Chapter 167: Guidance from the God of Light

Chapter 167 Guidance from the God of Light

Old Anderson stood by the bedside leaning on his cane, watching his daughter-in-law Lady Lisa treat Judia's injuries.

"Is it serious?"

Lady Lisa stood up and replied, "Not too serious. The external wounds have been tended to. For the rest, she just needs to rest and recuperate for a while."

"Mm, take good care of her, it is hard work."

"It is my duty."

Old Anderson walked out of the bedroom. Outside the room, his son Mike sat in a wheelchair and said apologetically,

"Father, it was my negligence."

"It is enough that Master Karen is unharmed," Old Anderson said, walking slowly to the window in the corridor, pushing it open to let the outside wind blow in.

Mike rolled his wheelchair and followed.

"Mike."

"Father."

"I am useless; my generation failed to carry the weight, watching helplessly as the Raphael family and the others grew larger and grander, and when it came to your generation, you failed to carry it as well.

Thankfully, it was a close call, but we have crossed this threshold.

Therefore, hope lies in the next generation.

Bogg and Judia are the hope of the Allen family's next generation. They have a chance to strike past tier five after they come of age. In this way, the Allen family will at least have a pillar supporting it both outside and within, so we won't have to experience the embarrassment of the previous years."

"Father, there is also Eunice. Our ancestor, Count Rekar, once said that Eunice's bloodline density is the highest."

Old Anderson looked at his son,

Mike also looked at his father,

The father and son stared at each other just like that;

After a long while, Mike asked in confusion, "Is that not so, Father?"

Old Anderson felt somewhat melancholy. Of his three sons, the eldest and the second had seemed rather dim-witted since childhood.

The only younger son who could be considered clever had instead poured all his mind into artistic pursuits, and now, under the name of "Master Karen," he had abandoned his position as patriarch and run off to be a wandering painting salesman.

And all that talk of "Master Karen's orders"—if it were truly Master Karen's orders, would he, upon returning to the manor, specifically ask where "Mr. Bede" had gone?

"Mike, what is Eunice's last name?"

"Allen, of course."

Old Anderson let out a long sigh and said, "Her last name is Inmeles."

Mike was suddenly struck by realization and said, "I understand, Father."

"Mm."

"Eunice will eventually become an outsider, after all, so Judia is still more important to our family."

"Hmm?"

The old man's hand leaning on his cane began to tremble.

Mr. Mike also sighed and continued, "Therefore, the Allen family must still rely on its own people in the future."

The old man's eyes welled with red as he lowered his head to look at his son sitting in the wheelchair.

Mr. Mike's eyes also grew red as he said, "Father, I understand your meaning."

The old man swung his cane and struck it directly across his son's face.

"Smack!"

Mr. Mike's face now bore a clear red mark.

"Judia and Bogg are the future pillars of the Allen family, but Eunice is the Allen family's roof!"

"Uh..."

"I never resent family members wanting to stand on their own feet and become strong; what I resent is failing to see reality clearly."

"I was wrong, Father."

"If Eunice weren't at home, do you think Master Karen would return to the manor?"

"No..."

"Indeed, ever since Master Karen went to York City, he seems to be intentionally avoiding contact with the manor. I do not know the reason behind this, but I am terrified."

"I think, perhaps the young master feels we are too wealthy?"

"Smack!"

Another strike of the cane came down. Looking at the symmetrical red marks forming on his son's face, the old man felt inexplicably much more relieved.

"An idiotic reason like that could probably only be conceived by an idiotic brain like yours."

"Yes," Mr. Mike dared not refute the scolding from his biological father.

"The more Master Karen acts this way, the more reverent we must be, the more content we must be, and the more we must learn to be grateful."

"Yes, Father."

"The pottery shop, have people been sent there?"

"People were sent yesterday, and an agreement has been reached. The other party wants a considerable amount. Some can be produced by the workshops under our manor, and some we will need to procure from outside."

"Satisfy that pottery shop at all costs and free of charge. Master Karen rarely asks us to do anything, so whatever he commands, we must do our utmost to fulfill it."

