Neo Pays His Debts

The welcoming ceremony was grand and conducted on a massive scale. Once the splendid traditional street parade concluded, there was no delay before they were split into a flurry of smaller itineraries. For example, Mars, from the knight order's array formation branch, and Richard, the young master of the Guman family, were arranged to tour the main island's defensive formations. Blanche was taken to tour the main island's field medical facilities. Ashley was taken to see the monster beast legion. ... Even Muri was specially arranged to inspect the personal guard corps of the bishops at the core of the main island. Just as Neo and Karen intended to use them for a political gamble, the hosts showed no restraint either, treating the observation delegation like stalks of sugarcane—chewing voraciously to extract every last drop of juice. By evening, there was a belated welcome banquet, followed by a "confidential talk" held before a full contingent of reporters with complete live broadcasting. When it all came to an end, it was already midnight local time. The Moon God Church arranged for Karen and his group to stay at a mountain-top reception palace in the central area of the main island. When showing them in, Mota had mentioned that this place was only opened for the most distinguished guests. In Karen's ears, it sounded like the best place to put mascots on display. Once inside the palace, everyone rested in the living room while Memphis set up a simple isolation ward to guard against eavesdropping. When Karen walked in, he saw that whether sitting on chairs or on the carpet, everyone looked utterly exhausted. Mingled with their exhaustion was an unmistakable trace of panic. Yes, they were panicked. Before setting out, Karen had warned them that this operation was very likely to affect their personal career prospects in their respective families, but at the time, none of them had taken it seriously, their minds filled only with visions of grand spectacles and thrill. After being paraded around today, they had finally realized with crystal clarity their true function here and the repercussions it might entail. Once the hot blood of youth cooled down, anxiety set in, and they began fretting over gains and losses. Karen did not attempt to soothe them psychologically, however, knowing it would be pointless. Even he himself was still awaiting news from within the church. When you watch the chips pushed forward and wait for the cards to be revealed, emotional turbulence is entirely natural. No amount of comforting words could help at this stage; they could only wait for the final outcome. "Everyone is tired today. Get some rest early." Leaving behind that simple remark, Karen stepped out of the living room and went to the open-air terrace on the second floor. Neo was sitting there, a cigar in his left hand, picking through expensive fruits on the coffee table with his right and popping them into his mouth. On the floor in front of him sat an open chest containing gemstones and thick stacks of point coupons. Karen walked over and sat down beside Neo. Neo asked, "Do you hate me?" "Hate you for what?" "Hate me for dragging you into this." "It was my own decision." "Oh, right, I almost forgot. You've always been remarkably mature, kid." Neo picked up a bunch of grapes and offered them to Karen, but Karen did not take them. "Refusing the free stuff and only eating what I pay for, is that it?" "Free stuff doesn't taste good." "Heh." Neo chuckled and pointed at Karen. "Lord Parson, the church's diplomatic priest stationed with the Moon God Church, hasn't come." "He should have had time to get here," Karen noted. "Yes. The Moon God Church would have arranged a teleportation array directly for him. In fact, he could have set foot on this island the moment we came ashore. Yet he hasn't shown up. Could it be he doesn't want to acknowledge us?" "I'm more inclined to believe he's waiting for news." "True. I imagine his head was spinning when he saw the paperwork for our observation delegation. At a juncture like this, how could there be a low-ranking Whip of Order delegation like ours—and self-funded, no less? "He's probably communicating with headquarters right now. Or rather, he must have finished reporting long ago and is waiting for the verdict from within the church." "He should arrive tomorrow." "Yes, it can't be delayed any further. It all depends on whether our Whip-Wielder can hold the line. If he holds out, we truly become an observation delegation. If he can't..." Neo paused, gesturing toward the chest in front of him. "...we haven't lost out too badly either." Karen looked at the chest and asked, "Is that enough to pay off your debts?" "Not yet, but the show isn't over. For every single event you guys did today, I trailed right behind that Mota fellow, settling the bill and collecting payment. I think Mota wanted to vomit just looking at me." "What a clean and aloof man he seemed." "Yeah, guys who don't like wearing shoes yet keep their feet that clean are all like that. Heh. But I'm not letting him off the hook. We came here to perform, so of course we charge by the show. They're the ones adding events and encore performances, and we're not running a charity." "It looks like regardless of what answer Diplomatic Priest Parson brings tomorrow, you'll still have events you can arrange." "No, it's different!" Neo smiled. "The rates won't be the same." ... "Oh, I love beds like this. It's