13 Mink Street

The morning sun strained with all its might, yet still failed to pierce the thick fog. In the end, part of it was absorbed, part of it was reflected back, and what little remained fell like a meager handout.

Some places had indistinct seasons because of their climate. Reincarnation Valley, however, made no distinction between dawn, noon, and dusk. As long as it was daytime, everything was gray and hazy. Fortunately, after the ship approached Reincarnation Valley and docked, there seemed to be a special barrier in place. Although the sky overhead was still gray, visibility below it was at least acceptable.

There were many people on the pier. Tengor, the Church of Order’s newly appointed envoy to the Church of Reincarnation, was personally there to receive them, while the Church of Reincarnation had also sent a welcoming party led by three elders. In addition, there were large numbers of ordinary believers from Reincarnation Valley. They certainly hated and rejected the Church of Order, which had just defeated their own church in a war, but that did not stop people from being curious.

Karon and Murray led their respective squads to disembark, and everyone lined up in two rows on the pier.

Tengor gave a brief welcoming address. For him, being posted in another church’s territory with his own staff meant that any large group of people from his own church felt like a visit from home. Although his situation in Reincarnation Valley was complicated and treacherous, he was, after all, the envoy of the victors. Once he could stand tall, everything else became passing trivia. This much could be seen from his healthy complexion.

An elderly representative from the Church of Reincarnation also gave a speech, describing the current treaty, which had been written into the terms of defeat, as a friendly gesture meant to promote understanding, mutual trust, and deeper rapport between Reincarnation and Order.

Karon felt that this elder was well suited to opening a funeral home. He clearly had a gift for presenting funerals as joyous occasions.

Next, many reporters approached for open interviews, and as if by tacit agreement, they all gathered in front of Karon. The captains of both squads were standing in the front of their squads, yet between Karon and Murray, the reporters made a unanimous choice. Murray looked at the empty space in front of him, and then at the crowd of reporters gathered around Karon. He could not suppress a sigh.

He wanted to turn around and seek some comfort from his teammates, and Pasquio thoughtfully delivered that comfort right on time. “Captain, we understand. The difference is in the captain.”

Order Weekly had all of its stationed reporters present, after all. The two great churches had only recently fought a war, so Order’s people were still very interested in news about the Church of Reincarnation.

While there were many churches in the world, and even quite a few orthodox churches, people ultimately still cared more about how those they had defeated were living.

The stationed office also had reporters, or perhaps clerks, who wrote articles. Some news needed to be submitted to internal publications.

Besides them, there were also reporters from Reincarnation and from all of the other churches. Generally speaking, the orthodox churches and major churches had their own newspapers that only reported on internal church affairs, while small and medium-sized churches preferred to establish highly integrated newspapers that reported on matters covering the entire ecclesiastical circle.

Although Karon had been inwardly mocking that elder from the Church of Reincarnation for his ability to turn funerals into celebrations, during his own interviews, Karon still demonstrated what it truly meant to have a professional funeral home background. “First of all, I am very grateful to have been invited and given this opportunity. I believe this trial can strengthen the interaction and understanding between the young people of the Church of Order and the Church of Reincarnation, laying a good foundation for the future development of relations between the two churches.

“Yes, our two churches did indeed have some friction recently due to certain misunderstandings. All of this originated from certain ambitious individuals within the Church of Reincarnation. Now, I know that the Church of Reincarnation has already set things right, and that the Simons family will lead the Church of Reincarnation and the Church of Order to join hands in creating a new, harmonious situation between the churches.

“Of course, I know that there will be danger inside the Reincarnation Gate, but I know even better that danger and opportunity coexist. I believe that my squad members, companions, and I have all made our preparations.

“The great God of Order is with us!”

***

Tengor quietly asked Groven, who was standing beside him, “Did you write that speech?”

Groven shook his head. “No.”

“Then did he prepare it some time ago?”

“It seems more like he’s improvising.”

“What a pity. Someone young and talented like this is exactly the kind of person we need in the foreign mission office.”

“You are overthinking, my lord.”

“I know, but am I not even allowed to think about it?”

“Of course you are.”

Once all of the procedures were over, the two squads were sent to stay at a hotel inside Reincarnation Valley. The rooms were built into the cliff face, while the hallways were inside the mountain. The hotel had a very distinctive style.

