Chapter 85: Ancestral Cemetery

Chapter 85 The Ancestral Cemetery

Stepping into the study,

Callen's gaze first swept over Count Recar, who was holding Queen Wien,

deliberately ignored that black cat,

and finally, sat down behind the desk beneath the portrait of the First Ancestor, Alan.

Patriarch Bede spread the documents out one by one before Callen, then stood to the side like a secretary.

Old Anderson sat down opposite Callen, his hands resting on his cane, his gaze humble and soft.

Mike remained seated in his wheelchair, his face making Callen feel a bit uncomfortable to look at, as the two red marks from the crutches were asymmetrical.

"Master Callen, breakfast will be served shortly," Bede said.

Callen nodded, looking at the documents spread all over the table before him, and said with a touch of helplessness, "Is there any kind of summary or overview?"

If he had to read through these volume by volume, who knew when he would finish.

"Yes, I have already prepared it for you." Bede opened the blue folder right in the center and placed it before Callen.

"Good, um, you should sit too, Mr. Bede."

"No, I prefer to stand."

Callen glanced at Bede; in truth, this position he was sitting in now should have been Bede's, yet one really could not detect any jealousy or anger in his eyes, but rather a kind of... relief.

After the eldest and second brothers met with disasters one after another, he must have truly been forced into the patriarch's seat, which was an absolute torment for an artist at heart.

Callen lowered his head and began to read the document before him.

This was the asset statement of the Alan family; Bede had likely taken into account that he was not from a professional background, so he had accommodated Callen's reading convenience when writing these down.

Within the City of York,

the Alan family held ownership of twelve apartment buildings;

Callen intentionally looked back to re-read it, yes, twelve buildings, not units, but buildings.

In the parentheses following, there were also the names of the twelve apartment buildings, as well as the number of households and the area, with the smallest building having over a hundred households.

One must know, the arrangement his uncle, aunt, and aunt-in-law had made for him before he left home was merely to buy a single apartment, and even that required a loan.

And this,

was only at the very top of the Alan family's fixed assets; according to the normal pattern, the "lightest" things should be placed at the very top.

Continuing downward,

under the Alan family's name there was also a hotel chain brand, with four hotels in the City of York alone, others in the rest of Wien's large cities, and even some in Ruilan.

Leaving aside the Alan Manor, within Wien, the Alan family also owned three large estates.

At the same time, within the Wien colonies, there were also multiple plantations and mines.

This was a case of literally owning mines at home.

The investment list was not long, but the reason it could be placed at the very bottom was because the returns and shares brought by these three investments were truly immense.

The first was shares in the National Bank of Wien;

the second was shares in the "Wien Foreign Assistance and Construction Company," which possessed a history of over two hundred years and was spearheaded by the Wien royal family, which was essentially a colonial company;

the third could not compare to the first two at all from the perspective of returns, and it could not even bring any revenue to the Alan family;

because it was a division of property ownership within the Wien Royal Palace, detailed down to which specific jewels on the Queen's crown, passed down through generations, belonged to the Alan family.

Therefore, when Lady Jenny and Mike's wife, Lady Lisa, took the younger female relatives of the household to the royal palace to have afternoon tea with the Queen and the others, it really wasn't just dropping by, because in a strict sense, the royal palace was also their home.

This was honor.

Callen cast his gaze toward the portrait of Count Recar hanging on the wall of the study; it must have been from that time onward that the relationship between the Alan family and the Wien royal family was forged.

It could be seen that the Alan family's industries and investments were all very conservative.

But... how should one put it, if you also had these investment channels, you probably wouldn't want to take risks to do anything else either, because there was truly no need for it, the Alan family was feasting on original shares.

Callen did not foolishly ask: how could such a wealthy family ever look destitute?

Because he had witnessed Mr. Morf smoking tobacco until he died right before his eyes.

The Morf Consortium had influence in Luojia City and even in the entire country of Ruilan, but its patriarch was absolutely nothing before Diss.

Secular wealth was very important;

but to another circle, secular wealth seemed very flimsy.

Most importantly, the reason the Alan family obtained this secular wealth was because their ancestors were not purely people of the secular circle; pirates commanding the sea, and their flagship was actually a massive sea monster!

Therefore, when your strength declined, this wealth, even if still retained, no longer held much meaning.

Because the enemies targeting you did not covet your wealth; what they coveted was your bloodline.

Under such circumstances, even if you wanted to break your wealth to avert disaster, there was no room to do so.

However,

after seeing such a massive family fortune,

Callen still felt very comfortable in his heart.

Having just moved into the Alan Manor and having just enjoyed the quality of life of a top noble for half a day, he did not want to face a deteriorating material life next and end up pawning the family property.

If nothing unexpected happened,

on the day right before their true ruin, the Alan family should still be able to drink a glass of rare red wine, while simultaneously commanding the maids to throw rare new carpets whose color they disliked into the boiler room to burn them clean.