been so long since I slept in one." Pu'er bounced on the bed. In an adjacent crib lay Kevin, sprawled flat, watching Pu'er frolic. "Stupid dog, are you looking forward to seeing what a war looks like?" Kevin nodded. "Makes sense. By the time you achieved godhood, the large-scale divine wars were already over, so of course you'd be interested. It's been a long time since I saw excitement of this scale myself. In my era, armed friction between churches was already quite rare." "Woof." "You say wars have been breaking out more frequently lately? Naturally, because the strongest maintainer of 'peace' in the past was the Church of Order. But once the Church of Order itself steps into warfare, isn't it inevitable that the whole situation slides in that direction? "They launch wars themselves, manufacture gods themselves, execute reforms themselves... Honestly, when the Church of Light fell from its peak into decline back then, the situation was just like this. "Though I feel the Church of Order might be different." Kevin shook his head. "Stupid dog, you disagree?" "Woof." "You say no one can foresee the future? Then what were all those time forbidden arts you tinkered with in the past?" "Woof, woof." "You say you were only tracing back to the past without interfering with the future? Then looking from the perspective of Goddess Miers back in the past you were tracing, weren't you someone from the future?" "Woof." "Grounding yourself only in the present beneath your own feet? That self-centered?" "Woof." "Is that the true essence of a god?" Pu'er flicked her tail. "I think you should be telling Karen this. Saying it to me is pointless, isn't it?" Kevin drooped his head, simply dropping the subject. Only then did Pu'er realize, pointing toward Karen's backpack where his 'private diary' was kept: "Haha, I almost forgot. Karen doesn't believe in gods." ... "Gently scenting your hair, caressing your cheek, letting you feel the chill within my heart..." Richard hummed while soaking in the tub. Memphis, who had been assigned to the same room, couldn't help putting down the Moon God Church book in his hands. "You can still be this cheerful?" "Why shouldn't I be?" Richard stepped out of the bathtub, drying himself off as he walked out. "Earlier in the living room, everyone looked panicked. I saw you looking panicked too." "Me? That was just to blend in. If I didn't act panicked, it would make it look like my Guman family lacked standing." "Is that so?" "Of course." "Your grandfather would certainly be pleased to know his grandson is winning face for his family like this out in the world." "Before the outcome is revealed, panicking wastes a day, and being happy spends a day just the same. Isn't that Karen's favorite saying? Negative emotions that can't change the status quo are purely a waste." "Do you really love listening to and remembering Karen's words that much?" "What else am I supposed to do? Ever since I grew up, my dad would sometimes sit across from me for an entire day without saying a single word. Even if I wanted to listen, there was nothing to hear. Heh, let me tell you, back during the physical examination..." Richard stopped short. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." Richard flopped onto his bed, turning to Memphis on the next bed over. "Aren't you going to take a bath?" "I'll read a bit longer. In a while." "I've been curious about something. Where did you learn your array formations?" "Why, do they look familiar?" "No, they look completely unfamiliar. Are there any shortcuts to learning array formations?" "Speak less." "What do you mean?" "Only when you speak less can your mind settle." "Hmph." Richard grumbled with dissatisfaction. "I originally thought there'd be singing and dancing performances at the banquet, but there weren't any." "A war is coming; it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, the Moon God Church cares about propriety. Go to sleep early and don't wait around—they won't be sending women to keep you company." "Who the hell is waiting around! I just can't sleep right now." "You could drop by the other rooms for a visit." "Are you saying I'm too noisy?" "No. Go comfort them. You aren't panicked, but they are." "There's really nothing to panic about. Isn't the Captain himself the one with the biggest family background? If the Captain is holding the line, what do we have to worry about? Everyone will pull themselves together." Memphis paused, then nodded. "True." He felt a touch of bewilderment. He clearly knew Karen's "true identity," so why did he constantly, unconsciously treat him like an ordinary young man? Moreover, the longer they spent together, the more natural this emotional habit became, which left him feeling quite odd whenever he reflected on it in hindsight. "By the way, which family do you come from? You must be hiding your identity too, right? Array masters require the deepest foundation of learning. Believers from ordinary households could never walk this path." "A small family, not worth mentioning." Hearing this, Richard's interest was piqued. He tossed off his blanket, slipped out of bed, and leaped directly onto Memphis's bed. Memphis felt rather uncomfortable, the book in his hands trembling slightly. Ever since his son had grown up, he had never shared a bed with him. "I've had an idea for a while. Want to hear it?" "I... suppose..." "Once this mission is over and we head back, I'll take you to my home. My grandfather is