13 Mink Street

Karon also stood up. The Expositor had returned far earlier than he expected. He had assumed the man would not return before daybreak, but the truth was, in the Expositor’s eyes, this place was what truly mattered.

This was a mistake...

Karon looked at Little John. The Lacresis copper coin, does it need to be raised back because it was damaged? Even a damaged Lacresis copper coin far surpassed an ordinary holy relic. This was a true divine artifact.

“Afraid?” Little John asked.

“Yeah.”

“Why does your answer not sound like a hero who came to save people?”

“What do you think a hero looks like?”

“They told me stories about heroes. The heroes in stories all resemble each other. I even feel that the soulless man from before looks more like a hero than you do.”

“Yes, and that is why he is dead.”

“I think I can tell you another piece of good news.”

“Is the good news that the last bit of bad news you shared was actually a joke and he hasn’t actually come back?”

“No, he is back. He’s already landed outside of the factory. But I do sense that he’s suffered very heavy injuries. Is that good news?”

“I think that no matter how badly he is injured, as long as he was able to come back under his own power and wasn’t carried back, it makes no difference to me.”

“Woof. Woof. Woof.” Kevin barked loudly at a spot on the floor down below. Alfred immediately began setting up a magic array in that location. Mr. Pavaro’s body swayed, and he turned back in disbelief to stare up at Karon, who was still on the platform above.

“I think I know what you plan to do,” Little John commented. “So his memories weren’t wrong. You really did plan everything long ago. This kid has something wrong with his head, he really does, but I can also feel that he holds you in awe. Right now, you are his only support. You could even say that you are his pillar.”

“I will find him an orphanage immediately. He will have lots of friends to play with there.” With that, Karon turned and started down.

“Do you want me to help you hold Grandfather back?” Little John asked.

“Why would you do that?” Karon asked.

“Didn’t you say it earlier? You and I share the same goal. If that’s true, then we will do the same thing.”

“It isn’t really necessary.”

“But I want to. I feel that if I don’t say certain things to his face at a time like this, I’ll regret it. I understand my emotions, but also that they can easily lead to failure and seeing things overturned. Still, I can give you a little time. I also want to give Mr. Pavaro time to prepare.”

Little John smiled, and then his smile froze. He fainted where he stood. Karon stepped forward and caught him, holding the child in his arms.

A moment later, Karon felt a coolness on his eyes, as if someone had wiped them with a hand. He then saw a little girl in a dark red divine robe appear in front of him.

“These are Grandfather’s clothes,” the little girl commented. She then turned around, and the clothes she wore changed into the same suspenders outfit Little John wore.

“Mm.” She turned round again, and then wore the same waiter’s uniform as Karon. “I’ll go with this outfit. I think you look best in this.”

“Thank you.”

The girl drifted toward the sliding door. She did not open it, but passed straight through it.

Karon carried the unconscious Little John down from the platform and walked toward Pu’er and the others.

***

Black mist drifted into the factory and continued downward until it stopped at the vehicle entrance. It stopped because a girl wearing a waiter’s uniform stood before it. “Lenora, where did you see those clothes?”

She could only “wear” what she had seen.

“An older sister who arrived yesterday was wearing it. She said it was her favorite clothing. Is it pretty, Grandfather?”

“My Lenora looks good in anything.”

“Eh? Grandfather, are you injured?”

“Yes, it’s a small injury.”

Beneath the old man’s dark red divine robes, bones were clearly visible. Lingering power of light still attacked him, making it impossible for him to recover his wounds anytime soon.

“Let Lenora help you heal, Grandfather.”

“No. You cannot touch this wound. The remaining power of light would burn your existence. We cannot allow dear Lenora to be hurt. Grandfather would ache if that happened.”

“Grandfather, you’re so good to Lenora, hee hee.”

“Of course. You are Grandfather’s granddaughter, the only one in Grandfather’s eyes.”

“Mm! I will definitely grow up quickly, and then I can leave here and stay at your side forever, Grandfather. With me around, no one will be able to hurt you again. Whoever dares to lay a hand on my grandfather, I will tear them apart first.”

“Cough, cough. Heh heh.”

“Grandfather, I want to go out and play. Can you take me out for a walk? Just nearby, we don’t need to go far.”

“No, Lenora. The wind outside is very strong tonight and is not suitable for going out. It is precisely because the wind is strong that I hurried back to check on you.”

“Oh, so that is how it is...” A wronged look appeared on Lenora’s face.

“Grandfather promises you, in a while, once the wind dies down, Grandfather will take you out to play, all right?”

“All right. Lenora will listen to Grandfather.”

“Mm. Such a good girl.” At this moment, the old man’s smile suddenly froze. Even in the middle of the night, there were scheduled patrols for this area, and yet he had not seen even one despite chatting for so long in one place. He immediately realized something, and his figure turned to mist once more as he tried to move deeper into the factory, past the sliding door.

