13 Mink Street

An armored foot soldier walked up to Karon. “The commander wishes to see you.”

“All right. Please lead the way.” Karon straightened his priest’s robes and followed the soldier to the base of the Ogureth statue. Commander Varg was sitting there, drinking coffee. His posture was very bold and unrestrained, yet the coffee cup he held was very small. Such a scene would have suited him better if he were holding wine.

“Commander.” Karon placed both hands before his chest and bowed halfway to Varg.

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir.” Karon sat down beside him, and Varg poured Karon a cup of coffee.

“You’re quite good. Are you interested in staying at Ogureth Fortress to temper yourself?”

Karon had not expected this commander to ask so directly, so he immediately switched his manner of speech to what was most appropriate for communicating with such a person and answered very frankly, “My apologies, sir. I am still young...”

“Oh, is it because you can’t stand the loneliness here?”

“It’s because I still have a fiancée.”

“Hahaha.” Varg laughed and said, “It’s fine, I was just casually offering. Actually, this place is very nice. If you are able to get used to it, you’ll discover its beauty. Many of the disturbances and complications in reality do not exist here.”

“I believe you must have experienced them and seen through them, sir. Perhaps in the future, once I have experienced them and have seen through them too, I’ll be able to return here and drink coffee with you.”

“I’m leaving too.” Varg looked at Karon. “The beauty here will no longer belong to me.”

For a moment, Karon did not know whether he should offer congratulations or condolences.

“That is life. It’s precisely because one knows the troubles outside, and also that it is impossible to ultimately hide from them, that one can experience the beauty of this void space. You are very outstanding. You are outstanding in a way that can be readily seen. What I mean by outstanding is the kind where, before you’ve even reached a certain age, you already understand in advance what should be done. So, protect yourself well.”

“Sir, I have always been very cautious.”

“Mhmm, protect yourself well and grow up slowly. In a few decades, there will probably be a chair that belongs to you among the upper ranks of the church.”

“Thank you for your guidance and blessing, sir.”

“All right. Finish that coffee there and go. Ogureth Fortress’s open day is about to end.”

Karon lifted his cup and drained its contents in one go. There was not a bit of sugar in the coffee, making it very bitter. Karon could handle the strong taste. What he found harder to tolerate was actually cloying sweetness.

After bidding farewell to Varg, Karon returned to the plaza. Along the way, many people took the initiative to greet him, and Karon responded to each one individually. He did not show any particular warmth, merely politeness. As Kane had said earlier, it was just the right amount of perfunctory. However, no one became angry about this, because when they took the initiative to step forward, it was not for Karon’s “warmth,” nor was it for his name. It was for the strength he had displayed. The stronger one’s personal ability, the more they could break free of the complications forced by useless socializing.

Mars and Blanche had already finished saying goodbye to their teammates. When Karon returned, they stood together in front of him.

“Captain, we’ll head back first. Thank you. Without you, I don’t think I could possibly have obtained this slot.” After Mars finished speaking, he saluted Karon in the same manner that Karon had saluted Varg. This showed that Mars did not regard Karon as a peer, but as a superior.

Blanche said, “Captain, I can’t wait to get home and show off to my friends about what I experienced today. Thank you so much, Captain.”

Karon revealed a gentle smile. “There’s no need to be so polite. These are the results of our entire squad working together. If the two of you hadn’t joined us, we would not have been able to proceed so smoothly.”

With Karon unable to use the Darkmoon Blade or the Sea God’s Armor, pursuing the goal of advancing the entire squad would have made securing a slot at least double the difficulty without the two support members, even if Lenora’s appearance at the end was set aside. That was where Kane’s Squad 7 had really fallen short: support.

Karon added, “We’ll meet again soon. I think we’ll be sent to the Teygan Region for training before we head to the Reincarnation Gate. When that happens, let’s find somewhere to have tea and chat.”

“All right, Captain.”

