Here They Come!

Karen sat on the sofa in Eunice's living room. A cup of black tea and delicate pastries were set before him, and Eunice sat diagonally across from him, quite close. Today, she wore a long dress patterned with blue plum blossoms, her hair draping naturally over her shoulders, exuding a soft, effortless grace. Recalling how she had worn a black gown the first time they met, Karen could tell she was deliberately choosing her outfits for each meeting according to the closeness of their relationship. Her style was becoming increasingly natural and relaxed. "You're dressed so formally today. When Mother saw you arrive, she went back to her room to change," Eunice said, giggling behind her hand. It was, in effect, an inquiry. "Today was the memorial day of an elder of mine, so I attended his memorial rite. Afterward, I couldn't be bothered to go home and change before coming straight to your place." Karen meant that coming here in such formal attire was itself an act of casual familiarity. Just then, Madam Jenny walked out, having actually put on a formal gown. "Karen, we have already booked the boat tickets." "Thank you for your trouble, Madam," Karen said, rising to express his gratitude. "No need to be so polite—it's only right. The family back home also knows you're coming as a guest, so they're already making preparations." "Thank you and your family for your generous hospitality. However, there is one thing—I may need a few more tickets, as I have several friends who will be traveling to Wien with me." "That won't be a problem. There are plenty of tickets. I booked an entire third-floor deck salon, which has ten rooms in all, more than enough to accommodate everyone. Er... it should be enough, right?" "It will be plenty, Madam. Just two servants, a cat, and a dog." "Oh, Karen, you truly are a kindhearted boy. I've always told Eunice that people who love pets have good hearts, don't they?" Karen smiled and humored her. It wasn't that he loved pets. That cat was her family's ancestor, and that dog was an evil god freshly sealed inside it. He wondered whether Madam Jenny would still say, *Oh, you're so kind,* if she knew the true identities of those two pets. Karen didn't inquire much about the Allen family, nor did he ask about details such as where he would be living in the future. Though Madam Jenny tried several times to explain them to show her family's thoughtfulness and care, Karen's lack of enthusiastic engagement made it awkward for her to bring it up. For Karen, going to Wien was his main objective. As for whether he could live comfortably or stay long with the Allen family, he had no deep obsession with it. He wasn't someone whose family had fallen on hard times and had no other recourse, clinging to a marriage contract to demand its fulfillment from the Allen family. He refused to swallow that sort of grievance. And of course, Diss would never allow his grandson to swallow such a grievance either; otherwise, he wouldn't have made so many advance preparations. Most importantly, Karen was no rootless duckweed. He was a man with a home of his own. When he took his leave, Madam Jenny remained inside, and Eunice walked Karen to the courtyard gate. Karen opened his arms, and Eunice leaned slightly forward. With a natural rhythm and tacit understanding, they embraced. Mm, Eunice's hair carried a faint scent of lavender. Karen couldn't resist drawing in a slightly deeper breath, brushing his nose against the curve of her neck as well. "That tickles..." "Heh." "I'll come pick you up tomorrow." "Mm, I'll be waiting." Karen got into his car. Eunice stood in the courtyard, watching him drive away. What she didn't know was that after driving off, Karen soon pulled up outside another man's home. Piaget had never been in the habit of locking his front door, so Karen pushed it open and walked right in. The living room was a mess, littered with leftover food and stained plates that no one had cleared away. Piaget lay sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep and snoring. Pillowed beneath his head was a thick stack of lubi, visibly around forty to fifty thousand. He wore a suit jacket on top and riding breeches below, his hair a disheveled tangle. It was clear he was utterly exhausted. His excitement when calling Karen that morning had merely been an abnormal state born of sheer exhaustion, his physical and mental reserves drained long ago. Karen quietly bagged all the trash, gathered the dirty dishes and utensils, carried them to the kitchen sink, and turned on the tap. Then he picked up a broom to sweep the living room, following up with a mop. Piaget slept soundly throughout, noticing nothing at all. Karen returned to the kitchen to wash the plates and silverware. Only when setting them aside did he notice a pot of coffee sitting next to the stove. He reached out and touched it; it was still warm. Karen poured himself a cup and took a sip. His expression immediately froze. "Huh?" Somewhat puzzled and surprised, Karen poked his head out of the kitchen, looked at Piaget still asleep on the sofa, and then looked back at the coffee in his hand. After finishing the cup, Karen found paper and pen and left a short note for Piaget: *"I couldn't bring myself to wake you while you were sleeping so soundly, so I cleaned up your pigsty while I was at it. Perhaps you should consider hiring a couple of maids to look after your daily life."