The Ace of Spades Meeting

"The homage has ended. They're about to leave." Perched on the bedroom windowsill, Purr had been observing the scene below the entire time. Having paid their respects at the ancestral cemetery within Allen Manor, Prince York and his party were preparing to return to the royal palace. With two servants carefully supporting him, the elderly Prince York was assisted into the car. "I think the reason Her Majesty kept stalling that plan earlier might've been that she was hoping to outlive her son, letting him decline first so he would take the seed instead." No one chimed in, but Purr continued talking to itself: "Though this contest of time between mother and son hasn't produced a clear winner, what truly defeated Her Majesty in the end was old age. As her years have piled on, she no longer has the resolve to keep dragging out the race. "Her looming demise made the terror of death overpower her unease about swallowing that seed. "Even though I still don't know what that seed is, comparing the two..." Purr raised its tail and gave it a small nibble. "It's bound to be something terrifying." At that moment, Judia also prepared to board, heading for the same car as her grandfather. Before stepping inside, Judia paused, turned around, and looked up at the third floor of the ancient castle behind her, catching sight of the black cat sitting on the windowsill. For a fleeting moment, their gazes met. Then Judia climbed into the car. "Oh my... what a little sweetheart for her old ancestor." A deeply fond auntie smile spread across Purr's face. It truly liked this girl who, despite being raised in the enemy camp, held a firm stance and possessed astonishing talent. To a certain extent, Purr could understand her sense of belonging to the family. "Sooner or later, I will bring you out of that filthy Gloria household and let you return to the warm embrace of the Allen family." "Woof!" Kevin, the golden retriever, walked beneath the windowsill and barked twice at Purr. Purr lingered until the motorcade had completely departed before reluctantly hopping down from the windowsill. It bounded over to its own armchair, crouched down, and switched its expression, settling into a solemn, cat-faced seriousness. Opposite Purr was another small, freestanding armchair, where the golden retriever sat. Alfred sat on a floor cushion. In front of him were a small blackboard, a box of colorful chalk, and an eraser. Opposite Alfred, seated on the long sofa, was Karen. Karen held a glass of ice water in his hand, swirling it gently as if it were a cup of scalding tea, taking an occasional small sip. Before him was a low coffee table, on which sat a pitcher and an insulated mug filled with ice cubes, alongside a remarkably exquisite, antique ashtray, a box of matches, and a deck of playing cards. Such was the custom among the people of Wien, from nobles down to commoners: a coffee table might lack an ashtray or a fruit platter, but it had to have a deck of cards. On one hand, entertainment options at this stage were scarce, making card games a convenient pastime at home with friends. On the other hand, Wien's gambling industry was exceptionally well developed, and gambling culture was deeply ingrained in the public consciousness. To some extent, contemporary social realities inevitably shaped the customs of the era. Put another way, the social customs of the present were largely formed by the social realities of the past. "Woof!" the golden retriever barked. Purr spoke up: "He says he's ready. I'm ready too, meow." Alfred nodded. "I am ready as well." Karen nodded. "Then let's begin." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" The golden retriever suddenly let out several more barks in rapid succession. Alfred looked toward Purr and reminded it, "Interpreter?" Purr took a breath and said, "He says that since this is our very first serious meeting, we can't just start it haphazardly. It lacks a sense of ceremony." Alfred pondered for a moment. "It seems... that is indeed true." "Woof!" "He says that, at the very least, we must give this meeting a name—something that isn't clichéd, feels refreshing, and takes into account both the geographical setting and its commemorative significance. "For instance, naming it after the location: he suggests calling it 'The First Meeting of the Allen Manor Esoteric Order,' or 'The First Symposium of Allen Hermits.' "Generally speaking, meetings like this shouldn't contain words like 'god' or 'demon.' If the name is too grand, it feels vulgar on the one hand, and invites bad luck on the other." "..." the golden retriever stared. Alfred asked, "Why do I feel like he didn't say nearly as much as you just did?" Purr flicked its tail. "An outstanding interpreter must never be satisfied with merely translating word for word; one must also possess the capacity for polish and extrapolation." "Your extrapolation went far too wild. Is it really necessary to tack on the sponsor's name?" "Is this place Allen Manor or not? Making them the sponsor seems perfectly reasonable," Purr pointed out. "Yet the theme of our meeting today is how to avert the destruction of Allen Manor. Has there ever been a sponsor in such dire straits? "Besides, if we fail to prevent the fall of Allen Manor in the end, wouldn't prefixing our next meeting with the name 'Allen' feel horribly ominous?" "It's just a suggestion, a suggestion, a suggestion," Purr said. "Furthermore, I believe you must have a way." "Me?" Alfred pointed to himself. "If you didn't have a way, you wouldn't be sitting here organizing a meeting. You'd be urging Karen and the rest of us to run for it and vacate Allen Manor as soon as possible." "This..." Alfred was momentarily at a loss for words. Purr turned its head toward Karen, its feline eyes glistening with watery emotion. "Oh, my dear little Karen, you will certainly help this weak, pitiful, and helpless Allen family, won't you?" Purr wasn't trying to emotionally blackmail him. Rather, after learning of Judia's disclosure, Karen's composure and Alfred's excitement had seemed distinctly unusual from the start. If they didn't have something to rely on in their hearts, this meeting wouldn't have been called at all, let alone with this kind of tone. Therefore, these two were definitely keeping secrets from it! *Have I really become a cat excluded from the inner circle?