Returning Home

After parting ways with his squad members, Karen walked out of the York City Church Affairs Building alone. He had thought a hearse would be coming to pick him up, but instead found a VIP car parked by the curb waiting for him. Sitting behind the wheel was Neo. Karen walked up to the passenger door. Neo raised his right hand forward and said, "Welcome back, Captain!" "Thank you for the reception, Squadron Leader!" Then, both of them laughed. Karen got into the car, and Neo said, "I called your manservant and told him I was picking you up." "Yeah." "How was it? How did the trip feel?" "I nearly didn't make it back several times." "You know, usually when people say that, it means they made a massive harvest. For people like us, brushing with death has practically become second nature." "There was a harvest. I sponged quite a few cartons of cigarettes and bottles of liquor at the hotel, and sold them for a good amount of point coupons. By the way, Captain, give me the business card of the head of logistics at Ankara Hotel. I might need it in the future." "Sure, here." Neo pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to Karen. Karen took it, glanced over it, and asked with some confusion, "A female director?" "That's his mistress. He usually routes things through her as an intermediary. She runs a tea shop on Queen Street." "All right, got it." "I read the Order Weekly and even pulled some strings to get hold of some internal publication records. Well? Did you see the Mural God?" "I did. Nearly got killed by her, too." "Oh, I'm so jealous of you." "Are you being serious?" "Of course. Most people are destined to live ordinary lives. To be killed by a god is already a special kind of blessing." "In that case, the Church of Samsara has even more people who were killed by the Mural God." "They're very blessed, too. If you doubt it, why not have the Church of Samsara send over some intact corpses so we can Awaken them and ask?" "That joke isn't very funny." "You've been on a long trip, broadened your horizons, and your threshold has gotten higher. In the past, you would have chuckled along." "That was only to keep you from feeling too awkward." "Oh, great. Now that you're a captain, you can give your old captain the cold shoulder?" "Indeed. I've already finalized the roster for my squad. Nine people, every single one enough to make you drool with envy—oh, except Richard." "Come on, pick out some interesting bits and tell me. I can hardly wait." "Are you taking me home?" "Nope. Taking you somewhere fun that I recently discovered. Go on, tell me." Karen began recounting the events, skipping steps here and there but without deliberately holding anything back. Around his captain, there was virtually no need for secrecy; after all, the two knew each other's secrets, and they had committed far too many violations together. Screeech! Neo slammed on the brakes and stared wide-eyed at Karen. "You're saying everything inside your body has been Order-ized?" "Yes. Right now, I am as genuine a young Order priest as can be." "Phew... Then, if you could Order-ize that fellow Muri, can you do it for me?" "It's not the same." "How is it different?" "Order-ization is more like a form of deconstruction. If I deconstruct you, you'll cease to exist—or rather, it would be equivalent to me devouring you." "Cough, cough..." Neo coughed repeatedly. "Then what about Muri? Isn't he still alive?" "Muri was already walking the path of Order to begin with. After my Order-ization, he is still walking the path of Order. I didn't alter his essence; like this car, I merely helped him turn the steering wheel." "So, even now, you still don't think you might be that person?" "I don't, Captain. If my ultimate goal really were to become the new God of Order, the path I've walked would be a complete joke. I believe my future can have new choices. But right now, I'd like to investigate some secret historical records regarding the God of Order. Relying solely on Light of Order is too superficial." "Do you know where the best place to find that is?" Neo asked. "The Church of Principles?" "Correct. The Church of Principles loves collecting and researching these things the most. Do you have connections over there?" "Not at the moment." "Then I'll hire someone to procure a set of materials for you, but it'll cost point coupons." "I just told you so many secrets..." "All right, all right, I won't charge you point coupons. By the way, I thought there'd be a welcome ceremony or something for you." "Head Bishop Wolflen sent someone to convey his regards, saying he'll celebrate with us once I establish my Whip of Order squad." "The Head Bishop is a decent guy. Just the fact that you stole his grandson's partner and he didn't mess with you to death proves his magnanimity." "Captain..." "All right, all right, I know—I caused that whole thing. But on Dark Moon Island, I didn't force you to accompany Her Highness Ophelia on strolls through the woods." "Captain..." "Look, look! Every time Her Highness Ophelia is mentioned, you lose that composure of yours. Anyway, when do you plan to handle the paperwork?" "As soon as possible. I have an official letter from the Whip of Order headquarters." "That makes things much easier. How about this: go back tonight and prepare the roster documents, and tomorrow I'll accompany you to get all the procedures done." "All right, Captain. But where exactly are we going right now?" "Almost there. Look, right up ahead." Neo parked the car in front of an office building and led Karen inside. "Is there a barrier here?" Karen asked, remembering that the last time Neo took him to the black