13 Mink Street

At some point in time, Karon had become increasingly skilled at impersonation; increasingly accustomed to it, and increasingly composed.

There should be a department within the Church of Order that was dedicated to such efforts and responsible for espionage. Karon had once suspected that Bishop Byrne might be one of the people in charge of that department, as both his father and his son had infiltrated the Church of Pamireth.

However, Karon did not want to draw the attention of such departments within the church. Whenever he assumed a false identity, it was simply to deal with an emergency. Most of the time, he still went about breathing fresh air without a mask, using only the face that belonged to himself. For example, “Inquisitor Pavaro” had been out on various missions for a very long time without returning home.

The Sea God’s Armor was the best way for him to blend in, especially if everyone had the same rotting face. The distinctiveness of facial features was almost completely erased.

Sure enough, after seeing Karon reveal that he could use the Sea God’s Armor, the other black-robed figures immediately shifted their gazes away. Everyone began cleaning up the corpses.

Karon picked up a corpse and followed several other people, carrying the bodies to the basement. The basement was very damp, though not with moisture. It was heavy with the scent of blood.

The lights were on, and Karon saw six eggs. The one at the center was the largest, and it was also the only one that was black.

The people in front of him tossed the corpses into empty barrels off to the side, then immediately turned and ran back upstairs. For a moment, Karon almost mistakenly thought they had discovered his true identity and that they intended to lock him down in the basement. In the end, after nearly everyone had run up, the last one let out a sigh.

He walked back down and asked Karon, “Why didn’t you run?”

His voice was very shrill, like his throat had not yet fully developed.

Alright. Not only were their faces indistinguishable, even their voices seemed indistinguishable here.

Karon did not answer. The other party did not find this suspicious either. He took out a knife and a tube, then began bleeding the corpse.

Karon looked at the bloodstained brushes lying on the ground and understood. So those people suddenly ran off the way people run off after putting down their bowls, leaving the last two to wash all the dishes?

Karon then said, “I knew I couldn’t outrun them.”

The other person heard him and nodded. “Reasonable.”

Karon imitated the other person’s movements, picking up a knife and a tube from the ground to begin bleeding a corpse.

Admittedly, the process was nauseating and bloody, but to the current Karon, it was still within the range of what he could tolerate.

It was simply unfortunate for the men who followed Rudd. They had probably realized that their boss had been captured and thought that they had found a way to rescue him, only to fail at the end. Rudd did indeed have a group of ruthless men under his command, and they had more or less some ties to the ecclesiastical circles, but before Karon’s arrival in Veyn, Allen Manor had already declined so far that it was impossible for Rudd to possess many truly powerful subordinates. After all, the Raphael family’s local forces had once suppressed him to the point that he could barely breathe.

These people from the Sea God Church were of extremely high caliber. Taking control of Kerona Island had truly been effortless for them. If they had not attacked Gendi’s squad, they could have continued to occupy Kerona Island for a very long time.

So, in the end, Karon really ought to thank Nio for handing off this assignment. Otherwise, the squad responsible for this escort mission, and the one that got attacked, would have been their own. Sometimes, fate really was this strange.

At this moment, Karon saw the other person pick up a brush and begin spreading the blood mixture over an eggshell. Karon picked up a brush as well, dipped it in blood, and began applying the mixture. With the first stroke, a black figure could immediately be seen moving inside the egg, as though pressing two hands to the eggshell, followed by a face that made a sucking gesture, though the mouth looked to be as large as a suction cup.

The blood applied to the shell quickly seeped inside. Karon continued brushing until the thing inside had drunk its fill, and only then moved on to the next one.

“You handle the rest.” The black-robed figure began slacking off. There was still the black egg left, but he put down his tools and went upstairs first.

