The Mink Street Incident

The carriage pulled up below the Office Divine Hall, and Karen stepped down, holding Little Kanna's hand. "Are you upset that I didn't let you go play with them?" Little Kanna shook her head. "Not at all." Karen had to report to the High Priest and might even accompany him to the front line on the Newnas Subcontinent. Therefore, he and Neo had parted ways in advance. Now Neo had taken Diknuo and Kevin to enjoy the sun and the beach, while Little Kanna had to accompany Karen instead. Just like Augie at the Whip-Wielder's side, Karen would have Kanna with him on formal occasions; Little Kanna had become one of his distinguishing marks of identity. "Is that the truth?" "Really! Kevin said there are a lot of delicious things to eat in the Garden of Life." Little Kanna looked up at Karen. "We can eat them, right?" "If I can get my hands on any, I'll let you eat them." "Yay!" The little bone dragon had quite an appetite—a trait that Purr claimed had been "inherited" from Karen. Karen walked up the ramp and arrived below the hall. Standing on the steps, Mobiten said, "Minister Karen, next time you may simply instruct the carriage to drive directly up here." "That wouldn't be following protocol." "At your rank, it conforms to protocol." "It doesn't conform to the protocol of a subordinate." Mobiten froze for a moment upon hearing this, only then realizing Karen meant that as a subordinate, he shouldn't receive the same treatment and status as the Whip-Wielder. "Has Minister Karen forgotten? Under Order, all people are equal." "What is equal is dignity and personhood. Depending on one's level of contribution, there must naturally be differences in treatment." "Yes, you're right. Please..." Mobiten gestured politely, adding, "Thank you for guiding Muri all this time." "It is Muri who has always been helping me." Karen ascended the steps and entered the Office Divine Hall. Watching Karen's receding back, Mobiten could not help feeling a sense of wistful sighing inside. He had served as captain of the guards for several High Priests; standing here, he had watched countless people stumble and lose themselves upon the steps of power. Yet this young man had remained clearheaded the entire time—so clearheaded that it struck a chord of awe, even slight fear, in him. One should know that in the past, he had almost struck this young man with a fist. Now, he had to laugh self-deprecatingly: if the decay of his own body had come a little later, perhaps he might one day have stood guard for him. This was by no means an exaggeration. As of today, hardly anyone in the upper echelons of the Church of Order doubted Karen's future... because he was simply far too young. Not only had he already attained a high position of real authority, he had shed all the negative perceptions typically attached to youth. He had the Whip-Wielder's full backing and promotion, a temple elder as his mentor, and a terrifying cultivation talent of his own... In fact, the reason Vic's bloody, ruthless purges could ultimately land smoothly without backlash was that Karen was strong enough to shoulder that fierce, terrifying reputation. Mobiten turned back outward and resumed his post, thinking wistfully to himself: Perhaps in the future, when a member of the Benda family comes to this Office Divine Hall again, it won't be in the capacity of captain of the guards. Currently, there was a curious phenomenon within the Church of Order: if you went to the service hall of a local regional Church Affairs Building to replace an Order servant permit, you had to wait in line; yet to see the High Priest... you didn't have to wait at all. No halo of light appeared beneath his feet, which Karen knew meant he was to walk straight ahead. In the center of the hall, the High Priest sat handling people and official affairs teleported in from all directions. But when Karen reached the halfway mark, ripples like flowing water appeared on the ground ahead. Karen let go of Little Kanna's hand and signaled for her to wait there. Stepping inside, he found the environment identical to last time, except that this time the High Priest was dressed more formally, exuding a powerful aura of majesty. "Greetings, High Priest." "How are things?" Karen drew out the painting from the sleeve of his clerical robes and presented it. While the High Priest examined the painting, Karen added: "In addition, the frequency of lightning bombardments striking Augurev Fortress has decreased. Everything indicates that Lord Augurev's return has been slowed down." "Why?" "This subordinate does not know." "Does the fortress commander need to be replaced?" "He can be replaced at any time." "Very good." The High Priest nodded and casually tossed the painting aside, letting it drop beneath the