13 Mink Street

Chapter 118: The First Patient

Dinner was something Alfred bought on his way back: flatbread, roasted chicken, and a salad.

It had to be said, Alfred truly understood the young master’s tastes, as he did not buy cream bread with roast meat.

However, for Karon, he was used to casually preparing a meal of pig’s head, braised beef in soy sauce, peanuts, and assorted cold appetizers. Even if such a combination of dishes could be found to be purchased, the difference in flavor would be enormous.

As they all sat down together to eat, Karon reminded Ciri, “The cat and the dog in this house are to be treated the same as people.”

Alfred explained further, “The cat needs a cup of coffee every morning and afternoon. At noon, if we are not home, you need to prepare a meal for the cat, and make it as refined as possible. Afternoon tea and a fresh fruit platter every day are also required.

“As for the dog, when you prepare for the cat, prepare something for the dog as well, though one tier lower than the cat will do.”

“Woof!” the golden retriever barked in dissatisfaction.

Pu’er felt a private flicker of delight, but then suddenly froze. This was bad; The radio demon was trying to fracture their alliance.

Karon had always been generous when it came to caring for Pu’er and Kevin. As for other matters, such as Ciri’s salary and treatment, Karon did not even ask. He trusted Alfred to arrange such things properly.

His salary alone was ten thousand rels a month, and his commissions would only increase his income, not lower it. He could afford several maids without difficulty.

After all, this was York City, one of the most prosperous cities in this world. It was filled with far too many rich people who loved to moan about nothing.

After eating a bit, Karon returned to the second floor and lay on his bed to read the newspaper. The heating would not be restored until tomorrow, so once night fell, there was nowhere more comfortable than under the covers.

The dog did not need to be told; He brought the newspaper over in his mouth and even turned on the radio.

Karon began reading. He liked Veyn Daily because it was not strictly a local paper. Although it devoted some space to Veyn’s news, most of it focused outward, so it could be considered an international paper. In other words, as an empire with vast colonies, Veyn’s own domestic major news outlet was itself a form of international news.

After completing a series of ceremonies related to his coronation, the new king of Veyn had been hospitalized.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Karon’s mouth. Elderly people feared change the most. Perhaps if things had continued on with inertia alone, the old man might have lived for a long time. However, if he insisted on stirring things up, even in ways that should be beneficial to his health, it could bring about an early end.

That was true of people, but was also true of nations. Even churches were the same.

A resistance army had appeared in the Kotak region. They had attacked a town and established a provisional government.

Kotak was on the southern continent, where the land was mostly desert. The southern continent had long been a colonial ground carved up by empires like Veyn. Each empire waged wars there to seize the natives’ territory.

The article also noted that the Kotak resistance had originally intended to negotiate with the Veyn government for an autonomous region with limited self governance, but after the queen’s death, the resistance had apparently received funding from other empires, which had led to them abandoning peaceful methods.

Karon continued to flip through the paper.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Ciri entered with a broom. “Sir, I’ve cleaned the other areas. I’ll sweep here as well.”

Karon was a little surprised, but still nodded. “Alright.”

Pu’er silently lifted her head to stare at Ciri. The girl began cleaning. In truth, she was regretting her decision at this moment. With no experience as a maid, she had not considered that this was not an appropriate time to enter the bedroom to clean, especially with the male master lying on his bed.

Earlier, Ciri’s mind had been overstimulated by the idea that she had accepted such a high salary, and she had been preoccupied with thoughts of needing to work hard to repay her employer, so she had completely overlooked this detail.

Unfortunately, leaving now would be even more awkward, so she could only continue.

Karon watched her back as she swept, her back turned to him.

Hm... Was she wearing jeans in the afternoon?

In particular, whenever Ciri bent over, her curves pushed outward. How to put it? It was a sight not just men, but even women would find it hard not to glance at more than a few times.

Still, Karon lifted the newspaper higher to block his own view. He was engaged, and he had already touched Eunice’s legs. He truly should not allow other thoughts to spread while he was living alone outside. It was not that looking was inherently sinful, but his gaze could easily cause the new servant girl to feel pressure and make her mind wander.

