Response from the Lord!

The absorption process went remarkably smoothly. The greatest risk lay in internal resistance—and this resistance was not the same as verbal submission under coercion or enduring by force while bowing one's head. As long as one harbored revulsion in the depths of their soul, it would inevitably trigger an instinctual rejection. Thus, Buken had truly given everything he had left to Karen from the bottom of his heart, letting go completely. Throughout the entire process, the Hunger Addiction Sculpture did not intervene. This was also the most effortless meal it had ever enjoyed through Karen. However, it kept its agreement while simultaneously breaking it. It swallowed all of Buken's soul power, leaving none behind for Karen; yet it did not touch a single shred of the profound spiritual power Buken had bestowed. The hunger addiction shared a single soul vessel with Karen. The more soul power it consumed, the greater weight it held within, and the harder it became for Karen to suppress it. In other words, soul power was what it needed most. As for spiritual power—or, to put it more colorfully, "boiling down bones for broth"—it could leave that to Karen to let him strengthen his foundation and physical vessel. After all, he was merely "working" for it in the end. Karen did not get angry over this, however, because the hunger addiction had at least demonstrated an attitude: it had no intention of forcibly severing itself from Karen. Or perhaps, driven by a highly intelligent operating instinct, it had chosen the most cost-effective path for its own behavior and development. It intended to thoroughly "fuse" with Karen from the inside out. Its struggle was confined to intense tugs-of-war on a small scale at the soul level; it had no wish to foster another substantial power within Karen's body and split off, cleaving this body and soul entirely between two forces. Karen's attitude toward the hunger addiction had undergone several shifts as well. In the early days, he had resolutely fought it in an attempt to strangle it. In the middle period, they were locked in a stalemate. Now, it had already turned into passive resistance. When handling the hunger addiction, the God of Order must have walked a path similar to his own, only making more attempts and employing far more drastic methods. But the result... had ended up just like this. Recently, while flipping through his young master's "publicly secret" notebook, Alfred had found a newly written sentence, which he transcribed, translated, and annotated: [Time is pressing and the situation is tense; I can no longer afford to "secure internal affairs before repelling external threats."] Compared to Ankara, Buken's soul was not on as high a plane, but its volume was far greater. The former could be seen as a high-end dessert—exquisite, yet small in portion; the latter was like a hearty Wien bean paste pie, guaranteed to fill one's belly. On the level of utilizing power, the hunger addiction was "open and shared" with Karen. Thus, after this absorption, Karen could clearly perceive how much his Dharma Body had condensed. A more solid Dharma Body would provide him with stronger combat capability; he could even use it as a medium to cast spells and arrays, gaining exaggerated amplification. Earlier, when Foden clashed with Buken, that succession of formidable spells and terrifying phenomena had also been unleashed using the Dharma Body as a vessel. Relying purely on physical flesh, one simply could not bear such frightening pressure. Slowly opening his eyes, the black starlight beneath his feet had long since vanished. Buken's remains stood quietly in place, his newly pressed clerical robes framing an expression of true serenity. Karen did not disturb Buken's body. Instead, he turned and walked out of the room. In the living room, Ximilis, Labota, and Delson all turned their gazes toward him. "Congratulations." "Best wishes." "You have my envy." All three offered their congratulations. From an individual standpoint, this was indeed something worth celebrating. Karen replied, "At a time like this, you should be saying, 'Please accept my condolences.'" A slap straight across the faces of those who smiled. Karen did not linger, heading directly up the stairs. Delson rubbed between his brows and gave a bitter smile. "He won't be an easy person to deal with. Cooperating with him in the future is bound to be painful." Labota nodded. "His style is completely different from the previous two Whip-Wielders." Ximilis shook her head. "In essence, it is still the same. He simply disdains putting on a performance anymore. It aligns perfectly with the Church of Order's current attitude." Karen reached the second floor, stopped before the study door, and knocked gently. "Enter." Stepping inside, he saw Foden smoking a cigar. "Finished?" "Yes, Whip-Wielder, it is finished." "Mm." Foden seemed about to say something, only to find he had nothing to say. He had little desire to reminisce about his former rival at this moment, nor did he have any interest in offering care, comfort, or encouragement when he "knew full well" Karen's identity. He raised a hand somewhat wearily, intending to wave Karen away, but then paused. The next instant, though he remained seated right