"Order, I am returning soon?"
Karen tossed the internal newsletter onto his desk. A thick stack of confidential files was already piled there—not just from within the Church of Order, but from other churches as well.
Using the backdrop of the desert conflict and leveraging Karen’s achievements in claiming heads there as a stepping stone, Foden had successfully secured authority over intelligence operations regarding the desert from the Holy See.
This was an opening wedge. The Whip-Wielder would never content himself with a single desert; his ultimate goal was to mold the Whip of Order into an intelligence and reconnaissance organ spanning the entire church circle.
Restoring the Whip of Order to the internal status it enjoyed at its peak was only the first step. What he wanted was to surpass it.
In fact, external intelligence gathering by the Whip of Order had never stopped; it had simply been conducted in shadows before. Now that the veil had been drawn back, they could pursue it openly and mobilize far more internal church resources to serve their aims.
As such, given Karen’s current standing within the Whip of Order, he was fully entitled to sit in his office and partake in the fruits of the entire system’s intelligence network.
Karen picked up the iced water in front of him, took a sip, and asked, "What do you think?"
Also sitting in the office were Alfred, Leon, and Vic.
These two young men, Leon and Vic, looked as though they were being dipped into ink every single day; even their bearing was growing increasingly somber, austere, and profound.
A proper platform truly mattered to a person’s development. On the right stage, their growth was like broiler chickens pumped with hormones in a poultry farm—maturing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Karen knew in his heart, however, that he was no different. The person he was now was a far cry from who he had been back in Ruilan or when he had first arrived in Wien.
Leon was the first to speak. "Synthesizing the reports from various quarters, the credibility is extremely high. At present, it appears to be a clear divine miracle from the Church of Samsara, heralding the imminent return of the God of Samsara."
Vic retrieved a small vial of essential oil from his pocket, dabbed a bit under his nose, inhaled, and picked up the thread:
"It is certainly genuine. Given the current state of the Church of Samsara, even if they wanted to boost internal morale and strengthen cohesion, they wouldn't resort to this method. Doing so would only invite hostility and isolation from the entire church circle, or even bring about irreversible consequences.
"Our church's recent movements were interpreted by the outside world as the return of our Lord, which indirectly drove the church circle into an alliance to confront us in the desert.
"It was only because our church possesses immense power and deep foundations that no other church was willing to be the first turtle to stick its neck out, leading to this tacit standoff through proxies.
"Otherwise, an all-out war might have erupted already. The other orthodox churches would have joined hands to wipe us out before our Lord descended.
"Therefore, this disturbance in Samsara must be genuine."
Karen nodded. "The very first thing the Church of Samsara did after the phenomenon was to keep a completely low profile. They made no public announcements. Furthermore, they immediately dispatched a special envoy to the Dinge Region, seeking an audience with our high brass."
Leon remarked, "Seeking warmth by huddling together? Yet I don't see what good that could do."
Alfred shook his head with a faint smile. "There is great significance in it. We cannot merely look at the broad strokes; sometimes we must dig deep into the specifics. Take this matter: I suspect the Church of Samsara’s primary objective in hastily dispatching an envoy to us wasn't necessarily to form an alliance or huddle together. After all, the voice that echoed over Samsara Valley said: Order, I am returning soon.
"Even if purely to interpret the divine words uttered by their own chief deity, Samsara has no choice but to seek our church's aid."
Leon asked, "Then Mr. Alfred, how do you think that sentence should be interpreted?"
Alfred answered, "It hinges largely on punctuation, combined with intonation."
Having once been a radio host, Alfred had an exceptional ear for vocal nuance. He continued:
"For instance, it could be:
"'Order, am I returning soon?'
"Or it could be:
"'Order, I too am returning soon.'
"It could even be:
"'Oh Order, I’m returning soon, yay!'"
That last variation made both Leon and Vic bow their heads instinctively, biting their lips to stifle their laughter.
"Heh heh heh," Karen chuckled.
Only then did Leon and Vic let go and laugh aloud.
