Awakening!

Richard turned to look at Mr. Aisen, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "What do you mean, Bernard is still alive?" Mr. Aisen replied, "Under Wien law, we were originally only guilty of theft and desecration of a corpse." "And now?" "Since Bernard is still alive, it means we're innocent." Richard stared intently at Mr. Aisen, blinked, and exclaimed, "Damn, you make a lot of sense!" Karen gestured to the two behind him, and both immediately leaned in. Richard couldn't resist reaching out to pat Bernard's cheek. "Is he really still alive?" "Yes, I'm certain he is." "Then how on earth did he pull it off?" Richard asked. Mr. Aisen spoke up. "Could it be like that giant turtle—a form of suspended animation in a deep slumber?" Back then, Dorons's lifespan had been running out, so Philias had sealed it to help it sleep, giving it the chance to behold the fruit of everyone's painstaking efforts a century later. Karen nodded. "Very likely. Dark Moon Island's records regarding Bernard's cause of death have always been vague." Before Bernard died, there had been no coup or unrest, no severe injuries, and no lingering illnesses afflicting him, so there was no clear cause of death. The official version Dark Moon Island presented to the world was roughly that he had died of exhaustion in his study from overworking for the island's sake, with a blueprint still spread out across his desk—symbolizing that the great ancestor Bernard was still sketching out the grand blueprint for Dark Moon Island's future even in his final moments. Karen didn't believe a word of it. Setting aside Bernard's personal character, when it came to work, he simply wasn't the kind of selfless man who would pour his heart and soul into sacrificing everything for Dark Moon Island. How could someone like that construct so many 'monuments' across the island while spinning such lavish romance stories? Looking again at Bernard's half-white, half-black hair and his skin, Karen had initially taken it for granted that Bernard had taken meticulous care of his body while alive and that the preservation conditions after death had been top-notch, keeping the corpse so intact. Now it seemed he had prepared well in advance to 'die.' The real purpose behind building the Palace of Yearning might not have been to express his love for Miss Purr—or rather, not solely for that. What he likely wanted was a pretext, an arrangement that would allow his sarcophagus to remain aboveground. Why go to all that trouble? Because he didn't trust anyone. No matter how loyal someone was to him, he could not trust them. After his 'death,' would that loyalty endure? Would that person's descendants remain loyal to him? Even with his own children, the very successor he had handpicked as the next clan chief, he couldn't bring himself to trust them, because he understood all too well how power struggles twisted and degraded people. The fact that the Dark Moon clan still kept the 'curse worm,' which targeted only their own bloodline, was the best proof. He hadn't slept for a few days, nor for a few years. Going by the current span of time, he had been slumbering for a hundred years. He had succeeded. Because his body had always rested in the Palace of Yearning, he stood above it all regardless of how his descendants fought over power; he had become a totem, a symbol of political correctness for Dark Moon Island. Was keeping his corpse placed this way merely for the convenience of walking out after he woke up? The layout of the Palace of Yearning immediately surfaced in Karen's mind. Because of the towering statue of Purr, and because magma had to be channeled inside, the main hall had no roof. Did he need to be bathed in the dark moon's light to absorb its power for nourishment? Or was the magma diverted into the palace also part of what he required? Karen felt that such factors were likely at play. However, he had no interest in investigating the details right now, because all he needed to know was that the Bernard before him was still alive. To him, this was fantastic news. An ordinary 'Awakening,' even if it made Bernard open his eyes and sit up, wouldn't allow Karen to truly enjoy punishing and taking revenge on him. Now, though, since Bernard wasn't dead, Karen only needed to rouse him. The man in front of him would be the flesh-and-blood Bernard, and Karen's punishment and retribution would fall upon the real person. Best of all, after killing him, Karen could awaken him again and kill him a second time. This wasn't double the joy; it was ten times the joy. Yet here came the problem: how was he supposed to wake him up? It was understandable that Bernard hadn't woken when Karen carried him out of the sarcophagus—someone in a deep suspended animation would have virtually no perception of the outside world. But earlier, Mr. Aisen had woven so many spell formations across his body like threading a needle and still hadn't roused him. That meant his state of suspended animation was terrifyingly deep. "Do you want to wake him up?" Mr. Aisen asked. "Yes. Do you have a way?" "I don't." Richard gave Mr. Aisen a shove. "Then why the hell did you ask? Just talking out of your ass?" Mr. Aisen simply replied, "Yes." Karen said, "We don't have much time. Dark Moon Island will soon realize their beloved ancestor is missing, and we can't stay away from the team for too long." Mr. Aisen suggested, "How about the method used to wake that giant turtle?" Karen sighed. "It's too late to look for its conch now." Richard asked in confusion, "What conch?" Mr. Aisen said, "When I was setting up the formations on him earlier, I had a strange sensation. Inside his body, there seemed to be a faint consciousness resisting me. I didn't mention it before because I thought it was normal—there's a large amount of lingering spiritual energy in this corpse, so it's entirely ordinary for it to repel my setup slightly, just like carving new runes onto a sacred relic. "I don't know if that detail is of any use to you..." "If that's the case..." Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Karen pressed a hand to his forehead and turned his gaze back toward Bernard. He recalled Ophelia's reaction after she had ingested the curse worm last time. When Ophelia performed a Dark Moon purification on herself, the curse worm inside immediately retaliated, causing the level of corruption to surge higher. Philias had said that he had bred the curse worm step by step from fleas on Dorons's body. The original purpose was never to create some curse worm, but rather a flagship product that could support a core industry for Dark Moon Island. The reason the insect eventually turned into a curse worm was the curse Philias had laid in his fury after escaping Snake Island. The Dark Moon clan still possessed the curse worm. Aside from using it for internal strife, did it serve another purpose? If the curse only took effect against the Dark Moon bloodline, didn't that mean the insect itself had other intrinsic value? Bernard's method of slumber was very similar to Dorons's... Then what was the original goal behind breeding that insect? An industry... an industry... Philias and his followers had been kind-hearted. They wouldn't manufacture something harmful to sell. So, was it an insect capable of placing dying individuals into deep slumber? Only something like that could form an industry, something countless people across the world would desire. Bernard... He had swallowed that insect! Not the curse worm, but the very first batch of successfully bred insects—the flagship product Philias and the others had originally helped develop for Dark Moon Island. The Dark Moon clan knew its worth, so they hadn't wiped it out, keeping a supply to this day. To anyone else, the insect was harmless—no, more than harmless, it likely had beneficial effects. Combined with auxiliary methods, it could send a person into a long slumber. But the Dark Moon clan couldn't market it. If they continued breeding and selling it, they would essentially be selling the rope used to hang themselves. Any faction hostile to Dark Moon Island would only need to spend a few point coupons to buy the insects from the island and turn them against the Dark Moon clan, bringing catastrophe upon them. Karen felt his deduction must be correct. Philias had truly been a genius. He had charisma, a band of staunch supporters, and a gentle, benevolent soul. Alas... that a man like him—an entire group like them—had met such an end because of Bernard. What a shame. He truly could have become a legend. In Karen's mind, Philias was practically a reflection of himself from over a century ago. The moment he put himself in those shoes, his disgust for Bernard shot up another notch. *Heh...* It was lucky he had only learned about Philias after the fact. Had he known earlier, he probably would have taken the lead to stir up trouble alongside the Captain, showing even greater initiative than his superior. Now that the specific root of the problem was identified, however, the solution followed. Karen lifted his palm. The cut from when he had fed his blood to Ophelia had been magically healed, leaving only a faint scar. "Memphis, Richard. I need to do something to wake him, and it involves a secret of mine that isn't convenient for you to see. Please step outside for a moment." Richard chuckled. "Haha, look at you, saying it so openly!" "Understood." Mr. Aisen placed a spool of thread before Karen. It was the trigger thread controlling the series of formations; snapping a particular strand would activate its corresponding circle. Karen had watched him set them up, and Mr. Aisen trusted that Karen knew which thread led where and wouldn't mix them up. Having put it down, he turned and walked toward the exit. "Hey, wait for me!" Richard chased after Mr. Aisen out of the cavern and asked curiously, "Hey, what kind of secret do you think Karen is going to use?" "He has many secrets." "Well, obviously." "Handle your relationship with him well in the future. It will do you good." "I don't particularly like you talking down to me like that, but it still warms my heart." "Heh." Richard reached over and patted the back of Mr. Aisen's head. "Then you be a good boy too and maintain a good relationship with my bro Karen, got it?" Mr. Aisen said, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind." "Ah~" Richard yawned. "I thought watching that stage play earlier this evening was exciting enough, but I never expected tonight's midnight escapade to be even more unforgettable. It still feels unreal to me—we actually stole someone's ancestral corpse!" "Sometimes you don't need to know why a task is being done. You just need to follow orders and do it well." "I know that! No need to lecture me. I'm happy to listen