Chapter 154: Certification

Chapter 154: Obtaining the Certificates

Ivy Cemetery;

Mr. Pavaro's grave lay adjacent to that of Ms. Annie.

This was Madam Lake's arrangement.

After the earth was backfilled, Alfred squatted before Ms. Annie’s tombstone with a carving knife, etching a line upon it:

"Thank you for showing me the tenderness born of the great sea."

Finishing there, Alfred turned toward Mr. Pavaro's tombstone, carving beneath it:

"Thank you for showing me the true light."

The funeral had been a hasty affair, precluding any custom-made headstones, so the words had to be engraved in the moment.

Madam Lake offered silent tribute before the two graves for a long while before turning to smile at Karen, signaling her conclusion.

Karen offered no further mourning; all he wished to say had been engraved by Alfred's hand.

Upon the return, Karen drove the hearse, carrying Madam Lake back to the parlor, while Alfred followed behind in his own car.

Seated in the passenger side, Madam Lake gazed at the nocturnal scenery passing outside, murmuring, "Everything seems to have settled. The moment the earth was filled, it felt as though life had veered back onto its proper tracks."

"Yes, back onto the tracks. A funeral, by its nature, is a way to untangle the minds of the living."

"You are quite well-acquainted with funerals, I can tell—ah, I mean the choreography of the rites."

"Yes."

"Will you be running this parlor in the future?"

"I will."

"That is well, then, that is well. Truthfully, I know myself; I have no head for business, and my temper is ever prone to flares."

"A friend of mine once said his wife used to be quite gentle. He lived with an enduring guilt, believing it was his own neglect that caused her temper to sour over time."

A faint smile graced Madam Lake's face.

Steering the vehicle, Karen cast a sideways glance at Madam Lake and spoke:

"You remind me of an elder of mine."

"Oh? An elder of yours?"

"Yes. Like you, her temper was none too sweet, and she was fond of scolding, yet she was deeply kind—profoundly kind."

Karen's thoughts drifted back to Aunt Mary. At home, whenever he went into the washroom for a bath, a clean set of pajamas would always be waiting there, and upon stepping out, a fresh change of clothes for the morrow would invariably be laid out upon his bed.

His aunt was a woman capable of listing your faults from head to toe, yet she was equally capable of tending to your needs from head to toe.

Madam Lake replied, "I am honored. She must have been an elder well worthy of reverence."

"Yes, she is of an age quite close to yours."

"Is that so?" Madam Lake inquired. "Then, do you miss home?"

"I am already remembering the people of that home. Tell me, do I miss it?"

For what was home, if not its people?

"Forgive me, I am sorry."

"It matters not."

"In the future—I mean, regarding the parlor and all other matters henceforth—I shall defer to you."

"Very well."

Karen did not decline, for this was precisely what Madam Lake desired; in all likelihood, her only wish now was to nurture her two daughters, and all else felt like a burdensome weight.

The hearse rolled into the parlor courtyard; the lights burned within, yet the place was deserted.

"Where are Pick and Dincombe?"

"They used to reside here, but later rented their own lodgings nearby," Madam Lake explained. "By this hour, they have already clocked out."

"So only Doreen and Dora are at home alone?"

"Yes."

Doreen and Dora were the pet names of Mr. Pavaro's two daughters, meaning 'God's gift' in the Maclay tongue.

"In a few days' time, someone will deal with them," Karen remarked.

"Will you be returning tonight?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps you might rest here instead? You could sleep in the study—ah, no, the bedroom."

"There is no need. Perhaps in a while."

"Yes, of course." Madam Lake bowed to Karen and walked back into the shop.

Karen then climbed into Alfred's car, brushing his ring to revert to his true visage.

"Let us head back."

"Right away, Young Master."

Alfred drove back to the apartment. Returning home, Karen took a bath and stretched out upon the bed.

Young John shared a room with Alfred; Alfred occupied the bed while John slept on the floor. Yet, catching the sound of Karen's return, the boy immediately arose from his slumber to fetch Karen ice water and the newspaper.

The lad had been born a young master himself, accustomed from infancy to being served, yet now he found himself bound to serve another with utmost devotion.

Even so, he found no hardship in it, for in attending to Karen, he secured a sense of safety; so long as he remained useful, he would remain sheltered.

Karen took a sip of water and said, "In a little while, I shall have Alfred arrange a school for you."

"Young Master, I feel I am doing quite well here. I can look after Miss Purdue and Kevin."

"You may look after them when you return from your classes."

"Understood, Young Master." Young John dared not talk back further.

"Go and rest."

"Goodnight, Young Master."

Young John stepped out, drawing the door shut behind him.

Karen did not glance at the newspaper; having drunk his water, he intended to sleep, for he had to be at the parlor tomorrow morning. At that moment, he felt a sudden pang of longing for his previous occupation, where a day devoid of appointments meant he could avoid the clinic entirely; now, conversely, he was bound to a daily grind.

