Both sides' initial reaction was: Had they run into one of their own?
Yet that was immediately followed by a surge of suspicion.
The woman was puzzled. The Church of the Abyss clearly had no mission hall here, so why would such a large, elite squad with an unmistakable aura of slaughter suddenly crop up?
What purpose did this unit serve on Fire Island right now?
Before departure, an elder had repeatedly drilled into the three of them that they were only here to "witness" and were strictly forbidden from taking action or exposing their identities.
Karen's doubt stemmed from the typical customs of the Church of Order. Dispatched priests generally fell into three categories:
The first was diplomatic priests, who possessed their own established offices—which Fire Island clearly lacked. The second was departmental personnel engaged in special covert operations, which hardly matched the way these three had openly flashed their identities. The final category was Whip of Order squads executing other missions, but if they were a Whip of Order squad, they ought to recognize him.
It wasn't that Karen was trying to flatter himself. Rather, he had made his debut through the Whip of Order. While he might have no renown among other churches, young people within the Church of Order's own Whip system should have seen reports about him, not to mention that the Moon God Church was heavily publicizing the news of the observation delegation suffering a tragedy at the hands of Samsara.
Most importantly...
The three pirate families on Fire Island held a grudge against the Church of Order for backing Dark Moon Island. Under such circumstances, strutting about and boldly proclaiming oneself an Order priest seemed like an act of utter lunacy.
Unless they weren't priests of Order at all.
Karen smiled faintly. "I really didn't expect to meet a friend of Order here."
The woman also responded, "Yes, I didn't expect to meet a friend of the Abyss here either."
"Since we're making friends, why not come inside for a chat and get acquainted?"
"Of course. Gladly."
At Karen's invitation, the woman stepped into his room.
Karen followed her in.
One of the two young men standing outside instinctively stepped forward to follow, but his companion caught his arm.
"Why are you holding me back?"
"We're fine standing right here."
"Oh, alright."
Standing at the doorway, Alfred closed the door and said, "Rest assured. It's just making friends; everyone will be quite safe."
The man who had tried to follow laughed. "No, I was worried about your..."
"Young Master."
"Right, I was just worried your young master might not be safe."
Alfred offered a faint smile. "Have you two had lunch?"
"Not yet, but we don't eat food offered by strangers."
"Very well. Bring a few chairs over; we can sit and wait." Alfred glanced at Ventura.
Ventura quickly brought over several chairs.
"Thank you."
The two young men sat down.
Alfred keenly noticed that when they sat down, the chair cushions compressed and then immediately sprang back. It was an exceptionally subtle change, but possessing the Succubus Eye, his observation was already extraordinary, and he caught it instantly.
Moreover, the faint puff of air squeezed from the compressed cushions carried a considerable amount of dust, which meant that these two young men were... remarkably heavy.
It was a heaviness far surpassing the weight of an ordinary person's body, exceeding anything even the stoutest man could match. It seemed they were simply accustomed to adjusting and mitigating the inconveniences their weight might cause in everyday life.
Alfred sat down, retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and asked the two young men seated across from him, "Care for a smoke?"
"Sure."
"I don't smoke."
Alfred pulled out a cigarette and offered it to the one who said yes, but the man shook his head. "I don't accept cigarettes from strangers when I'm out."
"Indeed. One must remain cautious outside at all times. That's a good habit. Do you mind if I smoke?"
"Not at all."
"Thank you."
Alfred lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled downward toward the floor in front of him. At the same time, he adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable, yet his gaze remained locked on where the smoke brushed against their boots and shins.
He saw the slight tremor produced when the smoke touched their bodies...
Sure enough, his earlier guess had been right.
These two fellows were outrageously heavy. What kind of bodies possessed such weight, and to what degree could they use their own strength to regulate and conceal it?
Alfred felt the urge to warn his young master that these three "Order priests" were definitely not simple.
Soon, however, Alfred relaxed. Anything he could notice, his young master would surely notice as well.
...
The woman walked into the room and saw a dog and a cat inside.
