Chapter 331: Return

For the next two hours, Alfred continued explaining the meaning of being grounded. His explanation was accessible, yet profound, and the entire speech was highly structured. When conveyed by his voice and his natural charisma as a speaker, people unconsciously found themselves listening in rapt attention.

Pu’er shook her head twice and said, “I feel like even if Karon came to explain this himself, he wouldn’t do as well as the radio demon.”

“Woof, woof.”

Pu’er asked doubtfully, “Creating a theory and explaining a theory are different divisions of labor?”

“Woof.”

“All right, when you put it that way, it does make sense. So the radio demon is quite ambitious. He wants to use this method to bind the club together.”

“Woof.”

“I know, I know. The root cause is still that we don’t have enough credits to buy people’s hearts.”

Alfred placed the chalk he had been using back into the box, then crossed his hands and bowed to the audience. “Today’s lecture will end here. Since everyone’s time is valuable, we will follow the previous rule; please write down your doubts and questions and place them in this box.”

Alfred took out two boxes from beneath the desk. “This one contains my replies to you. The names of the recipients are written on each one, so please find your own letters.”

Individuals rose one after another, some submitting letters and others searching for replies that were addressed to them.

“Is the radio demon this busy every day?” Pu’er asked in surprise.

Kevin nodded. Recently, he often visited Alfred’s bedroom to study the unknown language with him, so the dog was aware of precisely how busy Alfred was each day. His bedroom was more like a study that happened to have a bed in it.

At this moment, a group of people wearing Order robes walked in.

The man at their head walked over to Alfred and said, “I am Kyal, deputy leader of the Third Team under the York City Region’s Conduct Office. We have received a report that you are suspected of violating the Code of Order by gathering and inciting demonkin with the intent of subverting and influencing ordinary human society. You are required to come back with us and cooperate with our investigation.”

When the little girl, Rumier, saw this, she moved to stand up, but Anita, who was sitting beside her, held her shoulder down. The audience present began moving towards Alfred, wanting to protect their preceptor.

Seeing this, not only was Kyal unafraid, a smile even appeared on his face. He wanted to see this matter blow up, so that charges could be more firmly established. He had dropped hints to this club twice before, yet they had not offered even a single credit in tribute. They truly understood none of the rules. Never mind that someone had reported them this time, even if no one had done so, he would still have eventually paid them another visit.

The various major churches handled demonkin more or less the same way. Those they resolutely cracked down on were wild demonkin, meaning demonkin born from special circumstances who did not possess social personalities. Wherever they appeared, disaster inevitably followed. There were also demonkin who lost control of themselves, who were similarly targets to be decisively eliminated.

Apart from those, there was still a very large gray area. For instance, some humans were infected and transformed into demonkin, but had no tendency to actively harm society. Others inherited their nature, or had long since integrated into society. They did not belong to the category that had to be resolutely cracked down on, but that did not mean that they possessed any genuine legal rights. They were a group that had to remain hidden from public view.

Previously, when the Church of Order had needed a group of Beguilers to participate in an experiment, they had simply taken action and captured them. After all, eliminating demonkin and protecting ordinary people was itself an aspect of the churches’ duties.

However, among demonkin, there were three categories that could obtain political standing. One was those similar to the Bloodfiend clan. They were a force that could not be ignored, having grown to a certain scale. Another were the demonkin who worked for the churches. The last category was what Alfred had been in the past. In a small city like Roja City, he had possessed the strength to confront an average Inquisitor, provided, of course, the Inquisitor’s surname was not Immers.

Alfred took out his identification from his pocket. It did not identify him as demonkin. After all, Alfred no longer released even the slightest hint of demonkin aura, and even an investigation would not be able to detect anything from him, so there was no need to label him as one again. What he took out was his identification as someone who worked for Pavaro Funeral Home. He was an external member of an Inquisition, and his identity had been issued and stamped by the Pavaro Inquisition. In fact, Alfred had made it himself.

