Time to Cultivate

Early the next morning, Wood, accompanied by his wife Elena and daughter Camila, saw Madam Jenny, Karen, and their party onto the cargo ship. As the ship departed the harbor and Karen prepared to return to his cabin, Madam Jenny deliberately walked up to him and asked, "I heard you were drinking with Wood last night?" "I had orange juice," Karen replied. "Wood is a very straightforward man. He doesn't actually mean any harm—at least, not toward his own people." "Yes, I could tell. Mr. Wood is a good man." "And what about Camila?" Madam Jenny asked suddenly. "Camila? Who is that?" "Wood's daughter." "Oh, so her name is Camila." Madam Jenny studied Karen closely. Karen met her gaze with an expression of earnest bewilderment. After a moment, a faint smile curled the corners of Madam Jenny's lips. "When we boarded the ship just now, I noticed that the way Elena and Camila looked at you was just a little strange." "Really? I didn't notice." Madam Jenny pointed to her own nose. "Camila even took out her nose ring. And didn't you notice that her clothes today were a bit too demure, even if she clearly isn't used to dressing like that yet?" "Madam, I believe staring at another young lady is quite impolite." Madam Jenny leaned forward, bringing her lips close to Karen's ear. Karen caught the warm scent of her perfume. "You must always remember that you and Eunice are betrothed. It was arranged by both your grandfathers." "I always remember, Madam." "Good." Madam Jenny pulled back slightly and added, "Very good." As Madam Jenny turned to head back to her stateroom, Eunice stepped forward to help carry her mother's coat, only to be pushed aside. "Go help your man!" Eunice paused where she stood, flashing Karen an apologetic smile. Beside them, Purr, who was lying atop the golden retriever, pawed twice at the dog's ears and whispered, "The moment someone comes to fight over the food bowl, the meal suddenly tastes so much better." Eunice accompanied Karen into his cabin. She began smoothing out the bedsheets for him, and once finished, said, "Don't take what Mother said to heart." "I won't." Karen shook his head. "In fact, I was quite pleased to hear it." It was probably just a matter of perspective. From a man's point of view, between a prospective mother-in-law telling you to stay away from her daughter and telling her daughter to keep a close eye on you, the latter certainly sounded much more pleasant. Eunice stepped forward and took the initiative to embrace Karen. Seeing this as she entered while riding on the dog's back, Purr swiped at the golden retriever's other ear, making the aggrieved creature flatten both ears completely. "Fine, everyone's full of competitive spirit." Only after holding him for a long while did Eunice finally leave the room. Karen sat down on a nearby chair. Purr leaped onto the freshly made bed. The golden retriever scrambled to climb up as well, but Purr glared at it. "You think you're worthy of getting on the bed?" "Whimper..." Reluctantly, the golden retriever slunk over to a corner and lay down. Purr lay on her side on the bed, waving her paws a few times, and said, "All the way home, I've felt the sheer stupidity of my family." If they weren't stupid, they couldn't possibly have run the family into such a state. "Yet I feel somewhat fortunate, and almost hope all of them are as stupid as Wood. After all, stupidity isn't terrifying—as long as it's delightfully endearing." Strictly speaking, Wood's character truly did not fit the standard of a direct descendant of a prominent family. He was too impulsive, too emotional. While such a temperament was great for making friends, it made achieving great things difficult, to say nothing of restoring the family to its former glory. If you wanted to be willful, fine. If you wanted to do whatever you pleased, that was fine too. The prerequisite was that you needed at least Diss's strength—able to clash head-on with the Church of Order and still protect your family to live in peace and quiet. The rise of any family required a multitude of people clearing thorny paths through self-dedication and even sacrifice; likewise, maintaining a family's standing demanded all sorts of compromises and effort. Wood did not fit the bill; the highest achievement of his life was merely being a smuggling kingpin on an island. Yet his performance had left Purr very pleased. If she weren't currently a cat, she would have loved to pat him on the shoulder and tell him he was his grand-aunt's darling boy. "Karen, the ship will reach the port of York City tomorrow morning. Then, by taking a carriage, we should arrive at Allen Manor around midday or early afternoon. I only hope the ones at home are also this delightfully stupid type. "You know, in this world, what's most dreadful isn't a genuinely smart person, nor a genuinely stupid one, but someone who thinks they're brilliant when they're actually a fool." "Have your standards for your family fallen that low?" Karen teased. "Because I've pinned the hopes of the family's revival on you," Purr replied as if it were obvious. "Didn't I say it before? You aren't an evil god anymore." "Yet I still inexplicably stole the body an evil god