* After a moment's hesitation, Karen added one more line at the bottom: *"Thank you for the coffee you prepared for me. It was delicious."* *** The following day, afternoon. "Auntie, you really didn't need to prepare such a lavish spread," Karen said, leaning against the wall outside the kitchen as he watched his aunt and Aunt Winnie bustling within. Today, his privileges as the household's "master chef" had been revoked. Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had insisted on handling dinner themselves. "It's Miss Eunice's birthday—how could we not prepare properly?" Aunt Mary replied. "Still, it shouldn't be on a grander scale than your own birthday, Auntie. She's a junior." Hearing this, Aunt Mary reached out, tapped Karen on the nose, and smiled. "Why would elders compare themselves with juniors? Naturally, we should give the best to the young ones." In truth, on her birthday not long ago, the toast and blessing from Diss had already been the finest gift she could have received. Diss was the person she revered most; in the Inmerlais family, he was a spiritual pillar. "Karen, instead of standing around here, why don't you go change into your clothes and bring Miss Eunice over?" "All right, Auntie, I'll follow your orders." Karen went upstairs to his bedroom. While choosing his clothes, his eyes caught two cards tucked into the crevice of his desk—the ones Lunt had given him last time. One was Moonlight Purification, which could dispel any negative magical effects. The other was Shadow Guardian, which summoned a black silhouette to accompany and protect him. Karen put the two cards away, slipping them inside the pages of *Light of Order*. Changing into casual attire, Karen walked downstairs holding two keys. In the end, between the family hearse and Alfred's Santland, Karen chose the hearse. Things had already progressed this far; there was no need to rely on some eccentric method to catch a girl's eye. He simply felt that he wouldn't have many opportunities left to drive or ride in a hearse in the future, so he wanted to experience it a bit more while he still could. And so, twenty minutes later, Karen arrived in the hearse outside Eunice's house. Under Madam Jenny's wide, staring eyes, he helped Eunice into the vehicle. This time, Madam Jenny chose not to come along. On the drive back, Karen apologized, "I'm sorry for driving this car." "It's fine. I know this car carries your attachment to home. You drove it here because you don't treat me as an outsider." "Thank you." *** When they arrived back home, Karen noticed another car parked out front—Piaget's car. Leading Eunice by the hand into the living room, Karen saw Piaget sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a coffin catalog, while Uncle Mason sat beside him, making recommendations. "Karen, you're back," Uncle Mason said upon seeing him. "Mr. Adams has been waiting for you for quite a while." "Hey, Karen!" Piaget greeted Karen warmly, then pointed to the catalog. "Mr. Mason, please order this Elegant, Reserved, Composed, Wise, Sagacious, and Calm Gentle Breeze Coffin for me." "Are you serious, Mr. Adams?" Uncle Mason was dumbfounded. Even though those top two models had always occupied the most prominent position on the brochure's cover, they served purely as decorative showpieces to elevate the catalog's tone. In truth, they were nearly impossible to sell—practically inconceivable, even. "Yes, I want this one. I must trouble you to have someone deliver it straight to my house, however." "Certainly, certainly. I have discounts here, let me calculate it for you..." "Go ahead and calculate. Just tell me the final total when you're done, and I'll send you a check." "Of course, Mr. Adams. So, do you plan to use this coffin for..." "Oh, I intend to use it for afternoon naps. I feel sleeping on the sofa at home really isn't nearly as comfortable." "Er... understood." Piaget walked over to Karen, his gaze landing on Eunice. "Congratulations, young lady. You have chosen an exceptionally fine partner. I am certain that in your future life, you will feel grateful and wise time and again for the choice you've made today." Eunice smiled demurely. "I will." Piaget looked back at Karen, stepped forward