From the very beginning, Alfred had known that earning a place on the mural was neither a matter of seniority nor a dinner party.
Thus, ever since he began following Karen, Alfred had never slacked in his pace of learning.
He had finished reading and memorizing Mr. Hoffen's complete set of notes even earlier than Karen had, and before Karen formally began studying arrays, Alfred was already an entry-level array master.
Though the Young Master had subsequently caught up and left him far behind, that wasn't Alfred's fault—after all, his young master's capacity for learning was simply terrifying.
Later, whatever was lacking around the Young Master, he stepped in immediately to fill the gap. At his peak, he held multiple roles at once. He was a man of few personal preferences; satisfying his young master's needs was where he found his greatest sense of self-worth.
As more and more enforcers gathered around the Young Master, and as the Young Master's own personal strength continued to grow, Alfred simply abandoned his role in combat and concentrated fully on administration.
Who wouldn't want to stand in the sun, charging and fighting at the forefront alongside the Young Master?
Yet he willingly retreated step by step into the shadows to work behind the scenes. He felt no resentment, because his young master saw every bit of his dedication.
Nowadays, when the Young Master's direct believers and the coffin dwellers addressed the Young Master, they always used an official title or honorific, and when they addressed Alfred, they also deliberately prefaced his name with "Mister."
This was recognition from within the organization, acknowledging his position as second only to the Young Master.
Alfred did not think Daliwenluo was a hot-tempered fool; on the contrary, he thought the bald fellow was very clever.
The man was deliberately putting on the act of a rash newcomer to test the waters. If successful, he could rapidly rise above his disadvantageous position as a newcomer within this new group; if he failed... there was no real loss, he would merely retreat to his place as a newcomer.
If Neo hadn't arrived, Alfred would have handled his probing challenge through other means. Now that Neo was here, things had become vastly simpler.
Taking a blue gemstone from his pocket, Alfred traced a few circles with it, and a runic starburst appeared before him. This was the control hub of Allen Manor's defensive array. Alfred manipulated the manor's concealment array to expand outward, ensuring the ensuing battle would not be detected by the outside world.
Having finished this, Alfred leaned back against the car door and continued smoking his cigarette.
Next came the entertainment.
When it came to getting things done, Neo had never disappointed anyone—except when trading stocks on leverage.
***
"I have a pretty good idea that you're strong, and that guy probably didn't tell me the whole truth."
Daliwenluo held the wooden club in his right hand and patted his waxed, bald head with his left. He gave off an honest, straightforward impression now, reminiscent of the charm in Kevin's smile.
Neo shrugged and said, "I don't think picking a fight with that manservant is a wise choice for a newcomer. Don't offend him if you plan to stick around Karen."
"Oh, really? I know he holds a high position here, but everything needs an adjustment period. I know he wants to use you to break me in.
"Not that I mind. I enjoy fighting, because the meaning of life lies in exercise."
"I enjoy fighting too, but it has nothing to do with any meaning. I just purely relish the joy of trampling an opponent underfoot and listening to his wails."
Daliwenluo smiled. "I wonder if I'll be able to satisfy you."
"You will. You're a good man."
"Is that so? All right, I hope you are too."
Upon the wooden club in Daliwenluo's hand, tender green sprouts began to sprout, radiating a rich aura of vitality.
Neo pointed at the club. "I like it. It'd make a fine potted plant for a room. Does it need watering?"
"No. It only needs to absorb life force."
"See? Followers of Life are usually the ones who respect life the least."
"Heh."
Daliwenluo's eyes narrowed, and in the next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.
Out in the desert, when Daliwenluo had fought Karen, he had opened the battle with this exact same move.
Relying on his formidable physical constitution and load-bearing resilience, he unleashed terrifying speed and power to seize the initiative right from the start.
Only this time, he wasn't facing Karen—he was facing Neo.
The vast majority of people, when clashing with a stranger for the first time, would instinctively adopt a more conservative approach, especially against someone who lunged in aggressively with everything on the line.
Yet Neo loved this sort of thing.
Seeing his opponent vanish, Neo didn't panic in the slightest; instead, he licked his lips in excitement.
Perhaps because he had seen too much of Karen's "turtle style," encountering someone who liked to charge in recklessly just like him felt oddly endearing.
Daliwenluo materialized right before Neo, his club already swinging downward with a piercing screech that tore through the air.
Neo raised his left arm to block the strike.
The sight gave Daliwenluo a momentary pause. He had merely wanted to stir up trouble and ruffle some feathers, not actually bludgeon Karen's "good friend" to death.
