Schism

"Kanna, look, it's snowing. Isn't it pretty?" Dalivenro took the initiative to draw back the carriage curtain. Outside, the streets were already blanketed in white snow. Little Kanna looked up, just in time to see several municipal sanitation workers casually tossing the frozen corpse of a vagrant from an alleyway onto a garbage cart. She quietly lowered her head and went back to doing her homework, responding simply out of politeness: "Oh." They had only just returned from the Garden of Life. Countless people had died in that great battle, with severed limbs and mangled corpses everywhere the eye could see, yet Little Kanna had found it completely normal. She had eaten and drank as usual, munching on apples while watching Dalivenro's family reunion, and had even regretted not making it to the battlefield in time to roll around and conjure blood mist for fun. Yet back in Wien, seeing this kind of death made her uncomfortable. It wasn't that she felt immense sympathy, but at the very least, any interest in admiring the snowy scenery was gone. This was a double standard—the very double standard the Church of Order had always pursued and maintained. Seeing this, Dalivenro held his tongue and securely clutched the jar in his arms, which held his father. As for the rest of his kin, they were being sent via freight teleportation; someone would deliver them to the Disciplinary Department later for him to sign for. He was moving his entire family into the barrier flower garden—literally making the department his home. Alfred asked, "Young Master, are you returning to the Disciplinary Department, or going straight back to Allen Manor?" "To the department first." "Very well, Young Master." Back at the department office, Little Kanna cautiously peered into the inner lounge. Not seeing Purr, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Alfred chuckled. "Purr is at the manor." "I'm going to find Hilly to order food!" Little Kanna happily scampered out of the office. Learning that Purr wasn't around, her appetite had instantly returned. "Young Master." Alfred pulled out his notebook again. "May I begin my report?" "Go ahead, Alfred." Karen sat down. Alfred poured a glass of ice water, set it before Karen, then took a seat opposite him and flipped open the notebook. "Next are the recent improvements achieved by our progressive learners. I believe after I finish my report, Young Master will be quite gratified." Karen took a sip of water and nodded. "I trust your judgment, Ah Fu." "First is Count Recal. The reason Purr didn't go to the Garden of Life to watch the commotion this time was that she was busy at the manor helping Count Recal make a breakthrough. According to the latest feedback, Count Recal has successfully broken through to Rank 10 in the family faith system, officially possessing power no inferior to Progenitor Allen." "How did they achieve it?" "Purr devised the plan, and Kevin reviewed it to confirm there were no issues..." Alfred took out a sheet outlining the plan tucked inside his notebook and placed it before Karen. "The underlying principle is that Purr transferred her own fire-attribute power to Count Recal, allowing him to attempt to merge the powers of ice and fire, ultimately finding a balance where both can coexist." Karen listened to Alfred's explanation while examining the sheet, smiling. "They certainly found a clever shortcut." "Indeed. I believe Progenitor Allen certainly did not have such favorable conditions back then. It was a luxury he wouldn't have dared dream of." The image of Progenitor Allen was prominent in Allen Manor. In the family head's office, portraits of everyone else hung along the side walls, while Progenitor Allen's portrait hung alone directly above the desk. He was the totem of spirit, faith, and bloodline for the entire Allen family. His most signature trait was the union of the two opposing forces: ice and fire. Before this, Purr had primarily cultivated fire-attribute power, whereas Count Recal practiced ice. Clansmen with dual attributes weren't nonexistent, but it was generally difficult for them to reach high ranks. Rank 10 in a family faith system was an exceptionally difficult achievement. Since one's power was inherited from the progenitor, in simple terms, even just considering the attenuation of power over generations, replicating the progenitor's peak was nearly impossible. Consequently, very few followers of a family faith system ever reached Rank 10; Rank 9 was already considered the pinnacle. Above that, one could only use various means to try closing the gap to Rank 10. Purr had once possessed that chance. Karen believed she could have cultivated ice as well, bringing herself infinitely close to the progenitor. Yet