Hearing Karen's words, the confusion and remorse on Mr. Dalis's face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression woven of surprise and ridicule.
He looked at Karen and asked softly, "Captain Karen..."
"Yes."
"So, you aren't her man after all?"
"Oh, you thought I was working for Mrs. Felscher, which is why you deliberately concealed things from me just now? You thought I would report your condition to her?"
"Yes. Because her granddaughter is on your squad."
"I'm not on her side."
"Now I know you aren't. Otherwise, you wouldn't be guiding me to deceive her."
"It turns out my intervention was unnecessary, since you were already prepared to lie to her."
"Yes, that's right. She wants a good outcome, so I'll give her one. All along, she treated me as a test subject, and I was willing to be one—provided that the result was what I wanted. But now that it isn't, she must step into this abyss of agony and despair with me. Deceiving her is actually very easy. Even if she saw me turned into this wretched state, she would still think the failure was due to my own personal flaws, and that she would surely succeed on her end. A person is deceived only because they are willing to believe."
"Can you tell me your specific condition right now?"
Karen glanced around, eventually pulling over a chair that the guards used. Sitting down, he looked at Dalis through the cell bars.
Then, he quietly took out the cigarettes he had nicked from Neo's car, lit one, and took a drag. The soul injury that had just flared up in pain was suppressed.
In truth, he should have been resting properly to nurse his wounds, but circumstances did not allow it. It was like running a shop: you were either completely idle or swamped with work. That was life.
"Captain Karen must know some things, right?"
"Just tell your story."
"I originally thought I had succeeded when my father died. But at that time, I suffered immense agony, like a bicycle tire being pumped up—drawn out one moment, then forcefully pumped back in the next..."
Hearing this, Karen frowned slightly. The scene of himself killing Bishop Dolph surfaced in his mind; he instinctively felt that this process was likely related to him.
Dalis continued, "Excruciating, tearing, full of despair..."
"Is that why it failed?"
"No. Although that process was tormenting, once it completely ended, I sensed an unspeakable power descending upon me, like a blessing tangible enough to touch with your hands. Do you understand that feeling, Captain Karen?"
Karen neither agreed nor disagreed.
"I have read some records. A saying has always circulated among the higher-ups of the church: when someone condenses a godhead fragment and is received into our Temple of Order through its gates, if that Elder has a family, their family will also receive a blessing from the Temple of Order. The future generations of that family will receive significant boosts to their talent and development. And this assistance has nothing to do with the Temple Elder's status or intervention."
"I've heard of that saying."
Diss had once said something similar, essentially meaning that once the most outstanding stalk bore fruit, it would heavily fertilize the surrounding seedlings.
"Yes, I believe it truly exists, because I felt it. But... it wasn't what I thought."
"So, the failure wasn't caused by that earlier torment, but because this curse is inherently destined to fail?"
"Right. This curse is bound to fail; it cannot possibly succeed. That's the most terrifying aspect of it. It keeps giving you hope, stringing you along, and in the end, plunges you into profound despair. Heh."
"Can you be more specific?"
"Of course. But Captain Karen, could you give me a cigarette? I need one right now too."
Originally, this was the very pack Dalis had gifted to Neo.
"Sure."
Karen pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and handed it to Dalis.
Dalis took it and hesitated for a moment. This time, instead of merely waving his hand to catch a whiff of the smoke, he put it directly to his mouth and took a deep drag.
There was no nicotine in this thing at all. Or rather, nicotine would be considered too low-grade a substance to belong in it. It was an exceptionally pure, high-grade spiritual narcotic capable of numbing the soul. If one suffered from a soul injury, it could serve as a painkiller.
Exhaling a smoke ring, Dalis's face finally relaxed.
Evidently, compared to the extensive festering on his physical body, the damage inflicted upon his soul was far more devastating.
"Captain Karen, what is the difference between a curse and a blessing?"
Karen sighed and reminded him, "I think we should speed up the pace of our conversation a bit."
"Oh, forgive me. Some habits of mine are hard to change. In diplomatic settings, spouting nonsense—endlessly repeating the same nonsense—has become almost second nature. In my view, the reason this curse cannot become a blessing is that what you receive carries emotions."
"Carries emotions?"
"Yes. If they truly love you, what they bestow upon you is a blessing. If they hate you, it's a curse. I don't know if my interpretation is correct, but I feel it must be the truth—or at least part of it. I deeply admire the person who developed this secret technique. He was truly terrifying. It is a secret art capable of transforming an unfathomable, intangible power into something concrete and tangible. However, I suspect that when he developed this secret technique, his original intention was aimed at a blessing. Because I don't believe such a great person would set out from the beginning to create a curse—that would seem so petty. Captain Karen, do you understand what I'm saying?"
