13 Mink Street

Chapter 113: Light Eternal

A ladle of hot oil was poured in by Karon, producing a crisp sizzling sound.

Alfred, standing beside him, closed his eyes, raised both hands, tilted his head back, and spoke with heartfelt admiration. “Ah, at last I can hear this intoxicating sound again! This is art, true art that we can live with day and night. I truly feel sorry for Mr. Bede; He should be standing here, witnessing what the real breath of the earth is.”

Karon glanced at Alfred. “Serve it.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred lifted the basin of sour pickled fish and carried it to the dining table.

The woman who had been standing beside Alfred earlier, watching Karon cook, came over now and pointed at the stove, indicating she would clean up. Her name was Zenn, and she was Alaia’s wife. She had short blond hair and a somewhat thin figure. She was also deaf and mute.

In his previous life, Karon had learned sign language. It was not difficult to learn. Though the signs differed by country, everyday expressions were largely similar.

“We will go enjoy dinner first.”

“I want to help you tidy the kitchen first.”

“In my home, after we finish eating is when we tidy the kitchen. Thank you for your kindness. After we eat, we will trouble you then.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Karon and Zenn moved to the dining room. The space was not large, but still roomy for five people. Pu’er and the golden retriever’s portions had already been served, but the animals ate upstairs.

“This is truly too abundant! Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Karon,” Alaia said, rising to thank Karon.

Alaia’s twelve-year-old son Hend also stood, even as he stared at the dishes on the table that gave off an enticing aroma. He made sure to follow his father’s example and bow to Karon.

Like Zenn, twelve-year-old Hend was also a deaf and mute child.

Karon remembered that the first time he rode in Alaia’s car to the agency storefront, the man had only waved to greet his wife and son, who had been sitting inside. He had not spoken, but it was because they could not hear.

“You are too polite, Alaia. I should be the one thanking you for introducing me to such a good house.”

“No, no. That is simply my business, and I also received my commission. You truly do not need to thank me for this.”

“But you agreed to allow me to move in here the same day, and even had your wife help me with purchasing bedding and daily necessities. That is not part of your work, is it?”

“That isn’t very much help, and is only what I should do. Besides, the following day, you had Mr. Alfred and I run all procedures to completion. This house already belongs to you. What does it matter if you move in one night earlier?”

“No, when someone sees something they like, even being able to own it one minute earlier is a tremendous happiness.”

Hend had been swallowing repeatedly while staring at the food, but without his parents’ permission, he would not be the first to move his fork. Karon signed to Zenn, “You can start eating. Remind the child to watch out for fish bones.”

Zenn nodded forcefully at Karon, then signed to her son that he could eat. Hend smiled, picked up his fork, speared a big chunk of the braised chicken to move it to his own plate. He began eating.

Today Karon prepared pickled mustard fish, braised chicken, and stewed lamb. The vegetable dishes were two cold mixed plates, paired with tomato egg drop soup.

After spending some time at Allen Manor, he had suddenly felt the urge to retrain his stomach back to proper standards.

“Young Master Karon...” Alaia maintained the form of address he had picked up from Alfred on the first day. “A portion of my commission exceeded my original expectations because the final closing price was somewhat higher than the original owner expected. The reason is that the original owner also did not expect the old furniture and old books could be valued so highly, so I would like to remove the extra portion of my commission and return it to you.”

“No need. That is what you earned. This is the first time I have seen an agent voluntarily return a commission after a successful transaction.”

“This is also the first time I have heard a client say I earned my commission. Usually, clients are on guard against us, afraid we will pry even one more coin out of their hands.”

“Mm, I understand them.” Karon picked up a pair of silver chopsticks Alfred had once given him in Roja City and put a piece of fish into his mouth. “Because I am not very short of money right now.”

After buying the house, the mortgage contract took effect. Though it was almost half the expected price, the unused portion of the approved loan limit could not be cashed, and Karon would also not do such a thing. Strictly speaking, he only had a bit more than one hundred thousand rels remaining to him.

