Down below, the election was still proceeding in earnest.
Under the "gaze of Order," everyone cooperated with utmost dedication.
Ukonga had taken a nap. Waking up, he looked up and saw that the meeting was actually still going on. He couldn't help but chuckle:
"Back in the day, we would at least go through the motions—manipulating and backing someone from behind the scenes, then walking through procedural justice. I remember when I was young, I was assigned a mission to fabricate an oracle for a candidate in a minor church.
"Heh, what can you do? There are always fools who buy into that.
"The way you're doing it now is a bit too crude. It's like watching a one-man play. Doesn't it feel dry and boring?"
Karen shook his head. "No, quite the opposite. I find it very interesting."
Ukonga asked, "Savoring the lingering pleasure born of Order's hegemony?"
"I can't deny that's partly a factor."
"And the main reason?"
"Mainly... seeing this kind of scene play out in any church other than the Church of Order brings me joy."
"Hey, I may be your teacher, but I have no interest in administering a piety test. You don't need to talk to me like that."
"Because it sounds so orthodox that it feels like boilerplate rhetoric?"
"What else?"
"Yet that is genuinely where I find simple pleasure."
"I have a premonition," Ukonga said. "If you ever actually become High Priest in the future, your attitude toward the Temple of Order will be just like the current one's."
Perhaps because Ukonga was such an exceptional individual, Karen no longer concealed anything. He nodded and said, "Most likely."
"But he is an inheritor of Tyrannus; there's a special reason he could achieve that. What makes you think you can too?"
"Matters are accomplished by people."
Karen looked toward Little Kanna and made a gesture of drinking water.
Little Kanna immediately took out a cup and ice cubes from her new backpack.
Ukonga asked, "Got any liquor?"
"No," Little Kanna replied, shaking her head firmly.
"I saw it," Ukonga said, pointing at the backpack, inside of which sat the unfinished bottle of liquor Karen had left from the carriage.
"But it's very expensive!"
"Don't be so stingy. My service fee is worth far more than that."
Karen said, "Pour him some."
Ukonga took the cup, took a sip, and said, "For several centuries, I felt drinking was utterly meaningless, and eating was meaningless too. Whenever I felt lacking in energy, I just absorbed spirit stones."
"And after that?"
"Later, I realized living like that was even more boring. Living too long is a kind of torment. It's like insomnia—tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, yet morning never comes."
"Hard to empathize."
"You'll understand in the future. By the time you reach three hundred, you'll find everything tedious and dull. That's also why temple elders around their two-hundreds tend to be the most active—people like Xiti and Rohan...
"Those two are in the prime of their youth."
The election ceremony finally drew to a close. Everyone was exhausted, but all of them had dedicated themselves to the performance.
Next, Derius would hold a grand inauguration ceremony within the church, though Karen wouldn't attend—that was business for the Church of Order's Foreign Affairs Department.
Karen stood up and stepped down from his seat. Holding the wine bottle and dodging Little Kanna's reaching little hand, Ukonga walked outside as well.
The security detail led by Andrew and the knights outside led by Ventura gathered their formations and withdrew.
The carriage rolled out of the Church of Pamires temple and departed through the teleportation array.
Derius let out a long sigh of relief. Behind him, a crowd of Pamires priests mirrored the action.
An elderly priest responsible for researching sacred history within the church murmured an emotional lament:
"The world is gradually returning to the way it ought to be."
Hearing this, Derius immediately turned his head and glared at him.
The old man bowed his head in salute to Derius. "Hierarch."
Derius's gaze softened; he too felt that losing his temper at this moment was completely pointless. "What on earth are you trying to say?"
The old man answered, "The orthodox churches will gradually tear away their veils of hypocrisy, and the minor and mid-sized churches will return to their rightful places. Hierarch, the road ahead will be harder, and far more pragmatic."
Derius took a deep breath. This couldn't help but remind him of the question he had once asked Karen: Did minor churches not deserve the right to faith and freedom of development?
Today, Karen had once again answered him through tangible action: what on earth had given him the illusion that minor churches ever had such a right?
Not just the Church of Order—after the war in the desert broke out, the other orthodox churches seemed to have transformed all at once. Recently, more than twenty minor churches had been annexed or extinguished, suffering fates countless times worse than the Church of Pamires.
