13 Mink Street

“Of course, no problem!”

“Also, for the other squad’s three rooms, if they don’t order room service on a given day, treat it as if they did and convert the meal cost into credits for me. Your commission can be a little higher for this. If they ask about it, just push the matter onto me.”

How could those young masters possibly be willing to eat the complimentary meals included in their stay? They preferred going to the restaurant and ordering separately.

“All right, don’t worry. I understand. Do you have any other instructions?”

“Hotel businesses like this inside the church, are they all acquainted with one another?”

“Well, I do have some friends...”

“What about York City Region? Ankara Hotel? Do you have any acquaintances there?”

“Not really. That’s too far away.”

“Oh, all right.”

“But don’t worry. It’s just a matter of one phone call. It’s quite simple, as everyone recognizes credits.”

“Good. Thank you for the trouble.”

“You’re too polite. I’ll take my leave first, then.”

After the logistics supervisor left, Karon noticed that everyone else had started to gobble their food, because starting tomorrow, they would not be able to eat like this again.

Karon stretched, raised the glass of ice water in his hand, and said, “To the future!”

Everyone immediately picked up their own glasses and raised them as well, saying in unison, “To the future!”

***

That night, Karon kept reading until the early hours of the morning before he finally felt sleepy. He put his book down and glanced at the door. Vintral had laid out a bedroll there and was sleeping on the floor. Karon had told him to go back upstairs and sleep in his own room, but the young man had refused no matter what Karon had said, because he was worried that his captain might have a repeat of the previous night.

Lying on his bed and closing his eyes, Karon still felt a bit of lingering fear in his heart. He was afraid that he would have the same dream again tonight.

After falling asleep, Karon discovered that he was indeed dreaming the same scenario as the night before. The War Scythe appeared before him. Karon looked at it, then looked down to search for the abyss beneath his feet, but this time, he could not find it.

Hah... It seems that one lacks the strength to pound on the door every day.

The War Scythe fell toward Karon. Not only was Karon in no hurry to dodge, he instead smiled.

Pfft! As his self within the dream was cleaved in two by the War Scythe, Karon opened his eyes on his bed. He simply rolled over and went right back to sleep.

When he woke up again, it was four in the morning. He had not slept for long, but the quality of his sleep had been excellent.

People feared comparison most of all. Compared to his dream from the night before, last night’s nightmare of being split in half had felt positively fresh and tender, like frolicking with little sprites in a green meadow.

“Hah...” The bedroom door was closed, but as soon as the sound of Karon getting out of bed was heard, Vintral gently pushed the door open and peeked inside. There were other people sitting in the suite’s sitting room as well.

After washing up, Karon walked out of his bedroom. He had not told the squad last night that there would be a morning meeting, yet everyone had still gathered at the same hour.

Breakfast had already been ordered and delivered. It was all bread and milk, without so much as a grilled sausage in sight.

Karon wondered if his speech from last night might have been a little too effective. Saving on proper meals was one thing, but did they have to start with skimping on breakfast?

But there was nothing he could do. At a time like this, it was not convenient for him to say anything, so he could only sit down and grab a bit of bread and milk and start eating.

During breakfast, everyone began discussing coordination. Bart proposed a very effective plan: have Ashley’s summoned demonic beasts serve as targets, allowing the others to aim and attack more easily.

There was one thing Bart did not say outright, yet his meaning was obvious. In any case, the dear friends she summoned were all very useless.

Ashley herself approved of the proposal, though she did give Bart a rather unfriendly glance. She was still young and relatively inexperienced, so it was difficult for her to bind truly powerful demonic beasts to fight for her, but that did not mean it would always be that way.

Blanche raised another point. When she used the Astral Links, she had clearly sensed another force augmenting hers, which was the captain’s power. She hoped they could work out the proper ratio of coordination, primarily the ratio of her own power that the captain’s should reinforce.

She brought this up to avoid someone overusing power to a degree that ultimately dragged their captain down.