she was too talented—so brilliant that she had grown dismissive of her progenitor prematurely. To her, rather than expending energy continually drawing closer to that 'lazy progenitor,' she preferred to branch out horizontally in other directions. Count Recal's success this time was due, first, to his experience of resurrection from death, which granted him new insights and clarified his path toward the progenitor's level. Second, and most importantly, Purr had unconditionally 'gifted' him her own fire-attribute power. After all, Purr could receive fresh replenishment from Karen, and without the shackles once imposed on her by the Finger of Light, she could afford to be remarkably generous. Moreover, the physical dangers of attempting a breakthrough were secondary; with adequate safeguards, the risk could be minimized, not to mention Kevin was there to keep watch. The greatest hazard was the grinding collision of two opposing elemental forces inside the body tearing at the soul... but Count Recal had no soul. This was what Karen meant by taking a shortcut. In reality, had Count Recal taken things slowly on his own, he could have eventually reached that level, but their method drastically shortened the process. "Why the rush?" Alfred answered, "Probably because the competitive pressure is too intense now." Karen gently swirled his water glass, understood, and nodded. There was an enormous disparity between those who took up residence in the coffins early on and those who entered now—a disparity born of Karen's rapid rise in strength and standing. This made Count Recal, who had originally entered through 'personal connections,' look more and more like someone who got in purely through favoritism. Even if he could bear it, Purr couldn't. So she took this chance to hasten his breakthrough. "Arrange for a priest to check his physical condition and prescribe some medicine. He should still be in the adjustment phase following the breakthrough." "Rest assured, Young Master, that has already been arranged." "Mm." "The second is Old Saman." "Ah Fu, are you reporting in any particular order?" "Replying to Young Master, I tried to rank them by efficiency of progress." "Alright, continue." "In accordance with your plan, Young Master, our Church's campaign to encroach upon the Church of Pamires has been underway for some time. Old Saman is the person in charge on our end. After all, it aligns with his expertise, though... it is rather cruel." Old Saman had chosen suicide precisely because he couldn't bear to watch the Church of Pamires get swallowed up. Little did he expect that after dying, he would be dragged back up and put in charge of swallowing up the Church of Pamires. However, his shift in mindset had been clear: having died once, guilt was no longer a factor. "Is this a result on the work front?" "No, Young Master, it is in terms of personal development. The Hierophant of the Church of Pamires has taken notice of Old Saman and decided to gradually bestow his inheritance upon him." "Hm?" Karen was somewhat surprised. Old Saman hardly qualified as a promising young talent; otherwise, there would have been no need to routinely preface his name with 'Old.' So why did that Hierophant favor him? Did he admire his advanced age, or his aversion to bathing? Unless... Alfred explained: "Rest assured, Young Master, the Hierophant does not know Old Saman's true identity. First, due to the two sides of his dual nature, the Hierophant urgently needs to resolve the matter of his inheritance before dying. Entrusting it to another traitor of the Church of Pamires on Order's side is the most suitable option. Old Saman himself also fits the inheritance criteria well. The Hierophant likely sensed something unusual about Old Saman, but wisely refrained from prying any deeper." Karen knew that the Hierophant possessed a godhead fragment, yet it was also that very fragment that caused him agony. However, the elders of the Temple of Order had zero interest in godhead fragments from foreign pantheons; Ukonga had eyes only for the Order-attribute fragment held by his grandfather. "And second?" "Second, Bern served as the intermediary." "Oh, so that's it." Karen chuckled, shaking his head. He had almost forgotten about the 'father-son relationship' between Bern and the Hierophant. With Bern brokering the deal, whatever reasons the Hierophant had for favoring Old Saman could be disregarded; fundamentally, it was an internal family bequest. "How much can Old Saman absorb?" "Likely a substantial amount." Alfred turned another page. "Because, from my observations, the coffin occupants having no souls is sometimes an advantage. Any negative repercussions involving soul pressure or bearing capacity are non-issues for