13 Mink Street

”Stupid dog, just how many things did you do for the God of Order?”

”Woof, woof.”

Alfred translated, ”Rhanedar says that he only had a transactional relationship with the God of Order. He would do certain things for the God of Order, and the God of Order would give him compensation in return.”

Pu’er asked, ”Then did you ever refuse a request from the God of Order?”

”Woof.”

”Generally, no.”

Pu’er blinked and said, ”Then weren’t you basically just a dog the God of Order kept.”

”...” Kevin.

It was not only Kevin who lost his voice, but everyone present, including Pu’er herself. The moment she finished speaking, she also found herself at a loss for words, her cat eyes involuntarily darting toward Karon.

In any case, the entire bedroom abruptly went quiet. It was Karon who finally broke the silence, “In that era, who wasn’t like a dog before the God of Order?”

Kevin immediately nodded, then moved over to rest his chin on Karon’s knee. Karon reached out and rubbed the bald head.

Pu’er promptly changed the subject as well. “No wonder you were sealed away; People used to do others’ dirty work rarely meet good endings. Once they’re used up, they get discarded.”

Kevin gave two resentful snorts, but did not refute her.

”So, where exactly is the gods’ cemetery?” Karon asked.

”Karon, are you seriously planning to go to that place?” Pu’er asked in surprise. ”That place is extremely dangerous. Even the God of Light went there three times, while the God of Order ultimately chose to seal it and cast it away.”

Karon shook his head. ”The location itself is already of enormous value.”

”That’s true,” Pu’er immediately agreed. ”Just like how your captain bluffed that woman. If you really have the exact address in hand, you’ll be in a much better position to bluff.”

”Woof, woof.”

”Rhanedar says he assisted the God of Order with the arrangements, but in the end, the cemetery was exiled into the void by the God of Order. Still, he does have the coordinates.”

”The coordinates in the void?”

”Woof, woof.”

”Rhanedar says it’s a contingency he deliberately left for himself back then. He prepared certain measures inside of the cemetery, and through those, he can determine its current coordinates by resonance.”

Pu’er immediately said, “Heh, even when doing a dog’s work, you still dared to leave something behind? If that doesn’t get you killed, what would?”

”...” Kevin.

Karon asked, ”Can the coordinates be sensed now?”

”Woof.”

”He says another layer of his seal needs to be removed before he can establish the resonance.”

”Hahaha!” Pu’er burst out laughing. ”So this is where it was leading! This is where it was leading! The stupid dog’s setup was waiting here all along!”

”Woof.”

”Those coordinates will only recognize his aura. No one else can do it in his place.”

”Very well, I believe you, but I still don’t have any confidence in unlocking the second layer of your seal right now. This isn’t just a matter of strength, but also of understanding ritual arrays. Let’s wait until later. When the time is right, I’ll undo the second layer for you. In any case, the exact location of that cemetery is not important for now.”

Kevin looked at Karon and gave a simple, honest grin, as though telling him he completely believed Karon’s reasoning. ”Woof.”

”He says that if you go to that cemetery, Young Master, he can awaken—” Alfred stopped halfway through his translation to glare at Kevin. ”You’ve crossed a line!”

Kevin immediately lowered his head and stopped barking so recklessly.

Karon asked, ”Kevin, do you know what exactly happened in that cemetery back then?”

”Woof! Woof! Woof!”

”He says he doesn’t know. He only arranged things on the perimeter and never went deep inside. But even from the perimeter, he could hear roars coming from the depths of the cemetery.”

”Woof! Woof!”

”He also says he never once saw the true body of the God of Order. The God of Order always transacted with him through will alone.”

Pu’er laughed. ”At least now you get to see Karon.”

Karon could not help recalling what he had seen through Kevin’s memory window, that moment when Rhanedar had killed the Sea God. Only the Throne of Order had appeared above to help suppress the god; The God of Order Himself had not appeared.

Kevin was not lying.