Karon informed them all that at the current stage, there was no need to worry about that problem. Should a problem arise, he would notify them before it occurred.

Everyone nodded, understanding what their captain had left unsaid. If phrased more bluntly, there was no way any of them could drain his reserves before he sensed he was running low on spiritual power.

At seven-thirty, everyone stood up and left the room to attend their final class. This one was being held in the largest lecture hall on the second floor of the training base’s hotel. This hall could probably seat eight hundred people, but at the moment, only twelve people were sitting there.

Karon still sat in the front row with Murray, who leaned over and asked, “Have you had nightmares these past two nights?”

“Mhmm.”

Murray sighed. “Hah, dreaming of being beheaded by a scythe at night is too painful.”

Karon also sighed. He was very envious.

Their instructor arrived. He was a familiar-looking old man. It was not the man himself who was familiar, but his white hair and white beard.

Immediately after, another seven or eight priests with blue prisms printed on their priest’s robes walked in. After finishing setting things up, a screen lowered at the back of the lecture hall. The lights went out, and it was like a movie was starting. “Hello, everyone. I am your instructor for today’s class. My name is McKenny.”

“Hello, everyone. I am also one of the instructors for today’s class. My name is Barrett.” After his simple self-introduction, Barrett stepped back and sat to the side, where he began leafing through some documents in his hands.

McKenny waved his hand, and on the large screen behind him the image of a valley exuding the aura of death appeared. The trainees all guessed what they were looking at, and they began whispering among themselves.

“Is that really what Reincarnation Valley looks like?” Murray asked Karon softly.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Karon replied. After all, you’re the well-informed young master here.

“I also don’t know. I thought it was a beautiful, scenic valley. I didn’t expect it to look like the entrance to hell.”

Karon commented, “To a certain extent, isn’t Reincarnation Valley the entrance to hell?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

McKenny pointed behind him and said, “You’ve all guessed correctly. This picture you are looking at is Reincarnation Valley. To tell you the truth, the image alone cannot allow you to sense its true atmosphere.

“I have been to Reincarnation Valley. I have also been in close contact with the Reincarnation Gate. I know what kind of place it is. It is a place where, after you have gone there once, you will never want to go a second time.

“Although I know it is the holy land in the hearts of countless Reincarnation believers, I still have to say this: Ptui! It’s a place where even birds can’t be bothered to shit!” McKenny spat onto the floor.

Karon reached up and rubbed between his brows. This instructor was openly working in his own personal opinions.

“The location of Reincarnation Valley is highly complex. It lies at the convergence of several spatial rifts, and that unique geography has created the unique ecology there. I believe this is also why the Church of Reincarnation chose it as their true foundation, and why the God of Reincarnation chose to build the Reincarnation Gate there.

“Reincarnation Valley is vast. No one has measured it precisely, but based on my own experience living there, as well as some notes left by predecessors of the Reincarnation faith, its actual area can be roughly estimated at ten times the size of St. Andises. However, the area they have actually developed and utilized is only about the size of St. Andis, or perhaps even less.

“There are vast uninhabited zones inside. Note that uninhabited only means there are no people. It does not mean there are no other existences.

“There are many special forces on the island, with the Church of Reincarnation being the largest among them. You may wonder why the Church of Reincarnation would allow other forces to exist in such an important place. It is because the Church of Reincarnation needs them to pay tribute, while the cost of cultivating them artificially is simply too great. As a result, it has no choice but to grant them a certain degree of autonomy.

“According to legend, some families that lost internal power struggles within the Church of Reincarnation were exiled to that region in the past, and after many years, those families became a special species.

“All right, this is all you need to know about the general situation in Reincarnation Valley. You will not be entering that region. The teleportation array will send you directly to the Church of Reincarnation’s reception office. When the appointed time arrives, a total of thirty young people will be sent into the Reincarnation Gate: all of you, the Church of Reincarnation’s own people, and the slots the Church of Reincarnation has granted to other churches this time.

