The morning dew carried a refreshing chill. Clad in a black clerical robe, Karen paced slowly into the performance hall.
The layout of the performance hall had been modified and refined many times. Alfred had gone to great pains to turn this place into his educational base; every so often, he would organize believers to come here for ideological exchange activities.
Naturally, the core area here remained the cluster of coffins right in the center.
There were already quite a few occupants in the coffins, but proper occupants rarely stayed inside; after all, even active outside, they were already considered "slothful" in Alfred's eyes. If any truly wished to lie inside and rest forever, they might as well never "awaken" at all—staying dead entirely would let them rest for eternity.
There were two exceptions, however.
One was Melindi, and the other was Buken.
Karen first walked up to the coffin containing Buken. Raising his hand, a Chain of Order snaked out from beneath his feet and entered the coffin.
Soon, Karen established a connection with the consciousness inside Buken's remains.
Only this time, Karen didn't bother entering Buken's mental realm. Instead, he opened up an "office space" of his own.
It was an ordinary study. The setting sun outside the French window and the maple leaves gathered on the sill created an atmosphere of quiet, amber warmth.
This was the third-floor study at No. 13 Mink Street—Grandfather's study.
Karen sat down in the chair behind the desk. A thermos and a teacup were laid out on the desk. Lifting the lid revealed tea leaves already placed inside.
He remembered that when he was living at home, Aunt Mary would come every morning to clean Grandfather's study, put tea leaves into the cup in advance, and at designated times, come by to replace the thermos with freshly boiled hot water.
Though she had a sharp tongue and loved sarcastic remarks, Aunt Mary had always taken wonderful care of the family's daily life.
When Karen recalled Mink Street now, that sense of home still stemmed from his uncle, aunt, and cousins. Because they were there, the house felt like a home.
Whereas he and Grandfather were actually both consumers of that warmth—like two beasts, one large and one small, crouched beside a stream, drinking quietly yet greedily.
Karen poured hot water into the teacup, then covered it with the lid, not drinking.
He disliked conjuring water with magic to drink, finding that it had an unpleasant taste. As for eating or drinking in his own realm of consciousness, he wouldn't do it at all—that was merely playing tricks on himself, devoid of meaning.
Across the desk, Buken stood there, tears still streaming down his face.
Just like Bern not long ago, closing and opening his eyes was merely a brief, minuscule movement to him; but when Bern died, Karen had been experiencing an epiphany—or perhaps just zoning out—because Karen hadn't anticipated that Bern would pass away so peacefully.
A little time had been lost in between, but Bern couldn't feel it.
The same was true for Buken now. His memories remained frozen in the shock of having willingly offered himself as a "gift" to Karen, only to witness Karen's true identity within his soul space.
Karen waited quietly without pressing him. He still possessed this shred of patience, and it was only right to grant it.
After quite a while, Buken finally came to his senses, falling to his knees before Karen with a soft thud.
Karen was in no rush to tell him to rise. Buken was unlike Bern. Even though Buken's final decision before death had lived up to his identity as a follower of Order and a former Whip-Wielder, he had erred after all.
And it was precisely because of that error that Foden had been given the perfect pretext to eliminate his former political rival.
"Lord... Praise my Lord!"
Buken prostrated himself in devout worship before Karen.
"There is a matter I need you to handle."
"The Lord's will is my mission!"
"Someone will come to inform you when assistance is needed. His name is Alfred. Wait for him to seek you out, and assist him in his work."
"I obey the divine decree."
"Go back and lie down."
Karen waved his hand, expelling Buken's consciousness from this space.
He was not fully awakened; his state was more like that of Old Saman and Count Rekal when they had first lain in their coffins, able to dream inside, play the flute, go fishing, and the like.
Buken was someone Karen had prepared for Alfred. Although in the sacred grounds of the Church of Pamires Karen had borrowed Ukonga's power to kill several members of the Silent Ones who had sought to "have a chat" with him, he had never felt at ease regarding that organization.
His grandmother knew of the organization as well, calling it a "taboo"; yet to Karen, there was no such thing as taboos.
After all, theoretically speaking, he himself was the greatest taboo under this world's old order.
The Silent Ones' persecution of Little Philias was, in essence, an attempt to uphold the authority of theocracy during this era when gods did not appear, waiting for the gods' return.
The organization's stance naturally conflicted with Order, but there were bound to be Order priests among their ranks as well.
One couldn't just keep looking up at the sky; the dust beneath one's feet needed to be brushed off too.
Once the Great Purge concluded, Karen had decided to mobilize the power of the Whip of Order to unearth and strike against this organization.
Therefore, he was still short of hands. Buken, as a former Whip-Wielder, was well-suited, and he had even had dealings with the organization before.