This also confirmed something else. Back when Karon had undergone purification and had drawn out auras of both Light and Order, the dog had been so frightened he had been left foaming at the mouth. Clearly, even at the height of his power, Rhanedar had still been utterly insignificant before the God of Light or the God of Order.

Even among gods, there were ranks.

But no matter what, for an ordinary youth who had walked out from an island to stand at the height of godhood, Rhanedar possessed absolutely terrifying talent.

Karon decided to end this topic. Such myths were still far too distant from them. Even with an indirect witness sitting right before them, these matters were not something he could touch upon for now. ”Alfred, how are things progressing with the coffins?”

”Saman’s coffin has already been delivered to Allen Manor. The Allen family has also begun refitting the performance hall and reproducing the coffin. Mr. Anderson assured me the matter will be handled in complete secrecy. Once the second coffin is completed, your subordinate will personally go to Allen Manor to begin the next stage.”

”There’s no rush for that. Earl Rekar is still in self-sealing. I’d better be there in person to Awaken him. If you go, it may not be convenient.”

More likely, Earl Rekar simply would not trust Alfred at all. For Earl Rekar, every extra moment after being Awakened meant another portion of spiritual power that was lost.

”Young Master, you are as thoughtful as ever. Then once you return from Darkmoon Island, the two of us can go to Allen Manor together. I believe that by then, the eleven coffins and the ritual array in the performance hall should already be completed.”

Hearing that, Pu’er could not help saying, ”So after visiting your mistress, you’re going to go comfort your wife too?”

”Alfred, prepare my luggage, and also prepare a gift. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll avoid the people of the Church of Order and go personally, in front of the people of Darkmoon Island alone, to offer flowers at Bernard’s grave. Mm, as a descendant of Poelle Allen.”

”Meow!!!”

***

Early in the morning, after breakfast, Karon planned to go to the study and read. The books he had inherited from the previous owner of his apartment were wonderfully rich. It was not that there was an absurd quantity, but that there were many genuinely interesting books among the selection.

As he passed through the yard, Karon saw Dasha guiding Dora and Dorin. The three were seated together sketching flowers in the flowerbed.

Karon had not intended to stop, because his status within the household was special. If he lingered even just a little too long, the two little girls and their tutor would stand up and greet him.

However, Dinkom came running from the front of the shop, forcing Karon to stop. ”Boss, Pike, Pike, he...”

”What happened to Pike?”

”It looks like he’s about to undergo Divine Seeking!”

The two Divine Servants who had originally been assigned to the Pavaro Funeral Home both had rather mediocre talent. If they had not been so mediocre, it would have been hard for them to be assigned to this Inquisition in the first place. This was not intended as disrespect toward Mr. Pavaro, but just the simple truth.

For young people who wanted a future, being placed under an Inquisitor who always remained at the very bottom rank would make it difficult to find any room for advancement.

Moreover, because of his own family circumstances, Mr. Pavaro had probably never had much energy to train or guide his two assistants, which was why they were still Divine Servants even now.

However, their situation had changed once Karon had become the boss of the funeral home.

Following Dinkom, Karon went to the front hall. Pike was standing there, holding a bottle of soda, slowly turning in circles on the spot by himself.

”Pi—” Karon stopped Dinkom from calling out and instead walked over himself.

Pike saw Karon and even smiled at him. He was clearly holding a bottle of soda in his hand, yet he looked as though he were already drunk. ”Boss... good morning...”

”Come sit in my study.”

”If you tell me to go to your study and I go to your study, where does that leave my dignity?” Pike laughed even as he spoke.

Karon frowned slightly. Did other people really enter this sort of drunken state before entering Divine Seeker? He certainly had not. At the time, he had merely sat down on the steps and begun Divine Seeker. Yet Karon also knew that his own experience was not something that could be generalized and offered no universal value.

Karon’s face darkened. ”To my study. Now.”

”Fine, I’ll go. Why are you being so fierce? I’m scared.” Even in his drunken state, the fear he normally felt toward Karon was still clearly present.

Pike, clutching his soda bottle, wobbled his way toward Karon’s study. Seeing this, Dinkom hurried forward to support him.