After saying goodbye to Mars and Blanche, Karon led Bart, Ashley, and Vintral to the teleportation array inside Ogureth Hall. Philomena was already standing inside the ritual array that would teleport them back to the York City Region. She had already been waiting there for a long time. She stood in a corner, alone. Because her injuries were quite severe, she had a weary expression on her face.

She did not step forward to greet Karon, so he naturally had no intention of going over to say anything either. They might be from the same district, but they were clearly not the same kind of people. If anything, Philomena’s presence had helped to greatly strengthen the cohesion of Karon’s squad. Bart and the other two knew how strong she was, and during the selection, they had seen her carry a squad of leftovers almost all the way to the end on her own. Yet even someone that powerful, someone their own age, had failed to secure a slot, while they had obtained the final qualifications instead. All of that came down to their captain’s leadership. A large group needed faith to hold it together, but a small group was much simpler. It came down to one thing: follow him, and there will be meat to eat.[1]

Aside from Ashley deliberately giving Philomena a reserved smile, wanting to obtain some satisfaction, Bart and Vintral simply imitated Karon’s attitude and treated Philomena as if she did not exist. Victors always wanted to maintain a bit of style. It was not due to sympathy for the loser, but to obtain a greater sense of pleasure for themselves.

All five of them entered the array, and it activated. They returned to York City.

***

Inside the conference hall in York City’s Church Affairs Building, when the final result was announced, cheers erupted.

This kind of selection conducted with candidates from each district was already, in form, nearly identical to an international sports competition. Their own candidates had been the final victors, and had won a decisive victory at that. It was enough to give the entire district from top to bottom an immense sense of satisfaction and honor. Of course, there were not many people who were qualified to watch the projection of the final selection. In York City, only the people in the conference hall were qualified to even be there. The priests below them could only receive news of the results.

At first, there had actually only been a sparse few people sitting in the conference hall. After the end of the first round, more had arrived. After the second round had ended, even more had joined. By the time of the final round when only four squads had remained, and the probability of victory had reached fifty percent, the hall had been full.

Many of the district’s bishops had been unhappy with Karon’s high-profile interview earlier, thinking that young people who loved to boast would only make fools of themselves in the end. Now, they had already forgotten their criticism and were clapping and cheering instead. What made it even more exciting was that Karon’s Squad 3, like Squad 1, primarily consisted of candidates from their own district, which made it far easier for everyone to feel invested. If the five local candidates had been scattered across five different squads, the excitement would have been much weaker.

Bishop Byrne sat alone in a corner, silently smoking a cigar. It was not some precious cigar bought with credits, but a cheap, rebranded cigar available on the open market.

“Why don’t you look excited?” Wolfram asked as he walked up to Byrne.

“What do I have to be excited about?” Byrne smiled. “It’s not as if the higher-ups will let me choose anyone from this batch to groom.”

Archbishop Wolfram had a rough idea of the work this lower-ranked bishop performed in the shadows, so he only gave a couple of dry laughs at Byrne’s response. Let the man choose some outstanding young people from this batch to turn them into undercover agents? Dream on!

Bishop Byrne blew out a smoke ring and commented, “There is one possibility, though. Philomena, the only one who failed. We could build around that, shape her into an outstanding young talent who was rejected by our church. That would give us something to work with.”

“Abandon that thought. That is impossible.”

“Hmm? Who is her guardian? I looked at her file, but it was overly simple.”

“She’s the granddaughter of that mad lady.”

“Tch...” Even Bishop Byrne, spymaster that he was, could not help sucking in a breath when he heard who Philomena was. Many years ago, that madwoman had once been a bishop of York City. Her husband had also been a bishop, while her father-in-law had been the Archbishop of York City, the same seat that Wolfram currently occupied. Their family had undisputedly been the foremost family of the York City Region. Then, after a certain incident, that madwoman had personally killed her husband, her father-in-law, and her son. The top family within the local church, one that had dominated York City and stood on the verge of entering the church’s Central Administration, had collapsed overnight.

