Chapter 111: A New Beginning!

Chapter 111 A New Beginning!

Cullen parted his lips, wanting to speak, but found himself momentarily speechless, able only to draw a deep breath and blink hard a few times to keep the tears from pooling into drops within his eyes.

"Hello, greetings, this is the Immels Funeral Home."

On the other end of the line, Uncle Mason repeated himself.

Cullen's gaze wandered over the portraits hanging on the study wall, a feeling of homesick trepidation washing over him; if it were merely writing a letter, it would have been fine, but upon hearing that voice, the face of the man on the other end, his entire being, the people around him, the living room, the courtyard, the second-floor kitchen, the third-floor bedroom, and everything else—all the emotions and scenes flooded his mind in an instant.

Before this, Cullen had never considered himself a sentimental person; he preferred to settle and arrange his life with great composure, and could even be said to reject letting his emotions influence his rationality, yet reality told him that he was not the exception.

At that moment,

Uncle Mason, having received no reply from Cullen's end, seemed to sense something; he lowered his voice, his tone carrying a distinct tremor of excitement as he asked:

"Cullen, is that you?"

Cullen grit his teeth,

And finally spoke:

"Uncle."

"Oh, Cullen, you are alright, you are alright, hahaha, you are alright, you are alright!"

Uncle Mason nearly shouted on the other end of the line, and the sound of leather shoes bouncing against the wooden floor could be heard through the receiver.

"Uncle, I am alright, I am doing very well," Cullen said.

"Cullen, are you in Wien now? Ah, look at what I am asking, you must be in Wien, you..."

"Hello, Cullen?"

Aunt Mary's voice came through the line,

"Cullen, is it really Cullen?"

"It is me, Auntie, is your health doing well..."

"You heartless beast, how is it only now that you remember to call home, you thing whose conscience has been gnawed by maggots!!!"

Aunt Mary began to curse directly into the phone;

Cullen listened to the scolding coming from the receiver with a smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, that is enough, that is enough," Uncle Mason's voice came through, "Ask the child about his life over there in Wien."

"Cullen, how are you getting along in Wien now?"

"Uncle, Auntie, something happened to the passenger ship earlier, we were rescued ashore, and encountered some events, which is why I was never able to contact home; now everything is fine, I have settled down, and life has returned to its proper track.

In a couple of days, I intend to go look for a house."

Cullen omitted a great deal of details.

Upon hearing "intend to go look for a house," the uncle and aunt on the other end of the line tacitly refrained from pressing further about the process, because they could "fill in the blanks" themselves.

Alas, the poor child must not have been treated well at his "fiancee's home," surely suffering cold shoulders and indignation there, which was why he intended to come out and buy a house to live on his own.

The uncle and aunt deliberately avoided asking further to reopen Cullen's "scabs."

"As for the house, handle it early; oh, right, you said something happened to the passenger ship, none of your documents and such were lost, right?"

"No, they are all kept safely by my side; the loan contract is here, the bankbook and cash are all here."

"Whew, that is good then, that is good; as long as you have money in your hands, you have nothing to fear. Tomorrow I will have your uncle remit some more money to your account."

"Auntie, the money I have on me is enough."

"It is certainly not enough, how could it possibly be enough? You are a child who cares about appearances, I know it."

"Is everything well at home? Your health?"

"Grandfather is still comatose, but his breathing has been steady throughout," Aunt Mary said, "Your Aunt Winnie went to the nursing home to discuss a partnership, and Mina and the others are not at home either, so they cannot pick up the phone to speak with you."

"It is fine, once I have settled the house and installed a telephone, I will call back again," Cullen said.

"Mhm, when the time comes, tell us the address, and we can write letters, send some photos and packages."

"And canned herring, Cullen!" Uncle Mason shouted.

"Alright, Auntie."

"Do you have anything else to say?" This was the aunt asking the uncle.

The uncle took the receiver and said, "Cullen."

"Uncle."

"Believe in yourself, have confidence in yourself."

Cullen froze for a moment, then realized that his uncle was comforting his self, who had been driven out by his fiancée's family, so he could only smile and say:

"Alright, Uncle."

From the other end of the line came Uncle Mason's shout, summoned with all his courage:

"Remember, the men of our Immels family: we might lack money, we might lack a career, but we absolutely never lack women!

Ouch!!!"

The uncle must have been pinched fiercely by the aunt.

"Cullen," Aunt Mary took over the receiver.

"Auntie."

"What your uncle said is correct."

"Ouch..." Aunt Mary said that what the uncle said was correct while giving the soft flesh of the uncle's waist another pinch.

"I will not urge you to come back right now; you surely want to make your way in Wien a bit more, I support you, and you must also believe that you will certainly find that woman who can understand and appreciate you."

"I have always believed that," Cullen said.

"Alright, take care to rest there, and watch your safety."

"Auntie, you all must take care of your health as well."

The phone hung up.

Alfred offered a hot towel, and Cullen reached out to take it, wiping his face with it.

"Young Master, just now when I went to the door to receive the towel that let Borg prepared, I saw Mr. Bede outside."

