13 Mink Street

Seated below, Karon looked at Delius, who sat at the middle of the negotiating table up above. In his mind appeared the image of Delius grabbing his father, Bishop Byrne, by the collar and demanding how he dared question his loyalty to Order. Then came the image of him being tormented by the space worm inside his body, clinging to the wall while in agony.

For a moment, Karon could no longer tell which one was the real him. Perhaps not even the upper ranks of the Church of Order could be sure. Otherwise, there would never have been that whole business of deliberately drugging him.

If Sithe had received the wrong coordinates, then who had provided those false coordinates in the first place?

Karon let his back curve a little more and adjusted himself into a more comfortable posture in the chair. Fortunately, he did not actually need to think about this situation, nor did he have to make any decision of his own. He was not a member of the Seventh Knight Regiment, and he was not the one trapped in that space, so he could cast off any sort of anxiety or irritation entirely and simply enjoy the clash playing out before him.

This was far more entertaining than a stage play. After all, a play needed a script, while reality often arrived bare and unwrapped.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, the two sides resumed negotiating, but compared with yesterday, today’s negotiation had lost far too much smoke. Everyone began actually haggling clause by clause, reviewing each point with care. There was none of yesterday’s spectacle to be seen, and the level of professionalism rose precipitously.

It was honestly difficult to imagine what sort of state of mind these very professional people had been in yesterday, forcing themselves to shout, spit, and roll up their sleeves like that.

This change only made things even more difficult for Paige and Fannie. They truly disliked this kind of solemn and rigid atmosphere. Before long, they started nodding off again.

Karon took out the notebook he had brought and kept scribbling here and there from time to time. He was not really taking notes, because he would likely never look through anything he wrote after this. He might even forget the notebook in the hotel room when checking out.

Still, it gave the whole thing a stronger sense of atmosphere and immersion.

As the negotiations deepened, time continued slipping by. At noon, Paige and Fannie woke from their sleep, went to the restroom to eat something, then came back and resumed dozing.

By a little past three in the afternoon, Karon could clearly feel his own hunger. This was not the sort of hunger that came from his stomach, but the kind where he noticed his thoughts starting to drift and his mind no longer able to concentrate as effectively. The negotiations were simply too captivating. He had been completely absorbed in them.

Karon took off his own coat and put on Fannie’s black trench coat instead. The style of the coat was quite neutral, so he did not feel particularly out of place wearing it. He stood and walked toward the restroom, but after only a few steps, he felt his feet growing heavy. This coat was really heavy.

When he reached the restroom entrance, Karon pulled out beef and orange juice from the coat’s inner lining. The beef was something like braised beef, with Veyn sauce so strong it bordered on overpowering, but when people were hungry, they tended to ignore a food’s shortcomings.

“I didn’t bring any food. How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? I thought there’d be a banquet at noon. The banquet hall was already prepared.” That was Leon’s voice.

“Damn these Pamirethians! They actually dare bite back at us. We really should have just killed them outright.” That was Larry’s voice.

“Right now, it isn’t a question of whether to kill them or not. They themselves know they’re not all that important. The real issue now is the church’s face.”

“Elder Sithe and the Seventh—”

“Silence! Is a Temple Elder really something you or I are qualified to even discuss?”

Karon, still chewing on beef, looked at Leon and Larry as they came over to wash their faces. At the same time, they were both looking at him. More precisely, they were looking at the large chunk of beef in his hand.

The two men licked their lips in unison. Because the meeting had run too late last night and they had gotten up late this morning, they had not even eaten breakfast. They had planned to solve their hunger entirely at the noon banquet, only to find that the banquet had fallen through as well.

“Give me some! Quick, give me some.” Leon came right up to Karon and urged him without the slightest politeness.

“Yes, yes, give me some too. Give me some too.” Larry also hurried over.

“I’ve already eaten from this,” Karon said.

“I don’t mind,” Leon replied.

