drowsy. Over the past few days, he had basically stood in an elevator, sleeping leaned against its wall. Having not touched a bed in days, the moment he lay down he couldn't bear to leave, and drowsiness washed over him.
Yet Richard forced himself to stay awake. Finding it too painful to resist sleep while lying down, he simply got out of bed and leaned sideways against the wall by the bedroom doorway, as if he were still on duty in the elevator.
Drifting half-asleep and half-awake, he lost track of time until he noticed the voices downstairs had ceased.
Richard opened his eyes instantly, snapping wide awake like someone had just pushed the elevator button.
He immediately walked downstairs. Sure enough, he saw Grandfather, Father, Mother, and Youngest Aunt just walking from the living room into the entryway.
"Youngest Aunt, you're here!"
Richard greeted his youngest aunt warmly.
"Look at that, our family's glorious Whip of Order is back."
Kaixi looked at her son with concern and asked, "Didn't you sleep?"
"Just napped for a bit. I'm getting ready to go on a date with Beilinna."
"Who's Beilinna?" Kaixi asked in confusion.
"A girl your son was seeing recently," Youngest Aunt said. "I remember the name."
"Yes, a very gentle girl. Her father is a missionary officer of the Church of Samsara, and her mother is Ruilanese. She's great at cooking Ruilanese dishes. I think I might get the chance to taste them tonight."
Richard noticed that as he said this, his father, mother, and youngest aunt all looked completely normal.
*Huh, was that wrong?*
"Richard, my grandson."
Just then, Delon, who had already reached the front door, stepped back and pointed at Richard:
"After finishing a mission and coming home, I think what you need right now is rest—plenty of rest. I know young people like to have fun, but there's a time and place for it. So for the sake of your health, I want you to stay home and sleep today. You're an adult now; you need to manage the pace of your life and work properly, understand?"
"I understand, Grandpa."
"I don't want you lying to me. What you promise me, you must follow through on, or Grandpa will be very angry."
"Yes, Grandpa. I'll listen to you. I won't go anywhere today and will just rest well at home."
"Mhm, good."
"Rest well, son." Kaixi hugged Richard, and then followed the others out of the house.
Richard didn't return to his bedroom. Instead, he went to the living room and sat down on the sofa, muttering to himself, "Grandpa's reaction seemed very sensitive. Father, Mother, and Youngest Aunt had no reaction. Does that mean the place they're going and the mission they're executing is known only to Grandpa so far, while Father, Mother, and Youngest Aunt don't have the clearance to know yet?
"Such strict security protocols, strictly enforced even against their own children."
*Ring, ring, ring...*
The phone rang. Richard answered it.
"Hello, it's me."
"Captain!"
"Did you say it?"
"Captain, I said it just as you instructed. Grandpa... reacted."
"All right, I understand. Get some good rest."
"Yes, Captain."
...
Neo hung up the telephone inside the booth, looked at Karen, and said, "I'll give you a chance to guess. Which Orthodox Church do you think it is?"
Karen replied, "The Church of Samsara."
"Why?"
"Because when we first met Derius, he gave us a hundred thousand Samsara coupons just to treat us to afternoon tea. I imagine he brought quite a few point coupons with him for these negotiations. Space Gem coupons weren't suitable to give away under the circumstances, because they were depreciating continuously and weren't stable coupons issued by an Orthodox Church.
"For him to hand out a hundred thousand point coupons as a tip right away proves he still had plenty of Samsara coupons on him. At the same time, this proves the close relationship between the Church of Pamires and the Church of Samsara.
"If they're using the Church of Pamires as a springboard to attack an opponent, that opponent should ideally be very familiar with the Church of Pamires, and preferably have very good relations with them on the surface. That way, a surprise attack will have the best effect."
"Very good reasoning," Neo said.
"I feel my reasoning is a bit forced."
"No, that's because the information available to you is limited. Investigating and verifying things is often like this; you can't always expect to have sufficient intel.
"Order's target this time is indeed the Church of Samsara.
"My initial analysis was the same as yours, but at the time, it was merely speculation. After all, all my savings are at stake; I couldn't afford not to be cautious. So I had Richard help me ask—well, not ask directly, but take a possible answer I gave him and test the waters."
"Are you sure the Guman family definitely knows?"
"Yeah. Remember when the Church Affairs Building collapsed last time?"
"I remember you saying that Mr. Delon's department director was discovered to be a mole, and before he was captured, he triggered the Church Affairs Building's formation."
"Yes, exactly. That was indeed the truth, but don't you find it strange?"
"Strange?"
"Our church actually started catching moles."
"..." Karen.
"The higher-ups aren't necessarily unaware of this phenomenon. Maybe they were too lazy to investigate, or maybe they intentionally let it slide. After all, among the major churches, everyone infiltrates each other, tossing sand into each other's gears while being fully aware of it.
"So what happened last time was clearly abnormal—so abnormal that... it was as if, before undertaking an urgent, critical task, they deliberately screened the units they would need to deploy.
"And when that department's director got into trouble, didn't the former deputy director, our old Mr. Delon, naturally become the true shot-caller of that department?
"There are things the bishops of the York City Region might not know, but Mr. Delon would know, because he's the hilt of that knife. Moreover, no one can doubt the Guman family's absolute loyalty to the Church of Order.
"I think tonight they'll coordinate with the departure time of those knight orders over there to make their move. For example... using formations in advance to seal off the Church of Samsara's Church Affairs Building in York City and several of their major missionary hubs?"
