"Drip... drip... drip..."
In his sleep, that familiar dripping sound reached his ears once again. Karen opened his eyes and saw the Scythe of War swaying back and forth before him.
There was no panic, no fear, not even disgust or aversion. Karen's gaze softened gradually from calm, as if greeting an old friend.
Then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The dripping sound slowly faded away.
Having experienced some things enough times, one naturally grew accustomed to them.
When he woke, dusk was already approaching. He had slept for a shorter time than expected, but the quality of sleep was very good. Sitting up, Karen turned to look at the cigarettes and the ashtray prepared by his uncle on the nightstand. He suddenly felt that if he didn't smoke one here and make a bit of a mess, he would somehow let down his uncle's thoughtful care.
Still, this was Richard's room after all, and Karen personally had no habit of smoking in bedrooms.
Leaving the bed, he walked toward the door. From outside came rustling sounds, like an actor hurriedly making final backstage preparations after hearing the stage manager's call, slightly flustered.
Karen deliberately slowed his pace, waiting until the commotion subsided before opening the bedroom door.
Sitting on a chair with his back to the door, Delon set down the newspaper in his hands, took off his glasses, and turned toward Karen as if he had only just heard the door open. In a very placid voice, he said, "You're awake. Did you sleep well?"
"Very well, Grandfather."
Delon took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. A smile spread across his face, and when he tried to pull it back, he found he couldn't, so he could only keep grinning.
Karen pointed toward the washroom outside and said, "Grandfather, I'll go freshen up, and then I'll keep you company for a chat."
"Good, good, fine."
Once Karen entered the washroom and shut the door, Delon immediately sprang up and waved vigorously toward Madame Tangli in the living room downstairs!
Madame Tangli, who had been sitting below sipping tea, couldn't help rolling her eyes. The old fellow's frantic gestures made him look like a dancing gorilla.
Soon, Madame Tangli came upstairs carrying a set of fresh clothes.
Seeing what his wife brought, Delon immediately said, "Tea, pastries, fruit! Karen's going to chat with me soon."
"Didn't you two talk this morning?" Madame Tangli asked.
"Where would I have found the time this morning!"
All his morning had been spent on expression management.
"I'll have them brought up right away. Anyone who knew would think you're chatting with your grandson; anyone who didn't would think you were requesting an audience with the High Priest."
"Seeing the High Priest wouldn't make me this excited."
"Heh, look at you brag."
Madame Tangli walked to the washroom door, knocked, and called out, "Karen, dear, are you taking a shower? I've set fresh clothes here, along with a clean bath towel. Just open the door and take them."
"All right, Grandmother."
Setting down the items, Madame Tangli swayed her hands lightly as she walked downstairs in an exceptionally good mood.
How to describe this feeling?
She and her husband were like a pair of solitary old folks whose cold, empty home had suddenly gained emotional warmth and purpose.
Though such a thought was unfair to the other children, Madame Tangli didn't care about that. Her own happiness mattered most, and she never liked burdening herself with moral guilt.
***
Standing under the showerhead, Karen let the warm water wash gently over his body. He had to admit that at this moment, he once again felt the warmth of family.
His grandmother bringing clothes over earlier had instantly reminded Karen of Aunt Mary, who would also prepare clean clothes before family members took a bath.
So he truly was fortunate. Waking up in one life, he could live in the Inmeles family, and now, waking up from another sleep, he was in the Guman family.
Turning off the shower, Karen took a towel and began drying himself while looking at his reflection in the mirror.
Delon was currently the bishop in charge of various formation departments in this region. Acknowledging him practically meant, in an indirect way, having one's hand on the region's entire formation system.
This was a technical position, and the nature of technical positions was that they rarely stood out or had an overt presence during ordinary times, yet when something truly went wrong, the impact was monumental.
Under extreme circumstances, he now possessed the ability to paralyze and seal off the entire Yorktown Region.
The reason Karen previously felt there was no need to acknowledge Delon was that he would not scheme against family and friends for profit. But conversely, he would not hypocritically ignore the support that family and friends could bring him.
