Are You My Successor?

At first glance, Karen could tell that the man before him was not his grandfather. At the same time, a tremendous sense of crisis engulfed him—a feeling he had not experienced in a very long time as his strength and status continued to climb. What in the world had happened after Grandfather and the others went to the Land of Extreme Cold? Even more terrifying: what kind of entity could possibly control Diss? Likewise, Diss's gaze fell upon Karen, and with a single look, he too saw clearly what lay sealed inside Karen's body. ... In the Eternal Palace an epoch ago: The God of Order lifted her head slightly. Even as one whose divine might was unfathomable, she could not help but wonder: could the contents inscribed in this letter be mistaken? The hunger addiction... How could it be inside this person's body? ... Diss took a step forward. The next moment, he appeared directly before Karen. Karen retreated. Though loath to fight inside his own home, driven by instinct, he still summoned his Blade of Sighs. Diss's gaze fell upon the blade. It was Ankara's weapon, once lost in a pioneering space, recovered for Karen by the treasure-hunting team formed by Purr and Kevin after obtaining its approximate coordinates. "Mmm..." Rubbing the corners of her eyes, Little Kanna walked out of Karen's bedroom, having just awakened from a wonderful afternoon nap. Upon seeing Karen take up a stance with his blade, even though the opponent looked identical to her great-grandfather, she unconditionally chose to stand behind Karen. "Roar!" Afraid she would burst the house apart, she did not transform, merely snarling fiercely at Diss to look menacing. Diss's gaze shifted to Little Kanna. ... In the Eternal Temple an epoch ago: The God of Order let out a soft sigh. It seemed the vessel "writing the letter" could no longer hold out, or perhaps the power of time was interfering with her attempt to glimpse the future, casting an illusion before her eyes. Her hunger addiction, her daughter's blade, her dragon... How could all of them be gathered in this single person? The god raised a hand, intending to terminate this peek across time. Yet after a moment's hesitation, the hand never fell. In truth, she had a way to verify whether this was an illusion or the genuine future. Certain things could be understood or replicated: her subordinates, her church, her dragon, even her daughter. But there was one thing that could never be replicated in reality. That was the hunger addiction within her. It was not that no one had ever seen it; rather, all who had seen it had become nourishment, and even the mightiest deities were no exception. "Let me see your hunger addiction." ... Diss raised his hand. In an instant, the domain of a divine kingdom unfolded. Karen suddenly discovered he could not move, and Little Kanna beside him felt the same. "A divine kingdom?" Karen recognized what this place was. Diss pointed a finger toward the center of Karen's forehead. Though his body was immobilized, Karen still resisted. A roar erupted from deep within Karen's soul—a warning directed at the intruder. Evidently, the power of a divine kingdom was unable to imprison Karen's soul. Yet before Diss, such resistance merely added a bit of trouble, not real difficulty. He could forcibly break through every obstruction, delve into the depths of Karen's soul, and see the truth clearly. However, the price would be that this young man's soul and consciousness would suffer severe trauma, leaving permanent, irreparable flaws. Diss's movement halted. ... In the Eternal Temple of the previous epoch: The God of Order sensed fierce resistance from the "letter-writer." Beyond doubt, if she continued forcibly breaking through the barriers to observe the young man, the "letter-writer" would decisively sever all connection with her. Yet that was not the only reason she stopped. Preposterous as it seemed, if there were even the slightest possibility that what she saw was not false but the true future, then this young man's identity was self-evident. If it was all real, then her action would amount to personally "eliminating" her own successor. And the reason for doing so would be... merely to satisfy her curiosity? ... Diss withdrew his hand, and the domain of the divine kingdom vanished accordingly. Karen and Little Kanna regained their freedom. Little Kanna began imitating a dog's bark: "Woof, woof, woof!" Downstairs, Purr, who had just reached the entrance, heard it and immediately grew anxious. "There's danger! Stupid dog, let's hurry!" Purr started to run, but Kevin pinned down her tail. Moreover, her attempt to shift into human form was forcefully suppressed by Kevin. Purr turned back to look at Kevin, unable to comprehend. Kevin merely shook his head with utter gravity. "Are you sure Karen isn't in danger?" Kevin nodded firmly. That was the God of Order! How could the deity possibly do something so ridiculous? On the third floor: Diss ignored Little Kanna's barking. Looking at Karen, he said, "Unfurl your soul defenses yourself. Let me see your hunger addiction." Karen asked, "Who on earth are you?" Diss replied, "I am commanding you." Karen said, "And I am interrogating you." Diss closed his eyes. Old Hoffen had once deduced based on strength that "at this time," the God of Order should be in her era of hegemony toward the end of the previous epoch—meaning she was already the hegemon of the divine realm then. In the mythological accounts of all the divine churches, there were records of that period when the God of Order went on a mad slaughter of deities; ironically, the Order Church's own records on the matter were the most understated. A hegemon, an existence truly at the pinnacle of the world, was now facing defiance from a young man—and an astonishingly young one at that. Yet in the end, she dared not truly give vent to her fury, dared not truly kill him. No matter what, she would never allow herself to commit such an absurd, foolish act. Thus, in the end, she chose to compromise. Diss opened his eyes, speaking