"Mhm, let him in."

"Yes, Young Master."

Alfred walked to the door of the study, opened it, and ushered Mr. Bede inside; Alfred hesitated for a moment and did not leave the study, but stood leaning against the study door.

"Young Master Cullen," Mr. Bede called out, and very consciously pulled up a chair to sit

Whether it was the relentless pressure of the Raphael family or the calculated Black Seed initiative of the Gloria family, what was needed was absolute, overwhelming combat might, but Mr. Bede was capable in all things except fighting.

The Raphael patriarch had been killed by Dis, and Gloria IX had been dealt with by Count Recar. Though both instances smelled somewhat of using a cannon to swat a fly, Mr. Bede was utterly powerless against these two flies.

And on top of that powerlessness, perhaps accompanied by a sliver of prophetic ability, the only choice left was passive resignation.

I am moving into York City in a couple of days.

Since he was leaving, he naturally had to bid the hosts farewell before his departure.

If Master Karen wishes to live in the city, I will immediately compile a list of the family properties within York City and present it to you, Master, so you may choose one yourself.

No need, before coming to Wien, my uncle and aunt helped me prepare a housing loan contract with the National Bank of Wien, so I can afford to buy a house with a loan.

Mr. Bede was momentarily at a loss for words, especially as he watched Karen speak with such a confident smile.

But he quickly understood the underlying subtext,

And smiled:

I understand, then I sincerely wish Master Karen finds a satisfactory and cost-effective house, the Allen Consortium will not interfere.

Thank you for the care provided by Allen Manor over these past days.

No, it is Allen Manor that thanks you for your care, Master. Mr. Bede stood up and spoke with great earnestness.

Alright, there is no need for such formalities between our two families.

Master Karen, the warning you brought me last time stated that I need to catch the breath of the earth. Now, having just heard your arrangements for yourself, I seem to have gained new insights from those words.

What insights? Karen asked curiously.

This prospective father-in-law of his was a man capable of sitting face-to-face with Dis for a chat. He possessed many obvious flaws, but his virtues were bound to be exceptional.

If nothing else, just that painting he had done for him—to be able to grasp his inner thoughts after a few brief words and paint them so intuitively—one could not help but marvel at his genius in that arena.

The Wall God Religion has always been obsessed with painting murals for gods, considering it the ultimate pursuit of art.

Mhm.

I am beginning to doubt this pursuit now. Master Karen, your choice to leave Allen Manor this time must surely stem from considerations in this regard, yes?

I am a servant of God... oh no, I am a God-Inspired;

I feel that at this stage, what I need to do is reflect more and observe more. Living in Allen Manor is very comfortable, but it is not a good window for observation, or rather, I have not reached the level that requires this stage of observation, or it could be said I have not reached the stage of this level of observation.

Master Karen wants to observe city life?

Yes, the focus is on observing people.

I understand, this is also a question I am currently weighing repeatedly in my mind. I vaguely sense, is the endless pursuit of mural aesthetics and height a kind of extreme misunderstanding?

It is not a misunderstanding.

Not a misunderstanding? Bede was somewhat surprised, surprised that Karen had actually given a negative answer.

I have understood some of the doctrines of the Wall God Religion. In my view, the pursuit of the Wall God Religion is the hope to record and inherit the history of the last era, or even the era before that, or even more distant times, through the medium of murals.

You are contemporary artists, but at the same time, you are observers and recorders of history.

Yes, exactly, Master, your description is very accurate.

Therefore, I feel that your method is not wrong.

The method is not wrong? Mr. Bede caught the implication, Then what is wrong?

I think it might be because Rerilsa being suppressed by the God of Order brought centuries of paranoia and extreme emotions to the Wall God Religion, making you mistakenly believe this is true beauty.

A kind of artistic loyalty, fearlessness, and spirit of sacrifice that paints the picture despite defying powerful authority.

But perhaps it is precisely this paranoia that has narrowed your vision on the path of pursuing art.

Narrowed?

You are too obsessed with using murals of gods to record history.

But if the murals do not use gods as the theme to record, what else should be used?

People.

People?

People, only people, are the driving force that creates history.

...

Two days passed. During these two days, Karen gave Eunice two more foot massages, once while she wore black stockings, and once while she wore white stockings.

Perhaps because she knew her boyfriend was leaving soon, Eunice appeared more proactive.

In addition, Karen had a formal farewell dinner with everyone of the Allen family. At dinner, he stated his reason for wanting to temporarily move out of Allen Manor, saying he wanted to walk and see more of the crowded streets in the city;

But perhaps because this reason was too true, so true that aside from Mr. Bede who was lost in thought, everyone else present thought it was a pretext.

They were more willing to believe that Karen had other reasons for leaving, or that the Inmeles family had other arrangements.

To this, Karen did not bother to explain too much. During the feast, he agreed to Old Anderson's request to keep in frequent contact with Allen Manor and would make time to return to the manor often.

...

This morning, before preparing to leave Allen Manor, Karen came once more to the Allen ancestral cemetery to pay his respects.