Alfred looked toward his young master. "Young Master, this subordinate has studied the intelligence in detail and pieced together numerous clues. In my personal opinion, the most probable interpretation is:
"'Order, you can bar me no longer. I am returning soon; you cannot stop my advent in the end.'"
Karen lifted his glass again, took a sip, and said, "I agree with your interpretation."
Vic and Leon exchanged a glance and mentally concurred. From their perspective, that line sounded entirely like the God of Samsara shouting at their Regional Chief.
Alfred spoke up. "Vic, Leon, why don't you two attend to your duties for now?"
"Understood, Mr. Alfred."
"Yes, I happen to have a brief meeting to run."
Vic and Leon rose and left the Regional Chief’s office. They felt no grievance over being excluded from the rest of the discussion, fully acknowledging that Alfred held a distinct position within this circle.
Once they were gone, Alfred said, "Young Master, based on the clues we gathered in the past and what the Spear of Eternity told you in the sealed dormitory building at the University of Order, we have every reason to believe that the gods' absence in this era is directly tied to the previous God of Order."
In truth, it was not just those clues. In the dream pool created by the Scythe of War, Karen had heard words from the depths that suspectedly belonged to the God of War, asking Order: Can I return now?
Rielsa had painted the demise of the God of Order, only to be suppressed in person by the God of Order. Yet various signs suggested that in the early days, the relationship between the God of Order and Rielsa had been quite amicable.
Moreover, given the God of Order’s temperament, he seemed above flying into an immediate rage and striking out over a mere painting simply because his dignity had been offended.
Or perhaps the scene of demise painted by Rielsa revealed other clues—clues that could never be made public because they touched upon what the God of Order intended to do in the future.
Between the end of the previous era and the dawn of this one, the historical records of every major church fell into a period of chaos. Then the current era began, and the tales of the gods faded into legend. This proved that something of momentous, far-reaching impact must have occurred at the close of the last era. And as the hegemon of that epoch, how could the God of Order have been uninvolved?
Consider how the God of Order had banished the hunger addiction into the river of time, dumping it onto Karen. It truly felt like unloading one's final burden to go all out on a singular task.
Karen had no subordinate relationship with the previous God of Order, yet when pondering these matters, he could not help but factor himself in as an anchor.
Prophecies of the gods' return had always existed, but genuine signs that the church circle took seriously had only emerged after Karen awakened.
To awaken him, Diss had conducted an excessive divine descent ritual, ushering down the hunger addiction, and Karen along with it.
To allow him room to grow, Diss had detonated a godhead fragment and blasted the temple. That explosion could almost be considered the opening curtain for the return of the gods—at least in the eyes of the church circle.
Back then, even Ophelia of Dark Moon Island had mentioned it to him in an elevator. That meant from that very moment, the prophecy had begun stepping into reality.
"Alfred, I've had a persistent feeling..."
Alfred waited quietly for his young master to continue, offering no rush.
Karen paused in silence for a moment before saying, "In the past, we habitually treated the 'return of the gods' as a timeline. We were racing against time, trying to do more and prepare more before that timeline arrived so we could face that unpredictable new era of rules.
"Yet now, I find this perception increasingly flawed..."
Karen paused again.
Alfred prompted softly, "Young Master, you mean...?"
Karen pursed his lips, looked at Alfred, pointed a finger at his own face, and asked:
"Is it possible that I myself... am the timeline?"
Alfred: "..."
"I don't know why, but the feeling has grown stronger lately. Do you think it sounds ridiculous?"
"No, not at all. On the contrary, this subordinate believes your intuition is very likely correct. The God of Order banished the hunger addiction into the future, you took it upon yourself, and you embarked upon the path of Order. Logically speaking, the stronger you grow, the more the God of Order is weakened...
"Therefore, if the God of Order truly dammed time and barred the gods in the previous era, then as his power steadily wanes, it is only natural that the gods would breach his blockade and gradually return."
"Alfred, there is a contradiction here, something I cannot make sense of: recently, my strength and realm have remained stagnant at the God's Servant stage for quite some time. Yet the God of Samsara was still able to manifest a divine miracle.
