Although billed as a selection assembly, it was largely a one-way selection. The Crypt Church believers stepping onto the stage were essentially auction lots—the only difference being that they could speak; yes, they were lots capable of introducing themselves.
In fact, one only had to look at how Lord Augie was actually treated to see quite clearly that respect... simply did not exist.
Of course, this did not clarify whether the Whip-Wielder had treated his partner like a slave from the very beginning, driving Lord Augie to try to escape, or if Lord Augie had simply been untamably wild and ungrateful from youth to adulthood.
There was no standard answer to this question; it entirely depended on who was asked.
The first white lizardman was chosen; it did not go unsold.
To Karen, it was of negligible value—having it amounted to nothing more than gaining an extra warrior, and one whose moldability was not high, with a relatively low ceiling.
Yet that was only because Karen himself possessed a certain stature and means. For an ordinary priest, having an obedient warrior at their side was already quite an asset. Besides, they lacked the resources to support a better partner anyway.
The first pair was successfully matched.
The next to take the stage was a minotaur.
Towering in stature with bull horns atop its head and black hide, it was another one taking the warrior path.
"Boring," Miss Daina yawned. "I heard Uncle Daan say that monster beasts can advance faster along the warrior path in the early stages thanks to their physical advantages, but by the middle stages, those advantages disappear and their progress generally slows down."
Lord Augie chimed in, "Indeed. Even humans who don't follow the warrior path can use spells to enhance themselves to achieve effects comparable to a warrior's, to say nothing of those who specialize in it."
When she said this, Lord Augie clearly did not count herself among the monster beasts.
"So I'm really curious: if there are no good picks, what's the point of holding this kind of selection event every year?" Miss Daina asked, perplexed.
Picks like Sister Augie in her youth or the bone dragon this time were rare gems seen once in a decade. In most years, this event was merely a form of mutual amusement among the lower-ranking believers of both churches.
Lord Augie frowned, seemingly unsure of how to answer.
Miss Daina nudged Karen gently with her elbow. "What do you think?"
"Sometimes formalities are necessary in their own right. Holding this event every year serves to affirm and publicize the master-servant relationship between the two churches."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
"Besides, I imagine there are far more collaborations in other areas that we simply don't know about."
Ashley, after all, had been brought here by her parents, who were engaged in research on monster beast breeding—proof that cooperation between specific sectors was likely quite deep.
In the end, the minotaur was claimed by a female Order priest.
Just like the previous pair, both parties had to sign a contract on the spot.
It was a contract, not a covenant, which indirectly demonstrated the Crypt Church's absolute servile status before the Church of Order.
The dull wait was tedious. Karen habitually reached into his pocket; his robe pocket still held a travelogue provided in his hotel room, and it seemed a good time to pull it out and flip through it.
Next to him, Ashley misunderstood his motion and thoughtfully offered a box of cigarettes along with a lighter.
Just as Karen was about to decline, Miss Daina beside him spotted the cigarettes, let out a long sigh of relief, and fished a box from her own pocket. Karen recognized them—special-issue cigarettes from the Church of Thunder.
"If you smoke, you should've said so earlier. Here, have one of mine."
Miss Daina offered the pack to Karen. Karen drew one out. After lighting one herself, Miss Daina held her lighter—carved from glazed stone—out to Karen.
With a click, a flame sprang up. Karen leaned in and lit the cigarette, but did not puff on it, holding it between his fingers instead.
These cigarettes packed quite a punch; Karen had previously used them as an anesthetic to suppress injuries, and he had no desire to actually smoke one right now. After all, he wasn't Neo, who treated such things like candy.
Miss Daina blew out a smoke ring, a look of relish on her face, and said, "I've been holding back for ages."
"You don't need to hold back. Please, make yourself at home."
"Yeah. I mean, after getting thrashed by you like that, putting on airs feels pretty pointless anyway."
Karen shook his head slightly. If not for her absurdly privileged family background, in the secular world this girl would simply be an ill-behaved, rebellious delinquent.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Kevin suddenly barked.