Even if they were to enter the pigsty tomorrow, today, they would still live the life of those above all others!

Quite elegant indeed.

Callen even felt this scene was rather beautiful;

fortunately, Puer was still sleeping soundly back in the bedroom; if it saw this subtle expression on Callen's face, it would probably explode with rage on the spot.

"This is the second document." Bede opened another folder.

Callen took it over, and as he looked down, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Because he could not quite understand the things written on this.

First of all, there were three workshops.

One was a fish-scale accessory workshop;

one was a tortoise-shell pendant workshop;

one was a black-coral powder workshop.

Yiwu small commodities?

Obviously, it couldn't be;

looking at the asset sheet from just before, how grand and high-end it was, this sheet could not possibly plummet in quality instantly.

Moreover, what corresponded to secular wealth should be the "wealth" of another circle.

Karen asked, "Are these... church materials?"

"Yes, Young Master Karen," Bede replied.

Karen looked at the revenue listed behind each workshop. It wasn’t Riels, nor was it Lubees, but rather "vouchers."

The quarterly income of the fish-scale accessory workshop was eight thousand Abyss Vouchers;

The quarterly income of the turtle-shell pendant workshop was five thousand Principle Vouchers;

The quarterly income of the black coral powder production workshop was ten thousand Order Vouchers;

Karen really wanted to ask a question that might make the three members of the Allen family present think he was an absolute idiot.

After a brief hesitation,

He actually asked it:

"Are these vouchers a currency issued by the churches?"

Anderson immediately stood up,

Taking the initiative to answer:

"Yes, Young Master. Essentially, every major orthodox church issues point vouchers, which function as currency circulating within that specific church.

Personnel both inside and outside the church, as long as they possess the corresponding point vouchers, can purchase goods and services within that church. Between the vouchers of different churches, there are specialized church black markets where exchanges can be made, just like currency exchange between different nations.

A long time ago, when the Church of Light still existed, they used to issue 'Indulgence Vouchers' belonging to the Church of Light;

Furthermore, they aggressively demanded that these be exchangeable at a fixed ratio for the point vouchers of all other churches, which caused a flood of point vouchers for a period of time;

However, with the demise of the Church of Light, the Indulgence Vouchers also became extinct. Although the point vouchers issued by the various major orthodox churches today are somewhat complex, they are all controlled within a certain limit."

Karen noticed that whether it was Old Anderson, Bede, or Mick, none of them looked at him with an expression that said, "How can you not even know this?" Instead, their demeanor appeared even more respectful.

This was understandable. It was just like in his previous life when two people were chatting face-to-face; if one person told the other that he didn't have a credit card, the person who regularly lived off credit cards would most likely not mock you for being old-fashioned or lacking one. Instead, they would envy you, because you didn't lack money in your life.

Karen not knowing about church point vouchers could only mean that Diss had protected the family far too well. Furthermore... Diss certainly wouldn't lack point vouchers; in fact, he might not even have any use for such things.

If it could be said that for the Allen family, secular wealth had become a mere number, then for the Inmeles family under Diss's leadership, it was equivalent to church voucher wealth being a mere number;

How many Order Vouchers was a fragment of a godhead worth? Diss had three of them.

"So, Corona Island is a smuggling hub for raw materials?" Karen asked.

Because on the first list of secular wealth, there was no sign of Corona Island, and on the second chart, there wasn't either.

"Yes, the raw materials required for these three workshops all need to be smuggled in from Corona Island," Bede answered.

Therefore, the first chart of secular wealth served the purpose of the second chart. By using money, relationships, and family heritage, they transformed it into workshops for items needed by the churches, then went on to earn the churches' point vouchers, and then spent them.

These could be used to purchase cultivation supplies for the family's younger generation, or, of course, they could be used to buy the protective services of the churches.

Moreover, the larger the workshop business grew, the deeper the proof of the relationship with those churches. After all, no church wanted their raw material suppliers to face trouble that would lead to a shortage of what they required. When hostile forces wanted to move against you, they also had to weigh this factor.

Bede spoke up: "At its peak, the Allen family had twelve workshops, supplying basic materials to eight major orthodox churches. Now, only these three remain. Six of them, over the past sixty years, were swallowed up step by step by the Raphael family."

Mick spoke up: "The Raphael family used to be the managers of two workshops for my Allen family."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Karen nodded. It was no wonder the Raphael family could press the Allen family to such a degree, because they weren't buying out your hotels or depressing your stock shares. The Raphael family didn't care about your secular wealth at all; they launched their offensive right from the very foundation of the Allen family's existence.

In the eyes of the various church management offices in Wayne, this might just be infighting between suppliers, so they naturally wouldn't care too much. After all, no matter who secured the supply channels, they would ultimately still have to supply goods to them.

"How is the Raphael family doing now?" Karen asked.

"In internal strife," Old Anderson answered with a smile. "This family doesn't have deep roots. Unlike our Allen family, losing a clan leader actually doesn't have a major impact."

