Stepping out of the teleportation array in the Yorktown Region, Karen immediately saw Vic and Muri waiting for him.
Outside, dawn was just beginning to break. Although this "diplomatic outing" had taken longer than usual, it was hardly reason enough for these two subordinates—who now occupied high-ranking posts themselves—to make a special trip to wait here. They were busy men.
Karen thought to himself: *It seems Pangxi Manor has been thoroughly riddled with leaks.*
Vic stepped forward and said, "Minister, orders from the Whip-Wielder. You had best go to the Dinge Region right away."
"Understood. Send a message ahead informing them of my return."
"Yes, Minister."
Karen let go of Little Kanna's hand, but she immediately gripped his in return. She had long taken it for granted that she had to accompany and protect him whenever he went out.
"Good girl. Head home and get some rest first. You're exhausted."
Today, Little Kanna had transformed into a bone dragon and entered battle multiple times, far exceeding her usual limits.
"Mmm, all right."
"Also, hand that serpent scale over to Alfred so he can inspect and seal it away for now."
"Why?"
Little Kanna was terribly reluctant to part with her new toy; she had a habit of collecting scales.
"I'm worried that serpent hid something inside it, something that might have hitched a ride out with the scale. Inspect it, seal it, and once Purr and Kevin return, we'll have them double-check it. Be good."
"Oh, okay," Little Kanna nodded.
Two hundred years ago, Chisas had been unwilling to discard its physical form to escape, but two hundred years later, it might well have changed its mind.
As the second-in-command of the Whip of Order, how could Karen allow any oversight that might leave him blind to danger?
Muri put on a mask, shifted into Karen's appearance, took Little Kanna by the hand, and walked out of the teleportation hall.
The Whip of Order wasn't the only organization with an intelligence network. If Karen rushed straight to the Dinge Region to see the Whip-Wielder the moment he returned, it would only expose the informant at Pangxi Manor.
After teleporting to the Dinge Region, Karen altered his appearance using his ring. Foregoing a carriage, he hailed a cab outside, paid the fare halfway to alight early, and transformed into black mist to reach the rear entrance of the Whip of Order headquarters.
Using a special identity token, Karen quickly reached the Whip-Wielder's office.
At this moment, the person seated behind the desk outside was no longer Miguel, but a blonde, middle-aged woman with a round, slightly plump face and a gentle demeanor.
Naturally, that gentleness was largely due to Karen presenting a special badge granted for direct, confidential audiences with the Whip-Wielder. When dealing with others in the organization, this newly appointed chief secretary would undoubtedly be aloof.
"Hello, I am Veguline, newly appointed to this post. The Whip-Wielder is meeting a guest. Please wait a moment. Would you care for coffee or black tea?"
Karen said, "Announce me to the Whip-Wielder."
Veguline hesitated, taking note of his tone. Seeing Karen's calm expression, she nodded.
"Very well, please wait a moment."
Veguline opened the door and entered the office.
A moment later, she emerged. Though her expression appeared composed, Karen noticed her body trembling faintly.
As the Whip-Wielder's new first secretary, there was only one "guest" who could elicit such a reaction. Karen already guessed who it was.
Instantly, Karen adjusted his posture, cleared his throat, and lowered his shoulders slightly.
"Please enter," Veguline said, forcing a smile.
"Mm."
Karen entered the office and closed the door behind him.
Two people were seated at the tea table beside the ice pool.
One held a book, perfectly at ease, while the master of the room—Whip-Wielder Foden—was trimming a cigar for him.
Karen removed his mask, revealing his true face, walked up to the tea table, and offered a respectful bow.
"Greetings, High Priest. Greetings, Whip-Wielder."
Karen was genuinely surprised. Why was the High Priest here?
The High Priest took the cigar from Foden, looked at Karen, and said with a chuckle, "Do you have any idea how anxious your Whip-Wielder was over you?"
Foden smiled.
Karen replied, "The Whip-Wielder holds every member of the Whip of Order in his heart."
