A Gamble!

Karen ate this slightly delayed lunch with great restraint. Before coming, he had envisioned countless possibilities regarding the Allen family's image and the reception he might receive upon arrival. Yet the scene before him was entirely outside all his expectations. When Karen laid down his fork and took up a napkin to dab at the corners of his mouth, old Mr. Anderson immediately instructed Eunice, "Show Young Master Karen to a bedroom to rest. Of course, if Young Master Karen is in the mood, you can take him to see his study first." "Yes, Grandfather." Eunice stood up and walked over to Karen's side. Karen rose as well, nodding politely to everyone at the table, before following Eunice out of the dining room and up the stairs. At the entrance to the third floor, Eunice pointed toward a study door ahead. "Karen, this is your study." "My study?" The doors to the study were imposing, and the decorations flanking them were austere and understated. When Eunice pushed the doors open, Karen immediately realized that this was by no means a room cleared out in haste; it clearly had always had an occupant. Whether a room had long sat idle or had seen continuous use was something one could plainly feel. Many paintings hung upon the study walls. Three of them drew Karen's attention in an instant. The first depicted a middle-aged man dressed in island garb, wearing a pirate's eye patch, holding in his arms a richly dressed woman crowned in gold. Following Karen's gaze, Eunice introduced, "This is Ancestor Count Rekar. He is the pride of our family's history and was once the supreme commander of the Changqin Sea pirate armada." "And the woman in his arms is..." "His lover—the Queen of the Wien royal family at the time, Gloria III." Wien had originally been an island nation, only gradually growing into today's empire through maritime dominance. In the early days, facing external pressure, both the royal court and the government issued decrees encouraging pirate organizations to serve the empire. And the greatest pirate lord of that era had actually managed to make the Queen of Wien his lover. No wonder the Allen family had maintained such excellent relations with the Wien royal family to this day, and why the women of the family were frequently invited to the palace for afternoon tea with the Queen's relatives. So their ancestors had shared such a past. Though one couldn't help but wonder if their bloodlines had ever crossed. Karen turned his eyes to another painting. It showed an immense sea monster, an Allen family crest banner planted upon its forehead, with a fleet of pirate warships trailing behind it. "You've met him before: Aselos. Though likely not the same Aselos who brought us back." Karen nodded. His gaze then fell upon the final painting. That painting depicted... a black cat. The black cat wore a pink top hat, a strand of pearls around its neck, and sat upon a gilded armchair, its gaze solemn and majestic. The corners of Karen's mouth twitched involuntarily. This... was Purr? It was truly difficult to reconcile the Purr in this painting with the black cat back home that loved lounging on the third-floor windowsill to soak up the sun. Even if they were both cats. Just as it was difficult to associate a king with a beggar, even if both were men. "This is the most famous genius in our family's history. She elevated our family's faith system to an entirely new stage. I don't know much about her specific deeds, because my family felt there was no rush for me to tread the family path, and I was never very keen on it myself. "Still, I remember asking Grandfather when I was little why all the other ancestors in the study portraits looked so heroic and valiant, while this ancestor was a cat. "Grandfather told me it was simply a genius's eccentricity. Many years ago, when the family hired a court painter to make her portrait, she deliberately transformed into a cat. "She said there were far too many portraits in the family, and she had no wish to fade into the background as just one of many. She wanted future descendants to spot her and discover her at first glance every time they looked at these paintings. That, she said, was far more interesting." Karen nodded. Yes, very interesting indeed. Though back then, you probably had no idea you would end up being a cat for a century. "This ancestor is of immense importance in our family's history, no less so than Count Rekar. It's just that her achievements lay on an entirely different plane. Karen, you probably know about this." "Yes, I know. What happened afterward?" "Afterward... I can't say for sure. Something seemed to go wrong between this ancestor and the family. In the end, all records of her cease, as though she vanished into thin air. "The rule forbidding cats in our household started because of her." Karen remembered Purr mentioning that the Allen family had once acquired a mystical artifact. Purr believed the artifact would bring immense catastrophe to the family, so she took it and left, severing all ties from then on. Therefore, Karen doubted that the ban on cats was to avoid speaking the name "Purr." Rather, the patriarch of that generation had likely hated Purr