them. The most recent example is Dalivenro absorbing Life energy in the Garden of Life. At his original level, it would have been impossible for him to swallow such a massive portion." Karen said, "The pressure hasn't vanished." "Indeed; it is borne by you on their behalf, Young Master." "Tell Old Saman to accept the inheritance without reservation. If any abnormal signs appear, he can simply come back to me." "Yes, Young Master, noted. Next is Bern." Alfred produced two documents and slid them before Karen. They were recommendation letters, prestamped with the Disciplinary Department's seal, needing only Karen's signature. One recommended Leon to concurrently serve as Director of the Wien Region, and the other recommended Bern to concurrently serve as Head Bishop of the Wien Regional Administrative Office. Yorktown Region was a special administrative region, formally equal in status to the geographically larger Wien Region. Holding these posts concurrently couldn't be called a promotion, strictly speaking; it merely expanded their jurisdiction on paper. In practice, even when Karen was Director, he could mobilize the Wien Region's Whip of Order and Regional Administrative Office at will, not to mention now that his standing had risen further. "Doing this looks a bit unseemly." Even as he called it unseemly, Karen picked up the pen and penned two elegant signatures. Alfred took back the two recommendation letters, smiling. "From now on, Wien Island will be under our complete control. There is an entire knight order stationed on that island, after all." "Anyone else?" "Yes. Madame Gandiro has grown very close to Morindi. Madame Gandiro shared the research her late husband conducted during his lifetime with Morindi, yielding impressive practical results." Karen still remembered the scene deep within the undersea mausoleum, where Madame Gandiro conducted an opera performance with a troupe of corpses. As for Morindi, she was an arch-necromancer who had once followed the High Priest. "What kind of results specifically?" Alfred pulled out another sheet of paper and handed it to Karen. "They can coordinate with you to cast large-scale Awakening spells." Not necromantic spells, but Awakening spells. While superficially similar in effect, their essences were entirely different. Furthermore, paired with Karen's abilities, it could unleash unimaginable effects at critical moments. "Very good, excellent." "There is one matter I wished to ask... Does Neo belong to the coffin occupants' roster?" "He doesn't." "Understood." "Not because of my personal relationship with him, but because when I awakened him, I didn't leave the rules of Order within his body. He is different from Count Recal and the others." "Understood. Neo has just completed the God's Revelation stage." "So fast?" That speed surpassed his own. "He wanted to short Life coupons, but because he entered the market a bit late, he got greedy. Who knew the Black Sea would appear, heralding the imminent return of the two Chief Gods of Life and triggering a massive rebound in Life coupons... and then he was liquidated." "So he went up to the rooftop to contemplate life?" "Not quite. Having lost his bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline, his conduct has become considerably more cautious than before. He locked himself in a dark room and meditated for three days." "That dark room must have been blindingly bright." "Indeed. It is said that when he came out, the walls were coated in special fluorescent powder, but the Revelation was complete." Alfred paused, then continued, "He is different from you, Young Master. You are cultivating from Order to Order, rebuilding upon your original foundation, which is far more difficult. He shifted from Order to Light, effectively switching to a new track, making it comparatively easier." "Is he in debt again?" "Yes, though I have already settled it on his behalf through public accounts, filed under cultivation materials expenditure." "Heh." A knock came from the door. Alfred closed his notebook and stood up. Vic entered, escorting Mavaglio. "Minister, Child of God Mavaglio is here to see you." With that, Vic made a point of showing Karen his newly tailored divine robe. Karen had instructed him to get it earlier, and the garment had cost a good portion of his stipend. Karen pointed at him and said, "I asked for casual clothes, not a divine robe. Take some riels and head over to Queen's Avenue to order another set from a tailor shop. Pay the rush fee; it should be ready in time." "Yes, Minister." Vic was surprised, but complied without question. Alfred threw an arm around Vic's shoulder, walking him out. "Come, let me advise you. Please have faith in my taste in clothes." "Of course, I've