The dog was curled up beneath the bed, taking a nap. It didn't even lift an eyelid when she entered. The cat was toying with the yarn of the carpet with its paws.
As the woman passed by her, Pu'er stared quizzically at the spot on the carpet where the woman had just trodden. Sharing the carpet, she clearly sensed that when the woman's feet touched the ground, not the slightest vibration or tension traveled through the fabric.
Furthermore, not a single trace from the soles of her boots remained on the light-colored rug.
While priestly robes possessed self-cleaning enchantments, the woman wasn't wearing a robe, and her boots were ordinary. None of the garments on her body radiated the active energy fluctuations of a functional spell artifact.
Pu'er felt suspicious: *So light?*
Kevin opened his eyes. Clearly, lying on the floor, he had sensed the anomaly as well. His eyes rolled slightly, then peered upward.
"Meow, meow, meow." *(This woman is ridiculously light. I feel like if she stripped down and leaped out the window, she wouldn't fall—she'd float right up.)*
"Woof, woof." *(Yeah, exactly. She's deliberately controlling how she lands, trying her best to appear normal.)*
"Meow, meow, meow." *(So what's her actual identity?)*
"Woof, woof, woof." *(Hard to say for sure right now. But didn't Karen pretend to be a priest from the Church of the Abyss? There happens to be a certain kind of existence within the Church of the Abyss like that.)*
"Meow?" *(The Church of the Abyss? Are you talking about... Angels?)*
"Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof." *(The God of the Abyss opened a passage linking Hell and Heaven. Ever since, Hell Everfallen and Heaven's Angels began appearing among the Abyss's believers. Though it's not that real Everfallen and Angels converted, but rather that descending into the depths of Hell and ascending to Heaven are two inherent domains belonging to the God of the Abyss. His followers must cultivate those sequences to acquire the corresponding abilities.)*
"Meow, meow, meow, meow." *(I actually met an elderly Angel once. She was an Abyss apostate hiding in a secret realm, but the Church of the Abyss tracked her down. In the end, facing their siege, she summoned an angelic phantom and wiped out half the hunting party in a single strike.)*
"Woof, woof, woof." *(The Angel sequence of the Church of the Abyss is a mobile, humanoid spell altar, while the Everfallen possess absurdly powerful physical constitutions. Both are very rare and exceedingly precious, but when they deploy, an Angel is usually paired with Everfallen protectors.)*
Sitting down, the woman said with a smile, "Your pets are quite lively."
"Yes, they're usually rather noisy, and when they see strangers, they like to converse among themselves even more.
"Would you care for a drink? The conditions here are modest, but is ice water fine?"
"Of course, thank you."
Karen poured two glasses of ice water, walked over, and handed one to the woman while introducing himself:
"You may call me Silva."
"Surname or given name?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Indeed, not really. You may call me Laura."
"Very well, Miss Laura."
"So, what brings you here, Mr. Silva? Surely not a vacation?"
"No. We were on another mission nearby. Now that it's complete, we were heading back. We originally planned to transfer via the teleportation formation on Fire Island, but since all formations have been shut down, we're stranded here. What about you, Miss Laura?"
"The same." Laura shrugged. "We can't go back right now either."
"A toast, then, to our shared misfortune."
"Cheers."
The two clinked their glasses and each took a sip of ice water.
"I've heard that within the Church of the Abyss, there is a secret garden that nurtures all manner of long-extinct plants. I personally enjoy tending to potted plants, so I've always been curious about that place."
Karen smiled. "Yes, that is the garden left behind by the great Lord Solima, called 'Dreamland.' However, aside from specific sacrificial occasions, I am not qualified to enter."
"Is that so? I see. By the way, I also heard your Church of the Abyss has a place..."
"Yes, indeed..."
Karen knew a fair bit about the Church of the Abyss from Mr. Hoffen's notes. Coupled with the information he paid attention to during his daily duties, he could handle broad, general questions easily enough. For anything he didn't know, he could simply cite internal secrecy.
