13 Mink Street

Before this, no one would have ever imagined that a noble and exalted Temple Elder would descend upon this place.

The standing of a Temple Elder was simply too high. In name, they ranked beneath the church’s High Priests, but in reality, when several Temple Elders sat down together to talk, the High Priest could only remain standing at the side, without even the privilege of being offered a chair.

They were transcendent figures, the guardians of the Temple, and were universally acknowledged as those closest to the God of Order.

Ordinarily, they did not appear in the mundane affairs of church administration. Though there was no written rule to that effect, it was an understanding maintained over a very long time, a silent mutual accord. When their appearance truly became necessary, it usually meant that something major was about to happen, or was already happening, within the church.

For example, when the Church of Order had declared war on the Church of Reincarnation not long ago, Elders of the Temple of Order had personally appeared to lead the knight regiments.

After the united greeting and reverent obeisance, the several hundred lights in the space all fell into silence. They were waiting for instruction from the Temple Elder.

Karon also fell silent, because he had never rehearsed anything like the scene before him. He genuinely had no idea that the mask Tiz had left behind would have this kind of effect in a place like this. The only explanation was that it was simply too advanced. So advanced that, under normal circumstances, even if one wanted to study it or test its limits, they would never have the opportunity.

It could only reveal itself without warning, granting either a pleasant surprise... or a fright.

Karon lowered his attention again and found that Eisen’s black light had become a little square. One did not even need the consciousness information released from within the light cluster. From its shape alone, one could guess exactly what kind of emotions Eisen was feeling: astonishment... incomprehension... confusion... shock.

Karon’s transformation upon entering this space had successfully allowed a severely socially withdrawn and autistic patient to experience multiple violent emotions in an instant.

In his mind, Eisen recalled what Captain Nio had said to him earlier, when he stepped out of the ritual array circle: “Take Karon in and let him broaden his horizons.”

Right. My horizons have certainly been broadened.

Karon forced his emotions back under control. He knew he had to stay calm. If this matter was handled poorly, the consequences could be severe.

He had already appeared. A Temple Elder had manifested out of nowhere. If that same Temple Elder were then to vanish just as inexplicably, it would invite immediate scrutiny and deep suspicion.

The identities of those present were confidential only in a limited sense. The true upper ranks of the church would certainly possess records of who each individual really was. As for the three Whip of Order squads involved in this exercise, their identities were open and traceable. Following those threads upward, both his own identity and the captain’s could be exposed.

This matter had already risen too high. The Church of Order would investigate it at the highest level. Real Temple Elders might even become involved. That meant having Eisen spirit him away at once was no longer an option.

Since Karono could not leave, he would have to stay. He would remain as a genuine Temple Elder, or rather, as someone convincing enough to pass for one. He would be a senior figure who had taken interest in the matter and descended to inspect it personally.

So long as he did not arouse the suspicions of those below, those above would likely not trouble themselves over it. To the real Temple Elders, it would seem like no more than one of their number indulging a moment of curiosity. Everything now depended on whether Karon could carry the role.

The scene before him reminded him of the townhouse on Mink Street where Ms. Molly had lived. That night, Karon had sat at the bedside while Alfred and Ms. Molly had knelt before him, worshipping him as a heretical god, as some great hidden existence.

At the time, Karon had been in a genuine panic, surviving only by feigning composure. This time was different. He now had experience. Since leaving Swillen for Veyn, he had seen enough and changed enough to stand steadier than before.

Having made his decision, Karon did not speak first. Instead, he drifted closer to the central tier.

Eisen’s black mote remained where it was, motionless. Fortunately, remaining motionless was one of his finest talents.

Karon would never dare involve his uncle in whatever performance came next. Standing there like an attendant in service to a Temple Elder was more than enough. Everyone present had seen the great gilded red presence enter alongside the black mote. Given the latter’s weight and standing, serving as a Temple Elder’s attendant only made the larger fiction more convincing.

As Karon advanced, every other light in the chamber retreated in silence, yielding space with visible reverence.

The chamber itself was arranged like a pyramid. Originally, the ten red presences had occupied the apex, but no longer. The moment Karon moved forward, they all withdrew, and a new summit formed around him.

Once occupying that highest tier, Karon discovered that clear divisions separated each level below. Thought and intent did not pass freely between them. Lower tiers could not perceive what came from above unless the upper levels deliberately allowed it.

When he finally settled into the space that had been yielded to him, Karon gave his first words to the chamber. His voice was calm, measured, without emotion or haste, as though he were the rightful master of this place, and the hundreds gathered below were merely visitors. “Continue your work.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

All of the lights resumed their work, even those who temporarily had nothing to do put on the appearance of being busy.

Only the light cluster representing Eisen remained standing there blankly.