"Does that mean that even without my existence, the God of Order's barrier was already constantly weakening? Perhaps he was never meant to sustain a permanent blockade to begin with."
Even Karen was unwilling to bear the mantle of this "original sin."
After all, if one followed that line of logic, his own advancement was essentially digging away at the foundation of Order, eroding its dam.
And Karen believed that the gods should not return. The world ought not to be manipulated by gods any longer. He also endorsed the rules established by the Church of Order today.
"Young Master..." Alfred hesitated before continuing, "This subordinate can offer an explanation for that. Your realm may not have advanced recently, but..."
"But what?"
"Your position, power, influence, and the resources at your command have grown by leaps and bounds."
Karen crossed his hands and closed his eyes.
The office fell silent for a time.
Alfred rose, walked to the desk, and said softly, "Young Master, we cannot be certain our conjecture is true. It may very well just be our..."
"I'm fine." Karen opened his eyes and shook his head. "Were you about to comfort me?"
"This subordinate feared you might be distressed over this."
"No, I won't be." Karen reached out and traced the cover of the *Light of Order*, a volume found on nearly every Order priest’s desk. "The more one sees through to the essence of things, the fewer unnecessary worries one carries."
"Young Master..."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I won't let this speculation slow my stride forward. Even if this logic holds true, there are only two paths before me.
"Either I do nothing, leave the Church of Order right now, and go live an ordinary life where no one knows me, praying that the previous God of Order's barrier remains forever steadfast, never to be corroded or broken.
"Or I simply do what needs to be done and climb as high as I can. What if the day of the gods' return truly arrives? At worst, I'll follow my predecessor's example and lock them back in their cages."
"Wise as always, Young Master."
Just then, a knock came at the office door. Vic opened it and reported:
"Regional Chief, an invitation to a high-level communication conference has arrived from headquarters in the Dinge Region. It is to be hosted by the Whip-Wielder."
...
"Let's hold a meeting."
A multitude of files was also arranged before the Whip-Wielder, mostly centered on the miracle in Samsara Valley. This was currently the paramount affair across the entire church circle, directly impacting its political landscape.
However, the documents on the Whip-Wielder's desk were far richer and more detailed than those on Karen's, even including observation reports directly from the Temple of Order.
"Yes, Whip-Wielder."
Miguel understood that the "meeting" the Whip-Wielder spoke of was entirely different from the department's recent annual gathering. Rank was not the sole criterion, though naturally, anyone permitted to attend held a significant post within the system—and without exception, all were the Whip-Wielder's trusted confidants.
With the High Priest's ascension, the Whip-Wielder had formally taken the reins of the Whip of Order. Just as the High Priest consolidated authority in the Holy See, the Whip-Wielder had been accelerating his grip over the Whip of Order. Yet just as the High Priest needed tacit consensus and support from other factions, the Whip-Wielder could not simply replace all the veterans in the department; managing such a sprawling system was never that crude or simple.
Still, a true inner circle existed: the core cadres who had backed him earliest and those he had promoted himself. Their presence was the linchpin of his control.
Much like Foden himself—looking upward, he belonged to the High Priest’s inner circle. It was precisely because there was a cadre of department heads like him that the High Priest could command the Holy See.
Now, Foden needed to gather them for an internal analysis session to solicit their views on the matter.
Miguel asked, "Whip-Wielder, should we bring in Regional Chief Karen of the Yorktown Region to attend this meeting?"
Foden's pen stopped. He waited for an explanation.
Miguel immediately continued, "Because Regional Chief Karen previously entered the Gate of Samsara to undertake a trial, this subordinate thought that regarding matters of the Gate of Samsara, he might possess unique insights."
"Mm."
The Whip-Wielder gave a curt nod of approval.
Attending this meeting was tantamount to dipping a toe into the Whip-Wielder's core faction. Though temporary and granted for a specific reason, after a few more times, the others—including the Whip-Wielder himself—would tacitly accept him as one of their own.
Turning to make the arrangements, Miguel could not help but marvel inward: *How does this Karen have such a colorful history?*
He had not concocted the excuse merely to do Karen a favor; the rationale had occurred to him, and Karen naturally fit the bill.
