The war between the Moon God Church and the Church of Samsara was still ongoing. Since the main theater of war was almost entirely at sea, the attrition of fleets, sailors, and priests on both sides was enormous, essentially operating at a severe deficit. The warships built and the sailors trained in the rear were simply nowhere near enough to offset front-line losses.
Yet despite this, after Foden issued a "request" in the name of the Whip-Wielder, both churches immediately detached a fleet each to assist in upholding the Order Regulations.
It was a humiliation... but this was hardly the first or second time the Church of Order had humiliated them. Once anything happened often enough, it became easy to get used to it.
What Karen didn't know was that during his days drifting at sea, the Church of Order had signed separate agreements with both Samsara and the Moon God Church.
The one signed between Order and Samsara was the Redemption Act. In fact, this act had taken effect long ago; if Order hadn't "returned" the captured warships of the two main fleets to Samsara, Samsara would never have been able to sustain the peripheral battlefields against the fierce onslaught of the Moon God Church in the early stages, and the battle lines might well have been pushed into the Sea of the Dead by now, initiating the defense of Samsara Valley.
Of course, Order's spoils from the "First Day War" had essentially all been "returned" by this point, and the division of interests between both sides had already been largely settled during the negotiations on Dark Moon Island. Yet even now, Order still had a steady stream of "trophies" that could be "returned" to Samsara.
At any rate, as long as Samsara still had the ability to "redeem" them, Order could continuously spit out "spoils." If Samsara could be more decisive and sell off the Gate of Samsara as well, Order would certainly be able to cough up corresponding "spoils" in return.
What Order had signed with the Moon God Church was the Lend-Lease Act.
Starting from the previous era, when the Moon Goddess Artemis was still around, the Moon God Church had constantly annexed other lunar-related faiths, a process that hadn't halted even in the current era.
Consequently, the sphere of influence of the Moon God Church was both vast and widespread, with numerous overlapping territories with other churches.
The content of the Lend-Lease Act entailed modifying the mythological narrative of subordinate lunar branch churches within specific regions under the Moon God Church. For instance, revising their lore to state that the lunar deity had fought under the God of Order in the past or had enjoyed positive contact with Him. This allowed the faith of Order to march openly into those territories, directly implanting the belief of Order within areas where religious groundwork was already firmly established, while also permitting Order to set up officially recognized missionary stations there.
In this religious war, other churches had also stepped onto the stage. While they didn't participate in direct combat, backstage trades of interest were certainly aplenty. Naturally, the one devouring the most, feasting greedily from both sides until its mouth dripped with oil, was the Church of Order.
By all common sense, the wisest choice for both major churches at this point would be to make peace. Yet, ironically, suing for peace had become an internal taboo within both organizations. Especially at this fever pitch, having incurred immense casualties, the peace factions were routinely targeted for suppression and condemnation.
Most importantly, so long as the Church of Order did not speak up to demand a ceasefire, neither side dared to stop. Both knew full well that whichever side Order chose to back, that side would gladly surge forward to tear the other's throat out.
Thus, they could only watch helplessly as they fought their war while letting Order continue to bleed them dry.
When both fleets began sailing toward the island and assumed offensive formations, the frost dragon began pulling up and increasing its distance, clearly avoiding the possibility of becoming an accidental target.
Although neither church would do something so reckless if they were in their right minds, it was inevitable that some mid-to-low-tier priests might experience a sudden surge of misplaced righteousness and attempt an act of insubordination.
In this regard, Karen thoroughly agreed with Foden's prudence.
However, the ensuing battle was far from thrilling; one might even say it was dry and dull.
The moment the Church of Order stepped forward, the morale of the Watson and Delan families had already collapsed. The pirate captains had been fully prepared to turn on their masters and tie them up to surrender as soon as Order's ultimatum arrived or an emissary offering terms showed up.
But when fleets bearing the banners of the Moon God and Samsara appeared and opened fire on them, the pirates plunged into utter despair. With three orthodox churches moving against the two families simultaneously, what point was there in resisting? Could they even resist?
