"Have you been accompanying the old lady on walks every evening lately?"
"Yes."
Alfred lifted the iced water before him, sipping it while studying Philomena standing in front of him. "No injuries?"
"Injured."
"Can't tell."
"She deliberately didn't hit my face."
"Oh, so she really is benevolent after all."
Alfred set down his glass and smiled, asking, "Much improvement?"
"She's very strong."
"Well, of course."
After all, she was someone who had adventured in the same squad as Master Diss in her youth. If one were to make a rather improper comparison and liken the Young Master to Master Diss, then the young Madame Tangli might have been the equivalent of today's Philomena;
And the end result of that would be Philomena eventually marrying Richard...
Alfred frowned and cursed mentally: *What complete nonsense.*
"She cares a lot about the Section Chief."
"After all, our Young Master easily wins the favor of elders. Do you still plan on going? If you don't want to, I can decline on your behalf."
"I'll go."
"All right."
At that moment, Vic knocked and entered, saying to Alfred, "The transfer orders are out."
"They all left?"
"Bernie and Harry are both gone, along with several department ministers. Their offices were packed up long ago. As soon as the orders came down, they walked straight out of the building."
"Then let's prepare a farewell banquet. Tell the cafeteria staff."
"The people are already gone."
"It's a farewell to celebrate them finally leaving. We'll be the ones eating it."
"True enough. I like your style."
"Sometimes, even if you don't feel like it, you have to make your likes and dislikes unmistakably clear. Otherwise, the people under you won't fear you."
"Yes, exactly. Then our Section Chief should be coming out soon, right?"
"Should be soon. The investigation team left a few days ago; it's time for them to return."
Just then, the phone on the desk rang. Alfred answered, then nodded. "All right, I understand."
Hanging up, Alfred stood up with a smile. "That was the Teleportation Array Hall in the Church Affairs Building. The head of the investigation team... oh no, our new Regional Director has arrived. The higher-ups really are efficient. The old guard barely set foot out the door before their replacements arrived. It truly makes it hard for the subordinates below not to look callous and indifferent."
Vic spoke up: "Then I'll go change the banner. The cafeteria will hold a welcome banquet today instead."
"Actually, no need. Move the welcome banquet to tomorrow. Today remains farewell-themed. I imagine our newly appointed Regional Director won't feel slighted. Instead, he might feel the distinct thrill of taking over another man's wife—so let's give him double the pleasure."
Vic tapped his temple and smiled. "Like the pleasure of a victor extending benevolence and grace to the defeated?"
"Precisely. That in itself is an indulgence.
"Besides, inform everyone that the case can be pushed forward a bit more. Once the new Regional Director takes office, wrapping up this case against the six bishops will undoubtedly be handed over to our Young Master."
"The usual routine. Used to it by now. Superiors always seem to love doing that."
Alfred shrugged. "Actually, it's quite nice this way. Just as the Young Master told me: we do the work, so long as he gives us operational freedom."
Vic asked with some puzzlement, "Why do I feel like you're unusually happy with our current situation?"
"Because I've been reading a book lately."
"What's the title?"
"There's no title. I gathered the records of the High Priest's past career and bound them together. I discovered that even the rapidly rising High Priest once stayed in a single place for a very long time.
"Just as a large tree easily topples if it only rushes to grow tall, only by deeply cultivating and nurturing one's own core team in one place can one truly possess the ability to weather the storms.
"That is what we need to do next, and it's also a maxim the Young Master once shared with me."
"A maxim?"
"'Build the walls high, store abundant grain, and bury ambition deep.'"
...
Sus was back. When he had left last time, he was still the investigation team leader. Now, he was the new Regional Director of Yorktown Region.
However, he intentionally avoided the welcoming lineup at the front entrance of the headquarters building, heading straight through the back door into the dungeon.
Having received the news well in advance, Karen and Neo had changed into fresh clerical robes of Order today. Once Sus arrived, revoked the previous administration's internal investigation orders in his capacity as Regional Director, and read out the new appointments...
Karen and Neo stood side by side and bowed to Sus.
*Click!*
The two reporters Sus brought along began taking photos.
After the flash, Sus smiled and said to the reporters, "Let's skip the sappy speeches. You two can embellish on paper as you see fit; let's all save some time."
"Yes, Regional Director."
"Yes, Regional Director."
Sus looked at Karen and said, "Starting today, we are colleagues."
Then, he turned to Neo: "From now on, let us support one another."
Coming down to the dungeon to release them first was itself an outward statement, setting the foundational tone for how work in this building would operate moving forward.
Afterward, an internal meeting was convened. The new Regional Director, several parachuted department ministers, and the newly promoted Ministers Karen and Neo officially met with everyone.
In a small setting, everything could be kept casual, leaving reporters to fill news reports with boilerplate language. But facing so many members of the Whip of Order in the grand auditorium, things could not be brushed aside with post-production edits.
Though short in stature, Sus displayed an astonishing gift for oratory, with an incredible ability to stir up emotions.
