"Once the rewards are issued, they'll be transferred into your credential accounts. Fanny will handle the arrangements when the time comes, so keep an eye out and check for yourselves." The Captain clapped his hands. "All right, dismissed!"
Karen saw the Captain walk over toward Gendy and his group, seemingly offering some comfort.
Gray said, looking somewhat puzzled, "The Captain treats Gendy and his bunch of chicks pretty well."
Karen remarked, "Because a squadron leader needs to have three squads under him."
Gray nodded. "Ah, so that's why."
Fanny walked over and asked, "Karen, give me your car keys. I'll arrange for someone to drive it back to your place. The funeral parlor, right?"
"Yes." Karen took out his car keys, and Alfred pulled out the hearse keys and handed them to Fanny as well.
On the return journey, everyone had taken a warship, docking at the York Naval Port rather than the Port of York. Naturally, their vehicles weren't here, and someone needed to be sent to retrieve them.
Peige said, "I've already called for transportation, but the naval port is quite a distance away. The only thing available right now is a truck. If we wait another forty minutes, a passenger van can come pick us up."
"Then I won't wait. A truck works just fine. I want to get back early."
"All right, I'll set it up for you."
Soon, a truck was arranged. The front passenger seat could fit two people, but Karen didn't get in the cab. Instead, he climbed into the truck bed from behind and found a corner to sit down.
Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin climbed aboard as well. Alfred sat diagonally across from Karen. Just as the truck was about to pull away, Memphis climbed on too, saying:
"I'll join you."
Once aboard, Memphis took a seat along the outer edge.
As the truck trundled along, the body swayed quite a bit, but sitting together in an open-air truck bed felt rather nice.
They dropped off Mr. Memphis first. When the truck reached the street near the Guman residence, Alfred signaled the driver to stop.
"Meow!"
Purr pointed at a dessert shop ahead and meowed.
Seeing this, Karen didn't send Alfred down to buy anything. Instead, he hopped down himself, treating it as seeing Mr. Memphis off.
"Thank you for your help on this mission, Mr. Aisen."
"No need to say that. I'm a member of the squad too. Actually, I found today very fulfilling. Before this, I'd never had any contact with the Sea God Religion. Besides, the Captain is truly knowledgeable."
"Sometimes it's nice to get out and clear your head."
The two chatted as they walked to the dessert shop. Karen counted in his head, then said to the clerk:
"Five strawberry ice cream cones, large size."
"Certainly, sir. One moment, please."
When he reached into his pocket to pay, Karen realized he didn't have any money on him. He was just about to turn around and call Alfred over to pay when he saw Mr. Aisen take out some riels and settle the bill.
"Sorry about that. I'm not in the habit of carrying cash these days."
"I used to be like that too, but now I always carry riels. I heard from Richard that rookies have a habit of treating everyone after a mission, but I never found the chance."
"That habit only applies to Richard."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
"Well then, goodbye, Mr. Aisen."
"Goodbye."
Holding four ice cream cones, Karen returned to the truck. He handed one to Alfred, and one each to Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin.
Well, eating ice cream cones by themselves would be rather awkward for Purr and Kevin, especially without trays, but they could manipulate their puppets to hold the cones and feed them.
With Mr. Aisen gone, Alfred took out the egg and held it in his hands.
Karen glanced at him and noticed he was communicating with the egg through some other medium.
Upon reaching the funeral parlor, Karen planned to get some rest. First, he took a bath in the washroom. When he came out, he saw Xili walking in carrying Purr, having just bathed and dried her.
Karen lay down on the bed, and Purr snuggled up beside him. One person and one cat soon closed their eyes to catch up on sleep.
A short while later, Kevin pushed open the bedroom door and padded in. He had taken a bath too, though Pike had given him his.
He trotted up to the bedside, saw that Karen and Purr were already resting, and walked over to lie down in his dog bed in the partitioned space. He licked his lips, curled onto his side, and closed his eyes.
In his dreams, he saw the sun and the sandy beach once more.
...
The Guman residence, bedroom.
Lying in bed, Richard was reading a spellbook that detailed the effects and countermeasures for several types of mental-attribute spells.
Unfortunately, this last-minute studying didn't give him much confidence; instead, it brought him immense pressure.
For Richard knew his own limits very well. Among pampered young masters, he wasn't at the absolute bottom, but looking across the entire Church, people of his age group who were called geniuses had nothing to do with him.
Originally, he had only intended to participate for the experience, since his grandfather had called in favors to register him. But after finding out that Karen was also taking part in the selection, his family had, deliberately or otherwise, piled on the pressure.
"How could I possibly beat him? *Sigh.*"
Richard sighed and kept flipping through the book.
Just then, Kaixi came in carrying a plate of fruit, smiling. "No one is asking you to outperform him. Having a goal in front of you gives you the drive to push yourself forward."
"Mom, you were eavesdropping at the door again."
"You're the one talking so loudly."
Richard took the fruit plate, where the slices were already skewered with toothpicks. Popping a piece of apple into his mouth, he asked as he chewed, "Mom, did you ever meet a genius when you were young?"
"I did. Your father was one."
"Oh, heavens, that's hard to imagine."
