13 Mink Street

”It seems our Mr. Karon truly did not know about this.”

”Yes. My position is still too low. Matters concerning the upper levels of the church are not something I have access to.”

Through the reflection on the elevator doors, Ophelia glanced at Karon standing beside her with a hint of curiosity. She found this man interesting. Setting everything else aside, the way he openly admitted his low status without the slightest emotional undertone made people feel inexplicably at ease. It was because this was not resignation or self-mockery, but something natural, as though he were unbound by the constraints of status.

The young master from the Chief Archbishop’s family, the man who had invited her to dance earlier during the banquet, had spent the entire dance talking about the various arrangements his grandfather had prepared for him. He was a completely different sort of person. There was nothing particularly objectionable about him, but he carried a faint trace of greasiness, much like the Veyn dishes Ophelia was familiar with.

Karon, on the other hand, always gave her a refreshing impression. Talking to him put people at ease. This was because Ophelia had already stepped beyond the confines of traditional social class. She had never known what it meant to struggle for survival, and given the unique status of Darkmoon Island, while she was aware of the prospect of a political marriage, neither she family nor the island faced any pressing or urgent need for it.

When a person is unburdened by immediate, visible pressure, their sensitivity on an emotional level tends to sharpen. So rather than Karon simply appearing refreshing to her, it would be more accurate to say that she had sensed in him a certain similarity in temperament.

But Ophelia would never pursue that line of thought, because she did not believe that a mere member of the Whip of Order could possess a state of mind equal to her own. Nor could she possibly know that the one who had blown up the Temple of Order was the grandfather of the young man standing beside her.

The elevator doors opened. After escorting Ophelia into her room, Karon returned to the suite across the hall. He picked up the phone and called the funeral home. As expected, the loyal foreman Alfred was still steadfast at his post on the worksite.

Karon explained the situation to Alfred and made a few arrangements regarding the Allen family. Most important was the matter of constructing and aging Pu’er’s grave. After a bit of discussion and instructing Alfred on a few suitably tragic poetic lines to be inscribed on the gravestone, Karon hung up.

He was not worried about his call being monitored, because strictly speaking, he was now a member of the side that did the monitoring.

Then, after pouring himself a glass of ice water, Karon sat down on the sofa. He had never expected that his grandfather blowing up the Temple of Order would have such far-reaching consequences, or that the ripples would still be spreading even now.

Rumors, at times, could bring down a towering behemoth. The rumors circulating outside that the God of Order had abandoned the Church of Order had certainly triggered a chain reaction. It was equivalent to stripping an orthodox church of its ultimate trump card, because no matter how powerful the Church of Order might be, it could not stand alone against the entire ecclesiastical world.

Especially after the Church of Light had fallen in the past, the Church of Order had risen to take a domineering position, seizing that emptied place. So if Light could fall, why could Order not perish?

Karon took a sip of ice water and slowly rotated the glass in front of him, an unconscious smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Tiz’s single act had, by now, already affected the Church of Order’s soft power. Combined with the broader trend of the so-called awakening of the gods, the damage to the Church of Order’s cultural authority was even more severe.

”Invincible” meant that no one dared to stand in the ring with you. ”Very powerful” meant that people were beginning to weigh their chances against you. Even if they had only a twenty or thirty percent chance of victory, they had at least gained the confidence to issue a challenge.

The two were entirely different concepts.

So were the recent actions of the Church of Order a response to the crisis, or a proactive attempt to find an opportunity to display their strength and restore their influence?

The door opened, and Paige walked in. Because Karon had not turned on the lights, the room was somewhat dim, but Paige could still see him sitting on the sofa, his gaze making it clear he was deep in thought.

”Can I turn on the light?” Paige asked.

”Of course.”

Paige turned on the lights, walked over, and sat down on the sofa opposite Karon. She lit a cigarette and said, ”When I came in and saw you sitting there thinking, it actually felt a little charming.”

”Heh, is that so?” Karon smiled. ”Would you like something to drink?”

”No need. I am still too full.” Paige waved her hand. ”What did you think of tonight’s food?”

”It was excellent.” Karon felt as though he had returned to the experience of attending banquets as a child.

