Chapter 293: Family Visit

Ms. Tansley held her teacup, her fingertips gently stroking the warm cup. As she recalled the scene of Karon cooking in the kitchen earlier, a smile returned to her face. “Sigh. Even if you wanted to be his grandfather, you would have to see whether he is willing to acknowledge you or not. With a grandfather like that, why would he care about having a maternal grandfather like you?

“Old man, you still don’t know what exactly you missed. Relatives? Blood ties? Once people grow distant, they become strangers. Your own grandson stood right in front of you, and you didn’t feel a thing.”

Ms. Tansley put down the cup, stood up, then continued muttering to herself, “Fortunately, it seems that Richard truly can sense him. They are cousins, after all; They are close.”

The next moment, the scene from a certain day appeared in Ms. Tansley’s mind.

***

She was sitting on a rattan chair in the family’s suburban villa, drinking tea, when she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appear in her garden. “I heard that becoming a Temple Elder grants a longer lifespan, and it looks to indeed be true. Tiz, you are actually still so young! Is the scenery inside the Temple of Order pleasant?”

“You misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand? Then what are you?”

“My grandson will be coming to Veyn in some time.”

“Your grandson? Which grandson... Could it be... I understand. I will take care of him properly. He is my grandson.”

“No. You misunderstand again.”

“Again?”

“I am concerned that your Altair bloodline may sense him. If you do, I hope that you will pretend not to know him. He does not need your care, nor does he need you to make any arrangements for him. He has his own path to walk.”

“Not even my old man can be told? He doesn’t even know that he has a living grandson. He’s never known.”

“Derron? Mhmm. He is not worthy of knowing.”

Hearing those words, Ms. Tansley found them somewhat absurd. She instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to argue and defend her old man, but when the words reached her lips, all she could do was offer a helpless smile. She knew that this man was right.

“Your grandso—no, has my grandson already awakened the Altair family bloodline?”

“Not so quickly. There are already many other things on him.”

“The Gorman family should be able to help a little, shouldn’t we?” Ms. Tansley refused to give up. She was desperate to bring her grandson back.

“The Gorman family is loyal to the God of Order.”

“Of course. Aren’t you?”

“I just blew up the Temple of Order.”

“...” Ms. Tansley.

“The path he has chosen, he will walk himself. The dangers along that path are also his to face alone. He does not need you, much less Derron, to do anything. If he needed the Gorman family’s assistance, I could grant him far better conditions.”

“I understand. I won’t let Derron know. You are right. Deep in his heart, he is utterly pious to the God of Order. And thank you for coming personally to tell me this. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No. I must leave. There are still some places I need to go.”

“Where did you come from?”

“Raphael Manor.”

“Where is that? Why did you go there?”

“To kill someone.”

“Were they very powerful?”

“Perhaps.”

Ms. Tansley bowed to Tiz. “Thank you for sheltering her.”

“I did not truly take good care of her. Also, she was my family as well. You don’t need to thank me. Lastly, I absolutely detest the Altair family bloodline. It brought my grandson endless nightmares.”

“My grandson, is he like my son? Is he also cursed by our bloodline?”

“In the past.”

“Then... what about now?”

“I hope that you will not actively sense or search for him, but if you do encounter him, you might see for yourself. He is a good child.”

“I believe he must be a good child.”

***

“Mhmm. He is indeed a good child.”

Ms. Tansley went upstairs. She intended to check on her grandson, only to see Eisen walking into Richard’s bedroom.

Eisen looked at his son lying on the bed and asked, “Do you know Memphis?”

“I do. He’s my teammate, and I have a very good relationship with him. What’s wrong, Dad?”

“He called just now to ask when you intend to return his credits.”

“Uh...” Richard’s gaze fell on his father, but when he saw the seriousness in his father’s eyes, he immediately looked away in fear.

Half of his private savings had already been borrowed by his father, and that was the reason that he had been forced to borrow money from Memphis while on Darkmoon Island.

That Memphis really is something. The mission’s only just ended, and he’s already collecting debts!

As for asking his father to return his own money, Richard did not dare. He was currently terrified of doing anything that might provoke Eisen.