prepared." "That's too lofty for me to see. Humans—no, cats do this too: fearing the immediate darkness while yearning for the boundless stars. "Besides, I think you're a good person, Karen. Truly, you're a good person. "Though you're a refined egoist, you've always maintained a bottom line." "Are you complimenting me?" "Of course." "I think we could waste less breath on such matters right now." "As long as one eats and drinks, one never runs out of breath," Purr said. "I haven't spoken as much in the past ten years as I have with you these last few months. Diss was fine when he was young, but once he grew up, he didn't like talking to me anymore. "Of course, that might also be because the heights Diss reached and the things he saw became something I could no longer understand." Karen spread open his notebook, set down his fountain pen, and turned to face Purr on the bed. Affected by Karen's solemn air, Purr naturally sat up as well. Karen said, "We're about to reach Wien. In fact, we're practically in Wien already." "Yeah." "So, there is an important matter that I think we can start preparing for now." "Such as?" "My becoming a God's Servant." Purr nodded. "Of course, naturally! How could I bear to leave you without cultivating? So, have you decided which system you want to take?" "Diss never spoke of such things to me," Karen said. "Diss told me that if I secretly helped you purify, he would toss me into the sea." "Now we can." "Yes." One person and one cat sat facing each other. After about three minutes, Karen asked, "Don't tell me you've never thought about how to help me cultivate?" Purr exclaimed, "Why would I do Diss's thinking for how his own grandson should cultivate?!" "So you have zero preparation?" "Uh... can I just think of something on the spot?" "From what I've read and seen, I know a little. Let me ask you: how many systems are there, exactly?" "Many," Purr answered seriously. "In this world, it isn't just church systems. Of course, church systems are certainly the sturdiest; their foundations run deep, their trunks are thick, their branches dense, and they reach tremendous heights." Purr began pacing on the bed. "Therefore, church systems are universally recognized as the most stable and superior in this world. "However, this also varies across different churches. "Major churches' systems are certainly better than smaller ones, but that isn't absolute. "Some small churches might have systems that are hard to advance in, but once you do, you become formidable. "Some large churches might not be good at fighting, or their original trunk wasn't born for combat in the first place—like Mr. Hoffen's Church of Principles. "Moreover, across different regions, environments, and needs, it's hard to clearly distinguish which is superior." "What about the Church of Order?" "The Church of Order is the best at fighting among all church systems!" Purr waved a paw. "If your fists aren't hard enough, who would obey the order you decree?" "Understood. Then, outside church systems?" "Then there are many varieties, such as family systems. Each family has its own legacy system. Take Wood, whom you met yesterday—when you shook his hand, didn't your hand burn with pain?" "Yes." "The Allen family's system is closely linked to water and fire. Pursuing this faith system enhances a practitioner's control over water and fire. "Take me, for instance: back when I was human, I was best at handling fire. "Back then, Aselos's favorite thing to do was find a secluded beach, lie there, and have me use fire to roast off the barnacles clinging to his body." "What is the difference between family systems and church systems? Or is it that an insufficiently large system is called a family system, and when a family grows large enough with enough branches, it becomes a church system?" "No, no, no, you can't generalize by size. Because a family system involves a fundamental factor, which is... bloodline." "Bloodline?" "Yes. A family system can serve as a branch of a church system, or as an internal supplement to it, but a family system can never become a church system. "Just like your Inmerlais family, an Inquisitor family under the Church of Order. Producing family members at the rank of Inquisitor or higher for generations proves there is an inheritance in the Inmerlais bloodline. "Can such an inheritance branch out into a church, though? Impossible. "Because you can't absorb outside members unless you put all your effort into having as many children as possible. "However, the Church of Principles once studied this topic: the more descendants born in a family system, the more diluted the inheritance becomes. It's like dropping a sugar cube into a cup of coffee; you can taste the sweetness. But if you drop it into a swimming pool and drink, you won't taste a thing. "Once it reaches that point, there's no point in following a family system anymore. It's actually worse than following a church system, because church systems are inherently suited to the masses. They only require spirituality from you; only as you advance does your personal comprehension matter." "I see. How do family systems form, then?" "Similar to church systems. Diss's view was that people develop