tea table. "What are your thoughts on the front-line war?" "As of now, the situation is favorable and under control." "Is that all?" "Yes, that is all." The High Priest shook his head and said, "Playing it safe is not wrong, but playing it safe at your age is truly squandering your youth." Karen lowered his head and bowed; this was considered a relatively severe criticism. "Tell me, why would Foden like a subordinate like you?" "This subordinate... does not know." "I asked him once. He said you resemble him, but I truly don't see much of the young Foden in you." The High Priest raised his hand, preparing to wave Karen away. Clearly, Karen had lost the opportunity to accompany the High Priest to the front line. From the standpoint of personal advancement, this was a massive loss. Mainly, Karen's crisp, succinct "I do not know"s had thoroughly dampened the High Priest's appetite. He would rather see Karen speak with youthful indiscretion than watch him act with seasoned caution. Of course, if Foden himself were here, he would probably offer a more profound theoretical explanation: Namely, with the exception of bloodlines like father and son or grandfather and grandson, most people do not particularly care for those who resemble them "too closely." "Dismissed." "Understood. This subordinate takes his leave." Karen walked out and headed toward the exit with Little Kanna. Little Kanna asked in a low voice, "Uh... so we won't get to eat any fruit?" "Yeah. I'm sorry." "It's okay, it's not like it's that good anyway. Eating too much makes you fat, just like Sister Purr." Just as they stepped out of the hall, a radiant glow appeared outside. The surrounding guards all bowed in salute. "Greetings, Elder." This was the arrival of a temple elder, and an arrogant one at that. Generally speaking, even when temple elders traveled between the temple and the Office Divine Hall, they deliberately kept a low profile and restrained their aura; they wouldn't deliberately stage such an entrance. "Heh heh." The radiant glow receded, accompanied by familiar laughter. The elder who appeared here was none other than Ukonga. For someone like him, not transforming directly into a beam of rosy light and flying straight into the Office Divine Hall was already showing tremendous respect to the Holy See. Ukonga walked up while Karen walked down. Ukonga stopped, and Karen descended two more steps before bowing to him: "Teacher." Ukonga asked curiously, "Why are you coming out?" "Replying to Teacher: my report was finished, so naturally I came out." Ukonga raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Seeing this, the corner of Mobiten's mouth twitched. Setting up an isolation barrier right on the steps of the Office Divine Hall to whisper secrets... an ordinary person would never dare do such a thing. "Do you know where your High Priest is going next? I'm here precisely to fetch him and accompany him." "I know." "Come inside with me." Karen offered a polite smile and asked, "What are you going to do?" "You're my student after all; opportunities worth fighting for must be fought for on your behalf. Sucking up to Foden all the time is useless—even if you flatter him till he turns purple, it won't do half as much good as flattering the High Priest till he turns rosy." "What kind of bizarre analogy is that?" "You understand the principle. Didn't you say before that your future is to become the High Priest? As your mentor, I naturally have to help my beloved disciple make progress." "You're pushing me into a fire pit." "Heh, I'm clearly loading you into a magic crystal cannon to launch you into the sky." Ukonga dispelled the barrier, grabbed Karen's arm, and dragged him back into the Office Divine Hall by force. Karen didn't want to go in, but he couldn't resist. He could only caution, "This joke isn't funny." "The place we're going next will be very interesting. It would be a terrible pity if you missed it." "Actually, there really isn't much to regret." "What do you know? How much of the world have you even seen?" Back in the hall, the water rippled outward, and Karen was pulled back into that tea seating area once again. The High Priest didn't even raise his head, quietly reading his book. Ukonga walked right over to the sofa across from the High Priest and sat down, pointing at Karen who had followed him in: "He's my student. For my sake, you ought to promote and foster him a bit more." The High Priest turned a page and said, "Would you believe that this student of yours is already cursing you in his heart right now?" "I don't care." Ukonga produced a scroll from within his robes, tossed it onto the tea table, and looked at the High Priest. "This is what you wanted. I'm giving it to you, but I have one condition." "The condition is him?" "Of