"I'm not joking with you. When your father was young, he was completely different from how he is now."
"Fine, fine, I know, I believe you." Richard lowered his head and went back to his book.
"Study hard. Tonight, when your grandfather returns, he'll tutor you privately. Karen won't get treatment like that."
"See, Mom? You're doing it again."
"All right, my mistake. I apologize. Keep at it, son."
Kaixi walked downstairs to the living room. Hearing footsteps at the entryway, she saw her husband.
"You're back?"
"Mm, I'm back."
By now, Kaixi had grown somewhat accustomed to her husband's sudden disappearances.
By her usual habits, if her mother-in-law weren't currently staying in this house, she probably would have returned to Sangpu City as soon as her injuries healed.
Kaixi was about to head into the kitchen to prepare some snacks for her son when the man behind her called out.
"Wait."
Kaixi turned around to look at her husband and asked, "What is it?"
Mr. Aisen raised his hand, holding an ice cream cone that had already half-melted.
"Is this... for me?"
Mr. Aisen's eyes began to blink, the corners of his mouth twitched faintly, and the muscles of his face stiffened;
Yet he still forced out a coherent sentence:
"The kind you like. Strawberry."
Kaixi reached out and took the cone. Mr. Aisen turned around, his back rather stiff, seemingly exerting great effort to restrain his walking speed so he wouldn't look like he was fleeing in panic. Finally, reaching the study door, he opened it and walked inside.
Looking down at the cone in her hand, Kaixi took a lick.
Mmh.
It was already melted.
...
Karen slept until evening before waking, then lay in bed with his eyes open for a while longer.
Purr was still sound asleep. Controlling a puppet took a heavy toll on her in her current state, but Karen knew she had been forcing herself to endure it all along, terrified that if another opportunity arose, he wouldn't bring her along.
He got out of bed, washed up, and when he reached the master bedroom door to open it, he heard Kevin's soft snoring.
Karen gently pushed the door open and stepped out. The weather tonight was pleasant as well, with stars filling the sky. Given that the funeral parlor's rear courtyard was laid out like a quadrangle courtyard, walking through the yard offered a wonderful view of the open sky.
In no hurry to find a midnight snack, Karen walked over to a bench and sat down, resting both hands on either side, tilting his head back to gaze quietly at the stars.
Originally, he had planned to send Mr. Wood back to Allen Manor, but Wood had refused, saying many people had died for his sake on Corona Island and he needed to handle the aftermath.
This incident made it clear that Allen Manor's power was still too frail, but that wasn't something that could be resolved overnight.
Karen rolled his neck gently, clearing all other thoughts from his mind and simply letting himself zone out.
Just then, Pike led two people in from the front hall—a man and a woman: Lemar and Serena.
Pike walked right past him, and Lemar and Serena walked right past him as well.
*Hm?*
*Did none of them see me?*
Karen instinctively stood up.
Sensing something, Lemar stopped immediately, turned back toward Karen, and asked, "Karen, do you use concealment spells at home too?"
"I was sitting right here." Karen pointed to the bench.
"That's impossible. We didn't see you at all," Lemar said.
"Oh, perhaps it's because my mind was completely blank just now." Karen quickly changed the subject. "Is there something you need help with?"
Just as Karen only went to the pottery studio when he had business, Lemar visiting in person certainly meant something had come up.
"There is indeed something. I need your help this time."
"Come, let's talk in the study. Pike, tea."
"Right away, Boss."
Upon entering the study, Lemar praised, "I like the decor in this study. It's a shame I rarely use one myself; otherwise, I'd decorate one just like this."
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
Karen turned to look at Serena. He felt the girl was unusually quiet tonight.
Upon closer inspection, however, Karen immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Serena, she..."
"My sister has been locked."
"What happened?" Karen asked.
"An accident a few days ago."
"An accident?"
"It went like this: three days ago, someone broke into my shop. I wasn't home that night, and when I returned, my sister was locked inside this body. I only learned what happened by questioning the other dolls in the workshop."
"How was that done?"
"He sealed the external perception of Serena's current body. Right now, Serena is essentially trapped inside it—not only can she not leave to change bodies, but her ability to provide external feedback has been cut off as well.
"She can see and hear you right now, but she has no way of responding to you. All her actions are currently being manipulated by me on her behalf."
"Serena is locked inside her body? Does the other party know puppet crafting too?"
"Yes. He's also from the Voss family, sharing our surname, but his branch has always lived in Bernet, and we've had no contact between us.
"In fact, I don't know when he came to Wien, nor how he found us.
"He sealed my sister inside and left a message through my dolls: he said that if I want the lock on my sister's puppet undone to restore her freedom, I must trade the Yilmaz carving knife for it."
"The Yilmaz carving knife?"
"A very long time ago, a remarkably talented ancestor of the Voss family forged twelve carving knives. But over all these years, many of them have been lost or destroyed. As far as is known, only about three still exist today."
"So, he wants your knife, and he locked Serena up as leverage for an exchange?"
"Yes."
"Three days ago?"
"Well, I came to look for you the day before yesterday, Mr. Karen, but you weren't home. I came again yesterday, and you still weren't here. Tonight, I finally found you."