Foden waved a hand and said, "Give us a detailed account. What happened?"
He had specifically sought out the High Priest on Karen's behalf, only for Karen to return completely safe and sound. Now, it was Foden, not Karen, who needed to offer an explanation.
This "apparent misunderstanding" had nearly triggered an outright clash between the Holy See and the Temple of Order.
His specific reminder to Karen to provide a detailed account was also because "this High Priest" spent his days reading, smoking cigars, playing golf, and relaxing; he had time in abundance.
Karen recounted everything he had experienced after arriving at Pangxi Manor, including Purr's statue. The only detail he omitted was his personal connection to Purr.
After hearing the tale, the High Priest laughed.
Foden laughed as well.
Karen joined in with a polite smile.
The High Priest pointed at the book he had been reading and said, "You see, reality is always stranger than fiction. If you told outsiders that the temple elders of our Church of Order could act so brainlessly, they'd never believe you even if you beat them to death."
Foden said, "Elder Rohan likely admired Karen's talent with arrays and wanted to snatch this student away from Elder Xiti."
*Rohan?*
*Was that the elder who had engaged in a tug-of-war with him?*
The Whip-Wielder seemed to understand the nuances of the situation even better than Karen, who had lived through it.
The High Priest pointed at Karen and said, "In the words of you Wienese, you're like a delicious jar of bean paste—anyone who sees you wants a taste."
Karen replied, "I didn't expect such an accident to happen either, and I nearly knocked the bean paste jar over."
Foden remarked, "Young and brash, after all—refusing to give even a temple elder any face."
The High Priest corrected him, "He's young, not stupid. In his current position, no matter who subjected him to such humiliation, he couldn't possibly take it lying down. If he didn't care about his own face, would the Whip of Order still have any? Would you, Foden, still have any?
"Would I still have any?
"At its core, it's because our elders still haven't woken up from their transcendent status within the church. Then again, as people grow old, stubbornness is inevitable; they struggle to accept new things and resist change."
Foden immediately agreed, "You are entirely correct."
The High Priest turned a page of his book.
Foden glanced at Karen.
Karen bowed. "I shall take my leave."
Putting his mask back on, Karen stepped out of the office.
Instead of rushing off, he paused in the secretarial area.
"May I get you anything?" Veguline asked, stepping forward.
Though she didn't yet know Karen's specific identity, she was well aware of his standing here, which naturally made her far more attentive.
"Iced water, please. Also, could you prepare some food for me? I'm starving. Thank you."
"Right away. Please have a seat."
Karen sat down in an adjacent chair. He truly was hungry; after a trip to a temple elder's ancestral estate, he hadn't even been offered a cup of tea, let alone a meal.
Veguline soon served the food. Karen didn't stand on ceremony; picking up the cutlery, he began eating casually.
The last time he had eaten here, Miguel had intentionally done him a favor, letting him stretch out his time with a single pastry.
There was no need for that now. When he was hungry, he was hungry; he could simply sit here and enjoy a meal.
Veguline kept an eye on Karen from the corner of her vision, and soon, a distinct change crossed her expression.
She did this deliberately, signaling that she had guessed his identity.
After that, she proactively added more ice to his water—shifting from mere hospitality to eager attentiveness.
After all, her former superior—the original occupant of her current post—was presently working under this very man out in the field.
Karen quickly finished his meal, put down his cutlery, and exhaled softly.
"Would you care for anything more?"
"No, that will do. Thank you."
"You are far too polite. Next time, I can bring some pastries I made myself for you to try."
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Karen smiled and declined, "That wouldn't be appropriate."
Veguline paused, then immediately nodded. "You're right, of course."
Just then, a prompt sounded on Veguline's desk. She walked over to the office door and gestured to Karen. "Please go in."
"Mm."
Karen stood and reentered the office.
The reason he hadn't rushed off was because he knew the High Priest wouldn't appear here for no reason just to listen to an account of his experience at Pangxi Manor.