course. In the future, once this seat becomes vacant, let him sit in it too." The High Priest smiled and asked, "What do you take the position of High Priest for?" "He is very suited for this position." "On what basis do you say that?" "Budalas and I were good friends. I think he resembles Budalas. Is that enough?" The High Priest closed his eyes. Karen knew that the High Priest was definitely angry right now, and he was deliberately showing that anger. As for the scroll Ukonga had just produced, in all likelihood it contained Ukonga's method of fusing with a divine artifact to survive to the present day—for the Spear of Eternity had once told Karen that the High Priest wished to live for a thousand years. Yet of all the things one could do, one should never negotiate terms with this High Priest like this. Ukonga had stepped on every single landmine—and not just stepped on them, but vigorously stomped up and down in place. Even if Karen had chosen Sidi as his teacher back then, Sidi would have struggled to produce such a disastrously counterproductive effect. The High Priest slowly opened his eyes and said, "In the entire temple, you are the only one who dares speak to me like this." "Don't put it like that. It's only in here. Once we step outside before people, I am very respectful to you. "Besides, in this world right now, you are the only person for whom I still use honorifics. "Oh, time is almost up. I'll go prepare. You may come out shortly; I will await you at the gates of the Garden of Life." Ukonga stood up, bowed somewhat perfunctorily to the High Priest, and walked out. He signaled with his eyes for Karen to follow him out, but Karen stood unmoving. "Heh." Ukonga let out a chuckle, paid it no mind, and left on his own. Only the High Priest and Karen remained by the tea table. The High Priest glanced at the cigar box. Karen stepped forward voluntarily, opened the box, clipped a cigar, lit it, and presented it. The High Priest took a puff, slowly exhaling a ring of smoke, and said, "He truly treats you very well." Karen nodded. "Do you remember what Foden instructed you to do?" "This subordinate remembers." "Do you know what to do?" "This subordinate will uphold Your Eminence's will." "But by doing so, you will harm him. The thing he wants to seize is vital to him, yet I do not want him to obtain it. So if I tell you to help his opponent, you are willing as well?" "This subordinate will uphold Your Eminence's will." "Without the slightest hesitation?" "None. Even the forebears of the First Knight Order understand that upon awakening, they must follow the High Priest's will. How could a living Order priest fail to grasp this principle?" "Have you ever considered that you might regret this?" "Never." "Heh heh." The High Priest chuckled and set down the cigar. "Now you look a little like Foden." Karen reached out, took the cigar, and set it on the ashtray without replying. "If you do this well, everything continues as before. If you fail, go find a quiet place and cultivate in peace—that was his intention as well." Clearly, the High Priest had seen through it: Ukonga did not want Karen to remain in office within the Holy See, but rather wanted him to concentrate solely on cultivation. His earlier antics were blatantly meant to derail Karen's career path. Karen said, "Please rest assured, Your Eminence. This subordinate will certainly accomplish the mission." The High Priest stood up and said as he walked outward, "Follow along." "Yes, High Priest." The High Priest walked in front, with Karen following behind. Last time, regarding the mission Ukonga was about to undertake, Foden had dropped hints to Karen. This time, it amounted to the High Priest giving him direct, explicit instructions. In the original plan, Karen had needed to establish good relations with Ukonga from the start, and then seize the opportunity to sabotage him. This was a confrontation stemming from differing stances between the High Priest and the temple; Karen was merely a chess piece. Now, clearly, Karen had gained Ukonga's favor, which made it all the more convenient to play that role. Yet precisely because Ukonga had treated Karen so well, the High Priest couldn't help pressing him with a few extra questions. Would there be moral guilt? Would there be hesitation and weighing of conscience? Would there be regret? In any other matter, perhaps. But in this matter, Karen truly didn't need to care about any of that. Because Ukonga was going there to seize his grandfather's godhead fragment! As the aggrieved party and victim's kin, where would any moral guilt even come from? Emerging from the Office Divine Hall, a massive, ancient, black imperial carriage sat waiting below the steps. The High Priest stepped inside. Karen followed him in. As he ascended