“Now, there are two things I need to tell you in advance.

“First, do not get involved with the internal forces of the Church of Reincarnation. Of course, they will certainly come to approach you. What I mean is that you must keep your heads clear.

“Especially...” McKenny picked up the name list and began reading. “Vintral, Karon, stand up.”

Karon and Vintral stood.

“You two need to pay special attention. Because neither of you has a family behind you, they will be more willing to approach you. I hope you keep your heads clear and don’t start thinking some outside family would sponsor you for no reason. Remember, even if a pie really does fall from the sky, it’s bound to be poisoned.

“All right, sit down.”

Vintral sat down, but Karon remained standing.

McKenny put down the sheet of paper and adjusted his glasses. When he noticed that Karon was still standing, he reminded him, “Sit down, Karon. Or Vintral.”

To the side, Barrett looked at McKenny at the lectern and helplessly shook his head. Yes, this young man might not have the backing of a powerful family, and his file did say he was an orphan, but he had the talent to stand on.

Idiot. You spent so long as an external priest in the Church of Reincarnation. Even after coming back and cursing Reincarnation Valley as a garbage dump every chance you got, your mind had still been reshaped by their family-obsessed way of thinking.

Why don’t you go say that in front of High Priest Norton? The High Priest has no family either. Does that mean he might be tempted into defecting at any moment?

Clearly, McKenny was not a member of Pierro and Levin’s little circle.

“Sit down,” McKenny said it again, yet Karon still stood.

Seeing this, Vintral, who had already sat down, immediately stood back up.

“Sit down!” McKenny shouted.

At this moment, Bart, Ashley, Blanche, and Mars, who were sitting behind Karon, also stood.

“I said, sit down!”

Karon’s squad remained standing together. No one sat.

Seeing this, Murray sighed and also stood. His teammates behind him also stood up.

“What do you all mean by this?” McKenny frowned.

Murray said, “Instructor, please retract your improper statement from a moment ago and apologize. Our Church of Order has always upheld the principle that all are equal under Order. To judge a believer’s loyalty to Order by their family’s background is, in my view, the gravest insult to both that believer and Order itself.”

“And if I do not apologize?” McKenny asked back.

Murray smiled and said, “Then we will refuse to attend your class and collectively leave.”

“Heh, are you threatening your instructor?”

Murray replied, “We are merely defending the honor of ourselves and our companions.”

“Do you understand what you stand to lose by refusing my class? Do you understand how much trouble this could bring you on your trip to Reincarnation Valley? Do you understand why the church arranged these classes and brought you here for training? Do you understand what the church expects of you? Or are you planning to turn your backs on the church?”

Murray smiled again. “Instructor, you have our names and files in your hand. If a surname like mine were to betray the church, if the companions standing behind me were to betray the church, do you truly think that is possible? By your logic, if your family stands below ours, then when a conflict arises between us, does it mean you are the one betraying the church?”

“You...”

Barrett suddenly reminded the man, “McKenny, if you want this to become a teaching incident and have the complaint taken all the way to the top, by all means, continue.”

McKenny took a deep breath. Eventually, he looked at Karon and said, “I retract my earlier statement and apologize for my improper wording.”

Karon gave McKenny a half bow. “I accept your apology.”

With that, he sat down.

Vintral copied Karon and gave a half bow as well. “I also accept your apology.”

Everyone sat down, and Karon leaned slightly closer to Murray. “Thanks.”

“Heh, don’t mention it.”

Behind them, Pasquio, who was sitting next to Bart, whispered, “My grandfather isn’t here, but if he were, he probably would have gone straight up and beaten him.”

“My grandfather would probably do the same.”

“My grandfather is in the special array system. What about yours?”

“The First Knight Regiment.”

“Ah, right. Respect to your grandfather.”