As for whether Buken could truly attain a standing like Daliwenluo's, that would depend on his own performance.
Earlier on, Madame Gandiluo hadn't been well-received in this circle either, but through her own efforts and contributions, she had managed to establish a firm footing.
Karen was in no hurry to leave the "study." Instead, he clapped his hands.
Where Buken had knelt, a heap of bones appeared.
The bones began to assemble, gradually taking the form of a mummified woman.
Karen had specifically asked Alfred to look up records before, so he had seen photographs and portraits of Melindi from when she served the High Priest in her early days.
Back then, she was beautiful and striking, possessing a dark sort of allure.
Yet the woman Karen had met in the subterranean cavern had long been withered by the agonizing years of imprisonment. She seemed to have accepted this appearance herself, maintaining her mummified form even after "awakening."
She first surveyed her surroundings, and finally looked toward Karen.
Her hands, reduced to skin and bone, began to tremble. Clearly, a whirlwind of emotions was colliding violently within her.
In the end, just like Buken, she fell to her knees before Karen.
"Praise my Lord."
Once on her knees, flesh and blood filled out anew, restoring her body to fullness. Just as one would mind one's appearance before meeting a guest, when prostrating before the great Lord, she naturally had to present her best self.
Soon, a woman appearing to be in her early twenties stood before Karen.
As an arch-necromancer, time left no trace on her, though most women would likely be unable to replicate—much less stomach—this kind of "beauty regimen."
Unlike Buken, however, Melindi immediately spoke up of her own accord:
"My Lord, the current High Priest of our church has betrayed You! As the inheritor of Tyrannus, he suppressed Lord Tyrannus's inherited will within him!"
Even Karen hadn't anticipated that the very first thing she would do upon awakening would be to report her superior.
Of course, it was only natural.
Though the High Priest ruthlessly criticized "gods" on various occasions and through policies, he had never dared openly criticize the God of Order in public.
People like Melindi represented the true mainstream of the Church of Order.
The outliers, rather, were the Church of Order's High Priest—and their God.
Karen said, "He is the High Priest I acknowledge."
Melindi looked up at Karen in utter shock.
At that moment, the light in her eyes turned chaotic, and Karen could sense a violent turbulence in her consciousness, bordering on collapse!
She had originally been Norton's loyal follower. Her status had been no different from Foden's; had she quietly supported the High Priest's rise to power, she too would have attained an extraordinarily high station within the Church of Order.
As for the secrets she knew, those terrifying inclinations—had Foden and the others truly failed to notice them?
Perhaps Norton had intentionally let them slip back then, wanting to purify his circle.
Only she had stepped forward, pointing at Norton and fiercely reviling his betrayal. After being banished and imprisoned in the underground cavern, the conviction that sustained her had been her devotion to the God of Order.
Yet now, God was saying He acknowledged the High Priest who had committed such betrayal?
To Melindi, this was nothing short of the collapse of her spiritual pillar!
What, then, had she been holding on for all these years?
Karen sighed and reached out. A golden chain coiled around Melindi, soothing her emotions and helping stabilize her consciousness.
Otherwise, the very first case of an awakened soul committing suicide would have occurred right here.
Fortunately, the pure radiance of Order calmed Melindi. She looked at Karen with the aggrieved, weeping expression of a young girl.
Many believers regarded the God they worshipped as their "parent."
Karen frowned slightly. A woman of the same age as Foden sniffling and crying before him like a little girl truly made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Only Purr had the knack for making people completely forget her age.
"I acknowledge your loyalty."
Hearing these words, Melindi's emotions stabilized. She drew a deep breath and wiped away her tears.
"However, you still need to learn and progress."
Melindi's gaze turned blank.
"A man named Alfred will come here regularly to give lectures. Pay close attention, learn, and above all, finish your assignments."
Melindi felt somewhat at a loss.
Karen emphasized, "This is a decree."
"Yes, I obey the divine decree."
"Going forward, you will be responsible for guarding this place. In critical moments, call out to me, or I will notify you."
Karen leaned back, and the mental realm shattered. He returned to reality, standing in the central area of the performance hall.
He had now "semi-awakened" both Buken and Melindi. The difference was that he had not infused them with spiritual power; he had merely let them "wake up" without granting them the ability to move freely.
These two were entangled far too deeply with the High Priest. Hastily granting them freedom could very easily draw the High Priest's notice.
Even so, Karen walked up to two pedestal pillars before him, atop which sat two chalices.
Grasping the chalices with both hands, Karen channeled spiritual power into them. Soon, black liquid welled up inside the cups—the purest power of Order, sealed away by Karen within these two sacred chalices.