to the marrow of his bones. Yet because Purr represented a glorious zenith in family history—and her name could even deter enemies during that era—they couldn't openly air the feud, leaving them with no choice but to vent their fury on actual cats. "That one is our Allen family's founding ancestor—Allen." Eunice pointed toward the painting behind the desk. In the painting, a bare-chested man strode through a world of ice and snow, yet flames blazed across his body. His given name had become their surname. Karen looked at the painting. So this was the beginning of the Allen family's faith system. He had clearly bound the two opposing elements of water and fire to his own body. No wonder Mike had blown off his own legs trying to cultivate this. With the founding ancestor's portrait hanging in the house all along, it was essentially preaching to descendants day after day: *Look, I can do this!* Or perhaps one could call it "instigation" and "seduction." Without this portrait of the founding ancestor, successive generations of the Allen family would probably have lost far fewer legs and arms. "Whose study was this?" Karen asked. "It used to be Father's study. Grandfather said it will be yours from now on," Eunice replied. "My study?" Karen chuckled. "You're not joking?" Eunice shook her head. "Earlier, when Second Uncle Mike heard about this arrangement, he also asked, 'Are you joking?' And then... his face..." Karen had noticed it: when Mike wheeled his chair in, there had been a red cane mark across his cheek. "No, Eunice, how could I possibly take your father's study the moment I arrive? This is the patriarch's study, isn't it?" "But that is precisely what Grandfather intends. What's more, across from the study was originally Father and Mother's master bedroom. It has already been cleaned and fitted with fresh linens. From now on, it's your bedroom." "Just what is Grandfather Anderson trying to do?" Karen looked at Eunice. Eunice blinked, gazing back at him. "Can't you tell yet?" "It feels surreal." "Yet this is Grandfather's arrangement. Even my mother didn't expect this, though Father and Grandfather must have discussed it long beforehand. "Earlier, when you rang the summons bell and the dining room cabinet doors opened, "Grandfather, standing at the very front, said: "'Snap to attention, everyone. Answer the new patriarch's summons.'" "Grandfather Anderson wants me to be the new patriarch?" "That's what Grandfather said." Karen instinctively cradled his forehead. "Does your family always... do things like this?" What Karen had originally wanted to ask was: *Is your family always so casual about things?!* Handing the patriarch's position directly to an outsider stepping through the door for the very first time? Handing it to a son-in-law was already absurd enough, not to mention that he and Eunice weren't even married yet, and their engagement ceremony hadn't even taken place in Wien. Just then, a maid walked over. "Miss, the master has sent me to ask you downstairs." "Alright, I understand." Eunice turned to Karen. "Take a seat in your study for a moment. I'll head down; Grandfather must have instructions for me." Eunice went downstairs. Two more maids entered, placing tea, pastries, cigars, and cigarettes on the desk and side cabinet. Once they had left as well, Karen walked over to the desk with a helpless sigh. Looking at the neat row stretching from delicate quill pens to modern fountain pens, he suddenly felt an urge to laugh. "Young Master?" At that moment, Alfred walked in. "Alfred." Karen gestured around the room. Alfred understood at once. A blood-red glint surfaced in his eyes as he scanned their surroundings, then said, "Young Master, there are quite a few restrictions and arrays outside, but this study is very clean. Generally speaking, a study is often the cleanest place in a house." "Mm." Karen leaned his back against the desk and said to Alfred, "Smoke." Alfred immediately produced a cigarette, presenting it to his young master's lips. Next, he drew out a lighter, executed a swift flick of his wrist, and lit it using the outer flame. Alfred had practiced this routine in private countless times, dubbing the moves "Cigarette-Drawing Technique" and "Cigarette-Lighting Technique." However, his young master seemed intent on quitting smoking lately, leaving fewer and fewer opportunities for his practiced "techniques" to see the light of day. That was indeed true. Aside from the period right after his awakening, when Karen had needed tobacco to steady his pervasive anxiety, he had made an effort to avoid such health hazards once life settled down. Yet the same principle applied now. He needed to clear his head. He could either slap himself hard across the face twice, or light a cigarette. Since the effect was the same, he preferred the latter. "The Allen family wants to give me the patriarch's study and bedroom." "Young Master, I noticed. It seems they intend for you to take over and manage this family." "Don't you find it ridiculous?" "This subordinate finds it utterly preposterous." "Right? You also think—" "For a wretched loach of a family rolling in the mud like the Allens to dare dream of clinging to you, Young Master—it is sheer delusion!" Karen: "..." ... Kevin wanted to follow Karen upstairs, but Purr had both paws pressed against the dog's ears. If it dared move right now, Purr would tear both ears straight off. The golden retriever chose to protect its ears and stood by the door. Purr remained perched on its back, ears perked upright, listening intently to the Allen family's discussion around the dining table. *Bang!