Class Reunion!

The High Priest looked at Karen. He just sat there looking at him, not saying a word. Karen stood beside him, receiving the High Priest's gaze, equally silent. The surname "Inmeles" had hit the High Priest even harder than Karen's other, true identity. Because the identity of the successor to the God of Order naturally came with an aura of solemnity; whenever it was discovered, people would receive it with reverent gravity. That was not surprise, but awe—a divine miracle, the divine will! By contrast, the identity of an Inmeles was what truly produced a staggering twist. Not to mention, the High Priest himself—the former "Norton"—had been deeply involved and interacted directly. Looking back now, he felt more and more how farcical and comical his arrangements back then had been. "Heh... heheh... hehehehe..." The High Priest chuckled, his hand lightly tapping the armrest of his wheelchair over and over. Karen did not laugh, still standing quietly. Once his laughter subsided, the High Priest asked, "Was it fun?" Karen gave it some thought and answered, "At times, it was indeed quite amusing." "When I sent you to make contact with Mink Street, I even worried for your safety. Little did I expect that for you, it literally was like going home." "Thank you for granting me the opportunity to reunite with my family." "So, is he your biological grandfather?" "Yes." "He is favored by the Lord." Pausing briefly, the High Priest continued, "Of course, he is also qualified to receive the Lord's favor." "I think this is the Lord's compensation to him." Karen also paused, then added, "He is also qualified to receive the Lord's apology." "The Lord wouldn't care about such things, but I cannot deny your judgment, because you hold the supreme right of interpretation over the Lord's will." "I believe interpreting the Lord's will is your prerogative. Regardless of whether a new god takes the throne, your position will forever be unique." "I know you're deliberately picking pleasing words, but I cannot deny that hearing them from your mouth brings me great pleasure." The High Priest waved his hand. Understanding, Karen reached out to push the wheelchair, steering the High Priest toward the logistical supply base. The affairs on the ice plain were over, but next, there was still plenty to attend to. However, their current busyness was no longer plagued by confusion or helplessness; rather, it felt deeply fulfilling. Just as the High Priest had said before, as followers of Order, even when facing death, they had to maintain their elegance. Yet the High Priest clearly hadn't completely detached himself from the scene just now: "What do you two, grandfather and grandson, take our church for? A toy to play with in different ways?" One, with absolute talent and strength, had twice forced the church to bow its head; The other had risen through the church ranks at an astonishing speed, to the point where practically few could claim to stand ahead of him now. The universally acknowledged number one church in the world had been guided and kneaded in completely different manners by this pair of grandfather and grandson. Karen answered, "Every path is walked one step at a time. In the beginning, neither of us anticipated such an outcome." "I believe that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have blasphemed God in that manner. He won't do it anymore, will he?" "No, he won't." "I feel that tradition should be respected and preserved. What do you think?" "You must be joking." "Heh, no, I really need to have a good laugh about this. At any other time, facing him was never this relaxing for me." "You are joking again." "It's true. In him, I saw a brilliance in no way inferior to the likes of Augurev." "I can feel that those esteemed elders also respected you from the bottom of their hearts." "That was in the past. Now, I no longer have the strength to continue suppressing the opinions against me, nor do I have the ability to pluck out the sharp thorns in their personalities one by one. Your grandfather gave me tremendous pressure. I'm not lying to you—because he could break through my rules, beyond my control." This was the High Priest opening his heart to Karen. A man like Dis was someone for whom it was very difficult to find a real way to control him. Otherwise, High Priest Norton back then wouldn't have had Karen take the risk to make contact and communicate. Inside the base, the teleportation array had been restored. Karen pushed the High Priest into the glowing circle of teleportation. As for Mobiten and his men, they were ordered to maintain guard from afar, stripped even of the qualification to teleport alongside them; they could only wait for the next batch or use the