Listening from below, Alfred nodded repeatedly, learning a great deal.
Sus didn't even mind poking fun at his own height, saying that if a man as short as him could stand in this position, why couldn't any of them in the audience?
In short, this speech brought a breath of fresh air to the Whip of Order, which had been tossed by wind and rain for an entire month. At least everyone realized in their hearts that the chaotic situation was over, and next, it was time to get down to serious work again.
Among the introductions of the new ministers, aside from Richel whom they had already met, another female minister left a fairly deep impression on Karen.
Her name was Royna, Minister of Propaganda, very beautiful.
Her face, combined with her aura, gave off an alluring touch of worldly charm anchored by a bedrock of stern sobriety—contradictory yet strangely harmonious.
The files stated she was forty-two years old, but looking at her in person, one would never guess it; she had the allure of a young married woman in her late twenties.
However, an awkward fact remained: Karen had been promoted too quickly. Already sitting in a minister's chair, and in one of the most powerful positions among them as Minister of Law Enforcement, whenever he looked around, everyone at his level was essentially of his uncles' and aunts' generation.
Sitting on stage, Neo whispered to Karen, "Good-looking people always have an easier time making an impression."
Karen nodded.
Neo added, "Just like you."
Karen couldn't be bothered to reply.
Neo stood up and walked to the podium. It was his turn to speak. Neo's eloquence was quite solid as well—otherwise he would never have fostered the kind of atmosphere Hound Squad had. Especially after unlocking his amusement-seeking persona, he had liberated himself even more.
His speech was top-notch. Blending his past service experiences, it resonated deeply with the crowd below. When he concluded, warm cheers and applause erupted from the audience.
Walking back, Neo gave Karen a slightly provocative nod, signaling that he was up next.
As Karen stood up and brushed past him, Neo deliberately reminded him, "I have faith in your eloquence. Go on, don't let me down."
Karen walked to the speaker's podium, stopped, and said nothing.
The cheering and applause previously ignited by Neo's speech died down completely within a matter of seconds. The entire hall fell into genuine silence.
Setting aside the things Karen had done and the authority he had amassed since entering this building starting with the Vicolai case, just the sight of the garrison knights storming the headquarters grounds at Karen's command that day had left a deeply traumatic impression on most people present.
Youth, talent, methods, temperament, ruthlessness. If genuinely provoked, he didn't just flip the table—he was the kind of extreme violent maniac who tore down the entire house.
His former direct superior had been stabbed by him right in front of everyone. Then that superior was transferred away, and he took over that superior's seat.
The scariest part was that he likely wouldn't be promoted again; he would remain here as minister. And he was still so young—only seventeen. That meant everyone present, as long as they worked here, would inevitably face his authority.
For the older ones, after they retired and their younger generations entered, even when those juniors were preparing to retire, this Minister might still be in office!
Those who could rely on connections to transfer out were the minority of minorities. The vast majority of people could hardly ever reach a ministerial post, let alone the position of Regional Director.
Moreover, if this young minister stayed in the seat of Minister of Law Enforcement for another ten or twenty years, even the Regional Director's words might not carry as much weight as his. How could a parachuted outsider ever overpower a local tyrant!
Therefore, the young man standing at the podium right now... would be the most powerful person in this building for decades to come.
"Ahem!"
Someone coughed. He had been holding it in for a while, but thanks to a cold, he couldn't suppress it. The moment it escaped him, a terrifying sensation washed over him—as if disturbing the present silence would draw eyes and become a grave crime.
Originally, Karen had prepared a speech draft, but looking around now, he realized he had miscalculated his image among the "masses."
Though he had claimed in his conversation with Sus that his public image was misunderstood, in truth, if he looked at himself from the outside, he would probably misunderstand himself too.
In an instant, Karen lost all interest in delivering any rousing, inspirational speech. He merely lifted his hand and rested it back on the podium.
*Slap!*
What was originally a light sound felt almost deafening in the dead silence.
Karen smiled faintly.
"Everyone, I'm back."
...
"Oh, damn it, I swear, you must have racked your brain for three days and three nights to come up with that speech!"
"I didn't."
Neo didn't buy it. "Hah, there are no outsiders here. No need to hide it."
"I didn't."
"Is there no trust left between us?"
"You talk too much."
"Now you think I'm nagging? I haven't even settled scores with you yet! How on earth did my cushy Minister of Logistics suddenly turn into Minister of Reconnaissance?"
"That wasn't my decision."
"It had to be your decision! In any normal person's eyes, Minister of Reconnaissance is much higher and better than Minister of Logistics. For me to even grab the bottom-ranking Minister of Logistics was already a reason to thank both Order and Light, yet you bumped me further up?"
"Sus probably recognized your competence."
"Now you really are treating me like a fool, Karen. Because I thought it over and over, and realized that the only person who wouldn't want me sitting as Minister of Logistics... could only be you."
"Why?"
"Because you have to stay in this position for a long time, so you didn't want me messing things up!"
"So you admit you'd mess things up."