Combined with Sus's trust and Bern's recognition, his influence in Yorktown Region could be said to cover all bases.
Aside from someone exceptional like Philomena, the rest of his core team had basically attained higher positions. Before long, he could rely on them to secure a more precise and potent subordinate force.
Once the Dark Moon warriors arrived, if all went smoothly, he would also have a mobile force independent of the church hierarchy.
Although the time for Rasma to condense a godhead fragment was drawing closer, his own pace was just as swift.
Winter had arrived again. When he first came to Wien, winter hadn't fully passed. In less than a single year, who else could climb to such a position within an Order-governed region?
Where would he be a year from now?
"I ought to thank you, Rasma," Karen said, looking at himself in the mirror with a smile. "It was you who gave me motivation."
His grandmother had prepared casual clothes for him. As for the priestly robes he had worn before, Grandmother would wash them, have her husband repair the embedded formations inside, and then have Xili bring them back to his residence.
Karen stepped out of the washroom and returned to the bedroom.
Delon was sitting beside the study desk, where tea and pastries were laid out.
Karen walked in, and before Delon could reach for the teapot, he took the initiative to pour the tea.
"Your grandmother reminded me that there are some questions I shouldn't ask, but I don't really know what's proper and what isn't. Just answer however you feel comfortable, all right?"
"All right, Grandfather."
"Before you came to Wien, did you have a good life?"
"Very good. My family ran a funeral parlor, and business was good. My uncle, aunt, and auntie took great care of me, and we got along very warmly and harmoniously."
Delon nodded in gratification, then asked, "And him? I mean your grandfather."
Karen fell silent for a moment.
Delon raised his head slightly and asked, "Is that... uncomfortable to answer?"
"My grandfather was the best person in the world to me."
Though praising his other grandfather like this in front of his maternal grandfather might seem a bit tactless and inconsiderate of Delon's feelings, Karen could cast aside all decorum when it came to how his grandfather had treated him.
Diss was the person who had treated him best in this world.
Delon didn't look displeased in the slightest. Instead, he smiled. "Who would have thought he could be a kind, loving grandfather too. Heh."
He had assumed Diss would remain cold and aloof to the very end.
Delon patted his own forehead and mocked himself. *What on earth was I thinking? He's human too. Once he had family he needed to protect, he naturally grew kind.*
Then Delon suddenly found that he had nothing left to ask. He had clearly drafted a very detailed mental outline earlier, yet now it was as if he had forgotten it all.
The setting sun filtered through the window, falling squarely onto his grandson seated diagonally opposite him. Looking at Karen, Delon couldn't help searching his face for traces of his daughter.
Probably every elder, when a child of the younger generation was born, played the game of "this looks like father" and "that looks like mother."
Karen didn't force small talk to fill the silence. Seeing the glistening light in Delon's eyes and his slightly moist rims, Karen sat there quietly, letting time flow by.
And so, grandfather and grandson sat together for half an hour.
Delon finally broke away from his earlier reverie. After a dry cough, he felt he should say something or ask another question. Forcing himself to speak, what came out was actually:
"Karen, do you need point coupons?"
"Uh... no, I don't."
"Oh..."
The old man sounded somewhat disappointed. He realized that the methods he used on his grandson Richard didn't work at all on this grandson.
Fortunately, at that moment, the old man's wristwatch chimed, signaling that someone had entered the perimeter of the residence.
From below came Grandmother's shout:
"Come down! Dinner's ready!"
Karen and Delon walked down. In the foyer, Inquisitor Dake had arrived with his wife and daughter. He had gone back to the Inquisitorial Office in the afternoon, but given Karen's understanding of that office's work, Dake probably didn't have urgent business—he just hadn't wanted to linger in this house.
Karen went down to greet them. After all, they were his aunt and cousin, though Grandmother's big surprise had been shared only with Delon; the others wouldn't be told.
Then Madame Kaixi returned as well, picked up by Richard.
