Madame Tangli peeled an orange as she listened to Philomena's account, popping segment after segment into her own mouth without offering a single piece to the young girl.
Old Delon looked at Philomena and saw his wife in her younger years. Madame Tangli would never admit the girl resembled her, but that didn't stop her from disliking "herself."
Most people in this world would shudder at the thought of living under the same roof with someone just like themselves.
Having heard the whole story, Madame Tangli nodded. "Going by that, it makes sense that you got tossed aside this time."
Philomena closed her eyes.
Madame Tangli continued, "Let's keep up our walks from now on. I'll tell you about a few things from when I was young."
If the walks before had been purely about teaching combat techniques, then by the sound of this, she was about to start passing down her experience.
At those words, Philomena opened her eyes. Clearly, she was tempted.
She didn't like Madame Tangli, just as Madame Tangli didn't like her.
Yet that didn't stop her from wanting to learn from Madame Tangli, nor did it stop Madame Tangli from wanting to teach her.
"To put it bluntly, you've simply seen too little of the world. But that's not your fault—blame your grandmother for keeping you cooped up at home all this time. I'll tell you about the opponents I've faced in the past; consider it a trip down memory lane for my own youth."
With that, Madame Tangli stood up. Just then, Old Delon returned, having finished arranging the ward transfer.
Madame Tangli decided to keep certain matters hidden from her husband. Though he had changed quite a bit recently—especially in how he treated his family—he had, after all, only just been promoted to Bishop. Right now, he was moved to tears of gratitude toward the Church of Order and ready to sacrifice everything for it. Best not to add to his mental burden.
"Finished talking?" Delon asked softly.
"What, is our Lord Bishop planning to deliver some concluding remarks?"
"Heh heh." Delon chuckled and said to Philomena in the hospital bed, "Rest well and take care of your injuries."
With that, he and his wife walked out of the room.
Once they were in the car, Madame Tangli asked, "Is Karen at home?"
"I was on the phone with the Whip of Order office just now. Richard told me Karen is at the headquarters building. Want to go see him?"
"No need. We'll call him home for dinner in a couple of days. It wouldn't be proper to look for him where he works."
"Richard said Karen's injured."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"You didn't ask earlier..."
"Oho, you really are different now, aren't you? Promoted to Bishop, slipped into a red robe, and now you dare talk back to me?"
"N-no, I didn't."
"Sigh. Just as I thought—men are all no good. Once they have what they want, they don't cherish it. Now that you've climbed up, you look down on the woman who weathered the hard times with you."
Delon: "..."
"Hurry up and drive to the Whip of Order headquarters! Don't you know how your bishopric came to be? Don't you know how the man who sat in that seat before got sacked?"
"He embezzled construction funds..."
"Was he the only one?" Madame Tangli rolled her eyes at her husband. "Don't you have any idea who they were clearing that seat for?"
Delon quickly started the car, though he retorted with a touch of stubbornness, "Positions in the Church... how can you make them sound like buying vegetables at the market..."
"Shut up!"
...
"Phew..."
Blanche painstakingly peeled away the last piece of charred skin, then focused her treatment on the affected area.
Once it was all done, she wiped away her sweat.
"Thank you for your hard work." Karen sat up from the bed.
"Minister, please take care not to get it wet for the next few days, and avoid vigorous exercise, or it might leave scars."
Karen looked down at the tender, raw-pink new skin across his body. He smiled, nodded, and picked up a clean clerical robe to put on.
"Head back and get some rest, Blanche."
"Yes, Minister."
Blanche packed up her tools, took her medical case, and left the office. She was somewhat exhausted and truly needed to meditate.
After she left, Karen walked into the washroom. Facing the mirror, he spread his hands. Water droplets flew continuously from his palms, landing on the areas of his body untouched by wounds to wash himself.
Yet this kind of washing lacked soul; it didn't give him the relaxation of a proper shower, serving only to convince himself he was clean.
Returning to his desk, Karen sat down and pressed the call bell. Moments later, Vic stepped inside.
"Minister, Mr. Alfred called just now. He said he accompanied Ashley and took the little bone dragon to the research institute."