He oversaw the daily operations and official correspondence of Pavaro Funeral Home entirely. Karon rarely paid attention to such matters, while Inquisitor Pavaro had only had a few friends and his interpersonal relationships had been terrible. His direct superior, Vicolay, had also purposely tried to eliminate Mr. Pavaro’s presence as much as possible, due to wanting to take credit for a previous matter, so as long as it did not affect the basic flow of work, Inquisitor Pavaro was allowed to continue drifting about outside while “accepting assignments.”

Kyal took the identification, glanced at it, and sneered. “An external member of the Inquisition? Heh, are people this perfunctory now even when preparing a cover identity?”

His subordinates behind him all laughed as well.

***

“Your captain comes to your home, and never mind that you didn’t cook a meal to properly entertain him, you drag me out to handle something the moment I arrive?” Nio commented irritatedly while sitting in the passenger seat.

He had already returned from Port Mulberry with the rest of the squad. As soon as he had arrived at Karon’s house, he had run into Karon on his way out.

“I had my servant Alfred organize an outside club to make it easier to gather information in York City going forward. He told me last night that today’s gathering was reported, and there will be trouble during today’s lecture. Judging by the time, now should be about right, so I was just about to go out and handle it. Captain, you’re here at the perfect time.”

“Reported?” Nio smiled. “Let me guess. Did he report himself?”

Karon nodded. The one who had reported Alfred’s club happened to be Alfred himself.

Nio yawned. “That was the right thing to do. Report yourself, then handle it yourself. Put the matter out in the open first, and you’ll clear it out in advance. There won’t be as much trouble in the future, either. Your current status makes shielding a demonkin club very easy. Your colleagues should all be using honorifics when they see you now, right?”

“It’s all because of the newspapers.”

“No one’s stupid. You’re not a celebrity who needs newspapers to create publicity for you. Of the two squads that made it into the final selection, one was mainly from Teygan Region, and the other was mainly from our own York City. You were also the captain during the selection.

“Once you return from the Reincarnation Gate, your status will be completely different. Every Whip squad captain in the entire district, no, even the Deputy Commanders will all have to use honorifics when they see you.

“Your future is already destined to be glorious. Also, everyone knows what the situation is with that squad from Teygan Region. That district is home to the Central Church, so they are true children of the Central Church. That means, in order to balance the church’s family factions and grassroots factions, you will be heavily supported as a counterweight, just like the current High Priest Norton. He doesn’t have a great family behind him either.

“This is a consensus among the higher-ups. We cannot become like the Church of Reincarnation and produce some kind of royalty within the Church of Order.”

At this point, Nio could not help laughing again. “Fuck! Yet the reality is that you yourself already have one of the Church of Order’s top families behind you! Haha!”

“Captain, I feel like you’ve been placing too much importance on these things lately.”

“I’ve been placing too much importance on them?” Nio shook his head dismissively. “Everyone plays by these rules. Who can afford not to care about the rewards they give? Besides, don’t say that I’m someone who cares about this. Have you noticed that you stopped addressing me formally a long time ago?”

“Really? Did I? I don’t think so.”

Nio reached out and patted Karon on the shoulder. “Relax. I feel like it won’t be long before I’ll have to rely on your support to get promoted. Even if you just call me ‘Nio,’ I won’t fall out with you.”

The car arrived in front of the club, just in time to see a group of people wearing Order robes walk inside.

Karon was about to get out, but Nio said, “Wait a little longer. It’s only suitable to lose your temper after the cuffs are on.”

“All right.” Karon trusted the captain’s wealth of experience.

After they sat in the car for five minutes, Nio said, “That should be enough. Let’s go.”

When Karon and Nio entered the club’s lecture hall, they happened to see Alfred being placed in Arts shackles.

“He looks familiar?”

“Yes, very familiar.”

“Karon?”

“Karon!”

Quite a few Conduct Office staff members in Order robes recognized Karon.

Nio had already taken the first step forward to Kyal. He took out his credentials and said, “I am Nio, captain of a Whip of Order squad.”

Kyal looked at Nio, then at Karon behind his captain. The man immediately understood that things were about to be blown out of proportion, and quickly said, “There may be some misunderstanding in this matter—”

“Misunderstanding? You’re arresting my man and obstructing the Whip’s enforcement! You’re completely disregarding our Whip of Order, aren’t you?”