Thus, even when superiors were willing to sponsor you and pull strings, you had to possess real capability. That way, giving you a boost was not only effortless, but pleasant.
Karen entered the communication array ahead of time. Once activated, his surroundings transformed into a circular conference hall with a large round table at the center. Karen’s seat was located on the outer ring of chairs.
Seating had been predetermined by headquarters; upon connecting to the communication array, participants automatically occupied their designated spots.
The meeting was scheduled to begin in a quarter of an hour. Five minutes after Karen's arrival, figures began appearing in the seats one after another. Some were familiar to Karen—men and women who had sat on the dais or in the front rows during the general assembly—while others were strangers.
Yet these individuals clearly knew one another well, exchanging pleasantries upon taking their seats. From time to time, subtle glances were directed at Karen, though always accompanied by gentle, genial smiles.
After all, aside from Miguel and the Whip-Wielder, none knew Karen was only a last-minute addition. They assumed the Whip-Wielder had already chosen to induct him into their circle.
This circle was far smaller than the Academic Faction and carried less sweeping influence, but its cohesion and fighting strength were formidable, representing virtually the collective will of the Whip of Order.
If one could formally join, one became true family. Within this system, practically no one would dare bully or undermine you.
The only additional chore was to say a prayer for Whip-Wielder Foden while praying to the God of Order each day—because if Foden, their patriarch, were ever to fall, their likely fate would be an outright purge and exile by the next Whip-Wielder.
The Whip-Wielder appeared. Everyone rose and saluted him in unison.
He nodded and went straight to the point. "Let's discuss the miracle in Samsara Valley."
No tedious opening remarks, no formal pleasantries; this was an internal parlor talk. Soon, everyone began voicing their opinions. Backed by their respective advisory staffs, this served as a gathering of the system's collective wisdom and strategic thinking.
It closely mirrored Karen's earlier discussion with Alfred and Vic, albeit on a higher plane and with far greater influence.
Sitting and listening, Karen gleaned further intelligence details. Yet from an interpretive standpoint, little new ground was broken; constrained by their perspective, their views struck Karen as rather superficial.
That was inevitable. Alfred's interpretive vantage point was built on the premise that the God of Order sat right across from him.
In fact, even Vic and Leon possessed a depth of understanding on this matter far surpassing the dignitaries seated here.
Before long, the discussion shifted toward pragmatic execution: how to leverage this miracle from the Church of Samsara. As the religions representing the definitive first and second returning deities, there was an obvious need—at least for now—to stand united, even if the two churches had traded blows not long ago.
Yet such friction was like children squabbling. In the eyes of adults, it amounted to nothing; even if the kids scraped their knees, bled, and cried, the adults could still clink glasses and laugh together.
The gods were the adults, and the churches were the children. Nothing took precedence over welcoming the descent of their own Lord.
Karen noticed, however, that as the debate progressed, Foden's expression turned increasingly dark and sullen.
In a meeting like this, Foden made no deliberate effort to mask his feelings; after all, these were his own people.
Karen was not the only one to notice, but the others had to keep discussing and proposing views. The Whip-Wielder had defined the topic, and they had to keep fleshing it out.
Foden was indeed exasperated. He did not disagree with the conclusions his subordinates were reaching—from the church's perspective, their proposals were sound, and many ideas were things he could present directly to the High Priest. If only... the High Priest weren't named Norton.
Why had Grand Necromancer Morindi in the underground realm of the Church of the Burrow been imprisoned, and why had she been executed? Because as one of the High Priest's founding confidants, she had uncovered his secret.
Morindi believed the High Priest had betrayed the God of Order; her loyalty to the God of Order exceeded her loyalty to Norton.
Yet had Morindi truly been the only one to discover this secret?
Of course not. Others had discovered it but pretended otherwise. Foden was one of them.
In all other matters, Foden could cooperate unconditionally with the High Priest. But on this one point... he could not.
Could he feign total ignorance of the High Priest's secret, stride before him, and eloquently propose allying with Samsara to pursue the safest method of welcoming their Lord's return?