The last to return was Philomena. As soon as she got back, she stepped into the kitchen and began reporting to Madame Tangli the fruit shop's revenue from that afternoon.
When she finished, Madame Tangli pointed at the serving trays. "Carry these up. Oh, and these chopsticks."
Philomena began serving the dishes.
Dinner wasn't lavish; what was brought out first were mostly cold dishes, with a birthday cake set right in the center of the dining table.
As for the staple... it was noodles, specifically the plain noodle soup Karen liked.
"Your maid told me," Madame Tangli said. "You told her that one should eat noodles on their birthday."
Karen recalled that night when he had made a late-night snack by himself; upon learning it was Xili's birthday, he had cooked her a bowl as well, explaining that eating noodles on a birthday symbolized longevity.
It seemed Grandmother had obtained far more than just recipes from Xili. Unbeknownst to herself, Xili had become an informant planted at his side by Grandmother, reporting on her grandson's daily habits.
There was no lighting or blowing out of candles, nor making wishes. After all, practically this entire family consisted of Order priests, and in Order dogma and culture, believers rarely prayed to the God of Order for good health, career success, or family bliss.
That was perhaps the biggest difference between the God of Order and other deities, as well as between Order believers and other followers.
The prayers of other religions were often: "O God, seeing how devout I am to you, I pray that you grant me..."
Whereas an Order believer's prayer was often: "Look at me, God, I'm about to go maintain Order!"
They ate and shared cake, the atmosphere harmonious and cheerful.
Then everyone took turns wishing Delon a happy birthday, except Philomena, who just sat there eating, devouring bowl after bowl until she reached her fifth.
After finishing her fifth bowl, Richard looked at her. She set her chopsticks across the bowl and nudged it toward Richard.
Richard immediately picked up the bowl and chopsticks and headed to the kitchen to fetch more noodles.
Madame Kaixi looked on with helpless resignation, Madame Tangli raised an eyebrow, and only Delon smiled.
Mainly, Richard had grown used to running errands and getting meals for Philomena back at the office. Even after becoming office director, when mealtime arrived, Richard would make a point to step out of his office and call Philomena to go eat together.
As for Philomena herself... she genuinely lacked any concept of polite formality. It was as if whatever happened, as long as she grew used to it, was entirely natural. She simply lacked that social antenna.
However, she soon noticed Karen's gaze on her. She looked up, only to see Karen shift his gaze toward Delon.
Whenever facing Karen, that missing antenna seemed to instantly reconnect.
Philomena stood up, looked at Delon, and spoke: "Happy birthday."
A dry, stiff congratulation, but it fulfilled the task. Karen had genuinely worried that if Philomena improvised, she might say something like: "May you die later."
"Good, good, thank you. Thank you, my lovely little Felsher."
After dinner, everyone sat around the table out of habit and chatted for a while.
When the time was about right, Karen stood up to take his leave. Dake's family also prepared to depart, and everyone began saying their goodbyes in the garden.
Just then, a black crow flew over. Richard instinctively moved to catch it for Karen, but hesitated and withdrew his hand when he realized the crow was heading toward Dake.
Dake caught the crow and scanned the message.
Richard asked, "Uncle, something came up?"
Dake nodded. "A breakthrough in a case in my jurisdiction. We found the aberrant demon's trail and are ready to reel in the net."
Dake then turned to his wife. "Darling, take our daughter home first."
"Be careful."
"Mm, it's just catching a sly aberrant demon. What danger could there be?"
His wife was a Jurist, but she had her own department and duties; she couldn't help her husband with everything, especially since an Inquisitor's work was mostly dull and tedious.
Karen glanced at the used Ponce parked outside, which Richard had driven back and forth in earlier.
"Mr. Dake, let Richard drive you there. My car has been modified; it's faster."
"How could I trouble you? It's just a minor task—how could I bother Section Chief Karen to come along?"
*Huh?*
*I meant you guys take the car to catch the demon, and I'd take a cab back to the dormitory. I never said I was going with you.*
Yet since Dake had already framed it that way, in front of his grandparents, Karen felt embarrassed to refuse, though he knew Dake had no intention of coercing or guilt-tripping him.
