13 Mink Street

Chapter 126: Divine Shepherd!

Karon pushed open his front door, but didn’t see Pu’er or Kevin.

He went up to the second floor, yet still didn’t find them. However, he did notice that the clothes he had changed out of earlier and left in the bathroom were gone.

He walked up to the rooftop and saw Kevin holding the drying pole in his mouth while hauling the clothes up. Pu’er lay at one end of the clothesline, biting a hanger and hooking clothes onto the line.

Karon folded his arms and watched the two housepets diligently doing chores. After they hung the last piece, the golden retriever turned his head and saw Karon. He barked.

Pu’er also saw Karon and jumped down from the drying pole.

“How did you wash them?” Karon asked.

Kevin mimicked Pu’er, placing their front paws together pushing them up and down repeatedly.

“Thanks for the hard work.” Karon bent down while talking to them.

Pu’er let out a soft meow. She looked to be a little embarrassed and she ran down from the rooftop first. She had lived as both a person and a cat for about two hundred years, yet this was the first time she had helped anyone to wash clothes, let alone do such a thing for a man.

The golden retriever followed close behind the cat.

Karon looked at the clothes hanging on the line. Water still dripped from them. Clearly they hadn’t been able to fully wring the clothes out.

Night was about to fall, and given the temperatures, the clothes would likely be as stiff as boards by morning. Even so, Karon didn’t take them down to redo them. He simply nodded and went downstairs.

For dinner, Karon boiled some dumplings. He had wrapped them a few days earlier, and they had been sitting in the fridge. There were three plates of dumplings; one for a man, one for a cat, and one for a dog. The only special treatment Karon gave himself for being human was mixing together a small dish of dipping sauce.

After eating, Karon carried the plates to the kitchen sink. He had intended to leave them soaking to wash later, but then remembered the plate that Pu’er had broken earlier when trying to do the dishes.

He sighed and proceeded to wash all of the bowls and plates, and even put them away. He shook the water from his hands and went into the bathroom to splash his face.

This time, he didn’t go back to his bedroom, but poured himself a cup of ice water and went to the study. He opened the pouch of documents he had brought back from Eva’s Pastry Shop, and began reading them.

These were original notes, which had apparently been created by Mr. Pavaro during his investigation. The notes contained his thoughts, being something like a diary. In them, he referred to the woman Karon had met in the pastry shop earlier that day as Annie.

There was also the information “Annie” had gathered through the Mios Church, which could also be called the prostitute network. The process and results of each stage of the investigation had been organized in a clear, detailed fashion. Judging by the handwriting, the sorting and summary were probably done by Annie.

Karon skimmed past the sections concerning the preliminary investigation and dove straight into the summaries for each stage.

The first stage had been when Mr. Pavaro, wanting to personally find materials and try to make Bloodspirit Powder for his two daughters, discovered a clear imbalance between the amount of raw materials being imported through the markets and the amount of produced Bloodspirit Powder.

Karon took a sip of water.

With a special material like Bloodspirit Powder, it was impossible to get a situation where oversupply crashed prices. So-called market economics didn’t apply at all to this situation, as the workshops and the churches had a direct supply relationship. Also, given the scale of the major churches, no matter how much the output increased, they could absorb it, and they could store it. Even if they couldn’t use it all themselves, they could mark it with a price n credits and then distribute it themselves.

Thinking back to when Alfred had been practicing ritual arrays at Allen Manor, the Allen family had prepared plenty of materials for him to use. If someone really wanted to be extravagant, there would always be a short supply of those kinds of raw materials.

Church of Order Inquisitors tended to run funeral homes. One reason was connected to the system, and the other was that it made it convenient for them to observe a city’s movements, allowing them to promptly notice people with abnormal causes of death. Mr. Pavaro noticing this production imbalance in the York City area was also within an Inquisitor’s scope of observation.

The second stage was when he had started investigating the largest supplier of Bloodspirit Powder in the York City area, the Raphael family, and had managed to confirm they were the source of the imbalance.

The third stage was when Mr. Pavaro analyzed the effects of Bloodspirit Powder as well as the substitutes for the raw materials.

Karon took another sip of water. There wasn’t much written for this third part of the investigation, because Mr. Pavaro had intended to prepare Bloodspirit Powder himself. Naturally, he must have done a bit of research beforehand.

Still, in the end, Mr. Pavaro had received confirmation from Professor Lovren of the Department of Physics at Das Academy that there was a raw material that could serve as a cheaper substitute for Bloodspirit Powder: menstrual blood.