faith first, and only then does a deity emerge to carry that faith. "The first ancestor of a family system could be someone from a church, or someone who comprehended something elsewhere that exerted a profound influence on their physical body and bloodline. "Then, their faith—or rather, conviction—could be passed down through the bloodline generation after generation. "So, church systems believe in gods, while family systems believe in ancestors. "Believers pray to a god and gain power from them; family members pray to their ancestors or the conviction established and handed down by their ancestors to receive blessings. "The source differs, but the intermediate process is quite similar." "Besides these two systems, what others are there?" "Countless. You could never finish tallying them. Some strange beliefs might not be suitable for proselytizing or are too extreme to be accepted by the public—like totems of primitive tribes, for instance. "Even believing in a stone, a bone, or a copper coin is possible; such primitive worship can also give rise to corresponding systems. "It might not gain many believers, nor possess a universally viable path to power, but you can never rule out a genius suddenly popping up in some era and climbing extraordinarily high. "These miscellaneous systems would take three days and three nights to cover. "There is one, however, that can be singled out: the evil god system." "The evil god system?" In the corner, the golden retriever's ears pricked up. "Evil gods are a special category. Do you know why an evil god gets branded as an evil god?" "It probably has no direct relation to the evil god itself." "Correct. "A god defeated, judged, and cognitively denied by a true god is called an evil god. "Of course, there are also cases where a deity was inherently bizarre or behaved so ruthlessly that they sparked public outrage. "There are also cases like Rielsa: originally, the Church of the Mural God was just a tiny church, and the Mural God was just a minor deity, yet she insisted on painting a mural of the God of Order's end right when the God of Order was at the absolute peak of his power. "So she was suppressed by the God of Order, branded an 'evil god' by him, and thus became one. "There is another pattern: generally, when one is branded an 'evil god,' its church system in the mortal realm is inevitably wiped out as well. "That's easy to understand. Without believers in the mortal realm, there's no one to speak on your behalf. When others call you an evil god, an evil god you are." "Understood. Then this system..." "No matter how down-and-out an evil god is, it is still a god after all. Besides, compared to a banquet of fine delicacies fought over by a huge crowd, an evil god feeding you from a chipped bowl will probably fill your belly more. "Therefore, an evil god's legacy system is usually very small in scale, yet generally high in quality. "Of course, it isn't without precedent for an evil god to stage a comeback, re-establish their religion, and wash away their stigma, but the odds are exceedingly low. "Take Linda, for example, who attempted to summon Rielsa with an oversized god descent ritual. Without the God of Order even lifting a finger, Elders like Sidi could easily swat Rielsa back down. Even if the descent had succeeded, they would most likely have hunted it down immediately and strangled it before it could recover!" In the corner, listening with perked ears, the golden retriever swallowed hard. "Still, the evil god system is fascinating. That was probably what the radio imp was aiming for with you in the beginning. "Well, in other words, if you want to take the evil god path, look..." Purr glanced at the golden retriever in the corner. "Kneel right before it, pray devoutly to it—'O Great Dog of Evil Gods,' or 'O Great Evil Dog God,' or call upon its true name—and once it responds, you can embark on that path. "It's just that... it would probably be pretty embarrassing to say aloud. "Like, when others say, 'I believe in the God of the Abyss,' 'I believe in the God of Principles,' or 'I believe in the God of Nature,' you'd chime in with: 'I believe in a dog!' Hahaha-meow!" Purr rolled around on the bed laughing, while the golden retriever furrowed its brow, wearing an utterly grave dog expression. "Then which system do you think suits me?" Purr ceased her laughter. In her mind surfaced scenes of Karen repeatedly waking the dead in the basement workshop of the Mink Street house. Ultimately, she spoke: "The Church of Order's system." Soon after, Purr added: "Only, Diss seemed to find at the very end that the road was blocked. Even though Diss had reached a stage very, very late and unimaginably high, I feel you have a chance to reach those heights as well. "Besides, "your family heritage, "your familiarity, "and the ability you've displayed to make the dead dance— "all make me feel that what fits you best is the Church of Order's system." "Then let's go with the Church of Order's system." "Aren't you worried?" "Because Diss never told me I couldn't follow the Church of Order's system." "That makes a lot of sense. There must be something different about you, which made Diss believe you could avoid his