the carriage steps, a realization suddenly struck him: had the High Priest dismissed him earlier precisely so that he would run into Ukonga outside, prompting Ukonga to drag him back in? The High Priest was not a petty man; he possessed great breadth of mind and vision. If he had truly resorted to such minor maneuvering in this instance... it could only mean that he placed extraordinary importance on that place called Mink Street. The interior of the carriage was dozens of times larger than it appeared from the outside, resembling a miniature palace, yet not a single active attendant was in sight. The High Priest sat in a chair, with books still resting beneath the tea table. Little Kanna, who had come up alongside Karen, fixated her gaze on a large neighboring room stocked with a vast array of delicacies and pastries. At that moment, a figure stepped out from that room—yet earlier, Karen had detected no trace of his presence or aura whatsoever. This person wore casual black robes and looked identical to the High Priest. Norton smiled at Little Kanna and said, "Go ahead and eat whatever you like in there." "Really?" Little Kanna asked out of courtesy, her two little fists clenched tightly as she silently urged him to hurry through the pleasantries. "Go on. Eat your fill." "Yay!" Little Kanna scampered inside happily. Karen stared somewhat dazedly at this Norton. Although he had long known of the High Priest's "avatars," this was the first time he had seen an avatar so vivid and nuanced. Immediately, Karen realized that what Little Kanna had seen earlier was not "Norton"—otherwise she would have been surprised as well. What she had seen was merely an "attendant" who naturally belonged here. Norton handed Karen a glass of red wine. Karen took it, then instinctively glanced back at the High Priest seated in his formal robes, quietly reading. So that High Priest engrossed in his book symbolized political scheming and majestic authority—then what about the one standing before him? What did he symbolize? Or was there fundamentally no difference between them, their contrasts merely staged to play their respective roles? No wonder the Whip-Wielder was always so on edge around his superior... What subordinate wouldn't feel their scalp tingle when facing a boss like this? The most difficult superiors to handle were those whose moods shifted unpredictably, yet here was a superior whose various moods and temperaments literally walked around in front of you. Norton took a sip of wine and said, "Your soul strength is very high to be able to see my true countenance right away. An impressive talent. It is not without reason that Ukonga thinks as he does—perhaps you really are better suited for the Temple of Order." "High Priest..." "The High Priest sits over there. Call me Norton." "My Lord." "I've noticed that you adhere very strictly to church rules and etiquette." The carriage began to move, and the scenery outside the window shifted rapidly. "This subordinate believes that without rules, nothing can be accomplished properly." "That is indeed true, but sometimes, clinging too tightly to rules makes things difficult to handle. Take our Lord Augurev: generation after generation of believers have bowed in worship before his murals, yet now, when he is truly about to return, we must stop him at all costs." "This subordinate believes that anyone or anything that does not conform to the Code of Order must be corrected and struck down—whether it is the person before the mural or the god depicted upon it." "Did you come up with that yourself?" Norton looked at Karen with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Karen was very familiar with that look; he often looked at Dalivenro and the others the exact same way. "The Whip-Wielder often instructs me." "Oh, no wonder." Norton reached out and opened a room before them. Apart from a floating scroll inside, the room appeared quite empty. "Go in." Karen obeyed the command and stepped inside. The scroll unfurled slowly before him. "The temple's thoughts differ from mine, yet the church cannot afford to lose the temple right now. Therefore, in this matter, I need you to take great risks and handle things properly. "There is still some time before we reach the Newnas Subcontinent, which should be plenty for you to read through this document here. Study it attentively; short of a divine miracle, this is among the highest-classified documents in our church." "Yes, my Lord." Next, an expression of perfectly measured apprehension, fear, and curiosity appeared on Karen's face. He extended his hand, placing it upon the unfurled scroll, took a deep breath, and with an intensely solemn gaze, began to read this top-secret document. The title of the document read: —"The Mink Street Incident"