a grandmaster of array formations. I'll introduce you to him and have him teach you arrays. What do you think?" "That... wouldn't be appropriate... would it?" "How is it inappropriate? My grandmother likes Karen a lot and even took him as a god-grandson, though Karen doesn't seem very interested in array formations." Hearing that, Memphis frowned slightly. He got along well with Mars, who respected him and often talked with him. In Mars's account, Karen's grasp of array formations was remarkably profound. "Your array skills are so outstanding that my grandfather will definitely love you, just like my grandmother loves Karen. We're good brothers anyway, so my grandfather can just adopt you as his god-grandson!" Memphis: "..." ... Diplomatic Priest Parson arrived at the Mipos Archipelago leading eight stationed Order priests. Yet their party received no lavish reception; only Mota came forward in person to guide them to the palace atop the main island's peak. Evidently, the upper echelons of the Moon God Church knew precisely what kind of "delegation" they were hosting, so they had no intention of staging a grand welcome for Parson's arrival. If they blew the occasion out of proportion and Parson promptly read out an order from the Church of Order berating the observation delegation and demanding their immediate return, the Moon God Church would be the one losing face. Even so, the Moon God Church was not concerned about such an outcome. Matters had already progressed to this stage; whether the delegation stayed or left, they had already served their purpose. Whatever the Church of Order decided to do next, the Moon God Church stood to lose nothing—in fact, they had already profited immensely. Nevertheless, Mota still observed Parson's reaction, noticing the priest's dark expression and heavy eye bags. It appeared the outcome had not been pleasant. Indeed, over the past few days, the Moon God Church had first declared war on Samsara out of the blue, catching Parson, the Order priest stationed at their headquarters, entirely off guard. He had gathered zero intelligence beforehand about an impending declaration of war, which was an utter failure of duty on his part. Then, early yesterday morning, he had received word that a high-spec observation delegation dispatched by the Church of Order was due to arrive at the holy land of the Mipos Archipelago, catching him off guard once again. As a diplomatic priest, he was supposed to serve as the bridge between the two great churches. Why did it now feel as though both churches were deliberately bypassing him? When he transmitted news of the delegation back to headquarters, he received an avalanche of replies from over a dozen departments within a single day. Some demanded an investigation, some demanded a formal reprimand, and some outright barked that this wasn't an observation delegation at all but a band of apostates, ordering him to arrest them on the spot. So this delegation had not been arranged by the church after all? Then where had they come from? Had they traveled here on their own dime to freeload food and drink and fleece the Moon God Church for benefits? Despite considerable obstructions from the Moon God Church, Parson's persistence finally secured the original task dossier for this observation delegation. Upon reading it, he was struck dumb on the spot. A matter involving the entanglements of three orthodox churches, including an observation delegation for an active war, had its assignment issued by... a deputy director under a deputy supervisor of the procurement office under the logistics department of the York City Region Whip of Order Headquarters. The stated rationale for initiating the mission was: *Having heard that the procurement plans of the relevant departments in the Moon God Church system have always been clear and economical, an observation delegation is specially dispatched to study their advanced experience.* An additional note read: *Travel, lodging, and board self-funded.* Reading this, Diplomatic Priest Parson's face turned completely purple. He knew all too well what a quiet, desolate department the regional Whip of Order headquarters was—apart from receiving and sending documents and stamping seals, they had virtually no authority... Were you going there to observe and learn their economical printing techniques, or to study how to manufacture longer-lasting ink pads? Parson was convinced this was a conspiracy orchestrated by a Moon God Church plant inside the Church of Order, using this method at such a delicate moment to stir up political publicity. Originally, Parson had intended to come to the Mipos Archipelago yesterday afternoon to arrest them and suppress the diplomatic fallout as much as possible. But just as he was about to set out for the teleportation hall, he received a document of the highest security clearance. The document came straight from Whip of Order Headquarters—no prefix, belonging to no region. At the bottom was an individual's personal signature: *Foden Ailrod.* The Whip-Wielder of the Whip of Order, supreme commander of the entire branch. The contents of the document were brief: *Situation acknowledged. The diplomatic embassy is requested to cooperate with the observation delegation's activities to achieve fruitful observation and study results.