Chapter 168: Changes of This World

Chapter 168: The Changes in This World

"So, those remnants of Light were waiting for me?"

"Yes, and then you completely ruined their plans."

"Are you suggesting I should feel some regret over that?"

"Do you honestly think I’ve lived this long only to remain that naive?"

"Tomorrow, I’ll make you sweet and sour squirrel fish."

"Oh my god, really?!"

"You see."

"Those are two entirely different things, alright? Of course I wouldn't assume those remnants of Light would bow to you and accept you as their master once they realized you were the one they were looking for.

Just look at how they treated Piaget and Mr. Bede; you probably would have been kept and controlled like a glorified mascot."

"Most importantly, my identity was already problematic enough, and now I'd be tangled up with Light."

"True, there's a better future in continuing to climb the ranks within the Church of Order."

"Still, since Mr. Bede left those two paintings behind, why didn't he just tell me directly?"

"Didn't he tell you to come back and see his daughter? If you hadn't come back, you naturally wouldn't have seen this. I suppose that's just the stubbornness of a father."

"To be honest, I've never quite been able to read my prospective father-in-law."

"That's why people who believe in the Church of the Wall are called madmen."

"Alright, time to rest. We have to head back to the city tomorrow morning; the squad has a mission."

"So, what about my sweet and sour squirrel fish?"

"Wait until next time."

"I'm not going into hibernation, so why do I have to wait until next time?"

"You really were eavesdropping outside that day."

"Guess what else I heard? Speak up, I can't hear you, speak louder, meow!"

"Fine, you can forget about ever eating sweet and sour squirrel fish again for the rest of your life."

"Karen, you really don't know how to take a joke, do you, meow!"

…

Just as dawn broke, Karen had already finished packing, and Borg had placed all the luggage into the car.

Karen went to Eunice's room, pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead, and then walked out to bid farewell to Old Anderson and the others before stepping into his car.

After the car drove out of the Allen Manor, Karen took out the wallet Eunice had given him and flipped it open. In the photograph inside, he and Eunice were leaning against each other on horseback;

Under the thick moonlight, a white horse and a beautiful lady.

This was a scene so many men dreamed of, just as many girls used to fantasize about their prince charming coming to sweep them away, and many boys fantasized about riding a white horse to fetch the girl they loved.

"You can turn around and go back right now," Purr said. "I really don't mind."

"But if I hadn't left the Allen Manor, would the Raphael family have been destroyed by the Church of Order? And would the Allen Manor still be able to pick and choose from the workshop industries the Raphael family abandoned, just like they are doing now?"

Purr was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Once Eunice has fully digested the power within her lineage, I will bring her over."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Purr turned her head to look at Karen while playing with her own tail, saying:

"Karen, I’ve noticed that people from the Inmemores family seem to be very devoted to one person. In all my years with the Inmemores family, from Dis to your 'father', as well as Mason and Winnie, they have all been very devoted in their relationships. Even though Winnie chose the wrong person at first, she never had any other romantic entanglements after that."

"It's not about being devoted to one person, it's because the Inmemores family values family above all else."

"Sigh, when I was young, I thought love and romance were so foolish, completely uninteresting. I never had any desire for it at all."

"May I ask, what age group do you fall into right now?"

"Just past the phase of youthful innocence, meow."

"Hehehe." Karen couldn't help but laugh out loud. Remarkably, Purr didn't get angry and started laughing along with him.

At that moment, Kevin, who was sitting in the backseat, also joined in with a companionable laugh.

Purr immediately whipped her head around and glared at him:

"What are you laughing at, you stupid dog!"

"..." Kevin.

A long while passed.

During the drive, Purr suddenly spoke up:

"Karen, even the Church of Light has received a divine guidance. I feel that this world might have already undergone some changes, or perhaps, it is changing right now."

Because they had set out early, Karen returned to the Blue Bridge Community by noon. He first dropped Purr and Kevin off at home, and then drove to the funeral parlor. Upon arriving, he noticed that the reconstruction work in the backyard was already in its final stages. This efficiency was extraordinarily high.

What surprised Karen even more was that Alfred had deliberately built an additional room on top of the original two storefronts. Although the Pavaro Funeral Parlor was located at the end of the street and had room for expansion, this was definitely an illegal construction.

However, the Blue Bridge Community was a densely populated area far from the city center, so illegal constructions were very common. Not far below the Allen Apartments where he lived, there was a small commercial street that was basically composed entirely of illegally erected sheet-metal shacks.