"Understood. In that case, draft a mission plan first. A delegation from the Church of the Desert will soon arrive in our region for a secret meeting with our senior leadership. The venue should be the Ankara Hotel, with security set to medium-high."
"Yes, Minister. I'll bring it for your review once it's done."
"One more thing. Head to the church hospital tonight and meet with the Minister of Reconnaissance. He has an assignment for you."
"Understood. I'll pack up and head over shortly. I won't let it interfere with my duties."
"All right, go ahead."
"Yes, Minister."
Neo intended to have Vic take charge of the Light remnant organization. Currently, the group had three team leaders: Bertha, Vernon, and Helen. Recently, they were likely reaching out to other Light remnants. Considering that the Yorktown Region was an old stronghold of Order, several crackdowns had left few Light remnants in this territory, so their numbers were probably quite thin.
But now, the time to put them to use had come. If senior leadership decided to seek revenge and strike against the Church of the Desert, having them killed while they were on your turf required that their deaths have no direct connection to you.
That was when the convenient Light remnant organization came into play. They would take the blame, while simultaneously making a name for themselves—much like a terrorist organization claiming responsibility for an attack. Once their notoriety spread, it would be much easier to recruit more members.
Thus, before this plan was set in motion, Vic needed to go take control of the organization.
Karen rubbed the bridge of his nose. He wanted to return to the dormitory to rest, but the thought of Purr having gone along to the research institute—and the dog at home likely following along as well—made an empty house seem dreary to return to.
He had just poured himself a glass of ice water and picked up the newspaper, ready to settle into a busy and productive work rhythm, when Richard knocked and entered, followed by his grandmother and the old man.
"Karen, you're hurt?"
"It's nothing serious..."
Under Madame Tangli's stern gaze, Karen had no choice but to retreat to the lounge and let his grandmother personally inspect his treated injuries.
By the time he finally saw his grandmother and the others off, night had fallen. Karen then received a call from Ashley, the gist of which was that the treatments, examinations, and formulating a cultivation plan would take quite some time—at least a month.
The main hurdle was the healing. The blame lay on Karen getting the little bone dragon heavily injured right after returning. If the injuries didn't heal, the specific examinations wouldn't be accurate, and the cultivation plan couldn't be perfected.
Purr and Kevin would stay at the research institute to keep Kangna company for the month.
Hanging up the receiver, Karen walked over to the window and pushed it open, letting the cold outside wind sweep in. For a moment, he actually felt a sense of déjà vu, like an empty-nester left all alone.
That train of thought didn't linger long, however, as Richard soon delivered a formal visiting request to Karen's desk.
The signature read: Salayina.
Child of God of the Moon God Church, inside whose body was sealed a "piece" of Ankara.
"Why is she still in Yorktown? Hasn't she returned to the Moon God Church?" Karen asked.
Richard pondered for a moment and promptly replied:
"She is currently the Moon God Church's diplomatic priest stationed with the Church of Order. Because the war between the Moon God Church and the Church of Samsara wrapped up recently, she's practically been running back and forth between our region and the Dinge Region.
"Even though the war between the two churches has officially been declared over and a peace treaty signed, she still retains her title as diplomatic priest and continues networking here.
"Word has it she's laying groundwork to climb the ranks later as a Child of God, hoping to win support from our Order."
Karen looked at Richard with mild surprise. "How do you know all this?"
"Ah... there isn't much work day-to-day, so I just sit there reading newspapers and official dispatches. I read everything, so... I found out."
"Tell me, if I put you in charge of gathering intelligence on current affairs, how would you go about it?"
Richard thought about it and answered, "First gather recent movements of people connected to you, then gather movements of people who might become connected to you in the future."
Karen nodded. "Go tell Alfred it's my instruction to set up an office for you, dedicated specifically to collecting intelligence on current affairs."
"Really?"
"Really."
"I get to be an office director too?"
"Yeah."
"Um, Karen, not to sound crazy or ungrateful, but are you specifically promoting me out of favoritism?"
"No. I was promoted too fast, leaving too many vacancies below. There are more positions than living bodies."
