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Drip... drip... drip... A soft, rustling sound reached his ears, and the scent of lavender drifted to his nose. Aunt Mary always loved using incense with this fragrance to scent the family's clothes and bedding. Karen knew he was dreaming. He rarely dreamed anymore, especially after completing his God's Revelation, yet tonight he had slipped into one. Opening his eyes, Karen found himself lying in his bed in his room at the Inmerlais house. Turning his head, he saw a younger version of himself lying beside him, faceup, his gaze dull and vacant. Across the ceiling, light and shadow intertwined, gradually coalescing into a blurred image: an old man standing with a sword, two corpses lying at his feet. The boy simply watched, staring ceaselessly, as if he had already "witnessed" this scene countless times before. When Karen had first seen the painting drawn by "Karen," he had harbored doubts. With Diss's strength, when killing his own son and daughter-in-law, how could he have possibly allowed his grandson to peek from nearby? Now, the answer was clear. "Karen" had never peeked at all, yet he had truly seen it. Had this child been enduring such torment since he was so young...? A torment that could not be spoken, could not be shared, and could never be resolved. Mr. Aisen was at least an adult high-rank priest, but this had been just a child. Karen turned his head back, slowly closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh. "Sigh..." ... Morning light filtered dappled through the compartment window into the bedroom. Karen glanced at the time: seven o'clock. After showering, washing up, and getting dressed, Karen walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. "Young Master, I made mushroom and lean pork congee today. Would you like a taste?" Xili looked at Karen with eyes full of anticipation. "Sure." Xili ladled out a bowl of congee for Karen, accompanied by two boiled eggs and two dishes of pickles. Karen took a spoonful of the congee and nodded. "Not bad." "Hehe." Xili smiled happily, then picked up the basket of spinach that had been sitting on the counter, set it on the floor, and squatted down with her back turned to the young master. Just then, Mrs. Lake walked to the doorway. Seeing this scene, the corners of her mouth curved slightly. As an experienced woman, how could she fail to read the young girl's mind? "Karen, Teacher Daishan is taking Dora and Doreen out to the suburbs for sketching today," Mrs. Lake said, walking over to Karen. "That's good. Dora and Doreen should get out and get some fresh air. I'll have Alfred accompany you." "Wonderful, wonderful." In truth, Mrs. Lake had come specifically to ask for this; she had naturally seen for herself just how reliable and thorough Alfred was when handling matters. Then, as if to express her gratitude to Karen, Mrs. Lake also squatted down and helped Xili pluck the spinach. After breakfast, Karen first made a phone call to Fanny. He needed to reach the captain and learned that Neo was at the New Church Affairs Building today claiming his new office. The New Church Affairs Building was in the northern suburbs, well away from the city center this time. Karen asked Fanny to help him contact the captain to arrange a meeting at the pottery studio that afternoon. As for which pottery studio, Fanny didn't ask; she knew the captain would certainly know. After hanging up, Karen instructed Alfred on accompanying Dora and Doreen on their sketching trip. He then drove to King's Avenue, parked outside the pottery studio, and sat in the car for a while longer. The sunlight today was lovely and warm against him. The morning sun in particular easily imparted a sense of approachable comfort. "Big Brother Karen!" Serena's voice sounded from beside the car window. Karen hadn't seen her, but when he pushed the door open, he found that Serena was in the form of a little girl today. "Oh!" Serena seemed to realize something and immediately turned to bolt back into the shop. She had simply been too excited upon spotting Karen's car and had forgotten what she looked like today. Though she had never studied psychology, she knew all too well that if she kept reinforcing the impression that she was a little girl to Big Brother Karen, her already slim chances would become virtually nonexistent. After all, her Big Brother Karen wasn't some kind of beast. Karen, on the other hand, quite liked Serena's little girl appearance. She looked adorable—perhaps because she had looked like this the very first time he met her. Before Serena could reach the shop door, Karen scooped her up into his arms. There wasn't the slightest expression of bliss on her face, however, because she was being carried the way one carried a toddler. Karen pushed open the door. Lemar was holding a glass of red wine, savoring a sip. Sensing the commotion, he turned around and saw his sister being carried back like that by Karen... "Pfft!" The wine in his mouth sprayed right out. "Drinking this early?" Karen asked. "Habit by now. If I don't have a sip in the morning, I'm sluggish all day. What's up?" "I was hoping you could help me craft a mask for a friend." "Sure, no problem. Is it urgent?" "A bit." "Then I'll get to it right away. Did you bring the facial skin?" "No. Do you have stock here?" How could a master craftsman specializing in masks not have stock in his storeroom? More importantly, when Karen and Neo had come in last time, they had seen facial skins displayed right in the cabinet. "I do, but I didn't kill anyone to get them. Skin bearing lingering resentment can't produce a mask of proper quality. I bought them all with riels—some from terminally ill patients, some from people planning suicide, just