like an ordinary man who had calmed his emotions: "I am... Order." Karen's eyes widened. He had extensive experience being mistaken for the God of Order, yet this was his very first time "witnessing" Order himself. What on earth had Grandfather and Mr. Hoffen done? After going out for a trip, they had brought the God of Order home? Almost out of habit, Karen asked, "You're her?" Diss nodded, as if exerting immense restraint. Karen asked, "You have descended?" Diss did not answer. "Then what about the gods? Has their return officially begun?" Diss still did not answer. "You may descend, but you should at least have given prior notice and told us that you have given up!" Diss asked, "Afraid?" "Heh, not afraid. We only hope for more time to prepare our deployments. Even if we lose, even if we die, we want our deaths to carry greater worth." Diss studied the young man before him with utmost seriousness. ... In the Eternal Temple of the previous epoch: The God of Order watched the descriptions in text unfolding before her. Although she had not yet officially seen the hunger addiction, she suddenly felt that the person before her might truly be her successor. No matter how formidable or treacherous the illusions born of temporal taboos might be, they could never fabricate such a persona for her. ... "Let me see the hunger addiction in your body. I must confirm your identity." "Are you taking it back? I originally thought it was something you discarded and wanted to be rid of. Do you need it again now?" "My patience is limited." "Do you want to reclaim it to restore your power?" "The hunger addiction. Let me see it." Karen nodded. "Very well." With that, Karen closed his eyes, his soul power spreading outward to envelop Diss. The next instant, the two of them appeared together in the depths of Karen's soul space. Within the swamp, the Scythe of War, which originally stood erect there, silently curled into the mire this time, daring not reveal even a trace of itself. However, Diss paid no heed to its presence. His gaze was entirely fixed upon the gigantic statue of the hunger addiction. The statue was bound in chains, and half of its features had already transformed into Karen's. Karen raised his hand. His figure vanished from the spot and reappeared atop the hunger addiction statue. Under the drive of Karen's will, the once-silent statue began to let out a roar. Diss turned and exited Karen's soul space. "Huh?" Inside the soul space, Karen was left standing atop the statue's head, somewhat bewildered. In reality, Diss opened his eyes with a faint smile at the corner of his lips. Not many things could amuse a god, but just now, it had truly happened—because it was simply too comical. A moment later, Karen opened his eyes. Diss said, "Heh. You wanted to devour me?" As the God of Order, he truly had never imagined that one day, he would face an attempt by the hunger addiction to consume him. This young man, meeting "him" for the first time, actually dared to strike at him like this. It was truly... fascinating. Karen pursed his lips and replied, "Though I knew the chances of success were slim, I had no other choice." "Why?" "Many people are preparing to die to protect Order. I cannot persuade myself to back down." Diss made no comment. He walked toward the study, sensing that the missing page lay inside. His lack of knowledge regarding this young man was very likely caused by that missing page. Clearly, this "letter-writer" of his shared a very special relationship with the young man. The missing page was the "perspective" concerning this young man. Opening the door and retrieving it would reveal everything. Yet Diss halted. He suddenly had no desire to read that page anymore. From the moment the reality of the hunger addiction was confirmed, his perspective had shifted. It had changed from "Are you my successor?" to "What makes you qualified to be my successor?" Since the person was already right before him, why bother reviewing written materials to test him? Karen pressed further, "What exactly do you intend to do?" Diss pointed upward. "The true me should currently be sitting outside the epoch." "Then who are you?" "I have already told you: I am Order. This body was lent to me by this believer. He and I 'met' across epochs in the Eternal Palace. He is now my 'letter-writer.' Through him, I am observing the world of the future... No, the world of the present." Though finding the term "letter-writer" hard to grasp, Karen caught the main point: "You are possessing my grandfather? Will this harm him?" "It is not possession, but a transaction. He was able to perceive the process of godhead condensation in advance. Though temporary, he has already gained immense benefits. Moreover, I have a true reward prepared for him." "That's good, then." "What a pity. He was born in the wrong epoch. If it were in my current era, it probably wouldn't take more than a few centuries for him to appear in my divine temple... standing near the very front." For Diss, ascending to godhood posed little difficulty. In an epoch where becoming a god was impossible, he had still managed to condense so many godhead fragments. In a different epochal environment, he would undoubtedly have attained godhood in an instant. The truly high praise was "standing near the very front." This was not a deduction from other temple elders, nor an exclamation from Raniedal; this was validation from... the God of Order. In truth, communicating through this "letter-writing" method was immensely difficult and should have been impossible to achieve. Everything had worked only because Diss was strong enough to bear the burden, and because Diss happened to have the Journal of the God of Principle beside him to serve as a bridge. In other words, without either of Karen's two grandfathers, it would have been impossible for the God of Order's gaze to pierce through an epoch and look upon this place in such a vivid, profound manner. Karen said, "Grandfather is my role model and my pride." "Is that why he agreed?" Diss walked