Chapter 98: Ace of Spades Meeting

Chapter 98 The Ace of Spades Meeting

"The veneration is over, they are about to leave."

Sitting on the bedroom windowsill, Pu'er had been observing the situation below all along.

Prince York and his party, having paid their respects at the ancestral cemetery within the Allen Estate, were preparing to return to the palace.

Carefully supported by two servants, the elderly Prince York was helped into the car.

"I think the reason why Her Majesty kept intentionally delaying that plan earlier might have been with the intention of outliving her own son, letting him decline first so he would swallow the seed."

No one echoed Pu'er, so Pu'er continued on her own:

"Although this race against time between mother and son has not yet yielded an obvious victor, what truly defeated Her Majesty was still time. As her age keeps increasing, she no longer has the mind to persist in the competition.

Because of the encroaching death, her fear of it has overridden her anxiety about consuming that seed.

Although I still don't know what that seed is, by comparison..." Pu'er raised her tail and bit it, "it is definitely something very terrifying."

At this moment, Judia was also preparing to get into the car; she was to sit in the same vehicle as her grandfather.

Before stepping inside, Judia paused, turned around, and looked up toward the third floor of the ancient castle behind her, spotting that black cat sitting on the windowsill.

One person and one cat, their gazes briefly crossed.

Subsequently, Judia stepped into the car.

"Oh, heavens, truly great-grandmother's little sweetheart."

A rich, aunt-like smile appeared on Pu'er's face.

She liked this little girl who was in the enemy camp yet held a steadfast stance and possessed astonishing talent; to a certain extent, Pu'er could understand her kind of family belonging.

"Sooner or later, I will fetch you out of that filthy Gloria house and let you return to the warm embrace of the Allen family."

"Woof!"

The golden retriever walked beneath the windowsill and barked twice at Pu'er.

Pu'er waited until the convoy departed before reluctantly jumping down from the windowsill, bounding onto her own sofa. After crouching down, her expression shifted, entering a state of solemn cat-faced gravity.

Opposite Pu'er stood another independent small sofa, where Kevin the golden retriever sat.

Alfred sat on a cushion, a small blackboard placed before him, along with a box of multicolored chalk and a blackboard eraser.

Across from Alfred, sitting on the long sofa, was Karen.

Karen held a glass of ice water in his hand, swirling it gently, holding it as if it were a cup of boiling water, taking a tiny sip from time to time.

Before him stood a small coffee table, upon which sat a kettle and an insulated cup of ice cubes; additionally, there was an exquisitely styled, antique-looking ashtray, a box of matches, and a deck of playing cards.

The culture of the Viennese, from the nobility down to the commoners, dictated that while a coffee table might lack an ashtray or a fruit platter, it absolutely had to have a deck of playing cards.

On one hand, this was because entertainment methods at the current stage were not abundant, making playing cards a very convenient game for home and friends; on the other hand, Vienna's gambling industry was extremely developed, and gambling culture was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

To a certain extent, the social reality of the current stage would definitely influence the social customs of the time. In other words, modern social customs were basically formed under the influence of past social realities.

"Woof!"

The golden retriever barked.

Pu'er spoke up: "He says he is ready, and I am ready too, meow."

Alfred nodded and said, "I am ready as well."

Karen nodded and said, "Then let us begin."

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The golden retriever suddenly barked several more times in succession.

Alfred looked at Pu'er, reminding her, "Translator?"

Pu'er took a breath and spoke, "He says that since this is our first meeting of such gravity, it cannot begin so casually; it lacks a sense of ritual."

Alfred pondered, "It seems that is indeed the case."

"Woof!"

"He says that at the very least, a name must be chosen for this meeting. It shouldn't be cliché, it needs to be fresh, and at the same time, it must take into account the geographical environment as well as commemorative significance;

For instance, naming it after the location, he suggests calling it the First Meeting of the Allen Estate Secret Society, or the First Seminar of the Allen Recluses.