Very clearly, this Professor Lovren was a member of the Church of Principle. “Every Church of Order Inquisitor will know a believer of the Church of Principle.”

Mr. Hoffen’s figure appeared in Karon’s mind. This was normal, as the Church of Principle didn’t possess especially powerful military strength, yet had been able to survive and develop for so long. It did so by relying on sharing information and research.

A church that wasn’t much of a threat and which liked doing research and sharing the conclusions, what other church would target them?

Karon took out his own paper and pen and wrote down: Professor Lovren.

The first stage had discovered the abnormality, the second stage had been a targeted investigation to confirm the source of the abnormality, while the third stage had been identifying the largest and most likely factor behind the abnormality.

At that point, Mr. Pavaro submitted an “abnormality report” directly to the Regional Administration. It could be said that he had already fulfilled the duty an Church of Order Inquisitor.

Then Karon flipped through the man’s earlier notes, and eventually found what he was looking for.

Mr. Pavaro had written:

The district did not send me any acknowledgement. I was very surprised. After waiting for some time, I assumed the report had gotten stuck in a process somewhere, or perhaps had been misplaced, even though I knew that was unlikely.

So I submitted another abnormality report, but still received no response.

Then, Inquisitor Covendi from the neighboring region came to visit me. He said he had heard my two daughters’ illness required Bloodspirit Powder to ease their symptoms, so he brought me a bag of Bloodspirit Powder. He also said that every month, he could bring me another bag like this.

The Raphael family, who own the Bloodspirit Powder workshop, are in Covendi’s jurisdiction.

I was excited, because I realized my guess was probably correct. This was hush money, telling me to turn a blind eye.

I was also terrified. How could Covendi, who is the same rank as me, have seen my abnormality report?

I am conflicted. I don’t know whether I should tell my beloved wife about this.

Karon took another sip of water. He could understand Mr. Pavaro’s feelings at that moment, and also believed Mr. Pavaro hadn’t told Ms. Lake about it, as Ms. Lake would definitely have shouted that information at Karon earlier in the day.

His gaze shifted away as he continued reading the summaries of the stages of the investigation, while writing on his own paper: Inquisitor Covendi.

Mr. Pavaro definitely hadn’t been bought by the hush money, or else there wouldn’t have been later stages of his investigation.

The fourth stage had occurred because Covendi’s appearance had made Mr. Pavaro even more confident in his conclusions, so he began focusing on how such a large quantity of menstrual blood was being collected.

It was at this point that Mr. Pavaro had found Annie at Eva’s Pastry Shop and asked her to use her connections to help with his investigation.

Karon frowned slightly. The summary for this stage was somewhat rough, or rather, there wasn’t really a summary for this stage. That meant that this portion of the investigation had been hard and long, and Mr. Pavaro may have suffered pressure from other sources as well.

When Karon later looked through the investigative notes in detail, he should be able to learn the specifics, but continued to simply flip through Mr. Pavaro’s notes, which could also be considered a diary.

Adjudicator Luke sent me an official letter, saying they received a dereliction report concerning me.

Can I take this as a warning? A warning aimed at my investigation?

Annie’s information network is really impressive, and her insight and analytical abilities are astonishing. She actually discovered that, in recent years, the number of girls entering pastry shops to make a living through illegal immigration has been decreasing each year.

Yes, illegal immigrants. The only group that won’t be noticed, won’t be counted. Even the government doesn’t know how many illegal immigrants arrive each year, and doesn’t even know how many of them die each year for lack of food and medicine. They are a group of forgotten people.

What’s laughable is that the only thing that remembers them is the clutches of darkness.

Karon wrote on his paper: Adjudicator Luke, then continued flipping through the diary.

The squad leader of the Whip of Order, Tirsen, sent me an official letter initiating a formal investigation into the report regarding my dereliction of duty. It’s funny that, to this day, I still have not received a specific reason for what I have supposedly neglected.

Dereliction of duty? Slacking off? Corruption for personal gain? Not a single reason was given to me, but the investigation has already begun.

This is a further warning. If I dare to continue investigating, the next warning will likely be my suspension.

Karon wrote on the paper: “Order Squad Captain Tirsen,” then turned the page and continued reading.

After conducting my own visits and combining them with information from Annie, I’ve discovered that over the past few years, a large number of undocumented migrant women, especially young ones, have been recruited under the pretense of employment, yet after that point, they never again contact their families.

However, every month their families still receive a remittance of roughly eight hundred rels. The duration of these payments varies, some lasting more than a year, others just a single month, which means that the money was sent just once.