to Karen." Richard hooked an arm around Mr. Aisen's shoulder and gave him a hearty shake. "I believe it won't be long before Karen has the qualifications to strike out on his own and lead his own Whip of Order squad. When that happens, we two brothers will stick with Karen in the squad!" "Alright." "Karen is the eldest brother, and since I came first, I'm the second-eldest brother, okay? We won't go by age—that's too vulgar." "Alright." "Call me 'brother' and let me hear it." "No." "Heh, look at you, still clinging to your pride. Fine, fine, I know you're capable, I was just teasing. How about this: you be the second brother, and I'll call you 'brother', deal?" "No." "Shy now?" "No." "Brother! Did you hear me?" Mr. Aisen nodded, turned his head to glance at Richard, and said, "Yes, I heard you." *** Inside the cavern. Karen drew his palm across the edge of the Sword of Arius, opening a slit that began to bleed. Then, with his other hand, he pinched Bernard's cheeks firmly, forcing his mouth to pucker open. Blood trickled down into the pursed lips. After a moment, Karen withdrew his hand. Now, it all depended on Bernard's reaction. The response came quickly. Before Karen even had time to cast a basic healing spell on his palm, a white insect crawled out of Bernard's mouth. Karen remembered that the curse worm Ophelia had swallowed was black, and this white one was much larger, looking like a plump silkworm. This had to be a unique form of symbiosis—different from his bond with Purr, existing purely on a physical level. The insect needed a nest, and whoever ingested it essentially rented out their body as a landlord. Taking up residence inside, the insect performed cleaning and maintenance to pay rent. After crawling out, the white insect twitched slightly, and an instant later, Karen sensed its attention shift onto him. It took flight. Having left a human host, it seemed eager to find a new dwelling. Its gaze was fixed on Karen's bleeding palm. Karen didn't stop it, allowing it to land in his hand. However, rather than burrowing into the wound like the black worm had before, the white insect rested in his palm and spat out fine threads of white silk, draping them over Karen's cut. The wound immediately began to itch—a sign of rapid healing. Right after, the white insect flew back to the edge of the sarcophagus and settled down, looking somewhat listless. Looking at the neatly 'bandaged' cut, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Karen's mouth. So this was the original nature of the curse worm. Seeing an open wound, it simply couldn't help itself—much like a neighbor who, upon seeing your broken door, took the initiative to fix it out of sheer compulsion, with no other motive at all. Karen scooped it up and held it before his eyes. The insect had two tiny eyes on its head, which seemed to be studying Karen as well. Karen gently tapped its head with his index finger. The white insect flopped over and squirmed a few times in his palm, as if asking for Karen's permission to enter his body. *If you enter my body, you'll drop dead on the spot.* "Richard!" Karen called toward the cavern entrance. "Coming, coming!" Richard trotted inside at once. Thinking Bernard had been awakened, he first peered into the sarcophagus. Seeing Bernard still lying there, he was puzzled. "He's not awake?" "Hold out your hand." "Huh?" Richard held out his palm, and Karen deposited the white insect into it. "What is this?" "A good thing. Take it outside and ask your... ask Memphis to verify it. If there are no issues, I suggest you swallow it. Remember, don't chew." "Hey, it's pretty cute. Where did it come from?" Richard asked. "Miss Ophelia gave it to me. It was slumbering, but now it's awake. With this insect inside you, your injuries will heal much faster." "Really? Miss Ophelia gave this to you, and you're just handing it over to me?" "We're good brothers." "Yeah, absolutely!" "Remember to have Memphis examine it first to see if your constitution can handle swallowing it, and have him check if there are any precautions." "Got it, got it. Anything else?" "Nothing. Head on out. Don't come back in unless I call for you." "Understood." Richard cupped the insect and walked out. "Richard." "Hmm? What is it?" "Before you swallow it, remember to wash it. It's cleaner that way." "The little guy looks pretty clean to me." "We should mind our hygiene." "Got it." Karen believed the white insect posed no danger, not only because it had politely bandaged his wound just now, but also because he trusted that Mr. Philias wouldn't intentionally breed something harmful to people. In a sense, one could judge the worm by the man. Furthermore, the insect had lived symbiotically inside Bernard for a hundred years and had clearly grown and matured considerably. It was genuinely a fine treasure. Unfortunately, Karen couldn't use it himself, and taking it back for Alfred or the others carried the risk of something going wrong if it stayed outside a body too long—it had already looked a bit withered earlier. Thus, giving it to Richard was the best way to do a favor, which simultaneously did a favor for Mr. Aisen as well. Two birds with one stone—a great bargain. After watching Richard leave the cavern, Karen turned around, tapped the edge of the sarcophagus with his knuckle, and said, "Are you going to keep pretending to sleep?" Bernard's eyes snapped open!