Chapter 128: Demon Swamp

Chapter 128 The Demon Swamp

Once upon a time, the ancestors of the Allen family harbored a delusion so absurd it bordered on madness: they sought to exploit the finger of the God of Light to elevate their own family belief system into a full-fledged church. To preserve the very survival of the lineage, Pu'er had simply stolen that finger away.

Dice, on the other hand, had to some extent taken the initiative to strip the Inmeles family from the church belief system. For the sake of his grandson, he had not hesitated to downgrade the family's standing from a church belief system to a mere family belief system.

To climb from the bottom upward was an arduous journey;

yet to slide from the top down was far simpler.

It was a demonstrably losing bargain, a loss so severe that almost no one would ever choose such a path, yet Dice had done exactly that.

When his grandson expressed a desire to go out and see the world's scenery, the grandfather had personally fashioned for him the most exquisite pair of wings in existence.

This marked the first awakening of the Karen family belief system.

He found himself standing inside his home at No. 13 Minke Street, upon the third-floor balcony.

Instinctively, he walked toward

The golden retriever let out a soft, low whine toward Purr.

"I don't need your reminder; I see it—the Raphael family. But the water here runs too deep, it is far beyond our depth."

Purr, naturally, wished for the early eradication of the Raphael family, the greatest threat to the Allen family. Although Dis had slain their patriarch and plunged their ranks into chaos, the problem remained that the Allen family possessed no capability to "reclaim the business."

Not unless they waited for Judea, Borg, and Eunice to mature, allowing the family to boast a few active combatants of the fifth or sixth order.

Yet, since Purr had chosen to move here with Karen, regardless of what words left her mouth, her actions placed her firmly by Karen's side. To let the current Karen confront such deep-seated internal rot within the Orthodox Church was utter madness.

Purr turned her gaze toward Karen.

What defied all reason was why you brought this thing back in the first place. You can't truly intend to go on investigating, can you?

At that moment, Karen finally awoke. He opened his eyes, slowly sat up from the chair, placed his hands upon his neck, and gently tilted his head from side to side.

"Karen, were you so utterly engrossed in these things last night that you fell straight to sleep?" Purr inquired.

"Yes." Karen nodded, then added, "And by the way, I completed the Divine Shepherd advancement."

"Oh, no wonder... Meow!!!!!"

"Woof!!!!!"

The cat and the dog instantly bolted to their feet, staring fixedly at Karen.

Karen rose from his chair, stretched his limbs, and spoke.

"Right, I must trouble you both to find me some more spells suitable for a Divine Shepherd, or perhaps something of a slightly higher tier—say, spells an Inquisitor might use. I want to see if I can attempt to cast beyond my current rank."

Having survived the tram explosion, Karen placed great trust in the knowledge and experience of Master Cat and Master Dog in these matters.

"Karen, don't you think this is a bit too absurd? You grow weary from reading, take a nap in the study, and simply awaken as a Divine Shepherd?"

"Woof, woof, woof!"

"It is fine, I suppose. To me, it felt rather like water naturally flowing into a trench that had long since been dug."

Karen frowned slightly; having just awakened, his mind was somewhat clouded, leading him to speak in such a convoluted manner.

"Karen, you are a true genius," Purr remarked. "The speed of your cultivation is simply another mirror image of Dis... No, I am even beginning to suspect that Dis back then was not quite as swift as you."

"Woof!"

"Heh." Karen let out a soft laugh. "Perhaps it is because we are too familiar with one another, so your praises do not seem to bring me much joy."

"So..." Purr asked with curiosity, "which god did you invite into your heart?"

"I invited no god."

"No god? Then what did you enshrine?" Purr asked in astonishment.

"Woof?"

"Myself."

Purr and Kevin exchanged a look.

"Oh, damn it, I find myself not even particularly shocked to hear that answer."

"Woof! Woof!" The golden retriever nodded in agreement.

"I am going to wash up."

"Wait a moment, Karen. This... this..." Purr tapped her paw against the document folder. "Do not tell me you brought this back with the intention of continuing your investigation into it."

"Why else would I?" Karen countered.

"Woof!" Kevin barked.

Purr translated.

"The stupid dog says you must be mad, or perhaps you have been seized by some inexplicable explosion of righteousness. This is quite simply the most foolish decision imaginable!

If you truly wish to pursue this, you could easily wait until you have grown powerful. When that time comes, if you still desire to uphold justice, root out the darkness, or even cleanse the Order of the Light, it would be far simpler.

For instance, if Dis were not in his deep slumber, this matter would pose absolutely no difficulty for him, would it?

A wise man does not meddle in affairs that exceed his current strength."

Kevin stared at Purr in sheer disbelief: "Woof?"