Karen turned around to see Kevin squatting there, an agonizing expression on his face as though he were desperately holding in his bladder.
There was no restroom in the booth. Karen said, "I'll take my pets out to relieve themselves."
With that, Karen grabbed Kevin's leash, scooped up Purr with his other hand, and walked out of the booth with them.
Just as he stepped outside, Lord Augie followed. Karen halted and looked at her.
*Do you need to be walked on a leash to relieve yourself, too?*
Lord Augie hesitated. She had instinctively sensed something, yet she could not leave Miss Daina's side. Taking a step back into the booth, she closed the door.
Karen snapped his fingers, setting up a simple isolation barrier.
"If you two keep exchanging messages so frequently, watch out or that female dragon might decipher your dialogue."
"No need to worry about that. That dragon isn't really on an animal's level. Her hearing our conversation is the same concept as an ordinary human hearing us—though she's a pet too."
"What is it, Kevin?" Karen asked.
"The dumb dog says it sensed the aura of a Grand Necromancer, who just entered this place."
"Exact location?" Karen asked.
"Woof, woof, woof."
"The dumb dog says—"
"It can't pin down the exact location, but the figure carries a dangerous aura, and the necromantic aura is creeping stealthily into every corner of the theater as if preparing something. It doesn't seem like a higher-up from the Crypt Church coming to oversee the venue."
"I say, are you really not even bothering to disguise it anymore, meow?"
"Efficiency matters at times." Karen bent down, looking at Kevin. "Is there any other way to pinpoint his position?"
Kevin shook his head, extending a paw to point around them, indicating that the building's own integrated formations everywhere created tremendous interference.
Purr said excitedly, "So does that mean we're playing a game of dog-and-mouse next, meow?"
"No need for such trouble."
Karen dispelled the isolation barrier and waved over a serpent maid standing in the distance. The maid ran over at once. "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Notify your supervisor, or have your supervisor report further up the chain. Our young lady sensed that there is a Grand Necromancer inside this theater. She has always been quite interested in necromancers and hopes to meet that lord for a chat."
Hearing this, the serpent maid froze. A flicker of terror immediately crossed her face, but she quickly smoothed over her emotions. "Understood. Please wait a moment, sir and young lady. I will go notify my supervisor right away."
After the serpent maid departed, Purr said rather dejectedly, "That's no fun at all, meow."
Karen did not speak, his brows furrowing slightly.
Purr continued, "That little skeleton Gus said his awakener awakened a bone dragon. But the intel we received later said that originally, both the bone dragon and the rebel should have been executed. Because of the Church of Order's intervention, the bone dragon was spared, so that big skeleton should have already been executed by rights.
"So it's not that big skeleton, but some other Grand Necromancer?
"Huh? Karen, why aren't you saying anything?"
Karen spoke up: "She's just a maid."
"Huh?"
"The gap in station between a Grand Necromancer and her is vast. What was that look of terror for? Undead creatures are already one of the seven main lineages of the Crypt Church."
It was the equivalent of asking a server who was a servant to invite a Bishop over for a chat—what did that have to do with her?
"Mm, does that mean she belongs to that Grand Necromancer, meow?"
Karen looked at Kevin and asked, "Are you certain it's dangerous?"
Karen had absolute faith in this dog's powers of perception, but what came next required decisions, compelling Karen to double-check.
If it were Neo, he would have treated it like a divine decree, scooped up the dog, and bolted.
Of course, had Neo dared to question the great Lord Raniedal, Kevin would have long since refused to cater to him. Yet faced with Karen's question, Kevin still closed his canine eyes and focused his senses once more.
Before long, he opened his eyes, a somber look in them, and gave Karen a firm nod: "Woof!"
The situation was even more grave.
*Hiss...* Karen drew a breath. He truly didn't want any accidents to happen right now, because that might mean saying goodbye to the bone dragon he had already laid the groundwork for.
