13 Mink Street

Richard turned to look at Eisen beside him and asked, “What does it mean if Bernard is still alive?”

Eisen answered, “According to Veynic law, we were originally only guilty of theft and corpse desecration.”

“What about now?”

“Now that Bernard is still alive, it means we are innocent.”

Richard stared at Eisen very seriously, blinked, then sighed. “Damn. That actually makes a lot of sense!”

Karon beckoned to the two behind him, and they immediately leaned closer .

Richard could not help reaching out and patting Bernard’s face. “Is he really still alive?”

“Mhmm. I’m certain he is still alive.”

“Then how exactly did he do it?” Richard asked.

Eisen spoke up, “Could it be similar to that giant turtle? A form of a long slumber that feigns death.”

Torathos’s lifespan had nearly run out back then. Phileas had sealed the beast, helping it to enter a long slumber so that it could have a chance to see, a hundred years later, the crystallization of everyone’s efforts.

Karon nodded. “Very likely, because in Darkmoon Island’s records of Bernard, the cause of Bernard’s death has always been vague.”

Before Bernard died, there was no coup, no unrest, no serious injury, nor any long-term illness that had troubled him. In other words, there was no specific cause of death.

Darkmoon Island’s official account for the outside world was roughly that Bernard had died in his study after overworking himself for the sake of Darkmoon Island. A blueprint had still been open on his desk, signifying that even at the moment of his death, the great Ancestor Bernard had still been outlining Darkmoon Island’s grand future.

Karon did not believe that account.

Leaving aside Bernard’s personal character, even in matters of work, he was not someone who could devote himself entirely and selflessly to Darkmoon Island. How could a man like that have established so many wonders on Darkmoon Island and also created such a rich love story for himself?

Then there were Bernard’s half-white, half-black hair and his skin. At first, Karon had naturally assumed that Bernard had carefully maintained himself while alive, and that after death, the corpse-preservation conditions had simply been excellent, allowing the body to remain so well preserved.

Now, it seemed that Bernard had prepared to die.

The true purpose of constructing the Palace of Remembrance might not have been to express his love for Poelle, or at least, not only that. What he might have wanted more was a tomb that could allow his coffin to be placed above ground.

Why go to so much trouble?

Because he trusted no one. No matter how loyal a person might be to him, Bernard could never trust anyone.

Besides that, after he died, would such loyalty endure? Would that person’s descendants continue being loyal?

Even Bernard’s own child, the next clan leader, whom he had personally designated, he had not been able to bring himself to trust, because the man understood too well the distortion and degeneration that could be brought about by struggles for power.

The fact that Darkmoon clan still retained Curse Insects that targeted only their own bloodline was the best proof of that.

Bernard had not slept for several days, nor even for several years. Judging by the history, he had already slept for a hundred years.

He had succeeded, because his corpse had always stayed in the Palace of Remembrance. No matter how the power struggles between his descendants had developed, he had always remained in a transcendent position, because he had become a totem, a piece of political correctness that belonged to Darkmoon Island as a whole.

Had he chosen that method to place his corpse just to make it easier for him to emerge upon awakening?

The layout of the Palace of Remembrance immediately appeared in Karon’s mind. Because of the towering statue of Pu’er, as well as the need to draw magma inside, the main hall of the Palace of Remembrance had no roof.

Did Bernard need to be exposed to Darkmoon, so that he could absorb its power as nourishment? Or was the magma drawn into the Palace of Remembrance also some part of his needs?

Karon felt that there should be reasons in this regard. However, he currently had no interest in investigating things in detail, because all he needed to know was that Bernard was still alive.

For Karon, this was excellent news. An ordinary Awakening, even if it allowed Bernard to reopen his eyes and sit up, would not make the punishment and retaliation delivered to him truly satisfying.

With this, things became better. Since Bernard was not dead, Karon simply needed to wake him, and the one before him would be the real and authentic Bernard. His punishment and retaliation would fall upon the actual person.

Most importantly, after killing him, Karon could awaken Bernard again and kill him again.

This was not double the joy; This was tenfold joy.

But there was also a new problem: How was he supposed to wake Bernard?

Bernard had not woken when Karon had pulled him from his coffin, and that was understandable. In a deep slumbering state of feigned death, his perception of the outside world would certainly be negligible. However, earlier, Eisen had used a needle-threading method to set up so many arrays inside of Bernard’s body, yet even that had failed to wake him. This meant the depth of his feigned death was truly terrifying.

“You want to wake him?” Eisen asked.

“Mhmm. Do you have a way?”

“I do not.”

Richard shoved Eisen. “Then why ask? Just to talk shit?”

Eisen answered, “Mhmm.”

Karon said, “We don’t have much time. Darkmoon Island will soon discover that their beloved ancestor is missing, and we can’t stay away from the squad for too long.”

Eisen said, “The method used to awaken that giant turtle.”

Karon sighed. “But there is no time now to go back and find his Covenant Conch.”

