The Informant

"A descendant of your family?" "Yes," Purr said with absolute certainty. "So now I finally understand why I felt so favorably inclined toward her the moment I saw her. The same bloodline runs in her veins as mine." "Heh heh heh." Karen chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" "They say affection skips a generation, but how many generations has it skipped between you two?" "Hard to count. Heaven knows how old each of those ancestors was when they had the next generation." "No, you misunderstood me. Who was it that urged me earlier, saying all I had to do was lie down comfortably and make babies?" "You... shut up!" "Is that any way for a great-great-great-great-great-grandmother to behave?" "You... shut up!" Karen rested his hands on the table, leaned forward, and gently flicked Purr's chin, making her little head bob up and down. Purr didn't mind the frivolous gesture. Instead, she asked curiously: "You just believed what I said without question?" "Yeah." "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm so sure, based on nothing more than a family crest on a gift wallet?" "No need." "Not even going through the motions?" "Is it really that strange that the blind date Diss agreed to is a descendant of your family?" "Uh..." Purr shook her head. "It actually feels entirely natural." "Right? So there's nothing strange about it. If you say so, I believe you. But why were you so worked up just now, demanding I stay away from her? Does your family have some hereditary disease? Or is there some inherent family curse? Or perhaps... once members of your family reach a certain age, do they turn into cats, just like you?" Purr shook her head and said: "Turning into a cat was due to my own reasons. Because of some matters, I broke ties with my family very early on. Then I met certain people, had some accidents, and had no choice but to remain a cat for all this time. Though my family is somewhat mysterious, as far as I know, there are no hereditary diseases, nor is there any curse." "Then why were you so agitated when warning me to stay away from your descendant?" "I..." Purr didn't know what to say. Then, she saw Karen smile. Feeling guilty, Purr quietly lowered her head, an ingratiating look appearing on her face. Karen reached out and stroked the cat's head. Uncharacteristically, Purr leaned in and rubbed against his hand to please him, while saying: "Today's fish with pickled greens was truly delicious. I'll probably be savoring it in my dreams tonight." "Because I'm an evil god, and you're afraid that being associated with me will bring disaster and ruin to your family." "..." Purr went silent. Karen spoke with utter calm. Purr looked up at Karen, filled with shame. Earlier, in her agitation, she had spoken too hastily. But now, she suddenly felt that warning him away for such a reason was truly graceless and deeply unfair to him. Besides, he had given the fish with pickled greens to her today, while eating hot oil noodles with his date. If only he were easy to fool, but he was always uncannily perceptive when it came to reading someone's innermost thoughts. "I can understand. It's fine. One's self is one's self, and family is family. Even after a century, family is still a lingering tie etched deep within one's heart." Karen continued stroking Purr's head. "Though it seems I don't really have the final say in this matter." "Sigh. That descendant of mine definitely took a liking to you. I think after looking at your face and talking with you for hours, most women in this world would want to drag you into bed just to have no regrets." "That wasn't what I meant. I was referring to Diss." "Oh, right, Diss!" Purr raised her head again. "What did I say earlier? Diss must have known all along!" Karen thought that perhaps because Purr had been a cat for too long, her thinking had become a single track—she could only focus on one thing at a time and couldn't juggle multiple thoughts. That was understandable. Her state was akin to serving a prison sentence; all these years, aside from Diss, Karen was the only one she could talk to. Long periods of isolation easily eroded one's breadth of thought and communication. "Your family in Wien is quite wealthy?" "Back in my time, my family wasn't that wealthy. In fact, wealth on paper often isn't anything special—just like Morf the other night. This doesn't prove my family has grown more prosperous over the past hundred years. In fact, one could guess... they've fallen on harder times. Hard enough that they have to accompany the old ladies of the Wien royal family for afternoon tea." "A public toilet uncleaned for ages still wouldn't stink as bad as canned herring." "You're right. So Diss's goal is..." At the dining table, both man and cat fell silent. "You'll ask Diss, won't you?" Karen looked at Purr. "Diss isn't really an easy person to get along with," Purr replied. "It's been like that since he was young. Once he decides on something, it can't be changed." "Understood." "Of course, maybe it's different with you. He's always treated you specially." Purr gave a wry smile. "Though perhaps that's because you're special, too." Just then, the doorbell downstairs rang. There was a doorbell at the entrance of the Inmerlais house specifically