there, a shadow appeared in the bathroom downstairs. The shadow swept lightly across Buken's body—within the remains, not a single trace of spiritual power was left. The shadow dispersed. Back in the study, Foden blew out a smoke ring and remarked, "Thoroughly clean." Hearing this, Karen lowered his head proactively. Foden licked his lips and asked, "Did you purify him?" "No. Because Buken was willing, the results of receiving the bestowal were far better than anticipated." The plate had not been scrubbed clean; the food upon it had simply been eaten down to the last scrap. Hearing this answer, Foden felt no grief born of empathy. Instead, he felt deeply gratified, and his mood brightened considerably. He said, "The High Priest did not grant him clemency, but he did agree to let him enter the First Knight Order." "He told me. He refused." "One must have a bit of character, after all. I can understand." "As can I." "Still, this is already quite a good end. To be cleaned up so thoroughly is the greatest respect. If I can have an ending like this in the future, I wouldn't have any complaints." Karen blinked, remaining silent. "Karen, do you need to rest and recuperate?" "I do not." "Then let us hold the meeting. Call those three up." "Yes, Whip-Wielder." Karen turned, hesitated for a moment, then turned back to face Foden. "Whip-Wielder, his remains..." "There can be no public funeral, nor any mourning. Dispose of them secretly right here. How do you think it should be handled?" "Let him be laid to rest." "Laid to rest?" Foden raised an eyebrow slightly. "I would like my bone dragon to swallow him. That way, he will be buried alongside his octopus." "A rather creative idea. If he could still speak right now, he would surely agree." "It was his final request." "Then let it be so. Go handle this first, and have those three wait a little longer." "Yes, Whip-Wielder." Karen left the study, bypassed the three sitting in the living room, and returned to the bathroom. Hoisting Buken's body onto his shoulder, he walked out of the house into the open air. His figure dissolved into black mist, reappearing by the seashore the next moment. The sea was a brilliant blue, the scenery breathtaking. Augie and Daina sat on the beach enjoying the breeze, while Little Kanna held the book she carried everywhere, reading with relish. Seeing Karen arrive, Little Kanna held up the book and shouted excitedly, "The stuff in this book suddenly became so easy!" It was a volume titled *Advanced Formations*. Becoming easy meant that after swallowing the octopus, the effects had manifested immediately. "Don't think that just because it seems simple, you don't need to read closely. You must be like a cow—after taking in this knowledge, ruminate on it from time to time." Little Kanna pouted. Having just made progress in her studies and showing off to her guardian, all she got in return was criticism. "Have you finished digesting that octopus?" "Ugh, not yet. It takes time. It's much harder to digest than medicinal pills." "No rush. Take your time digesting it; there is no need to chase speed." "I know, I know," Little Kanna said. "Swallow him too." Karen pointed to Buken's body on his shoulder. "Let them reunite." Little Kanna did not refuse. Setting down her book, she rolled her neck, and the true form of the bone dragon manifested in the next breath. She disliked eating humans, but since it was Karen's command, she would not resist. Purely from a physiological perspective, swallowing a person was no different for her than an ordinary human popping a small grape into their mouth. Little Kanna opened her draconic maw, generating a spiraling siphon of wind. Karen tossed Buken's remains upward, and the body was drawn into her mouth. Immediately after, Little Kanna shifted back into a young girl. Karen reached out and patted her head to comfort her. Beside them, sitting on the sand, Augie broke into a brilliant grin upon witnessing this. *Heh, aren't you just like me? We're both responsible for eating people for our masters!* Perhaps Augie's smirk was too blatant. As Karen turned to leave and passed behind her, he flicked the back of her head with a finger. To ensure a proper effect, he even channeled a touch of his Dharma Body's power into the flick. Thus, what should have been a crisp *snap* turned into a dull *thud*. Sitting on the ground, Augie pitched forward, her head burying into the sand while her rear stuck up high toward Karen. Augie yanked her head out at once and spun around to glare at Karen—not with anger, but with an aggrieved look. When they first started interacting, Karen had to address her as "Lady Augie" at every turn. Now, Augie took it as a given that showing any negative emotion toward Karen amounted to utter insolence. As a pet, she knew who she must never bare her fangs against. Karen said, "My apologies. My strength increased a bit, and I'm not quite used to it yet. I intended to do it like this." Karen reached out and lightly tapped the back of Daina's head. *Snap!