"Oh, good, that puts my mind at ease! Hahaha!"
Richard burst out laughing, looking like a fool who had just come of age.
Karen hadn't lied to console him; it was the literal truth.
First of all, the headquarters building had only just been revived. Back in Bernie's time, the underlying framework had only been populated along Neo and Karen's primary line. Though Bernie had later intended to add other personnel and cultivate other confidants, following the failure in the previous power struggle, many of those people had been purged.
Thus, the place had already been running on a bare-bones setup, and after undergoing a massive purge, there were truly countless vacancies from top to bottom.
The "parachuted faction" represented by Sus was already filling holes, but the positions beneath Karen's and Neo's two departments were strictly the private domain of the "local faction."
That much political tacit understanding existed. Sus had never even considered inserting his own people here; his sole focus now was getting along well with Karen.
Consequently, the members of Karen's original operational squad could practically each have their own office director position...
It truly had a feeling of "when one ascends to godhood, all their followers branch out."
"Show her up, Director Richard."
"Yes, Minister."
Karen returned to his seat, opened two folders and laid them across the desk, and uncapped a fountain pen, keeping it close at hand.
He wasn't doing this to conceal the fact that he was slacking off at work; rather, a formal visit from her was bound to have an objective, and most likely involved negotiations. Naturally, he needed to set the right atmosphere.
Before long, the door was pushed open. Richard escorted Salayina inside.
Her manservant, Science, attempted to enter behind her, but Richard reached out an arm to block him.
Karen had a deep impression of Science. His true form was likely an insect, and back on the plaza of the undersea tomb, Karen and the others had destroyed one of his clone avatars.
Science was deeply dissatisfied by Richard's blockage. Just as he was about to barge his chest against Richard's arm, Richard merely stared at him coldly and said:
"Dare to flout the rules here? Just try it."
Science hesitated for a moment before taking half a step back. Richard walked out and shut the door.
In truth, while Richard was frequently beaten by his father at home and maintained a mild-mannered, nice-guy persona in the squad, on the outside he was also a young master of the Guman family—a tough character who had dared to beat Vicolai bloody in a pastry shop.
Moreover, this was the Whip of Order headquarters. If he cowered here, that would truly defy all reason.
Salayina always carried an air of graceful gentleness, but Karen knew all too well that this flower-eating woman was by no means easy to deal with.
"What would the Child of God like to drink? Tea or coffee?"
By rights, Karen ought to have stood to receive her given her noble status, but he did no such thing.
"Tea, please. Thank you."
Karen pointed to a cabinet. "Make yourself at home. The tea leaves are over there; you can brew it yourself."
"Hehe. Minister Karen's hospitality is truly quite novel."
Salayina walked over and began brewing the tea herself. Her movements were graceful, exhibiting an aesthetic elegance.
"Care for some as well, Minister Karen?" she asked.
"No, I don't like tea." Karen picked up the ice water on his desk and took a sip.
"I originally thought my visit this time would carry the atmosphere of an old friend, but I distinctly sense that you are quite averse to interacting with me, Minister Karen. Would you mind telling me why?"
"Status reasons. The Whip of Order generally doesn't initiate contact with outsiders, and your status is anything but ordinary. In fact, your proactive visit here today already bends the rules.
"Perhaps from now on, I won't be able to personally take part in missions involving the Moon God Church or its enemies. That would be a huge loss—no, many huge losses."
"You're already tallying accounts with me? Have we truly grown so distant?"
"I think only two people on truly good terms can settle accounts so calmly."
"Hehe. My apologies for intruding on you. In fact, before coming, I also considered whether a visit out in the open might cause trouble for your work, but then I thought, if we met in private and were discovered, the trouble would likely be even greater."
"Indeed, that's true."
"Furthermore, I brought a gift with me this time, stored in a safe-deposit box at the Black Market Bank. The inventory and the key are right here." Salayina placed a gift list on the coffee table.
Karen was in no rush to get up and examine the gift list. Generally, gifts where the giver didn't rush to state their business nor state the exact amount were of unmistakable value.
"Is there something you need, Child of God? What I mean is, we can be straightforward."