"Yes, Father, I understand."

"We were the ones who personally helped arrange Master Karen's purification ritual."

"Yes, Father."

"And now Master Karen is already able to defeat Judia."

"Yes. If Master Karen had begun practicing since childhood and completed his accumulation long ago, with the guidance of that person from the Inmeles family, it is only natural that Judia cannot compare to him.

But not long ago, right before our eyes, the young master officially became a divine servant."

"That is genius. When a genius stops by the roadside, he is not dozing; he is surveying the path further ahead."

"Indeed it is so, Father."

"Be grateful for that betrothal. If that engagement had not been settled back then, I feel our Allen family would have no further connection with the young master. This truly is the ancestors' blessing."

"Meow~"

Purr, having just finished afternoon tea, was sitting on Kevin's back to walk off the food, happening to pass right in front of the father and son.

Old Anderson and Mike lowered their heads in salute together:

"Ancestors bless us."

...

The lunar halo is very thick tonight, as if countless fireflies were being nurtured in the sky, flying in perfect unison.

Cullen rode the horse with Eunice, who had just awakened, seated before him, the two of them pacing slowly beneath the moonlight.

Eunice asked Cullen softly, "I have been sleeping rather long lately; have I grown a bit plump?"

"No, it feels quite comfortable."

"Do you know, Cullen, every jest of this nature I have ever heard in my life has come from you."

"Why, do you wish to hear a second person tell such jests?"

"I do not. By the way, the wallet, do you like it?"

"I do not."

"I know my handiwork is poor..."

"I feel it is unfair for it to hold only a single photograph of you."

Hearing these words, Eunice turned around and looked at Cullen, as though gathering her courage, and asked:

"Whose else do you wish to put in it?"

"One of us together."

"Mm?"

At that moment, a crowd of people came running out of the old castle, having set up a camera and arranged the lighting.

Cullen wrapped his right arm around Eunice's waist, drawing her whole body closer against his own;

"Come, give me a smile."

"Click!"

After the flash flared, the photograph was taken.

Immediately after, Cullen urged the white horse beneath him into a gallop; his horsemanship had been learned during this period of stay at the Allen Manor, and they rode quite a distance, though they had not yet departed from the grounds of the estate.

"Are you returning now?"

"Yes, I have stayed here for three days already, it is time to go back; furthermore, Alfred called to say that my captain sent someone to the funeral parlor to ask if I had returned, so I suppose there must be a mission."

In truth, Cullen felt that during their meeting at the gas station, Neo must have already been planning the next assignment, and most likely required his inclusion; otherwise, he would not have remained there to wait for him to arrive for a meal after everyone else had departed, nor would he have told him the story of the little duckling and the hound.

It was merely that he was likely concerned that his family visit leave was too long, and so had sent someone to the funeral parlor to pay his regards.

Servants of the god in truth had no holidays; for instance, the current Pick and Dincom, under Alfred's command, ought to be serving as glorious god-servant masons for the renovation project in the backyard of the funeral parlor.

But Cullen was an exception; after all, his superior was himself, and he could approve his own leave slips.

"I heard you mention yesterday that your captain is a very interesting man."

"Yes."

"I feel that he is quite pitiful."

"Yes, if it were not for witnessing his story with my own eyes, I probably would not have decided to return so quickly; if I say this, will you blame me?"

"No, I know you are very busy."

"Truly?"

"Truly; in fact, before you returned, I had already prepared myself, so that even if you never returned, once my symptoms of lethargy vanished, I would have gone to York City to find you myself.

I wanted to ask you with my own lips if you had already forgotten me."

"And then?" Cullen asked.

"And then, nothing more..."

"Nothing more?"

"Mm, because I only felt that trying to love someone for the first time in this life, no matter the outcome, one ought to ask clearly at the very end to give oneself an account."

The evening breeze swept past, lifting Eunice's long hair and brushing across Cullen's face; Cullen held her waist, resting his chin upon her shoulder, while she leaned back into his embrace.

"Mr. Anderson brought the accounts of the family business to show me again this afternoon."