* "Ouch!" Daina cooperated smoothly, clutching her head and crying out, though it didn't hurt in the slightest. Augie asked, "Will you be more careful next time?" Karen said, "Certainly." Little Kanna had already sat back down and picked up her book again. Having mastered an efficient learning method, her initiative had skyrocketed. "By the way," Karen pointed at Daina and Augie, "both of you are adults now. Go help Xili wash the dishes and clean the house." There were no servants in the manor—even Miguel wasn't qualified to enter—so disposing of the body had required Karen's personal attention, and everyone had to pitch in with chores. They couldn't very well ask the Whip-Wielder to join in on the spring cleaning, could they? "Yes, Commander." Seeing that Daina had already agreed, Augie had no choice but to stand up. However, she glanced at Little Kanna, who remained seated, and asked, "What about her?" "She doesn't need to go." "Why not?" "Studying is important. Reading books or washing dishes—take your pick." Augie didn't answer, but her body complied honestly as she followed Daina toward the house. Returning to the living room, Karen called Ximilis and the other two up to the second-floor study. Over the period that followed, the five of them held a brief conference. In truth, this had been the primary agenda for Heart Sea Manor today; Buken's matter was merely incidental. Foden assigned tasks to the three of them. Upon their return, they would need to use their respective factional influence to push forward certain church policies. Likewise, the three raised demands to Foden, requiring him to safeguard their own factions' interests, while church interests were set aside for the moment. The meeting stretched from afternoon into the evening, with Karen responsible for taking notes the entire time. Once the meeting concluded, Karen passed around the records, guidelines, and clauses for review. After confirming everything was in order, he publicly destroyed them using the Flame of Order. Foden said, "I won't keep you for dinner." The three stood up at once and took their leave. Only Karen and Foden remained in the study. "The High Priest inquired about you today." Karen stood up from his chair. Foden continued, "It was just inconvenient for the High Priest today, so he did not come to the manor. However, he mentioned that he would consider making an inspection tour of the Yorktown Region." "I will make the necessary preparations." "The exact date is not yet set. The main issue is that the scent of blood on your end is still too heavy right now. In any case, you must finish handling the matters at hand and let the stench of blood dissipate before the High Priest can comfortably visit." "You are right, sir." "The one in the containment space mentioned something to me, saying that back at Augurev Fortress he spoke of renting you a gift, and asked when you would go pay the rent." "I will go in the near future." "Go visit him in advance. As for that man, his faith is beyond question, but his sense of principle is not particularly rigid. He is very easy to talk to, and under his management, the containment space's revenues have grown year after year." The containment space had always been an extraordinarily wealthy system. After all, it preserved the church's high-end heritage accumulated since the previous epoch; every single artifact held there was priceless. "I understand." "I heard you plan to visit the First Knight Order?" "I have always wanted to go. Opportunities like this are rare." "Then go ahead. While you're at it, pick out a spot for yourself, and for me as well." Karen was somewhat surprised. "One can pick a spot there?" "You can't choose the floor, but at least you can pick who lies next to your coffin, and you can even reserve spots together in advance. Those old fellows banded together to reserve their plots—didn't you know?" "Truly, I did not know that." "Go pick a spot. It's not like you have to pay a cemetery selection fee anyway." "Understood, Whip-Wielder." "What are you having people search for in the pioneering space?" "I received intelligence that something valuable might have been lost there, so I sent people to search." "You can make your moves bigger. Mobilize more personnel there; the Whip of Order in the pioneering space answers to your call as well." The main force of the Whip of Order Legion was drawn from the Whip of Order clerics in the pioneering space. While not every single one belonged to it, nearly all had family or friends who addressed Karen as "Commander." Such ties were sometimes far more effective than administrative orders. Karen showed a modest expression and confessed, "The item might be a bit sensitive. I was worried that if the commotion were too large, I wouldn't be able to keep it under wraps." "No need to be so cautious. Even if you uncover an artifact, so long as you can guarantee it remains sealed and suppressed without leaking out to cause harm, then it is not an artifact—it is a high-end holy relic." "Yes, I understand." "Since you already sit in this position, your appetite can afford to be bigger. Don't fear making mistakes, and don't fear what others might say. The only person who can affect your seat is me; other people's hands cannot reach that far. "In the future, when you take over my seat, the same logic applies. You will only need to answer to the High Priest, without caring too much about other matters. The more you care about other aspects, the more it shows you lack trust in the High Priest—and trust