"Meow." *(What a dry, useless conversation.)*
"Woof." *(It's probing.)*
"Meow?" *(Then why is this woman doing all the questioning?)*
"Woof." *(Because Karen already knows she isn't an Order priest, but she's still trying to figure out if Karen is really an Abyss priest.)*
Finally, both felt enough time had passed. They rose almost simultaneously. Karen saw Laura to the door, and Laura said her goodbyes, leading her two companions down the stairs.
Muri walked over and asked, "Captain, should we have someone tail them?"
Karen shook his head. "No need."
Stepping out of the inn, one of the young men asked Laura in a low voice, "Are they ours?"
Laura replied, "I'm not sure."
"Should I go test them?"
"No need. Whether they are or aren't, their attitude is clear: they don't want trouble."
...
"Angels and Everfallen?" Hearing Pu'er's explanation, Karen chuckled. "So they're quite strong?"
"Hard to say for sure unless we actually fought them, but I imagine they're tougher than we'd guess."
"I can believe that," Alfred said, tapping his temple. "Those two standing by the door gave me a feeling similar to Philomena."
Standing nearby, Philomena's expression didn't change in the slightest upon hearing herself used as an adjective.
Alfred looked at her and explained, "I mean the kind of strength that must never be underestimated."
"Forget it. Whatever their identity, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's head home. There'll be a mountain of work waiting when we get back. If we don't return soon, your families might finish holding your funerals."
Hearing that, everyone laughed.
In truth, what Karen cared about was that this political gamble was complete; it was time to cash in.
Next came pure waiting time.
Pu'er rested against Kevin's belly, waiting for Giragon's ripples of consciousness to arrive. She needed to say a proper goodbye to that "useless mutt."
Nothing went awry; Giragon had indeed listened to Pu'er. This time he had waited longer before sweeping his conscious ripples across the area.
The three-headed hound must have endured an excruciating wait, like a child pacing anxiously in front of a playmate's door.
Kevin flicked his tail. Catching the cue, Pu'er adjusted her posture against the "golden retriever pillow" and closed her eyes.
Before closing his eyes, Kevin made a point of looking at Karen.
After a moment's hesitation, Karen stood, walked over, and took hold of Kevin's tail.
Across the entire island and the surrounding waters, those capable of perceiving Giragon's conscious ripples would not exceed ten at most.
Karen had originally been one of them, but later Giragon had locked onto a single target and stopped responding to others. Even so, Karen could tap into the signal using Kevin as an "antenna."
Closing his eyes and opening them again, Karen saw a hazy gray expanse before him.
He calmed his mind and waited for a short while, suppressing his instinctive resistance and self-defense mechanisms before the gray haze cleared.
To Pu'er and Giragon, Karen seemed to appear out of thin air, though he had already been standing to the side for a good while.
Seeing a stranger enter, Giragon immediately dashed in front of Pu'er, shielding her behind him as he barked a warning at Karen:
"Roar, roar, roar!"
Karen carefully examined the three-headed hound. From its current form, one couldn't tell much, but when its true body emerged, its might would rival the eruption of a great volcano.
"Good boy, he's one of us."
Pu'er reached out a paw and patted Giragon's head.
Giragon stared at Karen with some confusion, then began circling around him.
Pu'er bounded over, deftly clambered up Karen's body, and settled herself upon his shoulder.
"I didn't expect you to make it in here too."
"Yeah. Had nothing better to do, so I came to take a look." Karen didn't mention that Kevin had prompted him.
"Come, let me introduce you. My new lackey, the Abyssal Sin Three-Headed Hound—Giragon."
"Roar!"
Giragon let out a drawn-out cry.
"Giragon, this is..." Pu'er paused, unsure how to introduce Karen, realizing that defining her relationship with him from any angle would ruin her image as the "big boss."
"Did you say your farewells?"
"Just did. I told him I have to leave first, and warned him that once his seal breaks, he absolutely must not destroy towns or eat people, otherwise he'll be in danger. You remembered all that, didn't you, useless mutt?"
