Return

Over the next two hours, Alfred continuously elaborated on what it meant to be "grounded." His explanation was both accessible and well-structured, and combined with his voice and oratorical charisma, it naturally drew the listeners into a trance-like absorption. Purr shook her head twice and said, "I feel like even if Karen gave the lecture himself, he wouldn't do as good a job as the Radio Goblin." "Woof, woof." Purr asked in puzzlement, "Creating a theory and expounding on it are two different jobs?" "Woof." "Fine, that makes sense. So the Radio Goblin has huge ambitions—he wants to unite this club using this method." "Woof." "I know, I know. The root cause is still that our family doesn't have enough point coupons to buy people's loyalty." Alfred placed the chalk in his hand back into its box, crossed his hands over his chest, and bowed to the audience below the stage. "That concludes today's lecture. Since everyone's time is valuable, we will follow our usual rule: write down your doubts and questions in letters and deposit them in this box." Alfred produced two boxes from under the desk. "This box contains my replies to you, labeled with the recipient's name. Please come up and look for yours." The audience rose one after another, either dropping off their letters or searching for their replies. "Is the Radio Goblin really this busy every day?" Purr asked in surprise. Kevin nodded. Lately, he often visited Alfred's bedroom to study that language system together and knew just how busy Alfred was every day. His bedroom looked more like a study that happened to have a bed squeezed in. Just then, a group of people wearing Order clerical robes walked in. The leading man stepped up to Alfred and said, "I am Keyar, deputy head of the Third Section of the Morals Office for the Church of Order's York City Region. We have received a report alleging that you have violated the Code of Order by inciting aberrant demons in an unlawful assembly, attempting to subvert and influence ordinary human society. You are hereby required to come back with us for investigation." Seeing this, the young girl Remer started to rise, but Anita, sitting beside her, pressed a hand down on her shoulder. The listeners in the hall closed in around Alfred, wanting to protect their master. At this sight, Keyar showed no fear; instead, a smile touched his lips. He would love nothing more than for this to blow up into a bigger scene—it would only cement the charges. He had dropped hints to this club twice already, yet they hadn't offered a single point coupon in tribute. They truly had no idea how things worked. Even without a report this time, he would have come anyway. The major churches handled aberrant demons in much the same way. What was ruthlessly cracked down upon were wild aberrant demons—those born under special circumstances lacking any social persona, who inevitably brought chaos wherever they appeared. Another category consisted of rampant, out-of-control aberrant demons, who were likewise marked for resolute eradication. Beyond that lay a vast grey zone: for example, humans who had become aberrant demons after being infected yet had no inclination to actively harm society, as well as those who were born into it through inheritance or had long since assimilated into a social persona. They were not targets for immediate crackdown, but they possessed no real legal rights either; they belonged to a demographic that could never step into the light. Earlier, when the Church of Order needed a batch of beguiling aberrant demons for experiments, they simply rounded people up without hesitation. After all, eliminating aberrant demons to protect ordinary people was political correctness itself. However, three categories within the aberrant demon community could obtain political standing: first, groups like the bloodthirsty aberrant demon families, who had formed substantial organizations that could not be ignored; second, aberrant demons who worked for the church; and third, those like Alfred in the past, who, in a small town like Rojia City, possessed enough personal strength to rival ordinary Inquisitors—provided, of course, that the Inquisitor wasn't named Inmeres. Alfred took an identification document from his pocket. It didn't state that he was an aberrant demon; after all, not a trace of aberrant demonic aura lingered on Alfred now, and no inspection could detect it anyway, so there was no need to slap an aberrant demon label onto himself. What he produced was proof of employment at the Pavaro Funeral Parlor, classifying him as auxiliary personnel under the Inquisitorial Office, officially stamped and issued by the Pavaro Inquisitorial Office—though in truth, he had fabricated it himself. The daily operations and official correspondence of the Pavaro Funeral Parlor were all handled by Alfred; Karen rarely paid attention to such matters, while Inquisitor Pavaro had few friends and terrible relations with others, and his direct superior, Vicolai, was deliberately downplaying Pavaro's presence due to past credit-stealing disputes. Thus, so long as the basic workflow was maintained, Inquisitor Pavaro could drift around indefinitely on outside "assignments." Keyar took the document, glanced at it, and sneered. "Auxiliary personnel of the Inquisitorial Office? Heh, are people so perfunctory about forging cover identities these days?" The subordinates behind him chuckled as well. *** "Your captain visits your house, and not only do you not cook a decent meal to welcome me, but the moment I arrive, you drag me out to handle your business?" Sitting in the passenger seat, Neo grumbled irritably. Having completed his mission, he had led his squad back from Sangpu City, and the moment he arrived at Karen's house, he ran right into Karen heading out the door. "I had my servant Alfred organize an outside club to make it easier to gather information in York City down the line. Last night, he told me today's gathering had been reported and there would be trouble at the lecture. Judging by the time, it's about right, and I happened to be heading out to deal with it. You