Karon walked over to the black egg. An impulse arose in his heart to smash all of the eggs. In this basement, it was easy to directly observe the darkness of the ecclesiastical world. Sea God Church fundamentalists needed human blood as nourishment in order to evolve into the form they desired. The people of the Church of Reincarnation treated the bodies of ordinary people as expendable vessels to carry consciousness. Gods occupied the supreme position, and their believers also placed themselves high above others. It was precisely because of this that even though scum like Expositor Zeric could appear within the Church of Order, when looking at the larger environment, there remained one fact that could not be denied: in this epoch, the Church of Order had indeed brought a different order to the world.

“Screech, screech, screech...” A burst of scraping sounds came from inside the black eggshell, like laughter. Karon picked up the brush, suppressing the revulsion in his heart as he painted the fresh blood on the eggshell. These things would be destroyed, but not yet. His purpose in coming here was to rescue Rudd’s family.

After finishing the work, Karon threw the brush to the ground and left the basement. He did not stop on the first floor, but instead went up to the second floor, and then continued to the third.

In the dining room on the third floor sat a black-robed figure. The feeling he gave Karon was different from the other black-robed figures. From this man, Karon sensed a dangerous aura. At this moment, the man turned his head and looked over. Karon swiftly adjusted his gaze.

“Pour me a glass of rum.”

Karon lowered his head to indicate that he understood, turned, and entered the kitchen. Rudd had once invited him to eat here, and there was a liquor cabinet in the kitchen.

After pouring a glass of alcohol and walking back out, Karon delivered the glass to the person there. He accepted the glass without speaking, merely placing it before himself and lightly sniffing it. Although there were also bandages wrapped around his face, his bandages were completely soaked with blood. They were red bandages. Moreover, his eyes glowed with a blue light, clearly marking him as being different from the ordinary black-robed figures.

At this moment, the door to the room beside them opened, and Rudd, bound with blue ropes, walked out. “I heard the commotion below just now!”

“Yes. Your people tried to rescue you from this place.”

“What happened to them?”

“They all died.”

“You said that if I cooperated with you, you wouldn’t kill anyone on this island!”

“But the prerequisite for that is that you and your people had to behave. Clearly, they did not behave, and they even tried to resist.”

“The ship will arrive tomorrow.”

“That’s too late. You don’t want us to stay here, and the truth is that we are also very eager to leave this island as soon as possible and continue on to our true destination.”

“It will arrive tomorrow morning.”

“I remember that, according to our original agreement, the ship we want should be docking tonight at midnight.”

“The ship arriving tomorrow morning will be fully loaded with supplies.”

“Oh, very good. In that case, calculating it this way, we actually save more time. You have done well, Mr. Rudd.”

“I only hope you will honor your promise.”

“Of course.”

“If you don’t intend to keep your promise, I at least hope you will let my wife and daughter go. You imprisoned them both on the ship at the very beginning. They know nothing at all about you, and they can’t even be considered members of the Allen family.”

“In truth, I have always found that detail to be very strange; A family qualified to know of our existence has actually fallen to this state? When your ancestors roamed the seas, they probably could never have imagined that their descendants would one day become like this.”

Rudd smiled. “I return those same words to you.”

“Hahahaha.” The black-robed figure laughed. “I admire you, Mr. Rudd. In this world, there truly aren’t many people worthy of this Enos’s admiration. Unfortunately, you belong to a family faith system. Maintain contact with that ship and try to get it here sooner. I don’t wish to stay in this damned place for even one moment longer.”

Enos drained the wine in his glass in one gulp. He stood and looked out the window, muttering to himself, “That cat has been watching me from the windowsill for a very long time. I like cats.”

Hearing these words, Karon’s heart jolted, but he forced himself not to make any unnecessary movement.

“Send our Mr. Rudd back to the communication room. Watch him as he continues urging the ship to move faster.”

Karon reached out and grabbed Rudd’s shoulder. The man glared at Enos, furious. He shook off Karon’s hand and walked toward the communications room on his own. Karon followed him in and closed the door.

Then Karon stood with his back against the door.

He heard another sound. It should have been another black-robed figure walking over. “Enos, what are you looking at?”

“Dart, look at that cat. Doesn’t it resemble my Marcy?”