Damn it, I’ve arrived at a troubling inference.

I investigated the remittance accounts, and as expected, found nothing at all. Even after making use of certain special connections, the sender’s accounts and methods were deliberately concealed and falsified, leaving me unable to obtain any useful leads from that direction.

He turned the page.

I have been suspended, forbidden from using my identity as a Church of Order Inquisitor during my suspension, and ordered to stay at home in confinement and reflect.

So tell me what I did wrong, otherwise what am I reflecting on?

He turned the page.

Annie warned me to be careful. She even suggested I temporarily abandon this investigation, because she thinks I might be in danger. She knows my situation. She also understands that each time I filed reports upward, all I received in return were repeated warnings and now a suspension.

She said the Church of Order leadership is already rotted. They must be entangled with this matter. She’s worried that even if I uncover the truth, nothing will come of it.

No my friend, my companion, my respected Annie, it isn’t like that. Killing an Inquisitor directly, an Inquisitor suddenly dropping dead, even if it looked completely natural, would still trigger the Church of Order’s investigation process.

Why didn’t they choose the most direct way and silence me? Why did they keep warning me, following procedures, and only then suspending me? Because they don’t dare kill me outright.

Then why don’t they dare kill me outright? Because they’re afraid. They’re afraid of an investigation from above. They’re afraid that my death will tear a seam in their darkness.

So I can still live. I’ve been suspended, and that proves they fear something. That proves that although there is rotten flesh within the Church of Order, the Church of Order is still the Church of Order.

I will not retreat, and I will not be afraid! I will continue this investigation, not only for those poor girls who have been imprisoned, but also for the faith within my heart, for the supreme Order and for the great and exalted God of Order whom I revere.

No matter what kind of suppression I encounter, no matter what treatment I suffer, even if they personally shackle my hands in chains, I will still sincerely cry out, Praise Order!

I firmly believe that the God of Order will hear my prayers.

Karon stopped. He picked up his cup, only to find it was empty. He carried it out of the study and poured himself more water, adding ice from the fridge.

On his way back, he saw Pu’er at the bedroom door. “Karon, aren’t you going to bed?”

“Did any calls come in this afternoon?” Karon asked.

“No.” Pu’er shook her head.

“Then that means I don’t have any appointments. I might not even need to go in to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, my little Karon, you really have found a job that so many people would envy.”

Karon chuckled. “I’m going to read for a while longer tonight. It might get late. You and Kevin are also tired from today, so go to sleep early. Also, you two should read the things on my desk tomorrow.”

Pu’er had been washing dishes and doing laundry throughout the day, so she had to be tired.

“What things?” Pu’er asked curiously.

“I want to finish reading them on my own first. You can read tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Pu’er nodded. “Then don’t read too late.”

“Mhmm.”

Karon went back into the study, sat down, and continued reading Mr. Pavaro’s diary.

I found a solid lead. Annie found a woman who had gone mad. She reeked, her face was pale, and she was severely anemic. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, she was already dead.

Annie said that when she found her, she was lying on the roadside, covered in filth, yet when the municipal workers saw her, because of her purple hair, they acted as if they hadn’t seen anything. Sigh.

Karon silently pinched the bridge of his nose and kept reading.

I Awakened her. She sat up, but unfortunately, perhaps because she had suffered long-term torment while alive, after awakening her consciousness was still extremely confused, and she quickly fell into a berserk state. I had no choice but to suppress her again. Fortunately, even in her confusion, she still shouted a few words. They were: Blood. Blue. Bridge.

Karon’s fingers twitched. Bluebridge?

Bluebridge Community! My god, this swamp of darkness might actually be in the very community where I live!

I will investigate the entire community, one place at a time. I believe I’m close to finding the location of that damned swamp.

The diary ended there.

Because the next focus of the investigation was finding that place, Mr. Pavaro had made no further entries. It was obvious he hadn’t had time to truly pinpoint the location before being taken into custody, otherwise, Annie would have had no reason not to tell Karon the result.

In other words, before Mr. Pavaro could truly find proof, those above had moved first and taken him into custody.

Bluebridge.

The location was within Bluebridge Community. It was also the community where Karon lived.

He glanced at the names he had written on his paper. Aside from that professor from the Church of Principle, the rest of them were, at minimum, Inquisitors. There was even an Adjudicator and a squad leader of the Whip of Order.

They shouldn’t all be involved, and they likely weren’t.