arrived right on time, Captain." "Reported?" Neo chuckled. "Let me guess—did you report yourselves?" Karen nodded. The person who reported Alfred's club was none other than Alfred himself. Neo yawned. "It's the right move. Report yourself, then resolve it yourself. Putting the matter out in the open clears your name ahead of time and saves you a lot of future headaches. With your current status, covering for an aberrant demon club is child's play. Our colleagues must all be using honorifics when speaking to you now, right?" "It's all because of the newspapers." "Nobody's an idiot. You're not some celebrity who needs the press to hype you up. Of the two final shortlisted squads, one is primarily made up of people from the Dinge Region, and the other is mostly our York City Region, with you serving as squad captain during the selection. Once you return from the Gate of Samsara, your status will be completely different. Every Whip of Order squad captain in the entire York City Region—no, even squadron leaders—will have to address you with honorifics. Your future is already destined for brilliance. Besides, everyone knows what that squad from the Dinge Region represents: the region of the Holy See, true scions of the Holy See. To balance the clan factions and the grassroots factions within the church, you'll be built up as a counterweight. Just like High Priest Norton right now—he doesn't come from a prominent clan either. This is the consensus among the higher-ups. We won't allow some royal family within the Church of Order the way the Church of Samsara does." At this point, Neo couldn't help laughing out loud. "Damn it! Yet in reality, you actually have one of the top families in the Church of Order standing behind you, haha!" "Captain, I feel like you've been placing too much weight on these things lately." "I've been placing too much weight on it?" Neo shook his head dismissively. "We're all playing by these rules, so who wouldn't care about the rules' rewards? Besides, forget about me caring—have you noticed yourself? It's been a long time since you addressed me with the polite 'you' instead of the casual one." "Is that so? Did I? I hadn't noticed." Neo patted Karen on the shoulder. "Relax. I have a feeling that before long, I'll be relying on your endorsement for my own promotion. Even if you called me 'Neo' to my face, I wouldn't have the heart to fall out with you." The car arrived outside the club just in time to see a group of people in Order clerical robes entering. Karen moved to get out, but Neo said, "Wait a bit. It's only worth throwing a temper once they put the handcuffs on him." "All right." Karen trusted his captain's wealth of experience. After sitting in the car for five minutes, Neo said, "That should do it. Let's head in." When Karen and Neo walked into the lecture hall, they caught sight of Alfred being placed in spell shackles. "Doesn't he look familiar?" "Yeah, very familiar." "Karen?" "Karen!" Several staff members from the Morals Office in Order robes recognized Karen. Neo stepped ahead in front of Keyar, showed his credentials, and said, "I am the captain of the Whip of Order's Neo Squad." Keyar looked at Neo, then at Karen behind him. Instantly realizing something was going wrong, he stammered, "There might be some misunderstanding here..." "Misunderstanding? You arrested my man and disrupted the Whip of Order's enforcement. Are you looking down on the Whip of Order?" The Morals Office was a semi-clerical department, akin to a local cultural bureau, whereas the Whip of Order served as the equivalent of SWAT. Although both fell under the division of Order, which department was easy to cross and which was not was glaringly obvious. "How could I? I wouldn't dare..." Neo grabbed Keyar by the hair, yanked his head down, and brought his knee up. Bang! Once, twice, three times, four times, five times! When Neo let go, Keyar's face was covered in blood. He stumbled back two steps and collapsed unconscious onto the floor. Not one of Keyar's subordinates dared step forward. "Take him and get out!" The aides quickly picked up their deputy head and scurried away in disgrace. Neo caught the last aide, who immediately understood, dashed over to unlock Alfred's shackles, and without even bothering to retrieve them, bolted out bent over. Anita, who had remained seated throughout, astutely noticed that during their last encounter, Karen had sat beneath Neo, yet today, it was Neo stepping forward to dole out the beating, while Karen stood behind. Afterward, the club brought today's session to a close as scheduled. The attendees departed one by one. In the past, they had always worn baggy clothes and pulled their hats low when arriving and leaving; this time, as they walked out, they wished they could turn their entire faces to the sun. Neo still had matters to discuss with Anita, so Karen and Alfred headed back first with Purr and Kevin. In the car, Karen placed Purr on his lap, looked down, and asked, "Are you in a bad mood today?" "No." "Did something happen?" Karen asked. "Nothing happened." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" Whether translating Kevin's barks or answering directly, Alfred said, "She was mocked by Anita today, who called Purr the weakest symbiont." "Oh?" "This subordinate warned her," Alfred added immediately. Purr nodded; she didn't want Karen to misunderstand Alfred. "The weakest symbiont?" Karen reached out and took hold of Purr's tail. "Does that fluffball beside her have a god's finger in its tail too?" Purr pulled her tail back. Karen lifted Purr up in front of him. "Looks like you really took a hit today. Did you cry?" "I didn't!" "Woof!" "You should have told me earlier. Next time you feel wronged, let me know sooner, alright? The captain is having a private talk with her right now, so it's not convenient for me to make a scene. Next time, go tease that white fluffball beside her on purpose, provoke her into mocking you again, and I'll use that as an excuse to teach her a lesson." "Uh... wouldn't that be a bit petty?" "As long as it vents your anger." "My anger fades fast. I'm not