You're Tired

"Minister, here is the final batch of case closure reports for now." "Mm." Karen took the reports. Within them, a punishment like "obliteration" was considered relatively lenient; many cases involved consciousness extraction and torment or hypnotic mental cycles of agony that left the subjects begging for death, torturing them until their souls shattered. Lifting his head, he looked at Vic standing before him. The bags under Vic's eyes were as deep as an eighty- or ninety-year-old crone's, sagging almost completely down his cheeks. He was clearly overdrawn and thoroughly exhausted, yet his entire being radiated a strange, inverted exhilaration. Vic relished his current work. Like a vicious hound, he dragged "suspects" one after another into his kennel to torment and ravage them to his heart's content. Who would have thought that this student, so meticulously handpicked by Rasma, had become the most terrifying executioner in the Whip of Order? Still, his reputation remained decent for now, as Karen had shouldered all the notoriety himself. "You've had a tiring stretch lately. Go get some proper rest." "Minister, I'm not tired." Vic was resolute, as if desperately wishing Karen would assign him a new task right away, or select a fresh target for him to tear into. "Take a break and get yourself back into top form. Soon there's a major project you and I will carry out together, and I want you well-rested." "Minister, could you give me a hint about what kind of project it is?" "No." "Understood, Minister." "Though you might want to order a new set of clothes." "Huh?" Karen waved a hand, signaling that was all he was willing to disclose. "This subordinate takes his leave." After Vic left, Karen began browsing through the frontline battle reports. Since Order had declared war on Life, the fighting had been going on for half a month. For a war, that was actually very short, but compared to the sheer efficiency of the "Day One War" against Samsara, it seemed rather long. At the moment, the state of affairs in the clerical circles appeared tense and oppressive, but under the surface, it remained steady and controlled. At first, once hostilities commenced, nearly all the orthodox religions—including the Church of Principle, which had always styled itself an ally of Order—sent official inquiries to Order. This had created immense pressure, particularly under the condition that a loose anti-Order coalition had already formed among the Desert Allied Forces. Order could face a fresh "belligerent" at any moment; one could say that for every additional day the campaign against Life dragged on, the risk factor increased exponentially. Yet the countermeasures taken by the Holy See of Order could truly be called textbook—so classic that Karen felt they could easily become a case study in Order University textbooks in the future. First, on the military front, the numerous Order knight orders that had thrust into the Newnas Subcontinent in the initial wave had indeed halted before the Garden of Life. At the same time, however, they had artificially created an enormous "exclusion zone." Not only were the teleportation arrays and communication arrays inside severed, but non-traditional "communication methods" like divination were also heavily jammed. To accomplish this, an array of relevant divine artifacts had been deployed—a depth of heritage that belonged exclusively to the Church of Order. From where Karen sat, he could see definitive reports that the Garden of Life had not yet been breached, but the outside world was completely in the dark. They could only speculate whether Order was intentionally suppressing the news, lying in wait for the next challenger to jump out before wheeling around to strike them. This was hardly the first time the Church of Order had done such a thing—digging a pit and waiting for someone to jump in. Furthermore, among the Church of Life's major peripheral holy lands, five had issued declarations condemning the Holy See of Life and proclaimed autonomy. This move severely hindered the operation of the Church of Life's "self-rescue" mechanisms. While the other holy lands had not gone to such extremes, they had all adopted an exceedingly passive posture. Because even they themselves did not know whether the Garden of Life was still intact; the only certainty was that numerous terrifying Order knight orders roamed the Newnas Subcontinent. As a result, the Church of Life at present resembled an adult who had suffered a heavy blow to the brain: even if the other limbs remained functional, the body had lost all ability to move. Politically, three cardinals led by Krede held continuous diplomatic conferences at the Holy See, negotiating agreements to resolve past conflicts and parcel out interests, showing