* Old Master Anderson raised his cane and struck the table fiercely, rattling the low tea stand beside it. Everyone seated stiffened at once. "Wood is a fool!" Purr nodded: *Yes, absolutely!* "A fool who only knows how to brawl and act tough, a fool who only cares for island swagger! Not an ounce of his brain has realized that today's Allen family is no longer the pirate dynasty that once ruled the open seas! "We came ashore more than two centuries ago! "The environment we face and our family's trajectory have completely decoupled from the pirate era. "That is why "I exiled Wood to Corona Island! Because I knew that if he became patriarch, he would squander every scrap of our remaining foundation in senseless brawls!" *Bang!* Old Master Anderson struck the table with his cane once more, bouncing the tea stand again. Everyone seated stiffened in unison. "Mike is a fool too!" Purr nodded: *Yes, absolutely!* Singled out by name, Mike the fool didn't dare make a peep. "He originally possessed fine talent for cultivation! I hoped he could advance further along the family's faith system so that handing the family over to him in the future would give me some peace of mind. "After all, the true foundation of a family like ours is strength! "Yet—yet—yet— "He took it upon himself to attempt a fusion! He blew off his own legs, shattering any possibility of climbing higher along that path! Now he is reduced to a complete invalid, worse off than the gardeners and servants in our yard!" Mike bowed his head. *Bang!* Old Master Anderson brought his cane down on the table once more. The tea stand bounced, and everyone seated pretended to stiffen in terror. "Bede!" Bede immediately raised his hand and said, "I am a fool." *Smack!* A cooperative confession earned no leniency. The old master's cane swept sideways, striking Bede squarely across the ribs. "Hiss..." Patriarch Bede drew a sharp breath in pain, but forced himself not to cry out, grimacing with a flushed face. "You are a through-and-through, absolute fool!" Purr nodded: *Yes, absolutely!* "I sent you to honor our appointment with the Inmerlais family, and you went off to Sangpu just for an art exhibition, sending your wife and daughter in your stead? "Your excuse being that Jenny is from Rojia and could visit her relatives on the side? "You are a patriarch, not an artist, you fool!" Hearing this explanation, Purr's feline eyes widened: *Strike the fool again! That's not enough to settle the score!* "Do you have any idea that our ties with the Inmerlais family were forged by your great-great-great-grandaunt? "And this is how you brushed the Inmerlais family off? "And you call yourself a patriarch? You call yourself a patriarch!" Old Master Anderson raised his cane again, but suddenly seemed to tweak his back. Bede hastily stood up to support him. The old master panted heavily, then pointed a finger at his own face. "And me? I am an even bigger fool, because I sired three foolish sons." Purr nodded: *Yes, you're the biggest fool of all.* "Under my stewardship, the Raphael family rose step by step, ultimately beginning to devour our family's businesses. It was my incompetence that failed to reverse our decline, and failed to groom worthy successors for our future. "Me, "your eldest brother, you, and you; "Heh, "our whole family is nothing but fools." Everyone lowered their heads in silence. "The patriarch of the Raphael family died abruptly. Fortunately, the Raphaels lack deep heritage. The sudden death of their patriarch was enough to throw them into disarray and plunge them into internal strife and civil war. Our foremost enemy has crumbled. "Yet is the Raphael family our only enemy? "I truly do not wish to see our decline continue. Jenny, Lisa, and the rest still have to visit the palace from time to time to chat with the Queen. "Heheheh, back in the day, the Queen of Wien was a lover our ancestor summoned and dismissed at will! Days before our ancestor made landfall, the Queen had to wait at the docks to receive his arrival and warm his bed! "And now? "We actually have to rely on cozying up to royalty just to keep up appearances! Disgraceful! Disgraceful! "Yet what may be even more disgraceful in the future "is the next generation..." The old master pointed his finger at Eunice's cousins. "Weakness "is the original sin for a family like ours! "If our family continues to weaken, "I wager that by your generation, the other families will tacitly suppress and dismantle us. "You, you, and you— "you will all be reduced to breeding tools for other families, mere components to enrich their faith systems! "We are not an ordinary family! The glory our ancestors once held is destined to become our shackles, even our curse! "Because you won't even have the retreat of becoming factory