Karon spoke again, this time to the dozen or so presences nearest him, “How does it stand?”

“Reporting to the Elder, the test is proceeding smoothly.”

“Reporting to the Elder, all is advancing according to the established design.”

“I have no interest in pleasantries; Tell me what problems arose during the test.”

“Reporting to the Elder, several minor issues did occur. Of the three Whip of Order squads selected this time, two followed the established process exactly as intended. The third has already been withdrawn from the test and is now waiting for the next reset, at which point they will be sent out and returned to reality.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Reporting to the Elder, when the test subjects were chosen, I requested a control group be included. In response, those above assigned a squad widely regarded as exceptionally capable to this operation. They... proved worthy of their reputation.

“We employed additional measures to correct the situation, but in the end, that squad still failed to become fully immersed in the fractured-time state.

“Please be at ease, Elder. We will exercise greater care next time. That squad, no, squads of that kind, will not be included among future test subjects.”

“Foolish.”

At once, all the red light clusters around him dimmed substantially, clearly because direct criticism from a Temple Elder placed immense pressure upon them.

In truth, because of Tiz, Karon had always lacked any clear understanding of what a “Temple Elder” really was. Or more precisely, he had been unable to ever form a clear understanding at all.

One had to remember that the Church of Pamireth, as a medium-sized church, possessed only a single existence within its Herald’s Domain comparable to a Temple Elder, even though that existence had chosen to seal himself due to the chaos of his own faith-consciousness.

The moment gold appeared upon you, the moment you condensed a godhead shard, you had stepped into an entirely different hall, one that others could never glimpse even once in their whole lives.

Because your existence has become linked to the very word “god.”

Karon also realized that the pressure generated by his words seemed to have gone a little too far. He wanted things to feel as natural as possible, to make everyone around him feel that this was real and also feel at ease. Only in that way could his “sudden appearance” have a plausible transition. So Karon deliberately softened his tone again. “Impressive figures on paper are meaningless to us. The purpose of testing is to expose flaws.”

“We are instructed.”

“We are instructed.”

“Squads like that should be brought in more often, not less. Do not fear problems, and do not fear failure. Rhanedar himself failed to produce a true result in his day, did he not?

“Take things slowly. However urgent the matter may seem, never look for shortcuts. It is the same upon the path of faith. Every shortcut you think you see is merely a false road. Only what is walked step by step, with steady footing, is ever the shortest path.”

“We shall remember your teaching.”

“We shall remember your teaching.”

“Elder, by your meaning, should we summon that squad back next time and continue the test?”

Karon fell silent. To continue the testing would mean his squad could reap the rewards of this assignment many times over in the future, but the problem was the sheer risk involved.

This was only the initial trial. Everything had only just begun. Once the later stages were refined and intensified, even with one prior experience behind them, there was no guarantee that next time, or the time after that, no one from his squad would lose themselves.

A mission like this was no different from testing drugs for a pharmaceutical company. If given a choice, few people would volunteer for that kind of money. His squad was not short of chances to compete for other high-reward assignments, so...

“Since that squad has already gone through it once, let the matter rest for now. What we need at present is broader, more fruitful exploration. Do not expect to grow stout from a single loaf.”

“We shall abide by your instruction.”

Karon felt that the moment to withdraw had arrived. His form drifted upward again, but at that moment, one of the red presences spoke, “Elder, this subordinate has a matter to report.”

You do love hearing yourself speak. Karon could only halt and reply, “Speak.”

“This subordinate has observed that the current level of testing is clearly insufficient.”

“Oh? In what way?”

“In every way. Ordinary Whip of Order squads are not of a high enough caliber to serve as test subjects. More importantly, because the subjects are our own people, many methods cannot be applied by force.

“On the other hand, our own methods remain too limited. In certain respects... we are overly restrained.”

In simple terms, the test subjects and the testing methods were limiting one another.

“And your proposal?” Karon asked.

“Once the preliminary phase concludes, we can seize demonkin or criminals and use them as subjects. At the same time, we can invite, or capture, Beguilers to broaden our methods and increase the intensity.”

After the suggestion was made, Karon noticed how calm the surrounding red presences remained. This was likely the view shared by the entire group; unsurprising given that they were the ones overseeing the project directly.

“I do not agree.”

The red presence that had spoken faltered for only a moment before bowing again in reverence. “As you command.”

“You cannot guarantee that every subject brought in will truly deserve it, nor can you guarantee that any Beguilers you seize would not exploit this environment for their own ends.

“Furthermore, once something goes wrong, the church’s reputation will suffer. So long as you place this proposal before me openly, I cannot approve it.”

“As you command. My sight was too shallow.”

Karon began to drift upward, but just before leaving the summit tier, he paused once more. “But let it be understood that I was not here today. In truth, I was never here, was I?”

They understood at once.