As soon as the fleet artillery opened fire, the pirates routed instantly. Those who could surrender did, those who could flee ran, and most simply abandoned their ships and fled onto the island.
However, the orders received by the fleets of the Moon God Church and Samsara were to purge, so they accepted no surrenders. While they seized pirate ships of decent quality, the pirates themselves were to be eradicated.
The naval battle concluded swiftly, and the two fleets began landing on the island.
The regular forces of the churches were not something these terrified pirates could hope to contend with. Under such circumstances, it was an entirely one-sided slaughter.
There was still a long time before dawn, but the main fighting was already over. The occasional flashes of spellcraft visible on the island were likely minor skirmishes where personnel from the two churches brushed against one another, but on the whole, they remained restrained. Everyone was busy helping Order hunt down and kill the pirates.
"Sigh..."
Foden let out a sigh. It was plain to see that he was deeply dissatisfied with being assigned to deal with two pirate families—equivalent to sending the Army Commander of the Wien Empire to round up two street gangs roaming some alley in Yorktown.
However, his discontent was not directed at the High Priest's arrangements. After Lord Theisen's death, the High Priest needed to handle the unresolved fallout of his passing with the utmost solemnity and highest protocol.
Having the Whip-Wielder personally oversee the extermination of these two pirate families served far more as a political statement than a practical necessity.
"Augie, let's head over there and descend to the sea surface."
Foden yawned, his gaze drifting sideways toward Marlene several times.
Karen guessed that the Whip-Wielder was thoroughly bored by the preceding spectacle and probably wanted nothing more than to sit down and play with the ants he had just captured.
The frost dragon began descending. Eventually, the sea surface beneath froze into solid ice, and its massive body settled down onto it.
Before long, a warship approached from each direction, halting just outside the range of their magic crystal cannons. Two smaller boats were dispatched from the large ships and continued toward the frost dragon.
Karen glanced over his subordinates, stepped forward, and assumed his position. His team members also took their respective places. This was, after all, the true role of an honor guard.
Barring any surprises, the two approaching boats carried the commanders of the two small fleets.
Foden sat down and flicked two fingers together. Marlene immediately knelt down and opened the cigar case.
Foden glanced at the fire spirit stone, seemed to recall something, turned to Karen, and called out, "Karen, isn't it? Come here."
Karen turned around and walked back over.
"I'll teach you how to use this."
Foden placed the fire spirit stone on the ground—or rather, on the dragon's back. A wisp of sharp black energy gathered at his fingertip, and with a gentle slice across the top of the fire spirit stone, a thin shaving was sheared off and floated upward.
Immediately after, a ball of flame appeared in Foden's palm, igniting the shaved slice. In front of him, the fire spirit stone transformed into an orange ring of fire.
Finally, Foden picked up a clipped cigar and held its tip directly against the ring of fire, achieving a flawless light.
Karen spoke up. "This subordinate previously did not know how to use it."
Foden waved his hand. "I said the exact same thing to the High Priest."
With that, Foden handed the lit cigar to Karen. "I promised you a smoke earlier. That last one wasn't good; have this one."
"Thank you, Lord Whip-Wielder."
Karen accepted the cigar, took a draw, exhaled a smoke ring, and held it between his fingers.
At that moment, the two commanders stepped onto the ice sheet and climbed up the dragon's body via its talons.
Karen even recognized one of the commanders—it was Lango. The other commander, from the Moon God Church, was a middle-aged woman wearing armor and a cloak. She had scars across her face and appeared somewhat gaunt.
Foden personally lit two more cigars. Spreading his hands, he sent them floating through the air toward the two commanders, saying with a smile, "My thanks to the Moon God Church and the Church of Samsara for your contributions and sacrifices in upholding the Order Regulations."