“I understand, Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. My bonus from this mission should be issued soon. As soon as it comes in, I’ll return what I borrowed. You don’t need to worry.”

“Good.” Having received an answer, Eisen turned and walked out of the bedroom. When Ms. Tansley saw her son come out, there seemed to be a faint smirk on his mouth.

***

By the time Karon returned to the funeral home from his visit with the Gorman family, it was already afternoon. Sitting in the car, he hesitated briefly over whether he should drive to Allen Manor that same night.

He was truly worried that a new mission might be assigned at any time. Although the captain knew that Karon was about to participate in the upcoming selection, the man also knew even better that this was merely the qualifiers for the York City district, which meant that Karon would have absolutely no problem at all.

For that reason, he needed to seize what time he had.

Karon got out of the car and walked to the backyard. When he saw Ciri, he told her, “Notify Pu’er and Kevin that I’ll be going back shortly. Ask if they need me to bring anything.”

“Alright, Young Master.”

Ciri went to the master bedroom, but did not see Pu’er or Kevin. She then went to the study, where she saw Pu’er lying on the desk, using a paw to turn the pages of a book. It was a romance novel.

Kevin, who was lying on the carpet, had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. The dog’s paw held a pen so that he could scribble on a large sheet of paper.

Ciri felt that this house’s two pets were far more cultured than she.

Pu’er raised her head to look at Ciri, and asked, “Is something the matter, my dear big butt?”

“Young Master said he is going back and sent me to ask if you need to prepare anything.”

“Oh, of course!” Pu’er jumped off the desk, landing right on Kevin’s back. “Stupid dog, let’s pack our luggage! We need to take quite a few things this time.”

“Woof, woof!”

“Do you need my help?” Ciri asked.

Events had proven that a generous salary could indeed strengthen a person’s mental resilience. For example, Ciri had already grown somewhat accustomed to the existence of this house’s talking cat, as well as its critiques of how she prepared afternoon tea.

“No need. We can do it ourselves.”

“Alright. Then I’ll go inform Young Master.”

***

Karon strolled around the courtyard for a while. Dora and Dorin were having lessons in their room, so he was not disturbing them. After a bit, he went to the storeroom.

It had originally held five coffins, but only four remained. One had just been taken by Richard, and there had not been time to replace it. Of the four remaining coffins, only one was truly empty. The other three all held things within them.

Karon pushed one coffin open. He wanted to see Pu’er or Kevin’s puppet, but who would have expected that the first coffin he opened actually contained the erotic puppet in the maid outfit?

“So it was actually stored here...” This was something he had accidentally brought home the day before leaving for his mission on Darkmoon Island. He had thought it would be dealt with in his absence, but unexpectedly, the people in his home had stored it instead.

After closing the lid again, Karon pushed another coffin open. This one did have Pu’er’s puppet lying in it. Not only was it identical to her original appearance, even the puppet’s clothing had been custom-made.

Lemar’s craftsmanship was truly beyond criticism. At least from the outside, the puppet looked no different from a real person.

Karon subconsciously wanted to reach out and feel the texture. He was standing at the foot of the coffin, so if he reached out, he would only be able to touch Pu’er’s legs.

However, such an action felt far too vulgar. After hesitating for a moment, Karon walked to the head of the coffin and pressed the back of his hand to Pu’er’s face. Although it was somewhat cold, it was very smooth.

He then simply pinched Pu’er’s cheek.

After that, he even chuckled at himself.

After pushing the coffin lid back into place, he walked out of the storeroom, just in time to see Ciri walking over. “Young Master, they are already preparing.”

“Alright. I know.”

“Young Master, do you need me to prepare some food for the road?”

“Just something simple.”

“I understand.”

Karon sat down on a bench in the courtyard. After quite a while, he saw Pu’er and Kevin walking over side by side. The reason the cat was not riding on Kevin’s back was that he already had two large bags strapped to his back, with another dangling from his mouth. “You’re bringing so much?”

“All of this is materials we need for the array. We can take all of this over, and the stupid dog and I can do the final adjustments there.”

“I don’t know how long I can stay,” Karon clarified. “I might be assigned a mission at any moment.”

