Chapter 90: Order, Come Out and Meet Me!

Chapter 90 Order, Come Forth and Meet Me!

The rain had begun to fall.

Clad in his pajamas, Karen stood by the billiards table, holding a glass of ice water as he gazed out through the curtain of rain.

The scenery, truth be told, was quite beautiful.

Yet, Karen cast a brief glance toward the copy of *York City in the Rain* that he had been halfway through that afternoon, now resting face-down on the coffee table.

It was the work of a realist author, the protagonist a child laborer;

At first, the boy had loved rainy days, feeling that the rain was a note of freedom;

Later, he grew numb to it, as the relentless, ceaseless toil of the factory floor stripped away his awareness of the changing weather, taking with it holidays, and eventually... even the distinction between day and night.

In the end, following the death of his mother from illness, he had howled and roared into the muddy downpour;

The author painted a portrait of a frigid York City, particularly beneath a heavy deluge, where the downpour washed the grime from the towering skyscrapers; those standing atop them received "freshness" and "tranquility," yet that grime did not vanish—it cascaded down upon the feet of those at the bottom, turning into the mire in which they suffocatedly struggled.

Karen felt that his current self was much like that.

The bedroom he occupied was equipped with a system akin to underfloor heating, and the biting wind drifting in through the open window served as a perfect counter to the excessive, stifling warmth.

When the rain could neither drench your hair nor soak your shoes, you would, of course, find it beautiful.

"Would you like some fruit?"

Eunice walked in, carrying a platter of fruit, dressed today in a long white gown.

"Yes."

Karen stepped away from the billiards table and took a seat on the sofa.

The apples were peeled, sliced, and skewered with toothpicks; Karen placed a piece into his mouth, finding it very sweet.

"Are you reading this book?" Eunice noticed *York City in the Rain*.

"Yes, the family archive is remarkably rich in its collection."

"Actually, I rather enjoy books of this nature," Eunice said with a smile. "I always find myself trying to conjure the imagery in my mind as I scan the text, and then, attempting to resonate emotionally with it. Every time, it leaves me with so many profound reflections."

"Mhm, naturally, that is precisely the purpose of books and words," Karen said, taking another slice of apple. "To offer you a direction, and then, you turn your own head to gaze upon that horizon."

Karen recalled that back in Wien, Eunice had gifted him a copy of *The Rhapsody Diary*, a work that blended reality with the absurd.

"It is just that sometimes, with certain emotions, I find it quite difficult to truly resonate."

"That is only to be expected. Everyone's life experiences differ, which means their practical needs vary; ultimately, the emotional resonance they attain is bound to be different as well. After all, reality dictates consciousness."

"Yes, precisely."

"Meow~"

Just then, Purr leapt onto the sofa where Eunice was seated.

Eunice reached out and scooped Purr into her arms.

Purr offered no resistance, allowing herself to be cradled by her own great-great-great-great-niece, her head resting against Eunice's thigh as she faced Karen.

Karen began on his third piece of apple,

While Purr, lulled by the gentle stroking of Eunice's hand, extended her paw and began to hook the hem of Eunice's dress upward.

She kept pulling it until a portion of the thigh was exposed.

Purr blinked knowingly at Karen;

Karen, for his part, looked toward Eunice's thigh—an ounce more flesh would have seemed excessive, an ounce less, too meager;

In short, it was a nearly perfect contour.

Eunice also noticed that her pet cat had hitched her dress up far too high, but just as she instinctively reached to smooth the fabric down, she saw Karen, seated opposite her, staring intently at her leg.

Upon realizing her gaze had turned toward him, he showed not the slightest inclination to avert his eyes; for a moment, it was actually she who felt too self-conscious to lower the hem.

"Beautiful legs."

Karen praised.

Eunice bit her lower lip, a gesture tinged with a hint of helplessness, yet inadvertently exuding a natural, effortless charm.

*Ding... Ding...*

Eunice lowered her dress and sat up straight.

Purr leapt off the sofa, trotted over to the nightstand, and pressed the call bell.

The door was pushed open, and Bogue stood at the threshold:

"Young Master, Mr. Bedd sent someone over to convey that the performance hall has been remodeled according to the specifications, and the water has been filled. He requests that you head over to inspect it."