Karen nodded.
"Yet just like freshly smelted silverware turning dark after being left outside for too long, a blessing left exposed becomes a curse. Heheheh. If you place a bet, you must accept the loss. I accept mine. I hate what I should hate, and I will avenge what I should avenge. Judging from what you said earlier, Captain Karen, you're on the same side as me, right?"
"Yes. I must protect my people."
"Is Philomena your woman?"
Karen's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he shook his head.
"I apologize, I didn't mean it that way. I only wanted to warn you: do not touch this curse. Once that fire catches onto you, it cannot be extinguished."
"There's no need for you to worry about that on my behalf, Mr. Dalis."
*Whether it's a curse or a blessing, I entered this sequence long ago.*
"Right now, I need some potion ingredients, as well as a few scrolls that can conceal my aura."
"Paper and pen are over there. Write a list, and I'll have them prepared for you."
"Already written. Here. Also, when will you let me out?"
"When do you think is appropriate?"
"Tomorrow at noon. I will let her see the person she wants to see."
"Fine. You will be released tomorrow at noon."
Karen stood up to leave.
Yet Dalis asked in confusion, "I'm curious, how do you plan to help her granddaughter?"
"You don't need to know that, because there is no way for me to help you."
"Ah, I understand. Before the bubble bursts, everything remains possible. As for me, I'm already ruined. I think I might die—perhaps I'll choose suicide. What do you think?"
"You won't commit suicide. But indeed, you won't live much longer. Perhaps on some upcoming rainy day, you will dissolve into a puddle of mud and be washed into a storm drain on some street in Yorktown."
"What a bleak end, but not a bad one either."
"Clean up after yourself properly. Try not to pollute the environment."
"I will, I will." Dalis nodded. "And... could you give me another cigarette?"
Karen drew out two cigarettes and handed them to him.
Dalis took them and smiled. "I thought you would give me the rest of the pack."
"I could have, originally."
"You're injured too, just like me—in the soul. How did it happen?"
"You don't need to know."
*Because it happened when I killed your father.*
"Very well. Thank you for conversing with a puddle of mud."
"You're welcome."
Karen walked out of the detention facility. After giving instructions to the guards, he returned to his office.
While showering, Karen subconsciously pressed a hand against his chest. Setting aside the pain in his soul, this part of his body gave him a detached sensation from time to time, as though his body were constructed of building blocks; with one block removed, his entire being felt a sense of disorientation.
Yet Karen felt quite satisfied. Using the Scythe of War on himself felt like excising a cancerous growth. It certainly hadn't been removed entirely, but it was impossible for it to recur or spread in the short term.
Sometimes, rather than enduring endless torment day after day, giving oneself a clean, decisive cut was far better.
When he stepped out of the shower, Alfred was already standing in the office.
"Young Master, the coffee and dog food have been replenished."
Karen gave Alfred a brief account of what had just transpired. Although Karen spoke quickly and concisely, Alfred understood without difficulty.
"Young Master, you need to recuperate right now."
"There's no time. Whether Dalis's condition is good or bad, Mrs. Felscher is going to make a move on Philomena."
"Do you intend to accelerate the process?"
"Yes. No one guards against a thief visiting every single day of the year; living like that is far too exhausting."
Hearing this, Alfred furrowed his brows and said at once, "Young Master, you don't have to translate it into the Maklai language."
"Oh? You caught that?"
"Yes. Some proverbs carry a distinct flavor."
"Very good. I'll write it down for you next time."
"Thank you, Young Master."
"I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me when it's time for the late-night snack; Grandmother and Delon are coming."
"Understood, Young Master."
Karen lay down in bed to rest. After setting a glass of ice water on the nightstand, Alfred quietly exited the office. As he closed the door, he noticed Philomena sitting on a bench in the hallway.
Philomena met Alfred's gaze.
"You should pledge your loyalty to the Young Master."
Philomena offered no reaction, in neither word nor expression.
Except when facing Karen or Richard, Philomena struggled with any form of communication that was not a direct order.
"Speak," Alfred urged.
Philomena finally opened her mouth and asked, "Is this a demand, or a trade?"
Alfred replied, "It is courtesy."
"This is inside a dream..."
"In the Young Master, you should have found the anchor between your dream and reality."
"Anchor..."
"You ought to pledge your loyalty to the Young Master."
"Mr. Alfred, you are very strange right now."
"You will understand. Once your affairs are concluded, you will comprehend what I mean by these words."
"Proselytizing?"
"Heh, what do you think?"
"I think it's absurd."
"Very well, let time ferment it. By the way, where is Richard? His task right now is to stay by your side."
"In the office across the hall, on the phone with his grandparents."
"Then I shall attend to my duties."
