It worked!
Looking at the child Pike lying in the wheat field, Karen spoke:
"Obey the rules of Order."
"Yes, Boss..."
The next moment, Karen opened his eyes. There was no trace of fatigue in them; instead, they shone with a peculiar brilliance.
All along, he had been testing a hypothesis through practice: the distinction between Order and the God of Order. He had already walked this path once himself, and this time, he had simply repeated the process with someone else.
This proved that Order was truly Order, while the God of Order was merely the God of Order.
Anyone could walk this path, but the God of Order had monopolized it long ago. Now, Karen too could take part in it.
Though bringing Pike over was utterly insignificant compared to the vast ocean of Order's faithful, it was a beginning.
The hardest part was going from zero to one, and he had taken that first step.
This was the landscape Karen sought, the scenery he wished to admire, and the hope Diss had placed in him.
Karen believed that one day, laden with the insights and gains of his journey, he would return home, prepare a meal, awaken Diss, and sit together over food, sharing with his grandfather everything he had witnessed along this road.
Pike also opened his eyes. Looking at Karen, he brought both hands to his chest:
"Praise Order. Praise the boss."
Karen also placed his hands against his chest and said:
"Praise the great God of Order."
This was different from brainwashing, because Karen had not altered Pike's fundamental beliefs. Pike had already believed in Order; in his original perception, Order and the God of Order were one and the same, and he had never possessed the concept of separating them. But now, he understood the distinction.
To make an analogy, it was as if Karen had founded a new sect within the Church of Order—the faith remained identical, but with a fresh understanding and exposition of the doctrine.
Watching this unfold, Dinkum felt something was off, yet he could not put his finger on what it was.
Alfred nudged Dinkum's arm with an elbow and said:
"The gap opens right now."
Hearing those words, Dinkum felt an immediate, overwhelming sense of crisis, as if already foreseeing the miserable future where Pike—whom he had always thought a bit slow-witted—left him far behind in the dust.
"You've just completed your God's Revelation. Go get some rest," Karen said. "Alfred will prepare the spells suitable for you to attempt at this stage. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask him directly."
"Yes, Boss."
Pike stood up and bowed to Alfred in turn.
When he looked back at Dinkum, his face still wore that honest, simple smile. "You're next, Dinkum."
"Yeah." Dinkum nodded, sensing that after undergoing God's Revelation, the aura around Pike had genuinely changed.
Finally, before heading out the door, Pike could not resist turning back to Karen once more:
"Um, Boss..."
"Alfred, starting next month, increase Pike's salary by five times."
Originally, Pike's base salary was one hundred Order coupons a month, paid by the Church of Order. After Karen took over as the funeral parlor's owner, Pike and Dinkum received an additional monthly bonus of three hundred Order coupons, not counting special stipends for late-night overtime.
Five hundred plus three hundred plus one hundred made nine hundred Order coupons—just a hundred shy of the thousand-coupon monthly stipend of a lowest-ranking Inquisitor.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss! I'll work hard!"
"Good."
Pike and Dinkum both exited the room.
Purr asked immediately, "Did it work?"
"Mm, it worked."
"So strictly speaking, whose believer is Pike now?"
"He remains a believer of Order."
"But not a believer of the God of Order, right?"
"Right."
"You really pulled it off... Good heavens." Purr's cat eyes widened.
"Woof!"
Karen glanced at Alfred, who translated, "That was just a pure, ordinary 'woof.'"
"Heh."
Karen smiled and shook his head. Standing up from his chair, he instinctively raised a hand to rub his forehead.
Watching him, Purr asked, "Are you tired?"
"A bit."
"Then next time let's not pick someone like Pike. A start is good enough; from now on, let's find people with better foundations."
"That won't work. It only succeeds on people close to me before their God's Revelation. Strangers can't achieve this result, because if forced to choose between me and the God of Order, they would certainly choose the God of Order."
Purr said, "Then the cost-effectiveness is awful! Don't tell me we have to open an orphanage and nurture their loyalty from childhood?"
Alfred spoke up: "Perhaps this is the price of proselytizing. Every newly emerging church faces this dilemma. The initial stage is always the hardest; only after establishing a baseline scale can a virtuous cycle begin and the snowball roll.
"Rest assured, Young Master. Spreading your faith and letting the light of your thought illuminate wider realms is my duty and mission. I can shoulder this task, and once conditions permit, I can even found an orphanage."
Purr cast a sideways glance at Alfred. "Radio Fairy, you're making things sound far too simple. Do you think you can just preach whenever you feel like it?"
Alfred smiled faintly. "What we believe in is Order."
"Oh, true enough. Then there's no problem. You spread the ideals of Order, and then sneak your own private agenda inside. Still, Karen would have to show his face there from time to time.
"Ugh, what a headache. Looking at it now, a family faith system really is better—all you have to do is keep having children."
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Kevin barked so many times in a single breath, which was rare for him.
Stunned expressions appeared on both Alfred's and Purr's faces.