Such a report could easily have been handled by Foden alone. For the High Priest to come here in person and take a deliberate look at him meant there had to be something else.
The Whip-Wielder remained seated by the tea table, but the High Priest was gone. Their conversation had likely just concluded, and its contents weren't suitable for Karen's ears.
Foden asked, "Hungry?"
"I just ate outside." Karen respectfully took a seat beside him.
"How is the food here?"
"Very good. Better ingredients than what we have in the region."
"What, stingy with your food out in the region?"
"Not at all."
"Ah, I see. Praising the ingredients means the taste was just average."
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Still, that maid of yours is indeed a remarkable cook. I sampled her cooking back at Xinhai Manor. Augie told me you had a hand in preparing it as well?"
"Yes."
"A fine hobby. Better than mine."
"I still have much to learn from you."
"No need, no need," Foden said, shaking his head. He couldn't accept such flattery.
Catching ants was an elegant quirk for himself, but forcing a "Child of God" to catch ants felt borderline sacrilegious.
Foden said, "Elder Xiti was an unexpected development."
"Indeed, the whole matter was an accident."
Foden smiled. "I mean Elder Xiti herself is an anomaly."
"Ah. You're right."
"I understand why you rejected her. She's the kind of mentor who fiercely protects her own, but she's incapable of planning a student's future. Looking at her actual record before entering the Temple, her posts within the Holy See were mostly ideological instruction."
In other words, Xiti had lived the life of a retired cadre from her youth.
It wasn't that she had been sidelined; rather, apart from cultivation, her practical abilities were genuinely lacking.
"Yes, that was my impression as well. Though it was also because our initial meeting went rather poorly."
"Our Temple has factions too, divided into small circles. But the elders' circles are different from the ones we normally see. We consider practical interests and future prospects, whereas the elders prioritize who they get along with best and who shares their interests.
"Like hobby clubs in a school, relatively pure."
Karen quietly trimmed a cigar for Foden as he listened.
It was a natural gesture for Karen, but to Foden, it brought an all-pervading sense of comfort to his very soul.
He had just trimmed a cigar for the big boss, and now, the junior was trimming one for him.
Being stuck in the middle wasn't easy—Karen's recent incident had almost frightened him out of his seat—but this kind of give-and-take in daily work was genuinely gratifying.
"The daily affairs of the Temple are handled by the 'Prophet.' You can think of it as the Chief Bishop of a Regional Administrative Office, while the temple elders who possess their own stars are like department ministers.
"The Prophet handles concrete administrative affairs.
"There are two other posts on the same tier as the Prophet. One is the Oracle, who presides over temple sacrifices and receives messages from the god. In addition, the Oracle interfaces with our Holy See, serving as the bridge of communication between the High Priest and the Temple.
"The other is the Temple Commander—full title, Temple Guard Commander. That post serves no practical function, because generally speaking, the Temple has no need to resolve anything with military force; an attack on the Temple wouldn't happen once in thousands of years.
"However, our church permanently stations an order of knights outside the Temple of Order for protection, and the Temple Guard Commander concurrently serves as that knight order's vice commander. Even so, they don't oversee actual affairs; it's merely an honorary title."
Karen handed the trimmed cigar to Foden, pondering why Foden was explaining all this to him.
"These three posts basically cover every aspect of the Temple's operations. Yet above them are even higher existences. They never show themselves to the outside world; some temple elders go their entire lives without meeting them once."
Karen said with a touch of surprise, "Such immense lifespans?"
He had thought Ukonga represented the outer limit, but such vast lifespans apparently weren't unique in the Temple.
Exhaling a smoke ring, Foden said, "Sometimes, living too long isn't necessarily a good thing. Aside from deities, any being that lives long enough gradually stops resembling their true self."
Karen understood. Foden meant that there were beings in the Temple with ancient lifespans, but they were no longer a single "person."
In certain small and medium churches, the positions of doctrinal leadership utilized "inheritance" and "infusion," pouring the memories of predecessors into the successor.