Pu’er had originally been nestled beside Karon, dozing with her eyes closed. When Ciri entered, Pu’er also lifted her head to look at her, but as she continued to watch, Karon’s newspaper rose, and happened to also block Pu’er’s line of sight.

She irritatedly reached out a paw to press the newspaper down, but Karon pulled the blanket up and covered the cat’s face with it as well.

When she was finished, Ciri walked to the door and bowed to Karon. “I’m sorry, sir. I have no experience. Next time I’ll clean during the day.”

“It’s fine. Are you going back later?”

“Yes.”

“Have Alfred drive you home.”

“I don’t live far from here, so I can walk back on my own. There’s no need to trouble Mr. Alfred.”

“It’s too late now. It isn’t safe for you to go alone. Starting tomorrow, you can go home after dinner.”

“Thank you, sir. You are a good person.”

“Mm.” Karon continued reading as Ciri walked out and closed the bedroom door.

“I don’t believe you aren’t itching inside,” Pu’er softly commented. “If you keep her around, it will be hard to avoid mistakes.”

“You want to dismiss her?” Karon asked. “At least wait to see the coffee and meals she prepares for you tomorrow, alright?”

“That makes perfect sense,” Pu’er conceded.

Previously, she had been conquered by Karon’s sour pickled fish and sweet-and-sour fish. The old cat was still, by nature, a young lady with a temper.

“Alright, I’m going to sleep. I have work tomorrow.”

Work tomorrow, heh. The phrase felt distant and unfamiliar, yet also somehow deeply familiar.

Kevin crawled off of his bed, turned off the radio, and then turned off the light. Pu’er kicked her legs under the blanket and stopped making a fuss, settling down.

Karon pulled the blanket up to his neck and said, “Good night.”

“Woof.”

“Meow.”

At six the next morning, Karon got up. After washing up, he put on the clothes he had bought yesterday and went downstairs. What surprised him was that Ciri was already present.

“Young Master, Ciri came very early to make breakfast,” Alfred explained.

Breakfast was simple: buttered bread, fried eggs, small grilled sausages, and hot milk.

Karon sat down and ate. Ciri had already picked up a cloth to begin another round of meticulous cleaning. He told her, “When I have time someday, I’ll teach you how to cook.”

“Alright, Young Master. Thank you, Young Master.”

Karon still preferred noodles for breakfast, or preserved egg and lean pork congee. Speaking of congee. “Alfred, remember to buy a few jars sometime so we can pickle vegetables.”

“Young Master, I’ll buy them,” Ciri said.

“Alright, just get some money from Alfred.”

“No need. Jars aren’t expensive.”

“This is a rule. Unless you don’t want to stay here, you must follow the rules,” Alfred reminded her.

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

Outside, Alfred started the car and drove Karon to the nearby tram station. After parking, Alfred bought tickets and accompanied Karon onto the tram.

Taking the tram meant that unless there was a traffic accident along the line, there was no risk of congestion. However, there was instead the problem that the tram was completely packed. It was even worse than commuting by subway in a big city in a previous life.

If Alfred did not use his body to brace against the crowd behind them, Karon felt he would feel like he was in a can of sardines in transit, swaying and being squeezed all the way to his destination.

Because of that, after getting off, Karon said, “From now on, we drive to work. I’ll get up an hour earlier so we can avoid rush hour.”

“Alright, Young Master. I think that is a wise choice.”

They took the elevator to the twenty-first floor. The receptionist at the front desk greeted Karon warmly. Bertha then came out. She acted quite familiar with Karon as she hooked her arm through his and led him to meet their colleagues.

Karon did not know whether any of his new colleagues remembered him, but regardless, he did not remember a single one.

Bertha then led Karon to his office. The room was not large and the dominant color was black, with gentle lighting. Karon was satisfied with the layout.

“This box contains your work uniform and ID badge. The uniform isn’t mandatory. The phone here can make outside calls, and your desk line can reach the secretarial office. If you need anything, just ask them to bring it.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Bertha pressed the phone on the desk. “Hello, bring in a cup of ice water.”