looking to leave some money behind for their families." "I trust your character, Mr. Lemar. You don't need to explain so much to me." "Right, good. State your requirements, and I'll see if anything in my inventory matches." "A middle-aged man. Nothing specific beyond that." "That's easy enough. What about quality requirements? Same as the mask I crafted for you last time?" "No need. This is a standard transaction with no special complications. He paid me in Order coupons. Name your price." "All right then. Mates' rates: six thousand Order coupons." "Done. Put it on my tab for now. I'll be coming back in a while to order two puppet dolls from you, and we can settle the whole bill then." "Sure thing. I'll head in and start making it, then." With that, Lemar gave his sister a wink. Mr. Lemar headed into his workshop, casually leaving his "young" sister with another man. He was entirely at ease, knowing full well that Karen harbored no such thoughts toward her. "Big Brother Karen, have you had breakfast yet?" "I have. By the way, were you planning to go out just now?" "Yes, I was going to visit Mother. Mother and her second husband got divorced again because of domestic violence." "Oh, your poor mother." "Mother was the one who abused him. An ambulance had to rush him to the hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, he survived." "Uh... I see." "Now that Mother is divorced, she wants to remarry Father and is planning how to break up Father's marriage. I was originally going to comfort Mother today." "Then didn't I hold you up?" "Oh, it's fine, no problem at all. I'm already used to Father and Mother's love-hate drama. They always manage to stir up so much trouble." Karen nodded in deep agreement. Who could have imagined that the "Father" and "Mother" Serena spoke of were actually two puppets crafted for her by her brother? Perhaps Lemar's purpose in creating this pair of "parent" puppets had been to give his sister a complete childhood. Who would have thought the two puppets would even end up divorcing over irreconcilable differences? Yet Serena's childhood was indeed far more complete as a result—a much richer experience. "Big Brother Karen, still want iced water?" "Yes, please." "Alrighty, I'll go pour it for you." Karen found a chair and sat down. Once Serena brought over the iced water, Karen took a couple of sips, rested his arms on the table, leaned his cheek against them, and closed his eyes. Serena didn't disturb him. Instead, she sat beside him, resting her chin on her hands, gazing intently at Karen. The sunlight bathing Big Brother Karen's face made him look quite charming. Karen hadn't originally intended to sleep. Although he had dreamed the previous night, his sleep quality hadn't been poor. Yet somehow, having merely intended to rest his head in the sunlight, he soon drifted off. The speed with which he fell asleep caught Karen himself somewhat off guard. In a haze, it felt less like he was in Lemar Pottery Studio and more like he was in that VIP carriage designated for fieldwork missions. "Big Brother Karen." Karen was gently nudged awake by Serena. Checking the time, he discovered it was already half past two in the afternoon; he had actually slept through half the day. "Are you hungry, Serena?" While Mr. Lemar was working on his mask in the workshop, Karen couldn't very well let the man's sister go without a meal. "Mm, no. Look over there." Karen turned toward the shop entrance and saw a black crow perched on the door handle. When he walked over and opened the door, the crow dissipated instantly. Not far away, Karen caught sight of Captain Neo. "Serena, I'm stepping out for a moment. Stay inside." "All right, Big Brother Karen." Karen walked up to Neo. "Captain." "I saw you sleeping soundly just now. Didn't get enough rest last night?" "No, I found it strange myself. I slept well and came here this morning, but then dozed off again." "That might be intuition." "Intuition?" "Just like how certain animals can sense natural disasters before they strike, humans can do it too—they just rarely notice it in time." "Captain, is there a mission?" "Yeah. There's a cleanup mission at midnight tonight. Unlawful aberrant demon activity was detected at a seaside manor. A total of three squads will conduct a joint operation to purge the place." "Understood, Captain." "Now it looks like I need to reassess the difficulty of this mission, seeing as you're actually banking sleep in advance for it." "Captain, I don't think you need to exaggerate that much..." "Any overlooked subtle hint could lead to the tragic result of a total party wipe. As captain, I can't afford not to take it seriously." With that, the captain sighed. "Never mind. I had planned on our squad heading out early to finish the job and leave, but now, we might as well wait for the other two squads to move together. We'll hang back a bit." "Understood, Captain. I'll follow your lead." "Right, why were you looking for me, and why arrange to meet here of all places?" "It's like this, Captain..." Karen explained Mr. Aisen's situation to him. "You want to treat him using this method?" "Yes, Captain. I'd like to try." "Will that Lord Jurist actually follow orders?" "He will. He just doesn't like talking, but he loves working. If someone gives him clear tasks, he feels very comfortable." "All right, I understand. I approve. After all, what Whip of Order squad captain would turn down having a Lord Jurist join as an external squad member without taking up an official slot?" "Thank you, Captain." "Are you preparing a mask for him?" "Yes, it should be done soon." "Can he join tonight's operation?" "That seems a bit soon." "If his personality is truly as you described, the moment you told him to take medical