Under Karen's arrangement, Buken could act as the planner targeting the Silent Ones and, of course, participate in operations when necessary;
as for Melindi, she would remain here for ideological transformation for now, serving as the force protecting Allen Manor should it ever be spied upon or attacked.
As his rank climbed ever higher, people like Old Saman had already received positions within the church and would no longer stay at the manor. Relying solely on formations without a powerhouse of sufficient weight stationed here was ultimately not safe enough.
These two chalices were the power source that would grant them free mobility at critical junctures.
Having finished this, Karen walked out of the performance hall.
The carriage was already waiting at the entrance. The moment he stepped inside, Karen heard sniffling, which suddenly grew much louder upon his arrival.
Little Kanna sat there, using her schoolbag as a desk, crying as she rushed to finish her backlog of homework;
Purr was perched on her head, scolding her incessantly.
Evidently, the scolding had been going on for some time before he boarded, and was now entering its wrapping-up stage:
"Don't think hiding behind Tangli will do you any good! Tangli is Karen's grandmother, but her seniority isn't higher than mine! I watched Diss grow up! Who is Tangli to play the elder before me?!
Write! Get writing!
What you owe must be finished today, and starting tomorrow, your homework is doubled!"
Little Kanna whimpered aggrievedly, "Wuwuwu... then I won't have time to sleep."
"Sleep? What sleep?! It's not like you get dark circles under your eyes!"
Little Kanna cast a pleading look first at Kevin lying beside her. The ever-warm golden retriever averted his gaze, looking out the window—ah, what scenic beauty outside.
Little Kanna then looked at Karen, only to find that he had already picked up a copy of Order Weekly from the carriage and was reading it with great earnestness.
Pampering a child when the mother wasn't around was fine, but interfering while the mother was disciplining the child was truly foolish.
Little Kanna could only lower her head and keep writing, her fingers secretly scratching at the black cat emblem on her schoolbag. But since the bag had been upgraded to artifact grade, she couldn't scratch it loose anymore.
The little bone dragon was pitiful, but such was her family environment; there was really no helping it. Sitting in the back of the carriage were Karen, Purr, and a god. As a member of this household, there was simply no room for falling behind.
Fortunately, Purr wrapped up her lecture shortly after Karen got in. She hopped onto Karen's lap, showing off her new hat to him—
a golden hood made from... divine fur.
"How is it? Does it look good, meow?"
"Yes, it looks nice."
"Did you wake up those two inside?"
"Yeah."
"Did it go smoothly?"
"Very smoothly."
"True enough. With your identity, there's no way it wouldn't go smoothly."
"Are you heading home, or coming with me to the Dinge Region?"
The Sacrificial Assembly was about to begin.
Purr hesitated a moment, glanced at Kevin, and asked, "Will you be discovered?"
Kevin: "Woof, woof, woof!"
Karen glanced at Kevin, who immediately lowered his head in guilt.
He said he had restored and patched the seal Mr. Hoffen had placed on him; no detection artifact, no matter how formidable, could detect his divine aura.
From this alone, one could imagine what Kevin had been brooding over in his doghouse during countless nights in the past. Not only had he secretly loosened those nails, but he had thoroughly mastered and understood the seal along with them.
This didn't mean Mr. Hoffen lacked skill; it was purely because Mr. Hoffen was dead. Otherwise, had he been able to check and update the seal every few days, Kevin would likely have been driven to despair.
Purr said happily, "Then let's go together! But can we enter the venue?"
"Now, you can."
Just as Augie could accompany the Whip-Wielder to any venue, keeping demonic beasts by one's side was entirely standard practice. Karen just happened to have quite a few "beasts," but given his current status, no one could restrict him anyway.
The carriage sped along, making a brief stop before the Discipline Department, where Daliwenluo hopped down to harvest a bamboo basket of fruit.
During the subsequent teleportation, Daliwenluo meticulously guarded the fruit, as if protecting his own family.
Before entering the Holy See's core area, Andrew's squad revealed themselves and handed over security responsibilities.
After setting down the bamboo basket, Daliwenluo stepped out, and Philomena got into the carriage.
"When did you arrive?" Karen asked.
Philomena answered, "When the carriage passed the Discipline Department."
Karen nodded. Although she was rather stiff as a secretary, Philomena was always exceedingly conscientious as a bodyguard.
At the entrance of the Holy See, many people were lining up for security checks. As Karen's carriage passed, quite a few bowed in salute.
The inspecting priest opened the carriage door and reported to Karen, "Minister, you must proceed to the Office Divine Hall first."
Philomena answered on Karen's behalf, "Very well, understood."
During Rasma's era, the Holy See's Office Divine Hall had leaned more toward being a religious structure, generally used for official high-level assemblies. Under the current High Priest, however, the hall truly lived up to its name as a working office.
