"Right away, Section Chief."
Ashley went to pour ice water for Karen, while Karen stepped into the private box.
Behind them, Kevin looked up at Purr. With one paw resting in the scruff of Kevin's neck, Purr gave him a gentle nudge forward.
Catching the hint, Kevin walked into the box as well.
Their earlier hesitation had come from weighing whether they should slip away first. After all, with their current combat strength, staying here wouldn't help Karen in the slightest and would more likely make them a burden to him.
As for that idiotic mindset of "if you won't leave, I won't leave either—we leave together or not at all," it naturally had no place in the minds of a grand adventurer and an evil god.
Yet on second thought, that skeleton had already materialized out of thin air, and he controlled the theater's internal arrays. Without Karen's protection, could the two of them actually make it out of this theater?
If they failed to escape and were captured as hostages to threaten Karen instead, that really would be dropping a dead rat into the bean paste jar.
Therefore, the optimal choice was still to come inside.
Karen took the ice water Ashley handed him and took a sip.
Inwardly, he was astonished: *I truly didn't expect this dragon to be in league with that skeleton.*
Although Lord Augie had always acted somewhat dimwitted before him, especially today with her bizarre behavior, her attempt that night to use Rasma to break her own seal had made it clear to Karen that this dragon was certainly no fool.
Was this why that skeleton dared to let him come back in? Even Augie, the strongest combat asset on Karen's side, belonged to his faction—leaving Karen with little room to maneuver.
It had to be said, the skeleton had won.
With his original bodyguard turning out to be an inside collaborator, Karen could hardly even try to "sound the alarm."
And what irritated him even more was... after realizing he had lost the initiative, Karen actually found himself hoping that the other party would keep his word: Karen would just stand here as a spectator, and in the end, the skeleton would deliver the bone dragon to him.
Karen pressed the glass of ice water against his forehead. The chill snapped him back to his senses, and he told himself:
*Don't be naive. Don't be foolish.*
Slightly turning his head, Karen looked at Lord Augie once more. Lord Augie was looking back at him, her gaze laced with contemplation.
Immediately after, Lord Augie took a few steps forward and positioned herself between Karen and Miss Daina.
*Is she worried I'll slip away with Daina?*
*I already told you, in my heart she isn't nearly as important as Ashley. Why won't any of you believe me?*
Karen had already deduced Miss Daina's identity. To have the frost dragon by the Whip-Wielder's side serve as her escort and bodyguard, and despite her dreadful temper, she showed an uncharacteristic solemnity whenever speaking from the perspective of their church—her foster father's identity was practically staring him in the face.
However, Karen intentionally refrained from pointing it out. Exposing it would only invite trouble upon himself.
By now, down on the circular stage, the first batch of warrior-class monster beasts had been allocated, and up stepped a... bloodthirsty aberrant demon.
His attire, as well as the booklet provided earlier, clearly identified his background.
There were several independent families among bloodthirsty aberrant demons, possessing considerable strength and even negotiating cooperations with the Church of Order—such as the family of Neo's ex-wife, Elisa. However, some branches of bloodthirsty aberrant demons had been incorporated into the structures of other churches.
The Crypt Church had long maintained a small clan of bloodthirsty aberrant demons within its ranks. Although they did not belong to the seven main lineages, the Crypt Church's organizational structure was relatively loose, making it all the easier for such minor factions and small clans to thrive.
According to the description, this bloodthirsty aberrant demon not only possessed immense physical regenerative abilities, but also wielded spiritual attacks, and he even embraced faith in the God of White Bones, one of the seven main lineages.
In short, he was rare and had high potential.
This was evident from the enthusiastic bidding below. Not only the priests from the Church of Order who had not yet chosen partners, but even members of other churches who had remained silent earlier began indicating their interest.
The previous warrior-class monster beasts had basically been claimed one-on-one, mostly by people on Order's side without much internal competition. After all, their caliber was ordinary; a white lizardman and a minotaur were essentially the same.
