13 Mink Street

“Once the rewards are issued, they’ll be transferred into your credit accounts. Fannie will handle things when the time comes, so remember to check your accounts for yourselves.” The captain clapped his hands. “Alright, dismissed!”

Karon saw the captain walk over to Gendi and the others, seemingly to reassure them.

Gray commented with a bit of confusion, “The captain treats Gendi and his little chicks pretty well.”

Karon said, “Because a deputy commander needs to have three squads under him.”

Gray nodded. “So that’s why.”

Fannie walked over. “Karon, give me your car keys. I’ll arrange for someone to drive your car back to your place. You’re at the funeral home, right?”

“Yes.” Karon took out his car keys, and Alfred also handed the keys to the hearse over to Fannie.

Everyone had returned aboard one of the warships, which had docked in York’s military port, rather than York Harbor. Naturally, the cars were not in the port, so someone needed to be sent to retrieve them.

Paige said, “I’ve already called for transport for us, but the military port is rather far out, so the only vehicle currently available is a truck. If you want to wait for another forty minutes, a chauffeured car can pick you up.”

“I won’t wait that long. A truck is fine; I just want to get back earlier.”

“Alright, I’ll set that up for you.”

A truck was quickly arranged, and while there was room on the seat for two passengers, Karon did not climb in the cab. Instead, he climbed into the back and found a corner to sit in.

Miss Pu’er and Mister Kevin also climbed into the back of the truck, and Alfred sat diagonally across from Karon. Just as the truck was about to leave, Memphis also got in. “I’ll come along.”

After boarding, Memphis sat on the edge.

As the truck drove along, its body rocked heavily, but sitting together in an open-air truck felt rather nice in its own way.

Memphis was delivered home first, but when the truck reached a street near the Gorman residence, Alfred signaled the driver to stop.

Pu’er pointed at the dessert shop up ahead and cried out. “Meow!”

Seeing this, Karon did not send Alfred out to buy anything, but personally climbed down from the truck. He could treat this as seeing Memphis off. “We really owe you for this mission, Mr. Eisen.”

“There’s no need to say that. I’m also a member of the squad. In truth, I found today to be very fulfilling. I’ve never had any contact with the Sea God Church before. Also, the captain really is quite learned.”

“Sometimes, it’s good to get out and clear your head.”

The two of them chatted as they walked to the entrance of the dessert shop. Karon silently counted, then said to the clerk, “Five strawberry cones. Large.”

“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.”

Just as he was about to pay, Karon realized that he was not carrying any money. Just as he was about to turn around and call Alfred over to settle the bill, he saw Eisen take some rels out and pay. “Sorry. I’m not used to carrying money on me anymore.”

“I used to be the same, but I now always carry some rels with me. I heard from Richard that there’s a custom for newcomers to treat everyone at the end of a mission, but I’ve never managed to find the opportunity.”

“That custom only applies to Richard.”

“Oh. So that’s how it is.”

“Then, goodbye, Mr. Eisen.”

“Goodbye.”

Karon returned to the truck with four cones. He handed one to Alfred, then gave one each to Miss Pu’er and Mister Kevin.

It would be particularly difficult for either Pu’er or Kevin to hold their cones and eat them, particularly since there was no tray, but they could have their puppets hold the cones and feed them.

With Eisen gone, Alfred took out the egg and held it in a hand. Karon glanced over, realizing that Alfred was communicating with the egg through some other medium.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Karon prepared to rest. He first went to the washroom to take a shower. When he emerged, he saw Ciri carrying Pu’er in. She had just helped the cat to bathe and dry off.

Karon laid down on the bed, and Pu’er leaned against him. The man and cat soon closed their eyes and began catching up on sleep.

A little while later, Kevin pushed open the bedroom door and walked in too. He had also taken a bath, helped by Pike.

The dog walked to the side of the bed and saw that Karon and Pu’er were already sleeping. He then went over to his own bed in the small side room and laid down. He licked his lips, found a comfortable position on his side, and closed his eyes.