Neo looked up at the big screen. As coupons of an Orthodox Church, Samsara coupons were listed right near the top.
"What's the fun in Space Gem coupons? Shorting an Orthodox Church's coupons is where the real fun is."
"Captain, Fanny still has a hundred thousand Samsara coupons."
"Knowing Fanny's habits, she probably went straight to the black market to exchange them for Order coupons right after parting ways with us. You don't need to worry about that. Besides, after this matter blows over, the church will probably launch a major purge against moles, focusing on those who leaked and sold information this time. That's why I had you beat those three until they bled; otherwise, they might have been dragged down."
"But, Captain, what about the two of us right now..."
Karen felt that compared to Peige and the others selling a bit of intelligence, the two of them were more like genuine spies, and they had accomplished something even an elite spy might not pull off.
"Do you have a handler?" Neo asked Karen.
"I don't..."
"What a coincidence, neither do I. So if neither of us has a handler, how are we moles?"
"This..."
"You know what? Many handlers who buy internal church intel are actually members of the church themselves. Fishing is definitely easier than jumping into the pond to catch fish barehanded, isn't it?"
"I understand, Captain."
"All right, I'm going to place the order. Go downstairs and order me another glass of Dierna blood wine. I think after I place the order, my hands will still be shaking a bit. After all, it's my entire life savings."
"Understood, Captain."
A moment later, Karen came back upstairs holding a glass of blood wine and saw the captain already sitting there after placing the order, staring at his hands, which really seemed to be trembling.
"Captain, your wine."
Neo took the glass, drank a big mouthful, and asked, "Are you heading home next?"
"Do you have any other plans, Captain?"
"I'd like to go outside the Church of Samsara's Church Affairs Building to admire the moonlight."
"I'd like to go too."
Neo looked at Karen and asked:
"So, when you saw our Church Affairs Building collapse last time, especially when you saw the floors housing the warehouse and the shop crash down, did you also feel an impulse in your heart?"
Karen nodded and said, "A pity there were several Jurists guarding those floors at the time."
Neo let out a sigh and said:
"My regret is that it happened in broad daylight."
...
*Creak...*
The iron door opened, and Derius, shackled in irons, was escorted from the cell into an office.
There, Derius saw Bishop Bern in black armor... his father.
Bishop Bern spoke. "I apologize. The garrison's cells haven't been used in a long time; the conditions inside must be terrible."
"You're... with the knights?"
"You should be proud of that, because your father isn't merely a bishop of the York City Region—he was also once an honorable member of the knight orders. Although I've retired, I still hold my military rank in this garrison. Strictly speaking, my position as bishop is merely a side gig."
"You made a deal with the Hierophant long ago. Order's target this time was never the Church of Pamires. You used the Messenger Space as a springboard."
"You finally figured it out?"
"The moment I learned the Cage Space collapsed, I understood. Without the Hierophant's consent and cooperation, this play couldn't have been staged at all."
He had notified the Hierophant in time, yet nothing had changed. Even so, he had firmly believed the Hierophant had the power to stop all of this.
"Yes, indeed. In truth, Order has been infiltrating and controlling the Church of Pamires for much longer than you think."
"So, who is Order's real target this time?"
"Do you know who destroyed the Cage Space? Captain Kangda of the maintenance squad—you should be familiar with him. He once competed against you for the position of Holy Child, but lost to you."
"It was him?"
"Yes, it was him. After wrecking the Cage Space, he and his accomplices tried to escape, but were promptly captured, along with the squad sent to extract them.
"On top of that, the Church of Pamires' space divine artifact—Silence—which he stole and used, fully recorded the entire process of his crime. It can be said that he was caught red-handed with full evidence.
"In fact, he is very much like you. Over the years, you've said you always wanted to praise Order publicly; he probably wanted to praise Samsara at the top of his lungs just as badly."
"The target is... the Church of Samsara."
"Attacking a mid-sized church like the Church of Pamires with pretexts and excuses wouldn't sit well. But if the target is an Orthodox Church like the Church of Samsara, Order indeed needs a justification that can convince the entire church world.
"We have obtained that justification—an irrefutable, undeniable reason with clear and unambiguous facts. It was the Church of Samsara that struck against Order first. Order is merely acting in self-defense.
"Tomorrow, the Order Senate will take this evidence and announce the Church of Samsara's atrocities to the entire church world. Our Church of Order will declare war on the Church of Samsara!"
"Hehehe... Hehehe..."
Derius burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Bern just sat there, letting him vent his emotions, but checked the clock from time to time, as if calculating how long he could tolerate his son's emotional outburst.
Finally, Derius looked up again at the father sitting before him:
"So you had planned everything from the start. The target of the war, the justification for the war, the springboard for the war—you had schemed it all out long ago.
"Then what about me? What was I in all of this?
"Was I just a clown? A clown who didn't even know he was playing the fool, still performing his heart out? Hehehe, how ridiculous.
"Because no matter what choice I made, no matter what I did, it wouldn't have affected the progress and outcome of this matter in the slightest, would it?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you send me to the Church of Pamires in the first place?!
"If I could start over, I wouldn't want to be some Holy Child. Even though you aren't a good father, I still would have wanted to stay with my family."
"Actually, you've been with your family all along."
"Who?"
"After you joined the Church of Pamires, who has helped and promoted you the most all this time?"
Derius's expression turned to utter disbelief. His eyes widened, somewhat dazed.
"The Hierophant?"
Bern smiled and said:
"You should call him... Grandfather."
Chapter 211