Richard asked in confusion, “His what conch?”

Eisen said, “When I was arranging the arrays on his body earlier, I had a strange feeling. It was as though inside his body, there is a consciousness that was faintly resisting me. I did not mention it because I thought it was normal. There is a large amount of residual spirituality in this corpse, and some rejection from a corpse’s spirituality in regards to my array work would be perfectly normal, like making new carvings on a holy relic.

“I do not know whether this detail is useful to you...”

“If that is the case...” Suddenly, Karon thought of something. He reached up and pressed his forehead while looking down at Bernard again.

He recalled Ophelia’s reaction after ingesting the Curse Insect. When she had purified herself with the power of Darkmoon, the Curse Insect in her body had immediately counterattacked, and the degree of corruption had worsened.

Phileas had said that the Curse Insects were gradually developed from Torathos’s fleas. The original purpose of cultivating them had not been to create Curse Insects at all, but to produce a new product that could develop into a major industry for Darkmoon Island.

The reason those insects had later become Curse Insects was because Phileas, after escaping to the snake island, had laid a curse in his rage.

The Darkmoon Clan still controlled the Curse Insects. Aside from internal strife, could they have some other purpose? If they only carried a curse effect against those with the Darkmoon Clan’s bloodline, could it mean that the insects themselves possessed another value?

Bernard’s method of slumber was very similar to Torathos’s.

Then what exactly had the original purpose of cultivating those insects been? Industry, industry...

Phileas and his believers had been kind. They would not create something highly harmful to sell, so, was it a kind of insect that could allow a dying person to enter a deep slumber? Only that would be worthy of being called an industry, because many people throughout the world needed it.

Bernard had swallowed that insect. Not a Curse Insect, but the earlier successful version of the insect that had been cultivated. It was what had originally been a flagship product Phileas and others had cultivated for Darkmoon Island.

The Darkmoon Clan understood the insects’ value, which was why they had not exterminated the bugs and even retained them to this day.

These insects were harmless to others. No, not merely harmless, they were probably beneficial. When paired with other auxiliary methods and the insect’s effect, a person could be placed in a long slumber. However, the Darkmoon Clan could not operate this industry, because once these insects were further cultivated and sold, the clan would essentially be selling the rope to hang themselves.

Any force hostile to Darkmoon Island would only need to spend credits to purchase the insects from Darkmoon Island, and then take them back to Darkmoon Island. That would be a disaster for the Darkmoon Clan.

Karon felt that his speculation should be correct.

Phileas truly had been a genius. He had charisma. He had a group of steadfast supporters. He was gentle and kind. Sigh... For such a person, no, for such a group of people, to have fallen to that fate because of Bernard.

What a pity. He truly could have become a legend.

In Karon’s heart, Phileas was almost like a version of himself from more than a hundred years in the past. Once that sense of identification set in, his disgust toward Bernard instantly rose another level.

Heh...

Fortunately, Karon had only come to understand Phileas after the fact. If he had known earlier, he would probably have taken the initiative to drag the captain into causing more trouble and revealed even greater enthusiasm than Nio.

However, now that the specific problem had been identified, the method to solve it had naturally appeared as well.

Karon raised his hand. The wound from feeding Ophelia his blood had been treated with healing Arts, so that only a shallow scar remained. “Memphis, Richard, next I am going to do something to wake him. This involves a secret of mine, so it is inconvenient to have you watch. Step away first.”

Richard laughed. “Haha, you actually said it so openly.”

“All right.” Eisen placed a bundle of threads in front of Karon. These were the threads that controlled the series of arrays. If he wanted to activate one, he only needed to pull and snap the corresponding thread. Karon had watched Eisen arrange the arrays, and he believed Karon remembered which thread corresponded to which array and would not make a mistake. After placing the bundle down, he turned and walked outside.

“Hey, wait for me!” Richard chased Eisen out of the cave and curiously asked, “Hey, any guess what secret Karon is going to use?”

“He has many secrets.”

“Of course I know that.”

“In the future, manage your relationship with him well. It will benefit you.”

“Although your high-and-mighty posture when speaking to me makes me a little uncomfortable, I still feel rather warm inside.”

“Heh heh.”

Richard reached out and patted the back of Eisen’s head. “Then you should behave too. Manage your relationship with my good brother Karon properly. Remember that?”

Eisen said, “All right. I will remember.”

“Ah.” Richard yawned. “I originally thought the stage play I saw at dusk was already exciting enough. I didn’t expect a late-night experience to be even more unforgettable. Even now, it still feels a little unreal. We actually stole someone’s ancestor’s corpse.”

“Sometimes, you do not need to know why something must be done. You only need to listen to orders and do it well.”

“Of course I know that. I don’t need you to teach me. I’m willing to listen to Karon.” As he spoke, Richard reached out and put an arm around Eisen’s shoulders, shaking him hard. “I believe it won’t be long before Karon is qualified to independently form his own Whip squad. In the future, we brothers will follow Karon together in the squad.”