The Temple likely possessed similar rituals, though qualifying for such a role required at least the standing of a temple elder.
"In short, the interior of the Temple is a miniature society in itself. You can think of it as a small town. You've been to the Temple, as I recall."
"Yes, I've been there. But calling that place a 'town' does it too little justice..."
Stars revolving across the celestial vault, densely packed small worlds.
The Temple truly was the place closest to god, for only there could one witness the genuine "miracles" of the previous era.
Even so, Karen remained curious: why had the Whip-Wielder laid all this groundwork?
He wouldn't sit here smoking a cigar and sharing Temple secrets just to hear himself talk.
"There is a mission for you."
Karen immediately stood up. "Please give your orders."
*So this was where all that buildup was leading.*
"You just survived a close call, and by rights, you ought to rest. Besides, you have your hands full right now—the internal investigation isn't over yet. Everything feels a bit rushed, but it cannot be helped; this is the High Priest's will.
"He even made a special point of coming to look at you. Do you understand what that means?"
"This matter is of the utmost gravity."
"Indeed. Sit down, relax," Foden said, crossing his legs and turning toward the ice pool.
Within the pool, Augie surreptitiously poked her dragon head above the water.
Seeing that the Whip-Wielder didn't scold or glare at her, Augie maintained her position, looking from the Whip-Wielder to Karen and back again.
If anyone were to chart Karen's rise, Augie was the ideal witness, having watched him climb from humble beginnings right here in this office.
Now, he was sitting face-to-face with the Whip-Wielder, discussing matters of grave importance in the tone of casual conversation.
"In your earlier account, you mentioned that three elders appeared at Pangxi Manor. The third was Ukonga, a legendary figure in our church's history.
"If all goes as expected, he will extend an invitation for you to become his student."
"Hm?"
Karen showed genuine surprise. *Become Ukonga's student?*
He had been doing everything he could to avoid the man, and now he was supposed to enter a master-disciple relationship with him?
Foden rested his cigar on the edge of the ashtray, pulled a blanket over his knees, and settled in.
The informant at Pangxi Manor had sent several reports. Although the informant couldn't get close, the peripheral intel had been enough for Foden to deduce a great deal.
Many in the manor had treated the rainbow above the hall as a scenic spectacle, but Foden knew it was the external manifestation of a temple elder losing control of their emotions.
And an identical rainbow had appeared once more above the council hall. By that time, Karen had already escaped and departed the manor.
In other words, Elder Rohan had lost control of his emotions twice.
The first could be understood as anxiety over Karen's peril and the potential fallout, but what about the second?
Ukonga's departure and return to the Temple had caused massive ripples through his dharma body, and informants there had already reported the relevant intelligence.
Xiti had wanted to take Karen as a student, but Karen had refused. Rohan had clearly been tempted, as evidenced by his "tug-of-war" with Karen.
His subsequent loss of emotional control pointed to anger and resentment—likely because the student he favored had been snatched away.
As for who had snatched him... naturally, it was the elder with the highest seniority.
With sufficient intelligence at his disposal, Foden's ability to reconstruct and deduce events was beyond question.
"You must become his student," Foden said. "This is your mission, and it does not originate from me."
"Understood."
"He should contact you soon. Be prepared."
"I will."
"Establishing a master-disciple relationship with him is for the arrangements that follow. Elder Ukonga has been chosen to lead a very special, momentous operation in the near future. He will lead a host of temple elders down in person.
"The Holy See will also dispatch a force to establish a perimeter and assist.
"If you two have formed a master-disciple bond, you can be the one to organize and lead the Holy See's personnel. After all, you've commanded legions on the front lines; your capability is beyond doubt."
Karen asked, puzzled, "Even without becoming his student, couldn't the Holy See still send me?"
Foden fell silent, seemingly hesitating.
Certain details weren't supposed to be disclosed to Karen at this juncture, as they were taboo. Yet given Karen's unique standing, he had no choice but to make an exception.