* The Whip-Wielder was telling him to assist an observation delegation in learning how to be clear and economical in procurement? After that document arrived, Parson sat in the communications room all night. The inquiries and reprimands regarding the observation delegation that had been flying in continuously from various departments all day long completely ceased. From Parson's perspective, it was as if every other noise within the church had vanished, leaving only the Whip-Wielder's final missive. Parson knew that the debate within the church had ended—or rather, had been suppressed. In the end, the Whip-Wielder had taken an unyielding stand beside this observation delegation composed entirely of Whip of Order personnel. "*Phew...*" ... "*Phew...*" In the living room, Karen and Neo took a deep breath almost simultaneously, exchanging a glance. The cards were about to be revealed. Whether their careers were about to take off or Karen would follow in Neo's footsteps and be banished to a minor city as a squad captain hung on the announcement to come. Behind Karen, all the squad members held their breath, waiting for Diplomatic Priest Parson to read the document before them. Pu'er lay on Kevin's back, her paws instinctively wanting to grip something, ultimately settling on Kevin's ears since the dog's head was already bald and barren of fur. Diplomatic Priest Parson read out the brief document. Karen snapped his head up. The gamble had paid off! Behind him, the entire squad erupted into excitement, choked roars of jubilation bubbling in several throats. Beside them, Mota was stunned as well. Had he guessed wrong? Had the higher-ups of the Moon God Church guessed wrong too? What they had assumed was a fake observation delegation was actually genuine? Parson moved toward Neo, intending to exchange pleasantries and discuss their upcoming work, but Neo merely offered a grin, stepped right around him, and threw an arm around Mota's shoulders. Karen approached Parson and bowed in greeting. "My lord, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Please join us." "Alright, alright." Breakfast was scheduled for ten-thirty in the morning—a time that, any later, could hardly bear the name of breakfast without shame. Because this was a small banquet, the leadership of the Mipos holy land and relevant representatives attended to dine together. One could say the scent of a political show entirely overwhelmed the fragrance of hot milk. Karen, Neo, and Parson sat at one table, while the other squad members were seated elsewhere. Diplomatic priests from other churches stationed with the Moon God Church attended as well. Lord Hilven, Chief Bishop of Mipos, delivered a breakfast address while everyone listened. Karen drank his milk. He rarely drank iced water during meals, as it hindered digestion. Sitting beside him, Neo gently nudged his arm with an elbow, and Karen promptly turned his head. Neo whispered, "My debts are about to be cleared. I can redeem my car from pawn." "So fast?" "Yep." "How?" "A new gig, freshly negotiated. The pay is astronomical." "When does it start? This afternoon, or tonight?" Neo smiled at Karen. Just as he was about to answer, Chief Bishop Hilven concluded his speech. Applause broke out across the hall, and Karen and Neo joined in politely. Karen hadn't caught much of what had been said, only that Hilven seemed to compare the relationship between the Church of Order and the Moon God Church to two slices of bread: only through full cooperation could they sandwich the bacon and fried eggs within. Only then could the sandwich—or rather, the circle of churches—enjoy true peace and harmony. Neo stood up. Across the living room, many tables turned their gazes toward him. Knowing he was the head of the observation delegation, everyone assumed he was about to give a speech. "Ahem, excuse me, my lords. My nicotine craving just hit me. I'm stepping out for a smoke." Chief Bishop Hilven was taken aback, then offered a warm smile. "Of course. We in the Moon God Church are different from Samsara; everything here is freedom. Haha." Neo opened an empty hand, knowing Karen made a habit of carrying cigarettes and a lighter. Karen passed the cigarettes and lighter to Neo. Neo waved the pack and smiled. "Pardon me, please excuse me for a moment." Chief Bishop Hilven called out, "Delegation Head Neo may sit and smoke here." "No, no, no, I can't bother everyone else. Smoking is hazardous to your health." Carrying the cigarettes, Neo walked to the dining hall window, rested his elbow on the sill, lit a cigarette, and took a puff. "Next, we invite Diplomatic Priest Parson to say a few words." Parson stood up and began his address. Karen's attention remained entirely fixed on his captain smoking by the window. What kind of new gig could pay off all that leverage in one stroke? As if sensing something, Neo stretched the arm holding the cigarette out the window, turned sideways, and smiled back at Karen. Then, a piercing whistle ripped through the air. *Crack! Boom!* A spellcraft crossbow bolt punched clean through Neo's chest right where his heart lay, blasting a hole the size of a fist. Gravely wounded and hovering on the brink of death, Neo stumbled backward again and again, shouting at the top of his lungs: "ASSASSIN!!!" With that final cry, Neo collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. The entire dining hall dissolved into utter chaos in an instant. Amid the turmoil, only Karen quietly drank down the last drop of milk from his glass. To his ears, what the captain had bellowed just before falling sounded entirely like: "*DEBT REPAID!!!*"