* The golden retriever looked at Karen: "Woof!" This required no translation. Alfred chimed in, "Young Master, please decide. I have a premonition that this is the beginning of something great." Purr also nodded its head. "Yes, a sense of ceremony! Ceremony!" "Decide on a name for the meeting?" Karen smiled. Reaching out, he poured out the cards from the opened box, leaving them face-down on the coffee table. Karen drew a single card from the spread and flipped it over. The Ace of Spades. "Let's just call it 'The First Ace of Spades Meeting.'" "Mm, even though it feels very casual, I actually find myself able to accept this name," Purr remarked. "Woof~" The golden retriever nodded as well. Alfred immediately wrote "The First Ace of Spades Meeting" on the small blackboard. "The agenda for our meeting today is the crisis of Allen Manor..." "Hold on," Purr interrupted Alfred. "I think before we move to the formal agenda, we need to add a supplementary item: in light of the situation Karen just faced, we must deliberate on how to further ensure Karen's safety in the future so nothing similar ever happens again." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" the golden retriever instantly began barking. Purr retorted immediately, "Keep dreaming!" "What did he say?" Karen asked. "He said we could find a way to break his seal so he can protect you," Purr translated. "Mm, keep dreaming," Karen delivered his verdict after hearing it. The golden retriever slumped onto the armchair, looking thoroughly aggrieved. Alfred spoke up: "In the future, even when Young Master is in the study, I will remain by his side. Starting today, I will practically never leave Young Master's side." "Mm," Purr acknowledged. "After all, the radio sprite is currently the one with the strongest combat capability in our Ace of Spades Organization." Even though he had drawn the card himself, hearing the words "Ace of Spades Organization" still felt somewhat unnatural to Karen. "Woof! Woof!" "I know, I'll mention it. In addition, Karen also needs to start learning the spells of a God's Servant. If you learn quickly and master them fast, you can try skipping tiers to learn higher ones." "I know." "Then we shall now proceed to the formal agenda." Alfred tapped on the small blackboard. "Today's meeting... The theme of the Ace of Spades Organization's first meeting is: How to Resolve the Crisis of Allen Manor." Purr asked, "So the topic of whether to help the Allen family has already been skipped?" Karen took a sip of ice water. "Yes." "Oh, wonderful." Purr stood up from the armchair and bowed toward Karen. "Praise the mighty Ace of Spades." As the host of the meeting, Alfred continued presiding: "There are currently three methods to resolve the crisis of Allen Manor. "The first method: early evacuation. "All core members of the Allen family leave Allen Manor entirely. They can go to Corona Island or depart Wien altogether, abandoning Allen Manor. "That way, plenty of ordinary Allen clansmen will still remain in the manor. Perhaps they will suffice to satisfy the Queen's demand. After all, the Queen cannot afford to wait very long, and there is only one seed." Hearing this suggestion, Purr opened its mouth to speak, but chose to keep silent in the end. "The second method: have Old Anderson step forward to decline Prince Henry's funeral on behalf of Allen Manor, while employing various excuses to refuse the Queen's stay, denying her any opportunity to carry out that plan. "After all, the Gloria royal family is closely watched by the major churches. Unless left with no alternative, the Glorias cannot openly bare their fangs. The churches' restrictions and vigilance toward royal authority are their greatest weakness." "Woof!" "He says both are methods of backing down like cowards." Karen said, "Purr, share your thoughts." "Do you really want me to speak?" Purr stood up once more. "My stance is firmly aligned with the Allen family. I even feel my words might compromise the rigor and impartiality of this first Ace of Spades meeting." "Speak your mind. There are only four of us, so there's no way to recuse interested parties. Strictly speaking, I am connected to the Allen family as well." "Fine, then I'll speak. "The first method is the safest, but for the currently fallen Allen family, abandoning Allen Manor is tantamount to abandoning this surname. The Allen family would perish in exile and become nothing more than a tale of the past. "We... the Ace of Spades Organization still needs the Allen family as our 'providers' to supply various services and necessities: "Karen's further cultivation; "The materials Alfred needs to practice formations, as well as the preparations for Alfred's future evolutions; "And once Karen's realm advances, "The restoration of my strength and this stupid dog's strength can begin. "All of this requires a large group of people to support us. Gathering resources entirely on our own would be an immense waste of time." Hearing this, Karen couldn't help but ask, "I can understand with Kevin, but can you do that too?" If the evil god were willing to properly reshape the golden retriever's body and obediently serve as a golden retriever evil god, it would be feasible, once Karen's realm advanced, to loosen the evil god's bindings step by step using the methods Mr. Hoffen had left behind in his notebook, and then help