What a Loss!

Kevin immediately prostrated himself before Karen, barking in continuous, humble flattery: "Woof, woof, woof~" Qianmei: "..." Qianmei, who had been insufferably arrogant just moments ago, finally realized who the real boss of this bedroom was. It immediately shrank back into a mosquito coil. "Do you two see any issues with this thing?" Karen asked. Pu'er shook her head. "Though I've been a cat for many years, I'm not familiar with the monster beast circle. No monster beast would come to the Inmerais home to hang out with me anyway." "Woof, woof, woof!" "The dumb dog says this thing has great plasticity and can be kept and raised by your side. The main thing is to keep a tight rein on its ferocious nature. If you can't control it properly, it'll cause huge trouble down the road." Karen nodded. Relieved that there were no other side effects, he began retracting the chain in his palm. Bound by the chain, Qianmei dared not resist, obediently letting itself be dragged back into Karen's body. "I'll take a bath first." Karen stood up and headed toward the washroom. Pu'er reminded him, "Doesn't that mean Dora and Doreen won't get to soak in your bathwater anymore?" "Next time they need to soak, I'll just go over beforehand and infuse some light power into the water." "Oh, true. It's just Order-ized, not stripped of power." After a comfortable soak in the bath, Karen lay back down in bed. The peace of mind that came from lying in his own bed was difficult to put into words, and he soon drifted off to sleep. With this sleep, he skipped right past dinner and late-night snacks, sleeping until six in the morning. When he woke up, Pu'er was sleeping beside his pillow. She had put on some weight, but as a cat, being a bit chubby really did make her cuter. He got out of bed and went into the washroom to wash up. Considering he had to run through administrative procedures with the Captain today, Karen changed into a clean clerical robe. In the dog bed inside the bedroom alcove, Kevin opened his eyes and peeked at Karen. Once Karen stepped out, Kevin rolled over, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep. No one else in the house was awake yet, but Karen had always had the habit of making his own breakfast. A jar on the kitchen cabinet held freshly rendered lard, most likely made by Xili. The family's maid had a knack for cooking; her Chinese culinary skills were already quite impressive. Karen was preparing to cook himself a bowl of small wontons. As he was seasoning the bottom of the bowl, a familiar voice came from the kitchen doorway: "Make me a portion of breakfast too." "Captain, you're here this early?" "I went out of town last night and just got back. Couldn't be bothered to go home and then schlep all the way over here again, so I came straight to your place." Karen cooked two bowls of wontons. After bringing them over, he and the Captain sat with a bowl each, eating with spoons. "I've realized you really have a gift for cooking, kid. How about I just come eat at your place all the time from now on?" "The meal expenses..." "Doesn't your conscience hurt?" Karen shook his head. "You in a rush for point coupons?" "Yes, I have my eye on a set of war apparatuses." "Hoh, that stuff doesn't come cheap." "Yeah, I have to slowly save up point coupons." "Keep it up, then. Save slowly. Oh, right, there's another matter today. Representatives from the Church of the Goddess of the Moon have arrived in York City to discuss cooperation between our two churches." "I remember the Church of the Goddess of the Moon used to be very close with the Church of Samsara. The newspapers even published articles criticizing them." "Yes, exactly. But after the Church of Samsara suffered blow after blow, the Church of the Goddess of the Moon grew much closer to our Church of Order. These are just representatives; I reckon they're here to negotiate preliminary terms. Once the framework is hammered out here, a higher-level delegation will definitely come next. Get your squad set up quickly, and you should be able to pick up a security detail assignment by then. "I did a rough calculation of the timeline. It'll give you enough time to finish that ancient tomb mission. Do a hard, dangerous one, then follow it up with a security gig—balance work and rest." "Thank you, Captain." "Don't mention it. Once your squad is formed in the York City Region, you'll be the ones picking missions. Plenty of autonomy." After finishing the wontons, Karen went to the study to fetch the documents Alfred had organized for him yesterday, then climbed into Neo's VIP car. "I'll take you to the York City Region Whip of Order Headquarters first." "Won't it be too early?" "They have twenty-four-hour duty staff there, so it's fine. But remember, most of the time it's just a nominal setup. The Whip of Order squads in each region are basically operated and managed by the regions themselves. You can think of the headquarters here as a place that forwards documents and organizational directives." "It's that toothless?" "That's reality. Times have changed. In the past, in newly pioneered territories or during extraordinary times, the Whip of Order bore heavy responsibilities, so its systemic power was fully exercised. Wien, on the other hand, is old territory for our Church of Order, so the role of the Whip of Order naturally got decentralized. "For picking up missions, you'll still go through the regional management office. I'll take you to meet the relevant people when the time comes." "Do I need to network?" "When you've got enough backbone, you don't need to suck up to anyone. Besides, your squad is packed with wealthy young masters and young mistresses. Who should fear whom is anybody's guess! Hahaha!" Neo laughed brazenly. Karen suspected the Captain had once been thoroughly sickened by such interpersonal politics. The irony was that the most direct way to avoid interpersonal trouble was having ironclad connections of your own. The office building of the York City Whip of Order Headquarters was not prominent at all—seven stories high and ordinary-looking. The security guards at the entrance were quite