Inauguration of the High Priest!

"What do you mean, you saw nothing?" Neo blew out a smoke ring. "Did the future splinter into countless paths where anything is possible?" Hands thrust in his pockets, Richard said in an airy tone, "Maybe it's just that I've already fallen." "If you've fallen, you can't see it?" Neo asked, somewhat puzzled. "Then how do divination priests manage their prophecies?" "What's the point of merely prophesying without being able to change anything? "The river of time inherently requires a vessel, and nothing is better suited than one's own powerful, long-lived self. "The best prophecy is when your future self tells your past self; "The best change is when your past self helps change things for your future self. "So I think I probably won't live to see the next epoch. And if that's the case, shouldn't I jump right down and make the most of my time to have some fun?" Neo cursed, "So in the end, we still lose?" At this point, Karen spoke up. "Why couldn't it be a victory? If we win, there will be no more gods. And with no gods..." Karen stood up as well, looking at Richard with a smile. "With no gods, naturally, there will be no more you." Richard said, "Then that would have to be an absolute victory." Karen replied, "You said it yourself just now: we in Order have always been domineering. If we want to win, why not win completely?" "Are you sure that's how you should talk to a newly joined partner? Win or lose, you want me dead?" "Relinquishing your godhood isn't death." "What's the difference between that and dying? Tell me, aren't you afraid I'll back out because of that?" "Not at all, because there are far too many things in your heart that outrank godhood." "I'm curious: winning a divine war on the grandest scale isn't necessarily the hardest part, but how do you plan to make the followers who fought beside you to win this war voluntarily surrender their own godhoods?" "It's not as if you didn't see what happened in the skies over Wien that day." "Madman." "I'll take that as a compliment. In truth, genuine faith was always meant to overcome the biological instinct to seek profit and avoid harm." Richard snapped his fingers, and the door leading back to the pastry shop on Red Leaf Street reopened. The talks were over; it was time to depart. Because of the three men's arrival, Mount Anlamende, where sinister gales usually wailed, had been at peace for quite some time. The many dead demon gods sealed beneath the mountain had also been uncharacteristically docile and well-behaved throughout. Karen asked Richard, "How much longer are you going to occupy this body?" "He agreed gladly enough, so what's your rush?" "He agreed?" "He's eager to help you." Karen nodded. Richard said, "Soon. In a few days, this sliver of divine consciousness will be exhausted. When you have time, you can visit me in the Far North." "I will." "You agree so readily?" "A friend of my father's is there, and he prepared a gift for me." "Heh." Returning to the pastry shop, Richard stayed behind to listen to songs and watch the performances, while Karen and Neo stepped outside. Seeing Philomena still standing vigil by the doorway, Karen said, "Put everything else aside for now. Your job for the foreseeable future is to look after him." "Understood. I will." Back in the second-hand black Ponce, Alfred started the car. Neo said, "I'll head back to the headquarters first. The people's hearts aren't steady yet; I can't stay away for long." "Thank you for your hard work." Karen knew Neo had no real interest in the legacy of Light, and his grasp of Order's doctrine had grown hazy. He had chosen to remain and serve as a vessel for Light's descent solely for Karen's sake. Neo rolled his eyes at Karen. "Save the decorum for someone else." Karen and Neo entered the teleportation array hall together and parted ways as they stepped into their respective formations. After entering the exclusive, high-level teleportation light ring bound for the Holy See, Alfred drew out his notebook and quill. According to the young master's routine, Karen would usually brief him first, and Alfred would then cascade the information downward. Karen opened his mouth to speak, but realized there was very little to summarize from the conversation they had just had. Its sole purpose was probably solidifying the consensus that all three factions would unite to stand against the turning of the epoch, but that had already been understood long before. "Alfred." "Yes, Young Master." "Just make up the contents of this meeting." After a brief moment of astonishment, Alfred replied with earnest devotion, "Thank you for your trust." *** Today, the Holy See was unusually bustling and lively. Karen was teleported onto the steps of the Administrative Temple. Looking up, however, he did not see Mobiten and his guard detail, who had always stood watch here. Kred's inauguration ceremony was about to take place in the Priestly Square within the Holy See; Mobiten had presumably gone to safeguard his new High Priest. Karen ascended the steps and entered the temple. Beside him, Alfred murmured a reminder, "Young Master, the ceremony over there will be starting soon." "Yes, I know. No rush." Walking into the temple, there was no stream of water flowing over to guide them. Karen paused. Alfred immediately produced the quill and gave it a gentle