"My apologies. I've been away for the past few days."
"No, no, no, you don't need to apologize."
"How much time did he give you?"
"Ten days. I think he intentionally gave me enough time to try breaking the seal on my own, fail, and then come begging him of my own free will."
"This lock must be very difficult to break?"
"The difficulty is extremely high. The slightest misstep could cause my sister's consciousness to be annihilated. But for me, it's very simple. I only need fifteen minutes to crack it."
"You can crack it?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"Are you afraid of tipping him off?"
"Right. Since he dared lay a hand on my sister, I want his life."
"I understand." Karen nodded. "I can appreciate how you feel."
Lemar rose from his seat and bowed to Karen.
"Mr. Karen, please help me. I don't know what I can promise you, but I know that in the future, whatever you need, I will spare no effort!"
"Mr. Lemar, between us, there's no need for such formality. Serena is a kind, lively girl; I couldn't bear to stand by and watch her get bullied like this.
"I'll help you with this matter. When exactly? I mean, when will you pretend to compromise and draw him out?"
"On the last day of the deadline—seven days from now. I want him to believe I held out until the very end and made this choice only because I had no alternative. By then, his guard should also be at its lowest."
Karen estimated the timeline in his head. In three days, he had to take part in the York City Region selection, which shouldn't take too long.
After the regional selection concluded, candidates would head to the Church headquarters for the final selection. There should be a window of spare preparation time in between, though the exact schedule hadn't been released yet.
"I might need to move it forward a bit," Karen said. "If it's exactly seven days from now, I might have to do it a day or two earlier."
Once the results of the York City Region selection were out, he couldn't simply skip the next round of churchwide selection unless he was willing to abandon the identity of Karen.
If Serena had been abducted, Karen wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. After all, from his very first step into Lemar Pottery Studio through their subsequent encounters, the Lemar siblings had always treated him well. In their interactions, he was almost always the one who benefited. In terms of reason and emotion alike, Serena's safety came first.
The thing was, Serena was completely safe right now; the other party had clearly underestimated Mr. Lemar's craftsmanship.
Karen knew even better that Mr. Lemar would never gamble with his sister's safety just to save face. If he said he could open the lock safely, he definitely could.
If it was purely for revenge, he had to take his schedule into consideration.
"A day or two earlier shouldn't be an issue, I think."
"How about this?" Karen smiled. "Do you remember the first person who went to you to have a mask made?"
"Him?"
Lemar's face took on an expression of shock, terror, conflict, and anticipation all at once.
Karen had to admit that Serena's previous description of her brother's feelings toward the Captain was spot-on.
"Personally, I also think timing it for the tenth day is best. I'll notify him and have him help oversee this matter. If I'm in York City that day, I'll go with him to help you take revenge and eradicate this hidden danger.
"If I'm not in York City that day... I apologize, but it's a Church event that I cannot refuse to attend, unless I give up my identity in the Church of Order."
"There's no need to explain, Mr. Karen. I understand your difficulties. Truly, you don't need to explain. We're friends, and we understand each other."
"Yes. If I'm not in York City that day, he will take full charge. I'm not just comforting you—it's the truth. When it comes to seeking vengeance and severing future troubles at the roots, he's far more professional and capable than I am."
If it were anyone else, Karen wouldn't be this at ease, but the Captain...
Karen believed the Captain would handle it without a hitch.
"That's wonderful, then."
"Mm. Take Serena back first. I'll notify him on your behalf, and barring any surprises, he'll pay you a visit in the coming days."
"All right. Thank you, Mr. Karen. Thank you so very much."
"I feel rather ashamed."
"No, please don't say that. I know full well that if it weren't for you asking, he would never lift a finger to help me."
"You made a mask for him before, too."
Mr. Lemar looked embarrassed and said, "But he paid me point coupons. A huge amount of point coupons. When someone pays too much, there's no personal favor left."
Karen nodded, then walked up to Serena. Looking at her, he said:
"Serena, bear with staying in there for a few more days. We'll take care of the person who locked you up."
Serena showed no reaction, but as Lemar had said, she could see and hear.
After Lemar left with Serena, Karen picked up the telephone. He didn't call the Captain, nor did he bother folding an origami crow; he called Fanny directly.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Fanny. Could you contact the Captain for me and tell him to drop by the pottery studio when he has time over the next couple of days? Just say I'd like him to help the owner take care of some trouble."
"All right, got it."
After hanging up, Karen stretched. He was confident the Captain would help. Setting aside the fact that the Captain already owed him so many secrets, even if worst came to worst, he could just send Kevin over to sleep at the Captain's house for a few days.
Leaving the study, Karen headed toward the kitchen to make himself some late-night food. Just as he reached the kitchen doorway, he saw Alfred sitting inside cradling the egg, the two still engaged in silent communication.
"Alfred, you haven't rested?"
"Hm?" Alfred seemed to "wake up" with his eyes wide open, rising immediately. "Young Master, you're awake."
Just then, Karen heard the egg project a voice toward him:
"I really... can't take... him anymore... Please, I beg you... just fry me already..."
Chapter 303