“I don’t mind either.” Larry reached out to grab the beef in Karon’s hand.

“But I mind.” Karon stepped back two paces to avoid the two men.

“Wow, you can’t do this,” Leon pressed him.

“You ate our bread and milk yesterday. Friend, you can’t be this heartless.”

“What I mean is, I have more.” Karon slipped a hand into the trench coat pocket and took out a wrapped roast chicken and some sausages covered in plastic paper.

“Is there a lot?” Leon asked. “I mean, enough to share?”

“Enough for both of you.”

Larry immediately said, “Then we can’t eat here. Let’s go to the storage room over there.”

“Yes, over there.”

Farther down the corridor there was a storage room, neatly stacked with tables and chairs prepared for the conference hall. It was not very large. A table stood in the middle. Karon laid the food from the trench coat onto it, and the three of them each took a chair and sat down, beginning to wolf everything down.

While gnawing on a chicken thigh, Leon said, “When you escorted that Divine Progeny into the conference hall, I noticed those two women beside you in their swollen trench coats. I was laughing at you in my head for being so afraid of going hungry, not knowing lunch had already been arranged at the banquet. Who would have thought that the idiot would end up being me?”

Larry immediately said, “It’s all those Pamirethian bastards’ fault! Today was supposed to be the day the negotiations ended smoothly, and a celebration banquet held at noon, but at this pace, things may drag on until midnight again.”

Leon looked at the pile of food on the table and said, “There’s enough here for the three of us to have another dinner.”

Karon nodded. “My two companions still have another trench coat. This here is just for the three of us.”

“Exactly, which means we can’t stand outside the restroom eating it this time. If a bunch of starving people stare at you, you won’t be able to bring yourself not to give them any.”

At last, all three of them were full. They leaned back in their chairs and let out long satisfied groans.

From the earlier conversation during the meal, Karon had learned that Larry’s grandfather was also a Bishop. That explained why the two of them could loiter outside a bit longer without worrying about being summoned back or leaving a bad impression.

Karon did not really have much of a problem either. He was security, and no one was suddenly going to look for him to do anything. Still, he actually rather wanted to get back inside sooner to resume watching how the negotiations unfolded. But seeing these two genuine assistants to the negotiating delegation still idling, it felt a little inappropriate for him, a bodyguard, to put on a show of being overly diligent.

Larry placed one hand on his stomach while using a chicken bone in the other to pick his teeth, then let out a long sigh. “There’s really been a lot of bad news for the church this past year. Sigh.”

The scene was a familiar one to Karon. Once people had eaten and drunk their fill, they naturally began talking about major affairs. The difference was that the two currently chatting were not like others who idle bragged about nonsense. They had access to real information.

Leon echoed Larry, “Everyone knows the situation is changing somehow, and our church has internal problems too. Some time ago, there was actually an Expositor who used the corpses of ordinary girls to gather resentment and refine an artifact spirit. It’s ridiculous.”

“Yes, and that was even exposed in public. Caused us to lose a lot of face.”

“And it was Vicolay who exposed it, hehe.”

“You really think he was the one behind it? That guy is just as much of an idiot as his grandfather,” Larry mocked Vicolay without holding back at all.

Leon then turned to Karon and asked, “Do you know Vicolay?”

“No.”

“If you ever run into him in the future, stay far away. There’s something wrong with that guy’s head.” Larry tapped his forehead. “That whole family has problems with their heads. Their greed is too unsightly. That brat used to try currying favor with us, always wanting to tag along and play with us, but none of us took him in. Being with him just lowers your own standing.”

That provided Vicolay’s image among the young masters. He had clearly been marginalized and excluded. Thinking back to how Vicolay had once deliberately lifted the corner of his mouth and mentioned in front of Karon that his grandfather was a Bishop, Karon also felt there really was something wrong with the man’s head.