Now that fine goods were served... no, stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere spiked instantly, putting an end to the pleasant vibe of sipping afternoon tea in the sun.
Next, this bloodthirsty aberrant demon had the right to make his own choice.
Yet he still failed to catch Karen's eye, mainly because Neo—a bloodthirsty aberrant demon himself—was always bouncing around in front of him, creating far too stark a comparison.
Neo's bloodline rank was far superior, and while this demon possessed faith in the God of White Bones... Neo possessed faith in the God of Light and what he believed was his continuing faith in the God of Order. Before those two, the God of White Bones didn't even have the right to stand.
If Karen really brought home an even lower-end version of "Neo," that fellow would laugh himself to death.
"Can bloodthirsty aberrant demons have church faiths too?" Daina asked, puzzled.
Lord Augie replied, "They can."
"Doesn't that clash with their ancestral faith system?"
"Although both involve bloodline inheritance, an ancestral faith system regards the ancestors as godlike totems, whereas bloodthirsty aberrant demons rely more heavily on bloodline rank and purity.
"Miss may think of it like this: in an ancestral faith system, a single drop can serve as a spark to trace back and worship the ancestors. But aberrant demons like bloodthirsty aberrant demons are constantly striving to turn that drop into a cup, a basin, a river, or even... an ocean.
"Ancestral faith and church faith can hardly coexist, but bloodline inheritance can be integrated into a church faith. For a church faith, this can even be viewed as an enrichment."
Lying on the sofa behind them, Purr rolled her eyes, thinking, *The guy standing right next to you could shatter all those theories into pieces.*
What Augie said was correct, but nothing in this world was absolute. For instance, those with extraordinary encounters or true geniuses often broke objective rules.
Such "correctness" was built on the summaries of predecessors, overlooking the factor of genius simply because it had little bearing on the vast majority of people—which was indeed true.
Below, the bloodthirsty aberrant demon entered his selection phase. A total of six people expressed interest in him, three of whom were from the Church of Order.
"The process is moving so slowly." Daina scratched her hair, lit another cigarette, and handed the pack to Karen.
Karen took it, drew one out, and handed the pack back.
If it were Neo, he probably would have kept the pack in his hand and offered one back instead.
Just then, Karen noticed a group entering through the theater's entrance. Leading them was a middle-aged man dressed in magnificent purple robes, exuding immense presence. Behind him followed a squad of dragonkin guards.
The distinguishing features of dragonkin were horn-like protrusions on their foreheads and patches of dragon scales across their skin; among dragon subspecies, their status ranked in the first tier.
When this middle-aged man stepped inside, the Crypt Church personnel below all knelt reverently in salute, and the priests of the various churches seated in the auditorium downstairs bowed under their respective delegation leaders.
The middle-aged man went from one church's section to the next, greeting them one by one. He behaved with great ease and generosity, clearly accustomed to such diplomatic encounters.
"Who is he?" Daina asked the question Karen was wondering.
Lord Augie replied, "The Crypt Church's Dragon Guard Commander—Layinao Peyton Amans."
"Dragon Guard Commander? What kind of post is that?"
Every church had its own hierarchy of positions, and the Crypt Church was even more complex, possessing seven branches.
"He oversees the armed forces of the Crypt Church's dragon lineage."
"Oh, that's quite high up. Equivalent to our church's Knight Commander?"
Karen corrected her, "No, much higher than our church's Knight Commander. Our church maintains a firm grip on the knight order, which indirectly lowers the Knight Commander's relative status. The Crypt Church is loosely organized, and the seven main lineages enjoy a high degree of autonomy, making him equivalent to a warlord with immense power."
Lord Augie had a strange expression, as Karen's explanation was a bit overly blunt.
Daina nodded. "Oh, so that's how it is."
Karen added, "Besides, shouldn't he also be related to our Lord Augie?"
Augie looked at Karen in confusion. "How do you know my surname?"