Lenora’s smile faded and her eyes suddenly grew cold. “Zeric.”

The Expositor’s misted figure instantly stopped, and he turned back to look at Lenora. “What did you just call me?”

“Zeric. What? Is your name not Zeric, you old thing?”

“Have you been corrupted? Perhaps I should help you with purification.”

“That’s pointless, Zeric. Unless you choose to completely erase me, no amount of purification will ever turn you into a kindly grandfather in my eyes. To me, you are nothing but a repulsive old man, someone who fills me with disgust, someone I curse without hesitation.”

“The patrols, did you deal with them?”

“Yes. They’re a few pillars over that way, running in circles and unable to get out.”

“And the ritual array here, you obscured things from it as well?”

“That’s right. That’s why those Divine Servants in the ritual array room still think nothing has happened.”

“Exactly what do you want to do?”

“Me? I just want to take this opportunity to say what is in my heart.”

“Lenora, you are ill, but I can treat you and make you well.”

“It’s pointless, Zeric. Do you think my consciousness appeared out of nothing? Look at what was used to nurture me. Their resentment served as the nourishment that awakened my mind. When I first opened my eyes, the first face I saw was indeed yours, but there was never any possibility of what you imagined happening. There were no instincts like a newborn recognizing their parent.

“That’s because from the moment your face entered my sight, my mind was already filled with their hatred for you. It was not even one voice, not one curse, but countless, layered together, night after night.”

The Expositor slowly clenched a fist. At that moment, he understood something: for all these years, he had been deceived, deceived by the girl standing before him.

“Are you angry?” Lenora asked with a smirk. “You wanted to tame me. You wanted to raise me from the beginning, to bind me to you, to nurture affection. With that bond, you thought you could control the copper coin itself. That was your design, your plan.”

She paused. “I’m afraid you miscalculated. When you tried to use me to control the coin, you should have remembered something; If I ever found an opening, I would not hesitate to devour my master.”

A red gleam flickered in the Expositor’s eyes. “The Lacresis copper coin is indeed the Wellspring of Sin.”

“Yes,” Lenora said, laughing. “I am the Wellspring of Sin.”

She threw back her head and laughed. As the laughter continued, something bright slid from the corner of her eye. “So tell me this: You, who claim faith in Order, treated those people as livestock to be bled dry, while I, a Wellspring of Sin, feel pity for them. Why?”

“I was wrong.”

“Hm?”

“I realize that I was wrong,” the Expositor stated with grave seriousness.

“Will you stop all of this?” Lenora asked. As she asked, her heart actually produced a trace of conflict and hesitation.

“I misunderstood the meaning of the Wellspring of Sin,” the Expositor explained with a faint smile. “The true god Lacresis forged the greed of this world into nine copper coins, but while they are called the Wellspring of Sin, the coins themselves are, in truth, absolutely pure. Only that which is perfectly white can absorb the deepest black.”

He let out a slow breath. “It is unfortunate that I only understand this now, though fortunate that I did not understand the truth too late. I will begin again, Lenora.”

“Begin... again?”

“You are the fruit of my years of labor, but since your nature has taken this form, and since you have seen the filth within me, I have no choice but to erase you completely. I will continue with this method to cultivate a new consciousness within the coin, but I will not appear myself. I will assign a subordinate to assume the role that I have played all these years. Then, once you mature, I will descend in the name of justice, rescuing these unfortunate girls, and rescuing you as well. I believe the next you will successfully bond with me.”

“You intend to reopen this pigpen?”

“Yes. The world is never short of livestock.”

“Zeric, you are the one who should sleep in the pigpen!”

“Heh heh.” Zeric extended his hand. “Order—Cage.”

A cage appeared and instantly locked Lenora in place. An Expositor’s cage could not only restrain physical bodies, but even restrain the void. How could Lenora, whom even Karon dared to turn his back to, possibly be an Expositor’s match?

Trapped, she roared harshly, “You can undo my seals!”

Layer after layer of seals suppressed her to be as weak as possible. The most she was able to do was occasionally corrupt one or two people by accident. Even if compared to demonkin, she was extremely weak.

Zeric smiled. He opened a hand and began to chant, preparing to annihilate this consciousness that had already been raised “wrong.”

Yet a moment later, he suddenly looked into the depths of the factory. “There are still people below...”

Lenora laughed loudly. “Hahahaha, yes! A madman who is not a hero.”

***

“Karon, have you gone mad?” Mr. Pavaro demanded of Karon, who was still walking over while carrying Little John.

At this moment, Alfred had already set up the ritual array around the position Kevin had indicated. It was a remarkably simple ritual array, so simple that its inclusion in Mr. Hoffen’s notes served only one purpose: it was included with other beginner exercises as a practice exercise.

In real life, its function was to help villagers dig wells. In many villages, before digging a well, people would perform some sort of ritual or draw a sigil at the mouth of the well. In truth, that sigil was derived from this ritual array, though the former had long since become purely ceremonial.