That incident had occurred decades ago. At the time, it had shocked all of York City. No, it had shaken the entire church. Rumors about it had never stopped. Some said the Archbishop had been researching a forbidden Art and brought corruption down upon his entire family. Others said he had been preparing to rebel against the Church of Order and found a new religion. Some even claimed it had all been caused by tangled family affections... The truth had always remained a mystery. When it had happened, Bishop Byrne had only been an Inquisitor, and thus far from qualified to access matters of that level. Despite having reached his current position, he found that such matters were still beyond his reach. Every file related to the incident had been sealed by those at the highest level. Those files were accessible only to the High Priest and, of course, the Temple Elders.

The only thing known for sure was that the woman who had eventually been called Madam Lunatic was still alive and in York City, though no one knew exactly where she lived.

Bishop Byrne looked at Wolfram, smiled, and said, “Thank you for the reminder.”

After all, if Madam Lunatic learned that he intended to develop her granddaughter into a spy, the consequences were terrifying just to imagine.

“This young man Karon is very good,” Archbishop Wolfram said. “I now feel that it seems quite normal that the princess of Darkmoon Island passed over my grandson.”

His own grandson had not even passed the district selection, while Karon had led the district’s candidates all the way to the end. The gap was all too clear.

“Yes, he’s a very good young man. My son’s evaluation of him is also very high.” As he spoke, Bishop Byrne reached up and tapped his own forehead. “Young people with talent, I have seen many. Those with life wisdom, I have also seen many. Having talent as well as life wisdom means that he really is very smart.”

“Although you phrased it somewhat awkwardly, I understand what you mean. Oh, right, the church just issued two new policy directives. The first is that next year, following the precedent of this selection, a similar event will be held again. However, there will be new age restrictions, and those who participated this time will not be allowed to participate again.”

“Then your grandson has no chance,” Bishop Byrne quipped.

“I wouldn’t have the nerve to make Leon go through it again either. Even if he made it to the end, there’d be no glory in it. And if he failed to be selected again, we’d lose every last shred of dignity.”

“Looks like you are very self-aware about your family’s bloodline.”

Wolfram rolled his eyes at Byrne. He said, “The second document reveals that the higher-ups intend to reform how young talent is assigned. This will mean holding a knife to a lot of people’s share of the cake.”

“That depends on the determination of those above.”

“Mhmm, those are my own thoughts as well. However, the specific method that will be implemented is that a batch of young people will be moved into a new environment to gain experience, while also increasing their contact network and understanding.”

“Was the document so specific?”

“Yes.”

“Then I suspect the headquarters of the Whip of Order will be issuing its own document soon as well. The Whip is like a sauce jar of a department. You can toss anything into it, then take it out when needed. As far as compromises go, there is no better place for young people than the Whip of Order. This will push the process forward, while also avoiding provoking old hands in the established systems too much.”

“Mhmm, I also believe things will be arranged in that way. It’s about time. We should prepare to welcome the children back. Tonight, we’ll hold a banquet to celebrate them.”

“The children are tired. What they actually need most right now is rest.”

“I have already contacted the church hospital to send people over to treat and examine them. They will still have half a day to rest in Ankara Hotel’s suites.”

“They will despise you for this.”

“Do you think the banquet is being held for them? It’s for their parents.”

“True.”

***

When Karon emerged from the teleportation array, he saw a group of people welcoming them, led by Archbishop Wolfram. Upon seeing this, the expressions of Karon and the others all fell, because they were able to guess just what stage was awaiting them next. Perhaps before the selection, they had briefly fantasized about returning successfully to welcomes and praise, but at this moment, they wanted nothing more than to find a place to sleep for three days and three nights.

Philomena quietly walked away by herself. This welcome and celebration had nothing to do with her.

Archbishop Wolfram presided over the triumph ceremony and delivered a speech, then led the district bishops over to shake hands with Karon and the others. They patted the youths’ shoulders and encouraged them. After that, reporters from Order Weekly approached to take photos and conduct interviews. Meriel was very excited, because Karon’s interview before their departure combined with the team’s results were enough for a place on the front page.