Looking at the repaired pirate ship tombstone, a smile played at the corner of Karen's mouth as he reached out to gently stroke it.

In truth, Karen had always been curious about one thing: was the reason he could awaken Count Recar because his ability had truly reached that level, or was it Count Recar's own personality that made his corpse easier to awaken?

After all, at that time he had intended to first awaken an ordinary Allen ancestor to try his hand, not thinking to pick a historically famous one, because fame often meant being more powerful.

So, while it was true that he had awakened Count Recar and resolved the crisis of Allen Manor, had the flammable constitution of Count Recar also helped him achieve a cumulative experience?

For instance, when he was awakening him, the iron chains beneath his feet turned red.

To put it in common terms, any skill requires proficiency;

Just like his repeated practice of the Punishment Spear spell, you always have to succeed once to effectively reflect, summarize, and improve. If you never succeed, you fall into a dead loop of self-doubt.

Therefore, did he and Count Recar complement each other's success?

Or,

Were we meant to cross paths from the beginning?

Karen brought two bouquets of flowers today. After placing one before Count Recar's tombstone, he placed the other before the Progenitor Allen's tombstone. The remaining ancestral tombstones received nothing.

Therefore, do not expect that kicking the bucket is the end of it, because if you did not make something of yourself while alive, you will still be treated differently after death.

Ending his worship, just as Karen was about to get into the carriage, he found Madam Jenny standing by the carriage door.

Master Karen. Madam Jenny spoke first.

Madam.

Eunice... Madam Jenny took a deep breath and continued, Eunice, how do you plan to arrange things for her?

In truth, this question should have been asked by her husband, but Madam Jenny found that her husband had been acting peculiarly and chanting to himself all day recently, his entire mental state rather poor, so she, as the mother, could only come personally to ask on behalf of her daughter.

She is currently awakening her lineage, I feel she can receive better care by remaining at home.

Then what about the future? What I want to ask about is the future. I asked Lisa, and Lisa said that in just two or three months she will show noticeable improvement and will not be so lethargic, and in half a year at most, she will recover completely.

"I will return to the manor to see her every month."

"Mm, and then?"

"Once she has fully recovered, I will take her away with me. She promised me, and I promised her."

"Karen, should I believe you?"

"You should believe in the upbringing of the Inmeles family."

Karen bowed slightly to Lady Jenny, then stepped inside the car as Alfred opened the door for him.

The automobile was parked behind the old castle, where the Allen family sent Karen off with etiquette reserved for royalty.

Alfred took the front passenger seat, while the chauffeur was one of the Allen family's men;

Purr leaped onto Karen's lap. Having just braved the biting wind outside, Karen's hands were somewhat frozen, so he buried them deep into Purr's fur to warm them.

Seeing this, the golden retriever nudged closer to Karen, its demeanor suggesting its fur was far denser than a cat's and better suited for warmth, yet no matter how expectantly it wagged its tail, Karen chose to ignore it.

Karen leaned back against the leather backrest:

"Let us depart."

"Yes."

The driver started the vehicle, circling past the old castle toward the main gate, where old Anderson stood with the rest of the household to watch them leave.

Karen did not roll down the window to offer a final farewell, but through the corner of his eye, his gaze pierced the window pane to find two short figures standing by the third-floor study window.

One was Judia, the other was Borge;

Purr's tail flicked upward, only to be gently smoothed down by Karen;

As the car passed the performing arts hall, Alfred spoke up:

"Young Master, you once said that place was best suited to be a hall of mourning."

What a pity it had only hosted the funeral of Prince Henry.

"There will be opportunities in the future," Karen said. "I feel that place will be used again, though the guests cannot possibly be as low-end as Prince Henry next time."

After a brief pause, Karen added:

"Most importantly, we cannot pay for it out of our own pockets again."

Then, Alfred spoke once more:

"Young Master, once we enter the suburbs, we shall alight from the vehicle, let him drive back, and take a cab to the hotel.

I have already arranged an appointment with a real estate agency. This afternoon, I will first inspect the suitable properties listed, while you may rest at the hotel, Young Master."

"No need for rest, let us look together."

"Very well, Young Master."

"Keep our housing loan limit firmly in mind, do not exceed it."

"Of course, Young Master. However, I have an unfortunate piece of news to share. The savings passbook I originally brought to Vienne has somehow been misplaced, so from now on, we can only rely on the funds you have on hand to live, and depend on your family's loan limit to purchase a house."

"Heh."

A smile graced Karen's face as he murmured:

"Very well."

The car continued along the highway, drifting further and further from the Allen Manor behind them.

Alfred switched on the car radio, and after a brief adjustment, it began to broadcast a cheerful, lighthearted country pastoral song—"Girl from My Hometown, Wait for My Return."

Just then, the golden retriever proactively patted Karen's knee with its paw.

Karen looked down to find the golden retriever holding a playing card in its mouth. Reaching out to take it, he found it was the Ace of Spades.

Rolling down the car window,

Karen flung the Ace of Spades outward,

The Ace of Spades spun rapidly through the air,

Before finally embedding itself perfectly into a crevice in the middle of the road;

This was,

A new beginning.