Karon set Little John down so that he could lie on the ground. The child had just been possessed, and he seemed to be having a nightmare, muttering, “I don’t want to go to an orphanage! I’m not going to an orphanage...”

Karon clapped his hands and looked at Alfred.

“Young Master, it is ready.”

“Woof.”

“Meow.”

“Mr. Pavaro, the Expositor is here, and he might appear on that platform very soon. So, if you have anything you wish to say to him, you can prepare it now.”

“Karon, you cannot do this! It is too dangerous!”

“Miss Annie is dead.”

“I know, but...”

“You are also dead. You just promised me that, as a dead man, you would not stop anything.”

“I only guessed what you were planning before. I never expected you would actually... Is this what you planned all along?”

“Yes.”

“So when I asked you again and again what you planned to do after you found this place, and you kept saying you would figure it out after you found it, you had already decided to do this?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how you did it, but I have a feeling that this dog of yours found the correct position, and has it very precise.”

“Woof.” Kevin proudly lifted his head.

Karon looked at Kevin and smiled. “Yes.”

“You want to detonate this source of corruption?”

“Yes.”

“I would bet that once this source of corruption is detonated, the impact and uproar will immediately alert the Church of Order. Not just them, but the other churches in York City as well. This will have a greater impact than the Light vermin’s movements in York City! You want to detonate this source of corruption to draw the attention of the upper ranks of the church to this place and expose the Expositor’s secrets and crimes?”

“Yes. Since we have no way to report this matter to the true authorities, we will pull their attention here.”

“Have you considered the fact that if the churches arrive too late and aren’t able to stop the spill of corruption in time, just how many ordinary people living nearby will be corrupted? This is York City! Even if only one district is corrupted, do you realize how many people live there?”

“Mr. Pavaro, I respect you very much. From the moment I saw your notes, I have always respected you.”

“Now is not the time for that—”

“No! Do you know why I respect you? It’s because I cannot do what you do. That is why I show respect to those who can do what I cannot. Mr. Pavaro, to solve this case, Miss Annie died, and so did you. I also want to solve this case, but I do not want to die.”

“...”

“You should trust the church’s response time, and you should trust the response speed of the other churches in York City even more. When this vast source of corruption is detonated, it will have such an impact that everyone’s attention will be instantly drawn here. They can control this corruption. They can, and they most certainly will.”

Mr. Pavaro closed his eyes. He did not speak again to ask Karon to stop. When Karon had bluntly stated that he did not want to die, a man who was already dead had lost any right to persuade him.

Karon took a deep breath and looked at the ritual array Alfred had set up. In truth, after learning that Little John had been corrupted in this place, and then combined that with the information Mr. Pavaro had recorded in his investigation notes, Karon had become almost certain that there was a terrifying source of corruption in the factory.

And, that was indeed true. The women lying in the pigpens were there to die while tormented so that they could nourish the copper coin’s consciousness with corpses filled with resentment.

The copper coin’s consciousness had been cultivated within this artificially created source of corruption, and what Karon needed to do next was detonate this “methane pit.”

Mr. Pavaro and Annie had taken their seats at the table and played by the rules. They had then died there. Karon did not believe that he possessed sufficient standing to take their place and win the game.

So from the very beginning, his intention had been simple: he would overturn the table.

That was possible because he had an innate advantage, which was the heretical god at his side. Kevin was able to accurately locate the center of the source of corruption. He was a heretical god, and if he was not capable of at least that much, he did not deserve that title.

As for Alfred’s ritual array, it was so simple and such a low level that it was almost embarrassing to bring out. However, there was no need for anything complex, nor was there a need for great power. As long as it was positioned correctly, then even if only a needle was used, it could instantly pop a massive balloon.

“Alfred.”

“Young Master.”

“A cigarette.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred pulled a pack of cigarettes out from his pocket and handed one to Karon. Karon held it between his lips, and Alfred rubbed his palm on his clothes, wiping away sweat that did not exist. As he did that, he mentally reviewed the lighting motion he had practiced again and again before.

Swish. The lighter traced an elegant arc in Alfred’s hand.

Snap. When it arrived at Karon’s mouth, the flame was already lit, and the swaying flame perfectly lit the cigarette before going out. After completing the entire movement, Alfred let out a long breath. Once upon a time, he had thought that he would rely on this “Flame-Point Art” to appear on murals.

He needed to reflect. Even though his young master had quit smoking and rarely touched cigarettes anymore, Alfred absolutely could not allow himself to get rusty.

At this moment, a mass of black mist appeared on the platform, and the Expositor appeared there.

Karon, who had intended to allow Mr. Pavaro a conversation with the Expositor, immediately canceled all such burdensome plans the moment he saw the Expositor. Every detail that could potentially create complications was instantly overturned.

Still, Karon retained enough composure to allow himself the luxury of flicking the ash from his cigarette twice.

The ash fell to the floor.

“Alfred.”

“Yes!”

“Light it!”