Deep Fatherly Love

Before this, no one could have anticipated that an esteemed and mighty Temple Elder would descend upon this place. The status of a Temple Elder was simply too exalted. Though they nominally ranked beneath the High Priest of the church, in reality, when several Temple Elders sat down to talk, the High Priest could only stand by their side, not even afforded a chair. They were transcendent, the guardians of the temple, universally acknowledged as the beings closest to the God of Order. They rarely involved themselves in the secular affairs of church administration. While there was no explicit rule, this was an unspoken understanding long observed by all. Whenever their presence was truly required, it often meant that something momentous was about to happen or was already unfolding within the church. For instance, when the Church of Order declared war on the Church of Samsara not long ago, an Elder of the Temple of Order had appeared in person to lead the knights. After their collective bows and venerations, the hundreds of light orbs throughout the space fell dead silent, awaiting the Temple Elder's instructions. Karen fell silent as well, for he had not rehearsed the scene before him in the slightest. He truly had not known that the mask left behind by his grandfather could produce such an effect in this space. He could only blame it on how high-grade the item was—so high-grade that under normal circumstances, even if one wished to probe or test it, one lacked the means. It could only hit you out of nowhere with a sudden surprise... or a fright. Karen lowered his attention once more and noticed that Uncle Aisen's black orb had turned somewhat squarish. You did not even need to read the conscious impulses radiating from within the orb; just looking at its current shape was enough to guess what kind of emotion churned inside Uncle Aisen's heart. Astonishment... incomprehension... bewilderment... shock. The change Karen underwent upon entering had successfully forced a deeply autistic man crippled by severe social anxiety to experience a whirlwind of intense emotions in a single instant. Mr. Aisen recalled what Captain Neo had said to him when stepping out of the array circle right before they entered: "Just take Karen to see the world." *Right.* *I’ve certainly seen the world now.* Karen quickly composed his emotions. He knew he needed to stay calm, because mishandling this incident could easily trigger endless subsequent problems. Now that he had appeared, a Temple Elder arriving out of nowhere only to vanish inexplicably would definitely draw intense scrutiny and suspicion. Though everyone present was "confidential," that confidentiality was only relative. The true higher-ups would certainly possess a list of these people's real identities within the church. Meanwhile, the identities of the three Whip of Order squads participating in the test were out in the open. If investigators traced backward through those identities, then he and the captain would both be in danger of exposure. The clearance level of this matter was simply too high; the Church of Order would inevitably investigate it using the highest specifications, and real Temple Elders might even get involved. Therefore, having Uncle Aisen take him away immediately was out of the question. Since he could not leave at once, his only option was to stay and pretend to be a genuine Temple Elder who had developed an interest in the project and dropped by to look around and ask a few questions. As long as he did not arouse suspicion from those below, those above probably wouldn't suspect anything either. To the actual Temple Elders, it would look like nothing more than one of their peers wandering down out of a passing curiosity—hardly a big deal. Of course, all of this rested entirely on the quality of Karen's performance. He had to play this part convincingly. All in all, the scene before his eyes felt like a return to Ms. Molly's townhouse on Mink Street. That night, he had also sat on the edge of the bed, watching Alfred and Ms. Molly prostrating themselves before him, worshiping him as an "evil god" and a "mighty entity." Back then, he had truly been panicking inside and merely forcing himself to look composed. This time, he had experience under his belt, and having gone through so much since leaving Ruilan for Wien, he had grown and matured considerably. Having made up his mind, Karen did not rush to break the silence. Instead, he drifted toward the central area of his own accord. Uncle Aisen's black orb remained rooted to the spot, standing there—or rather, idling in a daze. Fortunately, this was what Uncle Aisen did best. Karen would never dare ask Uncle Aisen to coordinate with him in the upcoming act anyway. Standing there like a servant attending to a Temple Elder was more than enough. After all, everyone present had noticed that the massive, gold-rimmed crimson orb had entered alongside the black orb. Given the "quality" of that black orb, serving as a church attendant to a Temple Elder was well within standard, and it served all the better to highlight the Temple Elder's authenticity. As Karen's colossal orb moved forward, all the surrounding orbs continued to radiate reverence, quietly pulling back to make way. The layout of this space was structured like a pyramid. Originally, the ten red orbs sat at the very pinnacle, but that was no longer the case. As Karen floated up, the red orbs all parted, creating a new "apex." Upon entering this zone, Karen noticed that from the top of the pyramid looking down, distinct barriers were visible. Conscious transmission between each tier was restricted; lower tiers could not hear the voices of the upper tiers unless the upper tiers deliberately projected downward. Having settled into his "seat," Karen finally released his first sound. It was very calm, very serene, devoid of emotion and panic, making it sound as if he were the true master of this place while the hundreds of orbs originally present were merely guests. "Carry on with your work." "Understood." "Understood." All the orbs resumed their tasks. Even those with nothing to do at the moment pretended to be busy. Only the orb representing Uncle Aisen remained