mistake." "Specifically, then?" Karen asked. "How do we do it?" "The orthodox way: once we reach York City, seek out a grassroots organization of the Church of Order, become an ordinary believer, and through years of prayer, your soul and body will one day suddenly begin purification." "And the unorthodox way? As I recall, it requires a sacred relic?" "Yes. The former casts a wide net and can discover truly promising seedlings, but it takes far too long and is much too slow. Normally, therefore, anyone with the means will choose to use a sacred relic for assistance. "The aura of a sacred relic can help you achieve purification more effectively, and the relic's quality influences the extent of the purification. The more solid and steady your first step, the more your future path will benefit—just like laying a foundation." "You can help me purify, I remember." "Of course." Purr raised her head. "Though it feels weird describing myself like this, I really am a high-grade—or rather, beyond-grade—sacred relic. "When preparing the purification ritual, you place a copy of Light of Order before you—or, if you have it memorized, you don't even need the book. "I'll place my paw on your forehead. You recite the Church of Order's doctrine while calling upon the God of Order in your heart. "Once you receive a response, subtle changes will occur in your body. I'll seize upon those changes and help catalyze and accelerate them, making the process more thorough and perfect. "Once the ritual is complete, you will be a God's Servant. "You could even use the false identity of a 'wild' Church of Order God's Servant to report to a grassroots organization and join them. Of course, you definitely can't use the surname Inmerlais." "Can we do it now?" "No." "What else is needed?" "First, we need blessed holy water, leaves, or even playing cards... in any case, a large batch of blessed objects arranged around you. Once the purification ritual begins, these things can help offset some unfavorable... well, baleful energy, you could call it." "Like drinking milk right after accidentally ingesting heavy metals?" "Yeah, pretty much. Those blessed items are actually quite cheap, though; you can buy plenty with money, since there are dedicated God's Servants or God's Revelations who make a living blessing such things to sell. "Besides that, the most important factor is time. We need a quiet, secluded space where we won't be disturbed, allowing the ritual to finish seamlessly." "How much blessed holy water is needed? And how much time?" "For an ordinary person, a bowl is enough, and the ritual takes five minutes." "Oh, that sounds easy enough to prepare." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" The golden retriever suddenly barked. Karen pointed at the dog. "What is Kevin barking about?" "It says that's not enough, not safe, and far from reliable." "Woof! Woof!" "It also says you need a swimming pool's worth of blessed holy water, and three days and three nights." "That much?" Karen asked in surprise. "Woof!" "It says yes." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" "It says, first, your body was altered by it; second, your soul was able to overpower its own, so it's bound to be extraordinary." "Woof! Woof!" *(You could worship me and follow my system!)* "What did it just say?" "It said it's dreaming out of its ass!" "..." The golden retriever fell silent. "And what do you think?" Karen asked. "I think its requirements make complete sense. But for such a massive amount, we'll have to wait until we reach Allen Manor and ask the Allens for help, or you'll have to purchase it yourself—the radio imp definitely has plenty of money." "Then we can only wait until we're ashore and settled," Karen said, shaking his head helplessly. Three days and three nights were easy to arrange, but a swimming pool full of blessed water was a massive undertaking. "Lastly, Karen. Normally, what I'm about to say should only be said right before you undergo purification. But because your preparations are such a massive project, I have to say it in advance now. "Be serious. This is the procedure. Whether it's a church system, a family system, or an evil god system, before you set foot on that path, this question will always be asked. "Please think it over carefully and deeply, and in the end, answer according to your heart." Karen sat up slightly straighter and nodded to Purr. In an exceedingly solemn voice, Purr asked: "This is a path destined for solitude. "This is a path with no turning back. "This is a path fraught with bewilderment. "So, "are you truly ready to embark on this road?" Karen closed his eyes, sinking into thought, before speaking slowly: "Actually, I'm not ready." In Karen's mind arose Ms. Molly's giant maw, Mr. Mossan's weeping, the little girl performing her final dance before him, the Siso family embracing one another instead of seeking revenge against their foe, and Mandila offering him a farewell kiss... Finally, the image surfacing in Karen's mind was his family gathered around him from the very moment he first opened his eyes—especially Diss. "Because, "from the moment I first opened my eyes in this world, "I was actually already "standing on this path."