”Opportunities like this are rare. Back in Port Mulberry, we didn’t have many opportunities like this, and even then, the level was nowhere near York City. But there will probably be many more security assignments like this ahead.” Paige winked at Karon.

”That would be wonderful.”

”Oh, right. That maid across the hall seems to dislike you a little.”

”Is that so?” Karon shrugged. ”I didn’t notice.”

”Yes, and there’s no need to notice people like that. The more someone serves a powerful figure, the more likely they are to develop the illusion that they themselves are powerful.”

”Looking down on people like a dog, then?”

”I like that comparison! I’ll remember it, hahaha.” Paige laughed, then pointed at the bed. ”Go to sleep. I’ll take the first half of the night watch, and Fannie will take the second.”

”You’re not assigning me anything?” Karon asked. No matter how he looked at it, it did not feel right letting the two women take turns on watch while he slept.

”Unless you think that the lady across the hall will call for you again in the middle of the night or something else will happen—”

”I don’t think so,” Karon quickly cut her off.

”Then you can get a good rest and conserve your energy for responding to her summons during the day. Alright, no need to be polite. Be decisive. Don’t be awkward. Show the same decisiveness as when you called us old this afternoon.”

”You’re actually very charming. Truly.”

”Trying to make up for it now? Too late.”

Karon took off his coat, laid down on the bed, and went to sleep. Although this squad of the Whip of Order always appeared to be somewhat carefree, or even unreliable at times, the reality was that every member possessed very high professional competence. Perhaps it was precisely because their professional ability was so impressive that they could afford to be relaxed even when serious.

It was time to sleep and get some rest. Karon quickly fell asleep. Faintly, he heard the sound of the door opening when Fannie returned, but he did not fully wake. He then sensed her lying down beside him and falling asleep as well.

After that, there was only the steady ticking of the clock in the room.

Karon had thought his light sleep would continue until morning, but unexpectedly, as he slept, he began to feel heat. It came from deep within, it was as though a fire was being stirred. It was not desire, but some kind of energy attribute, or perhaps a spiritual imprint or inertia.

Karon instinctively began to search for the source of this sensation, and finally realized that the Darkmoon Blade within his body was slowly activating on its own.

The moment he understood the source, Karon immediately halted the operation of the technique. He sat up and saw that the person lying beside him was not Fannie, but Paige, and she was very close to him.

That had been dangerous. If the Darkmoon Blade had continued to activate, it was entirely possible that he would have directly sliced the woman in half.

Because she was lying beside her teammate, with someone else on watch, and Karon himself had released no killing intent, even the most vigilant person would have had difficulty guarding against an attack in those circumstances.

At the same time, in the room across the hall, Ophelia was holding her faintly red sword while performing her daily meditation. She opened her eyes in confusion.

”What is it, miss?” The female warrior beside her, who guarded Ophelia during her meditation, spoke with concern.

”I felt as though... I sensed something.”

”This is Ankara Hotel. There are many people from the ecclesiastical world staying here right now. Perhaps someone else, like you, is cultivating at night, and that caused some sort of resonance of energies.”

”Mm, that should be it.” Ophelia nodded, gently stroking the sword in her hand. The crimson light on the blade surged, and the aura of the Darkmoon Blade became extremely intense. She then closed her eyes again and resumed her interrupted meditation.

***

”Had a dream?” Fannie asked. She was sitting on the sofa with her feet on the coffee table, trimming her nails.

”Mm.” Karon nodded. ”First day on a mission. My mind was a little unsettled.”

”You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Fannie smiled. ”It’s not like I would think you couldn’t sleep because Paige is lying naked beside you.”

Karon heard this and glanced to the side, only to then realize that Paige was indeed not wearing any clothes. Strangely, he had not noticed earlier. Perhaps it was because she had already been naked around him earlier the day, which had led his subconscious to come to accept it as normal.

”Is she not worried that something might suddenly happen at night and she won’t have time to get dressed?”

”What does it matter if she is not wearing clothes?” Fannie said indifferently. ”Being seen a few times won’t cost her a piece of flesh. As long as she stays alive, that is enough.”

”Alright, I understand.”

”Was your previous life very peaceful?” Fannie asked.

”Yes.”

”No wonder. You’ll get used to it slowly.”