“Understood.”

A secretary soon entered, carrying a cup of ice water that she set on Karon’s desk. Sitting behind the desk, he asked, “When can a patient be scheduled for me?”

“Please don’t worry about that. Normal consultations require appointments, so I will confirm a time slot with you at least one day in advance.”

“What about today?” Karon asked. “I don’t have anything to do today.”

Bertha smiled. “If nothing unexpected happens, then yes. There is also something I should remind you of; In the future, you don’t need to arrive so early. You can just arrive at the time of your appointments. Because your status is as high as the boss’s, you can enjoy the same freedom as the boss.”

“Alright, I understand. But I would still like you to arrange some patients for me sooner.” Karon shrugged as he continued, “After all, I don’t want to just sit here and accept a salary for doing nothing.”

After all, living off of just his base salary felt a bit insufficient. Karon wanted to earn more, so he could send some money to Mason, which would help to pay off the mortgage earlier.

“In that case, there is a client who suits you very well. I will schedule it.”

“Alright.”

“The client will arrive in about half an hour. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes.”

Bertha left Karon’s office. He rested both hands on his chair’s armrests while looking over the desk in front of him. Through the gaps in the blinds, he could see people working in cubicles outside of his office. It was a familiar setting, extremely familiar. In his previous life, he had worked in a similar setting.

He opened a drawer, finding only blank notebooks and paper inside.

“There should be a pistol in here.” Even if Alfred would be sitting in the waiting room while Karon worked, that was still out in the waiting room.

Karon raised a finger and lightly waved it in front of him. Fortunately, he was not completely without the ability to resist. No matter what, he could still use the Spear of Punishment.

The only problem was that his abilities were rather extreme; He either stacked defenses like a turtle in a shell, or he released a one shot detonation. He could not achieve the calm versatility Tiz possessed.

Of course, Karon did not expect to immediately become like his grandfather, and according to the Church of Order’s progression, only by reaching the Inquisitor rank could one truly be considered capable of fighting.

He still had a path to walk. He had already become a Divine Seeker, and his next step was Divine Shepherd.

Karon took a blank notebook and drew a very large water tank, and then added a very thin pipe. His problem was that his tank was huge and his reserves were abundant, but the pipe that served as an outlet was too narrow. That pipe’s width was determined by the rank of Divine Seeker, Divine Shepherd, and Inquisitor.

That meant that once he became an Inquisitor, his outlet would finally widen to a usable amount. At that point, with his reserves, he would stand above Inquisitors of the same level. Even if using the dumbest method possible, someone else could use an Art three times in a row before exhausting themselves, while Karon would be able to use it ten times and still have more in reserve. Such an advantage was only too obvious.

At that moment, someone knocked on the office door. He flipped to another page in the notebook. He did not want a patient to see such drawings and think their psychologist was studying prostate issues at work.

The door opened and Bertha entered. Karon looked behind her, but saw no one. “Where is the patient?”

Bertha pointed at herself and smiled. “It’s me. I’ve just completed registering at the front desk, and am now officially in consultation. For the next two hours, you are the doctor, and I am the patient. Your time belongs to me.”

“You aren’t joking.”

“No. I am serious. From yesterday’s situation, I believe you could already tell that I am not normal. I need your diagnosis.”

“I am sorry for my words to you yesterday. That was due to a misunderstanding.”

Bertha nodded. “Yes. Many people carry a natural misunderstanding regarding us.”

...Us?

Bertha sat down across from Karon and smiled. “In fact, Light has never been wrong. People’s longing for light is also innate.”

Light?

She continued, “I don’t know why I chose Light; Perhaps Light chose me. I feel proud and honored because I can bathe in its radiance and feel the warmth and protection it brings me.

“Karon, what do you think?”

What do I think? He looked at Bertha. He felt precisely as if he was starting work on the first day, only to have a colleague run over excitedly to preach at him.

If he did not know Piaget’s identity and understand his character, with a different boss, Karon would have suspected he had entered the den of a cult, but Bertha was talking about light.