In his dream, he saw sunlight and the beach again.

***

In a bedroom in the Gorman residence, Richard was lying on his bed with an Arts manual. It recorded the effects and countermeasures for several psychic-type Arts.

Unfortunately, he did not have much confidence in preparing for this sort of exam. Instead, he was under immense pressure.

That was because Richard was very aware of his own capabilities. Of the young masters within his circle, he was not exactly at the bottom, but when considering the entire church, he was nowhere near being considered a genius within his age group.

Originally, he had only planned to participate. After all, his grandfather had expended some favors to sign Richard up. However, after the family had learned that Karon would also be participating in the selection process, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they had started to pressure Richard to do well.

“How am I supposed to compete with him? Sigh.” Richard continued flipping through the book.

At that moment, Casey walked in with a plate of fruit and smiled at him. “No one is asking you to surpass him. Having a target ahead of you provides motivation to push yourself forward.”

“Mom, you were eavesdropping at the door again.”

“You were speaking loudly to yourself.”

Richard accepted the plate of fruit. Toothpicks had already been stuck into the pieces. He picked up a slice of apple and popped it into his mouth. While chewing, he asked, “Mom, did you ever meet a genius when you were young?”

“I did. Your father was one.”

“Oh, heavens. That’s hard to imagine.”

“I’m not joking. Your father when he was young and your father now are completely different people.”

“Alright, alright, I know. I believe you.” Richard lowered his head and continued reading.

“Study properly. When your grandfather gets back tonight, he’ll teach you himself. Karon doesn’t get that kind of treatment.”

“See, Mom? You’re doing it again.”

“Mm, I said the wrong thing. I apologize. Do your best, son.” Casey went downstairs to the living room. Hearing footsteps at the entrance, she saw her husband. “You’re back?”

“Mhmm, I’m back.”

She had already grown somewhat used to her husband suddenly disappearing. According to past habits, if not for the fact that her mother-in-law was still living in this house, after recovering from her injury, Casey most likely would have already returned to Port Mulberry.

She was just about to go to the kitchen to prepare some more snacks for her son when the person behind her called out. “Wait.”

Casey turned around and looked at her husband. “What is it?”

Eisen raised a hand. It held an ice cream cone that had already melted halfway.

“Is that... for me?”

Eisen started blinking. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and his face started to grow stiff. Even so, he managed to force out a coherent sentence. “Your favorite. Strawberry.”

Casey reached out and took the cone. Eisen turned around, his back somewhat rigid. He seemed to be struggling greatly to slow his steps so that it would not look like he was fleeing in defeat. When he finally reached the door to his study, he opened it and walked inside.

Casey lowered her head and looked at the cone in her hand, then licked it. Mm. It’s melted.

***

Karon slept all the way until evening. Even when he awoke, he continued to lie on the bed with his eyes open for a little while.

Pu’er was still fast asleep. Controlling her puppet left her quite drained for the time being, but Karon knew that she had forced herself to endure throughout the entire affair, afraid that if a similar opportunity appeared in the future, he might not take her along again if she flagged partway through.

He got off the bed, washed up, and walked to the bedroom door. Just as he was about to open it, he heard Kevin’s faint snoring.

Karon gently pushed the door open and walked out. The weather was pleasant tonight, the sky filled with stars. The funeral home’s rear courtyard was enclosed on all four sides, giving him an excellent view of the sky when he looked up from the yard.

He was in no hurry to find a late-night meal. Instead, Karon walked over to a long bench and sat down. He rested both hands on the bench while tilting his neck back to quietly look up at the stars.

Karon had planned to have Rudd return to Allen Manor, but the man had refused. He had said that quite a few people had died for him on Kerona Island, and he needed to handle the aftermath himself.

From this incident, it had become clear that Allen Manor was still far too weak, but this was also not something that could be resolved in a short period of time.

Karon gently rolled his neck, clearing away extraneous thoughts from his mind and simply letting his mind empty.