frozen where it stood. Karen spoke a second time, addressing the ten or so orbs around him: "How are things going?" "Reporting to the Elder, the testing is progressing very smoothly." "Reporting to the Elder, everything is advancing according to the established design." "I have no interest in pleasantries. I want to know what issues have arisen during the test." "Reporting to the Elder, several minor issues have indeed surfaced. For example, among the three Whip of Order squads selected this time, two have followed our predetermined procedures flawlessly. However, one squad has already withdrawn from the test and is currently awaiting the next temporal reset to be sent out of here and returned to reality." "Oh? Why?" "Reporting to the Elder, when selecting the test subjects, I requested the inclusion of a control group. The other side consequently arranged a squad widely recognized for its excellence to execute this mission. They... are indeed exceptional. "We took additional measures to compensate, but that squad ultimately failed to become fully immersed in the temporal fault state. "Rest assured, Elder, we will take note of this next time. This squad—no, squads like this—will not be selected as test subjects again." "Foolish." In an instant, all the surrounding red orbs dimmed considerably. Clearly, direct criticism from a Temple Elder exerted tremendous pressure on them. In truth, because of Diss, Karen had never formed a clear conception of what a "Temple Elder" truly represented—or more accurately, he was unable to form one. One had to understand that as a mid-sized church, the Church of Pamires possessed only a single existence in their Messenger Space comparable to a Temple Elder, and even he had chosen self-sealing due to the confusion of his own faithful consciousness. When gold appeared on your being, when you condensed a godhead fragment, you essentially stepped into a new domain that others could never glimpse in their entire lifetimes. Because your very existence had become linked to the word "god." Karen realized that the pressure conveyed by his words seemed a bit excessive. He wanted to keep things as natural as possible, making everyone feel it was authentic while remaining comfortable. Only then could his "sudden appearance" receive a reasonable transition. Thus, Karen softened his tone once more: "Pretty figures on paper mean nothing to us. The very purpose of testing lies in discovering problems." "We have received your guidance." "We have received your guidance." "It is better to have as many squads like that as possible. Do not fear problems, and do not fear failure. Did Raniedal himself not fail to produce a real result back then? "Take everything one step at a time. No matter how impatient you are, do not think of taking shortcuts. It is just like the path of faith: the shortcuts you imagine are all divergent paths. Only the ground trodden step-by-step underfoot is ever the shortest distance." "We shall follow your teachings closely." "We shall follow your teachings closely." "Elder, according to your instructions, should we summon this squad back for further testing next time?" Karen fell silent. Continuing the tests meant they could secure mission rewards multiple times in the future. The problem, however, was that this testing carried immense risk. Right now was merely the initial trial, and everything was just getting started. Once upgrades and enhancements were introduced down the road, even if his squad had prior experience, there was truly no guarantee someone wouldn't get lost next time or the time after that. This kind of assignment was like testing experimental drugs for a pharmaceutical company. If given a choice, hardly anyone would want to earn money this way. His squad never lacked opportunities to vie for other high-reward missions anyway, so... "Since this squad has already undergone it once, let them rest for now. What we need at present is more productive exploration. Do not expect to grow fat on a single piece of bread." "We shall follow your teachings closely." Karen felt it was about time to pull out, and his form drifted upward once again. Right at that moment, one of the red orbs spoke up. "Elder, there is a matter this subordinate needs to report." *You sure have a lot to say.* Karen had no choice but to pause his movement. "Speak." "This subordinate has found that the intensity of the testing at the current stage is noticeably insufficient." "Oh? In what regard?" "In every regard. On the side of the subjects, ordinary Whip of Order squads clearly fall short in capability. Most importantly, because the subjects are people of our own church, there are many methods we dare not forcefully apply. "On the other hand, our available methods are not diverse enough, and we are... overly hesitant." In short, the subjects and the testing methods were pulling each other down. "What is your opinion?" Karen asked. "My opinion is that once the initial testing concludes, we can capture some aberrant demons or sinners and bring them in as test subjects. At the same time, we could invite or capture some beguiling aberrant demons to enrich our methods and elevate our intensity." After this proposal was voiced, Karen noted that the surrounding red orbs reacted very calmly, which meant this was likely their collective stance, as they were the ones concretely responsible for implementing the project. "I disagree." Karen chose to reject it. The red orb that made the request froze slightly, but promptly radiated reverence once more: "We shall obey your orders." "Because you cannot guarantee that every subject brought in is a sinner or an aberrant demon who deserves their punishment, nor can you guarantee whether captured beguiling aberrant demons might exploit the environment and opportunities here to cause other trouble. "Once an incident occurs, it will reflect very poorly on the church's dignity. Therefore, when you present it to my face, I cannot agree to it." "I heed your teachings. It was my short-sightedness." Karen's form floated upward. Just as he was about to leave the apex and enter the tier below, he paused again and said: "However, you may consider that I was never here today. Indeed, I never came, did