Even so, he had to keep a clear head.
He extended an arm, and Purr understood, sliding down Karen's arm onto Kevin's back—for if anything went wrong, it would be far easier for Karen to look after an "Evil God Knight" than to tend to a cat and a dog separately.
Karen walked toward the booth. He could throw Miss Daina and Lord Augie under the bus without the slightest qualm, but he couldn't leave Ashley behind.
However, just as Karen reached out to open the door, a red barrier manifested, and the door before his eyes abruptly receded away from him.
This meant the formation inside the theater had activated against Karen.
Seeing this, Purr started to speak but stopped. She had wanted to tease Karen about reporting the situation right to the enemy, but realized now was not the time for snide remarks.
A voice sounded from above:
"Summon: Undead Priest."
A black vortex appeared before Karen. Immediately following, a priest resembling a dried corpse, clad in priestly robes and clutching a wand, emerged before Karen. Then, raising the wand, he slashed it down at Karen.
He was called a priest, yet bore not the slightest resemblance to what a priest should be.
Karen did not hold back. The Sword of Diamans on his back flew into his hand. Rather than retreating, he braced himself with the Sea God's Armor for defense and rammed straight into him.
*Bang!*
The wand struck his shoulder, bringing sharp pain, but Karen's greatsword drove straight through the opponent's torso. Surging purification power of Order flooded the creature's entire body. The undead priest let out a shrill scream, yet just as it was on the verge of perishing, it cast a spell: Blessing!
The blessing struck Karen. A spell originally meant to grant positive buffs now carried heavily concentrated negative attributes. The sensation was utterly revolting, as if he were an ant dropped into a mouthful of thick phlegm.
*Buzz!*
The wings of Thousand Phantoms spread open, forcibly snapping the fetters binding Karen.
Just as Karen prepared to break out of this formation's entrapment, a figure appeared by his flank. Karen swept his sword across.
*Snap!*
Clad in a black robe, the figure raised his left hand and caught Karen's Sword of Diamans. The razor-sharp edge failed to cut through his fingers; however, the hand protruding from the sleeve was pure white bone, devoid of flesh.
When he raised his head, the cowl concealed a skull face as well.
"Section Chief Karen, perhaps we could have a talk?"
Clearly, the other party recognized him.
"Who exactly are you?" Karen asked.
"Even if I spoke my name, you wouldn't recognize it. A nobody from a servant church truly cannot compare to your renown."
"That is not the answer I want."
"I speak the truth. I know you came for the bone dragon. I can arrange for it to be yours, but in return, I hope you will not interfere in what is about to happen."
"It seems I have no way to interfere anyway." Karen glanced at his held greatsword.
"Heh heh, you haven't used your full strength—I can sense it. Moreover, your status is extraordinary. I do not wish for you or the young lady in that booth to face mortal peril. That is not the outcome I seek, nor could I bear the consequences. This is merely... an internal conflict within our Crypt Church."
"Right now, I want to leave this place and take the Church of Order's people with me. However you fight among yourselves afterward is entirely up to you."
"If the people from the Church of Order withdraw, wouldn't that plainly advertise to everyone that something is about to happen?"
"Then I will take only one subordinate, and I won't notify the others."
"That won't do either, because I don't believe you would sit back and watch that young lady fall into danger—especially once you leave."
"I could."
"I don't believe it."
Karen felt a headache coming on.
"Lord Karen, return to the booth. Pretend you sensed nothing. Afterward, that bone dragon will become your partner. Consider it a meeting gift from me."
"You are the necromancer who revived the bone dragon?"
"That is not my only identity. To be precise, that identity is already dead. I actually have many identities. For example, Gus..."
"Gus is not your avatar."
Karen had verified this point.
When Gus came knocking late at night asking if he wanted to raise a dragon, his first reaction had been whether this guy was baiting him.
Alfred immediately investigated him, and before departing, they had even abducted Gus back for an examination, confirming he was an independent individual.