Giragon nodded vigorously.
Pu'er sounded a bit melancholic. "If he goes on a rampage and slaughters people the moment he breaks free, he'll inevitably draw the attention of the orthodox churches, and his end will be grim. So I figured if he behaves, dives into the ocean, and finds some desolate trench to hide for a while, he might secure his freedom.
"Once he's sure he's safe, he can come find me. I taught him a tracking spell and some concealment arts."
"He probably won't need them," Karen remarked. "After breaking the seal, if he spends enough time in the outside world, the dormant abilities in his bloodline should awaken his memories."
"Hear that, useless mutt? Once you're unsealed, don't do anything stupid! Bypass the towns, dive into the ocean, and wedge yourself into a crevice on the seabed if you have to. Hide long enough, and you won't be a useless mutt anymore!"
"Roar, roar, roar!"
"Sigh, I really wanted to stay and watch him come out," Pu'er said regretfully. "After all, even though he's a bit useless, he's quite simple and endearing at heart. Barely qualifies as my lackey."
Karen glanced at Kevin, then looked back at Giragon, unable to see any resemblance between the two other than both being dogs.
Still, he had noticed that Pu'er possessed a unique charm all her own. A bad-tempered young mistress could easily provoke annoyance and disgust, yet just as easily evoke affection and closeness.
Even a scumbag like Bernard... had fallen for her.
*Wait, why does that comparison feel so off?*
More accurately, even Diss had urged Karen to look after her before entering his slumber. If Karen's grandmother was the woman who had conquered Diss, then what about Pu'er? To vent anger on her behalf, Diss had personally nailed a Temple Elder to a cross to face the cold wind.
Furthermore, Karen could calmly accept the prospect of Raniedal betraying him one day, yet he was even more confident that if Raniedal did turn on him, he would never hurt Pu'er.
"Don't blame me for being in a rush to leave," Karen said. "My strength simply doesn't permit me to stay. My current pursuit of advancement within the church is so that when I encounter things like this in the future, I can choose with greater ease. If my words carried enough weight, I could file a report directly and have the Church of Order send people to escort him, while ensuring he'd still remain under my watch afterward."
"I understand. I know, Karen. You're like Diss in many ways, but in one respect, you're different from him. Want to know what it is?"
"Do tell."
"Like Diss, you possess terrifying talent. Neither of you likes trouble, yet you're willing to pick up troublesome matters and see them through. If Diss had been willing to do that back then, perhaps he wouldn't have had to detonate godhead fragments in the church on Mink Street to blow up the Temple.
"The stupid dog is the same. If, when becoming a god and afterward, he had been willing to spend the time and effort cultivating followers and establishing his own church, he wouldn't have nowhere to go today except our house."
"I can't compare to Diss, nor to Kevin."
Karen bent down, reaching out to pat Giragon's head.
He stroked the head of an evil god all the time, so he didn't feel a three-headed hound's head was off-limits.
Yet Giragon was clearly unfamiliar with Karen, and having his head patted carried an unmistakable connotation of "submission." He disliked it and promptly stepped back to dodge.
Seeing this, Kevin's doggy mouth nearly twisted in a gloating grin.
To spare Karen the embarrassment,
and to ensure the effort of Karen's stoop and outstretched hand wasn't wasted,
Kevin promptly trotted forward on his own initiative, positioning his bald head in the most convenient spot.
Karen rubbed Kevin's head and smiled. "Why is it that even in a dreamlike realm like this, the fur on your head still hasn't grown back? Sigh, looks like there's no curing this baldness. When we get back, I'll have Pu'er design a hat for you too. After all, she's the one who burned it off."
"Woof!"
Kevin barked excitedly, wagging his tail to show his delight.
Then he turned his head immediately toward Giragon, his gaze brimming with undisguised disdain and mockery:
*Sometimes, one's destiny truly depends on one's choices.*
*Did you really think the person who helped unseal you would just let you slip away?*
*So,*
*you'll probably never know what you just dodged when you pulled away!*
Chapter 477