Praise

The candles continued to burn. Karen leaned his arms against the back of the chair, his head tilted up. Overhead, the water vapor that had evaporated earlier was now condensing into droplets, falling onto his face from time to time. The golden retriever lay sprawled on all fours, its chin pressed against the mat, tongue lolling out, belly heaving as it panted heavily. Having finished recounting what had just taken place, Purr silently began grooming her tail again. One person, one cat, and one dog lapsed into a long silence once more. Finally, Karen took a deep breath and sat up straight. In truth, after the purification finished, he hadn't noticed any change in his eyesight or hearing, but the way he perceived the world had indeed changed. It felt as though a filter had been added, allowing him to sense "colors" that hadn't previously existed. Of course, this filter wasn't set over his eyes, but in his heart. The world was still the same world, and he was still the same person, but whereas their interaction before had been cold and direct, now a resonant ambiance had begun to emerge between them. This sensation could probably be applied in concrete ways as well—like basic Church of Order spells, or those notes Mr. Hoffen had given him. Only right now, Karen had no mind to ponder such things. "So... did things really almost spiral out of hand back then?" Purr blinked and answered quite honestly, "There was no 'almost.' It truly did spiral out of hand. Things completely broke free of my control, but thankfully, we made it through without incident." "What should I say at a time like this?" Karen asked. "Give thanks for the blessing of the God of Order, or the God of Light?" Purr gave her tail a swish to confirm it had returned to normal. "That is the reality of this circle. Much of the time, we are walking on the edge of life and death. Even without external interference, one can easily be seduced or even contaminate oneself in the pursuit of advancement." "Next time, you could give me some advance notice. I really thought I was just undergoing an ordinary purification, and I was wondering why it was so dangerous. I even thought that if this was what purification was like, more than ninety percent of believers would die during the process every year." "I didn't expect this to happen either, and I doubt Diss did. All we can say is that it served as a wake-up call for both of us: next time anything involves gods, it cannot be anticipated with normal logic. So, I'm sorry, Karen. Because it exceeded my understanding, I misjudged the risk." "Was that thing the reason you turned into a cat?" Karen asked. "No. If not for it, I might not have even had the chance to survive as a cat." Purr shook her head. "There's no point talking about what happened back then now anyway. What matters most is that the person who attacked me is already dead." "Oh." Karen stood up. Purr leapt onto Karen's shoulder, stretched out a paw, and touched his face. "Cheer up. You are now an honorable God's Servant, one whose purification was personally completed by the God of Order! You should be excited, thrilled!" "What's the difference?" Karen asked. "I don't feel anything special right now." "It's like learning vocabulary in an elementary school classroom. Everyone is studying, and on the test you score a hundred, and your classmate scores a hundred too. But that's only because the test is limited to what's on the syllabus. In reality, while your classmate is still trying to memorize the required words and phrases, you've already memorized the entire *Great Maklai Dictionary* in your head. I'd say it's even more exaggerated than that—not just the dictionary, but all the great essays and novels across genres, you've memorized them all. A God's Servant is like an elementary school student; under limited testing conditions, the gap between you and your peers can't be seen directly. But once you reach middle school, the difference will become glaringly obvious. Of course, there are bound to be other special effects, but you'll have to discover them yourself. Just like how Mary enrolled Mina and Lunt in interest clubs when they were in elementary school—who knows, maybe you'll uncover extra talents and highlights of your own?" "I understand." Karen nodded, reached out, and shook the chair. The golden retriever lying underneath finally crawled out at a snail's pace. "Why did it end up like this?" Karen felt that he should have been the most exhausted one, yet this dog looked as though it had just undergone ten purifications in a row, utterly drained. "It got terrified. That's just how evil gods are. You have to understand, in the mythological narratives of the orthodox faiths, across the last two eras, early on it was the God of Light who most loved branding others as 'evil gods.' After that came the rise of the God of Order, who labeled every deity he was about to slay as an 'evil god.' So, it was like a mouse suddenly running into two... uh..." Purr frowned, then added, "I'd like to use a different metaphor." "No need." Cutting Purr off, Karen pointed at the pool of water before them. "Will all this just go to waste?" "You've already struck gold, and you're still fretting over sand?" "No, you said three days and three nights." "I genuinely thought it would take three days and three nights. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked the radio goblin to deliver meals on time and had the stupid dog fetch them." "We even had someone... had your family remodel the performance hall into a reservoir, spending so much manpower and resources to purchase all this holy water. Leaving aside the fact that three days and three nights turned into two hours, we barely used any of this pool of holy water." "Oh, right, right." Purr nodded immediately. "I see. You're very thorough after all. Are you worried it won't be easy to explain to those idiots? No, you wouldn't care about that. What you care about is whether they'll think you were deliberately putting on a false show of bravado, right? After all, we can't tell them what actually happened in the performance hall just now. Besides, those idiots don't have the clearance to know anyway." "My concern is that next time we ask them to prepare something, they'll just go through the motions." *You claimed you needed an entire pool of holy water; we procured it, and you barely touched it?* *So it was all just for show?* Once anything is branded as mere formality, one can hardly expect people to pour their hearts into it next time. "Right, right, that is indeed an issue." Purr recognized the gravity of the problem as well. After all, up until now, the Allen family's idiots had shown a very commendable attitude in carrying out tasks. As the family's old ancestor, she certainly didn't want the idiots of her house to lose their good attitude, because apart from their attitude, they didn't seem to have much else going for them. Just then, the golden retriever dipped its snout toward the edge of the pool, lapped up a mouthful with its tongue, and immediately began gulping down the water. *Slurp, slurp, slurp...* It drank with absolute relish. The previously listless dog even started wagging its tail with vigorous energy. Seeing this, Purr paused, hopped down from Karen's shoulder, and crouched by the pool. She dipped a paw into the water, brought it to her mouth, and gave it a lick. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she thrust her head down to drink eagerly as well. "What's wrong with the water?" Karen knelt down with a hint of doubt. Naturally, he wouldn't be naive enough to believe the dog and cat were simply thirsty. "Phew... Woof!" The golden retriever finally had its fill and flopped onto its side, belly bulging high. Purr drank her fill as well, though she was more mindful of her image. She lay on her side, looked at Karen, and smiled. "The problem is solved. In truth, this pool of water should have been called blessed water, but in the eyes of outsiders, it is holy water. Yet 'holy water' is not a mere noun; it is an adjective. This sort of thing has grades. Earlier, that finger of the God of Light and the radiant aura it released amounted to a renewed blessing upon this already blessed water. The grade of this entire pool has risen by a factor of three. Ordinary blessed water could be bought with secular money, but now, this can only be purchased with point coupons. Simply drinking this water helps restore energy and relieve fatigue, but its truly valuable use is as a crafting material for sacred relics. We can head out now. When those idiots see such a high return on investment, they'll only be all the more enthusiastic next time they prepare things for you, and they'll revere you even more. Come, dear Karen, I think I drank a bit too much. Pick me up." Karen bent down and scooped Purr into his arms. Seeing this, Kevin the golden retriever stretched out a front paw from where it lay on the floor, looking up at Karen. Carrying Purr, Karen simply stepped right over it. "..." the dog reacted with silence. "Karen, aren't you going to drink some? You look exhausted." "I'm physically a bit fatigued, but mentally, I'm quite keyed up." "Oh, right. You just finished purification, so that makes sense." Alfred, who had been kneeling outside the performance hall the entire time, seemed to sense a shift ahead. Yet the earlier oppressive, awe-inspiring aura had held him paralyzed, and it took a long time before he finally summoned the courage to raise his head. He saw Karen walking out carrying Purr, followed by the golden retriever, whose belly was swinging from side to side as it walked. "Young Master..." Purr raised a paw to her lips in a shushing gesture. Catching the hint, Alfred asked no more. He picked up the umbrella from the ground, gave it a shake, opened it, and escorted Karen down the steps. Meanwhile, Old Anderson and the others, who had been standing under the eaves of the old manor keeping a respectful watch, saw Karen emerging already and assumed something had gone wrong. They hurried over at once. Old Anderson didn't even bother with an umbrella, pushing aside the grandson who tried to shield him, and limped forward briskly with his cane. "Young Master Karen, what happened...?" Karen replied very calmly, "There was a slight accident." "An accident..." Old Anderson's lips trembled faintly. Diss's grandson was now his greatest hope; he would have prayed to Ancestor Allen to let Diss's grandson grow rapidly just to protect the Allen family. To a certain extent, Old Anderson was even more invested in Karen's cultivation than Diss, Karen's own grandfather. "Yes, it was accidentally successful." "It's all right, Young Master, we can prepare another... wait, what?" The second half of Old Anderson's sentence choked in his throat. "Have someone keep the performance hall sealed, especially the remaining pool of water inside. Find a proper way to transport and store it." "Yes, of course, right away." Karen bypassed Old Anderson and the other members of the Allen family, heading straight toward the manor. Once inside, Eunice happened to be coming down the stairs. Seeing Karen back in the house, she remarked with slight surprise, "Has it been delayed?" "It concluded successfully." "Really? Congratulations." Eunice walked over to Karen. "I was just on my way to the kitchen to help prepare dinner to send to the performance hall tonight. My cooking isn't as good as yours, but I wanted to do something for you." Eunice had already seen Karen off from the bedroom earlier, so she hadn't stood by the front door with her grandfather to watch the hall. Karen