for guests, with an instructional plaque above it. Miss Eunice hadn't used it earlier; after all, she wasn't purely a "guest," and ringing it to summon the hosts would have been somewhat inappropriate. Karen went downstairs and found an elderly lady standing by the door, supported by Mrs. Seymour. "Good day, Madam." "Good day." The elderly lady looked haggard. "Good day, Mrs. Seymour." "Good day, Karen. This is Mrs. Mordes. Mr. Mordes recently passed away, and we need to arrange a decent and appropriate funeral for him." This was the power of word-of-mouth. Clearly, Mrs. Seymour was acting as a referral for their business. For a long time now, half of the truly profitable business for the Inmerlais house had been driven by such referrals. "I'm very sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences." Mrs. Mordes nodded. "Please, have a seat." Karen showed them to their seats, then went to brew black tea without asking for their preferences. He could tell Mrs. Mordes was not an assertive person, and being in the throes of grief over losing her husband, a conservative client in this state didn't need endless choices. What she needed was someone sitting across from her who took charge just a little, offering suggestions while making the decisions for her. Therefore, as they discussed the funeral details and arrangements—including venue layout and casket selection—Karen concluded each point with: "Would this suit you?" "Do you feel comfortable with me choosing this for you?" "Does this style meet the needs of you and your husband?" Mrs. Mordes only had to answer: "Mm." "That works." "All right." Some assertive clients hated having salespeople push decisions on them, which provoked rebelliousness. It had nothing to do with rationality—just as some people couldn't stand the smell of cilantro despite not being allergic to it. Others, however, were suited to this approach, whether due to their family dynamics or simply being easily swayed. Forcing them to choose between "A" and "B" only caused distress. Different clients required different sales strategies. It wasn't just about closing the deal—since Mrs. Seymour had brought the elderly lady in person, the business wouldn't have fallen through even if Ron had handled the discussion. Rather, it made the consultation quicker and left the elderly lady feeling more at ease. Quality of service began showing itself at moments like this. Once everything was settled, Mrs. Mordes let out a long breath and leaned back against the sofa. Feeling that her posture was somewhat improper, she quickly leaned forward again and said: "Thank you very much, young man." "You're very welcome. We'll send someone later tonight to bring your husband to our parlor. If you have any other thoughts or requests, feel free to call us at any time. We will take care of everything for you." "Thank you." "From our conversation, I can tell Mr. Mordes was a very solemn gentleman." "Yes. Out in public, he always kept a stern face. His subordinates were terrified of him. Sometimes it troubled him, and he'd often ask me: 'Am I really that frightening?'" "And what did you say?" "I'd reply: 'Oh, do you have any idea what it's been like living with you all these years?' Heh heh heh." "Heh heh." Karen smoothly transitioned into comforting Mrs. Mordes. He tried to make her feel as though her husband had merely fallen asleep, that coming to the Inmerlais house was just like staying at an inn, helping ease her grief. It was a bit of self-deception, of course, as the pain of losing a loved one couldn't be dissolved in half an hour or an hour of conversation. But it would help her sleep a little sounder during the exhausting days ahead of handling funeral arrangements and receiving guests. During this time, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie also returned. They had been eager to ask Karen how the blind date went, but seeing him in consultation with clients, they tactfully went upstairs without disturbing them. Finally, Mrs. Mordes stood up of her own accord. "Thank you, young man." "Don't worry, Madam. Everything will be arranged properly." "I believe you. And my husband does, too." Mrs. Seymour supported Mrs. Mordes as they left. As she walked out the door, Mrs. Seymour gave Karen a subtle wink. Karen responded with a smile. Once the guests were seen off, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie appeared in the living room almost simultaneously. Before they could question him about the date, Karen held up his hands and said: "Aunt Winnie, I left the order sheet on the coffee table. You'll need to call the supplier to deliver the supplies immediately. Aunt Mary, please call Uncle back. I'm afraid he might stay at the cremation society drinking late into the night with Paul, and I promised Mrs. Mordes we'd bring her husband over to stay with us tonight." "That's not urgent..." Aunt Winnie began. "Right, that can wait..." Aunt Mary chimed in. Karen said: "Package B." "I'll call the supplier right away." "I'll call that good-for-nothing to get him back here this instant!" "Whew..." Karen let out a long breath. Dinner was Karen's responsibility. He prepared a few simple dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried sliced pork with shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fried pig's ears with erjingtiao chilies. The staple was flatbread baked crisp in the oven. Karen slit each one with a knife so everyone could stuff their bread with the dishes to make their own meat sandwiches. The soup was vegetable and tofu soup, fresh and savory. Homemade tofu was actually quite simple to make if one wasn't trying to sell it commercially. To prepare for Mrs. Mordes's order, the whole household bustled with activity. After dinner, Karen took an early shower and retreated to his bedroom. He switched on the desk lamp, took out Light of Order, and continued reading. After reading for about an hour, Karen closed the book and pulled out a sheet of paper. First, he drew a circle. Beside the circle, he drew his own face. Having studied drawing for a time in his previous life, though he couldn't make a living off it and wouldn't call himself great, it was considered rather neat and detailed by ordinary standards. From this circle, he drew a line extending downward. At the end of the line, he drew a house. Then, in the middle of the line, Karen drew an altar—an abstract altar—and beside it, a person. Finally, in a corner of the paper, he drew another circle and labeled it "Wien." Immediately following that, inside the "Wien" circle, he drew the figure of a girl: Eunice. Purr's family definitely had ties with the Inmerlais family, ties that likely spanned many years. After all, when Diss was still a child, Purr was already a pet cat in the Inmerlais household. And before turning into a cat, she had already been involved with the family. The drawing was straightforward. There was no need for elaborate analysis or pretenses of high-level intellect. Circle his own avatar, then draw a line connecting it to Wien, or directly to Eunice. Diss was preparing a way out for him. Was it because something had happened regarding his identity, or was the impact of the god descent ritual continuing to spread uncontrollably? Purr's family, by her own account, might be hard to judge as better or worse off than a century ago, but one thing was certain: they were still prominent figures in Wien. The Morf family—a mere local syndicate in Rojia City with some influence in Ruilan—had no right to even compare themselves to this family in Wien. First of all, the scale of the two nations was completely different; Ruilan was, to a certain extent, like a tributary state of Wien. Secondly, there was an immense gulf between newly rich families rising purely on wealth and noble families with deep ancestral heritage. In a world governed by divine authority, that disparity would only be magnified to an absurd degree. After all, Mr. Morf could only "adopt" a marginal female devotee of the Mills Faith as his mistress, whereas a century ago, an elder of Eunice's family could already turn into a cat! Most importantly, this cat had lived for so long—practically a living fossil of a cat. So if he went to Wien under the protection of Eunice's family, his safety could be guaranteed to a certain extent. However... Karen frowned. Why did it feel like he was being "married off"? Wouldn't that make him a matrilocal son-in-law? Karen twirled the fountain pen in his hand subconsciously, feeling torn. He cherished this family. He wanted Diss, his uncle, aunts, Lunt, and the others to live here peacefully and harmoniously. People were inherently selfish, but familial love was a form of selfishness in itself. So if doing this—even if it meant becoming a married-in son-in-law—was necessary to keep the Inmerlais family safe, he wouldn't truly object. They treated him as family, so he naturally was willing to shoulder responsibility for them. Still, what was Diss really thinking? Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Lunt poked his head in: "Karen, Grandfather wants you in the study." "Okay." The study door was ajar. Karen knocked and pushed it open. To Karen's surprise, tonight Diss wasn't writing at his desk with a fountain pen as usual. He was leaning back leisurely in his chair, holding a teacup. "Grandfather." Karen naturally sat down opposite Diss. "That young lady came by this afternoon, didn't she?" "Yes, she did." "Mm." Diss nodded. Holding his teacup in one hand, he opened the other palm: "Order — Cage." "Hm?" Just then, outside the study door, a black cat that had been eavesdropping was thrown out. Diss resumed speaking: "How did you find her?" "Very pretty, good-tempered, and well-mannered." "Do you like her?" Diss asked. "Which kind of like do you mean, Grandfather? If it's the kind where a man feels attracted to a woman, yes, certainly." "Good." Diss gave a slight nod and opened his palm once more: "Order — Cage." Outside the door, the black cat that had crept back on stealthy paws was ensnared again, whisked away to hang from the living room chandelier. "'Allen' is Purr's family name. In Wien, they hold considerable standing—an ancient noble house." "Yes, Purr told me." "Take advantage of this period to get along well with the young lady." "How close should we get?" Karen asked. "That young lady is a prodigy who finished her studies early. Having lived under her family's protection from childhood, she is currently a blank slate, at least in terms of worldly experience. Though, as your