"Karen, from every angle, you are the most suitable candidate." Foden looked toward the ice pool and uttered, "Rasma, Luojia City."
*"Roar!"*
Augie, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly let out an anguished wail.
Streaks of lightning flashed and coiled around her body.
Her sealed taboo memories had been triggered, unleashing a fierce backlash.
Only after a long while did Augie calm down and quietly submerge back into the depths of the pool.
A stormy swell rose in Karen's heart. The violent surge of emotion nearly struck him like lightning, just as it had Augie. Yet he swiftly suppressed all agitation and said in an even, tranquil tone,
"Whip-Wielder, I once hunted down the assassins who murdered Head Bishop Wolflen's family there."
"Indeed, that very place. It involves a taboo secret of our church—grave, thorny, and dragged out for quite some time. The moment to resolve it is fast approaching.
"When the time comes, the temple elders will handle their duties, and you will lead the Holy See's team of priests to fulfill your corresponding responsibilities."
"Understood."
"However, our High Priest and the temple elders hold differing attitudes regarding how to handle this matter."
"I shall obey the High Priest's will."
Karen finally understood. *This* was the true reason he was being told to become Ukonga's student.
"This is an opportunity for you," Foden said, looking at Karen with utter seriousness. "Handle it well, and your position will be firmly cemented."
Though the chief had merely sent an avatar to take a look, Foden knew just how momentous this matter was.
If Karen could carry it out in accordance with the chief's will, then even if his official title remained unchanged, his standing would rise to an entirely new tier.
The chief didn't care for seniority; he favored those with capability who knew how to get things done.
Karen asked, "Whip-Wielder, what is the High Priest's will...?"
In truth, Foden didn't know. The scale of this operation exceeded his authority, and he wanted to know just as much. He said to Karen, "You can try guessing first."
Karen replied, "I believe we can deduce it by taking the Temple's objectives and attitudes, and reversing them..."
Foden thought to himself: *Oh, it's that simple?*
"Be mentally prepared. This mission will be exceedingly dangerous, or the Temple wouldn't mobilize on such a massive scale."
"Understood."
"Alright, go back and rest."
"I shall take my leave."
Leaving the Whip-Wielder's office and closing the door behind him, Karen felt a sudden wave of dizziness. For a brief instant, he lost control of his facial expressions.
Veguline asked, "Are you tired?"
Karen acknowledged her softly. "Yes. I'll be going now."
"Take care."
Karen left the Whip of Order headquarters, departed the Dinge Region, stepped out of the Yorktown teleportation hall, returned to the Disciplinary Department barrier, and finally sat down behind his own desk.
Throughout the entire journey, his mind had remained in a state of absolute numbness.
*Knock, knock...*
Alfred knocked and stepped inside. Seeing Karen's current state, he asked with concern, "Young Master, what happened?"
"The Temple and the Holy See are preparing to deal with Grandfather's matter."
"Going by the timeline, it is quite normal for them to begin preparations now."
"Heh... hehe..."
Karen began to laugh. Alfred looked on, bewildered, but seeing that Karen's laughter went on and on without stopping, Alfred didn't ask what was wrong. Instead, he chuckled along in accompaniment.
Still chuckling, Alfred poured a glass of iced water and set it before his young master.
Karen picked up the glass, wanting to drink, but the laughter wouldn't subside, making it impossible to take a sip.
The moment he had heard the news, Karen had sealed off his own senses. The numbness that had carried him all the way back was only now giving way to realization.
By rights, he should have burst out laughing right there in the Whip-Wielder's office.
Alfred remained at his side, waiting quietly.
Finally, Karen stopped. He drained the water in one gulp, set the glass tilted on the desk, and balanced it with a single fingertip, spinning it in circles.
"Alfred, what are you laughing at?"
"I have no idea, Young Master, but I am certain it must be something hilarious."
"Then let me tell you..."
"I am listening, Young Master."
"The higher-ups are assigning me to lead troops to Mink Street."
Chapter 844