Purdue crept closer, asking, "Karen, when will that point voucher reward come through?"

"It should be soon. Once it arrives, I shall allocate five thousand Order Vouchers to Alfred. Whatever materials you two require, have Alfred purchase them from the black market from now on."

"Mmh, very well."

"I, too, hope to master them quickly."

The Blade of the Dark Moon and the Armor of the Sea God were two spells capable of immensely elevating and diversifying his combat prowess at this stage, and they harmonized perfectly with his traits.

However, the inheritance of these two spells was no simple matter of chanting incantations; it required crafting specific scrolls to bear the imprint of thought, and such endeavors demanded a toll in materials.

The five hundred Abyss vouchers earlier given by Lemar had already been passed on to Alfred by Cullen, and Alfred had also used them to purchase some materials back for the cats and dogs at home, who were presently engaged in the foundational crafting, which, upon completion, would still require blank scrolls to serve as carriers.

The necessary carrying scrolls were somewhat expensive; by Purr’s phrasing, it was because the spells provided by her and Kevin were of a rather high level, and only high-grade scrolls could perfectly carry their mental imprints.

On the black market, one such scroll required a thousand Order vouchers, making it two thousand Order vouchers for a pair.

The regular channels of the Church of Order were cheaper, as Cullen had seen a list upon Mr. Pavaro’s desk, indicating that purchasing through the internal channels of the Church of Order using Order vouchers cost eight hundred points per piece.

The problem, however, was that a lowest-ranking Inquisitor suddenly spending nearly two months' worth of stipend to buy blank scrolls of such high caliber would easily attract unwanted attention, making it much safer to obtain them from the black market instead.

The initial thought had been to ask for some vouchers from the Allen family through Borg, but now that he himself was about to possess a reward of ten thousand Order vouchers, there was no rush to demand them from the Allen Manor; regardless, Purr and Kevin still required some time to complete their foundational preparation, which would seamlessly connect anyway.

Spells belonging to different systems of faith could be cross-utilized by certain clever individuals of high comprehension, yet they would face two unavoidable dilemmas:

First, there would be a greater consumption of spirituality;

Second, one could only employ the basics, making it exceedingly difficult to achieve a high-level mastery or further advancement of said spell.

Additionally, there was another point: usually, a holy relic corresponding to that specific spell system was required as a medium.

Just like the priest of the Berry faith back in Loria City who, when facing Grandfather, had stacked an unknown number of defensive layers upon himself, which was precisely because he held quite a few holy relics in his possession that corresponded to various systems of faith.

Yet none of this was a problem for Cullen, first because Cullen’s own "pool" was profound, with an accumulation of spiritual power far exceeding others of the same tier, and second because Cullen’s purification utilized the power of Light; in Purr’s words, the power of the Light attribute was an excellent converter for the power of all attributes.

This was also one of the reasons why, during the first two eras, traces of the God of Light would appear within the mythological narratives of various orthodox churches, and likewise, one of the reasons why the major orthodox churches, upon the decline of the Church of Light, would by tacit agreement all step forward to trample it, ensuring it could never rekindle.

As for the internal spells of the Church of Order itself, Cullen had been following along and learning them during this period, and this learning progressed much faster, though he still looked forward more to the pair provided for him by Purr and Kevin.

After all, even as an Inquisitor, Mr. Pavaro was rather ordinary when it came to combat capabilities.

The Armor of the Sea God, to boost defense;

The Blade of the Dark Moon, to boost attack;

He, finally, could rid himself of the awkward situation of standing still while casting the Spear of Punishment.

It was just that regarding the Inquisitor realm, he felt he was still a little bit away; this was something that could not be rushed, as he had walked step by step from the hardest path of all, and if he grew impatient and took a wrong step at any juncture in between, everything achieved before would lose its meaning.

Carrying these thoughts, Cullen drifted into the realm of dreams.

……

Waking from his slumber, it was eight o'clock in the morning.

After washing up, Cullen went downstairs, only to find Alfred busily working away in the kitchen while wearing an apron.

Only the sound of a "splash" could be heard, the commotion of hot oil being poured down.

"Young Master, the noodles are ready."

Alfred stepped out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of oil-sprayed noodles, placed them on the dining table, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and began to mix the noodles; once they were mixed well, Alfred said:

"Young Master, please have a taste."

Cullen picked up the noodles and took a bite: "Very good."

"It is still far from your standard, Young Master."

Alfred sat down as well, and the two of them ate the noodles together.

Having finished breakfast, it was still Alfred driving to bring Cullen to the Pavaro Funeral Parlor, with Cullen sitting in the passenger seat having transformed into the likeness of Mr. Pavaro.

"Once matters are properly arranged, 'Mr. Pavaro' can leave the house to accept missions and earn points for his two daughters, and I will no longer have to wear a mask every day."

"Yes, Young Master, you have truly worked hard during this period."