”I will.” Karon felt that Nio’s squad was like a mercenary unit. What Paige and Fannie displayed was not wantonness, but indifference. To them, not wearing clothes meant nothing at all. Even if they lost an arm or a leg, they would still grit their teeth and continue fighting. Those who constantly walked the edge of life and death often shed far more unnecessary burdens than ordinary people.

Karon got out of bed, poured himself a glass of ice water, and refilled Fannie’s coffee. He then sat down across from her. Sleep was no longer possible. It was already half past four in the morning, and it would soon be dawn.

Fannie continued trimming her toenails, blowing on them from time to time. ”How did you meet your girlfriend?”

”Our families arranged a match.”

”Heh, so old-fashioned.”

Karon nodded.

After a while, Fannie asked, ”Why don’t you ask about my relationship history? I just asked you, so according to etiquette, you should ask me in return.”

”Because I feel the question wouldn’t receive a good outcome.”

Fannie’s hand holding the nail clippers paused. ”I was like you before. At first, I was also an attached member. I met a man in the squad. He wasn’t handsome. In fact, he was somewhat ugly. But he said he liked me. So since he liked me, I started dating him. We were in the same squad anyway. I was younger back then than I am now...”

”You’re still not old. Truly, you are very charming.”

“Do you know what’s truly disgusting? Stabbing someone with a smile, then pretending to care while sprinkling sugar over the wound. What’s the point?”

”Alright.”

”Anyway, at the time, I thought that since we were in the same squad, there was no need for me to benefit some other man. So I just closed my eyes and stayed with him. When we slept together, I also kept my eyes closed.”

Karon listened silently.

After a while, Fannie asked again, ”Why do you not ask who that was? You met all of them today, didn’t you? Did you remember everyone’s names?”

”I did.”

”Are you not curious who it was?” Fannie asked.

Karon replied, ”You are no longer an attached member.”

”Damn it!” Fannie threw the nail clippers down onto the carpet and looked at Karon helplessly. ”Talking with you is no fun at all! There is no sense of anticipation. I mean, I have no sense of anticipation.”

”I am sorry...”

”Yes, you guessed right. He died. He died on a mission while protecting me. Then I was promoted, from an attached member to a full member.”

Karon nodded.

”Do you know what the last two things he said to me were, when he was lying in my arms, gravely injured and about to die?”

The last two things? Karon looked at Fannie, his expression showing difficulty.

”Try to guess,” she pressed.

”The next time we sleep together, could you not keep your eyes closed?”

”Damn it!” Fannie cursed. Clearly, Karon had guessed one of them correctly. ”And the second one? Hurry! Guess!”

”I can’t guess,” Karon said.

”Hurry, guess!”

Karon shifted his gaze toward the floor-to-ceiling window. ”I don’t want to always be the one behind.”

”Fuck!!” Fannie completely lost control.

”Did you or not?” Paige woke up, lying on the bed on her side, propping her head up with her hand as she looked over. ”Do you want me to let you have the bed?”

”If I didn’t know he’d passed the Divine Servant certification, I really would suspect this guy to be a Beguiler hiding within the ranks of the Church of Order!”

Karon licked his lips, feeling somewhat helpless. From the very beginning, he had not wanted to continue this topic of conversation.

”Hehe.” Paige laughed. ”A very interesting newcomer, truly.”

”You can try asking him about your own romantic history,” Fannie suggested. ”Trust me, there will be surprises.”

”Heh, I am not stupid. I woke up early and saw you dragging him into conversation, only to have him strip you bare with just a few sentences. No, not strip you bare, but pull your underwear over your head. Very interesting.”

”Do you know how the captain described him at the beginning? The captain said that since he was recommended by Mr. Pavaro, he would definitely become a completely different kind of brilliance in our squad. Now I realize that he’s actually darker than any of us.”

”Hehe.” Paige got out of bed and threw on a piece of clothing. She walked over, lit a cigarette, and looked at Karon. ”Isn’t that a good thing? Did you really expect some little white rabbit to join a pack of hunting hounds? When the time comes, someone would have to die to protect him. That would be true suffering.”

Karon asked, ”Today’s itinerary...”

Fannie said, ”The application for today’s itinerary was approved. We’ll depart for Allen Manor at ten in the morning. The higher-ups asked if we needed to increase the security detail, but I rejected that in the captain’s name. The captain himself would definitely reject it as well.”