Karen replied, "I have no interest in meddling."

"Whew... that is well then." Purr exhaled a long breath of relief.

"But this time, the affair has found me."

"Eh? How have we circled back to this? Karen, look at yourself now, you are already a Divine Shepherd. If we strive a little harder, we can aim for Inquisitor this year, and then Adjudicator will not be far off... Oh, I must contact Borg and have him hasten to give you the new identity the family arranged. Otherwise, once you become an Inquisitor, it will be difficult to slip in."

"In truth, the path I have chosen is a difficult one to walk. Dis must have known this as well," Karen said.

"Of course," Purr agreed.

"Woof!"

"Because I resolved to continue the investigation, I was able to complete the Divine Shepherd advancement last night."

"..." Purr remained silent.

"The investigation can be taken slowly. In any case, we now know that the Demon Swamp lies within the Blue Bridge community. Since Mr. Pavaro can no longer search for it, we shall search for it at our own pace."

"And once it is found, what then?" Purr asked.

"We shall find it first, then decide." Karen replied.

"And what about this sheet of paper? You have recorded so many names upon it. You do not intend to emulate Dis and go straight to their doors to assassinate them, do you?"

"Those are merely clues and names I jotted down at random," Karen answered. "I am not that impulsive."

"Heh, yes, quite right." Purr’s heart finally found a measure of peace.

Then, as if a sudden thought had struck her, Purr immediately spoke up. "Karen, have you considered that there might actually be another way to resolve this?"

"Speak."

"That is to write a letter or place a call to Lady Molly, and have her seek out Priest Rasma, who is currently serving as a priest on Mink Street. Tell the Great High Priest of the Orthodox Church that here in York City, the capital of Vien, there is a case of corruption involving the Church. If it is not dealt with swiftly, it could become a monumental scandal for the Order once it is exposed in the future.

See? Would the matter not be resolved effortlessly in this manner?

I believe that so long as High Priest Rasma is not a fool, he will certainly take action regarding this affair."

"No."

"Eh? Why ever not?" Purr asked, bewildered.

"Because in doing so, Rasma would become aware of my existence. He would learn that within the Inmeles family, which has already been subjected to Dis's blood sacrifice ritual, there remains myself, capable of continuing to interact with the circles of the Church."

"Did he not know that long ago? Was it not he who took the initiative to tell Lady Molly to let you report your safety to your family? I even suspect that Rasma has already been turned by Dis."

"Those words were spoken by Rasma when his steps crossed into the courtyard of the Inmeles home. Only at that precise moment could he speak such words; he was Rasma then.

Yet, the moment his foot withdraws and he stands outside the domain of the Inmeles family, he is the High Priest of the Orthodox Church.

If we were to have Lady Molly go directly to him with this matter, we would merely be delivering ourselves into a trap."

"A bit... complicated. I do not understand," Purr murmured in confusion.

"Woof?"

"Do you still remember the example you once gave me about God’s circle and point? I feel Lasmar is in that exact state right now.

When the God of Order hadn't opened His eyes, we could even invoke Him using the God of Light to help cleanse me;

But if, at the very end of that cleansing, the Eye of Order had finally opened,

What kind of outcome do you think we would have faced?"

Even now, looking back at that scene, Pu'er still felt a lingering chill down her spine;

Beside her, Kevin let out an even more direct shiver.

"Lasmar is just like that now. He isn't Dis, nor is he Hoffen, and he never can be."

Karen walked out of the study and headed to the washroom to freshen up.

When he came out after washing, he saw Pu'er riding on Kevin's back as they emerged from the study:

"I’ve decided to go with Kevin to conduct a preliminary investigation first. You know, sometimes cats and dogs are much more convenient at investigating things than humans—at least we don't have to worry about drawing the attention of those targeting Mr. Pavarotti."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

"Mm, and there's one more thing. Your clinic called this morning saying there was a temporary booking. It's the father of that child from yesterday."

Mr. Taddel?

"Alright, I'll head over to the clinic."

"Okay. Sigh, having to uphold justice while working hard to make money to support a family really isn't easy. Therefore..."

Pu'er extended a paw and patted Kevin’s dog head,

"Rather than washing dishes and doing laundry, let's start the investigation first, meow!"

"Woof!"

"I'll go open the door for you."

"No need, we're taking the rooftop!"

With that, Kevin carrying Pu'er bolted directly up onto the rooftop.

"Heh."

Karen was amused by the scene.

He first picked up the phone to call the clinic back and confirm the appointment, then changed his clothes, grabbed his car keys, opened the door, and took the stairs down to the parking lot below. Just as he drove his car out of the residential gate, he spotted Alaye standing at the entrance of the real estate agency.