"Perhaps out of my curiosity and admiration toward dragons, so I paid closer attention."
The truth was that on that day, he had carried her into the temple for an examination. He had glanced at the medical forms held by Mavaglio and the others, and in the name column, he had seen Lord Augie's surname... Amans.
"Really, Sister Augie?"
Lord Augie nodded and replied, "He is my father."
"Huh?" Miss Daina immediately pressed, "Then why don't I see you excited at all, Sister Augie?"
Karen sighed inwardly. *This delinquent girl truly knows nothing about interpersonal relations.*
"I am his youngest daughter. When I was very young, I was sent to the Church of Order, and there has been virtually no contact between us. The few times I saw him in my life were when I accompanied the Whip-Wielder to diplomatic functions involving other churches."
"So that's how it is. Still, it's pretty nice—at least your father is still around. I really envy you."
Karen thought: *Perhaps she envies you even more.*
*Also, since you're so good with words, please keep talking. It's not like this dragon dares to swat you to death.*
Lord Augie looked down at Miss Daina standing beside her, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
The little girl before her, whose father had died but had grown up pampered by his former superiors and colleagues, envied her for having a living biological father;
Yet her own biological father had personally "sold" her to the Church of Order back then.
"Is Sister Augie's father a frost dragon too?"
"No, he has the thunder attribute. My mother was a frost dragon, and I inherited my mother's attribute."
"Oh, I see. But dragons with the thunder attribute must be very rare, right?"
"Yes, which is why his status is so high. It is said... he intends to vie for the position of leader of the Crypt Church's dragon lineage in the next generation."
"Then won't Sister Augie become a princess?"
"I am a hostage."
"Still, I feel that the higher Sister Augie's father climbs, the greater the chance that Sister Augie will gain her freedom."
Karen couldn't help letting out a soft sigh. *The reality is likely the exact opposite of what you think.*
Having finished his round of visits below, Lord Layinao led his retinue up to the next floor. He would likely arrive here shortly.
After all, on this second floor, only these two boxes were occupied... well, since the wall had been broken through, it was now just one.
So, could this matter be reported to Layinao?
No.
Not for the moment. That skeleton had said he held many identities, and for Layinao to make a special point of coming here at this time to greet these juniors seemed far too deliberate and unusual.
Karen had already made the mistake of "calling the cops on the criminal" once; there was no need to repeat it so soon.
More importantly, ever since Karen returned, Lord Augie's attention had never left him. She had been staring at him the entire time!
Sure enough, before long, a knock came at the door.
Miss Daina, knowing what was about to happen, smoothed her clothes and called out, "Enter."
The door opened, and surprisingly, it was that serpent maid again. Composed as ever, she said, "My lords, Commander Layinao wishes to see you."
"Please show him in," Miss Daina said.
"Yes, miss."
The serpent maid withdrew, and a moment later, Layinao stepped inside.
Unlike those who had entered earlier and focused solely on Karen, his attention fell entirely upon Miss Daina the moment he walked in. Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to one knee before her:
"Noble young lady, please forgive me for failing to pay my respects immediately. When I received word of your arrival, I was at an outer-realm encampment and only just rushed back to the main city."
"Please rise. You are far too courteous."
Miss Daina stepped forward and made a gesture of helping Layinao up. Layinao rose smoothly, then looked toward Karen without speaking first.
"This is Section Chief Karen of our church's Whip of Order," Daina introduced.
"Praise the Crypt God. I have long heard of Section Chief Karen's deeds. To be able to meet you here today is truly a great fortune."
"Praise Order. The pleasure is mine."
Logically speaking, Daina held no post in the Church of Order; in formal official settings, she should have ranked at the very back, even behind Ashley.
Yet Layinao performed such a grand salute to Daina and treated her with excessive "respect"—a gesture clearly meant for Miss Daina's foster father, the High Priest.