"And did you look at them?"

"No," Cullen shook his head, "I have no interest in these things, but I left an account book for you in your desk drawer; you may look at it when you wake tomorrow."

"I will not look at the manor's accounts either."

"It is the account book of our household, containing last month's expenditures for food purchases, clothing purchases, property fees, gas fees, heating fees, and so forth."

"I shall look at it carefully tomorrow."

"To clarify beforehand, there is a maid fee; her salary is three thousand Riels a month, and she is very diligent and responsible.

Additionally, there is an expense that looks quite high and resembles a woman's expenditure; it is not that there is a woman in the house, but rather that keeping a cat these days is somewhat expensive."

"Heh."

The horse began to turn around, moving slowly toward the old castle, for the time was nearly drawn and Eunice would soon grow drowsy again.

On the return journey, neither of them spoke further, merely leaning against each other in silence.

Finally, Cullen perceived that the woman in his embrace was searching for a suitable posture to fall asleep.

"Sleepy?"

"Somewhat, I want to hold out a little longer; when I wake tomorrow, you will have left me alone to return home."

"I will come back often."

"Cullen, have you noticed that in films and novels, couples always seem to speak some very romantic vows, but you have never spoken them to me."

"Do you wish to hear them?"

Eunice shook her head and said, "I do not."

"Why?"

"Because in films and novels, most couples who have spoken romantic vows never managed to be together in the end."

...

Having carried Eunice back to the bedroom and seen her into a peaceful sleep, Cullen returned to his own chamber.

He had thought Puer and Kevin would be in the bedroom, yet he saw no sign of them;

Cullen first took a bath and changed into his nightshirt, and just as he was preparing to rest, he found Kevin pushing the door open to enter, shaking his dog head toward Cullen.

"Follow you?"

Kevin nodded.

Cullen followed Kevin out of the bedroom, descended the stairs, and continued downward, arriving at a place resembling a cellar beneath the old castle, where a iron door stood in the deep gloom, its original lock fallen upon the ground.

Pushing the iron door open to enter, Cullen discovered a large art studio inside, which ought to be Mr. Bede's studio.

Only, nothing remained in the studio save for the easels, upon which there was no drawing paper, nor any paintings; even the walls had been freshly repainted, showing that Mr. Bede had cleaned this place before departing from home.

Cullen saw Puer, finding it seated upon a painting, which ought to be the sole remaining painting in the entire studio; only when Cullen drew closer did he discover that this painting was rendered upon a thin wooden board.

"What made you think to come here?" Cullen asked.

"As an elder, to show concern for the physical and mental health of a junior, is that not a very normal thing?"

"That sounds very reasonable."

Cullen squatted down; this painting depicted Apple Street from a "God's eye view," looking down from the heavens at two villas standing right next to each other.

The one on the right was clearly the one where Piaget lived, inside of which three men could be seen sitting in the living room, drinking wine and chatting.

They were Mr. Bede himself, Piaget, and Cullen.

On the second floor, a dark shadow was dissipating—likely the person who had remained there to observe after the deliveryman left that day, whom Cullen guessed to be either Captain Tyers or Adjudicator Luke.

In short, this villa replicated the scene from that time, but the villa next door was clearly not a rendering of the same moment.

Because the people in the neighboring villa appeared exceptionally numerous; Cullen remembered that when the incident occurred, there were only three people next door: Elder Doc, Helen, and Vernon.

Yet in the painting's courtyard, packed layers upon layers deep, stood at least dozens of people gathered together, engaged in worship.

In the center sat a broken golden bell.

"Worshipping a bell?"

Purr explained, "This should be a divine artifact. Because it's a golden bell—though gold-painted bells are common, in this painting, it definitely has a specific reference."

"Mm." Cullen nodded, agreeing with Purr's assessment. "Are they receiving a divine oracle? No, not an oracle, it should be a 'divine guidance'."

An oracle generally referred to the manifestation of a god's figure descending to convey their intent to loyal believers.

Divine guidance, on the other hand, broadly referred to using certain rituals or divine artifacts to connect with the god's will, obtaining feedback in fragments of words.