That also explained why, when he had held a meeting in his own jurisdiction, his own grandfather had personally made an appearance to show support. Apparently, Vicolay’s grandfather also had terrible standing among the Bishops of York City. No one had been willing to help him build a proper platform, so he had no choice but to go in person.

“The gods are about to awaken. That sort of news is everywhere now. It seems every church has made corresponding moves. Honestly, I’m actually looking forward to it.” Larry licked his lips. “I really want to see, while I’m still alive, what it looks like when a true god descends.”

Leon glanced at him. “Don’t say that in front of your grandfather, or you’d best watch your backside.”

“I’m not stupid, but I am genuinely curious. Even if the epoch of the gods’ awakening is soon approaching, why do I feel... like Grandfather and the others have a strange attitude toward it? In the previous epoch, our God of Order suppressed who knows how many deities. If they all descend now, what do we have to worry about?”

Leon nodded. “Yes, I’ve had the same doubt. Grandfather and the others are clearly reacting very differently to these signs than we are. Recently, the church has been constantly reaching cooperation agreements with various forces. It feels like they’re being too cautious, almost like they’re preparing in advance for the gods’ awakening.”

Karon listened silently and did not interrupt.

“The main issue is that disturbance in the Temple of Order. It put out far too many bad signals to the outside world, letting others make associations they shouldn’t and triggered thoughts they shouldn’t have,” Larry said.

“Heh, there’s an inside story to that, you know.” Leon looked at Larry with great satisfaction.

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“That’s all I know, because that’s what my grandfather told me, that there’s an inside story. He wouldn’t tell me what it was. He probably doesn’t know all that much himself.”

“If even your grandfather doesn’t know much, it must be something extremely serious.”

“Who knows?” Leon shrugged.

Karon nodded along in agreement.

“All right, it’s getting late. Let’s head back to the conference hall first.” Larry packed up all the remaining food on the table and hid it in a corner of the storage room. Then, the three of them left together and returned to the conference hall.

Inside, the negotiations were still going on. The progress proved much faster than Karon had expected, because they were already discussing the matter of opening the Herald’s Domain to the Temple of Order.

Leon’s grandfather sternly said, “This is our bottom line. We may grant the Church of Pamireth some degree of freedom in worldly affairs and missionary work, but if the Herald’s Domain is not opened to our Temple of Order, then this so-called merger is nothing but a joke. Even at the cost of a Temple Elder and the Seventh Knight Regiment, Order will not yield on this fundamental principle.”

Delius said, “What I mean is, we agree to open it, but the teleportation arrays between the two spaces should be managed and maintained by each side independently. We could even agree to exchange responsibilities and allow each side to maintain the other’s teleportation array.”

“No. The teleportation arrays must be controlled by our Church of Order. On this point there is absolutely no room for discussion. I will not allow it to be skipped over or shelved. It must be decided right now. Otherwise, every clause negotiated before this becomes void. I can declare the negotiations end at this very moment, and the Church of Order will issue a divine decree and declare war on Pamireth. I am not threatening you. I am stating a fact.

“And I will not give you much time to think. Before nightfall, you must give me a clear answer.”

Delius took a deep breath and slowly let it out again. In the end, he still nodded. “Very well. Let that clause be settled that way. Let us continue with the next one.”

“Good. Continue.”

Things continued in that manner until nine at night. Leon and Larry stood and went out again, both of them deliberately looking toward where Karon was seated. Karon rose and followed them out. The three of them quickly finished off all the food left from the previous meal.

“Pamireth conceded too much this time. They still retain part of their main framework instead of being completely broken up according to the original plan. Once the merger goes through, that’ll easily cause problems on the worldly side. The integration won’t progress to the expected effect.”

Larry nodded. “But once the ship has run aground, the only choice left is to land on the island.”

Leon looked at Karon and asked on his own initiative, “What do you think?”

Karon answered in a way that fit his current persona very well, “I’m still more inclined toward going straight to war, because I believe only the fist guarantees the defense of Order.”