The official time to enter the Reincarnation Gate was tomorrow afternoon, so Karon and the others had an entire day to rest and adjust.

It was still a standard room for two people. After Vintral entered the room, he began wiping down the large bathtub on the balcony for Karon.

He had just finished cleaning it and was filling it with water when lunch was delivered. The meal was personally delivered by people from Groven’s team to ensure the safety of the food as much as possible.

Although the Church of Reincarnation would not go so far as to do anything in that regard... Reincarnation Valley was not only home to the Church of Reincarnation. The other churches had stationed offices present, and they would not mind stirring up trouble at such a time.

Lunch looked very exquisite. As for the taste... It was somewhat ordinary.

Karon felt that the food was not even as good as the fried chicken legs they had eaten on the ship. Those had been coated with an egg wash and breadcrumbs, and the satisfaction felt from biting into one was far better than the showy but empty Reincarnation Valley specialties.

“Later on, go ask if they have any simple meals. This is just exhausting to eat.”

Vintral nodded. “Mhmm. And the portions are too small.”

While clearing the plates, Vintral opened the small refrigerator in the room and asked, “Captain, would you like to try their local drinks?”

Karon looked over. The drinks in the small refrigerator were bottled in clear glass and looked to be freshly squeezed juices, though the colors were exceptionally vivid: a coquettish pink, a pure, clear azure, an alluring purple...

“Smell them. Are they alcoholic?”

Vintral immediately picked up a bottle and sniffed it. “It does smell like there’s alcohol in it. Captain, do you want to try some?”

“I’m fine. I’ll have some ice water.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Because the hotel occupied elevated ground and the rooms were built into the cliffside, there was no need to worry about privacy on the balcony. Karon took off his clothes and climbed into the bathtub.

Vintral immediately brought over the ice water and some snacks he had brought from the training base hotel in the Teygan Region.

He had always been very attentive when it came to taking care of Karon, yet after being kicked several times by Karon while on the ship, the boy became even more attentive.

Karon sat in the bathtub, sipped his ice water, and stared out at the oppressive gray haze before him.

“Is the suicide rate among the people here very high?” Karon muttered. He did not soak for long before getting out and changing into his pajamas.

The layout of the hotel and the room was very good, but the atmosphere of the place was too oppressive. Bathing was supposed to be relaxing, yet in this place, it felt like brewing suicidal emotions.

Yet when Karon considered the teachings of the Church of Reincarnation, this arrangement seemed to suit the local political correctness quite well.

A member of the hotel staff knocked on the door. Vintral opened it, and after a while, he walked over to Karon and reported, “Captain, someone named Peld is requesting an audience with you.”

“Peld?” He was the young man from the Simons family whom Karon had met while walking with Ophelia on Darkmoon Island. Oh, no, he’s that pervert.

Karon had beaten Peld to the ground, but had ultimately failed to kill him because an avatar of the man’s grandaunt, the Gatekeeper, had appeared.

Why was he looking for Karon?

“I’m not seeing him.”

“Yes, Captain.” Vintral went to pass the message along.

Karon took out a very exquisite pendant from his pocket. It had been given to him by the Gatekeeper Romira as compensation for the incident with Peld. She had also told Karon that after he arrived at Reincarnation Valley, he could use it to look for her.

However, Karon had no interest in looking for her. At this time, he only wanted to complete the excursion inside the Reincarnation Gate steadily and safely, then leave Reincarnation Valley and return to damp, cold Veyn.

If only everything could proceed smoothly, how good would that be?

For the rest of the afternoon, Karon again shored up on his sleep, and Vintral learned from him and took an afternoon nap.

They were told to wake up at four-thirty in the afternoon, as Groven was holding a meeting.

Everyone gathered in the man’s room, but he did not say anything particularly substantive. It was more like a teacher giving his students one last dose of encouragement before an exam.

However, Groven did have one virtue: his nonsense never lasted for very long. The meeting ended after just fifteen minutes, and he even took out a box filled with Reincarnation credits. “The public security around here is still quite decent. You can go out tonight to relax and look around. The official exchange rate is not worth using, and the black market rate is better. You can exchange some Reincarnation credits with me to go spend them outside.”

