He, Too, Wants to Return!

"Captain, why are we coming here to go to Corona Island?" Fanny asked. "I don't know either. Karen requested it," Neo replied, stretching on the shore. "I assume he isn't suggesting we swim over, unless he's lost his mind." Peige asked, "Is there still time to arrange for a boat?" "There's time, but we'd have to head back to York City first and board a ship from Port of York," Fanny answered. "Phew..." Peige shrugged. "Pretend I didn't say anything." Just then, two more cars drove up. Gray and Wend stepped out of the first car, and Memphis got out of the second. The captain leaned close to Fanny and whispered, "You notified Memphis?" "Didn't you tell me to notify him, Captain?" "Oh, right. But I didn't expect him to actually come. Looks like he really enjoys our team outings." "Memphis agreed the moment he was notified. But Richard, whom you also told me to inform, didn't show up. Sounds like he got injured." "Oh, it doesn't matter whether Richard comes or not." "Captain." "Captain." Gray and Wend walked over. Memphis approached as well, nodded to Neo, and took up a position to the side. "Hey, what kind of car is that?" Peige asked. Fanny looked over and replied, "Looks like a hearse. A new model, too." Peige smiled. "Is it here to give us its blessings? Why does it look a bit familiar?" Fanny shook her head. "It's from Pavaro Funeral Parlor. When we dropped Karen off before, that car was parked outside the door." The hearse pulled up, and Alfred stepped out, first walking up to Neo. "Greetings, Captain. I am Karen's manservant. You may call me Alfred." Neo gave him a nod. Alfred immediately turned to Fanny. "Miss Fanny, I am truly grateful for your help last time." "You're too kind." "Miss Peige, you remain as wild and captivating as ever." "Thank you for the compliment." Alfred offered Wend a polite smile, then turned to Gray. "You must be Mr. Gray. Thank you for guiding our young master. He has always been very grateful to you." "You flatter me, don't mention it." Finally, Alfred came to a stop next to Memphis. Neo called out to Alfred, "Where's Karen?" "The young master will be here shortly. Please wait just a moment longer, everyone." None of them found it surprising that Karen had a manservant. With their earnings, converted to riels, they could live very affluent lives in the city, easily affording servants and maids. At last, the black secondhand Ponce sedan entered their sight. Karen parked it behind the hearse. Only after a moment did Karen step out. Then everyone saw the two figures emerging behind him. One was a woman holding a wand, wearing leather boots and a hooded cloak, with a small cat perched on her shoulder. The other was a middle-aged man dressed in gray robes and sunglasses, holding a leash as a golden retriever walked ahead of him. Purr's puppet stepped up behind Karen and asked in a low voice, "Karen, did my face feel good to touch?" "Hm? Puppets can retain memories?" "Only for two days. You just happened to be within the window." "I only wanted to check what material it was made of." "Then you could've felt the stupid dog's face instead." "Wouldn't it feel weird touching Kevin's?" "I suppose so. Next time you want to feel one, I'll make his puppet lie in bed for you to touch." "What is that supposed to mean?" "It's just a puppet anyway, hehe," Purr's puppet replied, a mischievous smirk touching the corners of her lips. "Besides, feeling one up next to coffins really lacks the right mood." "You're being mischievous." "No, you're just embarrassed." Karen raised a hand to greet everyone ahead. "Sorry I'm a bit late. Allow me to introduce two of my friends, practitioners of a family faith system. This is Miss Purr." "Hello, everyone. A pleasure to meet you all." Purr's puppet curtsied to the group. "And this is Mr. Kevin." "Woof!" The golden retriever barked first, before realizing its mistake, whereupon Kevin's puppet promptly nodded to the crowd. "What family faith system is that?" Peige asked in bewilderment. "Bringing pets when they go out?" Karen explained, "The defining trait of their family faith system is beast taming." Peige pointed at the cat and the golden retriever and asked, "You call these... beasts?" Nearby, Neo hadn't thought much of it at first. Although the two appeared remarkably lifelike, they couldn't escape his gaze—they were clearly puppets, and crafted by the pottery workshop he knew best. Karen showing up with two puppets so convincing they were almost indistinguishable from real people didn't surprise Neo in the slightest; after all, the two of them had shared in and pulled off far crazier stunts. Yet when Neo caught sight of Kevin's appearance, the captain's eyes went wide. In that time-testing space, he and Karen had once seen a fountain—and the crucial part was the sculpture at the center of the fountain. Its likeness was an exact match for the puppet holding the leash right before his eyes! No, no, no... Neo rubbed between his brows. He immediately recalled the scenes he had witnessed after opening those three windows: the first was a youth, the second a young man... Wasn't this "Mr. Kevin" the spitting image of the evil god behind the third window?! The reason he hadn't realized it right away was that behind the third window, Raniedal was already an evil god; his physical appearance, especially his face, was easily overlooked because the overall perception he projected was merely a symbol. And ruling out the possibility that Karen had a twisted sense of humor and deliberately styled the puppet to look like that... only one reason remained. "He's like a dog in my house..." Those words Karen had once spoken echoed in the captain's ears. The captain's gaze drifted