Generally, this kind of meeting cannot carry words like 'God' or 'Demon'. If the name is too grand, first, it feels cliché, and second, it easily breaks taboos."

"..." The golden retriever.

Alfred asked, "How come it feels like what he said wasn't as much as what you said?"

Pu'er wagged her tail: "An excellent translator certainly cannot satisfy themselves with merely translating word for word; one must also possess the ability to polish and extrapolate."

"Your extrapolation is simply too absurd. Is it absolutely necessary to add the sponsor's name?"

"Is this place not the Allen Estate? Making them a sponsor seems quite reasonable," Pu'er reminded him.

"But the theme of our meeting today is how to avoid the destruction of the Allen Estate. Is there a sponsor that has mixed so miserably?

Furthermore, if we ultimately fail to successfully prevent the destruction of the Allen Estate, in the future, when we hold our next meeting, wouldn't adding the two words 'Allen' as a prefix feel very unlucky?"

"I am merely suggesting, suggesting, suggesting," Pu'er said. "In addition, I feel that you ought to have a way."

"Me?" Alfred pointed to himself.

"If there were no way, you wouldn't be sitting here organizing a meeting; instead, you would be advising Karen to run away with us early and move out of the Allen Estate."

"This..." Alfred was momentarily at a loss for words.

Pu'er turned her head, looking at Karen with watery cat eyes:

"Oh, my dear little Karen, you will certainly help this weak, pitiful, and helpless Allen family, right?"

Pu'er was not engaging in moral kidnapping; rather, after learning of Judia's tip-off, Karen's calmness and Alfred's excitement seemed somewhat abnormal in themselves. If they did not have something to rely on in their hearts, this meeting could not have been held at all, nor could it possibly be in this style.

So these two must be hiding something from her!

As it turns out, am I already a cat that has been excluded from the core circle?

The golden retriever looked at Karen: "Woof!"

This required no translation, and Alfred also chimed in, "Young master, you decide. I have a premonition that this is a grand beginning."

Pu'er also nodded her head: "Yes, a sense of ritual, a sense of ritual!"

"Decide on a name for the meeting?" Karen smiled, reached out, and poured out the already opened playing card box, all the cards spilling face down onto the coffee table. Karen drew one from among them and flipped it over:

The Ace of Spades.

"Let us call it the First Ace of Spades Meeting."

"Well, although it feels quite casual, I actually find this name acceptable," Pu'er said.

"Woof~" The golden retriever also nodded.

Alfred went straight to the small blackboard and wrote "The First Ace of Spades Meeting."

"The theme of our meeting this time is the crisis of the Allen Estate..."

"Hold on." Pu'er interrupted Alfred's words, "I feel that before entering the formal agenda, we need to add an additional agenda item. That is, regarding the situation Karen encountered this time, we need to deliberate on how to further ensure Karen's safety in the future, so as not to let similar things happen again."

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The golden retriever immediately barked.

Pu'er responded directly, "In your dreams!"

"What did it say?" Karen asked.

"It said it could find a way to undo its seal, so it can protect you," Pu'er translated.

"Yeah, in its dreams," Karen concluded after hearing this.

The golden retriever lay down on the sofa, looking deeply aggrieved.

Alfred spoke up, "From now on, even if the young master is in the study, I will stay by his side to accompany him. After today, I will basically never leave the young master's side."

"Mm," Pu'er acknowledged. "The radio specter is, after all, the strongest combat power currently in our Ace of Spades organization."

Although he was the one who drew the card, Karen still felt a bit self-conscious when he heard "Ace of Spades organization."

"Woof! Woof!"

"I know, I'll tell him. In addition, Karen also needs to start learning the spells of a divine servant. If you learn fast and master them quickly, you can try to study beyond your current rank."

"I know."

"Then now, we shall enter the formal agenda."

Alfred tapped the small blackboard.

"Today's meeting... the theme of the Ace of Spades organization's first meeting today is: [How to resolve the crisis of the Allen Manor]."

Pu'er spoke up and asked, "So, the agenda item: [Whether to decide to help the Allen family], has already been skipped?"