adjacent array that teleported simultaneously. Regarding this, the head of the guards did not find it inappropriate in the slightest. Karen had just undergone the "mentorship" of three esteemed knights. In terms of church political standing, this had already far surpassed any so-called Child of God—after all, a Child of God only received a portion of fragmented memory inheritance from a single elder. Once word of this spread, Karen's status as successor would be practically unshakable. Advantage of age, advantage of status, advantage of divine endorsement—layer upon layer of advantages stacked together, enough that even if Kred removed the prefix "Acting," he would still be regarded inside and outside the church as merely a transitional figure. In fact, if Karen wished, he could directly compete with Kred for the position of the new High Priest once High Priest Norton departed. Indeed, Kred had the backing of Norton's original team, but the problem was... Karen was also a member of that team. Therefore, harsh though it sounded, it was an undeniable fact: whether Kred could leave a page in the historical records of the church's High Priests depended entirely on whether Karen was willing to show some respect to his senior. Clearly, the High Priest was well aware of this issue, so he took the initiative to speak: "Regarding the arrangement for Kred..." "I endorse your arrangement. Cardinal Kred is the most suitable candidate to temporarily fill your position in the future." "Then go speak to him in person to make it clear. Although he has a bit of an appetite for power, he is still a smart man. Remember, take that dog of yours along when you go." "Yes, High Priest." As the boss, he understood these confidants under him all too well. For someone like Kred, you had to suppress all his ambitions before he would truly and willingly serve merely as a transitional figure. Divine endorsement wasn't overwhelmingly intimidating to this bunch of subordinates, but the connection to Mink Street was enough to dispel any unexpected moves. "He will be grateful to you," the High Priest smiled. "Because you know how to handle things." "Thank you for your trust." With Karen's support, Kred could make this transition much more comfortably, and look far more like a High Priest than Rasma ever had back then. The High Priest quipped, "Looking closely at your resume, I've noticed that serving as your superior often doesn't last long, but it's very comfortable." "I don't know how to respond to that." "Does Foden know your identity?" "The Whip-Wielder doesn't know." "Keep it secret for now. You are very safe at present, but not absolutely. Only when the Lord hands her godhead over to you will you truly be the new God. If it leaks out prematurely, I fear those hidden rats will scurry out of their holes, along with those churches... A new God of Order is the only reason that can turn them from rats into mad dogs." "Yes, I understand." "However, when the time comes that your identity must be revealed, remember to find an appropriate moment to tell Foden." "For what purpose?" "By then, I probably won't be around anymore, but I want to see the dumbfounded look on Foden's face." "Yes, I will." The teleportation began. As the light enveloped the two of them, Karen suddenly noticed frost hanging at the corners of the High Priest's eyes, and a cluster of ice crystals on the tip of his nose. This time, Karen did not hesitate; he reached out and gently wiped them away. "It was far more exhausting than imagined." "You need rest." The High Priest shook his head. "I originally thought I could help Kred keep a grip on things, but now I feel my heart is willing, yet my strength falls short. After returning, I can only enter seclusion—or even hibernation—until waking in the next stage." "Has your plan for the next stage already been drawn up?" "Mm. However, administrative church affairs remain rather complicated. I need someone who can coordinate the overall situation in my stead. If nothing unexpected happens, the pontiffs of the Night God Church, the Church of Netherfire, and the Church of Thunder will soon come seeking an audience with Order's decision-maker. Bring that manservant of yours to see me." "Understood, but I feel he is not yet capable of shouldering this responsibility." The High Priest's underlying meaning was to completely let go of the church's internal affairs, yet right now was precisely when the ecclesial circle was in greatest turmoil. Kred could safeguard the Holy See's power structure left behind by the High Priest, but he lacked the capability to sort through the intricate web of current relationships. Originally, Karen had harbored little hope for this, but after the strategic maneuvers