market, they had driven straight through a wall. "None. This is a perfectly normal place. Come on, take the elevator." The elevator went up to the fourteenth floor. When they stepped out, Karen found the floor deserted, likely still unleased. But as he followed Neo further inside, Karen noticed a small area ahead with a sign hanging on it: Costa Massage Service. Neo smiled. "It's not legit, but not the kind of illegitimate you're imagining." Pushing the door open, Karen nearly stepped right into a pool of water—a large basin enclosed with plastic sheeting, broad in surface area but very shallow. Karen instantly sensed that something was inside this pool, which was barely half a palm deep! Buzz! A figure sat up from the water, her body composed entirely of liquid. As she sat up, the water took human form and gradually solidified into a stark-naked woman. The woman smiled. "Lord Neo, are you bringing us a client? Oh, handsome young man, please don't be shy. Come, take off your clothes and lie down with big sister. Big sister will bring you unimaginable pleasure." Neo spoke up. "Where's Costa?" "Oh, the boss went out to buy afternoon tea snacks. Looking at the time, he should be back soon." "Then we'll wait for him in his office." "Wait a moment, can't anyone keep me company?" the woman asked. "Gamixi, if you keep being in heat, I'll make sure your boss comes back to find his female secretary has been purified." "Oh, no, I was only joking." The woman immediately stood up, her body flowing over to a nearby clothes rack, and she quickly donned a white lab coat. She looked no different from an ordinary person. "What race is this?" Karen asked curiously. Neo replied, "Remember the merfolk on Dark Moon Island? She's similar to merfolk, a creature from the ocean floor. Legend has it they were granted intelligence by the Sea God." Gamixi immediately retorted, "Oh no, that's not the case at all. Long ago, when my race joined the Sea God's banner, we already possessed intelligence. The reason that rumor spread was just to flatter the Sea God. But really, why would the Sea God accept followers who lacked intelligence?" "You acknowledged it back then, but now you don't?" "Of course. After all, the Sea God Religion has practically become an evil cult now, hehe. Gentlemen, tea or coffee?" "Coffee." "Ice water." "All right, coming right up." Neo led Karen into Costa's office. Inside was a bed and numerous anatomical charts, looking no different from a massage clinic. "Captain, you aren't really bringing me here for a massage, are you?" "Of course not. This massage parlor is just a cover. That fellow Costa likes having affairs with married women here under the guise of massages. His real identity is a tomb raider who specializes in robbing graves of people in our circle. Although the major churches and families with faith systems care deeply about recovering corpses, there are always lost tombs—mostly tombs of churches or families that have died out." "Are you preparing for Anita's God-Burial Grounds, Captain?" "Not really. Hers is too far and too massive. I'm preparing for the expedition into Compasini's burial site. But this time is a bit special because he obtained a clue map that I like very much—a burial complex of an extinct family." "Even so, there's no need to be in such a rush..." "There is. I need to sign a contract with him quickly." "Grave robbing requires a contract too?" "Yeah. Costa originally had a crew, but an accident happened during a tomb raid..." "His men all died?" "His crew tried to kill him." "That..." "He escaped heavily injured. So although he still deals in grave robbing, he only acts as an information broker now and doesn't organize expeditions himself." "So you're buying intel from him, Captain? But why the rush?" "He held this as an exclusive for me, but only through today. Tomorrow, he's taking it to the black market to sell. I must sign for it today." "You had to wait until the last day?" "I had to ask someone to verify the background of the information. Do you know how many point coupons he wanted for this intel? He asked for one million point coupons." "Is he crazy?" "Yeah, and I bargained him down to fifty thousand point coupons." "Are you crazy?" "Fifty thousand point coupons is reasonable. Trust me, when have I ever made a losing deal?" "Oh, dear gentlemen, discussing this so loudly—aren't you afraid I'll tell my boss so he raises the price?" Gamixi walked in carrying a cup of coffee and a glass of water. "The price has already been agreed upon. Your boss won't raise it. This line of business is shady to begin with; if you don't follow the rules, you'll only die faster." "Seems you know my boss better than I do. Your coffee, sir." "Thank you." Gamixi placed a glass of water before Karen. Karen reached out to take it, but she stopped him. "Just a moment." Gamixi held out her left hand. Her index finger instantly froze into ice, and then, using her right hand, she snapped the finger off and dropped it into the glass. "Here you go." "Thank you." Karen took the glass and set it aside. Gamixi smiled. "Do you find me unclean?" "Yes, sorry." "Oh, you're so blunt. I thought this would add a bit of spice." Neo took a sip of his coffee and said, "Take a look at his face. Even a god would probably throw themselves at him like mad." "Whew..." The coffee was a bit hot. Neo continued, "So, do you think he lacks women?" "Your Lordship makes a good point. What about you, my lord? I'd be quite willing to serve you as well." "My wife is lying in the cemetery. If you're willing to be her sister, I wouldn't mind sending you over to keep her company and chat." "Oh, you're much too kind." At