workers, dock laborers, or beggars! You will only be reduced to breeding pigs waiting in other people's pens!" The old master sat down. Jenny brought over a cup of tea. The old master took a sip and continued: "Therefore, this is why I made this arrangement. "I once vaguely sensed that Diss was no ordinary man, and the Inmerlais family was not as simple as it appeared. Even though the Inmerlais family gradually faded afterward, losing the glory of having produced three Inquisitors in a single household, I still felt that Diss and his family were extraordinary. "Otherwise, that ancestor of ours would never have gone out of her way to forge ties between our families. "As it turned out, "Diss truly was extraordinary! "When Jenny called to tell me Diss had given her a purple bookmark, I wanted nothing more than to cane this rebellious son Bede to death on the spot!" Patriarch Bede sat obediently in his place. "You should be grateful—we all should—that Eunice accompanied her mother to Rojia City. Otherwise, had Diss taken offense at our slight and decided to raze our household to the ground, it would have been a trivial matter, dependent entirely on his whim. "And fortunately, Eunice went to Rojia City. "Though speaking so bluntly is somewhat shameful, compared to the entire family being reduced to breeding stock in the next generation or the one after, Eunice completing this marriage alliance is the best choice for our family. "Of course..." Anderson looked toward Eunice, who had just returned and sat down. "The men of the Inmerlais family are all very handsome, heh." Eunice lowered her head, truly at a loss for how to respond to her grandfather's remark. "I even suspect that when our ancestor forged ties with the Inmerlais family back then, it was because she took a liking to the good looks of their men." The golden retriever grinned, wagging its tail with great excitement. Purr: "..." "Yes, Diss is in a slumber. But he had already spent decades in despondence before! I personally visited Diss in his study on Mink Street in Rojia City to urge him to pull himself together. "He told me he felt nothing held any meaning anymore. "I actually believed him back then! "Well, "so this was what he meant by 'nothing having any meaning'! "If even the Inmerlais family felt life had lost its meaning, our Allen family might as well build our pigsties early so our living conditions are slightly better when we're put out to stud! "Did he truly become despondent just because he said so? "Did he truly just fall asleep because he said he slept? "Will he never wake up? "The Inmerlais family offended a colossus like the Church of Order, and Diss broke ties with them—so was the Inmerlais family wiped out? "Are they not still living comfortably in Rojia City? Is Diss not still sleeping peacefully in his own bed at home? "Even the Church of Order swallowed that humiliation! What right does our Allen family have to step on them while they're down? "The blood sacrifice turned the Inmerlais family into ordinary people from this generation for generations to come, barring them from ever joining the church again. "Heh, "heh-heh, "hahahaha..." The old master suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Then why on earth did he send Karen to our house?!" The entire room fell solemn—truly solemn this time. "If Karen were willing to be an ordinary person and live out his days in peace, why didn't he stay at home? "It is precisely because Diss believed this grandson of his cannot be an ordinary person, is not meant to be an ordinary person, and is incapable of being an ordinary person, that he arranged to send him out! "He even gave our family a purple bookmark for this grandson's sake! "That is something only a Temple Elder of the Church of Order has the authority to bestow! "Though our Allen family used it to write Raphael's name—the equivalent of firing a pirate ship's heavy cannon to swat a mosquito—just think: even then, Diss agreed, and he fulfilled the bargain! "What does that show? "It shows that Diss harbors great hopes for this grandson—boundless hopes! "It shows "that Diss sees Karen "as the Inmerlais family's hope for revival! "So tell me—tell this old man— "should our Allen family hitch a ride on this train coming out of Rojia City?! "Most importantly, "if we're going to hitch a ride, we must cast shame aside! Hitching a ride while acting bashful and fretting over saving face—that is true, unimaginable stupidity! "Our Allen family is taking the gamble! "Carry on as we are, and our fate is the pigsty anyway! "We bet that Karen can lead the Inmerlais family—and drag our Allen family along with them—to rise together!" Finally, the old master pointed toward the ancestor portraits hanging around the dining room and smiled. "I have been foolish and incompetent my entire life, but I have a premonition: perhaps because of this decision today, my portrait will one day earn the right to hang dead center among these." In the corner, Purr nodded: *Trust me, you've got this.* "At the very least, it can push that black cat's portrait aside. Having a cat displayed among the family ancestors has been an eyesore to me for a very long time." Purr: "..."