I?" The crowd reacted immediately, responding in unison: "Yes, you were never here." "Yes, you were never here." These red orbs answered with remarkable haste, their excitement palpable. Karen's meaning was clear: as a Temple Elder, he could not openly approve something so overtly tagged as "immoral." Treating it as though he had never visited today was equivalent to never having heard the proposal. In other words, don't broadcast it to the outside world, and don't expect any official endorsement, but you may carry out these "immoral" experiments in secret. This kind of tacit granting of "authority" was undoubtedly enough to thrill this group of red orbs. They simply failed to realize that this Temple Elder genuinely wanted them to believe he had never been here today. When Karen's massive, gold-rimmed orb floated to the periphery and came before Mr. Aisen, Karen said flatly: "Let us leave." A Temple Elder refraining from lifting a finger and leaving simple matters like setting up a basic array circle to a personal servant was the most natural thing in the world. Much to Karen's relief, Uncle Aisen asked no questions and showed no unusual behavior. Instead, he silently traced out an array circle before himself. Behind them, hundreds of light orbs called out in unison: "Respectfully sending off the Temple Elder!" The array circle flared with light, enveloping Karen and Mr. Aisen together. In the next moment, the two reappeared outside the road sign. Karen turned back into Karen, and Mr. Aisen turned back into Mr. Aisen. Captain Neo had been waiting beside them the entire time. Seeing Karen emerge, he immediately stepped forward and asked, "Well? Was it fun in there?" "Fun," Karen said. "Did you get to see the world?" "I did," Mr. Aisen said. Karen immediately turned to the captain. "Captain, it's getting late. Let's return to the secret room." "Mm, sounds good." Neo nodded. "Let's head back." Captain Neo and Mr. Aisen put the skin masks crafted by Lemar back on. Their figures vanished in an instant, for the designated location marked for those identities was inside that secret room. When they appeared in a place they weren't supposed to be, they would be recalibrated. The basic operational logic supporting this was likely the Star of Wisdom that Raniedal had left behind in that room. Karen reached up and grasped the edge of the silver mask on his face. He felt that in the future, he should use his grandfather's mask as little as possible; when necessary, it was better to rely on Mr. Pavaro's instead. His grandfather certainly hadn't spent his entire life simply staying on Mink Street as an Inquisitor. Otherwise, there would be no explaining where young Diss's godhead fragment had come from. He must have had a wealth of other experiences, but he had fallen into slumber before having the chance to sit by the fireplace in winter and slowly tell those stories to his grandson. Though using his grandfather's mask easily brought the thrill of borrowing another's terrifying prestige, if he slipped up and broke the illusion, his identity would be exposed in an instant, and all the arrangements and sacrifices his grandfather had made would lose their meaning. It seemed his grandfather's stories would have to wait until he woke him up in the future and let him tell them to his great-grandchildren. At the same time, this incident served as a reminder that he was still not as meticulous as the captain when it came to details. He only hoped this matter wouldn't cause any waves for himself and the captain. Karen took off the mask. The world before him shifted instantly. He opened his eyes to find himself sitting on the chair again, and he reflexively sat upright. The moment he moved, Karen saw Marlo, seated on the chair diagonally opposite him, leap up in panic, flailing his arms wildly and mouthing silent curses with frantic fury. Fortunately, an isolation barrier separated each seat. Marlo could neither cross over nor make a sound. Yet it also seemed to be the very reason he could vent so freely right now, knowing full well he was no match for Karen in a fight. Still, the sheer terror and grievance of almost getting one's head blown off by a teammate out of nowhere was enough to drive anyone mad. What was even more maddening was that after shooting his teammate, that very culprit had simply sat there and fallen asleep! Seeing Karen wake up, Richard immediately began communicating eagerly using the sign language he had invented two hours prior. Karen ignored him. Glancing sideways, he noticed that Mr. Aisen, seated beside the captain's spot, was staring intently in his direction. *Sigh.* *Right now, the biggest problem is actually Mr. Aisen.* Having the captain find out was no big deal, but how was he supposed to explain this to Mr. Aisen? Karen truly did not dare tell the truth to the Guman family. Not every household placed family above all else like the Inmerlais family did. In fact, a household that treasured kinship as much as the Inmerlais family was exceedingly rare, not just in church circles, but even in ordinary society. Grandpa Delon was not Grandfather Diss. Diss would protect his family at any cost, but Grandpa Delon, though naturally hoping for domestic harmony under normal circumstances, might well sacrifice his own kin for righteousness if it ever conflicted with his faith. Who could say for sure? Yet Mr. Aisen's persistent staring made Karen very uncomfortable. Karen had no choice but to make a gesture toward Mr. Aisen, pointing at Richard, who sat right next to him. *Uncle, look at your son.* Richard spotted Karen's gesture as well. He immediately turned toward the newcomer, Memphis, and began signing to him. First, he made a wave with his arm, meaning "wait a moment"; then he pointed at himself, then at Memphis; and finally, he held his left palm open beneath his chin with his mouth agape, making scooping motions with his right hand. After that, an expression of utter satisfaction spread across his face, and he patted his chest, signaling that everything was taken care of. At last, Uncle Aisen's gaze shifted away from Karen, locking dead onto his beloved son. Karen could only sigh in his heart. As expected of... Deep fatherly love.