Seeing Karen's car, Alaye immediately ran over with a smile;

Karen rolled down the car window;

"Good afternoon, Master."

Karen knew he was worried that if he brought his son over for treatment tonight, Karen might not be home.

"The clinic has a temporary booking. I'm going to see a patient and should be back before dinner."

"Understood, Master. I'll have Jean prepare dinner then."

"Alright." Karen didn't refuse. "By the way, Alaye, there's something I'd like to trouble you with."

"Master, please give me your commands."

"You work in real estate, but do you have any contact with employment agencies?"

Alaye wore a bitter smile and said, "I really have no contact with them."

"Oh?"

"Master, you might not know, but many employment agencies take kickbacks from both ends, and some even specialize in cheating those who want to find work but are unfamiliar with the environment. This money burns the hand a bit to earn.

With my son already in this condition, I wouldn't dare make that kind of money."

This world also had the concepts of "retribution" and "karma," just phrased in a different manner.

"I understand, but I'd like you to help me look into which agencies have recruited a large number of female workers in recent years, primarily young female workers."

"Rest assured, Master, leave it to me."

"See you tonight."

"See you tonight, Master."

Karen drove the car and arrived downstairs at the building close to one o'clock in the afternoon. He was in good luck; there was an empty parking space by the roadside. After parking the car, Karen walked into the building and took the elevator to the 21st floor.

Miss Bertha was currently at the front desk talking to two receptionists. Seeing Karen approach, she immediately welcomed him on her own initiative;

"Where is Mr. Taddel?" Karen glanced at the waiting lounge, seeing no sign of Mr. Taddel. "Was he arranged into my office?"

"He hasn't arrived yet," Miss Bertha replied.

"Hasn't arrived yet?" Karen was slightly surprised. "They arrived very early last time."

"Every parent is certainly most cautious when dealing with their own child, but this time it's Mr. Taddel himself seeing the doctor, so he'll be a bit more composed and less urgent. I believe Mr. Taddel must have recognized your ability from the clear effects of your treatment on his son last time, which is why he made an appointment for himself as well."

"And that's still called an urgent booking?"

"Because he probably doesn't care about the price of an urgent booking."

"Fair enough, then I'll wait for him in the office."

"Alright, once Mr. Taddel arrives, I will lead him straight into the office."

"Mm."

Karen walked into his office and sat down behind the desk. The folder from last time was still resting on the desk; he opened it, revealing the profile sheets of Little John and his father, Mr. Taddel.

To conduct psychological therapy, one definitely needed the patient's family background and working environment. If a child was seeing the doctor, then most of the family background section would be written about the parents.

Therefore, a basic professional ethic of a psychologist was to keep their clients' secrets.

In addition, the clinic would definitely conduct a more detailed background check on its "golden goose" clients. This actually had no direct relation to whether it was a psychological clinic or not; any company would "find ways" to strive to better understand its major clients.

On the profile sheet, the column for Mr. Taddel’s occupation read "Entrepreneur."

Karen remembered Little John proudly telling him that his family owned a textile factory and was very wealthy.

When Little John compared himself to a pig in a pigsty, Karen had even teased him, saying it seemed his family didn't just open a textile factory, but had also invested in a pig farm.

The family address column was in the Golden Bay District; judging by the house number, it should be a villa.

However, in the occupational details column, the addresses of several textile factories were all filled in as "Blue Bridge Community."

What a coincidence, Mr. Taddel's textile factory was right in the Blue Bridge Community.

Karen couldn't help but recall the scene when he first rode in Alaye's car to the Blue Bridge Community;

At that time, looking at the groups of male and female workers in uniforms walking along both sides of the road, he had asked Alaye if there were factories here;

Alaye had answered him saying there were quite a few textile factories, though without the smoke pollution of chimneys.

Textile factories... female workers...

Karen licked his lips. Once Mr. Taddel arrived later, he could ask him about the situation in this regard.

Putting down the folder,

Karen leaned back, sitting in the chair, thinking how good it would be if Alfred were by his side right now instead of being hospitalized. With Alfred’s experience as a literal aberrant demon, he could easily help him probe into the cause of Little John’s contamination.

Cullen sat thus in his office, waiting and waiting;

The clock had crawled from just past one in the afternoon to past three, a full two hours spent in waiting, with more than half of the appointment time already vanished.

Cullen stood up; since Mr. Taddel had already broken his word, there was no point in lingering any longer, especially when he still needed to tend to Hand’s consultation this evening.

Just as Cullen was gathering his things,

The office door was pushed open, and Bertha walked in.

“Has Mr. Taddel arrived?” Cullen asked.

Miss Bertha shook her head,

And said:

“Word has just come through that Mr. Taddel met with a car accident on his way here. The man is already dead.”

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