Karen took a sip of iced water and said, "Yes."

"Oh, that's wonderful." Pu'er stood up from the sofa and bowed to Karen. "Praise the great Ace of Spades."

The meeting host, Alfred, continued to preside:

"There are currently three ways to resolve the crisis of the Allen Manor:

The first method is early evacuation.

All core members of the Allen family will leave the Allen Manor; they can go to Corona Island or leave Wien entirely, abandoning the Allen Manor;

This way, quite a few ordinary Allen clansmen will still be left in the manor, which might just satisfy the Queen's needs. After all, the Queen cannot wait too long, and there is only one seed."

Hearing this suggestion, Pu'er wanted to say something, but chose to keep her mouth shut.

"The second method is to have Old Anderson step forward, pushing Prince Henry's funeral out of the Allen Manor while using various ways to refuse the Queen's stay, giving her no opportunity to implement that plan.

After all, the Gloria royal family is closely watched by the major churches. Until it is absolutely necessary, the Gloria family cannot actively show their fangs to the outside world. The churches' restrictions and vigilance toward royal power are their greatest weakness."

"Woof!"

"It says these are all methods of backing down."

Karen spoke up, "Pu'er, tell us your thoughts."

"Do you really want me to say it?" Pu'er stood up again. "My allegiance is definitely on the side of the Allen family. I even feel that my words might affect the rigor and fairness of this first meeting of the Ace of Spades."

"Go ahead and speak, because there are only four of us, and we can't exclude interested parties. After all, in a strict sense, I am also connected to the Allen family."

"Alright, then I'll speak.

The first method is the safest, but for the now-declining Allen family, abandoning the Allen Manor is equivalent to abandoning this surname. The Allen family will perish in exile and become a mere story of the past.

We... the Ace of Spades organization still needs the Allen family as a 'provider' right now, to supply various services and necessities.

Karen's further studies;

The materials Alfred needs to practice formations, as well as the preparations for Alfred's subsequent evolution;

And waiting until Karen's realm rises,

The restoration of strength for me and this stupid dog can then begin.

All of this requires a large group of people to provide for us. Relying on ourselves to gather resources would be a huge waste of time."

Hearing this, Karen could not help but ask, "For Kevin, I can understand, but you, can you as well?"

If the Evil God was willing to properly reform the golden retriever's body and honestly be a golden retriever Evil God, it would be feasible to help loosen the Evil God's bonds according to its level, using the methods left in Mr. Hoffen's notes after Karen's realm rose, and then help it find some materials and opportunities to restore a tiny bit of its strength.

But Pu'er's words...

What puzzled Karen was, if Pu'er also had an opportunity to restore her strength, why hadn't Diss stepped in to help her?

After all, no matter what, with how powerful Diss used to be, to a certain extent, he was nearly omnipotent.

Pu'er explained, "I need the existence of the belief system of the God of Light to help me break my shackles."

"But, although the Church of Light has been destroyed, there are bound to be small fish that slipped through the net. Couldn't Diss find them?"

"Finding them was possible, but there is a second condition. Right now, rather than saying I am a human or a cat, I am actually more like a sacred artifact.

Therefore, the enhancement and nourishment of a sacred artifact requires... recognizing a master."

"Recognizing a master?"

"That is, forming a symbiotic relationship. So, for a very long time in the past, I had no interest in this whatsoever."

Alfred spoke up, "Yes, compared to this kind of symbiotic relationship, even a marital relationship is considered incomparably distant."

Karen leaned back, resting against the sofa, his brow slightly furrowed:

"So, you now—no, after this, are you planning to find a remnant of the Church of Light to recognize as your master and establish a symbiotic relationship?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Pu'er asked.

"Nothing," Karen replied.

"I'm choosing you," Pu'er said.

"Me?" Karen's back left the sofa as he sat up, pointing at his own face. "I follow the system of the Church of Order."