Both commanders caught a cigar. Lango took a puff without hesitation and chuckled. "Tastes pretty similar to the staple food inside the Gate. Now I understand why those young people who came in for trials could never get used to our food—turns out it was like chewing raw tobacco. Heh."
Lango knew the man sitting there was Order's Whip-Wielder, and he also recognized the young man beside him. Sometimes, genuine cheerfulness served a deliberate purpose.
Foden looked at Karen and asked, "If I recall correctly, you've entered the Gate of Samsara."
"Yes, Lord Whip-Wielder," Karen paused, then continued, "I have met this Samsara commander, Lango. He should be a native of the Gate who possessed this body."
"He's completely right," Lango chimed in immediately.
"Is the world outside the Gate fun?" Foden asked.
Lango shook his head. "I've been busy fighting all this time; haven't had a chance to enjoy myself yet."
Karen silently turned the cigar in his fingers. On an occasion like this, without the Whip-Wielder addressing him, he had no standing to speak. He could only surmise that Lango was testing Order's attitude on behalf of Samsara.
The implication seemed to be that Samsara no longer wanted to fight.
Foden didn't pick up on the remark, puffing quietly on his cigar instead.
The woman stood there, holding the cigar between her fingers, likewise remaining silent.
The scene fell into an awkward standstill.
Because he stood fairly close to Foden, Karen noticed that when Foden exhaled smoke, a glint of dissatisfaction showed in the corners of his eyes. Who was that dissatisfaction directed at? The Moon God Church?
Foden spoke. "Commander Latiya?"
"Present, Lord Whip-Wielder," the female commander bowed to him.
Foden exhaled a puff of smoke toward Karen and asked, "Do you know who he is?"
"This..."
Clearly, Latiya had no idea.
"It seems our commander doesn't read official dispatches or newspapers. Ah, right, busy fighting, no time. Allow me to introduce him: he belongs to the observation delegation sent by our Church of Order to your church, authorized under an order signed by my own hand.
"A while ago, your church insisted that our Order observation delegation had perished entirely at the hands of Samsara.
"It seems... he..."
Foden pointed at Karen, then at the other team members present.
"It seems these people are all corpses 'awakened' by our Order, aren't they?"
Latiya was somewhat bewildered and could only reply, "My apologies, Lord Whip-Wielder. I know nothing of the specific details."
"Order has no intention of taking sides... Of course, I personally lean toward your church. After all, a war once broke out between Order and Samsara."
Lango immediately bowed. "That was Samsara's fault for daring to provoke Order. But please rest assured, Lord Whip-Wielder, internal purges within Samsara have already been completed. The same mistake will never be repeated."
Latiya evidently hadn't received any specific briefing or instructions, leaving her to react solely based on her own perspective and reasoning—something far more difficult than commanding a modestly sized fleet.
Foden continued addressing Latiya: "Preliminary investigations suggest your church wanted our Order observation delegation to meet with misfortune, dragging Order into the mire to take your side. If they had died and their bodies had been disposed of, that might have been the end of it. But as luck would have it, they are alive. Now what should we do about that?
"Do the lords bishops of your church on the Mipos Archipelago wish to come forward and face confrontation?"
"Lord Whip-Wielder, I was not informed of these matters..."
"In your war, Order does not wish to favor either side. But Order will not be treated as a fool, nor will we ever permit ourselves to be trampled upon and offended like this.
"The High Priest is very displeased with certain actions taken by your church regarding the observation delegation.
"Please convey these exact words back, Commander Latiya."
A look of dread appeared on Latiya's face. Was the Church of Order preparing to pick a side?
Lango let out a quiet sigh in his heart. He understood that the Church of Order intended to put out the fire.
If nothing unexpected happened, Samsara would be the next to get beaten down.
Foden said, "Samsara's actions in the Mipos Archipelago violated the Order Regulations."
Lango bowed his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Yes, certain actions of our Samsara did violate the Order Regulations."
"One month from now, in the Dinge Region, Order will convene a hearing regarding the Mipos Archipelago incident."