Alfred pulled out his small notebook, unscrewed his fountain pen, and jotted down notes as he walked away:
*The lost, withdrawn girl does not yet comprehend what immense fortune it is to be chosen by God.*
*I find myself somewhat envious of this withdrawn girl. Back then, she refused the pastry Ventura offered her, yet she still sits here today, with God worrying over the events about to unfold upon her.*
*I imagine that, barring any surprises, she will stand behind me in the future, worshiping in the same direction alongside me.*
*On a ship, some weep and kneel yet cannot secure a ticket, while others seem destined to board from the start.*
*It seems I will need to leave a small corner for her when designing the mural.*
***
*Click!*
The phone hung up.
Madame Tangli called into the kitchen, "Hey, old man, is everything ready yet?"
"I think we need a little more time before we can set off."
"Richard told me that he boasted to his colleagues about how fantastic his grandmother's cooking is."
"He was merely telling the truth."
"So those colleagues hardly touched their dinner, saving their appetites for the late-night snack."
"Oh heavens, then they'll have to stay hungry a bit longer."
"That's why I told you to order a food truck for me! If you had listened to me earlier, we could have cooked on our way there."
"My fault, my fault. I didn't know you intended to prepare all this, my dear."
Delon held a large ladle, stirring a simmering cauldron containing large intestines, pig ears, pork liver, beef, duck, and an assortment of vegetables.
Perhaps not even Karen, who had once taught Grandmother Chinese cooking methods, could have anticipated that his grandmother was clever enough to have independently developed spiced braised dishes.
"Dear, I had a dream last night," Madame Tangli said.
"A sweet dream, I take it?"
"Yes, a wonderful dream. I dreamed of my youth. Whenever I watch the children grow, I can't help but recall when I was young."
"Mm, yes. Sometimes I feel the same way."
Especially when he saw Richard sitting beside that girl—it was practically a mirror image of himself back in the day.
"Dear, do you still remember how we met?"
"During an expedition. I happened to be exploring an ancient ruin with the people from my department, making rubbings of the formation patterns on a stone stele, when the formation suddenly activated. You saved me, my dear. You pulled me back just before I fell into the magma. When did I fall in love with you? It was when you crouched above, and as I gripped the blade you reached down to me, I looked up and saw your face. My heart was swept away right then and there."
Madame Tangli began dropping hints. "Do you still remember the name of that blade?"
"Of course I remember. The Nightmare Blade. When you were pregnant with our daughter, you asked me to seal it for you, saying you would probably never need it again."
"Yes. But these past few days, I rather wished it were by my side."
Hearing this, Old Master Delon pursed his lips. "I'm sorry, my dear."
"I'm not trying to mock you. After all, your subsequent performance was quite good—especially the broadcast camera switching when you and Aisen were on stage; I guessed right away that the two of you were behind it."
"Uh... so you set up a broadcast array at home?"
"Am I not allowed to?" Madame Tangli raised her voice.
"Of course you are, haha." How could Old Master Delon dare argue over this?
"Originally, I intended to pass the Nightmare Blade to our daughter, but she received an inherited sacred relic from her mentor, which I felt suited her better."
"Yes. We gave her the choice back then, and she chose that sacred relic."
"Later, I thought about passing it to Aisen once he grew up. Regrettably, our son takes after you."
"Yes, he takes after me, but... that isn't really a pity, is it? Outstanding array formation masters are very rare. Besides, I noticed our son's Key to the Rubik's Cube seems even more refined than before. Not only has he recovered significantly, but his cultivation realm has also advanced. I could feel it when we laid out formations together last time."
"Mm, let's not talk about our son for now." Madame Tangli cut short her husband's rambling. "My point is, it's time to unseal that blade."
"Do you intend to pass it to Richard?"
"Mm-hmm."
"My dear, have you lost your mind? Anyone without an unshakeable will would suffer severe mental backlash the moment they hold that blade! I don't believe our grandson can master it. Do you remember why you sealed it back then? It was because you were pregnant with our daughter, and for her health, you could no longer feed it soul power; that was why you asked me to seal it. The drain from using it is simply too immense! Furthermore... Richard's physical constitution and future development path aren't suited to the path you walked, even if he has become increasingly resilient to beatings lately."
"We still have to try, don't we, Delon?"
Being addressed by his full name sent a shiver through Old Master Delon. He could only relent: "Of course, whatever pleases you. We can let Richard choose for himself, though I doubt our grandson will take a liking to that sort of weapon. More likely than not, he'll swing it a few times and faint from dizziness."
Madame Tangli nodded in satisfaction.
Richard certainly wouldn't be able to wield the Nightmare Blade.
*But he will turn around and give it to Karen!*
Chapter 534