flick, conjuring the current. The quill could manipulate most of the restrictions within the Holy See; Norton had gifted it to Alfred. In other words, the most heavily fortified place in the Church of Order was virtually defenseless before Karen. If Karen wanted to, he could literally lead a dog inside, kill Kred, and seize power on the spot. Stepping into the tea lounge, the familiar sofa and coffee table were there, and even the books beneath remained untouched. Only the person who had sat there every time Karen entered was gone forever. The "Lords" of Order had collectively fallen to take down a host of chief gods with them. Yet because the divine battle had unfolded within the membrane and Karen had not truly taken part, watching those mythical figures fall carried an unreal quality, like gazing at murals. Norton's departure, by contrast, made Karen tangibly feel the storm of this calamity. *We really were protected too well all along...* Karen closed his eyes, sighing inwardly. After a moment, Alfred asked, "Young Master, would you like to take a look at the floor below?" "Basse has already fallen into a deep slumber. There's nothing to see." Karen turned, walked out of the tea lounge, and left the Administrative Temple. The Priestly Square was surging with crowds. Not only had the Hierarchs of nearly every orthodox church arrived, but they had also dispatched massive delegations to rapidly negotiate the next phase of alliance and cooperation. Back in the desert, the allied forces had fought Order for so long yet remained a fractured mess. Looking at their current fervor, it not only proved once again that there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests, but also demonstrated that when the stakes are immense and fundamental enough, they can easily bridge the chasm of faith. Just as in secular society, where the Wien Empire, as an established great power, would join hands with other powers to suppress rising empires and choke off any attempt to carve up the colonial system anew. Karen's arrival drew a sea of gazes. The Hierarchs of various churches stepped forward one after another to converse with him, and Karen responded to each with a polite smile. Alfred followed beside him, watching the scene without the slightest feeling of disparity or melancholy. Although he had drifted to Wien on a boat with Karen back then, he had always believed the person he followed was not some down-and-out boy fleeing danger, but a great evil god. Once the ceremonial pleasantries concluded, Karen entered the inner hall of the Priestly Square before the formal rites commenced. Robed in the High Priest's vestments, Kred sat inside. Flanking him in a row of circular seats were the Oracle, the Prophet, the Temple Guard Commander, Ukonga, several Temple Elders, as well as Foden, Sisa, and others. A great circle of seats, with everyone seated within it. Karen walked into the center of the circle and bowed deeply to Kred. "Greetings, High Priest." Kred crossed his arms over his chest. "Praise the great God of Order." The salute finished. Foden chuckled teasingly. "Only coming to offer congratulations at this hour? Looks like certain people are quite disgruntled inside." "Hehehe." "Hahaha." The entire crowd broke into laughter. Foden was not trying to undermine Karen or make trouble for him. When one had sufficient strength and standing, such banter was merely laying groundwork—deliberately blurring the gap in status between Karen and Kred, wearing down everyone's resistance, and cementing the consensus that Karen was the next High Priest. Karen, however, felt no burning hunger for the seat of High Priest. He only hoped the Church of Order could function steadily, so that when the time came, he could ascend to the heavens alongside Neo and Eternity for a glorious, unburdened battle. The Oracle spoke up: "Take a seat. The ceremony won't begin for a little while." An empty chair had been reserved for Karen, positioned even above Foden's and second only to the Temple Elders. Karen did not move to sit. Standing his ground, he said in a humble yet resolute tone, "Before the High Priest, what right do I have to sit as an equal?" The moment these words left his mouth, an uncomfortable silence settled over everyone present. Gazes darted back and forth to ease the invisible awkwardness. Indeed. When Norton was here, who among you dared sit as his equal? The moment Norton was gone, you all began acting like this. None of them had expected that the first person to puncture this tacit trial of boundaries would be Karen. As Norton's hand-picked successor across generations, Karen, purely from a standpoint of self-interest, should have been pleased to see Kred's authority as High Priest weakened as much as possible. What they could never have guessed was that before coming here, Karen had just visited Mount Anlamende for a council with Eternity and Light. Although the three had sat upon the bare ground without tables or chairs on Mount Anlamende, compared to that, the inner hall here was like children playing house. A flicker of emotion showed in Kred's eyes, but he took the initiative to say, "We are all our own people. There is no need for such formalities here." Karen replied, "High Priest, you may choose to be approachable, but we cannot forget proper decorum. Were these rules not laid down by the former High