on the ice plain, Karen realized that enemies truly could be diminished, while "friends" could be made plentiful. However, although Karen acknowledged Alfred's abilities, the current Alfred... still lacked such overall coordination and vision. "I merely want to meet him. After all, you hold him in such high regard." "He will be very excited. He has always viewed you as his idol." "Right, Karen..." "Please speak." "Can you bestow knight status now?" "I can." "Have you bestowed any?" "Quite a few." "Are there any vacant spots left?" "Yes, but not many." "Heheh, natural." The High Priest pursed his lips. "In the past, I too felt helpless over why even fellows like that could become knights under the Lord's banner. We followers of Order do not believe in fate, yet we can still appreciate the so-called aesthetic of fate. Later on, they all became qualified guardians of Order." "I believe they will as well." "Indeed. That is why I had them choose to exile their godheads. Help me explain it to them; I hope your knights won't mind having their talent and potential stifled. We need the fastest increase in combat power to throw them into the third stage of battle that belongs to them." The first stage was for the previous generation's branch gods to trade themselves against the first batch of returning gods; The second stage was for the Order Knight Orders, including the First Knight Order, to engage in slaughter and attrition; The third stage, when facing the return of those ancient era overlords, would require the new God of Order to lead new knights and squires to fight for the ultimate dominion of this world. This was Tyranus's plan, and also what he had said about everyone going to their deaths in designated shifts. "They understand, and so do I." "Heheheh." The High Priest chuckled. "You know what I was worried about." "Please rest assured, I won't." Upon learning that Karen was surnamed Inmeles, the High Priest had begun worrying whether Karen would follow Dis's prior example in the Garden of Life and say "no" to Augurev's godhead inheritance. Karen continued, "I am willing to take up her ambition and safeguard the world of Order." "That is good, that is good." The teleportation light circle dissipated, and the two appeared beneath the steps of the Administrative Temple. Karen wheeled the High Priest into the Administrative Temple and entered the running-water tea pavilion. After the High Priest moved from the wheelchair to the sofa, Karen browsed through the books beneath the tea table and asked, "Which book would you like to read now?" "Have your manservant pick a few books and bring them to me." "Understood. I will instruct him to deliver them as soon as possible." "Additionally..." The High Priest raised a hand, and a black booklet flew out from the bottommost layer of the tea table, landing in Karen's hand. Karen opened the booklet. The first page was Tyranus, lauded as the first-generation High Priest of the Church of Order. The second page, the third page... Every successive page held a meritorious High Priest in the history of the church. The number was not very large, because it had weeded out the transitional, the puppet-like, and the conservative figures, leaving only those with exceptional talent and outstanding political achievements. Someone like Rasma had no name in it. This was the most authoritative appraisal, for the one who had curated this roster was Tyranus herself. "High Priest, what do you mean by this?" "To be safe, choose one from among them to confer as a knight. Let him assist you and Kred—heh, including that manservant of yours—to take practical charge of running the church during the period I am resting." "Yes, I understand." Karen began flipping through and choosing. As he picked, he marveled inwardly at what true heritage meant. This was real heritage—even the position of High Priest had so many contingency options. However, looking at it this way, Kred was truly a bit pitiful: on the surface he was suppressed by Karen, and behind the scenes by that person. Karen began to worry a little: would Kred throw in the towel and quit? "Have you chosen?" "I have." Karen folded that page neatly and presented it before the High Priest. "Him?" "Yes, him." ... "I originally thought that kid Karen was shameless enough, but who knew you're even more outrageous than him." Ukonga subjected Neo, who was standing beside him, to merciless mockery. "We're all roommates; you shouldn't be so biased, right?" "That kid Karen asked me to help him resolve the Silent Ones, which is at least somewhat plausible. But you? Asking me to help you unify the Light remnants! Honestly, I truly admire this staggering imagination of yours. Even an ordinary Light remnant endowed with