Oracles were usually very clear, whereas divine guidance often required guessing the true meaning.

Cullen remembered when he had borrowed the "identity of the Berry Faith" and claimed he could receive an oracle, Helen had said with great astonishment: You can actually still receive oracles?

From this, it was evident that the current remnants of Light could no longer "see" their god; they could only obtain some thoughts from the god through this method.

Furthermore, Miss Bertha had also told him that the reason they approached Piaget was because they received instructions from the god, which should be related to the divine guidance—that is, the worship in the painting.

When Mr. Bede lived in that villa, he might have sensed something, or perhaps learned something from his contact with Elder Doc and the others, which was why he created this painting.

"Cullen, look at the date on this painting," Purr reminded him.

Many painters had a habit of leaving the completion date and stamping their seal after finishing a piece; generally speaking, the date would be marked in the bottom right corner.

But the date on this painting was marked in the bottom left corner.

Moreover, this date was very early—not the day the fierce battle took place on Apple Street, but nearly two months prior.

"This date should refer to the time when the remnants of Light received the divine guidance given by this bell. After receiving the guidance, Bertha and the others gathered a group of people and began to approach and nearly control Piaget, waiting for the opportunity she said was prophesied by the god.

Piaget, on the other hand, was waiting for Mr. Bede. So when Piaget and Mr. Bede met, that bunch of Light remnants felt they had waited for the right person, demanding that Piaget and Mr. Bede remain in the villa to complete the artwork and provide the final prophecy."

Purr nodded and said, "Cullen, do you have any impression of this date?"

"Hmm?"

"At that time, I think I was still at the Allen Manor."

"Yes, down to the exact day, don't you remember what happened that day?" Purr asked.

"What happened?" Cullen pondered. "I can't recall clearly. During the time I lived at the manor, I almost ignored the dates and days of the week because life there was just too comfortable."

"It seems you probably won't remember your wedding anniversary in the future either." Purr used a cat paw to flip open this thin wooden board, and Cullen saw that behind it, there was surprisingly another painting.

Except this painting was not done on the wooden board itself, but on drawing paper pasted onto this side of the board.

This painting depicted the scenery from the performance hall of Allen Manor to the entrance of the old castle; it was raining, a figure knelt at the performance hall, while at the castle entrance, Old Anderson and a crowd of core family members waited with great anxiety.

In the middle was a smudge, dividing what was originally a complete painting.

This smudge, Cullen remembered, was accidentally scraped out when he threw his handkerchief onto it back then.

Purr pointed a cat paw at the date position in the bottom right corner and said, "It's the same day."

Cullen spoke up, "In other words, the day I underwent purification was simultaneously the day the remnants of Light received the divine guidance."

Purr wagged its tail and said, "You can be a bit bolder. Don't you see? Although it's raining here, your purification was during the day; whereas in the painting on the reverse side, you all sat together drinking that night, so it should be nighttime, right?

Which means, though it was on the same day, your purification came first, and their receipt of divine guidance came after."

"Was it because of my purification that it triggered the remnants of Light to receive the divine guidance?"

Cullen remembered what happened that day; the finger of the God of Light had pressed against the center of his brow,

shouting:

[Order, come out and see me.]

Purr spoke up, "I guess the only thing confirmed in the instructions they got from the divine guidance was the point about Piaget.

Therefore, the remnants of Light approached and controlled Piaget, wanting to use him as a clue to wait for the appearance of the opportunity.

Piaget, meanwhile, dreamed that he would meet a Bede who appeared very despondent because his family had been destroyed.

Thus, the remnants of Light—no, not just them, but us included—all believed that Piaget's line was entirely for the purpose of waiting for Bede.

But the problem arises right here.

Because,

who can be certain that the person the remnants of Light were waiting for, and the person Piaget was waiting for, is the exact same person?

For instance,

someone who had just bought a house, taken on a mortgage, urgently needed to find a job, and lay on a bed drinking ice water while flipping through the newspaper, only to see the advertisement for the Adams Clinic."