“Captain, the teleportation formation is active.”
“Prepare to receive them.”
The observation station in the Extreme Cold Lands welcomed guests once more.
When Karen stepped out of the glowing circle of the teleportation array, every cleric in the station stiffened, turning to stone in unison.
Only after Captain Dinisen cleared his throat did everyone instantly drop to their knees in salute:
“Greetings, High Priest!”
“Greetings, High Priest!”
The Church of Order had no tradition of kneeling; even in the previous era, ordinary clerics greeted the gods while standing. Yet over so many years of history, it was perhaps inevitable that some bad habits would take root.
Above all, Karen’s appearance was far too great a shock to them—it was as though the deputy prime minister of the Wien Empire had suddenly materialized at an outpost on a remote border island.
Furthermore, the prefix to Karen’s title of High Priest simply did not exist in the minds of the vast majority of lower- and middle-tier clerics. The word “Acting” felt far better suited to Kreid.
“Are you hoping I will kneel in return?”
Hearing this, everyone hastily rose to their feet. Led by Captain Dinisen, they crossed their arms over their chests and bowed anew:
“Praise be to the great God of Order. Greetings, High Priest.”
Karen crossed his arms as well and bowed his head in response.
Dinisen glanced behind him and saw that no one else was emerging from the teleportation formation. He could not help asking with concern, “High Priest, your retinue…”
Karen pointed at him. “You. Show me around the grounds.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Karen then looked toward the plump cleric holding a soup ladle. “Add two more place settings for lunch.”
The plump cleric stared blankly for a second, then his eyes seemed to ignite with light. He gripped the ladle tightly. “Right away, High Priest!”
Karen then gestured for Dinisen to lead the way.
Many sections of the observation station lay derelict, leaving vast empty spaces within. Though Karen had asked to be shown around, he walked at the front, gazing at the snowy vista beyond the embrasures.
Trailing half a step behind, Dinisen accompanied Karen, recounting the station’s duties over recent years and placing particular emphasis on the strange phenomena that had continuously occurred here of late.
When they reached an elevated terrace, Karen gazed into the distance. A distinct dividing line appeared in his field of vision.
On one side of the line, the ground was blanketed in snow; on the other, lush green grass carpeted the earth and clear brooks gurgled, though there was as yet no sign of animal life.
A similar sight existed on Mount Anlamende. Eternity seemed particularly fond of conjuring spectacles with such striking contrasts.
“High Priest, this change appeared during the last disturbance. I submitted a report, but the church hasn't sent anyone to investigate recently…”
Karen raised a hand, cutting Dinisen off.
Dinisen assumed the High Priest had instructions and immediately lowered his head halfway, preparing to listen. There was snow on the terrace beneath his feet, and he was even debating whether, following a certain recent trend in the church, he ought to grab a handful of snow to wash his ears first as a sign of respect.
Karen turned around to face Dinisen.
Dinisen immediately felt an immense pressure. He came from no lowly background and possessed an illustrious family, but how could that compare to the High Priest?
Yet no divine instruction or reprimand came from the High Priest.
Karen crossed his arms, bowed to Dinisen, and spoke softly:
“Godfather.”
Dinisen froze. He thought he was hallucinating, or perhaps the High Priest was addressing someone else. In short, he never could have imagined this title would have anything to do with him.
Seeing this, Karen could not help but smile. “Grandfather mentioned that you prepared a gift for me long ago. In that case, I will be taking it all with me this time.”
Dinisen’s eyes widened abruptly. He had spoken of this matter to only one elderly man, and it was that same old man who had told him that Yalo had a son, and that this son had joined the faith.
Back then, Dinisen had even suggested to the old man whether he should contact his family to pull some strings, so the child's career in the church might progress more smoothly.
Well… from the looks of it, no arrangements were needed.
Braving immense pressure, Dinisen lifted his head and looked at Karen, seemingly trying to search Karen's face for resemblances to his parents.
The nose… the eyes… the mouth… the ears…
Looking at newspapers in the past and seeing him in person just now, Dinisen hadn't felt anything. But now, armed with this knowledge, he instantly noticed countless similarities.