that moment, movement could be heard outside. Gamixi immediately stepped out, saying, "My boss is back." Soon, a burly, large-framed man walked in. Seeing Neo sitting there, he grinned. "Thought it through?" "Yeah, thought it through." Neo pulled out a stack of Order coupons. "Count them." Costa picked up the Order coupons and began counting. Neo said, "Forty-eight thousand Order coupons." "Why is it two thousand short?" "Because I thought you wouldn't count them right in front of me." "Heh." Costa chuckled. "Fine, forget the two thousand. I won't buy you drinks at the black market, then. And this is?" "Karen, my subordinate." "Hello." Costa extended a hand toward Karen. Karen shook his hand. Costa's hand was rough, and during the handshake, he blatantly released probing power with barely any attempt to conceal it. Karen swept away the probing power directly. Costa took two steps back and said, "All right, Karen. Good to meet you." "Stop wasting time. Hand it over." Costa pulled a document envelope from his coat and handed it to Neo. Neo caught it, stood up, and said, "Pleasure doing business. Goodbye." Seeing that Neo was about to leave just like that, Costa warned, "Neo, don't say I didn't warn you. That place is very dangerous." "I know you tell that to every customer. Don't worry, if I die, my soul will come back to chat with you." After leaving the massage parlor and stepping into the elevator, Karen asked, "Captain, is it really that simple?" "Many things aren't that complicated to begin with. Everyone's circle and information channels are limited. He didn't even know how many point coupons the tomb info in this dossier was worth; he was gambling, too." "Then when do you plan to make a move on this tomb?" "I need to formulate a plan first. The tomb is located in the sea area adjacent to Sangpu City. Drafting the plan will take some time. Tomorrow I have to accompany you to handle the paperwork, and it'll probably take a week for all your personnel to assemble, right?" "Not that long. Three days." "Oh? Seems you're a captain of considerable prestige. Quick, admit you learned plenty of captaining experience from me." "It truly was learned from you, Captain." "Haha, good. Once I finish drafting this operation plan, I'll hand it over to you and let you lead your team members to complete this first mission. Your very first mission will be a private gig—just the right level of danger and very lucrative, perfect for building team cohesion." "Hand it to my squad to do?" "Of course." "Why not..." "The caliber of an ordinary Whip of Order squad isn't up to completing this mission alone. You wouldn't want me to take my team on it and end up holding funerals for Fanny and the others when we get back, would you?" "Is it that dangerous?" "You've even entered the Gate of Samsara; how can this count as dangerous? To be clear in advance: after the proceeds first reimburse my fifty thousand point coupons, I take another ten percent." "Aren't you coming along?" "You're the captain, so I won't be coming along. But I'll make sure the mission plan is airtight." "No deducting the fifty thousand point coupons, and you take ten percent." "Twenty percent." "Fifteen percent." "Who did you learn to be so stingy from?" "From..." "All right, no need to answer that question." Once they got back into the car, Neo said, "You don't need to worry about missions going forward. I'll help you take on assignments. But for you guys right now, ordinary missions have yields that are simply too low. So until high-end reception or security assignments come along, taking on private jobs like this is pretty good." "Thank you, Captain." "So, can I really not be Order-ized?" "Captain..." "Yeah, never mind, I was just asking again. Actually, I'm doing quite well as I am. May the God of Light bear witness to my loyalty to the God of Order, haha." The VIP car pulled up before the funeral parlor. As soon as Karen stepped out of the car, he saw Alfred walking over; he had been sitting by the entrance reading a newspaper earlier. "Young Master, welcome home!" "Thank you." Dincomb and Pike also rushed over immediately. "Boss!" Karen nodded to them as well. Heading toward the backyard, Karen instructed Alfred, "Inform Allen Manor to clear out the apartment building where we stayed previously. Have the interior cleaned and furnished; I want to arrange for my squad members to live there." "Yes, Young Master, I will make the arrangements." "Also, there's a bag in my suitcase with a considerable amount of point coupons. Take it and record it in the ledger—make it the squad's account, separate from the household expenses." "Understood, Young Master." "Ah, Young Master, you're back!" Xili was overjoyed to see Karen. When Karen walked into the study, she immediately brought over a glass of ice water. Karen picked up the ice water and happened to see Kevin sitting on the study carpet, looking at him with a silly, honest smile while wagging his tail furiously. Karen looked down at the ice water, then at Kevin's smile. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to splash the cold water over. "Where's Pu'er?" "Woof!" Kevin pointed toward the bedroom door, then scratched his bald head with a dog paw. What was with that burst of killing intent he had sensed just a moment ago? Karen stepped into the bedroom and saw Pu'er with her face buried in a pillow. "I'm back." Karen walked over and lifted Pu'er from the pillow. "You—" Pu'er instantly raised a paw to press against Karen's lips. "No talking, meow!" Karen nodded. Pu'er pulled her paw away and smiled. "Oh, my dear little Karen, you're finally back." "You've gotten fat." "MEOW!!!"