Priest?" After this brief exchange, Foden, Sisa, and the others could no longer sit still. The former High Priest's core faction rose to their feet one after another and walked over to stand beside Karen. They felt no resentment toward Karen's insistence. Before he arrived, they had enjoyed eroding Kred's aura as High Priest; with the chief gone, everyone could breathe a little easier and act casually. But at the same time, they knew very well that for their political faction to keep functioning, they had to firmly hoist the banner Norton had left behind. Either way, they could accept it. Seeing this, Ukonga stood up as well and walked down. His action prompted the several Temple Elders to rise and follow. However, this drew a sharp glare from the Prophet. If the Temple did not seize the opportunity of Norton's departure to reclaim its lost power and influence, did it intend to perpetuate that awkward subordinate state forever? Ukonga completely ignored the warning gaze. Inwardly, he sneered: *Did you really think that with one Tyrannus gone, your days of misery were over?* The Prophet, the Oracle, and the Temple Guard Commander remained seated. Evidently, they believed they were entitled to stay there. Ukonga called out, "My lords, please step down. At your advanced age, how could you be ignorant of the rules?" Ukonga's words tore away the last shred of pretense, forcing the three leaders of the Temple to stand up and leave their seats as well. Most of the people in the hall had no idea why Ukonga was being so bold—bold to the point of folly, not only betraying his own faction, but refusing to shy away from bringing the conflict out into the open. Foden, on the other hand, seemed to confirm something through this. Subconsciously, he shifted backward, moving from standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Karen to half a step behind him. If not for the people standing behind him making it awkward to squeeze back further, he would have retreated entirely behind Karen. Having gained the practical upper hand, Kred tapped the armrest of his chair and played the peacemaker. "Acting like this makes me look ungracious." *** The inauguration ceremony began, and a flock of Sandies took flight. The leadership of the Church of Order filed out of the inner hall in strict, hierarchical order. Those watching were among the sharpest minds in the world; their eyes naturally saw beneath the surface. Yet whether out of disappointment or relief, they were left with the distinct impression that Norton was somehow still alive. Still, few believed the Church of Order was genuinely capable of such ruthless self-discipline; most assumed it was merely the lingering inertia Norton had left behind. First came the Oracle's address. Speaking for the will of the God of Order, he personally placed the miter symbolizing the High Priest's authority onto Kred's head. The Order priests bowed in unison: "Greetings, High Priest." "Greetings, High Priest." The priests of foreign churches bowed from the waist to show their respect. Next came Kred's speech. There was nothing unusual about the address; it followed standard protocol: ten percent praising the great God of Order, eighty percent summarizing and extolling the former High Priest's monumental achievements, and the remaining ten percent split in half to offer a brief outlook on his own tenure before concluding with a public announcement: "I hereby appoint Karen Silva, Chief of the Disciplinary Department of the Whip of Order, as Acting High Priest." Karen was somewhat taken aback. He had originally declined this arrangement, yet Kred had tacked it on at the last minute. The reason it was last-minute was that the vestments of an Acting High Priest had not been tailored in advance, proving the official process had never been initiated. Furthermore, faint surprise flitted across the faces of the Oracle and the Prophet. In all likelihood, this was Kred's reciprocation for Karen's conduct in the inner hall earlier. Before the vast assembly, Karen naturally could not refuse; doing so would project disunity within Order's ranks. Karen stepped forward, ascended the dais, and stood before Kred. The foreign dignitaries watching from the perimeter and the Order priests below were hardly surprised by the appointment. After all, everyone shared the settled conviction that this High Priest Kred was merely a transitional figure; the person the former High Priest truly wished to pass the mantle to was this young man. Kred unfastened the High Priest's vestments from his own shoulders and personally draped them over Karen. Karen did not evade, asking in a low whisper, "What are you doing?" Beside them, the Oracle frowned, while the Prophet cautioned, "Absurd." Kred paid them no heed. In a voice audible to all four on the dais, he said, "You were right. We must all uphold the rules the chief left behind." Karen had once brought a dog into his office, and that, coupled with the surname "Inmeles," had caused Kred to abandon all reckless ambitions for absolute power. Yet that had not meant Kred would cooperate meekly. He could be a transitional figure, but he had never intended to be an obedient, pliable one. No one knew, however, what Kred had felt sitting in that inner hall, watching the grand figures of the Temple and other branches intentionally sit as his equals. The fever