Chapter 290: Corruption

“Karon, want to go to a pastry shop?” Richard now resembled a child eager to prove he had already become an adult, desperately seizing every decoration and behavior he believed could symbolize maturity.

“Didn’t Darkmoon Island have its own mermaid theaters?”

“It’s like straightening the steering wheel while driving; I feel like our tastes in this area also need to be corrected back into place.”

“You and that Belia—”

“We haven’t even officially established a romantic relationship yet. Until marriage, I’m still free. Oh, and in Veyn, that’s already considered remarkable. You should know, under Veynic customs, even after marriage, if either spouse can’t find a lover on the side, they won’t even be able to hold their head up in front of the other person.

“So honestly, my mother really hasn’t had it easy. My father’s already like this, yet she still never found herself a lover.”

“Richard.”

“Hm?”

“You should go home first. Although your father usually speaks very little, I can tell he genuinely cares about you. So hurry back home. He’s definitely waiting for you there.”

“Hmm? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then. I’ll go home first and let my family know I’m safe. Should I come find you tomorrow? Cook something for me, hehe.”

“Sure.” From the corner of his eye, Karon glanced at Memphis standing beside Richard.

“Don’t forget your promise, Karon. I’ll come over tomorrow morning.”

“Alright.” Assuming you can still walk over tomorrow.

Some squad members hailed taxis. Some boarded trams, others who had cars parked nearby simply hitched rides together. Karon got into Fannie and Paige’s car.

Paige asked, “Oh right, Karon. I heard the captain mention a few days ago that Miss Ophelia will also be coming over to our side?”

“She’ll join the Church of Order, but not in York City.”

“Oh. That’s a pity.” Paige smiled.

Fannie, however, said, “What do you mean ‘a pity’? Karon’s probably feeling relieved instead. No more struggling over it.”

Karon smiled politely and said nothing.

Paige leaned one arm against the back of the seat and remarked, “If you ask me, Miss Ophelia simply wasn’t decisive enough. It would’ve been better if she just forced things directly. Look at me. I missed that one opportunity, and now I regret it endlessly because I can’t beat him anymore.”

Karon asked, “So what’s next? Vacation?”

Fannie replied, “Didn’t we just come back from a vacation? We might even get a new mission tomorrow. Depends on the Captain’s choice.”

“That’s true.”

This trip to Darkmoon had kept Karon busy from beginning to end, but for the other squad members, it really had been a vacation. If anything, they probably hoped for a mission soon just to keep their rusting bodies active.

When they arrived at Pavaro Funeral Home, Karon got out of the car, waved goodbye to Fannie and the others, then hauled his suitcase and carried his sword case to the entrance.

Fresh cement had been poured outside the entrance, smooth and level. Both the exterior and interior were spotless. Clearly, the two employees at home had not been slacking during this period.

Of course, that also had something to do with Karon changing the business model. They no longer accepted ordinary civilian business and only handled work within ecclesiastical circles, which meant there was practically no daily workload. Up to now, they had only handled Old Saman’s funeral.

More importantly, Karon’s income from the Whip of Order was already more than enough to support the household expenses, and that did not even consider his shares from Allen Manor and the Darkmoon Island businesses.

Inside the mourning room, Pike sat on the steps of the platform. A bottle of soda and a bag of chips rested before him while he held a copy of the Code of Order and read attentively.

Hearing movement, he looked up and immediately saw Karon standing inside the shop. At once, he jumped to his feet. “Oh, Boss, you’re back!”

“Mhmm.”

Pike immediately ran over to help with the luggage. “Mr. Alfred took Dinkom out to handle some business.”

“I understand. Take the clothes from the suitcase and wait for Ciri to wash them. I’ll head to the study first.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Karon carried the sword case to the study door and opened it. The moment he entered, he saw Ciri standing with her back to him, wiping down the desk.

The weather had grown warmer. Or perhaps because Karon had not been home, she was not wearing jeans today, but instead a black long skirt.

Still, no matter what she wore, it could no longer conceal her exceptionally round figure.

Ciri turned around and immediately saw Karon. A radiant smile burst across her face. Throwing down the rag, she excitedly bounced twice in place. “Boss, you’re back!”

“Mhmm. I’m back.”

“That’s wonderful. Boss is back, hehe.”

Karon placed the sword case onto the bookshelf and said to Ciri, “I’m hungry. Prepare something to eat.”