After these procedures ended, two luxury cars drove over. Karon and the others got into the cars, and there, a director from the church hospital personally examined their bodies. Treatment began while they were still in the car. Karon’s physical and mental condition were both excellent, which greatly surprised the director examining him. He joked, “You look like you’ve just come back from a vacation.”

However, despite not needing treatment, the director still gave Karon a round of Arts-based conditioning. It felt extremely comfortable, like a massage for the soul.

After arriving at the Ankara Hotel, everyone was sent to their own rooms. Karon could be considered extremely familiar with this place and the suites. After entering his own room, he first used the phone to order food, as well as place a request for cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, and tea packets. He was not hungry, but the food would be packed up and taken home so that his family could sample the delicacies only available with ingredients purchased with credits, especially the captain’s favorite roasted drake meat. During the dinner banquet, Karon would be the main character, so he would have no chance to hide any food. As for the cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee, the hotel offered only true luxury goods that could only be bought with credits, and Karon intended to also take those home. This was a habit he had developed while working security missions in the past, and he did not believe that the hotel would ask him to foot the bill this time. Whatever he ordered would definitely be reimbursed.

In truth, Karon did not lack the credits needed for such expenditures. Even if he could not enjoy such things every meal, enjoying them once or twice a month would be completely fine. Yet when provided with reasonable circumstances, taking a bit of advantage of public expenses was in itself a kind of joy.

After taking a shower and changing into the hotel pajamas, Karon went to bed. It was very large. He glanced to the side and noticed that he was the only one lying on it. Without Paige or Fannie, the room felt a lot emptier. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

He was woken up that night. After changing into clean priest’s robes, Karon made his way to the banquet hall. Ashley, Bart, and Vintral were already standing at the entrance, waiting for him. After Karon walked over, they followed behind him and entered as a group.

For a moment, the entire venue applauded and cheered. Karon waved to his surroundings and bowed in greeting. Bart and the others behind him imitated Karon’s movements, only they seemed a bit out of their depths and stiff. Seeing this, Karon could not suppress an internal sigh. This really was like the triumphant return of Olympic champions.

Bart’s parents, Ashley’s parents, and Vintral’s grandparents were all present. As the squad captain, Karon had to make rounds and greet the families one by one. During the banquet, many important figures from York City Region also spoke with Karon, and he interacted with them one by one. Finally, he was asked to go to the stage and share his thoughts.

Karon stood on the stage, in front of the microphone. He raised a glass of red wine with his left hand, patted his chest with his right hand, and shouted, “Glory belongs to York City!”

Although I’m from Swillen.

Cheers erupted from below the stage once again.

***

After surviving to the end of the banquet, Karon returned to his room, gathered the things he had already packed, and left the hotel. He did not plan to spend the night there. He wanted to go home.

At the curb near the hotel entrance, a hearse was parked. At this late hour, a hearse was incredibly conspicuous, yet also fitting for the atmosphere. Mason had once said that a hearse possessed a unique beauty. Karon sensed that, because he was very tired at the moment.

Alfred got out and took the things that Karon was carrying, and placed them in the car. He then returned to the driver’s seat, started the car, and turned to Karon, who sat in the passenger seat. “Young Master, congratulations!”

Karon nodded and replied very seriously, “Alfred, thank you.”

This solemn thanks left Alfred somewhat dazed. Immediately afterward, an inexplicable sense of conviction and recognition rose within him, causing even the radio inside the hearse to briefly let out crackling static. “Young Master, would you like a cup of ice water? I brought a thermos, and there is ice in it.”

“All right.”

Alfred opened the car door and got back out. As he walked to the rear door, he very casually removed a little booklet from his chest. He took out a fountain pen, removed the cap with his teeth, and wrote, “Tonight, God is weary, yet radiant.”

1. “There would be meat to eat” is a Chinese idiom meaning that following someone brings tangible benefits, rewards, or a better life. Here, it means Karon’s leadership had proven that staying with him led to real gains. ☜