Well, whatever. He had slept in the afternoon anyway; going back to the dormitory would just mean sleeping again. He might as well go for a ride.
"Richard, drive. Let's go."
"All right!"
Richard immediately hopped in and started the car, while opening the front passenger door and beckoning to Dake.
Dake jogged over, opened the rear door first, and only took the passenger seat after Karen got in.
He was deliberately trying to foster a good relationship with Karen, even flattering him. As the son-in-law of a bishop, such behavior might seem somewhat laughable to outsiders.
Yet Karen knew that this uncle-in-law would rather leverage his connection and ask him for help than turn to his own father-in-law.
Even though Dake didn't know that it essentially made no difference.
Once Richard pulled onto the road, Dake became much chattier, recounting the details of the arrest mission almost like reporting to a superior.
Karen could only offer polite responses; he couldn't summon much interest or attention.
After all, he had recently witnessed the magnificent spectacle of the Order Knights laying siege to the dragon settlement. Right now, it was genuinely hard for him to feel excited about catching an aberrant demon whose hobby was seducing vagrants to drain their vitality.
Moreover, according to Dake, when the bodies of the drained vagrants were found, they all wore satisfied smiles—they had truly died in ecstasy.
Dake had worked hard for this. After all, winter had set in; no one knew how many vagrants and drunks froze to death in Yorktown every night, yet Dake had managed to uncover traces of an aberrant demon among the corpses.
This reflected from another angle that although his uncle-in-law wasn't exceptionally capable or adept at office politics, he was undoubtedly diligent and conscientious in his duties.
Richard drove the car to the entrance of an alleyway, home to a vagrant encampment. Every evening, many vagrants came here to claim sleeping spots guarded by lice. Every morning, patrolmen would come by, tapping them one by one with batons, then contacting the sanitation department to dispose of corpses that had died in the night to prevent disease.
Dake opened the car door and stepped out. Richard looked back at Karen in the rear seat. "Should I go help?"
"Mm," Karen nodded.
Richard immediately got out and ran into the alley after him.
Karen remained in the car. Reaching out, he opened the miniature built-in refrigerator and took out ice cubes and water.
The mini-fridge didn't run on electricity; it was lined with inscribed cooling formation runes, quite luxurious—otherwise, how could it showcase sophistication?
In fact, after Neo's modifications, this second-hand Ponce sedan didn't even run on fuel anymore; it was powered by energy stones.
About ten minutes passed. Just as Karen finished his first glass of ice water, he turned his head toward the window and saw a woman dressed like a streetwalker walking briskly toward the car.
Attire like that made it plain that anyone could approach and ask her rates.
However, women like her usually appeared around hotels and bustling commercial districts, rarely in a place like this where people couldn't afford her services.
Heavily made up, the woman kept looking back over her shoulder as she walked. When she reached the side of the car, she pulled open the rear door and slipped inside. With a flick of her hand, she scattered a dusting of shimmering powder that adhered to the surroundings, forming an ordinary concealment boundary.
She intended to use the car as cover to escape pursuit.
Then, turning sideways, she sprawled directly across Karen's lap, licked her lips at him, and cast a seductive gleam in her eyes—a very low-level mental hypnosis.
"My, I didn't expect you to be so handsome. Don't worry, once big sister gives those guys the slip, I'll reward you properly and let you experience what real pleasure as a man feels like."
Immediately after, she turned her body, noticed the mini-fridge, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Didn't expect this beat-up jalopy to have a built-in fridge!"
She reached out, opened the fridge door, and went to grab the bottle of red wine inside. But the moment her hand entered, she sensed something amiss—the fridge wasn't cooled mechanically; its inner walls were pulsing with formation runes!
Just as she was seized by shock, the owner of the lap she was lying on—the handsome youth she assumed she had controlled with charm magic—spoke:
"The wine glasses are in the back."
Chapter 670