“Yes, Boss. It’ll be ready immediately, hehe.” Ciri smiled and turned to leave the study.

“Wait.”

“Hm?” Ciri stopped and looked back at Karon. “Boss, do you have other instructions?”

“You look pretty good in skirts too. You don’t need to wear jeans every day.” Karon was worried that Alfred’s earlier orders for the girl might have frightened her into wearing only jeans year-round for the sake of her salary.

“Understood, Boss!” Ciri walked out of the study and closed the door behind her. Then outside, she covered her mouth and laughed again.

Karon opened the bedroom door connected to the study and discovered neither Pu’er nor Kevin were inside.

So he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and entered the bathroom instead. The bathtub was still filling when he lay down inside it.

The bedroom door outside was pushed open. Immediately afterward came several excited barks in succession, “Woof, woof, woof!”

Then the bathroom door opened, revealing Pu’er riding on Kevin.

After not seeing them for some time, Karon noticed Pu’er’s fur seemed glossier than before, though he was not entirely sure whether that was merely his imagination.

She jumped from Kevin’s back to the edge of the bathtub, and Karon immediately pulled a towel over himself.

“Oh ho ho, are you actually shy? I practically watched Tiz grow up.”

“Heh.”

Pu’er flicked her tail, seeming to adjust herself before instantly entering character. “Oh, my dear Little Karon, tirelessly traveling and working hard for this household, finally you’ve returned home.”

After speaking, Pu’er padded along the bathtub edge until reaching beside Karon’s head and carefully sniffed at him.

“What are you doing?”

“You came home and immediately took a bath. Trying to wash away someone’s perfume scent?”

“She doesn’t use perfume.”

“Aha! I never even said who it was, and you already admitted it yourself!”

Karon lifted his hand and rubbed the cat’s head. Since his hand was wet, he instantly messed up all the fur atop Pu’er’s head. “Oh, damn it! You ruined my hairstyle!”

Pu’er immediately pressed her head against a dry towel hanging nearby and started wiping it with her paws.

At this moment, Kevin proactively moved his dog head closer. Karon reached out and rubbed his head as well. The advantages of being a bald dog became especially obvious here.

“So the hair growth medicine didn’t work?”

“Woof!” Kevin shook his head, indicating it was useless.

“Looks like your head will remain bald forever then.”

Karon looked toward Pu’er. “Look at the damage you’ve caused Kevin.”

Pu’er replied, “Do you know how much precious time a person can save throughout their life if they never need to care about or style their hair?”

“Fair enough.”

“You still haven’t answered me.”

“Answered what? There’s nothing.”

“Heh. I don’t believe you, meow.”

“Believe it or not. Right, how’s everything at home lately?”

“Look at that. Changing the topic already. Definitely suspicious.”

“What could possibly be suspicious?” Karon once more raised his wet hand and rubbed the fur atop Pu’er’s head again, ruining the fur she had just dried.

“...” Pu’er.

“Boss, your meal’s ready.”

“Got it.” Karon sat up from the bathtub and grabbed a dry towel.

First, he helped wipe Pu’er’s head clean before letting her go. She jumped back onto Kevin’s back, and the two left the bathroom together.

After drying himself and changing into clean clothes, Karon returned to the bedroom. On the tea table sat a bowl of egg fried rice, a bowl of braised beef with mushrooms, and a bowl of salted vegetable pork soup.

“Boss, while you were away I practiced making these dishes a few times. Please try them.”

Karon sat down, accepted the silver chopsticks from Ciri, took a few bites, then nodded. “The taste is excellent. Looks like your salary can be increased.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

“Thank you, Boss!”

Once Ciri left the room, Karon ate while recounting the events that had happened on Darkmoon Island. When he reached the part about discovering Genevieve’s corpse—

“Genevieve... so that’s how she died.” Pu’er sat on the carpet while tears gathered in her eyes. “My dear Genevieve... so this is how you died.”

Kevin moved closer and gently nudged Pu’er’s body with his bald head. She did not react.

Seeing this, Karon could only set down his chopsticks, lifted Pu’er onto his lap, and help wipe away her tears.

“Continue,” Pu’er said. “You know what I want to hear. You know what I’m waiting for.”

Karon continued the story. Pu’er listened extremely attentively throughout. The narration continued to cover everything until the very end of the final day.