Karon didn’t know what Mr. Pavaro would face while incarcerated. Did he have the right to defend himself? Would the other side even grant him that right? Then what would await Mr. Pavaro while in custody?

Karon leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He wanted to doze for a moment, as well as calm down.

The Church of Order is just as dark within.

He had accepted this envelope of documents. Did he next need to continue the investigation that Mr. Pavaro had been unable to complete, and find the cesspool within Bluebridge Community?

Then what, exactly, awaits me?

Karon’s brow knitted tightly. He felt a chill. In that gap between wakefulness and slightly dozing off, he murmured softly, “Order... Order...”

Suddenly, three black walls appeared on their own, before he had even managed to recite any sort of chant. They slowly drifted around his body as though shielding him, as though to grant him some reassurance.

At the same time, a faint white glow lit up the study. An elderly man, likewise seated with a book in his hands, appeared beside Karon.

Karon seemed to sense something and was roused from dozing. As he awakened, the black walls surrounding him dissipated on their own. He turned his head to look at the old man. There was no fear nor alarm, only a trace of impatience.

“Don’t be impatient. This time, you walked into my study of your own accord,” the old man said with a smile.

“This is my study,” Karon corrected him.

“A study is the place that most easily retains its owner’s scent, even more so than a kitchen,” the old man replied. “You are contemplating?”

“Not exactly.”

“Oh? Because you’ve already made your decision?”

“More or less. I just still feel that I’m not being rational enough,” Karon said. “The most rational approach would be to copy a seed just planted in the soil, quietly absorbing water, receiving sunlight, and growing slowly.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

“Oh?”

“I think I understand what you mean. You’re saying that one should only drink as much water as one’s cup can hold, correct?”

“Something like that.”

“You want to leave problems for when you’ve grown more and become stronger, believing that to be the most rational choice, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then why have you made the opposite decision?”

“You’re annoying.”

“I suppose that’s because some matters can be set aside for later, while your heart simply refuses to abandon or postpone others. Life is like that. Avoiding the stones along the road is human instinct. You step around them, jump over them, or go around them, telling yourself that when you are older and stronger, you will come back and move them. Yet when you’ve grown, you will already have walked far down the road, too far to return and move the stones that once blocked your path. More importantly, your body may have gone far past those obstacles, while your soul remains stuck at that very spot.”

After listening to the old man, Karon changed his tone and said, “You’re right.”

The old man chuckled. “You were wary of me earlier because you thought I would try to preach to you?”

“Yes.”

“In truth, I am here precisely to preach to you. This study carries the imprint of my thoughts from while I read. The longer you speak with me, the more likely you are to be converted.”

“I’m not afraid of being converted. I’m afraid of trouble.”

Even the God of Order had been denied by His own Divine Seeker. Karon did not believe he would be confused by something left behind by Light vermin.

“Oh? Is that so? Still, may I try once more?”

“Do as you like.”

“Young man, let me ask you something. To those who are powerful and enjoy a high status, what does a god mean?”

Karon pressed his lips together and answered, “An embellishment. An ornament.”

“A sharp metaphor. I like it. Because they are powerful and have a high status, the difficulties they face are few, and the obstacles they must resolve are fewer still, perhaps almost none. Then what does a god mean to the weak and the lowly?”

Karon considered this before replying, “Courage. Hope.”

“Yes. To the strong and the exalted, a snowflake or a drop of rain is insignificant, while to the weak and those at the bottom, that same snowflake may be an avalanche, that same raindrop a tsunami. At such times, they need a god, because a god grants them courage and brings them hope. You are facing the same problem now. You could choose to set it aside, but your heart refuses. You have already decided to raise your pickaxe against that stone. So at this moment, you need more courage, and your eyes require more hope!”

“You’re right. Since I have already made my choice, I should have no further doubts or hesitation. Even if I am still weak, I should stand before it openly and face it.”

“Yes, young man, you understand at last! Therefore, place a god before you! A god will guide you, grant you hope and courage! The great one will bring you Light! It is the great Light of—”

“No.” Karon shook his head.

The old man faltered, having been cut off in the middle of his build-up.

Karon closed his eyes and solemnly stated, “There is no god before me.”

“Without a god’s guidance, how will you walk your path?” the old man asked anxiously.

“Because on this path, I walk at the very front.” As Karon spoke, a black mark appeared on his brow. Beneath him, black chains arranged in perfect order and began to revolve around him. His presence, his aura, grew solid and concentrated.

The old man’s eyes bulged as he cried out in disbelief, “Impossible! You just blasphemed a god, and now you are becoming a Divine Shepherd?”