“You mean that cat you kept on the ship? Let me see. Oh, this cat’s coloring is far prettier than your Marcy’s.”

“What a pity. Marcy was lost in the depths of the sea in that accident during our previous voyage. I think the great Sea God must have taken a liking to her as well, which is why he took her away to keep him company.

“Have you slept enough? Sit here for me for a while. I’m going to bring my new Marcy back.”

“Alright. Go ahead.” Immediately afterward, Karon heard the sound of a window opening, followed by a burst of energy fluctuations.

Is Pu’er about to be captured? Didn’t I tell her not to get close to this place? Can Alfred protect Pu’er and the others? Is there time to use the flares?

Energy fluctuations appeared again, and Enos’s voice sounded once more. “Oh, look, Dart. It’s very cute, isn’t it?”

Damn it, she was caught so quickly?!!

“Yes. As long as you’re happy, Enos. Alright, I’ll continue sleeping. By the way, when does the ship arrive?”

“Tomorrow morning a ship with sufficient supplies will dock, so we will only need to drive some blood sheep onto it before we can depart.”

“I was hoping for something faster.”

“That is already the fastest. I know what you are afraid of, and I share your fear. If blame must be assigned, it can only be put on you for failing to investigate their identities before leading people to attack them. Fortunately, we still have enough time. By the time that monster reacts, we will already be deep in the sea.”

“I said don’t bring up old accounts.”

“My fault, my fault. Alright, go back to sleep. I want to accompany my new Marcy. Look at its fur. Doesn’t it look like white snow?”

A white cat? Karon heart finally dropped back out of his throat.

That was right. His concern had affected his judgment. Although Pu’er might behave like a spoiled young lady at home, she had extensive adventuring experience. How could she possibly make such a low-level mistake?

As Karon unwrapped the bandages from his face, he walked toward Rudd, who was sitting before the telephone. Beside him was a ritual array stone. Rudd heard the footsteps approaching closer, and turned to look. Upon seeing Karon’s face, Rudd immediately revealed a shocked expression, though he did not need Karon to shush him. Rudd understood the need for silence on his own.

Instead, Karon made a downward pressing motion with both hands. Rudd raised two fingers.

Karon made the pressing motion again.

Just now, he had heard that black-robed figure say Rudd’s wife and daughter were being held hostage on the ship, while the captain and the others were searching the harbor for that ship. Barring any accident, they should be able to save both.

Rudd understood Karon’s meaning. He placed a hand on his chest and nodded to Karon.

Karon rewrapped his face with the bandages and retreated to the door.

The situation that followed was somewhat complicated. In truth, he could have completely undone the ropes that bound Rudd and restricted his power, taking him through the window to escape. Karon’s own strength should be enough for him to accomplish that much. After all, Rudd was not some delicate child. However, if Karon moved too early and the captain’s side were still searching for the ship and the hostages were still captives, it would be far from ideal.

Since the squad was there, they needed to save the entire family.

Karon prepared to wait a little longer and give the captain and the others more time. Ideally, Karon would wait for them to fire a signal flare before taking action himself.

The wait lasted nearly two hours. The town, which had originally been noisy, also quieted down considerably during this time.

Finally, Karon heard footsteps approaching. The door was pushed open. It was Enos.

“Do you think it’s beautiful?” Enos held a white cat as he spoke to Rudd.

Rudd ignored the man.

“Heh. Its beauty is something you don’t even know how to appreciate.” Immediately, Enos looked over at Karon, who stood in the corner. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Very beautiful.”

“Mhmm. Yes.” Enos held the cat very contentedly and walked back out.

Karon was moving to close the door when he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound, like a loud firework rising into the sky before bursting with a crack. He immediately turned to look out the window at the sky above the harbor. It was a signal flare!

Without any further hesitation, the fire of Order appeared in Karon’s hand. He grabbed the rope that bound Rudd, and it immediately melted apart. “Go!”

Rudd did not ask, “Have my wife and daughter been saved?” In fact, he did not hesitate in the slightest as he charged straight through the window. When he landed, flames shrouded his body.