Walking inside, Karen saw Alfred, along with Dincom and Pick, installing the doors and windows. Once the doors and windows were fitted, they would move on to the interior furnishing, which would go much faster.

It looked like they would be able to move in very soon, as there was absolutely no need to wait for formaldehyde to dissipate;

It wasn't that the renovation materials of this era were environmentally friendly, but rather that Karen could completely use a "Purification" spell room by room to remove the formaldehyde.

Seeing Karen, Alfred immediately ran down:

"Young Master."

"Thank you for your hard work, Alfred."

"It's no trouble at all, I actually find it quite interesting."

Karen noticed Pick and Dincom, who were continuing their work. Seeing him arrive, they now looked full of drive, whereas before they had looked completely like forced slaves.

"Has everything been quiet at home these past few days?"

"Yes, Mrs. Lake and her daughter have also been settled for a while now. They are staying at the hotel, and I go to visit them every evening."

"Alright, good. Then I'll head over to Sycamore Street first."

"Very well, Young Master. Please go tend to your business, and if you need anything, please let me know. I'll come right away."

"Mm."

Karen got back into his car and drove toward Sycamore Street.

By the time he arrived beneath the administrative building, it was already two in the afternoon.

Parking the car, he walked inside. This time, Karen did not cross the main hall but went straight to the furthest corner, coming to a stop before that solitary elevator. This was likely an elevator reserved for internal use.

He pressed the button, and a moment later, the elevator doors slid open. The elevator operator inside smiled at Karen. Karen took out his plastic ring, and without even checking it, the operator signaled that he could enter.

She pressed the floor button for him, and Karen stood silently inside, feeling the elevator ascend.

A moment later, the elevator doors opened behind him. Karen turned around and walked inside. This was Neo's office, though Neo himself was not there.

Just then, the inner door swung open, and the female secretary from before stepped out. Catching sight of Karen, a faint smile graced her lips. "Wait a moment," she said. "I will inform the captain."

"Thank you."

Karen took a seat on the sofa.

The woman vanished back into the room, only to reemerge shortly afterward. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"Do you have ice water?"

"We do."

She set a glass of ice water down before him, then took a seat opposite him to introduce herself.

"You may call me Fanni. I am a member of the team, though I usually handle the captain's secretarial duties."

"Hello, Miss Fanni."

At that moment, the elevator doors slid open. Karen turned his head, but it was not Neo who stepped out. Instead, a woman in her late twenties walked in, sporting blonde hair, nose and lip rings, and a leather jacket.

The moment she entered, her gaze locked onto him, scrutinizing him boldly and without the slightest pretense of modesty.

Karen rose to his feet. "Hello, I am Karen, an auxiliary member."

The woman laughed. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Karen's waist, and pressed her lips directly toward his.

Instinctively, Karen extended his hands to push her away.

"Oh, do you like touching me there? Sure, I will unbutton it for you. Fanni, go jam the elevator doors. Keep the captain and the others downstairs a bit longer while I have a quick tryst with my husband."

Fanni pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Peggy, stop fooling around."

"I am not fooling around. The captain told me himself that this new member was brought in for me, to resolve my personal single status."

"Peggy, can you ever trust the captain's words outside of a mission?"

"Hey, I did not believe it at first, but after seeing him, I do. He is my most respected captain, after all. How could he possibly lie to me? Come, your big sister... no, my dear husband, let me serve you well and send you to paradise."

Peggy shoved Karen backward onto the sofa. To his astonishment, she actually began peeling off her leather jacket, revealing a torso patterned with numerous scars.

Yet, Karen was in no mood to appreciate the wild aesthetic of her scarred skin, because she was already reaching to unfasten her undergarment.

"Peggy, that is enough."

Neo's voice cut through the air.

Peggy froze. She pulled her jacket back on, turned to look at the captain who had appeared behind her at some unknown point, and grumbled discontentedly.

"Captain, you really know how to ruin a mood."

Neo walked straight to his desk. "Meeting starts now."

Peggy blew Karen a kiss before taking a seat next to Fanni.

Karen sat up straight, adjusting himself. A moment ago, he had been genuinely at a loss; surely he could not have summoned the Sea God's Armor just for that.

Then, he noticed the slight curl at the corner of Neo's mouth. The captain seemed thoroughly amused by Karen's inability to maintain his usual decorum.

"Our next objective is a protection mission. The representatives of the Dark Moon family will arrive at the harbor at two o'clock in the afternoon, two days from now.