Of course, to help Pu’er better focus on the overall experience, certain unnecessary details were omitted during the telling, such as some of Karon’s interactions with Ophelia.

“Genevieve followed Phileas and sailed away together.”

Pu’er muttered softly, “Karon... are you sure you’re not inventing lies just to comfort me?”

“I trust your mental resilience. Do you really think I’d make something like that up?”

“Hah... poor Genevieve. I told her long ago that not a single man in this world was any good. She thought I was too extreme and even advised me to treat Bernard a little better.

“That stupid woman! In the end, she literally died because she was too stupid.

“Bernard! That damned Bernard! Karon, you really should’ve brought back a cup of his ashes. I would’ve personally dumped them into the toilet!”

Kevin, who had been listening quietly nearby the entire time, suddenly lifted a paw and scratched his neck. He recalled the mosquito bites from several nights earlier.

“At the time the situation was urgent. I had to clean everything up completely, but don’t worry. The torment Bernard suffered before his death... even my words can only describe one-tenth of it.”

“He deserved it!” Pu’er shouted. “Once I fully recover, I’m going to burn Darkmoon Island to the ground!”

Karon did not try persuading her otherwise. He understood this was simply her way of venting emotions. At moments like this, there was no need to preach meaningless things such as how the ordinary civilians of Darkmoon Island were innocent.

“You should continue eating.” Pu’er jumped down from Karon’s lap and leapt onto the bed, repeatedly rubbing her paws against the bedsheets.

Kevin walked over, only for Pu’er to curse him, “Stupid dog! If only you weren’t a dog right now, we could’ve dragged Bernard’s soul out and sealed it inside a container to torture him day and night!”

Kevin looked slightly aggrieved. Sneaking a glance toward Karon, who had resumed eating, he realized that if he were not a dog, he probably would not even be here anymore.

Pu’er then started cursing herself. “If I hadn’t met with that accident back then, Bernard would never have dared treat Genevieve this way.

“No, Bernard would’ve already been slapped to death by me long ago because I found him unbearably annoying!”

Karon scooped himself a bowl of soup and asked while drinking, “Right. Have the puppets you commissioned Mr. Lemar to make for you and Kevin been completed yet?”

Pu’er buried her face into the blanket and rubbed hard against it.

Then she lifted her head again, revealing a smile. “They’re finished!”

“Where are they?”

“They’re lying inside coffins in the mortuary.”

“I thought the moment I came back you’d be eager to use them and show me.”

“You came back without giving us any notice.” Pu’er sounded slightly resentful. “Controlling them is actually fairly troublesome. It’s somewhat different from what I originally imagined.”

“How so?”

“The main issue is that I’m different from Miss Serena. Did you know? She was apparently already dead long ago.”

Karon paused briefly, then nodded. “Yes. I know.”

“But she preserved herself through a special method, existing in a form similar to a spirit body. Fundamentally speaking, she counts as a soul-type demonkin, which is why she can switch between different puppet bodies.

“But this stupid dog and I can’t do that yet. Our consciousness currently can’t leave our present bodies. I’m not strong enough yet, while stupid dog is still sealed. If I want to use that puppet body, I can only operate within a ten-meter range.

“That means I have to sit on the puppet’s shoulders, while this stupid dog might need to hold a leash and walk his own puppet around.”

“Hehe.” Karon could not help laughing at the image.

“But the puppets themselves are truly excellent. Lemar has talent. Still, becoming a true master craftsman requires accumulation over time and years of refinement. I think very highly of his future.”

“Fair enough. I’m curious what kind of puppet you designed. You spent a very long time on it.”

“It looks exactly like me, because I feel my previous appearance doesn’t require any modification whatsoever.”

Karon nodded. “I agree.”

“Right? Hehe meow!”

“Oh right, in a while I’ll be participating in the selection tests. First the York City district selection, then I’ll compete against the selected candidates from the other districts for the twelve final slots. The tests mainly target the soul aspect.”

Hearing this, Kevin barked several times. As the primary victim, he possessed substantial authority on the topic.

“That won’t be a problem,” Pu’er said.

Kevin nodded vigorously.

“Have either of you ever been to the Reincarnation Gate?” Karon asked.

“I have.”

“Woof!”

“Stupid dog has too.”

“Tell me about it.” Karon picked up the napkin nearby, wiped his hands clean, folded it, and then wiped his mouth.