***

McKenny continued teaching the class. As soon as the class ended, he immediately gathered his materials and left the lecture hall without a backward glance.

Barrett said, “It seems Instructor McKenny is unwilling to join us for lunch. So, does anyone want to invite me, your instructor, to lunch?”

Karon smiled politely, and Murray stood and waved. “Let’s go. Dining hall!”

***

The dining hall was on the sixth floor. There were two tables, and everyone very tacitly split into two groups. Karon, Murray, and Barrett sat at one table, while the rest of the squads sat at the other. However, the dishes on the two tables were different. One side was simple, while the other side was far more sumptuous.

Barrett did not speak while eating, so neither did Karon nor Murray. They all quietly ate.

Once the old man had finished his meal, he picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and then smiled. “I know Veynic cuisine has always been famous. Karon, you are from Veyn. What do you think of it?”

Karon replied, “Sometimes, even after having nightmares, I still feel lingering fear.”

Murray picked up the thread. “Fear of what?”

“That I actually managed to grow up eating Veynic food.”

“Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

“As for McKenny, don’t let him bother you. He was invited solely because of the many years he spent as a priest stationed in Reincarnation Valley, which means that he knows the place better than most. In truth, most of what he said was nonsense. You won’t even be staying in Reincarnation Valley for long anyway.”

“Instructor McKenny has already apologized, and I have already forgiven him,” Karon said.

“Mhmm.”

Murray said, “So, the real focus is what you will be teaching this afternoon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then we are looking forward to it,” Karon said.

“Your mission this time is no light matter. If everyone has eaten, let’s head back and continue the class.”

Murray stood and went to settle the bill.

***

Everyone returned to the lecture hall. Barrett walked to the lectern. The staff projected a mural onto the large screen. It was of a man with a human face and a lion’s body. He stood amid raging flames.

Barrett said, “Getanbert. His father was once a bishop of our Church of Order, and his mother was a demonic beast. He was the crystallization of their love.”

Hearing the positive description “crystallization of their love” was enough to reveal Getanbert’s relationship with the Church of Order.

“Getanbert possessed the powerful physique of a demonic beast, while also possessing the ability to wield the power of Order. At the end of the previous epoch, he served as the captain of the Temple of Order’s gate guard.”

The image on the large screen changed to a new mural. This one was of a woman with a graceful figure, though her hair was entirely venomous snakes.

“Fynethes. She was once princess of the Tanshin serpent race, carrying their royal bloodline. At the end of the previous epoch, she led her entire race to join the faith of our Church of Order and took part in establishing our demonic beast cultivation center.”

Ashley whispered, “I’ve seen her mural before.”

Barrett continued, “At the end of the previous epoch, Getanbert received orders to organize a guard unit to protect Fynethes as she traveled to a secret realm to search for relics. From that time, they went missing.

“Late one night, eight years ago, our church’s Seers’ Office, which oversees the preservation and maintenance of ancient totems and arrays, detected a soul message from a communication array passed down from the previous epoch, one that had long since been sealed away. The contents of that message were: Getanbert, Fynethes: Reincarnation Gate.”

“They’re actually still alive?”

“How is that possible? They’re still alive?”

“They’ve lived this long?”

Everyone began discussing the matter.

“Even for souls, surviving for this long would be very difficult, right?” Murray looked at Karon.

Karon answered, “They may still be alive, but what is alive may not be them.”

“You probably aren’t just saying that, so you know something about the inside of the Reincarnation Gate?”

“Mhmm.”

“Share over dinner?”

“All right.”

Barrett raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet, then said, “We now suspect that the souls of Getanbert and Fynethes were thrown into the Reincarnation Gate, because there are related records that suggest a god once judged to be heretical by our church apparently helped the God of Reincarnation to cast souls into the Reincarnation Gate.

“Of course, whether this record is true and our speculation is accurate, or even if that heretical god truly did such a thing are all temporarily unknown.”

Karon sighed. Yes, he did.