Having waited for the translation, Karen could not resist prompting, "Still just a pure 'woof'?"
Alfred answered, "Kevin means that although rumors of the gods returning have been circulating, whether they can actually descend again remains unknown. Even if they do, it might be in the distant future. On that premise, things could be made far simpler.
"Namely, Young Master should strive to climb upward, reaching the position of High Priest. Use your merits and deeds to establish your status and influence within the Church of Order, binding your own existence to that of the God of Order—just as churches modify their mythological narratives.
"For instance, define yourself as the Holy Child of Order, the earthly incarnation of the God of Order, or the spokesperson of the God of Order.
"That way, when future God's Servants of the Church of Order undergo their God's Revelation, they can enter your domain in vast numbers.
"A century or two from now, once the old fogies are gone, the Church of Order will have essentially completed... swapping the birds in the cage."
Hearing "Kevin's" suggestion, Karen pursed his lips, equally shaken.
Perhaps this was the horizon and perspective of an evil god.
While Karen and the others were still thinking about starting from an "orphanage," an evil god looked straight to the top, planning a top-down purge to steal the God of Order's entire home base.
If that truly came to pass, then hundreds of years later, when the gods awoke and the God of Order returned to gaze upon the Church of Order of that era, would he find it utterly unrecognizable?
"Woof! Woof!"
Purr translated, "The dumb dog says: if this plan succeeds, will the God of Order still be able to remain the God of Order?"
"Woof! Woof!"
Alfred translated, "The disappearance of the God of Light led to the downfall of the Church of Light. The existence of a deity can shape the church's existence, but all influence is mutual; the state of the church inevitably affects the god's foundation."
Perched on the desk, Purr looked at Karen and said, "In that case, the real God of Order will become the false one, and you, Karen, will become..."
"The Young Master will become the true God of Order."
Kevin immediately chimed in: "Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Karen raised a hand, stopping Purr and Alfred from translating, and asked:
"Did Kevin just say that when the time comes, we could pass judgment on the God of Order, designate him an evil god, and then an evil god he would be?"
"Yes, Young Master."
Kevin wagged his tail furiously. Clearly, this prospect thrilled him to no end, since he had been branded an evil god by Order in the first place.
Karen picked up the glass of water on the table, no longer chilled, and took a sip.
"Heh."
Karen chuckled and waved a hand.
"It isn't even time for an afternoon nap yet, and here we are, daydreaming together. Haha."
"Heh."
"Heh-meow."
"Woof."
Everyone laughed.
Karen's expression returned to calm as he asked, "The problem is, if this dream truly plays out that way, what difference would there be between me and the God of Order?"
Kevin scratched his dog head, a pained look crossing his features.
Purr spoke up: "That question... we really can't answer..."
Reverence surfaced on Alfred's face as he said, "That is precisely what sets Young Master apart from those gods. I believe Young Master will forge a path entirely distinct from theirs, just like the feeling that song imparts."
"Which song?" Purr asked.
"The song that conquered me. I still don't understand the lyrics, but I can feel its depth and power."
"All right, I'm tired. I'll take a bath, rest, and sleep early. No need to wake me for lunch. Oh, and Alfred, keep an eye on the phone. The mission could begin at any moment."
"Yes, Young Master."
Karen walked into the bathroom and drew a bath.
As the hot water soaked away the aches in his mind and body, he worked on digesting the exhaustion.
Before he knew it, nearly two hours had slipped by. Feeling refreshed enough, Karen stepped out of the tub, dried himself off, changed into pajamas, and lay down on the bed.
Purr entered the bedroom, peered into the bathroom first, then trotted back out and said to Karen, "Um, I'm going to call Dora and Doreen over to soak in your tub."
When Karen bathed, the light-attribute power within him naturally seeped out, sustaining the bath's temperature. The power of Light was the best remedy for purging negative-attribute contamination—provided the dosage was not excessive, or it would turn into total eradication.
Bathwater infused with his residual warmth was just right for the two girls.
"Right now?" Karen frowned slightly.
"Yeah. Last time I had them soak, it worked wonders. Combined with the new medicinal ointment, the relief lasted a long time. It still can't cure the root cause for now, but it bolsters their constitution. If the water gets cold, the effect will be lost, because it means the light power inside has dissipated."
"All right then."
Purr jumped onto the nightstand and rang the bell.
Soon, Xili arrived outside the door and knocked:
"Young Master, do you have orders?"
Purr called out, "Go tell Dora and Doreen to come in for a bath."
"In the bathroom inside the Young Master's bedroom?"
"Yes, hurry up, don't dawdle."
"Understood."
On the bed, Purr lay across Karen's chest and said, "Actually, the best way would be to have them sleep in the same bed with you every day."
Karen reached out and flicked Purr on the head.
"Ouch! What was that for? Even if you were willing, I wouldn't be! Hmph!
"Only someone with as deep a reservoir as yours would be so wasteful—even true believers of Light wouldn't be lavish enough to use their inner power just to heat bathwater."