At that moment Alfred also came over. He took one careful look at Pike and immediately realized what was happening. He promptly went over to Dasha and indicated that she needed to take the two girls back inside and continue their lessons there for the time being.

Without asking why, Dasha immediately packed up Dora’s and Dorin’s drawing things and led them back indoors.

”Young Master, should we set things up in the study?” Alfred asked.

”Yes.”

”Shall your subordinate make some arrangements first?”

”No need. Keep everything as usual. It’s only a Divine Seeking.”

By the time Karon entered the study, Pike was already seated in a chair, lifting the soda bottle to his mouth and guzzling it. After taking a huge gulp, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, let out a long sigh, and cried out, ”My life is so bitter!”

Karon sat down behind the desk. Alfred brought in a glass of ice water and set it before him.

Dinkom was preparing to leave the study, but Karon glanced over at him. Alfred stepped forward to block Dinkom, indicating that he should remain inside the study and observe.

At that moment, the inner study door was pushed open, and Pu’er arrived, riding on Kevin’s back. Although there was nothing especially worth seeing about a Divine Seeking, a Divine Seeking that happened in front of Karon was obviously of great interest to the two.

Karon picked up the glass and took a sip of water.

Pike, sitting in his chair, continued his drunken madness, but gradually grew calmer. It seemed as though he were about to fall asleep.

It’s about to begin. Karon leaned back into his chair, folded his hands before himself, and silently watched Pike.

About three minutes later, the man suddenly went stiff, and his entire aura instantly concentrated.

At the same time, Karon’s head rose and he looked up at the ceiling of the study. He could sense someone up there, observing him. It was Pike.

When a person underwent Divine Seeking, there was always a brief period of ”observation.” It was equivalent of one’s god helping them to re-recognize and re-examine the world. Karon was sitting directly in front of Pike, and was also Pike’s boss, so the object of Pike’s observation was Karon.

However, the sensation came quickly and departed just as quickly. Generally speaking, the longer that period of observation lasted during Divine Seeker, the more beneficial it would be to the person’s future development, and the more it revealed the quality of their talent.

At the time of Karon’s Divine Seeker, it was precisely the length of this stage of observation that had shocked Bede so much.

In contrast, the duration of Pike’s period of observation was far too short.

Is it already over? Without thinking, Karon stretched out a hand, wanting to give Pike a pull. Karon himself did not even know in what way help might be given at this time, as he had never heard of any outside force being able to assist during Divine Seeking.

Still, Pike was one of Karon’s own people, and would later become his subordinate. For the sake of one’s own, it was only natural to try to secure as much benefit for them as possible.

A black chain emerged from beneath Karon’s feet. It instantly climbed up the desk, then rose once more. It shot diagonally towards a space ahead of Karon, and while in midair it suddenly split into two sections. One continued upward, winding through the void around something that no one in the study except Karon could see, while the other wrapped right around Pike’s body where he sat in the chair.

The observation time, which should have been ending, was forcibly suspended. It was like a door that had been falling down, only to have Karon hoist it back up by brute force.

Karon himself had not expected such a thing to happen. The chains he could summon had always seemed to possess the ability to act upon the intangible existences. They could not be used for physical attacks, yet the effects they could produce were stranger than direct attacks.

At that moment, there were two Pikes in the study: one sat in a chair, while the other floated in the air.

Within Karon’s own body arose a deep, numbing ache. Clearly, maintaining this state placed no small burden on him. Fortunately, he could still endure it for the moment.

Dinkom stared at this scene in shock. He had truly never known that Divine Seeking could involve something like this.

Standing beside him, Alfred quietly commented, ”To be able to work under Young Master is the greatest opportunity of your life. I hope you understand how to treasure it properly.”

”Yes, I understand.” Dinkom immediately nodded.

”You’re smarter than Pike, yet Pike is entering Divine Seeker before you. Sometimes, that extra bit of cleverness can instead become the very thing that harms you.”

”Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Alfred. Then what should I do?”

”Be devout.”