“That’s exactly what I think too,” Larry agreed with some helplessness. “So when I compare the historical records of our church with the current situation, I genuinely feel that the people up above us right now have clearly lost their edge. They seem to have forgotten how our church’s position was won in the first place.”

Leon said, “They simply consider more than we do. If every matter is solved with fists, then one day, those fists will shatter themselves, just like the Church of Light back then.”

“Consider more? The church has so many internal problems right now, but while they’re considering things, when have they actually started handling any of them? You know, Leon, sometimes I sincerely feel that right now, the Church is like a corpse lying in a coffin, steadily rotting away with the passage of time. What it needs now is awakening! Awakening!

“Everyone knows that once a corpse awakens, its spirituality will continue to leak away and disappear, but if the corpse has already rotted completely, then even Awakening Arts will no longer be able to Awaken it.”

“These are not things we can affect right now. Just wait a little longer. Once you take your old man’s seat, you can start pushing things according to your own ideas.”

“And your old man?”

“My grandfather can still move up the ranks a bit further.”

“Tch.” Larry rolled his eyes at Leon.

At that moment Karon said, “I think there is actually no need to worry too much, because don’t the other churches have their own problems too? In the end, this is still a world where everyone is competing to be less rotten.”

“A world where everyone is competing to be less rotten?” Larry chewed on the phrase, then turned to look at Karon. “That’s a very interesting way to put it.”

Leon checked his watch and urged, “Let’s go. Back inside.”

The three of them returned to the conference room again.

In the end, the meeting concluded at midnight. The negotiators from both sides exchanged their respective first draft treaties that had already been settled. Those drafts would later be sent to the upper ranks of their own churches. Only after receiving the response from above could tomorrow’s meeting proceed to the next stage.

After escorting Delius back to his room, Karon had not even had time to enter his own room when the blue shell at his ear transmitted the captain’s voice, “The elevator. Receive him.”

Karon pointed at his ear, signaling Fannie and Paige to go in first, and he walked to the elevator.

The doors opened, and out stepped Bishop Byrne. He once again handed Karon his identification for inspection. After Karon checked it, he led Bishop Byrne to knock on Delius’s door and entered the room.

Originally, Karon had thought the conversation between father and son would go something like this:

“Damn it, what exactly are you doing?!”

“Heh. I was merely following your instructions and fighting to secure the greatest possible advantage for Pamireth.”

But in reality, Bishop Byrne looked at Delius, who was seated on the sofa, and praised him, “You did very well, extremely well, my son. You are my pride.”

A faint trace of confusion appeared in Delius’s eyes. Perhaps he had expected the same scene as Karon.

“Very well, perfectly done. I am very satisfied.” Bishop Byrne walked up to his son and reached out, as if intending to touch his son’s head, but father and son had not seen each other for so many years that they had long since forgotten how they were supposed to behave with one another.

In the end, Bishop Byrne merely patted Delius on the arm. “Truly, I am very satisfied with how you performed today. It was flawless.”

A clear look of tension appeared on Delius’s face. Karon could tell this was an urgent kind of anxiety, because things might already be slipping out of his control.

Bishop Byrne walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked out at the nightscape outside, and said nothing more.

At last Delius could no longer hold back. He rose from the sofa, looked at his father’s back, and asked, “Did I anger you? Is that why you’re deliberately saying these things, just to recover your dignity?”

“Shh...” Bishop Byrne made a gesture for silence. “Quiet. Listen carefully.”

Karon listened seriously as well, but heard no other sound at all. This room could completely isolate outside sound and perception, so what exactly were they supposed to be listening to?

Delius asked that question for Karon, “Listening to what, exactly?”

Bishop Byrne turned around, smiling. Under the room’s lighting, his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window formed a second, similar figure. The smile on the reflected Bishop Byrne looked somewhat sinister.

“Listen,” he said. “To the sound of a brick hitting the ground.”