always trusted you, Mr. Alfred. What style do you think suits me? Something trendy?" "No need. Something steady and mature will do; elders prefer that." "Elders? Could Minister be taking me..." "Yes. Taking you to a matchmaking meeting to see the girl's parents." ... Mavaglio walked up to Karen's desk. Karen pushed his empty glass toward him, and Mavaglio smiled, picking it up to refill it with ice water. "I happened to pass by your house and saw your dragon return, which was how I knew you were back." "Not looking to freeload a meal?" "I'm showing concern for you." "Fine, thank you for your concern." "I hear you've gained the High Priest's favor?" "Aren't Children of God supposed to be mascots? Since when are you so well-informed?" "There are always special channels. You have no idea how many people envy you right now. Being kept at the High Priest's side versus being kept at the Whip-Wielder's side carries a completely different political connotation. Simply put, it's the difference between being adopted by the grandfather versus the father—your generational seniority went up." "Did you come here just to say this?" "What else?" "You wouldn't make a special trip just for that. You'd be waiting at my house for dinner." Mavaglio took a deep breath and blinked. "There are some things I don't know whether I should tell you." "You're already in my office; skip the preamble." "I felt a summons. I probed the other Children of God, and they felt it too. I wouldn't dare make presumptions about the High Priest, but perhaps, he should also... mm-hmm." "What?" "You know." "Alright, I understand." "Recently, in the special zones under our Church's control, rather deliberate anomalies have emerged. You probably know about that too, right?" "I do." "Just like... like the Black Sea that appeared in the Garden of Life this time..." "Mavaglio, we can be candid with each other." Karen held his hands out toward Mavaglio. "Look, I never hide anything from you." "Uh, really?" Mavaglio wore an expression of complete disbelief. "I swear to the God of Order." "Well... alright. Honestly, I can roughly sense the High Priest's attitude toward certain matters. That is, the High Priest and a faction within the Holy See do not wish for the gods to return." "I think ever since the speech at the First Knight Order's garrison, that has hardly been a secret." "It's not just that. Our High Priest—or more precisely, the power currently exercising practical control over the Holy See—is deeply averse to the return of the gods. Including... the lords that I and the other Children of God represent. Do you understand?" "More or less. And?" "I've been visiting the Temple quite often lately, and the people there have been talking with me frequently. You know, they need to sync certain specific details through me. I can sense a distinct undertone of antagonism in it. Our High Priest and the Temple may currently be brewing a massive conflict. Of course, I also know our High Priest is very likely Lord Tyrannus's inheritor, which is why he has been able to keep the Temple suppressed. But what if other lords truly return? Then his status as an inheritor won't amount to much anymore. Wouldn't you say?" Karen nodded thoughtfully. So that was the Temple's motive for moving up the Mink Street operation. The Temple couldn't be entirely composed of fools like Sitti; they likely possessed secrets and informational channels of their own. Fundamentally, when it came to the return of the gods, the interests of the Temple and the High Priest were indeed opposed. Even setting aside who held ultimate authority over scriptural interpretation, the mere prospect that the return of the gods and the dawn of a new era could give the Temple elders a shot at godhood was a temptation none of them could easily resist! "Is this information useful to you?" "It is. Thank you, Mavaglio." "I'm not telling you this purely because I consider you a friend. It's also because I feel that if my grandfather were still alive, he would have wanted me to speak up. I lack the ability to handle it myself, but I want to help someone capable try to bridge the divide if possible. Karen, tell me... will our Holy See and Temple truly split?" Karen fell silent. He could cite countless reasons explaining the vast difference between the Church of Order's Temple and those of other religions, as the elders of Order's Temple surpassed elders of other faiths by leaps and bounds in both personal awareness and spirit of self-sacrifice. Yet the question remained: Who could guarantee they would retain that awareness and spirit of sacrifice on this matter? After all, judging by present realities, even the 'lords' who had once fought alongside the Lord had already betrayed Order.