“Strictly speaking, I only observed it from outside, as I never entered. That can only count as reaching the front of the Reincarnation Gate, but stepping through it.

“Still, according to what I know, there are countless souls inside. Ever since the God of Reincarnation established the Reincarnation Gate, it has continuously expanded for nearly an entire epoch. Who knows how many souls they’ve stored inside through whatever methods they used.

“Stupid dog, did you ever enter it?”

“Woof, woof, woof!”

“What’s Kevin saying?”

“Kevin says he once dumped garbage inside the Reincarnation Gate.

“Hm... you not only worked for the God of Order, you also worked for the God of Reincarnation before? Seriously, if you didn’t die, who would? If I were the God of Order, I wouldn’t have spared you either.”

Kevin: “...”

“Do you know the specific conditions inside?” Karon asked.

“Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Stupid dog says you shouldn’t merely treat that place as a mystical realm or simple trial ground. The space inside the Reincarnation Gate possesses its own complete structural system. You can think of it as a nation. It even has its own hierarchical order.”

Karon found it somewhat amusing. “A kingdom constructed by undead?”

“Woof!”

“Yes. It is a complete top-down system. It’s absolutely not some savage or chaotic existence. In fact, when the God of Reincarnation first established the Reincarnation Gate, powerful souls comparable to deities were already sealed within it.

“When I dumped the garbage inside back then, I sensed such a presence before, and not just one.”

“Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“The trial slots you people compete for through selection are, in truth, likely matched with suitable souls selected from within as well. For the Church of Reincarnation’s past trial participants, this represented an opportunity to obtain powerful pact soul partners and pave the way for future growth.

“At the same time, for the souls within the Reincarnation Gate, it also represented another opportunity for ‘rebirth,’ so the selection mechanisms inside are even more brutal than the ones outside.”

After translating, Pu’er immediately turned toward Kevin and asked, “Stupid dog, did you have any friends inside there?”

Kevin blinked.

After a long silence, he finally answered, “Woof, woof.”

“No friends, but lots of enemies instead? Ugh. Fine. You really are an utterly useless dog. You’ve refreshed the lower limit of my understanding regarding the word ‘god.’ Stop calling yourself a heretical god from now on. It disgraces gods.”

Kevin lowered his head after being mocked so thoroughly.

Karon reached out and rubbed the bald dog’s head again in comfort. “So in that case, the trial participants entering inside are actually more like gifts being thrown in?”

“Woof.”

“Mhmm. According to the stupid dog, that’s correct.”

“Woof, woof, woof, woof!”

“Stupid dog says that back when the God of Reincarnation was still around, the souls inside were kept suppressed and orderly, but during this current Absence of the Gods epoch, nobody knows what the situation beyond the Reincarnation Gate has evolved into. He suspects even the Church of Reincarnation nowadays merely controls the entrance itself.

“In fact, a more accurate description would be that the selected participants are actually sacrifices offered by the Church of Reincarnation to the Reincarnation Gate itself.”

Karon asked, “Then for those who form soul pacts, would that increase the likelihood of derangement the way it does for the Bloodfiend race?”

Hearing this question, Kevin lay down, the corners of his dog mouth curving upward slightly.

Pu’er immediately commented, “Stupid dog, honestly, your smile looks incredibly sleazy.”

“Woof?”

“Is the internal power struggle within the Church of Reincarnation extremely intense? Lots of factions split apart from each other?”

Karon answered, “Yes. That’s correct.”

“Woof?”

“Stupid dog asks who the current Gatekeepers of the Church of Reincarnation are.”

Karon replied, “Members of the Simons family.”

Kevin grinned. “Woof woof!”

“Stupid dog says that during the era he lived in, Simons was the name of a powerful undead within the Reincarnation Gate.”

The Simons family, currently the number one great family within the Church of Reincarnation, originated from inside the Reincarnation Gate?

Pu’er flicked her tail in astonishment. “Really? Even I didn’t know that. There’s absolutely no related information outside either. Looks like I really was too young back then.

“So does that mean the Church of Reincarnation already merged together with the world inside the Reincarnation Gate long ago?”

Kevin shook his head, indicating disagreement with Pu’er’s statement.

Karon pursed his lips slightly. After a moment, he said, “It’s not that the Church of Reincarnation merged with the Reincarnation Gate, but that the Church of Reincarnation has been corrupted by the Reincarnation Gate.”