"Oh, certainly. I have a request. Under a certain agreement between our churches, my church is to dispatch exchange students to your church for study. You should understand such matters."
"Yes, I understand."
This was a way for the Church of Order to expand its influence: bringing promising young people from other faiths over for exchange and study, using that exposure to exert influence on them. Once those youths returned home and gradually rose through the ranks, they would sway their church's attitude and leaning toward Order.
This was an open scheme. During the war between Samsara and the Moon God Church, quite a few such treaties had been signed. Moreover, the candidates were handpicked by Order, which meant they invariably chose youths with prestigious backgrounds or outstanding talent to "nurture" for three years.
As for believers of external faiths who had neither ability nor family background, even if they wept and clamored all day long expressing their yearning for Order, desperate to convert and relocate to the Church of Order...
Order wouldn't give them a second glance. After all, the Church of Order wasn't in the habit of collecting trash.
"I would like to place a group of exchange students under you, Minister Karen."
Karen blinked. What a coincidence—it was the exact same choice Dark Moon Island had made, only Ophelia had arrived far earlier.
Besides, his ties to Dark Moon Island ran far too deep, unlike his relation with the Moon God Church.
Not to mention he had once sworn an oath before the dharma body of the Goddess of the Dark Moon to avenge her, and that oath hadn't even been sworn in the name of the God of Order.
Now it seemed several factions favored his current immovable "local faction" advantage, as it at least guaranteed the continuity of his "policies."
Salayina's desire to make this arrangement was likely paving the way for her own future as well; she wanted to place and win over a cohort of promising youths from her church in advance.
"This isn't something I can decide on my own. I need to consult with our Regional Chief, and also with the Head Bishop."
"That is precisely what I came to request. If you agree, please rest assured: all relevant arrangements, including all expenditures required for this group, will be covered by me."
"Then please await my word, Child of God."
"Very well."
Without taking a single sip of tea, Salayina rose to take her leave. Karen didn't see her out either. Instead, he picked up the gift list and walked straight to the Regional Chief's office.
Perhaps accustomed to barging into Neo's office without knocking, Karen didn't knock before pushing open the Regional Chief's door either. The secretary at the door didn't dare stop him. As soon as Karen stepped in, he saw Sus arranging folders and uncapping a fountain pen.
"Er, *cough*, the Moon God Church's Child of God came to see you?"
A public visit like this couldn't be kept secret from anyone.
"Yes, Regional Chief."
Karen placed the gift list before Sus.
Sus opened the list, glanced over it, and arched his brows. "Whoa, she's really willing to shell out. What is she asking for?"
"Just like Dark Moon Island, she wants to use our place as a temporary dormitory."
"But Dark Moon Island is an affiliate of our church, while the Moon God Church is not. This matter could be rather sensitive."
"Which is why I've come to report to you."
"Mm. And what are your thoughts? What I want to know is, is your relationship with that Child of God the same as your relationship with Her Highness the Dark Moon Princess?"
"It's not."
"Oh, then that's easy to handle. I'll draft a memorandum and run it through the formal channels above.
"As for this gift list, I'll write you a certificate, and you'll turn it in.
"Then it will enter our headquarters' financial system and be converted into allowances. How about a fifty-fifty split? Your and Neo's departments can take half of the allowance subsidy. That way, the vouchers are laundered clean."
"Naturally, no problem."
"Is there anything else?"
"She promised that once the people arrive, she will regularly cover their expenses."
"And those expenses will certainly pass through our hands?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Siphon it all off and use it to fund your Dark Moon warriors."
"This..."
"Dark Moon Island is our own dog. Spending these vouchers on them means even if higher-ups investigate someday, we'll be in the clear. But spending them on people from the Moon God Church would make it hard to explain ourselves and leave potential trouble down the road."
"Your handling is very wise."
"Mm, let's do it that way. Oh, right, Karen, do you know anyone in Samsara or other churches?"
"You mean...?"
Sus slapped the desk excitedly and laughed with a curse:
"What a fucking fantastic foreign-exchange-earning project this is!"
Chapter 650