In any case, they were all fools; a fool replacing a fool made no difference.

In the words of Purr, there was absolutely no room to slide further down, but immense room for upward growth.

Old Anderson was mocking his own family.

"Can this business be snatched back by taking advantage of this opportunity?" Karen asked.

He had already begun to view this matter in the manner of gangsters fighting for control of a pier.

Alright,

Now the opposing gang's boss was dead, and the various factions were fighting internally. Why shouldn't we seize this opportunity to strike out and reclaim the territory we lost in the past?

Bede showed a look of difficulty and said, "We cannot, because the Allen family currently possesses no offensive strength to launch an attack."

"No offensive strength?"

"Yes, this is the third chart, which details the current situation of the members of the Allen family's faith system." Bede handed the third chart to Karen.

Karen took the chart,

Thinking to himself: On this list must be the top enforcers of the Allen gang.

Level One of the family faith system: eighteen people, with their names listed behind.

Level Two of the family faith system: eight people, with their names listed behind.

Level Three of the family faith system: three people, namely: Wood, Mick, and... Anderson.

Karen looked up, staring at Old Anderson. This old man who had previously fallen off his chair was actually one of the top experts of the Allen family?

For a moment, Karen didn't even know whether to use a tone of astonishment or a tone of sorrow.

"I've made a fool of myself before Young Master Karen," Old Anderson said.

"But on this list, I don't see Mr. Bede's name," Karen asked.

Bede smiled with some embarrassment and said, "I... I cannot sense the First Ancestor."

As the leader of the Allen family, you haven't even reached Level One of the family faith system?

Well,

Karen now believed that Mr. Bede, Eunice's father, truly was a pure artist.

Because perhaps discovering since childhood that he couldn't sense the First Ancestor, he had laid down all psychological burdens and simply allocated his "skill tree" in the completely wrong direction.

Karen looked at Mick again and asked:

"Mr. Mick, your condition..."

Old Anderson sighed and said, "Mick originally had hope of advancing to Level Four. In fact, he almost succeeded, but out of a desire for quick success, he chose to try a certain new path, which resulted in him becoming like this now."

Mick gave Karen a bitter smile and said, "I am currently at Level Three, but I am essentially ruined. It's not because I lost my legs, but because my body is flooded with chaotic power that can no longer be used."

Karen nodded. In other words, the two most powerful people in the Allen family were Wood, who was guarding the raw material import line for the workshops on Corona Island, and Old Anderson, who was guarding the home.

"What about the Raphael family side..." After Karen asked this question, he lightly patted his forehead. "Apologies, it's inappropriate to ask like this."

"This might have to do with the family's fortune," Old Anderson said. "That traitorous family began to borrow lineages many years ago, while simultaneously establishing connections with some minor churches, and then slowly began to rise. And thirty years ago, a batch of very talented members was born into that family, entering a golden age. While our Allen family, just...

In addition, although the Raphael family has fallen into division and internal strife, our rash attack might also cause them to unite once again.

The current situation is that the Raphael family has voluntarily yielded many things in order to placate us and some other families, ensuring we maintain restraint regarding their family's current chaos.

Before that, facing the aggressive posture of the Raphael family, we

"I have utterly disgraced the faces of my ancestors."

Old Anderson's lyrical lament was cut short by Karen, who inquired:

"There is something I would like to ask."

"Please ask, Master Karen," Old Anderson replied, immediately wiping away his tears and regaining his composure.

"Blessed water—is that stuff difficult to obtain?"

"Not difficult at all," Mick answered. "It can be bought with Reals. Many divine servants make a living by selling this kind of holy water."

"Then, what about a swimming pool's worth of blessed water?"

"Uh..." Mick was stunned.

Old Anderson answered: "It is not difficult either, though it would require employing carriages to purchase it from various places. Of course, the divine servants keep very little of this water in stock; they basically sell it off as soon as they make it, and they might even adulterate it from time to time.

However, if we use vouchers, we can purchase it from the grand churches. Generally, the grand churches use large pools to store this sort of thing for reserve.

Do you require it?"

"Yes, I need it," Karen nodded.

"Forgive my presumption, Master Karen, but may I know the purpose for which you require such a large quantity of holy water?"

"I need to complete the purification ritual to become a divine servant," Karen added. "Grandfather instructed me that I would need this amount of holy water."

"Very well, I understand. Bede."

"Father."

"With the utmost speed, mobilize all family connections and the church vouchers on the family accounts to acquire the holy water Master Karen requires."

"Yes, Father."

"Then, my thanks."

"You are far too polite, Master Karen. You are now the true master of the Allen family, and it is only right that you possess the entitlement to use the Allen family's wealth."

Just then, a maid brought in breakfast.

"Master, please have your breakfast first. We shall take our leave."

"Very well, you may go and rest."

After Old Anderson and his two sons left the study, Karen was left alone, eating his breakfast.

At that moment, the study