“That’s fine. You can come back first. Allen Manor doesn’t lack drivers.”

“Mhmm.”

At this moment, Ciri also came out carrying a packed food container. Karon stood up and went to his study to retrieve the sword case. As long as conditions allowed, he would always keep the greatsword with him.

After everything was placed in the car, Karon started the engine. At just that moment, Alfred returned home. Seeing Pu’er and Kevin in the car, he asked, “Young Master, are you headed to the manor?”

“Mhmm.”

“There is one matter your servant needs to report, Young Master.”

“Go ahead.”

“That demonkin organization that your servant was visiting before...”

“Wasn’t it already wiped out?”

“Only a few of the psychic demonkin were captured. The rest have regathered again, and because of the blow they suffered last time, their activities have become much more discreet.”

“You have an idea?”

“I’ve always felt that this is a resource that can be utilized, but it needs to first be properly integrated and set upon the right track, so that another incident like the one before will not happen again.”

“If you want to do it, then go ahead. When I come back, I will report this to my captain. A small group of demonkin that you put together can be treated as our squad’s informants.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

***

As Karon drove away from the funeral home, Pu’er, seated in the front passenger seat, observed, “The radio demon is lonely. He wants to find something to do.”

“I know. That’s why I support his suggestion.”

After Karon had learned of the existence of the organization known as the Keepers of Silence, Alfred had been informed, and had even voiced Karon’s own concerns without Karon saying anything.

However, that also essentially meant that Alfred lost a major career pursuit.

Karon pulled out a cigarette and held it between his lips. “There’s another reason I decided to participate in this selection. Mr. Pavaro’s status is a little too low. Once I make it through the final selection and return from the Reincarnation Gate, I should at least be promoted to captain within the Whip of Order. If I can put together my own squad, then I’ll have more room to maneuver, and that will extend to all of you.”

“Wow.” Pu’er blinked. “That means we will be able to join your squad? Even the radio demon?”

“Mhmm.”

“But the main issue is that it’s very inconvenient for the stupid dog and me to move around with our puppets.”

“There will be new methods available, or you can take on a management position.”

“That sounds very tempting.” Pu’er laughed. “We could even awaken Rekar and Saman and have them join the squad!”

“That isn’t possible yet. It may be quite far away.”

“A dream is always necessary. That’s something you wrote in your notebook.”

“Yes. A dream must always be had.”

Karon picked up his lighter.

Pu’er asked curiously, “Karon, you’ve started smoking again?”

Only then did Karon realize what he was doing. He smiled, took the cigarette from his mouth, and tossed it out the window, cursing, “It’s all that damned Bernard’s fault.”

Although he drove very quickly and the conditions of the roads were good, it was quite late at night by the time he reached Allen Manor.

At present, he was still about ten minutes from the gates, but two riders appeared ahead of the car. They quickly noticed the secondhand black Pons behind them.

Karon stopped the car, and they also stopped their horses. Borg immediately dismounted and excitedly walked over to Karon, smiling as he bowed. “Good evening, Young Master. You’re back!”

Judia, however, remained astride her horse, arrogantly lifting her neck. Clearly, she still harbored intense hostility toward Karon. After all, during his last visit, Karon had nearly beaten her to death.

What infuriated her most was that he had repeatedly claimed that he had not done it intentionally.

“Are you two out for a walk?” Karon asked after getting out of the car.

“There’s a family training ground for the younger generation over there. It’s newly built. We train there during the day and then return at night to rest. Young Master, did you not call ahead before coming back?”

“No. I happened to have some time, so I came over.”

At that moment, Kevin, seated in the back of the car, stuck a paw out and patted Pu’er’s seat. She turned to look at him, and Kevin nodded toward Judia, who was still riding up ahead.

Pu’er replied, “The little girl’s very stubborn. She has a bit of my style from back then, but her talent isn’t as good as mine. Of course, she isn’t bad. Right now... I feel she’s Tier-4. She ranked up. Borg also ranked up. He’s Tier-3 now.

“This is truly ridiculous. The most talented children in my family right now were both born outside.”

At that moment, Judia rode over, her eyes carrying clear provocation.