When the mighty orthodox churches gradually entered a phase of direct confrontation, they all tightened the leashes in their hands in unspoken unison. The minor and mid-sized churches that had once seemingly moved about "like humans" were now left with nothing but pitiful whimpering and barking like dogs.
The old man hesitated briefly, then added, "Lord Hierarch, when the world has already shifted, clinging to unrealistic, idyllic fantasies is no longer naivety... it is folly."
With that, leaning on his cane, he turned and tottered away.
He was admonishing him—urging the new Hierarch to be an obedient dog. Only by enduring this most grueling period would the Church of Pamires have a day when the reins might be loosened, allowing them to become human again. If they refused to obey and harbored other notions, their master would slaughter them for meat.
This was not pessimism; this was helplessness.
In the previous era, even the aloft gods had to divide into factions to clash and slaughter, with lesser deities swearing fealty to mighty chief gods for sanctuary.
If gods were subject to this, how could humans be an exception?
***
Those who were supposed to have departed had not actually left.
Karen, holding Little Kanna's hand, appeared on the beach, with Ukonga following along as he drank.
Little Kanna watched the dwindling liquor with great heartache, her brows knitted tight.
Noticing this, Karen bent down and gently smoothed Little Kanna's furrowed brow with his fingers: "Be good. Don't be so stingy. When he dies in the future, his entire inheritance will be ours."
"Heh." Ukonga nearly choked with laughter. "Sigh, even if I die, you're only my student, and I have a family."
Karen said very calmly, "If you die, your family wouldn't dare dispute your inheritance with me."
"That's true enough, but I don't have much of an inheritance left behind anyway. My star is exceedingly desolate. The few items there belong to the temple."
Little Kanna piped up, "If you hurry and acquire things now, there's still time."
"It's fine when your guardian teases me, but what, do you think I'm on the verge of dying too?" Ukonga asked with a grin.
Little Kanna said, "Mmh, I just want to receive gifts."
As she spoke, she even shifted her new backpack to hang against her chest, hugging it.
Ukonga cautioned Karen, "You completely lifted the seal on that divine artifact and entrusted it to her care. There is an artifact spirit inside; be careful that it doesn't influence her."
"It's fine. I'll keep a close eye on it."
"Don't take it lightly."
"I'm not. I have absolute faith in your warning; after all, no one understands artifact spirits better than you."
"Heh."
The reason Karen felt secure was that Little Kanna possessed the legacy of the Rebel Dragon God, somewhat like the phantom of the God of Order within him. Even if the artifact spirit had ulterior motives, it would hardly succeed.
The liquor was finally finished by Ukonga. He casually tossed the bottle away, and it landed in the sand.
Little Kanna wanted to walk over to pick up the bottle, but Karen held her hand, silently stopping her.
Just then, the bottle in the sand floated up on its own, and an old man appeared, holding the bottle in his hand.
Ukonga glanced at him and said, "Didn't come out while there was still wine, but popped up the moment it was finished. What, couldn't be bothered to share a drink with me?"
The old man bowed to Ukonga and said, "Knowing my humble status, I did not dare drink with the elder."
Karen led Little Kanna in bowing to the old man. This elder was, naturally, the former Hierarch of the Church of Pamires—Rozeno.
Rozeno returned the salute to Karen and said, "Lord Karen."
"No, you are the lord."
Rozeno smiled faintly. "I am merely an ordinary believer of Order."
Karen understood: the other party did not wish to rank seniority by his status in the Church of Pamires.
In the old man's heart, his proudest identity was that of a devout believer of Order.
Karen said, "You are a great believer of Order. I believe the great God of Order surely sees all your devotion to Order."
"You flatter me. I am but an ordinary one among millions of believers."
Ukonga cut through the pleasantries and asked bluntly, "What happened to you?"
"In response to the elder, an issue has arisen with me."
"Did an accident occur while condensing the godhead fragment?"
"No, the problem is that no accident occurred. I succeeded."
Rozeno placed his hand over his chest. Soon, a blue crystalline cluster emerged, though to avoid drawing attention, its rich, potent divine aura was sealed within.
Karen noticed that upon seeing this godhead fragment, an undisguised longing surfaced in Ukonga's eyes.
However, he wouldn't want the one in Rozeno's hand, because this was a godhead belonging to the Pamires faith, not Order.