The Conduct Office could be considered a semi-administrative department, somewhat similar to a local cultural bureau, whereas the Whip of Order served as the tactical enforcement arm. Although the Church of Order had a system that divided different efforts, it was still very clear which departments were able to be provoked and which should not.

“How could that be? I wouldn’t dare—”

Nio simply grabbed Kyal by the hair, pressed his head down, then brought his knee up. Bang!

Once, twice, three times, four times, five times!

When Nio let go, Kyal’s face was covered in blood. After staggering back two steps, he fainted and collapsed to the floor.

Not one of the man’s subordinates dared to so much as take a step forward.

“Take him away and get lost!”

The followers immediately grabbed their leader and fled with their tails between their legs. Nio grabbed the last person, who immediately understood. He ran over to release Alfred’s shackles, though he did not dare to even take them back before running out of the room with his waist bent.

Anita, who had remained sitting the whole time, took careful notice of something. During their previous meeting, Karon had clearly stood beneath Nio, yet this time, the one who stepped forward to teach someone a lesson was actually Nio, while Karon instead stood at the back.

After that, the club’s activities ended normally for the day. The audience left one after another. In the past, when they came and left, they would deliberately wear loose clothing and lower their hat brims. This time, when they stepped out, they looked as though they wished their entire faces could meet the sunlight.

Nio and Anita still had matters to discuss, so Karon and Alfred took Pu’er and Kevin back.

Once in the car, Karon placed Pu’er on his lap, looked down at her, and asked, “Are you in a bad mood today?”

“No.”

“What happened?” Karon asked.

“Nothing happened.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Alfred, whether translating Kevin’s words or answering directly, said, “Today, she was mocked by Anita, who said Pu’er is the weakest symbiote.”

“Oh?”

“Your servant already warned her,” Alfred immediately added.

Pu’er nodded. She did not want Karon to misunderstand Alfred.

“The weakest symbiote?” Karon reached out and grabbed Pu’er’s tail. “Does that furry thing by her side also have a god’s finger on its tail?”

Pu’er pulled her tail back.

Karon lifted her up and placed her in front of him. “It looks like you were really hurt by that today. Did you cry?”

“No!”

“Woof!”

“You should have told me earlier. Next time you suffer any grievances, tell me quickly, understand? Right now, the captain is having a private discussion with her, so it isn’t convenient for me to flare up right now. Next time, deliberately tease that white fluffy thing with her to push her into mocking you again. I’ll use that as an excuse to teach her a lesson.”

“Uh... that doesn’t sound very good...”

“As long as you can vent your anger.”

“My anger fades very quickly. I don’t like holding grudges.”

Yes, just a simple grudge kept for more than a hundred years. If you didn’t hold grudges, that female Temple Elder wouldn’t have been hung on a cross by Grandpa. Before Grandpa fell asleep, he also wouldn’t have mentioned that he helped you vent your anger.

Pu’er looked at Karon and asked, “Can you fight that woman now? My intuition tells me she’s very strong.”

“I don’t know. The captain also put forth a great deal of effort to defeat her, but it’s not really possible to measure the captain’s exact strength.”

“She only relies on that symbiote. Once my strength recovers, you can sit beside me and drink coffee while I beat them to pieces all by myself!”

“Mhmm, absolutely.” Karon stroked Pu’er’s chin. Before Tiz had fallen asleep, he had specifically told Karon to take good care of Pu’er.

“Woof!” Kevin lifted a dog paw and patted his own chest.

Alfred, who was driving, coughed and said, “Kevin, there’s no need to exaggerate that much.”

Karon could guess at what Kevin had just said. It was probably similar to Pu’er’s “once I recover, I’ll do this and that.” If Rhanedar were fully recovered, the power of a heretical god would have turned that earlier scene into something terrifying beyond imagination.

“Oh, right. The captain just informed me that tomorrow night I’ll have to gather at the Church Affairs Building and go to the Teygan Region.”

When Pu’er heard this, she immediately said, “Be careful on your way.”

“We’re taking a teleportation array to get there. It’ll be over in the blink of an eye. Publicly funded business trips are convenient.” Karon smiled.

