13 Mink Street

On his way back, Karon stopped by the hotel again to visit Ms. Lake and Mr. Pavaro’s two daughters, though he did not turn himself into Mr. Pavaro. Even if he used the man’s appearance, Ms. Lake would still know who Karon was, and her two daughters would also know that they were not meeting with their father.

A mask was meant for outsiders to see. For one’s real family, such things were useless.

After finishing his visit, Karon drove back to the apartment. By then, it was already dark. When he pushed open the door, he found Pu’er sitting on the coffee table eating cut pieces of fruit, while Kevin was gnawing on a large marrow bone, using it to grind his teeth for fun.

“Ciri just left. Dinner’s in the kitchen,” Pu’er said.

Karon tossed the equipment bag onto the rug and sat down on the carpet as well.

“Mmm, what’s this?” Pu’er stopped eating fruit and came over. Kevin also stopped his gnawing and came over too.

“A bag of basic equipment for a Whip of Order squad. I picked it up this afternoon, but I don’t think I should expect too much.” Karon opened the bag and first took out a thick notebook. It was actually an instruction manual.

After opening the manual, he found that it was very detailed, with both text and illustrations. It gave Karon the feeling that he was not opening an equipment pack, but a deluxe toy set.

He tossed the manual aside and pulled out the first item. It was a revolver. It felt a little light in his hand, and the material did not seem particularly good. However, a closer look revealed quite a few engraved patterns on it.

He then picked up the ammunition box and opened it. The bullets inside were all red, and they also felt somewhat light when he pinched one between his fingers.

“Is this an Arts gun?” Karon asked.

Pu’er examined it carefully. “Yes.”

Kevin pawed aside the instruction manual Karon had thrown to one side, then nodded. “Woof.”

Pu’er explained, “The lowest-grade Arts handgun. The bullets have a certain purification effect, but don’t expect much.”

Next, Karon pulled a stack of scrolls out from the bag. A stack, yes, but these scrolls were very thin, and nowhere near to matching the pristine white of the ones Alfred had bought for Pu’er and Kevin on the black market. The gap was like the difference between a genuine diamond ring and a toy ring.

Pu’er gave another introduction. “Lowest-grade scrolls. They can imprint the most basic Arts, which means they can save you a bit of chant time, and the success rate is around fifty percent.”

“So even if the Arts handgun isn’t very powerful, at least what it fires is a bullet. It makes a sound. It can scare people or demonkin a little. But these scrolls really are completely useless, and might even have side effects?”

“For you, yes, that’s basically correct. Since your success rate when using Arts, especially low-level Arts, almost never shows any problems, and you should already be able to instant-cast low-level Arts now, they really aren’t of any use to you at all.”

After that, Karon pulled out a pair of leather boots, a black priest’s robe, and a silver-white mask. The mask in particular stirred his memories. “We had one at home in this exact same color.”

“It should be in the radio demon’s bedroom. Stupid dog, go get it!”

“Woof!” Kevin immediately ran off to Alfred’s bedroom to search for it. Alfred had always kept all of the luggage that Karon had brought from home, including several suitcases containing the notes and books Mr. Hoffen had given him. Karon trusted Alfred completely. He would never steal or abuse Karon’s trust, because he could openly read those notes anyway.

There were actually not many physical items that Tiz had left for Karon, though that silver-white mask was one of them. Back when he sat in Tiz’s study, wearing the mask during the blood sacrifice ritual Tiz had performed, it had been precisely because of the mast that Karon had been able to be the fish that slipped through the net. Not only had the spirituality in his body not been stripped away, he had instead become the sole heir to the Immers family’s spiritual bloodline.

Karon slowly put the silver-white mask on his face and looked at Pu’er. She looked back at him.

After a short while, Karon took the mask off. “So it really is just an ordinary mask.”

At that moment, Kevin came back from Alfred’s bedroom with the silver-white mask that had been brought from home in his mouth. He set it down in front of Karon, who reached out and picked it up. The style was exactly the same, but the feel in his hand was completely different. This mask had always been kept inside a suitcase. Karon had not touched it once since coming to Veyn.

Now, Karon put the mask on again. The cold sensation instantly sank from his face to cover his entire body.