“You… you are Yalo’s son?”
“Yalo Inmeles is my father.”
Karen felt not the slightest reservation about his identity as an Inmeles or his inheritance of the family bonds.
Whether it was Grandfather, his uncle, or his aunts, all of them had treated him with genuine warmth from the bottom of their hearts. Even that pair of “parents” had once saved him during Raneidal’s counterattack.
“I really never imagined… I truly never expected this… Haha, you… you…”
Dinisen wanted to reach out and pat or grasp Karen’s arm. Sometimes, physical contact was the best way to release the emotions brimming inside. But the problem was Karen’s status—he did not dare.
If Karen had held any other post, it would have been fine, but the status of High Priest was paramount in the church, symbolizing supreme authority.
Karen stepped forward of his own accord, opening his arms to embrace Dinisen.
“You’ve worked hard, Godfather.”
Believing Karen’s parents were dead, this scion of a prominent family had chosen to remain stationed here for over twenty years, leaving behind the finest, most precious years of his life in this desolate place.
His sole purpose was to stay here and keep company with his companions of old. Every time he went out on patrol, he would raise his hand toward the snowy depths in the distance and offer a warm, enthusiastic greeting.
Gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, Dinisen merely used his palms to lightly tap the back of Karen’s High Priest vestments twice.
The two parted. Dinisen still habitually kept his head lowered halfway as he smiled. “Yalo and his wife have the most exceptional son in the world.”
“You no longer need to keep watch here. Which department would you like to be transferred to?”
“High Priest, please do not use honorifics with me. It makes me feel terribly uneasy.”
“Yet I am your godson, and you are my godfather.”
“I can accept that, but please do not show it openly. It is… intensely agonizing for me.”
“Very well.”
“Furthermore, I do not wish to be transferred back unless I am conscripted, but for the first round of conscription, I haven't reached the age requirement.”
“Why?”
“Because aside from your parents… no, your parents are no longer here, but there are still many former companions buried here. I want to keep accompanying them. I worry they might feel lonely.”
“Is it worth it?”
“I feel very happy. Truly.”
Karen nodded and pressed no further.
Just then, Karen sensed another fluctuation from the teleportation formation. Richard had likely arrived.
Richard had brought Philomena along, which caused a slight issue: Karen had only asked for two extra place settings. Although the cook added another setting upon seeing the newcomer, placing an ordinary person's portion in front of Philomena was practically an insult to her appetite.
The dining location was a freshly cleaned private room equipped with all amenities. In the past, this was where Temple Elders and their trusted aides dined.
Richard was about to share part of his food with Philomena when Karen noticed. Sipping his soup, Karen said, “Eat your own. I told the cook to roast a few snow bears from the storehouse. They’ll be served shortly.”
“Ah, wonderful, wonderful.” Richard began eating happily.
Putting down his cutlery, Karen asked Richard, “Did you go to Mount Anlamende?”
Philomena nodded in response. “We didn't go.”
Richard kept his head down and continued eating.
Karen raised his voice slightly. “Hey, brat, I'm talking to you.”
“Cough…” Richard choked on his food, but instantly sat up straight and puffed out his chest, recognizing that Karen was angry.
Karen truly was angry. He raised a hand and made a grasping motion toward Richard’s back. In the next moment, a cluster of multicolored halos gathered in Karen’s palm.
Philomena’s eyes widened. “When did they follow us out?”
Karen countered, “You didn't notice?”
“I…” Philomena stood up to admit her fault. “I genuinely didn't detect them.”
Richard looked curiously at the halos in Karen’s palm and asked, “Uh, what are those?”
“Ancient fiendgods sealed within the steps of Mount Anlamende. They followed you out. Tell me, out of all the places you could have gone, you had to go play there? Did you think it gave you bragging rights?”
Richard immediately bowed his head. “I was wrong. It was my negligence.”
Karen’s gaze hardened. The Flame of Order manifested in his palm, incinerating every shred of those consciousnesses to ash.