Foden's carriage, however, could stop directly beneath the stairs, whereas Karen's carriage came to a halt further away.
Vigulin stepped forward of her own accord to salute Karen. Karen nodded to her, then took Little Kanna by his right hand and the dog by his left, with a cat perched on the dog's back, as the lively "family" continued walking inside.
Because Philomena was a human, she could only remain behind with Vigulin.
Mobiten, standing on the steps, watched Karen approach. Bowing in greeting first, he joked:
"You certainly brought quite a few pets."
Back then, over the matter involving Muri, the old fellow's fist had nearly struck him, but all of that was in the past now.
All things considered, though the old fellow disliked Muri, having Muri by his side had indeed served irreplaceable roles on several occasions.
Karen replied, "Not pets—comrades-in-arms."
Both Purr and Kevin had proven their worth on the battlefield; there was no hiding that fact. Of course, no one could scrutinize the true origins of this cat and dog anymore either.
At those words, Mobiten nodded to Purr and Kevin. Clad in armor and bearing official duties, a nod was as much of a salute as he could muster.
"The Whip-Wielder just went inside."
"Understood."
Karen stepped into the Office Divine Hall. It wasn't particularly bustling inside, nor were there many people. This served as a reception and staging area; those of lower rank were already waiting out on the Sacrificial Square.
The dignitaries gathered in small groups of two and three, chatting as they awaited the High Priest's arrival before heading down to the Sacrificial Square together.
Drinks and attendants were provided, but since it wasn't a banquet, offerings were sparse.
"Kanna, go ahead."
"Okay!"
Little Kanna brought her schoolbag to her front and opened it. Inside lay the fresh fruit picked by Daliwenluo.
The bag's interior volume was vastly larger than it appeared from the outside—it was, after all, transformed from a divine artifact.
Little Kanna then walked up to the dignitaries, handing a piece of fruit to each one she met.
"It's very delicious, please try some."
At first, everyone was somewhat surprised, each glancing first toward Karen standing nearby. Even dignitaries who seemed aloof and sat alone in corners didn't refuse such a "gift"—especially when presented by such an adorable little girl.
Purr whispered to Kevin, "Stupid dog, have you ever been here before?"
Kevin shook his head.
This was the domain of the Holy See. The God of Order had never come here to conduct business; back then, Tyrannus was the one who frequented the place.
"Commander!"
Dena's voice came from behind.
Little Kanna, having just finished her round and scampering back, pulled out a cucumber and handed it to Dena.
Dena took the cucumber and bit into it. "It's delicious."
Little Kanna volunteered, "It was grown using the Church of Life's farming techniques!"
Dena paused, looking toward Karen.
Karen asked, "How have you been lately?"
"I want to be reassigned to the field."
"That's a bit hasty."
Wasn't a new war about to start?
Dena said, "That has nothing to do with me. I only serve that one single purpose."
"Oh? Have you decided where you want to go?"
Dena hesitated before saying, "I want to keep following you."
During that time on the battlefield, though Karen had reprimanded Dena frequently, she had truly been happy.
Kevin rolled his dog eyes upward, only to see Purr rolling her eyes as well.
"Alright. Submit an application, and I'll arrange the rest."
"Understood, Commander." Dena leaned down and asked Little Kanna, "Are there any left? I'll bring some for the uncles to try."
Kevin turned his head toward an open area in the northwest corner of the Office Divine Hall.
People outside couldn't perceive it, but those inside could see everything out here.
Previously, Kevin's abilities had been constrained by his power, but now he could "peer" into far more areas.
Still, Kevin merely swept his gaze across without lingering. The figures seated in there were none of them simple; looking too long could invite detection, especially from that inheritor of Tyrannus.
In the previous era, what Kevin revered and feared most was the God of Order. The one in second place wasn't any of the other main gods, but Tyrannus—because she was a terrifying madwoman!
"There are!" Little Kanna took out a lot more fruit and handed them to Dena.
"Commander, I'll be going now."
"Go ahead."
Dena cradled the fruit and walked further in.
Purr remarked, "Just... that casually?"
A fruit-tasting promotional session had just sounded the death knell for the Church of Life?
Purr felt this was perhaps a bit too irreverent toward Life.
Before long, everyone in the hall stood up straight. Though not formed into ranks, they all turned in unison toward one direction, preparing to salute.
The High Priest emerged, flanked by Crede, Foden, and others.
Kevin suddenly lowered his head, instinctively hiding behind Karen.
"Meow?" *(What's wrong with you?)*
"Woof!" *(Tyrannus!)*
"Meow?" *(Didn't they say he suppressed Tyrannus's will? He isn't Tyrannus, he's Norton!)*
"Woof!"
*(No, she is Tyrannus!)*
Chapter 863