He only wanted to throw a tantrum and fight for status, not start an outright mutiny!
So Daliwenluo instinctively pulled back a fraction of his strength. Even so, the destructive force packed into this blow was astonishingly terrifying.
A burst of blood mist erupted from Neo's raised arm, condensing rapidly like a protective film.
Yet the moment the club struck, that protective film shattered instantly. The club slammed hard into Neo's left arm; the skin on his arm cracked in an instant, covered in a dense web of fissures before tearing open. The flesh beneath was churned into flying pulp, and in the end, not even the bone remained intact—first suffering extensive fractures, then exploding outward in flying bone fragments.
In truth, Neo's entire left arm was blown completely away. Moreover, the momentum of the club had not yet fully dissipated and continued to crash downward.
Yet through this extreme method, right at point-blank range, Neo had used the layers of blood-mist shield, skin, flesh, and bone to stall the blow, earning himself an invaluable sliver of time.
Neo moved. Leaning forward, his body drew flush against Daliwenluo in a flash. His right arm snapped up, his right index finger pressed firmly against the center of Daliwenluo's brow.
A slit opened at the tip of his finger, where a drop of fresh blood condensed.
Daliwenluo felt an overwhelming sense of mortal peril wash over him. He knew all too well what kind of horrifying power was about to erupt from that drop of blood on the fingertip.
It could... bore a hole straight through his forehead.
No matter how strong his physical constitution was or how potent his regenerative abilities were, having a hole blown clean through his skull was an injury beyond imagination!
Those who had died once often feared death even more, and Daliwenluo knew very well that he would not be granted a second chance at resurrection.
In a single exchange, a single clash, life and death had already been decided.
Neo gave a raspy chuckle. With a flick of his fingertip, the beam of bloodlight bursting from the droplet was deflected, piercing straight through the side of Daliwenluo's cheek.
Immediately after, Neo pulled back, voluntarily widening the distance between them.
Daliwenluo stood frozen where he was. He instinctively reached up and touched the hole in his face—no, two holes, entering through one side of his cheek and exiting the other. If one added a staple to hold it together, it looked just like skin stapled by a paper stapler.
A piercing chill swept through his entire body—the numbness that came from brushing past death.
Daliwenluo looked up. This time, his gaze toward Neo was filled with gravity and respect.
The man before him was far too terrifying. Daliwenluo had always considered himself a fierce tiger, but the opponent was an experienced, cunning wolf king.
"I yield."
Daliwenluo conceded straightforwardly. The man had already spared his life.
Neo merely laughed. "What's the rush? That was just the warm-up."
Daliwenluo pointed at Neo's arm. "You still want to keep fighting?"
"Why, can't I?"
"That wouldn't be fair to you."
Daliwenluo rubbed the hole in his cheek with his fingertips, and tender skin began to regrow and cover the wound.
Neo, meanwhile, rolled his shoulder. From the empty stump where his arm had been severed, dense streams of thick and thin blood surged forth, weaving themselves into the shape of an arm. Immediately afterward, white bone began to materialize, followed by the attachment of blood vessels and flesh.
By the time the wound on Daliwenluo's face had barely healed, Neo's entire arm was already completely restored.
Watching from a distance, Alfred thought to himself:
*Has Neo's bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline upgraded again? This regenerative power is even more formidable than before. No, this must be the aftereffect of how he established a new relationship among the multiple personalities in his mind after coming out of the underground cavern.*
*Other bloodthirsty aberrant demons rely on worshipping their ancestors to receive an inheritance of ancestral power; he doesn't. He holds 'ancestral conferences' to forcefully extort power from them.*
*So, it's not just his bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline tier that has increased—his abilities in other areas must have made new strides as well.*
*Of course, it could also be that he has jumped off rooftops too many times recently. After repeatedly smashing himself into paste without dying, perhaps he achieved a new breakthrough?*
Alfred couldn't help lighting another cigarette, sighing inward:
*Only our young master could possibly overshadow Neo's brilliance.*
Neo raised his newly formed arm and called out, "This should do, right?"
"I am no match for you," Daliwenluo said. "I recognize your qualification to be my master's friend."
"Heh, who the fuck needs your recognition?"
"This is a unilateral recognition; it has nothing to do with you."
"As a believer of the Thick Hair Cult, my unilateral decision to discipline a bald head like you has nothing to do with you either."
The moment the words left his mouth, a dazzling light flared across Neo's body. The Armor of Light enveloped him, and a Greatsword of Light materialized in his grip. His aura surged to a truly terrifying level.
"Come on, you bald heretic!"