it seek out materials and opportunities to recover a fraction of its power. As for Purr, however... Karen's doubt was that if Purr also had a chance to regain its strength, why hadn't Diss helped it back then? After all, with Diss's might at the time, he had been nearly omnipotent in a certain sense. Purr explained, "I need an existence that aligns with the faith system of the God of Light to help me break my shackles." "Even though the Church of Light fell, there must be fish that slipped through the net. Couldn't Diss find one?" "Find one? He could have found one, certainly. But there is a second condition: right now, rather than a human or a cat, I am more like a sacred relic. "Therefore, the advancement and nourishment of a sacred relic requires... acknowledging a master." "Acknowledging a master?" "That is, establishing a symbiotic relationship. That's why, for a very long time, I had no interest in this whatsoever." Alfred spoke up: "Indeed. Compared to such a symbiotic relationship, even a marriage would seem incomparably distant." Karen leaned back against the sofa, his brow furrowing slightly. "So, are you planning—now, or later on—to find a remnant of the Church of Light to acknowledge as your master and form a symbiosis?" "Yes, what of it?" Purr asked. "Nothing," Karen replied. "I'm going to choose you," Purr said. "Me?" Karen sat up, pulling his back away from the sofa, and pointed at his own face. "I walk the path of the Church of Order." "Did you forget that during your purification, you were touched by the finger of the God of Light? The light attribute of the God of Light remains in your body. In theory, you can cast the spells of the Church of Light, even though you cannot study or follow the faith system of the Church of Light." "Is that so..." "However, you must reach at least the Inquisitor rank first. Only then will your Church of Order system be completely established as the main trunk. When you form a symbiosis with me after that, the power of light within you will theoretically be awakened without affecting your main foundation. Right now, doing so would easily disrupt your internal balance and throw you into chaos. "You might even gain a portion of the Allen bloodline's abilities through our symbiosis. But again, because my original family faith system is of too high a tier, establishing a bond too early would interfere with and disrupt your primary path. "Therefore, reaching the Inquisitor rank is the baseline condition. "At the same time, you must reach at least that rank to have the spare capacity—or the ability—to loosen the seals on this stupid dog. "Then this stupid dog and I can seek ways to recover some of our original power. "All of this requires the support of a family. An Inquisitor like Diss was actually the norm, with very few subordinates under him. That is precisely why the Allen family is necessary. "You'll be hard-pressed to find another family of errand-runners whose background you know inside and out. Most importantly, they are very obedient. "Of course, the Allen family will also receive your protection. Everyone gets what they need." "I see." Karen nodded. Purr continued: "As for the second method, I think it can only delay things a tiny bit. Given that the Queen doesn't have much time left, even if Allen Manor declines Prince Henry's funeral and the Queen cannot attend, she will surely find other ways to come. "She might even... simply breach the major churches' warnings against the royal family, breaking the rules. At worst, the royals can just stick their backsides out for a beating and apologize once it's over." Alfred agreed: "Indeed. A thief only needs to wait for one opportunity, but a guard must be on watch every single day." Purr glanced at the radio sprite. Those words sounded strange coming from him, so... in all likelihood, the radio sprite was quoting someone else. So, as expected... the first meeting of the Ace of Spades Organization had been steered from the very start. Looking back at that stupid dog, it looked as excited as if it were truly participating with all its heart. *Hah, what an idiot.* Yet Purr didn't feel the slightest annoyance. On the contrary, it eagerly anticipated what the third method would be. "Alfred is right." Karen set his glass on the coffee table. "Blindly fleeing and hiding is not necessarily the best option. If we have the capacity, our best choice is a direct defense—and then, finding an opportunity amidst that defense to strike back." Purr feigned confusion. "However, the Allen family's current defensive strength is already stretched to the limit, unless we recall Wood and all his subordinates from Corona Island back to Allen Manor. "As for striking back... what do we strike back with?" Alfred took out a sheet of paper and hung it on the small blackboard. Sketched upon it was Count Rekar, with Her Majesty the Queen beside him having been erased. "Oh, radio sprite, your drawing is terrible. In this sketch, Count Rekar looks like a scruffy piece of scum." "This was Young Master's handiwork." Purr immediately raised its head. "Oh, how vivid! In my eyes, Count Rekar was a massive piece of scum to begin with." Pausing for a moment, Purr asked curiously again: "I know the root cause of this whole affair traces back to his patron fees and his loose morals back then. But are we certain we need to devote time during this meeting specifically to criticize him?" Karen replied: "I plan to design Prince Henry's funeral personally. At the same time, I will have Old Anderson take the initiative to invite Her Majesty the Queen to attend, and arrange for her to stay at Allen Manor." "Woof!!!!" "Meow!!!!" "Praise the Young Master!" Karen raised both arms, spreading his hands open. In a low, resolute voice, he said: "And on that night, I will awaken Count Rekar, so he can personally answer for the debts of his past flings."