All of a sudden, the ring on the his left hand emitted a violet glow, but this time, Karon did not change into Mr. Pavaro’s appearance. Instead, in that glow, the silver-white mask on his face actually began to melt. Slowly, the mask turned into strands of silver liquid that began to slide downward, from his face to his chin, his chest, and then finally down his arm until it reached the ring, where the two began to merge.

It did not feel like the ring was absorbing the mask, but more as though the ring itself was being occupied. Karon looked down to watch this change. The violet glow gradually turned silver-white. When the light finally faded, the original purple gemstone ring had become silver-white.

“It didn’t... break, did it?” Karon was very worried that some mutation to the ring might make him unable to transform into Mr. Pavaro anymore, so he quickly tried feeding it some spirituality.

There was a white flash, and Karon transformed into Mr. Pavaro.

“Any difference?” Karon asked Pu’er and Kevin. They both shook their heads, indicating that there was no difference. His appearance was still just as perfect and convincing as before.

The next moment, Karon willed it, and he returned to his original appearance, but this time, a silver-white mask appeared on his face.

A moment later, that silver-white mask also disappeared, and Karon fully regained his original appearance. “Do you know where this mask Grandfather gave me came from?”

Pu’er shook her head. “But since it reacted to the ring someone from the Voss family made for you, I’m guessing it might also have come from the Voss family.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“The stupid dog says it should indeed have be from the Voss family, but from their family a very long time ago, which is essentially not the same as the Voss family of today.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Because it helped you to be isolated from the blood sacrifice ritual back then, it means that when you wear this mask, even the pull of a bloodline inheritance can be cut off.”

“That sounds very powerful.” Karon nodded, then casually tossed aside the silver-white mask that had come from the equipment bag. Although Tiz’s silver-white mask still had not revealed any other use yet, the new one had already been confirmed to be completely useless.

Next, Karon took off his own shoes and put on the leather boots and walked around in them.

“How are they?” Pu’er asked.

“A bit too big. They don’t fit very well.”

“Can they be exchanged for a smaller size?” Pu’er asked.

“Probably not, because one of the senior squad members told me that anything I can’t use can just be taken to the black market and sold.”

“A pair of boots won’t get you very much.” Pu’er pressed a paw to the black priest’s robe. “This robe is also just an ordinary model. There are no runes in it.”

Karon put the robe on and found that it was also too large.

“Oh, looks like the whole outfit doesn’t fit. Let’s just have one tailored for you,” Pu’er said. “There should be tailors on the black market who specialize in making priests’ robes. They can also hire a ritual array master to add some basic ritual arrays into your clothes.”

“The price?”

“Not cheap.”

“Then forget it. I’ll buy one through the official channels. After all, it’ll be my first proper priest’s robe.”

By normal reasoning, a priest’s robe acquired through official channels should cost more.

“Once you become an Inquisitor, they’ll issue you an Inquisitor uniform every year. Divine Servants, Divine Seekers, and Divine Shepherds generally only get robes issued when the job requires it,” Pu’er said.

“So stingy.” Karon sighed. “The benefits for grassroots workers are really terrible.”

“That’s how it is everywhere,” Pu’er said in a matter-of-fact tone. “In every line of work, the ones at the bottom work the hardest and get paid the least, so you just have to climb.”

“This mission is a close-protection detail, so I’ll probably just be wearing plain clothes, not priest’s robes. I’ll use Pavaro’s channels to buy one from the church with some credits.”

“Mm, that works too.”

Karon then pulled out a vest with steel plates inserted into it. It looked like a posture-correcting harness. He put it on and found that it only provided protection over a small bit of the chest and another small area of the back. There were no ritual arrays on it, and when he tried feeding some spirituality into it, nothing changed at all.

That confirmed it, it really was just a posture-correcting harness.

The backpack appeared to be empty, so Karon turned it upside down and shook it. Several one-hundred-rel notes fell out. He picked them up. There was a total of five hundred rels. “I think the most practical thing in this whole bag is the Arts revolver, and the second most practical thing is these five hundred rels.”

Karon loaded the revolver and kept it on his person, then placed the five hundred rels on the coffee table with a teacup on top of them. Everything else was thrown back into the bag.