over to the French window, the spot where Purr loved to lie. He pushed the window open; outside, the sky had begun to darken. "What do you think of the world right now?" The leap in conversation was rather drastic, but Karen answered immediately, "It is very wonderful." Good and bad were relative. Compared to the previous epoch and earlier eras, from humanity's perspective, this epoch was indeed wonderful beyond compare. "Accompany me to look around." "All right." Diss turned and walked down the stairs, with Karen following behind. Little Kanna moved to follow, but Karen waved a hand to stop her. By his side, Karen would not be in any danger. And even if there were danger... it didn't seem anyone following along would make any difference. "Father, you're back from your vacation? So soon!" Aunt Mary exclaimed in surprise. Diss ignored her and walked out of the living room. Karen quickly explained, "I'm going for a walk with Grandfather, Aunt Mary." "Oh, okay." Mary patted her chest, murmuring in confusion, "Going out to relax doesn't seem to have helped his mood at all..." At the courtyard gate, Purr sat on Kevin's back. Purr looked on with curiosity, while Kevin stared at the exiting Diss with solemn, reverent eyes. Diss paused in his tracks. Kevin opened his mouth, panting softly, his tail wagging frantically. He thought he was about to be addressed, but Diss merely stopped to wait for Karen to catch up, then asked Karen, "Why is he following you, too?" Kevin: "..." For a moment, Karen didn't know how to respond. You're asking me this question? Weren't you the one who threw him over? Kevin's canine eyes were filled with grievance. In the past, he would have nuzzled his bald head forward to beg for comforting pats. Yet now, he dared not. Because he did not know whose hand he would be asking to pet him. Diss said, "He has become a god." Karen replied, "Yes, because he is very obedient." Diss said nothing more and walked toward the street. Just then, Alfred and Vic walked over, holding newly arrived documents. "Lord Diss." "Mr. Diss." Diss ignored them and continued forward. Karen said nothing either, simply following along. Vic asked curiously, "What's wrong with Mr. Diss?" Alfred wondered with some doubt, "Is he Lord Diss?" From the dynamic between the young master and the old master, he had sensed something unusual. Purr responded, "Oh, Radio Fairy, I must say, your intuition is truly sharp." Seeing that Purr and Kevin showed no extraordinary alarm, Alfred was put at ease, even smiling as he joked, "Of course. After all, I'm someone who once fought Lord Diss to a draw." Kevin: "Woof." "What do you mean? What do you mean my standing just got raised another tier?" ... "Is this city special?" Karen understood what the other meant and answered, "Because some incidents occurred here recently, a barrier was deployed around the perimeter. But essentially, there isn't much difference between this city and other cities in the Order parish." "Let's go somewhere else." "All right." Diss vanished from the spot. Karen summoned Thousand Phantoms and immediately followed. The two arrived in the neighboring city. Karen remembered that the extraordinary divine descent ritual performed by Grandfather and Mr. Hoffen had taken place on the outskirts of this very city. Diss began walking along the streets, where traffic and pedestrians were abundant. Karen walked beside him and asked, "I can brief you on some of the current circumstances." Diss raised a hand to cut him off, his meaning plain: he was not interested. Karen held his tongue. Indeed, to an entity such as this, recounting the church's history, disputes, and political landscape was like telling an adult about children squabbling and fighting in the neighborhood today—not only uninteresting, but childish. However, for a long time afterward, Diss merely strolled along the streets in silence, leaving Karen to walk alongside him in equal silence. ... In the Eternal Temple of the previous epoch: The God of Order watched the continuously manifesting text descriptions, a smile lingering at the corners of her lips. She seemed to have forgotten about testing Karen, for... she was captivated. What she saw was not the entire world, yet through this street and this city, the world presented itself before her. "He was right. It truly is wonderful." ... The night deepened. As the city sank into slumber during the late hours, vehicles and pedestrians vanished from the streets. Karen had not expected at first that when the other said "accompany me for a walk," it truly meant just walking, and for such a long time. Yet he could roughly understand what the other wished to touch and feel, for he shared the same perception. Finally, Diss stopped and sat down by the roadside. All at once, looking at his back from behind, Karen found the silhouette suddenly overlapping with the figure in his memory—the one sitting alone with its back to the epoch. Diss suddenly asked, "Do you hear it?" Karen glanced at the empty street. He heard no sound at all. Yet Karen also knew that what the other sought might not be a factual answer, so he asked without hesitation, "I hear nothing. What do you hear?" "They are roaring, howling, cursing, running mad..." Diss raised his head toward the sky. "When I arrived here and looked up at the heavens, I saw my own decay. Yet even though I have decayed to such an extent, they still cannot breach the barrier held by the two of us. "They truly are a bunch of useless wretches." Karen understood. After a brief pause of thought, he said, "There is a question I would like to ask you." "Ask." "Do you ever feel lonely?" This was not an empty question. Having once witnessed that solitary back, Karen's impression of it had been one of boundless desolation. A look of intoxication appeared on Diss's face as he spoke: "I am very fond of this current feeling. Truly. "Sitting on an empty street at night, listening to their whispers, savoring their clamor. "I will never feel lonely, for I know: "Behind me... "lies the tranquility I protect."