downward, settling on the golden retriever. Immediately after, under everyone's watchful eyes, the captain walked up to Mr. Kevin—no, more accurately, walked up to the golden retriever Mr. Kevin was holding on the leash—and crouched down. The captain extended a hand, looking less like he wanted to pet a dog and more like he wanted to shake hands. The golden retriever raised a paw, placed it in the captain's hand, and gave it a high-five pat. The captain turned his head slightly, instinctively wanting to grab the dog with both hands for a closer look, yet hesitating. Even the captain, who had stirred up such a monumental storm on Dark Moon Island, suddenly grew bashful before this dog. "Captain, we should make good time and set off." "Yeah, all right." Neo stood up and looked toward Karen, an inquiring gleam in his eyes. Karen patted his pocket without offering any reply, though the implied message was clear: your secret credit has expired. "Heh." Neo chuckled. Fanny asked, "Karen, did you arrange for a boat?" "Miss Purr has a way to handle it. That's why I brought her along." "Please wait a moment, everyone." Purr walked to the water's edge, letting her boots sink into the seawater-soaked sand. Immediately, a crimson star array flared beneath her feet. Then, Purr raised a hand and spoke: "In my name, I summon your presence, my companion, Aselos!" The surface of the sea remained calm. Ten minutes later, however, the tide suddenly surged and swiftly ebbed, unveiling the colossal silhouette of a sea beast. Though they had already witnessed the visual spectacle of the behemoth Dorons, facing this massive sea beast still pressed an immense weight upon everyone. "Miss, I answer your call!" Purr turned around and waved to the crowd on the shore, signaling them over. The sea beast opened its jaws as well, unfurling a long tongue. "Go right inside, everyone. There's a clean, dry space in there," Purr said. Everyone walked inside, while Neo deliberately lingered at the rear. "Quite the grand entrance," the captain remarked to Karen. "It's faster this way." The truth was, Karen knew that rather than caring about Mr. Wood's descendant, Purr mostly wanted an excuse to take this puppet out for a spin. The boost in speed and efficiency was merely a byproduct. "By the way, Captain, I thought you would bring the entire squad." "Marlo and the others took the rest of the team to Sangpu City for another mission. It's not difficult, and the reward isn't high, so I didn't bother notifying you two. Consider it a chance for them to earn a little extra on the side." "Then Gendy's squad's mission..." "Strictly speaking, Gendy took the mission from my hands. When they run it, we can kick back and take a cut. So if something truly terrible happened to his squad, I'd be in for some trouble too." "Captain..." "That's how our Hound Squad got by in the past, too. Back when we were in Sangpu City, good missions were scarce. To get a piece of the more lucrative ones, you had to take them as hand-me-downs from others just to scrape up some leftover broth." "So even if I hadn't come, you still would've gone to Corona Island, wouldn't you?" "Yes, I have to see the mission through. But since I knew about your connection to Allen Manor, well, here we are." "The person in charge of the island for the Allen family has been subdued. That much is confirmed." "Oh, then things become much simpler." Neo let out a long breath. "Strictly speaking, the Corona Island route is business between Dark Moon Island and the church; Allen Manor merely acts as a middleman. Now, an unknown faction has inserted itself into the line. That is an affront to our Church of Order." Karen knew the captain was elevating the issue. That way, even if Gendy's squad met with grave misfortune, higher-ups afterward wouldn't bother scrutinizing the irregular subcontracting of missions at the bottom level. "I still hope we can resolve this quickly and smoothly." "Unlikely. If they dared move against Gendy's squad and held the island's overseer captive, it proves they likely have substantial backing. Still, once we land, we can test the waters. If our current numbers are enough, we'll wrap it up swiftly; we might even earn merits and rewards for it. If our strength falls short, I'll call for reinforcements. By the way, that dog Mr. Kevin—er, no, that gentleman Mr. Kevin, what is his connection to that evil god?" "The sunshine is quite nice today." Neo pointed a finger at Karen, wagging it up and down. Karen smiled. "Just you wait. One day, I'll brew up a massive secret and make you beg to trade with me." "I look forward to it." Neo stepped into the sea beast's mouth. "Young Master, I would like to come along," Alfred requested. "Of course. I will always need your assistance, Alfred." There was no reason to bring the household cat and dog along while leaving Alfred behind. "Thank you, Young Master." Alfred stepped into the cavernous mouth. Just as Karen was about to follow, Purr spoke: "Aselos, shut your mouth." The sea beast closed its jaws. Karen said, "I didn't sleep well. I wanted to lie down inside and catch up on some sleep." "After all these years, this is my first time going out looking like a human. Can't you keep me company for a bit?" Purr pinched her own cheek. "Think of it as compensation for pinching my face." "All right, all right. Can we let that go now?" "Hmph, depends on my mood." Karen and Purr stood atop Aselos's head. Aselos blew a spout of water, then submerged beneath the waves with only the very top of its head exposed, propelling its gargantuan frame toward Corona Island with unimaginable agility. "It's been so long since I formed a party and went on an adventure like this," Purr mused with nostalgia. "In