Had they nestled within him for long, serious problems would have gradually emerged. Even if they didn't seize control of his body, they would have continuously drained blood energy from Richard to sustain their independent existence.
Last time, Eternity had taken Karen and Neo to Mount Anlamende for a meeting. With the three of them present, the fiendgods within the stairs were naturally cowed, not daring to act out in the slightest.
Yet once Eternity was no longer attached to Richard, those fiendgods would never pass up the opportunity. It was fortunate this was discovered in time; any later, and Richard’s soul might have been corrupted.
Karen looked at Philomena. “I asked you to protect him well. Do you know what it would mean for us if something happened to Richard?”
It could very well mean that when the final battle arrived, Eternity would have no suitable vessel to possess!
The envisioned alliance of three era hegemons would have lost an entire pillar simply because a young man’s vanity led him to arrange a unique date.
“I am at fault. Please punish me.”
Karen waved a hand, gesturing for Philomena to sit down, then pointed at Richard. “From today onward, drop all work you currently have and follow me. It just so happens I'm missing a secretary.”
“Understood, Boss, High Priest, Bro!”
Richard beamed.
In the past, Karen had refrained from pulling Richard into his inner circle because he wanted him to stay safe. Now that Richard already knew his identity, there was no need for reservations.
This was the cruelest reality: he would have to lead his companions, friends, and family step by step onto the battlefield against gods.
Before long, the first roasted bear was carried in.
Karen had already finished eating and said to Philomena, “Eat up. Don't let it go to waste.”
“Understood.”
Even having just been reprimanded, Philomena’s appetite remained wholly unaffected. She drew her dagger and began skillfully carving the meat.
This bear could be said to have died with great dignity, carved and eaten with the dagger arts of the God of Assassins.
Karen reached into his pocket. Newly promoted to secretary, Richard immediately pulled out cigarettes and a lighter, presenting them before Karen. “I learned this from Mr. Alfred. I've been waiting for this day for a long time, hehe.”
Karen took an exquisite little tin from his pocket, shook out a piece of specially made chewing gum, and popped it into his mouth.
“Uh… you don't smoke?”
“Quit.”
“Ah, then my information is outdated.” Richard pulled out a notebook and began jotting it down.
Unlike the flattery of other subordinates, Richard simply enjoyed the joyful feeling of being a younger brother following his elder brother around.
Karen asked, “When did you learn of my identity?”
“After going down into the cavern that time. When I pushed the wheelchair, I knew the person sitting in it wrapped head to toe in bandages was Mr. Neo.”
“So you were acting ever since then?”
“Not really. I knew you had your own ambitions and plans. Once I continued to improve and became good enough, you would have me come help you.”
Some things did not need to be spelled out too bluntly.
Even Richard had needed to go to the pastry shop for “treatment,” which showed just how deeply he had tapped into his Alte bloodline. And for Karen, who possessed the same Alte bloodline, there were practically no secrets between them.
Karen closed his eyes to rest for a while. During that time, Philomena devoured two more bears.
Her appetite had grown even larger than before and was becoming increasingly exaggerated, which meant the unlocking of her potential was still far from hitting a ceiling.
When ripples emanated from the teleportation formation, Karen opened his eyes. Looking at the three bear skeletons in the private room, he said calmly,
“Eat well. Try to eat your way to a godhead fragment.”
This was no mockery, for it could very well become reality.
Karen suggested further, “When you see Kanna later, ask her for a pill to try.”
“All right, I will.”
Karen left the private room. The one stepping out of the teleportation formation was Little Kanna.
Karen had arrived first to reunite with Dinisen; Richard had been dragged over afterward; and Little Kanna had gone, per Karen’s instructions, to collect a large quantity of living and cultivation supplies, packing them all inside her divine artifact satchel.
Dinisen walked over. “High Priest, are you heading out?”
“Yes.”
“My squad requests permission to escort and protect you.”
“No need. The observation station cannot be left unmanned.”
Karen glanced at Little Kanna. Little Kanna skipped outside, after which a dragon roar resonated. Her bone dragon body manifested, radiating boundless majestic pressure in all directions.