"Bah, I only engage in investments and asset management."
"All right, all right. Alfred checked the headquarters books. Even mice could run free in those empty coffers."
"That bad? Then what in the world was Bernie doing before?"
"He was probably just doing his best to keep things afloat. It wasn't really his fault. Although he stabbed us in the back, his work competence was still worthy of acknowledgment."
"That's true."
"So the reality is that the reboot of the local Whip of Order didn't come with adequate funding support. The Minister of Logistics isn't about how much you can embezzle—it's about scrambling everywhere for sponsorships."
"Well, that makes me feel a lot better. So that's why Sus put Richel in that seat. You said Richel wasn't one of Sus's own people, but planted there. And looking at that woman's foul temper, she must have had smooth sailing all her life, meaning a solid family background. So the job of dunning debts and securing funds falls to her."
"Mm."
"Still, this really feels like a dream. I wasted over ten years in Sangpu City, and after being transferred to Yorktown for barely half a year, I became a minister right away."
"Indeed. A speed that countless Light remnants could only envy."
"Tell me about it. How many Light remnants... hehehe, as if you aren't one yourself."
"Your work needs to get underway."
"Heh, I know. A Light remnant secretly organizing a Light remnant outfit within the Whip of Order to control other Light remnants. Truly a mouthful.
"By the way, what about those two Light babies?"
"Go ask Alfred. Alfred is the one keeping track of such matters. He is my eyes."
"Fine. I'll go see them in a couple of days. Add Bertha into the mix, and hey, my core team of Light remnants is practically formed on the spot."
"Add yourself, and you even have an Elder of Light. Congratulations. No need to start some secret Light organization—just set up an official Light branch and compete with other Light factions for orthodoxy."
"Now you're stretching it. How could building strength happen that fast?"
"Relative strength is enough. In the future, once you get intel on other Light remnant groups, report it straight to the Church of Order and have the regional forces eradicate them. You'll gain merits while seizing more resources."
"Eliminate all the other factions, and I passively become the greatest orthodoxy?"
"Yes."
"How could it be that simple? Otherwise, the Church of Order would have completely purged the Light remnants long ago."
"In the past, there weren't two people sitting in an Order VIP vehicle discussing such things either."
"True. You have a point. Then I'll be the Elder. Once our strength grows, you can make a cameo appearance too. You won't be getting promoted anyway."
"Why shouldn't it be that after you've raised this faction to a certain scale, I come to annihilate you on behalf of Order?"
"Huh?"
"After claiming such a monumental achievement, maybe I'll get a promotion."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Neo raised his middle finger at Karen.
"Fuck you!"
Karen brought the car to a stop. Ahead stood a villa.
Getting out of the car, Neo remarked with a sigh, "There really are very few people. No, practically no one at all."
"Isn't that nice? The Head Bishop never liked a crowd anyway."
Karen and Neo walked inside. The door was open. In the living room, Leon was kneeling on a cushion before a brazier, tossing point coupons into the flames to burn.
In front of him was an altar table bearing fruit platters and pastry plates. In the center stood a black-and-white memorial portrait of Head Bishop Wolflen, flanked by two white candles burning steadily.
Seeing Karen and Neo arrive, Leon started to rise and pay his respects, but Neo pressed a hand to his shoulder, pulled over another cushion to kneel on, and helped burn paper alongside him.
"Thank you, Section Chief."
"Time to change that to Minister. Karen and I are both ministers now."
"Minister?" Leon was stunned for a moment. Having been on leave all this time, he obviously hadn't had much contact with the outside world.
Neo smiled and said, "That's why we came to burn some paper for our Head Bishop, thanking him for arranging our jobs. By the way, Karen, do you think burning these fake point coupons is actually useful on the other side?"
"It's useful."
Neo asked again, "Then should we mix in some real ones to burn?"
"I don't have any point coupons on me." Karen carried the bag he had brought from the car into the kitchen.
"Oh, damn it, I don't have any either. Forget it then," Neo said, continuing to feed paper money into the fire. "Let's burn more. When the Head Bishop arrives at the First Knight Order, he'll definitely be the wealthiest and most prestigious among his comrades.
"And then when his comrades in the First Knight Order get jealous, they'll send a collective dream message to their descendants or successors. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Church of Spiritual Dreams was declaring war on our Church of Order!"
"Pfft..." Leon couldn't help letting out a laugh. In truth, his grief had long been drawn out and thinned. Moreover, burning paper for his grandfather made him feel as though his grandfather were standing right beside him, bringing peace to his heart.
A moment later, Karen returned carrying a tray with four bowls of wontons.
One for himself, one for Neo, and Leon took one as well, leaving one bowl remaining.
Leon looked at it, somewhat puzzled.
Karen took a sip of broth and said, "What are you staring for? Bring it to your grandfather."
"Yes, Section Chief... oh no, Minister."
Leon immediately picked up the final bowl and placed it before his grandfather's portrait.
Smiling, he said:
"Grandfather, have a taste. The wrappers didn't tear."
Chapter 609