At that moment, Pike led two people in from the front; one man and one woman. They were Lemar and Serena. However, Pike walked right past Karon, and Lemar and Serena did the same.

Hmm? None of them saw me? Karon reflexively stood up, and Lemar then sensed something and stopped walking. He turned back to see Karon, and asked, “Karon, do you use concealment Arts even in your own home?”

“I was sitting right here.” Karon pointed at the bench.

“That shouldn’t be possible. We didn’t see you,” Lemar said.

“Oh? Maybe I wasn’t thinking about anything just now.” Karon quickly changed the topic. “Is there something you need my help with?”

Just as every time Karon visited the pottery studio, it was because he had business, for Lemar to pay a personal visit, he definitely needed something as well.

“There is indeed something. This time, I need your help.”

“Come, let’s talk in the study. Pike, tea.”

“Yes, Boss.”

After entering the study, Lemar complimented the place, “I like this style for a study. Unfortunately, I basically never use a study myself. Otherwise, I’d renovate one just like this.”

“Please sit.”

“Alright.”

Karon turned his head to look at Serena. He felt that the girl was excessively quiet tonight, but after looking more carefully, Karon immediately noticed that something was wrong. “Serena, she...”

“My sister has been locked.”

“What happened?” Karon asked.

“There was an accident a few days ago.”

“An accident?”

“It’s like this: Three days ago, someone entered my shop. I wasn’t home that night, and when I returned, my sister was locked inside this body. I only found out what had happened after asking the other dolls in the workshop.”

“How was it done?”

“He sealed off her ability to interact with the outside world through this body. Right now, Serena is essentially trapped inside. Not only is she unable to come out and switch bodies, she’s also been cut off from all control of this body.

“She can see you and hear you right now, but she has no way to respond to you. All of her body’s actions are currently being controlled by me on her behalf.”

“Serena’s locked inside her body? So whoever did this also understands puppet forging?”

“Yes, he’s another member of the Voss family, but while he may share our surname, he’s from a branch that has always lived in Burnit. There has never been much connection between us. In fact, I don’t know when he came to Veyn, nor how he found us.

“He sealed my sister inside this body, and he also left a message for me with one of my dolls. He said that if I want to unlock my sister’s puppet and restore her freedom, I have to exchange the Ilmaz Gravers for it.”

“The Ilmaz Gravers?”

“A very long time ago, an exceptionally outstanding ancestor of the Voss family forged twelve carving knives, but over all these years, many of them have been lost or destroyed. According to modern knowledge, only about three of them still exist.”

“So he locked Serena as a bargaining chip because he wants your carving knife?”

“Yes.”

“Three days ago?”

“Um, I came looking for you the day before yesterday, Mr. Karon, but you weren’t home. I came back yesterday and still missed you. I finally managed to see you tonight.”

“Sorry. I was out for the past few days.”

“No, no, no. You don’t need to apologize.”

“How much time did he give you?”

“Ten days. I think he deliberately gave me enough time to try and fail to break the seal myself, so that I would be willing to go to him and beg.”

“This lock must be very difficult to break, right?”

“It is extremely difficult. The slightest bit of carelessness will cause my sister’s consciousness to be destroyed completely. Still, this is very simple for me; I only need fifteen minutes to break it.”

“You can break it open?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Are you afraid of alerting him?”

“Yes. Since he dared to target my sister, I want his life.”

“I understand.” Karon nodded. “I get how you feel.”

Lemar rose from his seat and bowed to Karon. “Mr. Karon, please help me. I don’t even know what I can offer you in return. I only know that from now on, whatever you need from me, I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen!”

“Mr. Lemar, I don’t think there’s any need for us to speak so formally with each other. Serena is a kind and lively girl; I can’t just watch as someone bullies her like this.

“I’ll help you. When, exactly? I mean, when will you pretend to compromise to lure him out?”

“The last day of the deadline, which means seven days from now. I want him to think that I held out to the very end and have no choice in my decision. By that time, his guard should also be at its weakest.”