sharp, though one had to present identification right at the gate. Once inside, the emptiness of the interior was palpable, giving the impression that the air conditioning was set far too low. "Hiss... I'd bet the Church Affairs Building wouldn't be this deserted even at this hour," Neo said. "Indeed." "Still, who knows what the future holds? With this reform, the Whip of Order might just turn out to be the biggest beneficiary." Neo brought Karen to a service counter. Behind it were three clerks: two asleep, and one who had just returned from the restroom and hadn't had time to pretend to sleep. Reluctantly, she asked, "What business are you processing?" "Official letter." Neo slid Karen's official dispatch inside. Upon seeing the letter, the clerk straightened up, alert—the cover bore the insignia of the supreme headquarters of the Whip of Order. "Please wait a moment. About fifteen minutes." Fifteen minutes passed quickly. The clerk obligingly handed out three dossiers. The documents in two of them required Karen to go through procedures at the Church Affairs Building, while the third was filled entirely with authorization slips—from clerical robes and uniforms to stipends for the captain and twelve squad members. They were all slips because they had to be processed with the Church Affairs Building. "I used to think our Whip of Order worked for the region," Karen said from the passenger seat as he flipped through the dossiers. "And now?" Neo asked, steering the car. "Turns out we really do work for the region." "Heh, serving in the Whip of Order in newly established missionary territories is far more fun." They soon arrived at the Church Affairs Building. After parking, Neo led Karen inside. Although they had arrived early, one still had to take a number and wait in line in the second-floor church affairs hall. "Only a fool doesn't use privileges when they have them." Neo produced Karen's official letter once more and told the receptionist, "Urgent official business." Before long, Karen was granted priority to cut the line. Yet that was only the beginning. Creating a Whip of Order squad involved numerous procedures, so even though Karen could skip the queue at every designated counter, he still had to visit eight different windows, each requiring him to fill out several forms by hand. "An office?" Karen looked at Neo. "Do I need to have my own office in the Church Affairs Building, or take the financial subsidy to set up an office outside?" "Up to you. I used to keep my office in the Church Affairs Building because it made it easier to liaise with other departments. You don't have that need." "Yeah. In any case, I have you to handle the legwork for me, Captain." "Heh." Karen chose to forgo an office in the Church Affairs Building and take the subsidy instead. The subsidy wasn't huge: 500 Order coupons per month, plus five percent of the monthly bonus point coupons. What caught Karen's interest was that five percent. If missions were performed well and rewards were high, a five percent cut would be quite substantial. "Hmm, Captain, we have internal housing subsidies too?" "We do." "Then before, I..." "You weren't on the official roster, so you didn't qualify. Besides, allowances for childbirth, leave, and even death pensions—whether you're on the official roster makes a world of difference." "Looks like an official post really is a great thing." "Always has been." The clerk behind the window asked, "Lord Karen, does your servant credential need to be updated?" The clerk sitting inside naturally understood that a young man registering and establishing his own Whip of Order squad with an official letter from headquarters couldn't possibly be just a servant. Moreover, she seemed to recognize Karen from the newspapers. Neo interjected, "No need to update it. He just likes the style of a servant." "I'll go update it. Could you give me a form, please?" "Of course. One moment, please... Here you go." Holding the form, Karen headed toward the designated physical examination area. He had been to this area the last time he registered for his servant certificate—though naturally not this building, since the previous Church Affairs Building had collapsed. When Karen arrived, however, he found no one there. All of the nearly ten examination offices had signs hanging outside saying "Temporarily Closed." Asking someone nearby, he learned that the relevant department was having a team-building event today, and several departments from top to bottom had been carted off to go mountain climbing. Karen could only walk back and explain the situation. "I'm terribly sorry, my lord! I truly had no idea about this and made you make a wasted trip," the clerk apologized profusely. "It's fine. Just bad luck on my part." "Please hand me the documentation for your current squad members." "All right, here." Karen handed over documents for nine people in total: Bart and his group of five, plus Muri, made six. Adding Mr. Aisen, Cousin Richard, and Alfred brought it to nine. Because the Whip of Order Headquarters held such high authority, with this official dispatch, such reassignments were practically unilateral. There would be no administrative sit-downs to lecture you or ask you to consider the greater good and show grace. In the world of the church, this was deemed the God of Order requiring such deployment; refusing to comply amounted to disloyalty to the God of Order. Of course, while such a transfer was guaranteed to succeed immediately—even transferring Mr. Aisen from his substantive post would go through—if someone abused the system and a complaint was filed later, the transfer could still be reversed through connections. At this point, a middle-aged man looking like a supervisor walked over to assist with the paperwork. A moment later, the clerk handed a roster to Karen and said, "Lord Karen, please verify this. A total of ten people." "All right." Karen initially assumed it was ten including himself, but looking closely, he realized he hadn't been counted—someone else had been added. And it was someone he knew: Philomena Felscher. The very sleepy girl from the York City Region trials, whom Karen had excluded from his circle during the final selection. What was the meaning of this? Even with an official letter and arriving this early, he was still being saddled with someone through cronyism? Karen tapped his finger on Philomena's name. Neo saw it, understood immediately, and stepped in front of Karen with his back to the window, pulling an inquisitive face. The expression meant: *Are you willing to take her?