Pu’er smiled. “The little girl’s looking for another beating. Sigh. How pitiful. She thinks that since she’s advanced to Tier-4, she can recover her lost standing.”

“Woof.”

Borg called out, “Judia, hurry and dismount to greet the young master.”

Pu’er said, “Look, that Borg kid is deliberately adding fuel to the fire. He definitely knows that Judia has a very poor impression of Karon, and also understands her temper. He’s digging a pit for her so that he can maintain his position in front of Karon.

“Karon was right; This boy really is a wolf cub. But if the family wants to revive, there really is a lack of someone like him. This kid can be trained to be a family leader in the future, assuming Eunice does not want to become the patriarch.”

“Woof.” Kevin nodded.

Pu’er yawned. “Fight, fight. The sooner this fight is done, the sooner we can go back for a late-night snack and some sleep. It seems that every time Karon comes back, he has to beat her up again.”

Sure enough, when Judia heard Borg’s words, her eyebrows shot up. She pointed at Karon and announced, “I want to spar with you again.”

“I want to get back soon.” Karon ignored her and prepared to get back into the car. Given his current strength, there really was no interest at all in returning home and beating up a little girl. Even someone like Peld only barely qualified.

There were also the truly outstanding opponents of his own age group from within the church whom he would face during the selection.

Snap! Judia swung her riding crop to strike the car door, knocking off a layer of paint.

Pu’er shook her head. “Now she’s done it. Karon really treasures this used car. She could have ridden her horse back, but now she’ll probably have to lie across the horse’s back to get home.”

Kevin strongly agreed and nodded.

Seeing where the paint had been scraped off by the whip, Karon said, “The paint came off.”

“My allowance can compensate you with a new car.” Judia smiled. She was not foolishly mocking Karon for being poor. She knew very well that more than half of the manor belonged to him. She simply wanted to force Karon to fight her again.

Of course, in Pu’er’s eyes, this girl simply wanted to push Karon into beating her up.

Karon nodded and looked at Judia.

In order to heighten the atmosphere and push forward the coming conflict, Judia even deliberately raised her hand and crooked a finger at him.

Pu’er covered her eyes with a paw and said, “Karon’s strongest ability right now should be Darkmoon Blade, right? Because of those eyes. Oh, she is actually provoking a martial artist at such close range. Doesn’t she even know to first open up a bit of distance? I really can’t bear to watch, meow.”

Kevin imitated Pu’er and covered his eyes with a paw as well, though he left a very large gap and continued peeking through.

Borg silently took a few steps back.

Facing Judia, Karon’s eyes instantly flushed red as the Darkmoon Eyes activated directly. Beneath his gaze, Judia instantly froze. A surge of terror spiked in her heart.

The power of Darkmoon fully erupted within Karon at this moment. He no longer needed to restrain himself as he had back when fighting Peld. Most importantly, he did not want to waste too much time. It was possible that Eunice might be awake at this exact moment.

He vanished from where he stood, instantly appearing in front of Judia.

She was horrified by his astonishing speed, and instinctively condensed multiple layers of ice shields in front of herself. At the same time, the longsword hanging from her saddle flew through the air.

In response, Karon merely reached out with his left hand. It was a simple, direct movement. The terrifying heat of Darkmoon Blade instantly melted all of the ice shields before him.

At the same time, his right hand grabbed empty air, just in time to grasp Judia’s longsword.

His left hand clamped around the girl’s neck. Karon lifted her entire body from the horse’s back. The power of Darkmoon had already invaded her body, disrupting her internal spirituality.

He then loosened his grip, dropping Judia. Karon swung the longsword in his right hand, striking her with the flat of the blade.

Bang!

“Ah!” Judia was sent flying, tracing a beautiful parabola before landing in the woods beside the road.

The scene made Borg recall long ago when he had helped the Young Master to retrieve balls while he had been playing golf.

“Borg.”

“Hm? Young Master, here!”

“Go fetch the ball.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Borg immediately ran into the woods to search for Judia.

Karon dropped the sword and returned to the front of the car. He bent down and carefully touched the door where the paint had been scraped off with a hand. Sigh.