Karon also immediately flipped out through the window, following Rudd.

The sudden signal flare alarmed everyone in the office building, and the commotion inside the communication room was immediately noticed by Enos.

Karon had only just landed when he turned back and saw Enos, still holding the white cat, also descend from the third floor. The next moment, Sea God’s Armor immediately covered Karon’s body. He shouted ahead at Rudd, “Don’t run! Stop right there! Don’t run!”

With flames reinforcing him, Rudd ran desperately forward while Karon chased after him.

At this moment, a wave of water passed by Karon’s side. It was Enos, who instantly shortened the distance between himself and Rudd. The reason they had bound the man with only a rope and had placed no further restrictions on him was, firstly, his wife and daughter were hostages, but secondly, because they simply did not believe he was capable of escaping.

Enos still held the cat in his right hand as his left reached out. He was rapidly closing in on his target, and was about to seize Rudd’s shoulder. The entire sequence looked extremely relaxed and effortless.

Karon’s eyes instantly turned red. He swung both arms, unleashing the Darkmoon Blade. Instantly, he accelerated forward, rushing behind Enos and slashing straight at his back.

Enos’s composure completely shattered at that moment, his expression changing completely. He truly could not imagine why the subordinate behind him would suddenly turn on him at this time!

Even so, the intense sense of danger caused the man to instinctively start defending himself. Sea God’s Armor also appeared over his form, but it was much thicker, and also had extremely clear armor patterns.

Even so, Karon’s Darkmoon Blade still managed to pierce through the armor and continued pressing forward.

At that moment, the cat in Enos’s hand suddenly split apart, transforming into a cloud of blood that merged into his armor, causing it to begin glowing red.

Karon’s Darkmoon Blade finally broke past all obstructions and stabbed into Enos’s back, piercing deep.

Yet Enos’s body suddenly transformed into liquid and simply exploded!

Boom!

A substitute puppet? Karon knew that his ambush had not truly succeeded. He had also not expected that Enos was so fond of cats for this sort of purpose.

Not far away, a cloud of mist condensed to reform Enos. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of a hand while staring at Karon in disbelief.

Karon did not meet the man’s gaze. Since the ambush failed, then... run!

The enhancements offered by the Darkmoon Blade caused Karon’s figure to practically transform into a streak of red light as he shot after Rudd.

Seeing this, Enos transformed back into blue mist and chased after Karon.

Can the Sea God’s Armor increase speed so much as well? Karon was slightly shocked. He actually failed to shake off his pursuer. He abruptly changed direction, hoping to draw Enos away and allow Rudd to escape first.

Karon believed that, given his recent actions, there was absolutely no chance that Enos would be willing to abandon him.

Sure enough, when Karon changed direction, Enos simply ignored Rudd and continued pursuing Karon.

Just then, a second flare rose into the sky, and it was immediately followed by a third.

One signal flare was an order to retreat, while two flares meant fight. Three meant fight to the death! Clearly, the captain had already learned their enemy’s strength and was issuing his command.

Karon swiftly stopped and turned around to face Enos. The man also stopped and stared at Karon from a distance. Blood was already seeping down his back.

“Who are you?” Enos demanded.

“Woof!” A large golden retriever was running across a sloped rooftop. A rope was tied around its body, and the other end of the rope was tied to the Aelius Sword. As the dog ran, the Aelius Sword scraped along the roof, releasing a trail of sparks.

Upon reaching the end of the roof, the golden retriever leapt, and both the dog and the greatsword drew a beautiful arc through the air.

Still in midair, the golden retriever bit through the rope around its body. Karon reached out and caught the Aelius Sword.

After landing, the golden retriever immediately bared its teeth at Enos.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Ferocious scales appeared on Enos’s skin, and his aura surged violently.

“Wuu...” Kevin was somewhat deflated by this sight. After all, he was only a dog at the moment.

However, after glancing back at Karon behind him, who held a sword in his hand, Kevin immediately regained his confidence and started barking at Enos with even greater arrogance.

Just like back then.