For a member of the middle class, that much savings was still considered financially precarious, but Karon, having just left Allen Manor, still needed some time to recalibrate his sense of money.

No matter what, using a rich man’s generosity to mock ordinary people’s frugality with their hard-earned money was ridiculous.

Alaia immediately adjusted. “Yes, Young Master, you are right.”

“Come, eat.” Karon pointed at the dishes with his chopsticks.

“Alright, alright.”

Halfway through the meal, Hend seemed to notice the chopsticks Karon was using and began gesturing to him.

Karon smiled, and then gestured to Alfred to bring another pair for Hend, and to his surprise, the child’s fingers were very nimble. He almost immediately used the chopsticks to pick up food.

After the meal, Zenn rose proactively to clear the plates and wash them in the kitchen.

Alaia took out a pack of cigarettes. He looked at Karon, who shook his head. He had quit. Alaia glanced at Alfred, who also shook his head. He had quit as well.

Alaia put the cigarettes away again. “Young Master, if you there is anything you need in the future, you can have Mr. Alfred come find me directly. If I can handle it, I will definitely help you.”

“Mm, alright.”

Once Zenn finished tidying the kitchen, Alaia got up and prepared to take his family home.

Alfred went into the kitchen, wrapped a pair of silver chopsticks in paper, and then handed them to Karon, who passed them over to Hend.

The boy did not reach out to take them, and instead looked at his parents.

“Young Master, we cannot accept this,” Alaia protested.

“Then in the future, when I ask you for help, will you also refuse like this?”

“...”

In the end, Hend accepted the pair of silver chopsticks. His mother bowed with him to Karon to express her thanks. After the Alaia family left, Karon stretched and took a cup of ice water from Alfred.

“Young Master, is you hosting Alaia’s family a part of your arrangements for certain matters to come?” Alfred asked.

“No. I just felt that moving into a new home should be celebrated with people, to make it lively. Oh right, tomorrow you can mail today’s photos of the new house and my letter back to Mink Street.”

“Alright, Young Master. The telephone bureau will come to pull a new telephone line tomorrow.”

“A telephone is a telephone, and a letter is a letter. Oh right, when mailing it, remember to use the Church of Principle’s postal route.”

“Yes, Young Master. I know that way is more reliable. They are less likely to lose mail.”

“No. It’s because that one is free.”

Karon carried his water upstairs. There were washrooms on both floors. Karon took a shower first, changed into sleepwear, then entered his bedroom and laid down on the bed.

At that moment, Pu’er was laying on the bedroom windowsill where a specially purchased cat cushion lay.

Naturally, the golden retriever had a larger dog cushion in a corner by the wall.

There was no floor heating in this house, but it did have radiators. However, because the house transfer procedures had only just been completed, many of the transfers had not yet been handled, which was why the gas could not be connected just yet.

Even worse was the fact that the neighbor had also not turned on their heating, so there was nothing to take advantage of.

After settling into his quilt, Karon suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to bring the newspapers upstairs, but he did not want to get back out of bed. He instead opened his hand.

The golden retriever sat up from his cushion and sprang to open the bedroom door. He ran out, and soon returned with three newspapers in his mouth.

Karon took them. He picked up one copy of the Veyn Daily, and placed the other two, Veyn Finance and Veyn Storytime, on the nightstand for the time being.

After delivering the newspapers, the golden retriever climbed onto the cabinet, extended a paw, pressed the radio switch, and then carefully tuned the channel. It ultimately tuned in to the Veyn News Broadcast, which was playing the evening news.

“Well done, Kevin,” Karon said.

Having been praised, the golden retriever lay back down on his cushion, satisfied.

Pu’er, who had been lying on the windowsill, jumped down and approached the bed. She silently padded across Karon’s quilt, and while doing so, cast a sidelong glance at the golden retriever. “Karon, I’m cold.”

She then burrowed into Karon’s quilt. He did not pull the cat back out, as the room was indeed cold. Most people had the notion that dogs were thick-skinned and tough, while cats were more delicate.

Newspapers and radio were the two primary media vessels of the era, and Karon lay in bed reading the newspaper while listening to the broadcast.