a rare degree of massive concessions and fawning placation. At the same time, high-profile recruitment began for a new batch of Awakener priests, exceeding tenfold the scale of past rotations. And the sole function of Awakener priests was singular: to be ready at any moment to awaken the First Knight Order of Order. Feigning weakness in words while flexing iron muscle. Through this one-two punch, not only did the Church of Order avoid being plunged into a perilous, reactive position after committing its main knight orders, but it had also successfully forged a relatively stable situation. The inherent flaw of a loose alliance was thus laid bare: when no single religion—no, when no group of religions—was willing to be the first bird to take the bullet and sacrifice itself in a desperate fight against Order, everyone gradually defaulted to treating this war between Order and Life as a "standard" church war. Despite being the undisputed foremost religion, its act of waging war had failed to trigger a unified counterattack from the opposition alliance. Such finesse was truly marvel-worthy. The only question now was when the Garden of Life would truly fall. However, judging from the frontline reports, Karen discovered that the failure to breach it so far might not be due to stalled military progress, but rather an intentional delay to make certain preparations. After all, the true target of the Church of Order was not the Garden of Life, but the Tree of Life within—a resilient entity that even the God of Order back then had been unable to break. Hum! A circle of light appeared on the floor before his desk. Philomena opened the door and reported, "Minister, there is a communication request from the Whip-Wielder's office." Karen sighed and said, "Next time a communication request comes from the Whip-Wielder's office, don't hold it up. Connect it straight through, understand?" "Oh, alright, Minister." Karen felt rather helpless. Fortunately, Foden's attitude toward him had been exceptionally good lately; otherwise, had any other subordinate dared make him wait for a communication request to be accepted, he would surely have given them a taste of the Whip-Wielder's 'kindly' temper. The light flared, and Karen left his seat, rising to his feet. Foden's figure appeared within the circle. "Greetings, Whip-Wielder." "Go to Augurev Fortress once more right now and check on the situation." "Yes, Whip-Wielder." "In addition, once you return from Augurev Fortress, go wait outside the Office Palace to deliver your report. The High Priest is very likely setting out for the Garden of Life to inspect the front line. You may accompany him." "Yes, Whip-Wielder. Thank you for your—" "No need to thank me. It's not a guaranteed assignment. It's just that the situation at Augurev Fortress was reported by you, and you rascal have experience commanding battles. Once he hears your report, barring any surprises, the High Priest should tell you to come along to the front line. Seize this opportunity." "Yes, Whip-Wielder." Karen bowed to Foden. Even though Foden said it wasn't an official assignment, this was still a deliberate effort to groom him; ordinary people could never possibly know the exact timing of the High Priest heading to the front. Still, Karen found it somewhat puzzling. Normally, a superior would view a subordinate jumping ranks as an insult and a challenge to their own authority. Why was it that with the Whip-Wielder, he was actively helping to arrange it? The communication array shut down. Foden first draped a woolen blanket over his knees, then picked up a cup of strawberry smoothie and began eating it slowly with a spoon. He was about to embark on a long journey, personally leading a team on a secret mission: escorting a remarkable figure back to his hometown, where he would witness his natural death. That man had once been another formidable contender for the position of High Priest. What puzzled Karen was, to Foden, the most natural thing in the world. After waiting on the old one, having to wait on the young one—this life was simply too exhausting. "I'll take this chance to give myself a vacation. You two, Big Norton and Little Norton, can play with each other." Muttering to himself this far, Foden suddenly chuckled: "Heh, they won't end up throwing hands, will they?" Right then, the communication array in his office lit up. Before he could even set down the smoothie in his hand, the High Priest's phantom projection appeared in his office. "Greetings, High Priest. I have already instructed the Head of Discipline to proceed to Augurev Fortress again to observe the situation. He will report to you in person shortly." "It's not about that." "The matter of escorting him back to his hometown has already been properly arranged. Please