“Oh right, this time I’m carrying out a protection mission,” Karon said.

“You just said that. I heard you,” Pu’er replied. “Looks like that captain values you a lot.”

Karon had no intention of continuing to expand on the topic of being “valued.”

Instead, he asked, “The target of this protection mission is a delegation representative from the Darkmoon family sent to negotiate with the church here in York City. What exactly is the connection between this Darkmoon family and the Darkmoon Blade I learned?”

Pu’er froze.

Beside her, when Kevin heard Karon’s question, he kept his mouth closed, but his lips curled upward and the dog’s eyes widened. He knew exactly how the Darkmoon Blade had come into Pu’er’s possession.

“Uh... I think, maybe, perhaps, probably, they should be the same family.”

“Explain in detail.”

“There’s nothing much to explain in detail.”

“How did you end up with this Art? How did you get it?”

“Uh... back then there was someone from the Darkmoon family who liked me and wanted to pursue me, and he gave the Art to me as a gift.”

“And then?”

“And then what?” Pu’er blinked her watery amber-like cat eyes.

“What happened to that guy?”

“I didn’t like him, so I dumped him. Didn’t I already tell you that already? At that time, I never had any thought of talking about love or getting married. In any case, my father couldn’t beat me, my uncles couldn’t beat me, and my brothers and sisters couldn’t beat me either, so no one could force me.”

“It was that simple?”

“There was nothing complicated about it, believe me. We parted peacefully in the end- no, he never even got to hold my hand. In any case, we forgot each other in the sea in a very friendly atmosphere.”

“So if I use Darkmoon Blade in front of someone from the Darkmoon family, there won’t be any problem?”

“Don’t!” Pu’er immediately cried out.

Karon sat back down on the sofa and said, “Go on.”

“At that time, I was going to a monster island to find an egg, and he insisted on coming with me. I couldn’t shake him off, so I had no choice but to let him follow me. After I found the egg, I left the island.”

“And him?”

“I forgot him in the sea.”

“You left him alone on the island?”

“If I hadn’t, there would have been no way to shake him off! You have no idea how clingy he was!”

“Did he die?”

“No. He didn’t. I later found out that he made it back alive. At the time I was really...”

“Deeply relieved?”

“No. I was shocked that he actually survived. I was afraid he’d come after me again. You know, the Darkmoon family is a very special existence. They’re one of the few family systems that can actually be compared to a small church, so if he kept following me around, it would be inconvenient no matter where I went, and it would easily attract the attention of the great churches. But fortunately...”

“Fortunately what?”

“His father died.”

“Huh?”

“Then he went back to inherit the position of patriarch, and he even wrote me a letter saying that he could no longer leave Darkmoon Island, so he hoped that I would go find him there. He said he would summon the radiance of the Darkmoon and propose to me under Darkmoon’s blessing.

“And then, sure enough, he never managed to leave the island again. Hahaha!” Pu’er laughed.

Karon looked at Kevin, and the dog met his eyes.

“Why aren’t you two laughing?” Pu’er asked, puzzled.

“Because I don’t think it sounds very funny.”

“Woof.”

“I even think that the man was actually sincere toward you.”

“Woof.”

Pu’er indifferently replied, “But not liking him meant not liking him. How can such things be forced? I’m not Eunice, where if my family arranges someone, I’ll go and honestly try to like him.

“Oh, I’m not saying that as a jab at you, Karon. I’m just using it as an example. Back then, my temperament was probably this: whatever my family arranged, I would dislike it all the more.”

“Have you ever thought that if you’d gone to Darkmoon Island back then, you probably wouldn’t have turned into a cat?”

“What’s the point in thinking about that? It’s quite meaningless. Besides, Darkmoon Island probably doesn’t even have sweet-and-sour fish.”

“Fine. I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”

“Tonight? Can it be tonight, my dear little Young Master Karon?”

“We didn’t buy ingredients.”

“I had Ciri buy them this afternoon.”

“You talked to her?”

“Of course not. I showed her a note. But I think that big-bottomed maid has probably known for a long time that I can talk. Back when we were all here at home, she would sometimes be mopping downstairs while I talked to you upstairs. Her mental resilience is quite impressive.”