Everyone was a little puzzled. None of them had expected this man to suddenly show such a considerate side.

Groven then added, “After all, some of you may not come back out after you go in. You might as well look around now, so you don’t leave with regrets.”

Hearing that, everyone felt that the man’s tone was back to normal, which was more comfortable for them to deal with.

Everyone exchanged some Reincarnation credits, including Vintral, who exchanged a little as well.

After leaving Groven’s room, when everyone was preparing to go out and browse around, Karon stuffed the Reincarnation credits he had exchanged into Vintral’s hand. He just wanted to go back upstairs and sleep.

However, the people from Murray’s squad took the initiative to approach, saying they wanted to go out and have some proper fun.

Murray himself walked over to Karon. He sighed, then told Karon in a tone that seemed to have seen through life and death, “Let’s go for a walk.”

Seeing the young man like this, Karon found it hard to refuse.

They walked out of the hotel lobby, or rather, out of the cave that opened from the mountainside. The other members of the squads all stopped to let their two captains walk away first. This could be considered a tacit understanding between them.

Only Vintral stood there in a bit of a daze, holding the Reincarnation credits Karon had stuffed into his hand earlier. Hm? The captain gave me all his credits.

Oh, as expected, the captain still sees further ahead!

***

The town in Reincarnation Valley was not a place where a hundred spirits paraded about at night. Aside from the local architectural and clothing styles, it was actually no different from other towns.

Karon and Murray wandered aimlessly. Two grown men strolling together had no interest in tasting snacks or browsing small trinkets. It was truly just a walk.

As they strolled along, Murray realized that their time was rather dull. He turned back and glanced behind them in confusion. “They didn’t follow us?”

Karon answered, “Maybe they don’t want to ruin the bleak atmosphere of the final walk taken by two people about to die.”

“No need to be so pessimistic. In theory, as long as we toss a coin twice in a row and both times come up heads, we can live.”

“Very true.” Karon nodded, took out the coin Pierro had given him, and tossed it. Tails.

Karon picked up the coin and tossed it again. Tails.

He picked it up again. Tails.

Murray: “...”

Karon laughed. “Heh, we don’t even need to toss it again.”

“You are very good at breaking our spirits.”

“I’ll put some distance between us and then toss it on my own.” Karon moved a few steps away and tossed the coin. Heads.

“I’ll toss it again.” The coin landed. It was still heads.

Karon smiled. “All right, I feel much better. What about you?”

“More broken.”

At this moment, Karon saw a man walking over from the crowd. It was Peld. Behind him stood several guards.

Karon quickly picked the coin back up and cleaned it with the sleeve of his robes.

“As expected, I meet you again, Karon,” Peld said with a smile.

“Friend of yours?” Murray asked.

“Mm... a friend from life and death.”

“You two are that close?”

“I nearly beat him to death, but an elder from his family arrived in time and saved him.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean.”

“Karon, this is Reincarnation Valley. Can’t you leave me a little face? Why don’t we both be a bit more dignified.”

Karon shook his head. “It is precisely because this is Reincarnation Valley that I don’t need to fear anything. If anything happens to me, you will definitely be dragged out to take the blame and handed over to the Church of Order for punishment.”

Peld pursed his lips. “Let’s find a place to sit and talk?”

“Not interested,” Karon instantly refused. “I feel that between the two of us, there really is nothing worth sitting down and discussing.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Sigh, forget it. I know you want to kill me, and I’ve always regretted not being able to kill you back then. Why bother sitting down and putting on an act? It’s just tiring for both of us.”

“Don’t you want to know about some of the special details within the Reincarnation Gate? No matter how capable your Church of Order is at gathering intelligence, it definitely cannot compare with the information my Church of Reincarnation already has.”

“I think entering the Reincarnation Gate with some mystery will be more interesting. If everything is made clear, it would lose its charm instead.”

“Must you reject me that much? I’m the one who was almost beaten to death! My beloved was completely annihilated by my grandaunt because of you. I am the one who hates you, not you hating me—”

“It’s just contempt. Don’t you know? Before coming to Reincarnation Valley, an instructor specifically called my name. He meant that orphans like me are likely to be the kind of targets people like you prefer to recruit.