the brain of a Mural God remnant wouldn't dare paint such an unrealistic picture." Neo shrugged, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed it to Ukonga. Ukonga grabbed at it casually, spilling quite a few sticks onto the ground. "Don't waste them; they're all out-of-print editions." Neo bent down and picked up the cigarettes from the floor. "Hey, it's not like the Church of Thunder is gone; these cigarettes haven't halted production." "It's not the same." Neo showed Ukonga the front and back of the cigarette pack: one side featured the thunder python, and the other, the God of Thunder. "With both of these gone, the cigarettes produced in the future will have lost their soul; smoking them won't taste the same." "Philias wasn't as deranged as you." "Is that so? Then who was it that climbed the Tower of Light and shouted that line?" "Fair point. I've always been curious: Philias used to seem like a refined, gentle nobleman, so why did he turn out like that later on?" "When a person stays repressed for too long, it's easy to go mad." "Heheheh." Ukonga stepped forward, reached out, and unveiled the canvas before him, revealing the glass display case beneath. Inside lay two broken-winged angels, one white and one black, symbolizing purity and corruption respectively. Between the two angels lay a mummy. "I believe Dicarost definitely never expected in life that his descendants would wrap him up like this." This was an exhibit borrowed from the Church of the Abyss under the Church of Order's official document; the great explorer Dicarost was one of the exhibits. Neo asked, "Tell me, when treasure-hunting explorers plunder artifacts in the future, will they steal Dicarost's corpse as a treasure?" "Who knows? After all, legend has it that he possessed secrets of Heaven in his hands." "Then why was the Church of the Abyss willing to lend him out? Weren't they afraid we'd awaken him?" "I submitted the application, but the official document was signed by the High Priest. I suppose the High Priest reached some secret agreement with them." "I find it hard to understand why any church would still believe in secret agreements with the Church of Order." "Very simple: forced into it." Ukonga smiled. "I plan to invite an Awakener to help awaken him. Say, should we untie Dicarost's bandages first?" "What if once the bandages are undone, Dicarost turns into a puddle of pus?" "True. Let's first test if an awakening can succeed." "Let Karen do it; he's very adept at awakening spells." Just then, Leon walked into this exhibition hall, which was closed to the public: "Gentlemen, the Minister is back." Ukonga smiled. "I thought he was bedding down on the floor of the Administrative Temple and didn't plan on returning to Yorktown. Isn't everyone outside convinced he's dead certain to be the next High Priest?" Neo asked, "What does the Temple think?" "An outstanding young man jointly endorsed by three esteemed knights and Tyranus herself—what do you think the Temple thinks?" "Isn't he still your good son?" "True." Ukonga patted Neo on the shoulder. "Come on, pick a branch of the Light remnants, and I'll wipe it out for you." At that moment, Karen walked in. "Oh, come, let us pay our respects to the High Priest." Ukonga made as if to salute. Karen didn't move to support him, merely standing quietly before him, waiting for him to continue. Ukonga, midway through his bow, immediately straightened up and cursed, "Boy, this is insubordination, you know that?" Neo chimed in, "Monstrous insubordination! When you achieve enlightenment in the future, you'll have to kneel and repent for three days and three nights." Behind Karen followed a number of clerics, carrying in tables, chairs, pastries, and tea to arrange the venue. Ukonga asked curiously, "What, are you going to hold a meeting here?" At this time, an imposing black sarcophagus was wheeled in. Escorting the coffin was a group of high-ranking Awakeners, which signified that the one resting inside held an extraordinarily exalted status. "Secretary-General Karen, please sign here." "Mm, alright." Karen signed his name. "Alright, you may head back." "Yes, Secretary-General." Originally, this was against regulations. For Awakeners to transfer a target out of the First Knight Order's garrison, they were supposed to monitor the awakening on-site, but this requisition had the High Priest's personal signature on the official document. After all the outsiders withdrew, inside the exhibition hall—now arranged like a small cocktail party—only Karen, Neo, Ukonga, the mummy, and a coffin remained. Neo asked, "So, what kind of program is this?" Karen picked up a water cup, poured himself a glass of ice water, took a sip, and replied: "A class reunion."