one to hold grudges." Right—just a casual century or so. If you didn't hold grudges, that female Temple Elder wouldn't have been hung from a crucifix by Grandfather. And before Grandfather fell into his deep slumber, he wouldn't have said to you: I vented your anger for you. Purr looked at Karen and asked, "Can you fight that woman right now? My instincts tell me she's very strong." "I don't know. The captain paid a heavy price to defeat her, but his actual strength can't really be measured." "She's only relying on that symbiont. Once my strength recovers, you can sit aside and drink coffee while I beat them to a pulp all by myself." "Mm, naturally." Karen scratched Purr under the chin. Before Grandfather entered his deep slumber, he had specifically urged Karen to take good care of Purr. "Woof!" Kevin raised a front paw and thumped his own chest. Alfred, who was driving, cleared his throat and said, "Kevin, there's no need to exaggerate." Karen guessed what Kevin had just "said"—probably something along the lines of Purr's "once I recover, such-and-such." If Raniedal truly recovered and stood there as a full-fledged evil god, the scene would be terrifically beyond imagination. "Oh, right. The captain just notified me that tomorrow evening I need to assemble at the Church Affairs Building to depart for the Dinge Region." Hearing this, Purr immediately said, "Be careful on the road." "We're taking a teleportation array. It's over in the blink of an eye. Official business on the church's dime is certainly convenient," Karen smiled. Purr nodded. "Yeah. I wonder how many places Diss went when he forcibly commandeered the Church of Order's teleportation arrays back then." "Sometimes I look forward to coming across footprints Grandfather left behind, because it gives me a sense of familiarity; but other times I'd rather not, because in a way, it makes things feel dull." Purr sighed and said, "Don't worry. You and Diss are very alike. Truly." Karen asked, "What do you mean?" "I mean that he understood you just as he understood himself, so Diss would accommodate your 'wanting to have it both ways' feelings." *** Returning to the funeral parlor, Karen went into his study, took a new notebook and a fountain pen from a drawer, and casually began jotting things down. As for the black notebook resting carefully inside a wooden box on his desk, Karen no longer dared scribble in it as heedlessly as before. Karen first wrote down his near-term agenda items: Dinge Region Training; Gate of Samsara in Samsara Valley; Both of these would be settled within the next half month, as the opening time of the Gate of Samsara was fixed. Items further down the road included the corpse of the mythical beast Compassini, and salvaging the Rax copper coin. Once he returned from the Gate of Samsara, these could officially be placed on the schedule. The captain knew the location of the former, while Karen knew the location of the latter; both were expeditions they could embark on as soon as preparations were complete. Karen paused, drew a connecting line after the Gate of Samsara, and wrote: Form my own Whip of Order squad. This needed to be completed right after the Gate of Samsara trials ended, along with staffing the squad. It would be best to take on a couple of missions to break the ice and build team chemistry; the sooner the squad's style formed, the more efficient they would be in the future. Compassini's burial site was somewhere he could take his squad, but the Rax copper coin required a question mark. After all, he intended to keep that coin for himself, and once such a thing was exposed to others, it would become inconvenient to pocket. The cost of being discovered harboring a divine artifact was simply too steep. Beyond those were two even longer-term objectives. One was the divine cemetery tied to Anita's Tomb Guardian clan, which required Kevin to recover further before the exact coordinates could be obtained. The other was the Lost Land of the God of Light, but that required Count Rekar to achieve sustained awakenings before he could guide a voyage there. These two projects not only depended on prerequisite conditions, but also on whether his own strength would be sufficient when the time came. Karen gazed quietly at these agenda items, suddenly feeling a sense of fulfillment. He knew other matters would be interspersed throughout—for instance, the captain loved taking on inexplicable missions on a whim, and once he became a squadron leader, he definitely wouldn't sit idle. Alfred knocked and entered, setting a plan before Karen. It was the funeral arrangements for Mr. Giotto; since the funeral would be held tomorrow, preparations had to start now. "Flawless. You've put real thought into this," Karen said after reading it. At the same time, he couldn't help marveling internally: Alfred's energy and work ethic were truly terrifying. Compared to him, his own laziness felt almost criminal. "Young Master, please focus on preparing for your departure tomorrow. I will take charge of the funeral." "There's no rush to depart. I will preside over the memorial service. After all, they chose this funeral parlor specifically because of me; it wouldn't be right if I didn't attend." "Yes, Young Master is considerate. This subordinate will take the staff to arrange the funeral right away." "All right, go ahead." Alfred did not leave, his eyes instead fixed on the open new notebook in front of Karen. "These aren't study notes. It's just an outline of agenda items I casually jotted down for the coming period." Alfred pressed his lips together. In that moment, he looked exactly like a child accompanying an adult through a shopping mall, catching sight of a beloved toy—yearning for it, yet too embarrassed to say so. "Well, if you want to read it, you can come flip through it yourself later." "Yes, Young Master!" Alfred stepped out of the study with vibrant energy. Karen was preparing to take a bath and rest, but right at that moment, the old man in the study suddenly appeared, his gaze fixed blankly on Karen. "What is it?" Karen asked. "I sense... my true self has returned."