In the passing of Gloria the Ninth, the new king, Prince of York, finally ascended the throne. He had served as crown prince for more than sixty years, but had finally been officially coronated.

Yet just half of the news on the front page concerned the prince’s ascension, accompanied by an inauguration photo. His decrepit appearance was like a symbol of the Veyn Empire’s precarious winds and rain.

The other half was a report that the Veyn Empire’s largest overseas colony had erupted in massive demonstrations pursuing national independence. It was hard to say that such a layout was not intentional on the part of the Daily’s chief editor.

Karon continued flipping through the newspaper, muttering to himself, “I need to find a job.”

Even though there were only two people in the household, plus a cat and a dog, none of them had low living standards.

Pu’er turned around beneath the quilt. Of course, she was not stupid enough to say, “Call the Allen family to send money.”

Instead, she said, “Next time, you don’t need to buy me coffee. We can save a bit.”

Karon shook his head. “I can’t just stay home sunning myself forever.”

At that moment, Karon turned to another piece of news in the newspaper: Swillen’s Minister of Energy and Industrial Development was leading a delegation of experts to visit Veyn and discuss a deepening cooperation between the two sides in the industrial field.

Isn’t that Piaget’s father? Karon noted that the minister’s surname was indeed Adams.

Continuing to flip through the paper, he arrived at the advertisements section. There were also recruitment postings wedged into gaps, but Karon did not intend to look for work in the paper. There was no way to avoid the fact that he only had a Swillen high school education, and had not even graduated at that.

Yet there was one advertisement which caught Karon’s attention, and that was because it occupied half of an ad page.

Adams Psychological Practice, relieving you of troubles from the mind.

The first half of the ad content popularized the harm of psychological illnesses, dragging romantic failures, family discord, career setbacks, and even infertility into the scope of “psychological illness.”

The second half was a string of examples of people who had seen their psychological ills cured, leading to romance proceeding smoothly, families becoming happy, careers becoming successful, and even a wife becoming pregnant.

The copy was neatly mirrored and clearly written without much care.

At the center was a group photo taken in front of the treatment center. The signboard could be seen at the top, and beneath it stood a group of doctors in white coats. Standing at the very center was a familiar face: Piaget Adams.

Piaget and his wife Linda had met while studying in Veyn. After Linda’s departure, it was normal for Piaget to choose to return to where their romance had begun and start over. Moreover, Swillen was a vassal state of Veyn. In the eyes of Swillen elites, going to Veyn to develop was something that was only natural.

Karon raised his glass of water and took a sip. Mm, it appears I’ve found my job.

Finding a job and blending into life to observe was only the first step. Next, there was actually a more important matter, which was to change to a new identity and reenter the Church of Order, though this could wait until he entered the Divine Shepherd rank. There was no hurry.

The Allen family would also send over his new identity before long. As Pu’er put it, those who maintained Order also stood at the frontlines of corruption, and in everything, there were loopholes to be found.

Karon put down the newspaper. He had no interest in continuing to flip through the other two papers, so he laid back.

Kevin crawled off of his cushion. He first shut off the radio, and then jumped up to press the switch and turn off the bedroom light. Having an heretical god dog in the winter was truly a kind of happiness. After all, who would be willing to leave their warm quilt easily in such a cold season?

The room fell quiet. About two hours passed. It was the middle of the night when a black shadow suddenly flickered outside the window.

Pu’er opened her eyes at that moment. She silently climbed out of the quilt and looked out the window. That shadow still fluttered there gently. The sound was so soft as to be nearly inaudible, yet the small changes in light and shadow it caused still drew the attention of the sensitive cat.

Jumping down from the bed, Pu’er went to the dog and gave the golden retriever, which was actually snoring, a single swat with her paw. The dog immediately awoke, and his attention instantly shifted to the window.

Pu’er nodded at him with a serious expression.

The golden retriever went wide-eyed. In the dark, the cat’s eyes looked especially eerie. Kevin did not understand what Pu’er meant at all, but still followed along and nodded.