leave, he wouldn't go to work the next day." "All right, Captain. I'll call and check." "Good. If he can make it, tell him tonight's rendezvous point: midnight, Platform 3 of the East District Train Station." "Got it, Captain." "I'll take off then. See you tonight." "See you tonight, Captain." When Karen walked back into the pottery studio, he saw a middle-aged man talking with Serena. The man had an honest, unassuming look about him. With a flash of light, the middle-aged man shifted back into Lemar's form. Lemar tossed a ring to Karen, and Karen caught it. "All finished." "Thanks." Karen weighed the ring in his hand. He could clearly sense that it was several tiers below the one on his own finger. Of course, his current ring incorporated his grandfather's silver mask, which had brought about an immense transformation of its own. "The owner of the facial skin had a terminal illness. Before dying, he found me through an introduction and sold his skin to me, leaving behind a decent sum of money for his wife and daughter." Karen nodded. "May I use your phone?" "Be my guest." Karen picked up the receiver and dialed Richard's home number from memory. "Hello, this is the Guman residence." It was an unfamiliar voice, not belonging to any of the women in the Guman family—likely a maid answering. "May I ask if Mr. Aisen is home?" "The master is home, but he never answers the phone. If you have a message, I can pass it along." Karen knew that truly important internal church messages and directives were conveyed via spells. "Please tell him that Karen is calling. He will answer." "All right, I'll try." The maid walked toward Mr. Aisen's study on the ground floor. At that moment, Kaixi, standing on the staircase, asked, "Who's calling?" "Ma'am, it's a gentleman named Karen on the line." "Mm, I see. Go call the master." The maid knocked on the door. After hearing an "Enter," she delivered the message to the master sitting inside the study. Mr. Aisen immediately stepped out of the study, walked straight to the coffee table in the living room, and picked up the phone. Seeing how swiftly her husband moved, Kaixi bit her lip. Originally on her way to the washroom, she passed by her son's bedroom and saw Richard sitting on the floor, cradling an exquisite box filled with point coupons. "What's wrong, son?" Kaixi asked. "Father actually took the initiative to ask me for point coupons just now—and took half of them!" *He took half from his own son?* Yet Richard wasn't angry over his father taking half his personal stash. Instead, he said to his mother with great excitement, "I can hardly believe it, Mother! Father actually asked for money on his own! Don't you think this is a huge change for him? After receiving Karen's psychological counseling, Father has truly changed!" Richard's earlier daze hadn't been out of heartache for his money, but out of sheer disbelief at his father's transformation. Kaixi smiled. "Yes, Karen's treatment really did work." "Mother, do you know? From the very first moment I laid eyes on Karen, I felt an inexplicable kinship with him. Sometimes, I really feel like he's my older brother." "Like your brother..." "Richard, take the phone." "Coming, Father!" Watching her son dash down to take the call, Kaixi walked back to the top of the stairs. She saw her husband reenter his study, only to emerge moments later wearing an ordinary coat instead of his priestly robe. Mr. Aisen turned to look at Kaixi, hesitating as if wanting to say something. Taking a deep breath, Kaixi maintained her smile and asked, "Are you heading out?" "Mm." "Where to?" "Can't tell you." "..." Kaixi was left speechless. Mr. Aisen walked out the front door. Kaixi had no intention of trailing her husband; not only had her injuries yet to fully heal, but even if she were completely recovered, she was inferior to him in many respects. "Oh yeah!" Putting down the phone, Richard let out a squeal of joy, then dashed to the foot of the stairs and called up to his mother, "My dearest Mother, your son will once again wield the whip for Order tonight! Praise the God of Order!" ... Late at night, Platform 3 of the East District Train Station. Dressed in his priestly robe, with his mask tucked under his arm and a bag of ritual supplies slung over his back, Richard shivered continuously in the cold night wind. Just then, Zema and Quincy walked over shoulder to shoulder. Seeing Richard shivering from the cold, Quincy teased, "You really stood here waiting all this time so early? Man, we got here early too, but we were waiting in the pastry shop." Generally speaking, pastry shops were particularly abundant near train stations. Zema laughed. "Hahaha, a newcomer's probably never been to a pastry shop, huh? Don't worry, we'll take you along next time." As the lowest-ranking member of the squad, Richard could only force a smile and endure the teasing from the veterans. At that moment, Richard saw Karen walking over with an unfamiliar middle-aged man. "Karen, who's that?" "A newcomer." Knowing Richard possessed the ability to sense bloodlines, Karen didn't give much of an introduction for the person beside him. "I've got business up front with the captain. I'll head over first." With that, Karen walked forward, leaving the newcomer standing there. *Hey, a newcomer's here!* Richard was thrilled. He was finally no longer at the bottom of the ladder; he finally had someone below him. Seeing the newcomer standing there stiff and motionless, Richard, taking up the mantle of a veteran, took the initiative to step closer to ease the newcomer's awkwardness upon joining the squad. He nudged the newcomer with his shoulder and chuckled, "A newcomer's probably never been to a pastry shop, huh? Don't worry, next time I'll take you."