on his own initiative, and gave him a hug, clapping Karen firmly on the back. "I'm terribly sorry. Yesterday after I got back, I fell straight asleep." "I understand. Don't worry about it." "Right, are you having a party today?" "It's Eunice's birthday." "Oh, wonderful." Piaget adjusted his tie, then pointed to himself with both hands. "So, am I..." Karen said nothing. Piaget blinked once, then blinked again. Karen still said nothing. Eunice spoke up: "Mr. Adams, would I have the honor of inviting you to attend my birthday party?" "Oh, of course, of course! I would be honored!" With that, Piaget rolled his eyes at Karen. "This is my uncle, Mason," Karen made the formal introduction to Eunice. "I'm so sorry, Miss Eunice. Last time you and your mother visited us, we happened to be out having fun. My sincerest apologies." "Please don't worry, you're being far too formal." "I'll take you to meet my aunt and Aunt Winnie." Karen led Eunice upstairs by the hand. When they reached the second floor, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had already taken off their aprons, wiped their hands, and stood waiting with warm smiles. "This is Aunt Mary." "Hello, Auntie." "Hello, dear." "This is Aunt Winnie." "Hello, Aunt Winnie." "Hello." Aunt Mary hurried to say, "Dinner is almost ready; we can begin the feast shortly." "Thank you for all your hard work, Auntie, Aunt Winnie." "It's nothing, purely our pleasure!" Perhaps due to his unique circumstances, Karen didn't feel it, nor did Eunice act this way when she was teaching. But when facing social gatherings, she naturally carried the habits instilled from attending formal functions in her family. It wasn't that she was being intentionally distant; she had simply been raised this way, and on top of that, she was feeling rather nervous. After all, Purr had once sneered at the Allen family for having fallen so low as to accompany royal old ladies for afternoon tea. Even so, that aristocratic etiquette bred in her bones still caused Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie to feel an instinctive tension and restraint. In Aunt Mary's eyes, this Miss Eunice possessed an aura far more formidable than any starlet she had ever encountered. Karen said to Eunice, "Let's head up first." "All right." "Yes, go on up, Mina and the others are upstairs!" Aunt Mary said hastily. Karen brought Eunice to the third floor, where Mina, Lunt, and Chris were already waiting. Since they were on winter break, they didn't have to go to school. When Eunice came up, Mina stepped forward first. "Hello, elder sister!" Lunt also stepped forward. "Hello, Teacher!" Chris stepped forward. "Hello, elder sister!" "Karen, I left the gifts I prepared in the car. I brought presents for everyone—my mother helped me pick them out," Eunice said. "It's fine, let Lunt go down and fetch them." Karen felt his pockets—*wait, did I leave the hearse keys downstairs too?* Just then, a golden retriever came trotting up with a keyring in its mouth. It reared up on its hind legs, standing upright with an open mouth. Seeing Karen make no move to take them, it turned, trotted over to Lunt, spat the keys right at his feet, then scampered back, sat down obediently in front of Eunice, and panted with its tongue out. "It really is so well-behaved and smart!" Eunice couldn't resist reaching out to stroke the golden retriever's head. The retriever beamed happily. On the windowsill nearby, the cat's face grew dark and solemn. *Should I push this dog into the sea on our voyage to Wien?* *Or maybe slip some poison into its food tonight?* *Or should I steal Mina's and Chris's underwear and stuff them into its dog bed?* Karen led Eunice to the door of Diss's study. *Knock, knock...* "Enter." Inside the study, Diss sat behind the desk. Today, he wore the sweater Aunt Winnie had knitted for him by hand. "Grandfather," Eunice greeted Diss politely. "Mm. Hello." Karen guided Eunice to sit opposite the desk. Diss looked at Eunice and said, "I give you both my blessing, that you may be happy together always." "Thank you, Grandfather." "I trust my grandson. He is a man of deep responsibility. More precisely, the men of our Inmerlais family all possess a strong sense of responsibility toward family. He is someone worthy of your trust." "I believe so as well, Grandfather." "I hope you will always think so." A gentle smile touched the corners of Diss's lips. "And I hope you will always be willing to rest your head upon his shoulder." Diss picked up his teacup and said, "Very well, that is all I have to say. Send my regards to your grandfather and father. Tell them Diss Inmerlais will always remember them." "Yes, Grandfather, I will convey your words. My grandfather and father have always treasured their friendship with the Inmerlais family." Karen led Eunice out of the study. The moment the door clicked shut, the smile on Diss's lips vanished. "In truth, even if you've forgotten, it doesn't matter much." *** The dinner began. Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had prepared a table full of Chinese dishes learned from Karen. It had to be said, their cooking had become quite convincing. The focus of the gathering was, of course, celebrating Eunice's birthday. Once Eunice blew out the candles on the cake, cheers broke out. Afterward, the atmosphere grew even livelier. Once Diss left the table, Alfred began tuning the radio to various tunes, and everyone began dancing and mingling with abandon. What no one noticed was Diss standing at the top of the third-floor stairs, listening to the commotion below for a very long time. *** When the music drew to a close and the guests were about to disperse, Karen came up to the third floor. He saw Purr curled up on the windowsill, gazing out at the night sky with a forlorn expression. Karen reached out and stroked Purr's back. A cat was fleshiest and furriest in that spot, making it the most satisfying to pet. Purr didn't move, letting Karen stroke him. "Aren't you supposed to take Eunice home?" "I asked her to wait a bit." "What's there to wait for?" "Because there's still someone who hasn't had any birthday cake yet." Karen set a small, intact cake before Purr. A single candle was planted on top. Karen flicked his lighter to ignite the wick and softly hummed, "*Happy birthday to you...*" Staring at the birthday cake before him and hearing the birthday song beside his ears, a thick mist instantly welled up in Purr's amber cat eyes. "Thank you, my evil-god-who-is-not-an-evil-god." *** The previous night, everyone in the house had celebrated very late, and no one had managed to clear the mess in the dining room and kitchen before going to bed. In the morning, Diss came downstairs dressed in his priestly vestments. By the first-floor entrance, he saw Karen fast asleep on the sofa he had dragged over. Diss walked over and nudged Karen awake. Karen opened his eyes and sat up. "You slept here all night?" "Yes. After seeing Miss Eunice home, I was too exhausted to climb the stairs, so I fell asleep right here." "Don't sleep here; you'll catch a chill." "All right, Grandfather, I understand." "Once the noon bell strikes twelve, go to my study and read some books." "All right, I understand." "Mm. Then I'm off to the church. The congregation should already be waiting." Diss opened the living room door and stepped out. Karen rose, stood by the doorway, and called out, "Grandfather, remember what you promised me?" Diss stopped, turned around, and looked at Karen. "From the looks of yesterday, your aunt and Aunt Winnie's cooking still has quite a way to go before matching yours. "So, I will return to call you out of the study to make dinner. "Most importantly, how could a grandfather have the nerve to break a promise to his grandson?" *** *Clang... clang... clang...* The church bells chimed, accompanied simultaneously by the wall clock on the third floor of the Inmerlais house. "May the merciful Lord be with you. Praise the Supreme Lord." "Praise the Supreme Lord." "Praise the Supreme Lord." The worshippers offered prayers following Father Diss's movements, then filed out of the church in orderly fashion, concluding today's service. Diss stood on the dais, packing away his things. And at that moment, as the congregation exited, a large contingent of clergy in black vestments began entering from all directions; on the perimeter, a group of clergy in red vestments stood atop the upper floors of surrounding buildings, spreading their arms as the rhythm of a magic formation began to ripple and fall into harmony. Those were merely the visible positions; in unseen places, there were far more. Rasma ascended the stone steps, entered the church, and walked into the center. He was a High Priest of the Church of Order, wielding immense authority in the secular hierarchy of the faith. Behind Rasma, three figures materialized as well. Rasma spread his arms, and behind him, the three Temple Elders crossed their arms over their chests. Outside, the assembly of black-robed clergy, the red-robed clergy on distant high rises, and those concealed throughout the shadows, the streets, and countless unimaginable locations— every single one crossed their arms over their chests. Rasma chanted, "Praise Order." "Praise Order." "Praise Order." Praise for Order reverberated above Rojia City, as if even the somewhat somber sky had grown noticeably clearer at this moment. Diss continued methodically organizing the items on the table, then walked out from behind it, standing directly in the center before the dais. He crossed his arms over his chest in identical fashion, and spoke: "Praise the God of Order, raised by a whore."