is mutual. Do you understand what I mean?" "I understand." "Furthermore, you are keeping an eye on that matter, aren't you?" Though Foden didn't explicitly name it, Karen already understood. The matters Foden had brought up earlier were essentially all the key tasks Karen had recently assigned Alfred to oversee. Not a single one of these affairs had escaped Foden's notice. Yet this was not Foden giving him a warning or guarding against him; if that were the case, there would be no need for him to lay it bare before Karen's face. Just as Buken had said, Foden treated him... a bit too well. He truly resembled a mentor guiding him step-by-step by the hand. "I do not want that matter to happen again, especially at such a sensitive time." Foden pondered for a moment. That project was being pushed forward by another department. Although an incident had occurred once before, they clearly had no intention of abandoning it. However, the actions of every department in the Holy See had to align with the High Priest's will. Even if two departments clashed, the final arbiter would still be the High Priest. Since "Little Norton" did not want them continuing that experiment, the High Priest's attitude—and thus the outcome of any future arbitration—was glaringly obvious. "Then handle it as you see fit," Foden added. "If anything happens, I will bear the responsibility." "Yes, Whip-Wielder." *** Late in the night, Karen left Heart Sea Manor in a carriage. By the time he returned to Yorktown via the teleportation array, it was right around noon. Alfred had been waiting outside the teleportation array hall early on with the secondhand black Ponce. Karen instructed Philomena and Ventura to escort Xili back first, while he took Little Kanna into Alfred's car. "Young Master, the funeral home has already prepared a client." Yorktown had a massive population, and people died every day. Ever since Karen bought that funeral home, they always kept clients on hold, extending the wake for as many days as possible to ensure that whenever Karen needed one, a guest would be "waiting." The bereaved families were more than willing, because this funeral home not only offered superior funerary services, but did so entirely free of charge. This was the new method Karen had devised after the hunger addiction's last rampage. During this trip to Heart Sea Manor, the hunger addiction had eaten another feast, so it was time to administer another preventative dose. On the road, Karen recounted the events at the manor to Alfred, who would be responsible for relaying the information to the others so everyone remained on the same page. Little Kanna was no longer reading; she sat in her seat, looking somewhat carsick. Alfred remarked with a hint of regret, "What a pity. If only the former Whip-Wielder could have lain in a coffin." Karen replied, "His identity was too sensitive." Alfred said, "We could have handled him like Morindi—preserve him first, and awaken him only when critically needed." Karen opened his palm, and an extraordinarily dense cluster of spiritual power coalesced. Upon closer inspection, one could see layers within it: an inner core encased by a thin outer layer. "Young Master, this is..." "Buken's spiritual power. I haven't absorbed it yet; I sealed it within my body for now." Faced with such a colossal torrent of spiritual power, anyone else would be worrying about their body rupturing. Only someone with a foundation as profound as Karen's could manage not only to refrain from absorbing it, but to seal it away entirely. Alfred sighed. "If only the corpse were still around..." Little Kanna suddenly spoke up: "Stop the car! I'm going to throw up!!" Alfred braked immediately, opened the door for Little Kanna, and promptly erected an aura-isolating array along the empty roadside. Little Kanna bent over and began to dry-heave. Karen stepped out of the car as well, walked behind her, and patted her back gently while saying, "This time, our Kanna truly worked hard." "Ugh, I'm not stupid. Ruminate, don't rush, digest slowly... you meant for me to keep him intact, didn't you?" "Mm. We couldn't let Augie and the others catch on." "Augie is too dumb." "She's not dumb, truly she isn't." "Huh?" "It's just that our Kanna is too clever." "Hehe... *blegh!*" The illusory phantom of a massive dragon's head condensed above Little Kanna. As it gradually solidified, the maw parted. Because she hadn't fully transformed into a dragon, the interior was pitch-black. But accompanied by a final retch— *Plop!* Buken's impeccably preserved body slid out from the dragon's mouth, an octopus tentacle still wrapped around his remains. Karen gazed at the tentacle and discovered that faint fluctuations of consciousness still lingered within it. Certain formidable demon beasts were capable of asexual reproduction: using their own flesh and soul as soil, their life as a medium, and paying an immense price to foster the next generation. The three-headed hound on Fire Island had maintained its existence throughout endless ages of imprisonment through precisely this method. Alfred stepped forward, pointed at the octopus tentacle, and asked, "This is..." Little Kanna smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, um... I intentionally kept a little piece too."