Ukonga asked, "How did you do it?"
"Thank you for your trust and benevolence in not directly accusing me of losing my faith. My success was more like an inevitable accidental coincidence. Perhaps because the return of the gods draws near, and at the time I was the person in the Church of Pamires closest to condensing a godhead fragment—in short, I was chosen.
"During that period, at every moment, there was a peculiar sensation, as though countless hands around me were pushing me upward, pushing me toward success.
"It was as if the time had come; the Church of Pamires needed a godhead fragment to forge a closer connection with the God Pamires, and so, I succeeded in condensing it."
"Heh," Ukonga chuckled. "A stroke of fortune like yours would make countless people die of envy."
"There is truly nothing to envy. If you don't believe me, Elder, look."
Beside Rozeno, a dharma body deliberately shrunken to normal human size materialized.
Yet this dharma body looked entirely different from Rozeno.
Ukonga tilted his head, inspected it carefully, and said, "This is not your dharma body, nor is it your godhead fragment."
"Yes, Elder, you are correct. Strictly speaking, I merely happened to sign for delivery on his behalf."
"Who is he? It's not the God Pamires."
"Historically, no distinct branch god existed in the Church of Pamires. It is only a minor church, and even the God Pamires held a low status in the divine realm.
"I carefully perused the internal scriptures of the Church of Pamires and the records of other churches that had deep interactions with it in the previous era, and found one possibility: in history, the Church of Pamires once had an apostate who clashed with the God Pamires and ultimately broke away from the Church of Pamires.
"There is also a claim that he was personally suppressed by the God Pamires.
"However, firstly, he possessed no church-recognized status, and secondly, accounts of his deeds were extremely brief, leaving behind not even a name, as if he had been deliberately excised back during the previous era when gods still walked the world."
"He is that omitted branch god?"
"Yes, it can only be him. He should have already attained godhood back then, and there might have been hidden circumstances behind his conflict with the God Pamires. After all, ultimately... he still belonged to the faith system of the Church of Pamires, which means the God Pamires acknowledged his divine status."
Karen spoke up, "You were contaminated—either by the Messenger Space, or by the position of Hierarch."
Ukonga looked at Karen with interest. "I've noticed you have an extraordinary understanding of divinity."
Karen nodded. "I'm very fond of reading the research materials from the Church of Principles."
Rozeno replied, "Lord Karen is likely correct. In all probability, I was contaminated."
It was somewhat like changes in the surrounding environment causing mold to grow on Rozeno.
From beginning to end, he had been passive, because he had no way to be proactive. A believer of Order to his bones, no matter how deeply he disguised himself or infiltrated, could never willingly achieve a godhead fragment of the Church of Pamires.
If that were possible, Purr wouldn't have been so bitterly trapped by her family's faith system back then.
Karen asked, "My lord, there is one thing I don't understand. Why did you fabricate news of your death and even deceive your liaison in our church?"
"After this godhead fragment was condensed, I was subjected to the threat of being assimilated by it. I have been fighting against it constantly, which is also why I kept myself sealed inside the Messenger Space in recent years.
"However, because oracles and miracles have frequently manifested across various regions and churches recently, restless auras have grown increasingly pronounced, and I realized it was becoming exceedingly difficult to maintain control over him.
"Faking my death allowed me to divest myself of the identity of Hierarch, which to some extent lessened my pressure—namely, what Lord Karen just referred to as the intensity of contamination.
"As for deceiving the liaison within the church... I am truly sorry, but in my current state, I can no longer proactively contact the outside world. My range of movement is also strictly restricted to this sacred land."
At this point, Rozeno pointed to his dharma body:
"Elder, Lord Karen, do not be deceived by how quiet he is right now. In reality, he has merely closed his eyes; internally, an exquisitely sensitive perception remains.
"Though no contractual relationship exists between us, that sense of balance was established long ago.
"If I proactively contact the outside world, he will be stimulated, and a terrifying disruption beyond my control will occur ahead of time.
"It is difficult for me to vividly describe this feeling...
"I am like a warden, yet in reality, I am also the prisoner, trapped within a seemingly open, massive cell where everywhere is a restricted zone that cannot be touched.
"I wonder if my explanation makes sense to the Elder and Lord Karen?"