Like a god of war rising from the earth, Neo swung the Greatsword of Light and smashed it straight down toward Daliwenluo.
Seeing this, Daliwenluo instinctively raised the wooden club in his hands to block.
*Boom!*
Daliwenluo managed to parry the sword strike, but the lower half of his body was driven completely into the turf.
Neo brought down a second strike. *Boom!* Daliwenluo was plunged entirely underground.
*Bang!*
The ground exploded as Daliwenluo broke out of the soil. But the moment he surfaced, Neo slammed the flat of the greatsword across him in a horizontal sweep!
*Smack!*
Daliwenluo was sent flying. Just as he tried to stabilize himself in midair, he suddenly realized that Neo, who had been in front of him, had vanished.
*How can he be so fast?!*
"Right here, sweetheart!"
Neo materialized directly above Daliwenluo, cleaving downward with his sword.
*Boom!*
Daliwenluo was hammered to the earth, cracks already spreading across the wooden club in his hands.
Just as Daliwenluo struggled to get back to his feet, Neo chopped downward again with his right hand, pinning him firmly in place. Simultaneously, Neo opened his left palm, and a miniature Tower of Light emerged. In the next instant, the tower inverted and expanded.
Daliwenluo felt his vision completely engulfed by a sea of radiant light. Accompanied by a deep tremor and rumbling from the depths of his soul, his consciousness grew blurred.
*Hum—*
When everything settled, the surrounding grass had been reduced entirely to scorched earth. Daliwenluo lay right at the center of the blackened ground, charred all over and unable to move a muscle.
Neo dispersed his divine arts, spread his arms wide, and indulged in an exaggerated stretch.
"You do have one redeeming quality, kid—you can take quite a beating."
Alfred walked over, examined the fallen man, and remarked, "Not bad. He isn't dead, though he'll likely be laid up for quite a while."
Neo asked, "Does Karen need to come over and infuse some power back into this fellow?"
Alfred shook his head. "No need for now. He won't die. We can toss him into the stables and let him soak in horse manure to recuperate. After all, horse manure is rich in plant seeds and brimming with fertile nutrients."
"I didn't realize you were so vindictive. But you're right—this is exactly how you handle troublemakers in the ranks."
"I learned it from you, after all."
"Haha! Is Karen resting in the bedroom?"
"Yes, the Young Master is resting."
"I'll go see him. You clean up here."
"Understood."
After Neo left, Alfred took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Daliwenluo's face.
Weakly, Daliwenluo asked, "Are you really going to throw me into the stables?"
"Did you think I was bluffing?" Alfred smiled faintly. "Perhaps you forgot which faith my young master represents. What he dislikes most is someone like you trying to undermine stability within his circle."
"Before being thrown into the stables, should I listen to a story first? No, attend a lecture?"
"Don't worry. I can bring a small stool, sit outside the stable, and lecture to you while you lie in the horse manure.
"Once the others arrive, I'll have them all sit there to join you for a group study-and-discussion session. At most, we'll spray a bit more perfume and everyone can wear masks.
"After all, we can't have you falling behind in your studies. Our motto is: collective progress."
"B-but that's too humiliating. Forgive me just this once. There won't be a next time, all right?"
"No."
"So cruel?"
"Because you don't get a next time."
***
Karen had just put down his book and drifted off to sleep.
With a loud *bang*, the bedroom door was kicked open.
Without even needing to sit up and look, Karen knew who had arrived; in his entire social circle, only one person would barge into his bedroom like that.
"Hey, hey, hey, my grand Regional Chief! Sleeping before the sun's even set?"
Neo sat down at the edge of the bed, picked up the iced water on the nightstand, and gulped it all down.
Karen sat up and asked, "Has the contamination overflowed, or why has your hair turned purple?"
"I just felt like doing some community service, like taking to the streets to organize a Purple-Haired Equal Rights Movement. You know, ever since Mr. Luther died, every newspaper in Wien has been obsessed with reporting his visits to brothels. Hundreds, if not thousands of working girls are itching to publish their passionate memoirs with Mr. Luther."
"Hardly surprising. Once a man's body is destroyed, his moral character is bound to be torn apart."
"Those people are utterly spineless too. After Mr. Luther died, the original equal-rights advocates either gave up in despair or were bought out. The current situation is like a jar of bean paste smashed onto the floor—trampled all over the place."
"So, you actually intend to brew a new batch of bean paste?"
"Why, can't I?"
"Of course you can. You pull that mess back together, and the next time the church wants to run an experiment, they'll just put a bullet in you during a rally instead."