of power had vanished in an instant, and the chief's image had grown ever clearer. He had finally realized to his core that even if he sat in that chair, he would never be the chief. A person's transformation could truly happen that fast; he had let it go completely. The vestments were slightly too large, not quite a tailored fit, yet when draped over Karen's shoulders, they seemed profoundly fitting. Kred gestured for Karen to turn around and face the crowd. Dispensing with further hesitation, Karen turned to face everyone and slowly raised his head. At this moment, there was no timidity in his gaze, no humility, no restraint, and not a shred of practiced decorum. Every single person present felt a boundless, oppressive aura pour forth. Earlier, Karen had told Eternity that he fell far short of the God of Order's breadth of mind. Eternity had merely smiled and answered that it was only because he had not yet stood in that position. Indeed, different positions and different heights accommodated a different self. In terms of strength, Karen stood on par with a Temple Elder; in terms of true background, he bore the name Inmeles, the inheritor of the God of Order; in terms of personal history, he had climbed his way up from the grass roots step by step. When he ceased masking his edge and laid bare his true posture and innermost emotions, the solemn vestments of the High Priest looked almost like a robe casually thrown on upon waking. Kred said, "Say a few words, my High Priest." The Oracle said, "This violates proper protocol." The Prophet added, "This is an overreach." Kred ignored them, and Karen ignored them as well. For a moment, a strangely familiar feeling rushed back to the Oracle and the Prophet. Karen began to speak: "Everyone..." The Order priests snapped to attention, heels together, heads slightly bowed. The foreign dignitaries watching grew tense and uneasy. The former were ready at any moment to receive the High Priest's decree; The latter lived in dread that the words punishing some church in the name of Order would spill from his lips once again. Everything seemed to have returned to the era of Norton; the young man on the dais was simply a younger Norton. "Everyone, we have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, the shelter bequeathed by our forebears. But this is no reason for us to stagnate or grow slack. We must possess the courage to shoulder the historic mission belonging to our generation." Karen raised a hand and pointed to the sky. The Sandies wheeling above instantly parted around the direction of his finger. "Indeed, this is a calamity in the making. "Indeed, this epoch, destined to be inscribed by divine historians as the Epoch of Order, is drawing to a close. "Indeed, all of us will soon march to the battlefield, and we will die there. "Indeed, I can say that the vast majority of us will never have the chance to see 'tomorrow.' "Yet there is no need for regret, no need for despair, and even less need for hesitation. "Because this new epoch... "Will be forged by our own hands!" Karen crossed his arms before his chest and declared in a ringing, resonant voice: "Praise Order!" Across the entire square, every Order priest—including those watching the ceremony through broadcast arrays—echoed in solemn unison: "Praise Order!" *** "And he still thought he lacked the breadth and spirit of the God of Order," Richard remarked, rolling a little white Jerry between his fingers while watching the transmission array before him. "You have to realize, even the God of Order never purged the word 'God' from his praise." Philomena took a notebook from her pocket and handed it to Richard. "You can look at this. This isn't in his memories." Richard asked, "What is it?" "My class assignments." Richard took it. Before he flipped it open, Philomena cautioned, "Just look at the corrected parts. Those are the standard answers I copied down." Right then, a piercing screech echoed from beyond the epoch. In this world, apart from a tiny handful of people—no, a tiny handful of gods—capable of perceiving the tremor, the vast majority of living beings remained completely oblivious. Richard raised his head, looking toward the sky. As Karen assumed the mantle of an Acting High Priest who surpassed an actual High Priest, the Order Barrier began to collapse across vast swaths. Next, the monitoring departments of various churches would detect high-frequency omens heralding the descent of numerous ordinary deities. Churches great, medium, and small, as well as remnants devoid of any organized hierarchy, would see their sacred relics issue summons and manifest miracles, signifying the return of their gods. With Karen's advancement, the power of the God of Order had been weakened further still. This left Him unable to sustain the grand barrier, forcing Him to abandon all outer perimeters and focus His gaze entirely upon that pack of Epoch Overlords. "At a time like this, I ought to be gloating. I ought to mock you—mock your weakness, mock how you're on your last legs, mock how foolish you were to let someone down below steadily devour your strength step by step, only to swallow your godhead in one gulp and take your place entirely when you descend and fall. "So why can't I laugh? "Not only can't I laugh, I..." Richard sighed, lowering his head, and murmured: "I actually feel envious."