“I understood what my instructor meant, but I couldn’t accept the way he spoke. I talked back to him, and he apologized to me as well.

“So, we should avoid meeting in private, as it would only prove that instructor right, and when I go back, I would have to apologize to him.” After saying this, Karon turned around and left. Murray followed him.

Peld did not chase after them. Instead, he placed both hands in his pockets and watched Karon leave.

“Want to buy something?” Murray asked. “You can send it home.”

“As a memory trinket?”

“Uh...”

“Sorry, I feel that the environment and atmosphere of this island make people very prone to depression.”

“I feel the same.”

“Do you still buy local specialties for your family when you go out?” Karon asked.

“Yes. I take care of all of my relatives at home.”

“Oh, no wonder you aren’t well-liked at home.”

“Is that related?”

“No.”

“You really aren’t going to buying anything?”

“What? Won’t your squad members help their captain to buy some things?”

“Damn it!”

“Haha!”

Ahead of them was a shop with a glass wall. There were oil paintings hung all over them, each of women in various styles.

Oil paintings had a way of giving things a hazy beauty, and Karon and Murray both stopped in front of the paintings at the same time to admire them.

“It’s a gallery.” Murray pointed at the shop’s sign. “Looks like it specializes in oil paintings of women?”

Karon pointed at a shop across the street. “That one specializes in oil paintings of men.”

“Does Reincarnation Valley have such an artistic streak?” Murray asked, puzzled.

“It’s not art. I think these are probably the local specialty pastry shops.”

“Pastry shops? As in, shops selling pastries?”

“I’ll introduce you to a friend when I have the chance. His name is Richard.”

“What’s special about him? Does he really like going to pastry shops?”

“Mhmm, he’s the kind who will go eat pastries even at the cost of breaking his legs.”

“Wait! You mean these pastry shops are similar to a brothel?” Murray finally understood.

Clearly, because the Teygan Region and Veyn were too far apart, there was not only a time difference, but also a huge cultural gap.

At this moment, two male customers walked out from the gallery. Their eyes were somewhat listless, and their legs were a bit weak. Even so, their expressions looked very satisfied, fully interpreting what it meant to be in a state between ecstasy and death.

Moreover, there was a rich soul aura lingering on their bodies.

Murray commented in shock, “No wonder they hang oil paintings instead of photographs. The service providers in this brothel are spirits?”

“They should be. That is quite unique. Do you want to go in and experience it?”

“No! If I die inside the Reincarnation Gate, I don’t want the last image that appears when I recall my life as I die to be of me in a brothel.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you? Do you want to go in?”

Karon shook his head.

The two of them walked for a while longer. They eventually found a relatively high-end restaurant for dinner. Seeing that Karon had not brought any credits, Murray footed the bill.

After dinner, the two returned to the hotel.

Murray went to the hotel front desk. There were local specialties for sale, and he needed to sign each order individually. The items would be sent to the Teygan Region via an array, and delivered to each of his family members.

Karon waited beside the man for a very long time, watching him busily write one name and greeting card after another. Karon suddenly felt that he was very fortunate. What he had always possessed was something others longed for but could not obtain.

“Sorry for making you wait so long,” Murray said.

“It is fine. Let’s go. Back to our rooms.”

“Mhmm, all right.”

After the two returned to their floor, they parted ways and went back to their respective rooms.

After entering his room, Karon lay down on the bed. He waved his hand to set up a simple barrier, then took out the purple pill Murray had given him last night.

Karon closed his eyes. When he slowly opened them again, blood-red Darkmoon Eyes appeared.

The power of Darkmoon began to carefully try to work its way into the purple pill. In an instant, an icy aura fed back, and the blood color in Karon’s eyes abruptly faded. It had been directly suppressed.

Only after breaking contact did the Darkmoon Eyes return to normal.

“So this pill is not meant to protect the soul, but to suppress it. It’s to allow Lord Getanbert to occupy the body even more easily.”

The image of Murray earlier in the hotel lobby, buying gifts for everyone in his family reappeared in Karon’s mind. “Murray, the pill your grandfather gave you won’t increase your chances of survival. Instead, it will completely erase your already low chances.”