Pu’er went to the door. The golden retriever stood up and used his front paws to open it, and the cat stepped out. She headed straight up to the rooftop garden, the golden retriever following close behind.

Moving stealthily, Pu’er jumped onto the roof of the sunroom, cautiously moving down along it. The dog, being too large to get on the roof, moved along the edge of the wall. Both animals craned their necks to look down at the window of the master bedroom.

They saw a black crow fluttering its wings outside of the window, a letter tied to its leg.

At that moment, the crow’s face also showed an anthropomorphic expression, as if it were distinguishing the identity of the person lying in bed inside. It gave a few soft calls, like reminders signaling a delivery. There was no response from within.

The crow began circling, looking as if it was about to leave.

At that moment, Pu’er, lying flat along the roof of the sunroom, began using “sign language” to communicate with the golden retriever below. She extended one cat paw and hooked it upward, then extended the other paw and hooked it downward.

After that, the two paws came together.

The golden retriever’s eyes grew round, but it could not actually understand Pu’er’s meaning. He could only show an awkward smile.

Seeing the dog’s smile, Pu’er thought he understood. So, that sign language conversation between Karon and that Ms. Zenn during dinner wasn’t difficult after all. I’ve already learned it too.

Pu’er knew that they were looking at a messenger crow. Strictly speaking, it was not a living creature, but more of a messenger puppet. It possessed the most processing abilities and awareness, and could distinguish the recipient while assessing nearby danger.

If it discovered the recipient was incorrect, it would terminate the delivery attempt and return to report. If it encountered danger, it would immediately activate a ritual array within its body to burn its shell and the letter together.

However, it was primarily made from crow feathers and a few pieces of bone, so it inevitably carried certain animal habits. That was to say, it would be highly wary of people, but would be more lax towards animals.

“Meow, meow, meow, meow.” Pu’er laid on the sunroom roof while letting out gentle cries. Feral cats in heat sounded like a child crying, harsh and piercing, but Pu’er’s cries carried an enticing rhythm that would cause a person’s thoughts to wander.

In her plan with the golden retriever, she would be responsible for drawing the messenger crow over, and then the golden retriever would strike, capturing it.

Yet what wounded Pu’er was that while the crow seemed to hear her cries, it showed no reaction. It widened its circling while preparing to leave this delivery point.

Meanwhile, the still-befuddled golden retriever down below, upon hearing Pu’er’s cries, believed that he finally understood the plan. The dog, which should have served as the “enforcer,” suddenly started making bedroom eyes and calling in a trembling tone. “Woof, woo, woof, woo.”

Pu’er stared down at the dog as it let out emotional barks, then looked at the crow that was about to fly off. She saw that the crow seemed to be stimulated by something and started to fly up to the rooftop.

Pu’er felt that the feathers and bones of this messenger were probably made from a female crow as the raw material. That had to be it.

The crow flew to the golden retriever and began rotating its body, demonstrating its charms for the dog.

From this, one could see that the great heretical god, even after becoming a dog, carried an inexplicable attraction to beings of the opposite sex. At that moment, the roles of the cat and dog swapped. Pu’er, who should have been the lure, became the enforcer. She instantly sprang up, paws and claws extended.

Pu’er could not fight. Tiz had once even asked which family would keep such a weak demonkin, but at this moment, Pu’er displayed a cat’s ability, as she was facing a crow.

A black cat and a black crow met in midair. With one swipe of her claws, Pu’er removed the crow’s leg that had the letter tied to it. The crow, having suffered an attack, automatically triggered its self-immolation ritual array. Blue flames rose from its body, and it turned to ash. However, one leg fell away.

After landing, Pu’er immediately turned and went to the leg that had fallen onto the rooftop. She used a paw to carefully undo the red string that bound the letter, and the dog moved his head closer to watch.

Eventually, the red string was undone, and the letter was spread open.

“Meeting Hall 3, Curtis Building, 2 p.m., 25th.”

It was a gathering location and date, yet it was the signature at the bottom that caused Pu’er and the golden retriever to instinctively look at each other.

“Light Eternal.”