"Have you forgotten that during your purification, you were touched by the finger of the God of Light? You definitely have the light attribute of the God of Light left in your body. In theory, you are capable of using the spells of the Church of Light, even though you cannot study and walk the path of the Church of Light's belief system."

"Is that so..."

"But you must at least reach the rank of Inquisitor. This way, your Church of Order system can be considered completely established, becoming the main trunk. Then, after reaching a symbiotic relationship with me, theoretically, the light power in your body will be stimulated, but it shouldn't affect your main trunk. Right now, it would easily cause your body to lose balance and become chaotic.

Furthermore, because of your symbiotic relationship with me, you can even gain a portion of the Allen family's lineage abilities. But it's still the same; because my original family's belief system rank is too high, achieving symbiosis with you too early would interfere with and impact your original main path.

Therefore, the Inquisitor rank is the basic requirement.

At the same time, you must at least reach that level to have the spare energy or the ability to help loosen the seal on this stupid dog.

Then, I can work with this stupid dog to find ways to try and restore some of our original power.

And all of this requires the provision of a family. An Inquisitor like Diss is actually the norm, with not many people under his command, and this is precisely the necessity for the Allen family's existence.

Because it would be very difficult for you to find another errand-running family whose background you know so thoroughly. Most importantly, they are also very obedient.

Of course, the Allen family will also receive your protection, with each party getting what they need."

"I see." Karen nodded.

Pu'er continued, "As for the second method, I feel it can only buy a little bit of time. Coupled with the fact that the Queen doesn't have much time left to live, even if the Allen Manor pushes away Prince Henry's funeral and even if the Queen fails to come to the funeral, she will definitely find a new way to come over."

Even... in the end, simply breaching the warnings issued to the royal family by the various great churches, stepping over the line, where at worst, upon returning, the royal lineage would collectively bend over to take their lashing and admit their faults."

Alfred chimed in, "Indeed, one can act as a thief for a thousand days, but there is no sense in trying to guard against a thief for a thousand days."

Purr turned its head to look at the radio goblin; the words sounded rather odd, so... as expected, it was likely the radio goblin repeating someone else's phrasing.

Thus,

As it turned out...

The very first meeting of the Ace of Spades organization had long since been under complete control.

Glancing again at that foolish hound, who looked so excited as if it were genuinely and earnestly participating, ha, how utterly stupid.

Yet, Purr felt no resentment whatsoever in its heart; on the contrary, it was highly anticipating what the third method would be.

"Alfred is correct." Karen placed his water glass onto the coffee table. "Blindly evading and hiding is not always the best course of action. If resources permit, it is far better to choose an active defense, and then, within that defense, seek an opportunity to launch a counterattack."

Purr feigned bewilderment and said, "But the Allen family's current defensive capabilities are already stretched to the absolute limit, unless Wood and all his subordinates on Corona Island are recalled to the Allen Manor.

As for a counterattack... what exactly do we rely on to strike back?"

Alfred produced a sheet of paper and hung it on the small blackboard; drawn upon it was Count Recar, though Her Majesty the Queen beside him had been erased.

"Oh, radio goblin, your drawing is truly dreadful. In this picture, Count Recar looks like a crudely sketched scoundrel."

"This is the young master's handiwork."

Purr immediately lifted its head, "Oh, how vivid. Because in my eyes, Count Recar was always a massive scoundrel to begin with."

Pausing for a moment,

Purr asked again out of curiosity:

"I know the origin of this entire matter stems from his whoring fees back then and his rotten degeneracy in those days, but are we certain we need to dedicate time during this meeting specifically to criticize him?"

Karen replied:

"I intend to personally design the funeral for Prince Henry. At the same time, I will have Old Anderson take the initiative to invite Her Majesty the Queen to attend the funeral, while arranging for her to stay at the Allen Manor."

"Woof!!!!"

"Meow!!!!"

"Praise the young master!"

Karen raised both arms, spreading his hands wide,

And said in a deep voice:

"And on that very night, I will awaken Count Recar, and let him personally take responsibility for the romantic debts of his past."