naturally wouldn't mention that even if she had sent food in, he wouldn't have been able to eat it—since the meals were originally planned for Purr, while he was supposed to remain in a comatose state for three days and three nights during purification. "I just missed the food you cook so much that I couldn't help coming out early. After all, the distance from the kitchen to the dining room is already a crime against good food, let alone carrying it through the rain over such a long path." "Hehe." Purr hopped onto the golden retriever's back. The dog shuddered, but managed to keep its footing. Both of them were exhausted, frightened, and stuffed to the brim. Right now, they only wanted to get some proper rest, with no desire to stay and watch these tedious pre-childbearing flirtations. The golden retriever carried Purr upstairs with wobbly steps. Karen glanced at Alfred, who immediately followed them up, catching both cat and dog just as the retriever nearly lost its footing on the staircase. "Young Master, I'll head up first," Alfred called out, carrying Purr and Kevin upstairs. He had questions to ask Purr. Noticing a chair in the corridor, Karen walked over and sat down. Only after sitting did he realize there was an easel in front of him, with paintbrushes beside it. The painting was mostly complete. It depicted Old Anderson leaning on his cane at the front beneath the manor's eaves, facing the distant performance hall. However, Old Anderson's gaze was not fixed on the hall. His expression was somewhat blank, laced with anxiety, and deep within lay an unmistakable unease. Behind Old Anderson stood Mike in a wheelchair alongside other family members. The middle-aged members looked stern and solemn, while the younger ones wore expressions of slight impatience—because their grandfather insisted on standing there, they couldn't leave and had to remain standing with him. Karen noticed that through the glass, this vantage point in the corridor offered a clear view of the area under the main entrance eaves. Evidently, the painter had been sitting right here working on it earlier. "Father painted it," Eunice said. "Yes, I can tell." Because Mr. Bede wasn't in the painting. In truth, as the nominal family head, Mr. Bede should have stood beside Old Anderson, sharing in the sorrow of placing the family's future on an outsider youth, father and son radiating those complex emotions together. Yet he hadn't. He had chosen to sit here and even paint. He truly was unsuited to being a good family head; after all, even if one was reluctant deep down, keeping up appearances was still necessary. *Heh, a true artist to the bone.* Just then, a commotion rose outside. Old Anderson, Mike, and the others were cheering passionately outside the performance hall entrance. Clearly, they had discovered the transformation in the holy water. Not only were their earlier misgivings about Karen finishing the purification ahead of schedule completely swept away, but they were also marveling endlessly at such a miraculous change. After all, the value of that pool of holy water alone was enough to match the Allen family's current net profits from two full quarters—half a year of workshop production! And that was in point coupons, not paper currency that was as good as scrap paper! "Grandfather and the others seem very happy?" Eunice asked in puzzlement. "Yes." Karen nodded, his gaze remaining on the painting. Previously, he had only been admiring the details of the figures, but now, he began to "appreciate" the painting's atmosphere. A faint sense of familiarity stirred within his heart. Though he couldn't put into words exactly what was similar—it wasn't the brushwork, nor the compositional design—it felt unmistakably reminiscent of something. Yes, it was a feeling. This had to be a change brought about by becoming a God's Servant. What was more, Karen actually managed to match this feeling with something in his memory. At that moment, Mr. Bede came running back through the rain, shouting excitedly to Karen, "Young Master Karen, you are truly amazing, truly miraculous!" "Father, I'll go fetch you a towel." "Yes, thank you." Mr. Bede pulled out a neighboring chair and sat down facing Karen, continuing with immense excitement, "I have never heard of such a thing! Father is overjoyed as well." Karen nodded without offering an explanation, because none was truly needed. However, Bede's claim that Old Anderson was overjoyed was probably his own misunderstanding. Old Anderson wasn't happy simply because the holy water had turned into something worth point coupons; it was the "miracle" manifested through Karen that reaffirmed his hopes and choices. As the family head, Bede hadn't even thought of that layer. Looking at Bede with some curiosity, Karen asked, "Mr. Bede, there's something I'd like to ask you." "Yes, please go ahead." Bede began calming his agitated emotions. "Have you always been unable to pass the family faith system's test?" Bede was somewhat surprised that Karen would suddenly ask this now, but he soon smiled wryly. "Yes. In terms of bloodline talent, I could never compare to my two elder brothers, which is why I never believed I had the qualifications to inherit the patriarch position. In fact, if not for the fact that I look so much like my father's younger photographs, I think Father might have doubted whether I was even his biological son, hahaha. Thank goodness for the invention of the camera; if it were an oil painting, one really couldn't say for sure." Mr. Bede made fun of himself without the slightest reservation. Karen chuckled along with him. Then, amid the laughter, Karen suddenly crossed his arms over his chest and said: "Praise Rielsa!" Almost as a reflex, Mr. Bede mirrored the exact same gesture and blurted out: "Praise the God of the Wall!"