“All right.”

“Karon is the eldest brother, but I came first, so I’m your second brother. How about it? We don’t need to rank by age. That would be too crude.”

“All right.”

“Call me older brother, let me hear it.”

“No.”

“Heh heh, look at you, you still care about your face. Fine, fine. I know you are quite capable. I was just joking earlier. How about this, you are my second brother, so I’ll call you older brother. How does that sound?”

“No.”

“Are you shy?”

“No.”

“Brother! Hear that?”

Eisen nodded. Turning his head, he glanced at Richard, and said, “Mhmm. I heard.”

Inside the cave, Karon drew his palm across the Aelius Sword to open a cut. Blood immediately welled up. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed Bernard’s cheeks and pinched hard, forcing the man’s mouth into a pout so that the blood could run between the pursed lips.

After a while, Karon withdrew his hand.

What happened next depended on Bernard’s reaction.

The reaction came quickly. Before Karon even had time to cast a simple healing Art on the wound on his palm, a white insect crawled out of Bernard’s mouth. Karon remembered that the Curse Insect Ophelia had accidentally swallowed had been black. This white one was much larger, looking more like a silkworm.

This should be another form of symbiosis, though different from the bond between himself and Pu’er. The insect only established a sort of physical symbiosis.

It needed a nest. Whoever swallowed one was essentially lending their body as a residence, much like housing a tenant. In return, the insect living there had to handle cleaning and maintenance as a form of rent payment.

After the white insect crawled out, its body twitched violently. Then, an instant later, Karon sensed it turn its attention to him. It flew up. Having left a human body, it seemed eager to find a new place to live.

Its gaze was fixed on Karon’s bleeding palm. He did not stop it and allowed it to land on his hand.

However, unlike the black insect from last time, this white insect did not burrow through the wound. Instead, it crouched on Karon’s palm and spat out strand after strand of white silk to cover the cut. The wound immediately began to itch, a sign that it was already healing.

Soon after, the white insect flew back to the edge of the coffin and lay down there, looking somewhat listless.

Looking at the neatly “bandaged” wound, a smile touched Karon’s lips. So this was the true nature of the Curse Insects. The moment one saw a wound on a person, it could not hold itself back. It was like seeing the neighbor’s broken door and rushing over to repair it. No ulterior motive at all, simply an uncontrollable compulsion.

Karon reached out, scooped the bug up, and held it in front of his face.

The insect had two tiny eyes on its head, and it seemed to be observing Karon in return.

He raised a finger and gently tapped its head. The white insect toppled over, then wriggled several times in Karon’s palm, as though asking permission to enter his body.

But if you entered my body, you would die on the spot.

“Richard!” Karon shouted toward the cave entrance.

“Coming, coming!” Richard immediately trotted in. He had originally expected to see Bernard already awakened by Karon, so after entering, he first looked at the coffin. Seeing Bernard still lying there, he could not help feeling puzzled. The man had not woken.

“Open your hand.”

“Mm?” Richard opened his hand, then saw Karon place a white insect in his palm. “What’s this?”

“Something good. Take it outside and ask your- ask Memphis to test it again. If there are no other problems, I suggest that you swallow it. Remember, do not chew.”

“Hey, it’s rather cute. Where did it come from?” Richard asked.

“Miss Ophelia gave it to me. It’s been sleeping and has now awakened. With this insect inside of your body, any injuries you receive will recover much faster.”

“Really? It’s something Miss Ophelia gave you, and you’re just giving it to me?”

“We are good brothers.”

“Mhmm, mhmm, that’s right!”

“Remember, first let Memphis inspect it to see if your constitution is suitable for swallowing it. Also, let him check whether there are any other matters to note.”

“All right, all right, I know. Anything else?”

“Nothing. Go back out. After this, neither of you should come in unless I call.”

“Mhmm, I know.” Richard went out holding the insect.

“Richard.”

“Hmm? Is there something else?”

“Before swallowing it, remember to wash it, so that it’s cleaner.”

“I think this little thing is quite clean.”

“We need to pay attention to hygiene.”

“Got it.”

Karon believed the white insect to be harmless, not only because it had just bandaged his wound and seemed very polite, but because he believed Phileas would not have purposely developed something harmful to people.

This could also be considered judging the insect by its maker.

Also, this insect had lived in symbiosis inside Bernard for a hundred years, and had clearly grown and matured a great deal. It was truly an excellent treasure. Unfortunately, Karon could not use it himself, and if he took it home for Alfred or one of the others to use, he worried that something might happen if the insect stayed outside of a human body for too long. Earlier, it had already looked somewhat wilted.

Giving it to Richard as a favor was the most suitable choice. This was essentially giving a favor to Eisen as well. One gift performed two favors, which was very worthwhile.

After watching Richard leave the cave, Karon turned around, reached out, and tapped the edge of the coffin. “Are you going to keep pretending to sleep?”

Bernard’s eyes opened.