Cullen stepped out of the car and walked toward the funeral parlor, outside of which was parked a business van; instinctively, Cullen assumed it should be the people from the regional management who had arrived.

The explanation of the investigation that Vicole had asked him to write had already been transcribed by him and handed to Dincom to submit to the "courier" on his behalf, so the concrete operational results should also be handed down by now.

Sure enough, upon entering the funeral parlor, Cullen saw a gaunt-faced, middle-aged man standing inside, accompanied by a youth resembling a clerk beside him, both dressed in black robes.

"Inquisitor Pavaro?"

"Yes."

"I am Deputy Director Mion."

"Greetings, Lord Director."

Mion placed both hands before his chest, and Cullen immediately followed suit with the exact same gesture, as the two voiced in unison:

"Praise Order!"

"To my study?"

"No need," Mion smiled slightly. "On the procedure, we can simplify things a bit, Inquisitor Pavaro wouldn't mind, would you? After all, you have several times submitted suggestions to the regional management office to improve the bureaucratic atmosphere within the holy church."

"Oh, of course, that would be for the best."

"Mm, first of all, I would like you to confirm once more whether the situational explanation regarding the Zieh case that you submitted to the regional management office is accurate and without error."

"Accurate and without error."

"Good, that will do." Mion looked at the clerk beside him. "Recorded?"

"Recorded, Director."

"Inquisitor Pavaro, this is your documentation as a fifth-class Inquisitor, please keep it safe."

"My gratitude to the region."

"Additionally, this is a greeting gift entrusted to me by your new superior, Adjudicator Vicole, to be passed on to you."

"My gratitude to the Lord Adjudicator."

"Adjudicator Vicole is a very easy person to get along with; to become his subordinate is the God of Order’s bounty to you."

"Heh."

Cullen let out a "Pavaro-esque" cold laugh.

"Alright, that is all then." Mion pointed toward the vehicle outside. "I still have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first."

At this moment, the clerk softly gave him a reminder.

"Oh, you now have an extra vacancy for a deity servant, you have a candidate of your own recommendation, correct?"

"Yes, Director."

The clerk pulled out a business card, smiled at Cullen, and handed it over to him.

"Lord Inquisitor Pavaro can directly have your chosen deity servant go to the educational affairs building behind the Wutong Street police station, where they can undergo identity authentication and file establishment at the processing spot inside; just show this card to the person at the authentication office, and he will pass it quickly, provided that he must be a deity servant who believes in Order."

Cullen: "That is of course."

"Then you may follow the address on the card to find me, or have that chosen deity servant come find me directly, and I shall transfer his file under your Inquisitor office."

"Understood, I see."

"Are there no other matters now?" Mion asked.

"Director, there is one more thing," Cullen said.

"Oh, what is it?"

"The region should still have a reward for me; if I remember correctly, it should be two thousand Order vouchers."

Mion frowned slightly, pointing toward the gift box: "Is it not inside the box?"

"This is a gift from the Inquisitor to me as a subordinate, not a reward from the district."

A look of displeasure crossed Mi Ang's face, and he drew two thousand Order Vouchers from his pocket, handing them to Karen as he spoke:

"I forgot to bring the envelope."

"Very well," Karen replied, accepting them.

Mi Ang turned and left on the spot, while the young clerk bowed deeply to Karen before hurriedly giving chase.

Karen knew that if he had not claimed this district reward, it would have been intercepted; in truth, his former self wouldn't have minded sharing the spoils like this, but who told him he was Pavarotti now? He absolutely had to demand it!

It was just that the promotion ritual was so cursory, and the interrogation process equally perfunctory; Karen knew this was Vicolai's deliberate arrangement, meant to flaunt just how deep his web of connections ran.

Yet in Karen's eyes, these antics were akin to a mischievous monkey continuously showing off its red backside.

Pique and Dincomb immediately walked over: "Congratulations, Boss!"

"Mm."

Karen nodded, handing the two thousand Order Vouchers to Pique, and told them: "Give this to Madame. Furthermore, I have taken on a new task and am quite busy; I must head out again now and likely won't return for a while, so when the newcomer arrives, see that you look after him well."

Dincomb said with a smile: "Rest assured, Boss, I will teach the newcomer the rules."

Pique added: "Boss, we will educate him properly!"

"Mm, I trust you can manage it, and I look forward to it."

Karen nodded, turned to walk out of the funeral parlor, and settled into Alfred's car; he first opened the gift box, which contained ten thousand Order Vouchers, and after counting them, passed them directly to Alfred.

Alfred took the Order Vouchers out and placed them into his briefcase.

"The box is nice, don't throw it away; save it to hold Vicolai's head."

"Understood, Young Master; by the way, Young Master, where do we go next?"

Karen touched his ring, reverting to his original appearance, and said:

"To get an identity card."

Saying this,

Karen let out a sigh,

"We must hurry; if I don't get the God Servant identity card soon, I will have already advanced to the rank of Judge."