Hearing that, Neo stroked his chin with a grin.
"Then I'm genuinely curious: after I die, what deity will they manage to summon?"
"A purple-haired God of Light?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Both of them burst out laughing.
When their laughter subsided, Neo said, "Congratulations, Lord Regional Chief."
"How did you get the news so fast?"
"News always travels fastest through trading markets. Congratulations—your change in post is already enough to sway the underground economy of Yorktown."
"Really?"
"Really. They're terrified you'll crack down on black-market smuggling once you take office."
"That actually gives me an idea. Once I take office, I'll need to set up a new department, which means burning through a lot of coupons. Help me crack down on the black market."
"Are you trying to tempt me?"
"I don't think anyone is better suited for the job than you."
"True enough, and I am tempted. Those bastards refused to lend me money, so I'll just go raid their joints. Then again, the black market in every region has the backing of various church factions."
"Out in the desert, I harvested the heads of the younger generation from all the major churches. This little dispute is nothing compared to that."
"There are interests tied to high-ranking figures within our own church as well."
"I just spent half an hour in the Whip-Wielder's office. Go ahead and do as you please; no one dares cross the Whip-Wielder over petty profits like that right now."
Neo pulled out a cigarette, bit down on it, and looked at Karen with a chuckle.
"Oh, heavens. The reserve kid I dragged into the Whip of Order squad back then talks so tough now, haha."
Karen reached out and pulled the cigarette from Neo's mouth. "No smoking in the bedroom."
"Fine, fine. You're the big official, have it your way."
"What's with your clothes?" Karen pointed at Neo's torn sleeve. "Are you supposed to be an equal-rights leader for purple-haired folk, or an underground counterculture rapper from a dive bar?"
"Ran into your manservant on the way in. He asked me to beat some sense into the coffin fellow you brought back. The newcomer was getting a bit full of himself."
"He hasn't been broken in yet. It's only natural."
"Well, I've pretty much broken him in for you."
"Thanks for the trouble."
Karen wouldn't blame Alfred for disciplining a newcomer. Back in the carriage, he had explicitly told Daliwenluo: Alfred was the person he trusted most.
When parents discipline a child, a wise grandfather doesn't chime in just to assert his presence.
"Still, you lead quite the leisurely life. The date of Rasma's return is drawing closer and closer, yet you still find time to read and take afternoon naps."
"People are born destined to die one day anyway. Why bother eating and sleeping?"
"Fair point. You win."
Karen asked, "Had your fill of fooling around?"
"Listen to you. How could anyone ever have their fill of having fun?"
"Lost enough money yet?"
"I'm pretty much cleaned out, yeah."
"I need help right now. Come back and guide me in getting things done."
"Just clearing out the black market? That kid Ventura could handle that. He's the type who'd rip a leg off an ant just for walking past him."
"Help me train troops. In a while, we'll answer the call and take them to the desert battlefield for trial by fire."
Neo's eyes lit up instantly.
Karen continued, "Why do you always get bored so easily, sinking into a vortex of despair where life feels meaningless? Is it possible that the things you used to play with simply weren't high-level enough?"
Neo swallowed hard.
Karen went on, "Slashing and killing on your own, stirring up trouble—no matter how big you make it, it's ultimately just that. It can't compare to leading a legion onto an actual battlefield. Out in the desert, there are rebels waiting for you to crush them, and enemies designated by Order waiting for you to hunt down without restraint."
Neo took a deep breath.
Karen: "The battlefield is the freest, least constrained environment in existence. Ethics and morality can be legitimately tossed aside. That is the true paradise of indulgence."
Neo: "Karen, you really know how to give a psychological massage."
"How does it sound?"
"Mr. Luther should have picked you to dye your hair, not me."
"Is it possible Mr. Luther picked me from the very start, except he couldn't beat the hunger addiction?"
"Ah, well."
"One word: are you in or not?"
Neo pulled out another cigarette, clamped it between his teeth, and said, "Let me smoke one cigarette in here, and I'll agree."
Karen reached out and plucked the cigarette from Neo's mouth once more, shaking his head. "Out of the question."
"Heh. Just you wait. When I'm out leading the legion, getting me to obey your orders will be out of the question too."
"That doesn't matter. Aside from smoking in my bedroom, you can do whatever you like."
Outside the bedroom door, Alfred, who had come to report on the situation, stood quietly without interrupting. Instead, he took out his little notebook and wrote:
*The Great Existence bestowed his greatest trust upon me, and at the same time, granted his highest tolerance to the Light.*
Chapter 749