”My devotion to the God of Order...”

”The one changing your fate, the one presently changing your fate, the one who has already changed your fate, is not the distant God of Order.”

”This...” Dinkom looked back at Karon, sitting behind the desk.

”Don’t misunderstand; I’m not telling you to change your faith, only to see him more clearly, and be firmer in him.”

”Yes, I understand now.”

”I hope you truly do.”

Pu’er and Kevin were also exchanging comments about the scene, though theirs was rather too concise:

”Meow.”

”Woof.”

”Meow.”

”Woof.”

The soreness grew heavier and heavier. Karon felt that he had already held things up for quite a long time and could let go now. He signaled for his chain to loosen.

At once, the Pike above, perceptible only to Karon, was rapidly drawn back into his body down below, yet the other chain remained wrapped around Pike.

Karon could sense a response of consciousness being transmitted to him. He needed only to take one step forward, and he would be able to see something.

Without hesitation, Karon chose to enter. To others, Karon still sat in his chair, but within his own field of vision, he found himself floating above a farmstead.

In the field below, a boy lay in the wheat, an honest smile on his face. It was Pike in his childhood.

Around his neck hung a necklace set with a black lightning ornament. At a glance it was clearly a cheap plastic trinket, nowhere near the category of a holy relic.

Karon noticed that at this moment, Pike was staring at him, or rather, looking toward somewhere behind him.

Karon turned his head and discovered that although the sun behind him was still radiating light, its upper portion had been drowned in black. It was a thoroughly illogical image, abstraction taken to a ridiculous extreme, yet still understandable, because many believers worshipped the god they believed in as the sun above their heads.

A message entered Karon’s mind. A voice both unfamiliar and familiar.

Unfamiliar because no matter how many times you heard that voice, you could never remember it, and it would never become familiar.

Familiar because Karon’s own past experience made him remember the feeling of it.

Order is what I decree, and what you must obey.

That was the revelation Karon had first received during his own Divine Seeker. Although he had denied it, the words received during Divine Seeker could sometimes reveal the heights a person might one day reach, much like a preliminary assessment.

Pike did not receive a revelation of such a high order. His revelation had been intercepted by Karon first, and it was: Follow the laws of Order.

That was likely how the God of Order regarded Pike. Karon had received a line belonging to one who sets the rules, while Pike’s was regarded as one who follows them. Between the rule-maker and the rule-follower, there was bound to be an immense gulf.

Divine Seeker was not judged according to the personal likes or dislikes of the God of Order. He seemed to be an emotionless existence who mechanically answered every request of the faithful.

Karon lowered his head once more and looked at Pike lying below him. ”Do you know who I am?”

Pike opened his mouth and said, ”The supreme God of Order, my faith!”

”Do you know who I am?”

”The God of Order who sees through all things, the sovereign of Order!”

Karon felt that Alfred’s previous conjectures formed together with Karon seemed to be on the verge of failure. Although Karon could do quite a lot during this Divine Seeking process, he still could not truly insert himself into this final step. If this final cognition did not succeed, then everything Karon had done would amount to nothing more than helping Pike improve his future aptitude.

Even so, Karon now understood the key to succeeding during the final step; If one wanted to improve the success rate, the best method was to continuously exert influence upon someone before they underwent purification, instructing them, and then continuing to do so throughout Divine Servant to Divine Seeker. In that way, the success rate could be greatly increased.

In essence, it was a competition. The rules of Order had always been there, drawing countless believers onward along this path.

The God of Order imposed His own blindfold upon people very early in the Divine Seeker process. Karon’s own blindfold had slipped free during his Divine Seeking. What he was trying to do at this moment was, at that same crossroads, guide the person before him to his own side.

It was not that Karon was poaching from the God of Order, but rather that Karon was competing with the God of Order.

Pike was the first person Karon had tried to guide, but now it seemed it was going to fail.

Even so, Karon decided to still go for one final attempt. He said: ”Do you know who I am?

”Starting next month, your salary will increase fivefold!”

”The great Go- the great Boss of Order!”