Karon estimated the timing in his heart. In three days, he would be participating in the York City district selection, but that part should not take very long.

After the district selections, those qualified would head to the church for the final selection. There should be some time in between for him to prepare, but no specific schedule had been announced yet.

“I may need to move things forward a little,” Karon said. “If the deadline is exactly seven days from now, we need to act one or two days before that.”

Once the results of the York City district selection were announced, there was no way he would be able to simply skip the next round that was the church-wide selection, unless he intended to abandon his current identity altogether.

If Serena had truly been abducted, Karon would not have hesitated at all. From the very first time he stepped into Lemar’s pottery studio, to every interaction after that, the siblings had always treated Karon very well. In nearly every exchange between them, he had been the one to benefit the most. Both emotionally and rationally, Serena’s safety should come first.

However, the complication was that Serena was currently very safe. Her attacker had clearly underestimated Lemar’s skill as a craftsman.

Karon also knew perfectly well that Lemar would never risk his sister’s safety just to save face. If he said he could safely unlock her bonds, he absolutely could.

If this was merely revenge, Karon needed to consider the timing.

“If it is one or two days earlier, I think there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How about this?” Karon smiled. “Do you still remember the first person who came to you to make a mask?”

“Him?” Lemar’s face revealed an expression that was at once frightened, conflicted, and expectant. It had to be said that Serena’s previous description of her brother’s feelings regarding the captain had been extremely accurate.

“Personally, I also think that holding out until the tenth day is indeed the best option. I can notify him and have him help you with this matter. If I am in York City that day, I will go with him to help you get your revenge and remove this hidden threat.

“But if I am not in York City that day... I’m sorry, but this is a church event, and I cannot refuse to participate unless I abandon my identity in the Church of Order.”

“You don’t need to explain. I understand your difficulties, Mr. Karon. Truly, you don’t need to explain. We are friends. We can understand each other.”

“Mhmm. If I’m not in York City that day, he’ll handle everything in my place. I’m not just trying to comfort you, but telling the truth. When it comes to getting revenge and eliminating future trouble completely, he’s much more professional than I am, and also better at it.”

If it had been anyone else, Karon truly would not have felt so reassured, but the captain... Karon believed there would be absolutely no problems.

“That is truly excellent.”

“Mhmm. Take Serena back for now, and I’ll notify him. Barring any accidents, he should pay you a visit soon.”

“Alright. Thank you, Mr. Karon. Thank you very much.”

“I feel ashamed.”

“No, please don’t say that. I know very well that if you did not speak up, he would never help me.”

“You made a mask for him too.”

Lemar’s expression turned awkward. “But he paid me credits. He paid a great, great many credits. When too much money is involved, there’s no favor left to call upon.”

Karon nodded, then walked over to Serena. Looking at her, he said, “Serena, endure in there for a few more days. We’ll kill the one who locked you.”

Serena showed no reaction at all, but Lemar had said that she was able to see and hear.

After Lemar left with his sister, Karon picked up the phone. He did not call the captain, nor could he be bothered to fold a crow. He simply called Fannie instead.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, Fannie. Help me get in touch with the captain. Tell him to find some time in the next couple of days to go to the pottery studio. Tell him that I’m asking him to help the shop owner resolve a problem.”

“Alright. Got it.”

After hanging up, Karon stretched. He believed the captain would help. Leaving aside the fact that Nio already owed Karon many secrets. If things really did not work out, then Karon would simply have Kevin go to the captain’s house and stay with him for a few days.

Karon left his study to go to the kitchen and make himself a late-night meal. Just as he reached the kitchen door, he saw Alfred sitting inside, still holding the egg. The two were still communicating silently.

“Alfred, you haven’t rested?”

“Hmm?” Alfred looked as though he had just “woken up,” despite his eyes being open. He immediately stood. “Young Master, you’re awake.”

At that moment, Karon heard the egg send its voice to him. “I truly... cannot... take him... anymore... I beg you... please... fry me already...”