Ukonga fell into deep contemplation, his thoughts drifting to Mink Street.
Karen showed deep bewilderment. "Such a bizarre state can actually exist?"
This was simply too similar to the dynamic between Rasma and Diss on Mink Street.
Rasma was clearly the warden, yet he was completely subjugated by Diss, resulting in him still being in a state of "imprisonment."
Though Diss was slumbering, he kept his eyes fixed on Rokia City. Rasma's actions were severely constrained, terrified of accidentally stimulating Diss with the slightest misstep.
Ukonga pointed at himself, then pointed at Rozeno, and asked, "Then what about right now? What's going on?"
Since you were under such severe restrictions that you didn't even dare transmit a single specific message to the outside world, what did this direct contact with us and all this talking mean?
Could it be that this taboo had suddenly vanished?
Rozeno replied, "When your aura, Elder, appeared on that island on the periphery of this sacred land, it wasn't me, but him, who suddenly stirred with trepidation and released a ripple of aura, which allowed you to detect it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to actively reveal any sign that I was still alive."
"Oh?"
"I know him very well, for the entanglement between us is too deep and intimate. He seems to fear you greatly, Lord Elder—so much so that because of your presence, many restrictions have temporarily lapsed at this moment.
"Right now, before you, he is like a fledgling prematurely stripped of its eggshell. I can even feel his panic, fear, and trembling.
"It is precisely because of this that I dared to show myself.
"Yet I do not know how long this state of his will last, and I dare not gamble.
"Nevertheless, I am profoundly grateful, for this is a rare opportunity where I can convey the information completely so that the church can take action regarding my current predicament."
"Hahaha..."
Ukonga laughed. He wasn't one for managing his expressions; after all, at his status and standing, very few could compel him to rein in his nature.
Therefore, knowing that his appearance had thrown this entity bearing the aura of a Pamires branch god into panic gave him immense satisfaction.
Karen remarked, "As expected of you."
Receiving praise from his former roommate—even if it wasn't calling him father by name—still made the corners of Ukonga's mouth curl up even higher.
Hugging her backpack, Little Kanna looked at that dharma body, then looked at Ukonga, and finally looked at Karen, who held her hand.
She had a premonition that what the dharma body truly feared was not Ukonga, but Karen.
Using her little hand, she squeezed Karen's finger with a bit of force, wanting to alert him. Soon, she felt Karen squeeze back with equal firmness; clearly, Karen had already sensed it long before.
However, what surprised Karen now was that he hadn't made a move, his hunger addiction hadn't roared, and this wasn't his soul-consciousness space—yet could this dharma body still sense his presence?
This shouldn't be the case. In the past, he had encountered divine remnants like the Goddess of the Dark Moon; they too were deities, yet had failed to see through his disguise at a glance.
Those capable of seeing through him at first glance seemed to only be the likes of Raniedal and Ankara, because they were far too familiar with the God of Order—so familiar that they didn't even need to discern an aura; a single glance was enough to spot the resemblance and clues.
Could it be that this historical branch god of the Church of Pamires also shared an intimate relationship with the God of Order, similar to what Raniedal once had?
Considering further that the God Pamires was known as the "God of Messengers," did this branch god also bear some special mission?
"I understand. When I return, I will report this to the temple, and the temple will dispatch forces to help resolve your current dilemma."
"Gratitude to the temple. Praise the great God of Order," Rozeno intoned with solemn devotion.
At that moment, a slight disturbance occurred within the dharma body, as if the suppressed emotions were beginning to slip out of control.
Rozeno said, "Elder, Lord Karen, I can no longer remain in contact with you. Ah, Lord Karen, please keep an eye on my grandson. He has already lost his way."
Karen replied, "I am aware."
It seemed this father and son held identical assessments of Derius.
From their standpoint, their family had plotted for the Church of Order to secure the legacy of Pamires, paying tremendous effort and sacrifice for it, only for their descendant to lose his faith at the most crucial yet easiest juncture. This was not only a betrayal of Order, but could also upend the painstaking efforts of several generations of their family.
Rozeno and his dharma body vanished together, while Ukonga and Karen walked toward the teleportation array.
Along the way, Ukonga spoke up: "This is a rare opportunity for a rehearsal."
Evidently, Ukonga intended to treat handling the matter here as a drill for dealing with the Mink Street incident in the future.