The problem was... Foden suspected the High Priest might already know that Foden knew.
And what the High Priest abhorred most was deceit from his subordinates. Someone like Morindi, who had confronted him to his face about betraying the God of Order, was imprisoned for decades and executed in secret only after the High Priest formally took office. Those who tried to play false before him in the past rarely survived to see the next day.
Gradually, the discussion died down.
Foden took a deep breath. He knew the High Priest would soon convene an internal meeting where he would be expected to speak; having just secured intelligence authority, he could not simply play dumb and stay silent.
Yet what was he supposed to say?
He could hardly hint: *Our High Priest seems to harbor a touch of distaste toward our God of Order and isn't particularly keen on our Lord's return, so could you all please adopt a different line of reasoning?*
He would have to mull it over himself. Just as Foden was about to conclude the session, a certain individual crossed his mind—someone who had not spoken a single word since the meeting began.
People were creatures of habit. Once you grew accustomed to a subordinate executing tasks brilliantly time and again, you naturally held high expectations for them. Of course, once that habit took root, any failure to deliver would breed doubly magnified disappointment.
Foden spoke. "Karen."
Karen rose immediately. "I am deeply honored and excited to be part of this meeting..."
The attendees exchanged puzzled glances. Karen’s response was utterly baffling. After everything they had debated, had this young man failed to absorb a single word?
Foden frowned slightly. What on earth was Karen babbling about? Had he been called upon to deliver an acceptance speech?
Foden lifted a hand, intending to cut the meeting short.
"...In the past, even if I wished to attend a gathering like this, I would certainly have been barred. This time, no one barred my way, and I was allowed inside..."
Foden's hand froze halfway through the gesture.
"...Thus, I am truly grateful for everyone's recognition and encouragement, and even more grateful to you, Whip-Wielder, for your patronage."
Foden lowered his hand. Looking at Karen with a thoughtful gaze, he said:
"It is treatment you have earned."
...
The Church of Order's Administrative Hall.
The High Priest sat in his seat, listening to the reports from the gathered officials below. Nearly everyone adopted an optimistic and open stance toward the Church of Samsara's divine miracle. After all, Samsara’s miracle further corroborated the return of their own God of Order—hadn't the God of Samsara called out to their Lord in advance?
Some had even suggested that the God of Samsara and their Lord would return side by side.
Throughout it all, the High Priest said very little, merely listening.
After the meeting had gone on for some time, the High Priest asked, "Foden, why haven't you spoken? Or has your Whip of Order failed even to gather sufficient intelligence for you?"
Foden stood up. "High Priest, I have remained silent because I disagree with what was said earlier, nor do I agree with the proposed plans. Furthermore, I do not believe the miracle of Samsara is a good thing for our Church of Order.
"Everyone seems to have overlooked a possibility—one that would instantly change the entire nature of this affair."
"Go on."
"Has anyone considered the possibility that it was our Lord who imprisoned the God of Samsara, preventing his return all this time?"
A look of shock rippled across the faces of every grand dignitary in the hall.
Foden pressed on:
"If that is the case, would the return of the God of Samsara still be a good thing for our Church of Order?"
The High Priest spoke, his expression solemn:
"Foden is correct. Every move we make directly impacts the operation of the entire Church of Order; we cannot blindly assume the best in everything. Therefore, I believe we should not be in any rush to accept the olive branch offered by the Church of Samsara.
"I will state this at the round-table conference and communicate it to the Temple.
"Gentlemen, I firmly believe our great Lord will inevitably return.
"Yet I believe even more firmly that when our Lord returns, he will not wish to see us prostrating on the ground with our rears in the air, simply waiting for his descent to save us.
"Rather, he will wish to see that even in his absence, his faithful continue to uphold the rules of Order at any cost!
"Therefore, going forward,
"Our church must do everything in its power, exhausting every possible means, to thwart the return of the God of Samsara.
"For the God of Samsara once disrupted the order between life and death.
"Thus,
"The advent of the God of Samsara violates the *Order Regulations*!"
Chapter 758