rest assured, I will personally oversee it, and no slip-ups will occur." "Foden." "Your subordinate is here." "This time, just carry out your primary duty. As for the rest, leave it to him." Foden understood immediately: "Understood." ... "I still find it hard to imagine that Light could actually be like this." Diknuo looked through the window toward the flower garden, where Neo was lying on a hammock, drinking and singing. Only, what Neo held was not a wine bottle, but a stimulant meant for golden-armored dragon turtles on the battlefield—a high-grade stimulant for demon beasts. Alfred asked with a smile, "And what about the Young Master?" "The Young Master is different from him. The Young Master possesses the aura of my Lord." "Fair enough. By the way, Purr asked me to pass along a word. She hopes you can help tutor Little Kanna more in your spare time." "I've been doing that all along, but she hasn't sought me out lately." "Haha, yes. She got scared. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Little Kanna hadn't let slip the chance to have someone help with her homework, but after a while, she refused. Originally, she could solve a question with a bit of thought, but with Diknuo's help, she was forced to write out twenty or thirty different methods for each one. Copying them down... was exhausting, alright! Especially since some questions not only required copying, but also demanded imprinting mental energy onto scrolls to project visual simulations, which imposed an enormous mental burden. Diknuo replied, "Yes, exactly. I told her that using more solution methods would earn her more praise, and she believed it." Alfred nodded. "She's just a child after all." What Purr wanted was educational quality. As long as it deepened Little Kanna's comprehension, the specific methods didn't need to be rigid. So after the initial praise, Purr promptly demanded that Little Kanna provide more methods for every single question. In this way, Diknuo naturally became Little Kanna's tutor. No matter how clever a little bone dragon was, she was no match for a former commander when it came to scheming. The telephone rang. Alfred answered it, then said to Diknuo, "Head downstairs. The Young Master is heading out and wants you to accompany him." "Understood." Diknuo walked out of the castle and came to the carriage. Just as he was about to reach out and open the door, another hand beat him to it—it was Neo, clutching a large bottle of stimulants. Neo smiled inside. "Going somewhere fun? Mind if I tag along?" Karen countered, "What does where I'm going have to do with an Order servant?" "Oh, damn you, you bastard." Though he cursed, Neo still hopped into the carriage. Diknuo followed inside, where Little Kanna was already seated. The moment Little Kanna saw him, she pouted and jerked her head away. Stroking Kevin's dog head, Karen said to Diknuo, "I'll be troubling you to put some effort into her schoolwork." "Young Master, it's only right." Neo turned to look out the carriage window at the open grounds, watching Dalivenro busily working, and couldn't help marveling at how different two people could end up—one had become a private tutor, while the other could only work as an orchard farmer. Yet Dalivenro's face beamed with a cheerful smile; he was digging pits in advance, reserving spots for the upcoming batch of fertilizer. Through a teleportation array, Karen arrived at Augurev Fortress. With the outbreak of the war against the Church of Life, the Whip of Order priests originally confined here had gradually been cleared, allowing them to return to their posts, though quite a few priests still remained behind alongside the garrison. Punk came in person to receive Karen, the bags under his eyes rivaling Vic's. Following the usual routine, Karen first let Kevin loose to make observations, while remaining where he was to hear Punk's report. The report's contents were fairly optimistic. Moreover, during the entire time he stood there, only a single bolt of lightning struck the fortress barrier—a frequency far lower than during his last visit. This meant that the process of their return had slowed. By all accounts, this shouldn't be the case; the threat posed by the Order knight orders to the Garden of Life ought to have driven them to accelerate instead. After finishing his report, Punk let out a heartfelt sigh: "Lord Minister, what if... what if Lord Augurev truly returns and appears right before me... how should I respond?" "Do you know what I do whenever I encounter such confusion and helplessness?" "Please instruct me, sir." "I consult the *Code of Order*. It always guides my direction. I imagine Augurev Fortress has its own fortress regulations as well?" "Yes, it does." "Yet, am I truly to give the order to fire the cannons at Lord