Pu’er nodded. “Yes. That’s why I wonder just how many places Tiz visited when he forcibly borrowed the Church of Order’s teleportation arrays.”

“Sometimes, I look forward to finding footprints Grandpa left behind, because it would make me feel closer to him, but other times, I don’t want to encounter them. Because, to a certain extent, it would also make me feel bored.”

Pu’er sighed. “Don’t worry. You and Tiz are very alike, truly.”

“What does that mean?”

“What I mean is, he understands you the same way he understands himself. Tiz will take care of those emotions of yours and how you want things both ways.”

After returning to the funeral home, Karon went back to his study. He pulled a new notebook and a fountain pen from the drawer, then began casually writing and drawing. The black notebook on the desk, carefully stored within a wooden box, was something Karon no longer dared to casually scribble in as he once had.

Karon first wrote down his upcoming schedule:

These two matters would both finish within the next half a month, because the time that the Reincarnation Gate opened was predetermined.

There were additional items on his agenda that belonged slightly further down the list, such as finding the corpse of Illusion Demon Corvasini and salvaging the Lacresis Copper Coin. Once Karon returned from the Reincarnation Gate, both of those matters would need to be formally placed on his agenda. The captain knew the location of the former, while Karon knew the location of the latter. Both were tasks that could be addressed after some preparations were complete.

Karon paused, then drew another line after Reincarnation Gate and wrote: Form my own Whip of Order squad.

This should be completed as soon as the Reincarnation Gate trial ended. He also needed to prepare a few more names to fill out the numbers of his squad. It would be best to accept another two missions to liven up the atmosphere. The earlier the squad’s style took shape, the higher its efficiency would be when handling matters later on.

Corvasini’s burial ground was a place he could take his squad, while the Lacresis Copper Coin was a separate matter. After all, he intended to keep that copper coin for himself. If such a thing was made public, it would no longer be convenient for him to act. The price of being found secretly keeping a divine artifact would be far too great.

After that, there were two more even longer-term tasks on his agenda. One was the gods’ cemetery that was related to Anita and the Gravekeeper Clan. That would require Kevin to recover further before they would be able to obtain any specific coordinates. The other was the lost land of the God of Light, but that required Earl Rekar to be able to be Awakened continuously before he would be able to lead them on a voyage to that place.

For those two projects, Karon had to consider not only what would be needed to prepare for the trip, but also whether or not his own strength would be sufficient to make the attempt.

Karon silently looked at his goals and suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment, because he knew clearly that other matters would be interspersed among these. For example, the captain loved inexplicably accepting a mission and bringing complications back. Karon believed that after the captain became a deputy commander, he would definitely not remain idle.

After knocking, Alfred entered and placed a proposal before Karon. It was the plan for Jotto’s funeral. The funeral would be held the following day, so preparations needed to start almost immediately.

“It’s perfect. You put real thought into this,” Karon commented after reviewing the proposal.

At the same time, he could not suppress an internal sigh. Alfred’s energy and work ethic were truly amazing. Compared to him, Karon was so indolent it was practically criminal.

“Young Master, please focus on preparing for your departure tomorrow. I will take care of the funeral.”

“There’s no rush for me to leave. I’ll step out to preside over the mourning ceremony. After all, he chose this funeral home specifically because of me. It wouldn’t be good if I didn’t attend.”

“Yes, you’ve considered things thoroughly, Young Master. Your servant will go lead the men to prepare the funeral now.”

“All right, go get busy.”

Alfred did not leave. Instead, he stared at the new notebook opened in front of Karon.

“This isn’t a journal. It’s just the schedule planning for the coming period that I casually wrote out just now.”

Alfred pursed his lips. At this moment, he looked just like a child accompanying an adult through a mall and had just seen a beloved toy that they coveted, but were too embarrassed to say so directly.

“Well, if you want to look, you can flip through it yourself later.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Alfred left the study in high spirits.

Karon was about to take a bath and rest, but at just that moment, the old man in the study appeared. His eyes blankly stared at Karon.

“What is it?” Karon asked.

“I sensed that my original self has returned.”