the past, I used to organize expeditions like this all the time with a group of companions. Some would die along the way, but next time, interesting newcomers would join. Life never stops, and adventure never ends." "I can imagine what that kind of life felt like." "Are you envious?" "Not particularly." "Why? Didn't you tell Diss that wanting to come out was just to see the sights?" "Our mindsets about seeing the sights are different. Just like you now—if you were made to go back to those times..." "I would still be thrilled, excited, and happy. I will always be me." "All right, you're right." Karen sat down, placed the sword case behind him, and lay down with his head resting against it. The sun was still bright, so he treated it as soaking in the sunshine while taking an afternoon nap. Seeing this, Purr said nothing, continuing to stand there, gazing out at the remnants of her youth. At dusk, Karen sensed deceleration below and opened his eyes. Corona Island lay directly ahead. "You stood the entire time?" Karen asked. The black cat on the shoulder turned toward Karen and said, "Does this puppet of mine need to sit or lie down to rest?" "Heh, I forgot." Aselos opened its mouth, and everyone walked out from its belly. Purr came down last and instructed the sea beast, "Find a spot nearby to rest and await my summons." "Yes, Miss." Aselos sank beneath the waves and vanished. The captain looked around and said, "This should be the shaded side of the island. Good, let's split into groups. Fanny and Peige will be one group, Wend and Gray another, and Memphis and I will be the third. Karen, you, your manservant, and the two friends who came to help can rest here for now. We'll scout from three directions. Remember, everyone: don't reveal yourselves prematurely, and don't make the first move. Avoid any contact until we've gauged the other side's strength. Understood?!" "Understood, Captain!" "Understood, Captain!" "Good, let's move out. In four hours, we regroup here to draw up our next step." Soon, the others departed according to their groups. "So, what do we do?" Purr asked. "Really just rest here?" "Woof!" "Young Master, what do you think?" "The captain is looking out for the two of you, thinking moving around might be inconvenient. You can fool the others, but you can't fool him. All right, I'll take you along to scout as well. Let's head that way." "That way doesn't lead to the town or the docks. That's a hollow in the hills," Purr said. "The other directions are covered by the other groups, aren't they? Let's take a look. We might find something." "Karen, are you just placating me and the stupid dog?" "Woof?" "Keep talking like that. The more you say it, the more I feel we really might discover something." "You seem to have written this theory in your notebook as well. Which faith did it originate from?" "The Church of Xuanxue." "I understand the word 'church,' but what does that pronunciation before it mean?" Alfred took out his little notebook, writing as he spoke. "Based on my understanding of the young master's words, the term formed by that pronunciation can be understood as 'mysterious,' or as 'unknowable' and 'unfathomable'—or even, by extension, as 'destiny.'" "Radio fairy, were you an archaeologist before you turned into an abnormal demon?" "Yes, I am willing to spend my entire life unearthing and comprehending the young master's thoughts." Purr spread her hands in a helpless shrug. The four began heading into the depths of the mountain hollow. This was practically an uninhabited part of the island; no one would intentionally wander here. Alfred activated his Succubus Eye and began scanning the surroundings. Kevin led Mr. Kevin, sniffing around continuously. Karen also kept an eye on changes in their environment, whereas Purr seemed to prefer looking up at the sky. As they walked, Purr raised a hand and pointed into the air. "Those seabirds are acting strange." "Let's go take a look." Beneath the circling seabirds was a hollow pit covered by a layer of white cocoon webbing. Purr spoke up. "The seabirds are circling because they smell rotting flesh, but they're too afraid to land. That white cocoon must be toxic. I'll try burning it away with fire." Purr spread her hands, conjuring two fireballs that drifted unsteadily upward before settling onto the white cocoon. The webbing swiftly caught fire and burned away, exposing the scene within. Inside lay an array of gigantic cracked eggshells, each as tall as an ordinary adult man, with black pus lingering inside. At the breach of the bottommost eggshell, a figure covered in black scales was stuck fast. He was already dead and his corpse desiccated, having evidently failed to hatch. From above, strange black runes could be seen inside the cracked eggshells and etched across the corpse. Purr asked in confusion, "What the hell? Egg people?" At that moment, Karen noticed Kevin staring wide-eyed at the eggs below, baring his teeth and letting out a low growl from his throat. "Stupid dog, do you know what these are?" "Woof! Woof!" Alfred translated, "Fundamentalist Sea God Religion believers." Karen asked, "Wasn't the Sea God Religion destroyed by you?" The original Sea God Religion had fragmented into numerous splinter churches. The most powerful among them today was merely a mid-sized church, comparable to the Church of Pamires before it allied with the Church of Order—and now it fell far short even of the Church of Pamires. Yet in its prime during the previous era, the Sea God Religion had been an Orthodox Church! Kevin's canine eyes darkened. Turning toward the distant sea, his tail held high, he unleashed an exceptionally deep growl: "Woof!" Alfred translated: "He, too, wants to return."