“No, Elder, you were not here.”

“You were never here.”

The replies came swiftly, and the excitement in the voices was impossible to miss. The meaning was clear: a Temple Elder could never openly endorse something so morally stained, but if he had never been present, he had never heard the proposal either.

No announcements. No formal approval. No written sanction. If they wished to proceed quietly, they could do so quietly.

To the red presences, such unspoken permission was worth more than any explicit order. What they likely did not realize was that this Temple Elder sincerely wanted them to believe that he had never been there at all.

When Karon’s great gilded presence drifted to the edge and stopped in front of Eisen, he gently stated, “We’re leaving.”

Temple Elders did not trouble themselves with minor tasks. Something as simple as opening a ritual array would naturally be left to an attendant.

To Karon’s relief, Eisen asked no questions and showed no sign of confusion. He merely traced a new ritual array before them in silence.

Behind them, hundreds of voices rang out together, “We respectfully send off the Temple Elder!”

Light blossomed from the array, enveloping both Karon and Eisen. The next instant, they stood outside the signpost once more. Karon became Karon again. Eisen became Eisen again.

Captain Nio had remained nearby the entire time. The moment Karon emerged, he stepped forward and asked, “Well? Was it fun in there?”

“Fun,” Karon quipped.

“Broadened your horizons?”

“I did,” Eisen answered.

Karon quickly spoke up, “Captain, it’s late. We should return to the sealed room.”

“Mhmm. Agreed.” Nio nodded. “Let’s go.”

Nio and Eisen both put on the masks crafted by Lemar, and their figures vanished at once. The marked locations tied to those identities were inside the sealed room. As soon as they appeared where they should not, the system corrected things. What sustained the logic of the space was likely the intellect Rhanedar had left behind in that chamber.

Karon reached up and grabbed the edge of the silver mask on his face. He felt that his grandpa’s mask should be used as little as possible in the future. When needed, Mr. Pavaro’s face would be the safer choice.

Tiz’s life could not possibly have been spent entirely on Mink Street as a mere Inquisitor. Otherwise, how could young Tiz have managed to condense a godhead shard? He must have lived through far more than anyone knew. It was simply that he had fallen into slumber before he could sit by the fire in winter and tell those stories slowly to his grandson.

Using Tiz’s mask brought the thrill of borrowing a tiger’s might, but if the act ever failed, Karon’s identity would be exposed, and every arrangement and sacrifice Tiz had made would lose all meaning.

It seemed those stories would have to wait until Tiz awoke and could tell them to his great-grandchildren instead.

This incident had reminded Karon of something else as well: in matters of caution and detail, he still fell short of his captain. He only hoped that this affair would not stir up trouble for either of them.

Karon removed his mask, and the world changed at once. He opened his eyes to find himself seated in the chair again. Instinctively, he straightened.

The moment he moved, he saw Marlow, seated diagonally across from him, leap to his feet in fury and begin gesticulating wildly at him, the man’s mouth moving in a stream of silent abuse.

Fortunately, barriers isolated each seat. Marlow could neither approach nor make any sound. Perhaps because of that, he was venting himself freely. He knew he could not beat Karon in a fight.

Being nearly shot in the head by a teammate for no reason at all was enough to drive anyone into a rage. What made it worse was that after firing, said teammate had simply sat down and gone to sleep.

When Richard saw that Karon was awake, he immediately began enthusiastically signing to him again in the hand language he had invented two hours earlier.

Karon ignored him.

Turning his head, he looked at Eisen, seated beside the captain. The man was staring fixedly at Karon.

Ah. The biggest problem now was Eisen. If the captain learned the truth, it would still be manageable, but how was Karon supposed to explain things to Eisen?

Karon truly did not dare reveal the truth to the Gorman family. Not every family placed blood above all else like the Immers family did. In truth, such devotion was rare not only in church circles, but in ordinary society as well.

Derron was not Tiz.

Tiz would protect his family at any cost, but Derron, under normal circumstances, would naturally prefer harmony at home, but if family and faith ever came into conflict, who could say the old man would choose righteousness over kin?

Yet Eisen’s unblinking stare made Karon deeply uncomfortable, so he raised a hand and pointed toward Richard, seated beside him. Uncle, look at your son.

Richard noticed the gesture at once and immediately turned to look at the newcomer, Memphis. The young man then again started signing rapidly.

He first made a waving motion with his arm, meaning to wait. He then pointed to himself, and then at Memphis. After that, Richard held his left palm beneath his chin, opened his mouth, while scooping at it with his right hand.

After that, he put on a thoroughly satisfied expression and patted his chest, signaling that everything was under control.

At last, Eisen’s gaze shifted away from Karon and locked onto his beloved son instead.

Karon could only sigh inwardly. As expected of them, a bond of deep fatherly affection.