"I bestowed life upon him. In dreams, I can speak with him, and I can view his waking memories if I so choose."
Those words sent a sudden jolt through Karen's mind, for it was strikingly similar to the ability of the progenitor bloodthirsty aberrant demon inside Neo.
Bestowing bloodlines, maintaining a connection with one's progeny, even conversing privately with an individual bearing the bloodline... No, the reason bloodthirsty aberrant demons needed rest fluid was precisely because the progenitor was broadcasting whispers to everyone, causing many bloodthirsty aberrant demons to lose their minds.
Therefore, the fact that this black-robed skeleton could maintain a connection with the skeletal lives he had "reanimated" proved that his strength and realm of power were overwhelmingly formidable.
"Lord Karen, I am merely here to assassinate someone. You can simply stand inside your booth and watch. In fact, once the assassination is over, I can surrender this identity used for the assassination—the assassin itself—to you to kill.
"After all, didn't you just kill an assassin not long ago? You can look forward to claiming yet another great merit.
"Turmoil erupts within a servant church, and thanks to your intervention, that turmoil is resolved in the nick of time. What a wonderful script! This is the gift and sincerity I offer you."
"It seems I have no reason to refuse?"
"Actually, I know you haven't agreed yet. Profit will not cloud your mind."
"Then this really is difficult, isn't it?"
Karen prepared to gather power. The skeleton's true identity was extremely mysterious. If, as he claimed, even the Frankenstein-like Grand Necromancer who had reanimated Gus and the bone dragon was merely one of his identities, then his true persona was very likely a high-ranking figure within the Crypt Church.
However, Karen didn't need to defeat him. Breaking through his interference and shattering the confines of the formation here—causing enough shockwaves to leak outward—would be sufficient to alert the outside world.
If nothing else, an adult frost dragon was sitting in the booth just ahead!
Rasma could squeeze her like a rubber ball only because his name was Rasma; at his current stage, Rasma was probably unmatched by anyone below the Temple Elders. In reality, barring such extreme exceptions, this adult female dragon was unquestionably a formidable force that could not be overlooked.
Benefits promised after the fact held no value in Karen's eyes. Naturally, even if the other party offered benefits upfront, Karen would most likely turn around and renege the moment he received them.
Therefore, such negotiations were entirely meaningless to Karen; judging others by himself, he would never truly believe the other party would keep his word.
"It isn't difficult at all. I believe you will make the most suitable choice."
The skeleton released his grip on the greatsword and raised an arm, dispelling the formation's barrier. Karen could now clearly hear the roar of some monster beast on stage demonstrating its prowess.
This move caught Karen so off guard that he momentarily didn't know what to do next.
The skeleton said, "If there is light in the crypt, it must be the gaze of despair."
The moment the words left his mouth, a vortex appeared beneath his feet, and he sank down into it.
Kevin carried Purr over to Karen's side at once: "Woof!"
*Formidable!*
As a former deity, Kevin wouldn't compare the adversary to his own past divine status; Raniedal was highly objective in such matters. Therefore, this assessment of "formidable" was based on Karen's current strength.
That meant the opponent's status had to be comparable to at least a Regional Bishop, or even higher.
Purr asked in confusion, "What did his last sentence mean, meow?"
Karen did not reply. Instead, he walked up to the booth door. Just as he reached out to open it, the door opened from the inside. It was Lord Augie.
"You're quite intriguing. Taking your pets to relieve themselves personally."
*Did Foden never hold you out to pee?*
Karen prepared to raise a hand and call Ashley out, but just as he raised his hand, a thought struck him. Looking at Lord Augie standing in the doorway, he said:
"If there is light in the crypt."
Lord Augie's brow furrowed slightly, seemingly utterly bewildered.
*Did I overthink it?*
Karen waved to Ashley: "Ashley, could you right now..."
Just then, Lord Augie standing beside him murmured softly:
"...it must be the gaze of despair."
"...pour me a glass of ice water."
Chapter 618