"I understand."

Karen stood up;

Bogue stepped inside, preparing to help Karen gather his attire, given that the young master was currently in his pajamas.

But the moment one of his feet crossed the threshold, his other foot immediately began to pivot, executing a near-perfect about-face on the spot; after swaying twice to balance himself, he finally stood firm and shut the bedroom door from the outside.

Eunice showed no awkwardness whatsoever, rising to open the wardrobe: "Which one would be best to wear?"

"Anything casual is fine."

"We cannot be casual. I heard from Father that it will take three days?" Eunice inquired.

"Mhm."

"Then do you need to bring a change of clothes?"

"There is no need for that. It is not a vacation."

That Karen was to undergo the "Purification" was, at least among the core members of the Allen family, no secret; after all, the sudden commencement of construction on a performance hall that had lain derelict for so long could hardly be concealed from anyone.

"Can things be sent in to you? It seems that might not be permitted," Eunice expressed some concern.

"Do not worry about that. I am merely going to do what I ought to do right now; in the strictest sense, it is a matter of a mortal like myself going to accept guidance from the divine."

Karen shed his pajamas and donned the clothes Eunice had prepared for him.

Throughout the entire process, neither of them displayed the slightest hint of self-consciousness.

Once fully dressed, Karen stood before the mirror to look himself over—not bad, very sharp, and meticulously put together.

Most importantly, the exhaustion from his conversation with Count Recard the other day had been completely replenished through these few days of rest.

Eunice stepped forward, gently enveloping Karen in an embrace;

Karen also reached out to hold her, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead.

Perched upon the nightstand, Purr let out a yawn, while the Golden Retriever, who had long been waiting nearby, wagged its tail.

When Karen loosened his arms to take his leave, he found that Eunice was still clutching his clothes; only upon realizing this did Eunice let go.

"It is merely a purification," Karen said softly.

Eunice shook her head: "No, once it is over, you will be different. I have a premonition."

"Perhaps."

I cannot fulfill this request.

"Can we begin now?"

"That book, The Light of Order—you didn't bring it?"

"No need, I can already recite most of it by heart."

"Ah, truly a devout believer of the Order Faith. If I were the God of Order, I wouldn't be able to resist favoring you."

"You certainly have a lot of preludes," Karen said, somewhat amused. "Why didn't you hire a theatrical troupe in advance to warm up the stage for you?"

"It's all your fault. I had originally envisioned it this way: upon my return, you would have also taken the seat of the patriarch, and spent a little money to hire a troupe to perform another show for me, letting me reminisce about the past. How wonderful that would have been.

Instead, without even asking me, you went straight ahead and agreed to the remodeling."

"Alright, I'll ask you next time."

"There won't be a next time. The only thing left in this house worth my affection is that painting in the study."

"After the purification is complete, we can restore this place. Actually, the design of this performance hall is quite fitting for..."

"Quite fitting for an artistic presentation, right?" Purr asked happily.

"Quite fitting for the venue requirements of a funeral."

"..." Purr.

"When the time comes, we can raise the platform where I am sitting right now a bit higher to make a coffin stand. The acoustic effects around here are very suitable for a live performance of mournful piano music, and the mourning guests will have plenty of space and angles to stand."

"So, do you intend to transfer the Inmeles family's old trade over here as well?"

Karen shook his head and said, "The Allen family does not lack money; what they lack are the coupons of the various orthodox grand churches."

Back at home, a B-tier package could make Aunt Mary dance with joy.

But here, it wouldn't make the slightest ripple.

"Actually, it's not entirely out of the question," Purr said. "Ordinary people pay in Lubi or Reals for funerals because they only have secular currency on hand.

However, for those with coupons in their hands, do they not have a need for funeral services?"

Purr was, after all, a cat who had immersed herself in the Inmeles family for nearly a century, and she immediately added:

"There is actually a massive market here, but the prerequisite is that we also need to build a 'crematorium' to refine and decompose corpses to collect spiritual materials;

after the funeral, the corpse is directly decomposed and processed, and the useful components can be packed up and taken away by the relatives."