Karon thought of his new apartment and the messenger crow Pu’er and Kevin had caught one night. Light vermin was sitting in front of him.

“Is Piaget one of you?” Karon asked. When did Piaget start believing in the Church of Light?

“No. But he is very important to us. He is an opportunity for the revival of light,” Bertha answered.

The reason she was laying her cards on the table was that she already assumed that Karon had seen through her and the group behind her.

“Piaget is my friend. I do not want him to be in danger.”

“Of course not. The boss is a good man, and is also very charming. You don’t need to remind me; I won’t harm him. According to Light’s guidance, we can wait here for an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

“We don’t know. It might be guidance, a direction, a sentence, or it might be a person. It could be the boss himself, or it could be the person the boss is waiting for. I know the boss has always been waiting for someone. There is a photo of that person in the boss’s drawer, but the boss does not know who he is.

“We have also used our own resources to investigate, but York City’s population is simply too large. How could we find him? While we could find some clues in that old photo, the person’s identity broke apart as we investigated. Clearly, even back then, he deliberately concealed his identity.”

“Heh.”

“Karon, what are you laughing at?”

“I almost thought he was waiting for me.”

Bertha also laughed. “You have nothing to do with light.”

“Of course. Of course.”

Karon nodded, yet he was reminded of a scene he had witnessed during his purification, particularly the stern voice. “Order, show Yourself.”

Karon opened the box he had not touched earlier. Inside was a white coat, as well as his ID badge. The name on it was Karon Silva.

“Karon, I think I have been sufficiently candid. I am a believer of the Church of Light. I stay with the boss for two reasons; One is his charm, while the other is to wait beside him for that person to appear.

“And you, I know you and the boss are good friends. The boss said he met you while strolling through the suburbs, and that he was introduced to you by his deceased wife, and that you held hands, but I do not believe you came here to work merely to see a friend. That is why, under the premise that I have been candid, can you offer me comparable candor?”

Strolling? Introduced by Linda? Then Piaget definitely did not tell you that it was at a crematorium in the suburbs, or that the “hand” I held was Linda’s urn.

“What if I tell you I am here because I lack money, that I saw Piaget’s advertisement for his clinic in a paper newspaper, and I came to earn a salary to support myself; You would not believe it, right?”

“Mhmm.” Bertha nodded. “I am very glad you do not plan to use such a clumsy lie to fool me.”

Then I have to find a lie to fool you. Karon smiled and nodded.

Bertha continued, “But I think you are also deliberately hiding your identity. Perhaps you are in a situation similar to ours.”

Karon placed both hands over his chest, adopting the posture of someone about to offer praise, while his mind churned.

Praise Order? That won’t work. It would be too risky. He did not want to openly reveal a connection to the Church of Order. After all, the Church of Order was an orthodox church, which made it inconvenient to use to hide. It also could not create the kind of mutual secrecy Bertha had built the context for, suggesting similar circumstances.

Praise Rilsaar? That’s also out of the question. The other side might know Linda was of the Wall God Church, and the opportunity Bertha spoke of might even be connected to the Wall God Church. If Karon claimed to be a believer as well, it would be too easy for a conflict to appear, exposing him.

Then who should he praise?

Karon’s mind suddenly produced an image of a fat man who liked spring rolls: Mr. Orkan.

That night, Mr. Orkan had admitted that he had traded the condition of helping the Berai Church spread across Veyn in exchange for having a Berai priest do some work for him and kill some people.

The Berai Church, due to certain historical events, was indeed rejected by the larger circles. Even in Swillen, they were not permitted to preach openly.

The church was an orthodox one, and yet had long faced discrimination and been suppressed. In her early years, Linda had disguised herself as a believer of the Berai Church.

Karon spoke, “The Goddess of Nature has provided guidance. The opportunity for the Berai Church’s preaching and development lies with my good friend Piaget, so my task is to protect him and wait for that opportunity to arrive.”

Then Karon closed his eyes. He piously proclaimed, “Praise Nature!”