Seeing this, Dinisen dropped the subject of protection.
Knowing clearly that there was no danger in this trip, Little Kanna flew at great speed. Before long, that palace appeared before Karen.
Above the palace, countless goddesses danced, while battle pennants fluttered below—a scene both ethereal and grandly imposing.
Little Kanna landed before the palace gates and shifted back into human form.
Karen stroked her head, took her hand, and stepped into the palace.
Philomena patted Richard’s head as well.
Far from being embarrassed or annoyed, Richard deliberately leaned his head closer to let her stroke it, then waited for her to take his hand before walking inside.
Yes, she was awkward and inexperienced, but she was genuinely watching and earnestly imitating.
That was what moved Richard the most.
Little did they know that this gesture caused the phantom of Eternity, seated on the throne deep within the palace, to slap His forehead in sheer helplessness.
If not for having no other suitable candidate, He truly would have replaced him. His chosen inheritor was trailing behind Order like a lackey, looking thoroughly delighted and content.
Acting foolish far away was one thing, but right now, it was literally… bringing foolishness home.
Unchecked and unimpeded, with neither mishaps nor traps, Karen walked directly before the massive blue crystal throne.
“Huh? He's not here?” Richard looked around curiously.
Philomena halted and began searching in the manner of an assassin, yet she found not a trace.
This was only natural. Even if the God of Assassins or the Phantom Knight were present in person—the two pinnacles of the rules of assassination—they would still be unable to detect Eternity’s aura.
He was, after all, an era hegemon.
“Order, what business do you have?”
Karen lifted his head toward the space above the throne and said, “I'd like to ask you for a favor.”
Though Richard and Philomena could not hear Eternity’s words, seeing Karen conversing, they obediently stood back.
As for Little Kanna, she took this opportunity to run off and pat the pillars in the hall, occasionally gnawing off a piece with her teeth to test its composition and taste. Before long, several pillars containing mini-worlds were pitted with her bite marks.
Karen brought out the Notes on Principles and opened it.
Diss’s avatar appeared before Karen.
Diss: “I have come to ask you to be my teacher.”
Eternity: “Teacher? Heh. Order, do you not hold the inheritances of your branch gods of Order? Simply choose one and bestow it upon him. How simple that would be.”
Diss answered,
“What is handed down can never compare to what is learned through one's own efforts.”
Eternity: “In such a short time, what could I teach you, and what could you learn? I truly have no interest in spending time on something so dull and tedious.”
This was a refusal.
Naturally, there was still room for maneuver, because Karen had not spoken yet.
Eternity was simply unwilling to bother communicating with a newly ascended deity.
Diss responded, “If not for the pressing lack of time, I would not have come here at all. Were I given ample time…”
“Were you given ample time, what could you do?”
“Then all of you could rest. Those who should fall could fall, those who should be exiled could be exiled. I alone would be enough to hold off all the era hegemons.”
Eternity fell silent.
The last one to display such an arrogant posture before Him had been Order.
Now, He felt it once more.
Eternity rose and stepped down from the throne.
This was not His true divine body, merely a wisp of a phantom, yet as He stood, He still radiated an overbearing, disdainful pressure.
Suppressing and killing a chief god right upon ascension was nothing remarkable in Eternity's eyes; a single strand of His divine will could control Tyrannus to skewer a chief god to death with one spear thrust.
He looked into Diss’s eyes, and Diss met His gaze calmly.
Diss claimed to have come to learn, yet deep in his bones, he regarded them as equals—as if it were only natural and right that he sit on equal footing with an era hegemon.
“However, I still do not agree to be your teacher.”
Karen sighed inwardly, preparing to negotiate terms with Eternity in his capacity as Order.
Yet Eternity’s next words made Karen step back.
“Yet I can share some memories and experiences with you—as friends, as companions, and…”
Eternity cast a deliberate glance at Karen standing nearby, before continuing:
“…as brothers.”
Within the notebook, Old Hoffen sighed silently in his heart:
*Alas, truly, no one in this world can resist the temptation of becoming Order's grandfather…*
Chapter 956