Lango replied at once, "Our Samsara will send representatives to attend."
Foden turned to Latiya. "The Moon God Church should also send observers."
Latiya nodded. "Understood."
"That will be all. Thank you both for your hard work. On behalf of myself and the Church of Order, please convey our gratitude to the sailors of your fleets."
Alfred stepped forward to see the guests off. Vic stepped forward as well. Each taking one commander, they made an inviting gesture. "This way, please."
The two commanders left the dragon's body and returned to their respective boats.
Only now did Karen realize that bringing his squad along hadn't merely been to act as an honor guard; they were also the "living evidence."
Foden stretched lazily, then patted beneath him and said, "All right, you can have your meal now, Augie."
"Roar!"
The frost dragon took to the air once more. With the departure of the two fleets, the island was left in bloody ruins, and numerous corpses floated across the surrounding waters.
Opening its maw, the dragon inhaled continuously toward the surface below. Storm-like currents were drawn into its mouth stream by stream, and within the tempest, Karen could make out faint silhouettes of human figures.
It was devouring the lingering souls below—a midnight snack prepared by Foden for Augie.
On the return journey, a well-fed Augie was noticeably livelier than on the way there. Its tail swept back and forth incessantly, scattering the clouds across this stretch of sky.
The dragon landed on the cliffs of Fire Island, and everyone stepped down onto solid ground. Foden said to Marlene, "Remember to issue bounties for the remnants of the Delan and Watson families."
"Yes, Lord Whip-Wielder."
"Mm, my business here is finally done. Stay behind and look after things a while longer. The environment on Fire Island needs another cleanup. Although the Casil family is obedient, I don't want Fire Island to have only one pirate family left in the future."
"I understand your intention, Lord Whip-Wielder."
Foden nodded in satisfaction, took the jar containing the ants from Marlene, and didn't enter the villa, walking straight toward the teleportation array staging area instead.
In truth, in Karen's mind, the last words Foden had spoken to him weren't about cigars, but: *Once you return to Yorktown, do your job well.*
This left Karen curious about what shifts awaited him at work once he returned to Yorktown. After all, to get things done, one needed a position suited for doing them.
...
During the day, everyone spent most of their time resting and catching up on sleep, wanting to return home in peak spirits.
Only Purr went out riding on Kevin's back, returning just as dusk fell.
"Where did you go?" Karen asked, lifting Purr off Kevin's back. "If you hadn't come back soon, I was going to look for you."
Their group's teleportation was about to begin; if they missed it, going back would mean more waiting and hassle.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
"Oh." Karen nodded, then looked at Alfred. "What did Kevin say?"
"Young Master, Kevin says Purr went to release the restraints on the sea beast that brought us here, and imprinted some cultivation and evolution methods into its mind as well."
"Mm, understood."
In fact, Karen had already forgotten about that sea beast, but Purr had remembered all along. She had said she would give that sea beast a great gift.
The time arrived.
Holding Purr in his arms, Karen was the first to step into the teleportation array, and the others followed behind him.
Vic stood at the edge of the group, looking around with both curiosity and anticipation. Watching Karen's back, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He could sense that this Captain had a strong desire for control, so he would need to start adjusting how he handled himself.
Next, his gaze drifted toward Philomena, who stood at an angle nearby.
It was only by secretly flipping through his teacher's notebook back then that he had learned about the cursed family. His teacher seemed to have investigated the matter for a period, though for reasons unknown, the investigation was later dropped.
He probably just forgot about it; otherwise, once his teacher became the High Priest, he would clearly have had far more channels and resources to investigate those "unsolved mysteries" that had once been out of reach.
The array began to activate, its light enveloping everyone within the circle.
Karen held Purr a little tighter in his arms to cushion against any jolts that might occur during the teleportation. Purr shifted into a more comfortable position, let out a soft snort through her nose, and buried her face deeper into Karen's chest, continuing her sound sleep.
"Going home..."
Chapter 493