Considering that years ago, Layinao had "handed over" his daughter to Foden, who was serving alongside Norton—at a time when Norton was not yet High Priest and Foden was not yet the Whip-Wielder—it proved that Layinao had aligned himself with Norton's faction very early on.
Now that he was preparing to vie for the leadership of the Crypt Church's dragon lineage, he naturally needed the support of the suzerain church's High Priest even more.
After greeting Karen in a formal manner, this commander completely ignored his own biological daughter, Augie, and continued speaking to Miss Daina: "In truth, I was the one who reported news of this bone dragon to the Church. I knew you lacked a playmate, so I felt this bone dragon was worthy of being your companion."
Lying beside them, Kevin lolled his tongue. Commander Layinao was brown-nosing so hard that even a literal bootlicking dog couldn't bear to watch.
Karen found it somewhat comical. To advance his own career, this thunder dragon hadn't stopped at giving away his daughter; he now wanted to give away another dragon to the next generation.
Karen could understand Inquisitor Pavaro's steadfast devotion and sacrifice—that was noble and great. But the man before him was clearly not acting for the revitalization of his race; he simply lusted for power.
With his grandfather and Grandpa Hoffen having set the standard before him, Karen truly looked down on people like this.
While he and Neo were also scheming their way upward, they would never do so at the cost of sacrificing their own family.
"Oh, really? Thank you, Uncle Layinao. I will definitely convey your concern to my father."
There was not the slightest trace of insolence on Miss Daina's face. On the contrary, she appeared impeccably well-mannered, understanding the other party's motive and even offering a promise in return.
So she wasn't completely brainless, nor was she ignorant of social graces. It was just that deep down, like Foden, she simply didn't consider Augie a person.
Thus, one should never dismiss hurtful words, neglect, or indifference from supposed friends as mere thoughtless, harmless slips of the tongue; more often than not, it was simply because they never cared about you in the first place.
"Miss Daina, there are some matters I would like to report to you in private. I wonder if you could accompany me next door for a moment... oh, no, to another box."
"Of course, Uncle Layinao."
Hearing this, Augie stepped forward and said, "I am responsible for Miss Daina's safety. I must accompany her."
Layinao looked at Augie and said, "Augie, you stay here."
He did recognize his daughter.
"No. I must accompany her."
Karen immediately grew wary. *You insist on going with them?*
"Sister Augie, stay here for now. I'll just speak with Uncle Layinao for a bit and come right back."
"What about Karen?" Augie asked.
*Huh? What does this have to do with me?*
"Huh?" Miss Daina blinked. "Section Chief Karen will stay here as well, of course, hehe."
"All right. Please return quickly, Miss."
"I know, don't worry, Sister Augie. Uncle Layinao is right beside me, isn't he?"
"Mm, fine."
Lord Augie agreed, and then her gaze locked onto Karen.
*Wait, why are you staring at me?*
"Miss Daina, this way please."
"Right away, Uncle Layinao."
As Miss Daina and Layinao walked out of the box, Karen reached out and picked up the glass of water that Ashley had just refreshed with ice cubes. The icy coldness against his skin suddenly brought a thought to mind.
That skeleton said he wanted to assassinate someone. Could it be Layinao?
Why hadn't he thought of this possibility before? Was it because he had framed Layinao as an adult thunder dragon and taken it for granted that such an entity couldn't possibly be assassinated?
Yet what if events unfolded in the most improbable way imaginable?
Cold sweat broke out on Karen's forehead instantly. He instinctively stepped forward to rush out after them, but in a flash, Lord Augie blocked his path.
"You cannot go out," she said.
"Why?"
"You know why."
Suddenly, Karen looked up, staring at Lord Augie, who stood much taller than him, and asked:
"Did he say the exact same thing to you?"
"What?"
Karen poked his own chest and asked:
"In your eyes, what am I?"
"You know full well in your own heart!"
Karen laughed and asked, "Let me ask you: in your eyes, am I the inside man?"
Puzzlement flickered in Lord Augie's eyes as she countered:
"Aren't you?"
Chapter 619