"That really is an excellent idea," Karen praised. "Compared to a funeral parlor, the Allen family's current three workshops are truly on too low a level, and the profit margin isn't grand enough."

"Exactly! Coupons can help the family purchase special materials and services from the church, helping the family grow better and protect itself better, creating a wonderful positive cycle."

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The golden retriever lying under the chair could not help but bark three times.

"Almost forgot the main business, meow," Purr wagged her tail. "Let's finish the purification first."

"Mm."

Karen sat up straight.

"Very well, now, please answer me, my young master Karen, are you ready to open the gates to another world?"

"I am ready."

Purr pressed her feline paw against Karen's forehead;

at that moment, the golden retriever also closed its eyes;

"Good, Karen, now please silently recite the chapters of The Light of Order in your heart."

Karen began to chant silently within his mind.

"Try your best to empty yourself, to leave your mind free of attachments, and then, follow my guidance..."

A faint white light appeared upon Purr's paw.

"Karen, do you see that white light?"

"I see it, a white speck."

"Good, focus all your attention on it, and then, follow it. Wherever it goes, you go. Trust it, for it will guide you to find what you seek.

When the time comes, I will ask you who the god is that you wish to meet, and at that moment, you must answer me loudly."

Karen began to invest himself entirely, and at this moment, a faint black luster began to manifest on his body;

within the surrounding pools, small wisps of water vapor began to evaporate along with it.

Purr withdrew her paw. By now, Karen before her eyes seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep; the purification had already begun.

"Stupid... dog..."

Purr called out.

The golden retriever slowly opened its eyes, and within its canine gaze there now appeared malice and abhorrence—this was the gaze of an evil god!

In the next instant,

the black luster upon Karen's body surged violently in a flash, and the water within the pools began to be stirred up, surging ceaselessly toward Karen's position to form a vortex, a truly spectacular sight.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Purr smacked her lips with great satisfaction,

"It seems that the evil god inside our family's stupid dog has a bit of history with the God of Order. Look at the god's reaction, it's quite a bit more intense than anticipated."

Purr licked her lips,

and sat down against the thick candle behind her,

her tail habitually rising in front of her chest.

Purr's paw caught her own tail and habitually bit it, muttering even as she chewed:

"Dis, this must have been calculated by you as well. I don't believe you didn't calculate this, hmph hmph."

"Our family's stupid dog has already done quite well. Karen's current degree of purification is already thousands of times that of an ordinary purifier, but it's still not enough."

"Still not enough, still not enough, you know."

"My little Karen, I want you to become an existence that blinds the eyes of the God of Order in this purification."

"I want your purification completion to create a miracle in the history of the church!"

"Because, after all, we possessed a true miracle to begin with!"

"Back then, those profit-blinded madmen in the family actually presumed to use it to forcibly convert the family's belief system into a religious belief system; it was madness.

But now,

it happens to come in handy."

Muttering while biting her own tail, Purr

peeled away the very tip of her tail.

There was no bloody mess,

nor did Purr feel the slightest sensation of pain.

For beneath the originally plush cloak of its tail's very tip lay a crystalline node, seemingly fused onto the appendage, merging entirely as one with it.

And within that crystal rested a translucent index finger—this was... the finger of the God of Light!

Weiba raised his own tail,

and the tip of it, that very finger stripped bare and sealed within the crystal, pressed directly against the center of Karen's brow.

Pu'er opened her mouth, saying, "Karen, you..."

Yet at that exact moment,

the crystal at the tail's end unleashed a blinding white radiance, and that finger, as though flushing with returned life, increased its pressure of its own accord against Karen's brow; one could even clearly discern the slight indentation where the skin met the finger.

Beneath the chair, the golden retriever, who but a moment ago was radiating a sinister aura, was now so utterly terrified that it pressed its head flat against the floor, foam spilling from its lips as its body began to twitch convulsively.

As for Pu'er, her feline form trembled repeatedly before freezing completely, her unfinished question forced into sudden, rigid silence.

A voice overflowing with majesty and holiness,

within this theater hall,

slowly resounded:

"Order, come out and meet me!"

———

Requesting monthly tickets,

because there will be another update tonight.