Karen couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This was ample proof of Grandfather's standing in the temple; even someone as uninhibited as Ukonga was immensely wary when it came to Mink Street.
"Do you need my help?" Karen asked.
Not only did you need a drill, but if possible, I'd like some practice as well.
"Naturally. You are very familiar with the Church of Pamires and hold great control over it. When the time comes, I'll need you to manage the situation here."
"Alright, no problem."
"By the way, it seems you still owe me a word of thanks, as well as a respectful form of address."
Karen asked, "What are you talking about, my dear son?"
Ukonga appeared abruptly before Karen, staring dead at him.
If anyone else had dared insult a temple elder like this, their end would have been utterly wretched.
Yet Ukonga instead burst out:
"Hahaha..."
At a specific time, at a specific relational juncture, cracking a specific joke helped swiftly draw them closer.
Karen knew very well what Ukonga wanted: emotional value.
As Ukonga laughed, his expression suddenly turned desolate. He murmured:
"It seems I'm going to die. At that place, my chances of success probably aren't great. That fellow will be far harder to deal with than I anticipated."
"Why say that?"
"Because right now, I've started missing Philias, missing Budalas, missing Dicarost. I suddenly yearn so much to return to that past, to return to the side of my sons.
"They are all gone now; they must be waiting for this father to go see them."
Karen reminded him, "Usually, the one who leaves first is the father, and the ones who follow behind are..."
Ukonga's gaze turned slightly chilly as he looked at Karen.
Karen smiled faintly and ceased speaking.
"You rascal, you're quite interesting. I reviewed some of your background dossiers and found that elderly folks tend to be very fond of you. The facts indeed prove it: I'm already over a thousand years old, yet you can still make me laugh."
"I get along very well with my peers as well."
"No, believe me, I was Budalas's peer. You're very much like Budalas. People like you—the peers around you merely become tools and vessels that act in accordance with your will, yet you remain oblivious to it yourselves.
"Oh, right, since I've become your teacher, I ought to teach you something. But I'm lazy and don't feel like giving lectures. Tsk, what should I do?"
Little Kanna chimed in, "Mmh, you can convert it to cash."
"Heh. On my star, there is indeed something that could serve as an inheritance. I don't want to leave it to the temple, nor can I hand it over to my family for fear of bringing them calamity."
Little Kanna remarked, "Oh, that doesn't sound like a good thing."
"There's a skull pendant that's quite intriguing. When I have time, I'll bring it out and toss it to you to play with. You can treat it as your teacher; it can teach you plenty."
Karen asked, "Is it... a god's bone?"
"Mm, yes. But let me warn you: don't let it bewitch you. It's very adept at that."
"Wouldn't that be too precious?"
"It's alright. That skull forms a pair with the research project I gave you—it is the remains of that deity who researched time taboos."
Little Kanna's eyes instantly widened: "Woof!"
Ukonga patted Little Kanna's head, and Little Kanna retreated in deep protest, holding her head.
"You're a dragon. What are you barking like a dog for? Don't you feel embarrassed?"
Little Kanna stayed silent.
Karen explained, "We keep a dog at home; she likes playing with the dog normally."
"Heh." Ukonga waved his hand. "Alright, I'm off. Another day, Daddy will bring you your new toy, my dear son.
"Oh, right, despite what I said, you'd better show some respect to it. After all, it is an aloft deity. Go back and prepare an altar for sealing and enshrining it first—preferably of higher specification and ceremonial grandeur. How long do you reckon you'll need?"
"It can be prepared very quickly."
Because at home, there was already a ready-made doghouse.
"Very well, then."
Ukonga stepped into the teleportation array and vanished from sight.
Little Kanna said with great excitement, "He'll be so thrilled he'll go woof, woof, woof! Then he'll chase his tail in circles without stopping!"
As she spoke, Little Kanna even began imitating it, spinning in circles with her backpack on. She deliberately hoisted the backpack up, mimicking Purr riding on Kevin's back.
On Karen's side, however, he grew somewhat apprehensive. Just earlier he had promised to help Kevin undo all the seals he could undo, but now Kevin was receiving dog brains as nourishment along with dog bones delivered to his door. Karen couldn't help worrying:
Just how much would Kevin end up boosted all at once?
Chapter 855