grandfather, discussing a young woman like this with you is rather improper." "No, I know Grandfather has my best interests at heart." "Mm. Date her. Do not waste time. She won't stay in Rojia for long, so your window is actually quite narrow. But I believe that for you, it shouldn't be a problem. Right?" "Though talking about a relationship like this feels a bit unseemly, I think it shouldn't be an issue." "Be swift. When necessary, have her take you back to Wien." "I... understand." "Speaking with you is always effortless. I really like having a grandson like you." Though the thought felt slightly inappropriate, communicating with an autistic grandson had truly been exhausting. "I like having a grandfather like you, too." "Oh, right." Diss opened a drawer, took out a stack of cash, and placed it on the desk. "When taking a girl out, your pockets can't be empty." "Thank you, Grandfather." Karen had turned over his entire personal stash earlier as investment capital, so he really didn't have much cash on hand. Alfred certainly had plenty of money and would readily give him whatever he asked for, of course. Still, receiving pocket money from his grandfather felt different—much like college students in his previous life asking their parents for dating funds. "All right, that's all." Karen held the stack of lubi, but didn't rise. Instead, he asked: "Grandfather, is it because of my identity that..." Before Karen could finish, Diss shook his head. "No, it actually has nothing to do with you. I performed the god descent ritual solely to keep my family safe. Before doing so, I naturally wouldn't leave behind any loose ends that could put my family at risk of investigation again. So, it has nothing to do with you, nor with the god descent ritual. You aren't a burden, Karen." "Then..." "Something went wrong on my end—an unforeseen issue, and a very troublesome one at that, which I hadn't anticipated before conducting the ritual. The trouble is aimed only at me. It won't affect the rest of you, nor will it reach the Inmerlais family." "But Grandfather is part of the Inmerlais family—the most important part," Karen said. "I will deal with it. And only I can deal with it. Just like that night when I took you to Morf's estate, some matters are beyond the scope of ordinary people to intervene or help with. You should understand this. So, trust me, and focus on doing what you need to do right now." What Diss meant was: let's not waste time with sentimental back-and-forth—nonsense like 'we'll always stay by your side,' 'family will always support you,' or 'we can't let you face danger alone' was unnecessary. Karen nodded and stood up. Just as he prepared to leave, Diss spoke again: "Karen." "Yes, Grandfather?" "All along, my dream has been that starting with me, the Inmerlais family could break free from the world of the church." "I know." "It will succeed. Whether I manage this trouble or not, it will be achieved in the end." "I believe in your abilities, Grandfather. In my eyes, you are omnipotent." "Yet I will not stop my family from making their own choices in life. Just as back then, I knew the man Winnie chose had character flaws, but given her stubborn insistence, I ultimately chose not to stop her. That is life. If one loses the right to choose and merely follows a prescribed path, once old age arrives, there won't be much worth looking back on. That is also why I hope you can go to Wien. The qualities you have displayed over these past days have indeed shifted my thinking somewhat." "Thank you, Grandfather." Just then, Aunt Winnie walked up to the third floor, looked up, and saw Purr clinging to the chandelier. "Goodness, this cat is getting naughtier by the day." Hanging from the chandelier, Purr couldn't help rolling her eyes. Winnie reached the study door and knocked. Karen opened it: "Aunt Winnie?" Aunt Winnie smiled at Karen, then looked past him at her father: "Father, the hospital called again. They said Mr. Hoffen had another critical spell, but they managed to resuscitate him very quickly this time." "All right, I understand." "Mm." Aunt Winnie turned and left. Karen was about to close the door and return to his bedroom when he saw Diss stand up from behind his desk. "Karen, come with me to the hospital." "Okay, Grandfather." "Old Hoffen is tired. It's time to bring him home to rest." ... Hospital. Ward. Today, the orderly surprisingly hadn't dozed off, carefully peeling an apple for Mr. Hoffen. "You pulled through very quickly this time, which means your body is steadily recovering." "Heh heh, perhaps," Mr. Hoffen chuckled. He opened his mouth, waiting for the apple to be fed to him. After waiting a moment without tasting the sweet apple, he looked up and saw the orderly frozen mid-motion, holding the apple in place. Mr. Hoffen didn't panic, nor was he alarmed. On the contrary, he let out a long nasal hum, as though he had finally received his release. At the doorway, a dark shadow drifted in slowly, gradually congealing into the silhouette of a man. Then, a stern voice rang out: "You stand accused of participating in an unsanctioned god descent ritual. By authority of the Code of Order, I have come to question you." "You've finally arrived... The evil god... The evil god has already descended!"