Augurev?" Hearing this, Karen couldn't help glancing out of the corner of his eye toward Diknuo, who stood masked not far away. That man clearly had no such dilemmas. "Punk, are you giving me a report on your faith?" "No, no, I just wanted to confide in you, sir." "Then let me give you a definitive answer: when orders from above come down, you simply execute them strictly." "Will... will the superiors issue such an order? What I mean is, who could—who would be willing to—shoulder such a responsibility?" "Matters might not be as complicated as you think. In this world, people who dare to shoulder responsibility are not few." Kevin returned from his observation, so Karen took the opening to bid Punk farewell. After offering some encouraging words to the batch of Order priests still stationed here, he boarded the carriage and teleported out of the fortress. Inside the carriage, Neo spoke up: "Does that last batch of Whip of Order priests staying behind have a special assignment?" "Mm." Karen didn't deny it. "If necessary, they can produce an order to relieve Punk of his command." Neo shrugged. "I knew it. Arranged by the Whip-Wielder?" "Arranged by me." "Heh, alright then." Karen extended his palm, and Kevin placed a dog paw upon it. Once the images were received, Little Kanna handed over paper and a pen, and Karen began to sketch. Unlike the first drawing, in this image, every knot on the Tree of Life was clearly glowing. This meant that the deities originally slumbering within those knots were actively offering what little power they had left to the Tree of Life, hoping to accelerate the return. And leading the way at the very front was Augurev. The lightning that had originally pierced his eyes had shifted to other parts of his body, and his eyes burned with distinct malice. The Tree of Life had clearly sensed the threat, and they had clearly sped up, yet their progress had not quickened—it had slowed down. And yet, Karen's own realm was plainly rising, and the appearance of the hunger addiction statue looked more and more like himself. Therefore, the power of the God of Order ought to have been weakened further. Neo commented, "Your drawing skills are getting better and better." Karen handed the drawing to Little Kanna, telling her to put it away. Then, he drew a second picture. The general contents of this drawing were the same as the previous one, but certain details were blurred—for instance, Augurev's eyes could no longer carry visible emotion. It was going to be presented to the High Priest shortly, so for safety's sake, he couldn't make it too overt. Neo turned to Diknuo and asked, "Can we stop them in advance? What I mean is, preventing them from coming out at all." Diknuo shook his head and said, "The environment of the void countercurrent isn't suitable for us to fight in. When they return, we can at best get the exact coordinates slightly in advance, just in time to mobilize forces for an encounter battle." Neo held the drawing, pointed at the large cluster of knots on it, and asked, "Hey, with that many deities, an encounter battle? Have you ever fought one?" "During the era of the Gods' War, a scale like this was considered small." "Yeah, but during the Gods' War, both sides had gods! On our side, we only have the church's forces." Diknuo looked at Neo with slight incomprehension. Neo pointed at his own face and said, "Fuck! Don't tell me you already consider me a main-god-level combatant?" Diknuo countered, "Shouldn't I?" "Should you my ass! I'm fucking just an Order servant right now! Do you even know what an Order servant means? If they assigned me a job in the church, I could only sit behind a service counter in the administrative building, and that's with a monthly stipend of 300!" Karen asked, "Neo, have you gotten used to your post-purification state yet?" "Gotten used to what? I think you made the purification tier way too high, and now something's gone wrong." "Isn't it good that we set the tier high for you? Alfred put a lot of blood and sweat into that." "Good, wonderful! Every night when I go to sleep, the moment I turn off the light and close my eyes, the light in my head is brighter than a lightbulb shining right into my eyes! "And every time I finally manage to fall asleep, a voice rings in my ears. Not only does it instantly shatter my drowsiness, but it also makes blood bleed from my eyes, ears, nose, and the skin all over my body! I don't even sleep in bed anymore—I sleep in the bathtub so I don't dirty the sheets." "What voice?" "Wait, shouldn't you be concerned about me bleeding first?" "I've experienced that myself. You'll get used to it over time. Tell me what the voice is first." Neo sighed. As if mimicking a certain tone, he spoke: ["You're tired. I'll stand watch for you for a while."]