“Fine, I’ll make it for you. The mission isn’t until the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow there’s nothing much to do.”

“Hehe, love you! Meow.”

Karon stood up and walked into the kitchen, beginning to prepare the ingredients. At that moment, Pu’er hopped up beside the sink and reminded him, “Maybe you should ask the stupid dog how he got the Sea God’s Armor. I’m sure there’s a story there too.”

“I’m not very interested.”

“Why not? That’s not fair! I told my story, but he didn’t say a single thing. I dare guarantee that the stupid dog was definitely tricked by a woman before, and very badly too!”

“Yours, at least, can barely be considered modern history. His probably goes all the way back to the previous epoch. That doesn’t sound relatable.”

“While I think that what you’re saying makes a lot of sense, I still feel offended.”

“I’ll add a dish of sour pickled fish for lunch tomorrow.”

“Oh, then in future, if you feel like offending me, please don’t hesitate in the least!”

“Make a phone call. Tell Alfred to bring Pike and Dinkom over for dinner, too.”

“It looks like joining Nio’s squad has really given you a huge sense of security.”

“It does seem like that.”

Pu’er hopped down from the sink, ran to the cabinet with the telephone on it, and began dialing with her paws.

By about nine-thirty at night, Karon had prepared dinner, and Alfred had also returned with Pike and Dinkom. The two of them were clearly very restrained, as they sat bolt upright in their chairs.

Karon brought the dishes out to the table and motioned for everyone to begin eating. At the table, Dinkom and Pike did nothing but eat. They didn’t speak a word.

Then, they realized that the food was genuinely delicious. Karon chatted briefly with Alfred about how he had a mission in the coming days and would not be home for some time. Alfred assured him that by the time Karon returned, the renovations at the funeral home would certainly be complete and ready for his immediate move-in.

After dinner, Dinkom and Pike volunteered to go clean the kitchen. After the tidying was finished, Alfred took them downstairs with him. They still had to continue rushing through the night to complete the work. For the past few days, they had all been sleeping right there at the worksite.

“I really never expected Mr. Karon’s cooking to be so good,” Pike said with feeling.

“Yeah,” Dinkom agreed.

Alfred then took out six hundred Order credits and handed them over. “Split them between yourselves.”

A Divine Servant only received a monthly allowance of one hundred Order credits. Three hundred each was the equivalent of an entire quarter’s allowance handed out at once. Alfred cut off their thanks with a wave of his hand. “Just work hard. You won’t be treated unfairly.”

***

Ivy Cemetery.

Nio stood there quietly, quietly keeping the person lying inside the grave company. Around the gravestone, a circle of white roses had been planted.

After a long while, Nio spoke, “Elisa, there’s another mission again soon. When it’s over, I’ll come see you again. See? Isn’t this just like before?”

At that moment, the groundskeeper Saman walked over while sweeping the ground. He gave Nio a curious look and asked, “Hey, it’s already quite late. I’m about to close the gate.”

Nio looked over. “I’m leaving now.”

“Hey.”

“What else is it?”

Saman looked at the gravestone in front of Nio, the one surrounded by white roses, and asked, “Do you know the son-in-law from Pavaro Funeral Home?”

“Son-in-law?”

“The one called Karon.”

“Yes, I know him.”

“He ate a whole pot of my macaroni last time, but later had someone deliver a bunch of food to leave with me for next time. It’s all in my fridge, and I can’t finish it myself. Want to come over and eat some supper together?”

“Alright.”

“Just wait a bit. I’ll finish sweeping here and knock off for the night. By the way, who’s the person lying in there to you?”

“My... wife.”

“You’re really lucky. Our cemetery is running a discount on a second grave plot right now. We never used to have promotions like that,” Old Saman said.

“I don’t need one.” His body would be handed over to the Church. It would never be buried.

“Hey, I’m not trying to sell you anything. Of course I know you don’t need to buy another one. Didn’t you already have that Karon help you buy one?”

“Hmm?”

“There. Look. The empty grave plot right beside your wife’s. I remember the owner’s name registered on it was Nio. That’s you, right?”

“That’s me.”