* More specifically: *Is she qualified to be on your squad?* Karen hesitated. Philomena's individual strength was beyond doubt. During the York City Region selection, the soul strength she displayed rivaled Karen's, and in the final trials, she had dragged a makeshift team into the finals by sheer force. Later, over the matter of the carving knife, he had interacted with her once. How to put it? Aside from being aloof, socially inept, and solitary, she wasn't particularly unlikable. Furthermore, Karen had initially excluded her from his circle to consolidate his newly formed group—Bart and the others. To lead a group effectively, one needed clear distinction and absolute authority. Now, having completed the Gate of Samsara trial, his status and position as captain were firmly established. Having been through so much together, Bart and the others were already tightly knit. Bringing Philomena in now wouldn't threaten the team's cohesion. On the contrary, Bart and the rest had witnessed Philomena's prowess; they would welcome a powerful teammate. Every upcoming mission would be a matter of life and death, and when facing death, everyone became very pragmatic. Therefore, accepting Philomena was acceptable. The problem was that Karen hated being forced to take someone. This was his first time being a captain, eagerly building his squad like a child absorbed in building a sandcastle on the beach. He deeply resented outside meddling; this was Karen's private domain. Still, Karen trusted Neo's experience. In response to Neo's questioning expression, Karen gave a slight nod—a positive confirmation meaning that in principle, Philomena could be accepted. Neo then pulled an angry face at Karen. Karen immediately crumpled the sheet, whipped it downward, and shouted in a raised voice, "What is going on here?! What is the meaning of this?!" Neo smiled faintly, immediately placed a hand on Karen's shoulder, snatched the paper, turned to face the window, and addressed the clerk and the supervisor standing behind her: "I consider this a lack of respect." The supervisor stepped forward and said, "My lords, in the eyes of the higher-ups, this is a very beneficial arrangement. Please do not make things difficult for me." Neo nodded and said, "Do you know who personally handed this official letter to my subordinate captain here? Whip-Wielder Foden. At a banquet at the Zelia Hotel in Dinge Region, Lord Foden personally handed him this letter and promised him face-to-face that he could freely form a truly elite Whip of Order squad." The supervisor and clerk were stunned. At their level, how could they ever interact with a Whip-Wielder? That was a true top figure of the church. Neo continued, "Listen. I don't know who is backing you, nor do I know who is backing the person backing you. But you need to pass a message up: my subordinate doesn't have the best temper. He's young, fresh out of the Gate of Samsara after braving life and death, and witnessed the terror of a god firsthand. His emotions are still volatile. "So: "Either we cancel this official letter and abort forming this Whip of Order squad to draw the higher-ups' attention, "Or give us a new proposal and show us your sincerity. I don't like haggling. I want a firm, non-negotiable offer. Got it?" "Yes, I understand." Breaking into a cold sweat on his forehead, the supervisor turned and hurried off. Neo let out a long breath, turned his head to look at Karen—who was still putting on an angry face—and fought to stifle his laughter. The report was passed up layer by layer, until finally, a secretary knocked on the door of the Chief Bishop's office for the York City Region. At that moment, Bishop Wolflen was sipping tea with a representative from the Church of the Goddess of the Moon, while their subordinates negotiated fine details in the conference hall downstairs. "Enter." The secretary entered and handed over a letter. Bishop Wolflen read its contents, frowning slightly. He disliked that crazy old woman immensely, but when she personally came knocking on his door to plead for a future for her granddaughter, he couldn't refuse. The elder was untouchable, and now this young one was bristling with thorns too. Yet, inconveniently, he didn't want to provoke this young one either. The letter stated that Whip-Wielder Foden had personally given the official letter and promise, and Wolflen believed it, since even Cardinal Kred had personally praised the lad. This young man surnamed "Silva" had an unfathomably deep background. "Agree to it." Having given his instruction, Wolflen resumed drinking tea with the representative. The instruction was passed back down through the chain. In truth, it didn't take long before the supervisor came running back out of breath, followed by an even fatter department director. Without a word, the fat director walked over, pulled the office subsidy sheet from the earlier paperwork, picked up a pen, and crossed out the five percent monthly mission reward bonus, changing it to twelve percent. Then, he slid the paper out through the window. Making concessions and giving perks—any legitimate avenue would do. Neo looked at the amended figure, snorted coldly, picked up a pen, scratched out 12, and changed it to 25. Just like that, it was equivalent to Karen's squad automatically getting a twenty-five percent boost to all future mission rewards! Immediately after, Neo shoved the paper back inside and tossed the pen aside, signaling that he wouldn't accept a penny less and refused further negotiation. The fat director took the paper, glanced at it, and immediately grabbed his stamp. *Thwack!* Stamped—deal! Karen and Neo's hearts skipped a beat simultaneously: *Fuck, we asked for too little!*