”Of course it has to be rejected! The reward for a mission is calculated at the end. If another team intervenes midway, even if they only show up briefly, there will be disputes when it comes time to settle accounts,” Paige said.

”In addition, there is something else. This mission is being extended,” Fannie said. ”According to the higher-ups, if negotiations go smoothly, the church will establish a mission chapel on Darkmoon Island. The Darkmoon family will also allow a small number of their islanders and family members to adopt our faith. Our squad will then be responsible for escorting Miss Ophelia’s delegation back, and also we’ll be escorting the missionaries and other personnel assigned to Darkmoon Island.”

Karon asked, ”Does that mean our reward for this mission will be higher?”

“It’s like getting rewards for two missions while only doing one,” Paige replied.

Fannie smiled. ”More importantly, according to custom, when we leave Darkmoon Island, the Darkmoon family will definitely give us additional compensation, and that compensation will not be small. This will be equivalent to doing three missions at once.”

Paige sighed. ”Oh, I love York City. This is what a mission should be. No, this is what a real vacation is.”

***

In the morning, the doorbell rang.

”Go on,” Fannie said.

”Go on,” Paige said.

Karon stood up and opened the door to find the maid standing there. She told him, ”Miss would like to invite Mr. Karon to join her for breakfast.”

”Of course.” Karon walked into the room across the hall. A dining cart had already been pushed in, and it was filled with an array of extremely lavish food. Some of the dishes he had sampled at the banquet last night, and some he had not. At a glance, it was clear that everything was made from high-end ingredients that could only be purchased with credits. The standard of this meal was outrageously high. Even breakfast was this extravagant. The breakfast in his own room would definitely be nowhere near this.

Karon picked up a plate, loaded it with food from the cart, sat down, and began eating. After finishing one plate, he stood up again, went back to the cart, filled another plate, and sat down to continue. He felt that this breakfast had probably cost more than three months of Mr. Pavaro’s salary.

From beginning to end, Ophelia only tasted a few bites. Most of the time, she sat to the side, drinking milk and smiling as she watched Karon eat.

He thought to himself, What a waste. Couldn’t she just have bought some milk from a shop?

Finally, Karon was full.

”Veyn’s food is not as bad as I imagined before coming here,” Ophelia said with a smile.

”That is because, miss, what you are eating is not food that ordinary Veyn people can obtain.”

”Oh? So you mean it is a pity that I have not tasted that?”

”No. It is a blessing.”

”Hehe, you always make me feel happy, Mr. Karon.”

At that moment, Sinra spoke to remind her, ”Miss, it is time to prepare for today’s itinerary.”

Then she looked at Karon, indicating that he should excuse himself.

”Mm.” Ophelia nodded.

”Miss, I will wait for you outside.” Karon stood up and walked naturally to the dining cart. ”Miss, I will help you take the cart out.”

”Alright, thank you... very much.”

”There is no need to trouble Mr. Karon with that,” Sinra said as she stepped forward.

”It’s fine. I am happy to serve Miss Ophelia. There’s no need to be polite.” Karon smiled and insisted on pushing the dining cart out of the room. After closing the door, he pushed it straight into the room across the hall. Paige and Fannie immediately stood up and came over.

”Come, come, there’s good food.”

”Haha, this far exceeds the standard for guests at Ankara Hotel. They must have ordered it themselves. As expected of a major household from Darkmoon Island, even breakfast is this extravagant.”

”There’s so much! We’ll eat first, and then pack the rest into bags for later and take them to the captain and the others. The captain loves drake meat the most.”

Karon smiled. ”You two eat first. I’ll find some bags to pack.”

In the room across the hall, Ophelia looked at the spot where the dining cart had been and placed both hands over her stomach.

She was a martial practitioner. One of the traits of martial practitioners was a large appetite. At every meal, they required a great deal of food. At last night’s banquet, she had barely eaten at all, occupied entirely with socializing, and just now, in front of Karon, she had felt too embarrassed to actually eat and reveal her true appetite. She had only drunk a bit of milk to ease her hunger, planning to feast after Karon left, but...

”He... actually pushed the cart away.” Miss Ophelia bit her lower lip with her teeth, and said with a hint of grievance. ”I’m so hungry...”