Xili went to deliver the instructions. Dora and Doreen immediately gathered their belongings, preparing clean clothes and toiletries, along with a mop and dry rags.
This was not their first time bathing in Karen's bathroom; they had done so before. Neither felt any embarrassment about soaking in bathwater a man had used—not because Karen was handsome and refined, but because they had endured the agony of contamination.
Having suffered real torment, they had shed all unnecessary prudishness.
As for the mop and rags, they were meant for thoroughly scrubbing Mr. Karen's bathroom after they finished.
Seeing this, Teacher Daishan furrowed her brow. In her eyes, it looked more as though the twin sisters were being sent to accompany that man in the bath.
She had been teaching here for some time now. Although her encounters with Karen were few, she could tell that the young man held the highest authority in this funeral parlor.
Yet if that were truly the case, it was simply outrageous.
"Teacher, we're going ahead."
"Teacher, please rest."
Dora carried their laundry basket while Doreen held the rag and broom as they stepped out of the room, heading toward Karen's bedroom.
Mrs. Lake walked over with a smile. Catching Teacher Daishan's expression, she realized at once that the teacher had misunderstood, and promptly explained:
"Dora and Doreen's condition requires medicated baths for relief. Mr. Karen is skilled at preparing them."
"Oh, so that's it. I understand now." Teacher Daishan nodded immediately.
"You can always trust Mr. Karen's character. Truly," Mrs. Lake added.
"I can tell. Everyone here respects Mr. Karen very much, including Dora and Doreen."
"Yes. If not for him, I don't know what my life would look like right now."
"Does Mr. Karen have a girlfriend?" Daishan asked.
"Teacher, you're too late. Mr. Karen is already engaged."
"Madam, you've misunderstood me."
"Right, right, a slip of the tongue on my part. I'll go prepare lunch now; please take a rest."
"All right."
Watching Mrs. Lake walk toward the kitchen, Teacher Daishan blinked, mulling over the woman's earlier words: *If not for him, I don't know what my life would look like right now.*
*Then what about your husband? Isn't your husband still around?*
Those words...
They hardly sounded like something a woman whose husband was still alive would say. Rather, they sounded like...
...
Karen lay in bed. When Dora and Doreen knocked on the door, Purr called out on his behalf:
"Come in."
Dora and Doreen stepped inside. They were no longer surprised by Purr's ability to speak; after all, their father was an Inquisitor and they had suffered contamination themselves, giving them broader exposure to the unusual. Besides, Purr had examined them and compounded new medicines for them before—how could she have asked about their symptoms without speaking?
Sitting in bed in his pajamas holding a newspaper, Karen lowered the paper and gave them a nod.
Dora and Doreen bowed together to Karen and chorused:
"Thank you, Mr. Karen."
"You're welcome."
The two girls entered the bathroom and closed the door. The elder sister, Dora, hesitated for a moment before choosing not to lock it.
It was not that they harbored any improper expectations, but simply that they felt the click of locking the door would show disrespect toward Mr. Karen.
Setting down their things, the two girls undressed and climbed into the tub together, expressions of profound comfort immediately settling over their faces.
...
Even with two girls bathing in his master bathroom, Karen had no inappropriate thoughts whatsoever. Both girls were innocent and clean; harboring lewd notions would feel utterly base.
Purr lay on Karen's chest and teased, "I won't go push the door open for you. I know you don't care for girls who are too thin; you prefer them a bit plumper, hehe."
Karen noticed that Purr loved teasing him about such things—perhaps anyone who fancied themselves an elder without actually acting like one took pleasure in doing so.
"Yes, I do prefer them a bit fuller. For instance, like the one I saw lying on a white bed last time."
"Do you mean Eunice? Her bedroom bed does seem to be white."
"Wearing a hooded cloak, boots, bare thighs exposed, with a hint of baby fat on her face..."
"Mmph..." Purr jerked her head up and slammed a paw straight over Karen's mouth. "Damn it, damn it, oh heavens, damn you! I'm not fat! I'm not plump!"
Karen gently pushed Purr aside. "Seems someone has been a cat for so long she's forgotten what she used to look like."
"Say that again! Don't you dare say that again!"
Just then, Alfred came to the bedroom doorway and knocked:
"Young Master, a call just came in with a mission notification. In two hours, Fanny will drive by the funeral parlor entrance to pick you up."
"Understood."
Karen sat up from the bed. "Time to head for Dark Moon Island."
Purr stopped teasing him about Miss Ophelia, gazing at him seriously instead:
"You're traveling far. Be careful."
"I know."
"If you get homesick while I'm away, you can have Alfred drive you back to stay at the manor for a while."
"No need. I'll just wait at home for you to return."
Purr seemed to realize her words carried a bit too much sentiment, and quickly added:
"After all, I still have to wait for my puppet body. I want to go strolling, go shopping!"
"Sure, whatever makes you happy."
"By the way, you must not forget that matter! You have to do it, don't forget!"
"Pfft."
[End of Volume]
Chapter 250