Our squad is tasked with securing the Dark Moon family delegation during their negotiations here in York City."

Another protection detail?

Karen remembered that their previous assignment regarding the Anawasi family had also been a protection mission.

Wait,

Something felt off.

Karen knit his brows slightly.

The Dark Moon family—why did that name sound so familiar?

Suddenly, it clicked. Was his own Blade of the Dark Moon not a relic of this very family?

"The higher-ups place great importance on these talks. The mission rank is high, and the rewards are handsome. Furthermore, if the talks conclude successfully, the mission rewards will be bumped up another tier."

Curiosity piqued, Peggy asked, "Captain, what rank is the mission?"

"Rank D."

"A protection detail is Rank D? If it gets bumped up, does that mean Rank D+ rewards?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Captain, how did you manage to snatch this mission?"

"The higher-ups care deeply about her and this delegation—so much so that the security detail was to be personally selected by the Dark Moon family delegation itself.

Excluding the teams in York City currently tied up with active deployments, all twenty-two idle or lightly assigned Whiplash of Order squads submitted their applications."

"It is a mission of that caliber, after all," Fanni noted with a nod. "And since the protection venue is right here in York City, the difficulty is manageable while the payout is immense. Everyone was bound to be envious."

"Indeed. However, I analyzed the roster of the Dark Moon family delegation beforehand and discovered that the leader is Ophelia, the young matriarch and spokesperson of this generation of the Dark Moon family. This year, she is only seventeen.

Consequently, the other squads put the profiles of their strongest fighters on the cover page. Many squads put their captain's profile on the very first page..."

"And what about you, Captain?" Peggy inquired.

Neo looked toward Karen. "I placed Karen's profile on the front page."

"..." Karen remained silent.

Neo clapped his hands together. "And as expected, we were chosen."

"Captain, he is my husband!" Peggy protested.

"Miss Peggy, I have a fiancée," Karen could only stand up and clarify.

"I do not care about official status," Peggy countered flatly.

"We are on duty now," Neo interjected.

Peggy reluctantly slumped back into her seat.

"According to standard security protocol, we need to dispatch three personnel as close-protection detail. Given that the delegation's spokesperson is female, for convenience's sake, the close-protection detail will consist of the two female members of our team, Peggy and Fanni, along with Karen."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Peggy and Fanni both placed their right hands over their chests.

"Yes, Captain."

Karen mirrored the gesture, even though he found the captain's rationale for the assignment rather peculiar.

"The rest of the team and I will handle covert security and surveillance. Since we have secured this mission, we must execute it flawlessly.

Many more delegations will be visiting York City in the near future. The Earl of the Anawasi family spoke highly of our performance on the last mission and even wrote a formal letter of appreciation to the high command on our squad's behalf upon his return."

As Neo spoke, Karen noted that the captain's expression did not waver in the slightest. This was a man capable of drawing a stark line between personal amusement and professional duty.

"Therefore, if our squad can perfectly execute the security detail for the Dark Moon family delegation, it is highly probable that we will be defaulted into handling all subsequent protection missions.

Rich rewards, short durations, and low risk factors—I believe you all want as many of these missions as possible."

"Of course, Captain," Peggy replied with a grin.

"Fanny, take the official mission letter later and go to the administration office to pick up a set of gear for Karen."

"Understood, Captain."

"What good is that gear anyway? Who cares about it?" Paige looked at Karen with a beaming smile. "Stay with me, and your big sister will give you a much better set."

Fanny laughed and said, "I heard from Marlo that our new member is the type who carries even an ordinary pistol around and actually uses it."

Karen could only offer a polite smile, thinking to himself: Is this dark history never going to be forgotten?

"Zema also told me, Karen, that your girlfriend's family is in a very bad financial situation, isn't that right?" Paige patted her chest. "Dump her, and your big sister will take care of you!"

"Alright, that concludes the assignment of duties. The specific mission schedule and itinerary will be issued tomorrow. Fanny, keep an eye out for it."

"Understood, Captain."

"Furthermore, Paige, the mission comes first. During this period, you are not allowed to harass Karen anymore, because you are part of the personal security detail."

"I know, Captain." Paige finally quieted down.

Neo looked back at Karen and said, "If you find her annoying, you can shoot her and take her into the woods."

"Whew... I am looking forward to that. So my husband likes this kind of mood," Paige laughed. "It's just that the weather is a bit cold now. When it's cold, blood circulation slows down."

What Karen understood from this was that if he found her annoying, he could give her a beating, and once beaten, she wouldn