Chapter 173: I am Hungry

Chapter 173 I Am Hungry

"It seems our Mr. Karen truly knows nothing of this matter."

"Yes, my rank is still too low; things concerning the church's upper echelon are beyond my reach."

Ophelia caught a glimpse of Karen standing behind her through the reflection of the elevator doors, her gaze tinged with a mild curiosity.

She found this man rather interesting; putting everything else aside, this candid acknowledgment of his own low status, delivered without the slightest trace of emotion, felt strangely comforting.

For it was not an act of resignation or self-deprecation, but rather something that flowed naturally, carrying a sense of detachment from the shackles of identity.

The young master from the Chief Bishop's family, who had invited her to dance at the banquet earlier, had spent the entire time speaking of his grandfather's various arrangements, a completely different style altogether.

The latter made her feel a normalcy tainted with a hint of greasiness, reminiscent of the Vien cuisine she knew;

Whereas the former, namely Karen, always managed to provide a refreshing perspective, making conversation with him highly agreeable.

This was because Ophelia had already stepped outside the traditional bounds of "class circles," having never experienced the so-called pressures of survival, and secondly, due to the special status of Dark Moon Island, she possessed an awareness of political marriage; her family and the island needed foreign alliances, but the requirement was not so severe or urgent.

When a person is free from immediate and visible pressures, their sensibilities tend to grow acute.

Thus, rather than saying Karen made her feel refreshed, it was more accurate to say she had found in him a temperament akin to her own.

Yet Ophelia could not possibly dwell deeply on this thought, for she did not believe a member of the Whip of Order could possess a state of mind that matched her own standing.

Because she could least of all suspect that the person who blew up the Temple of Order was the grandfather of the young man standing right behind her.

The elevator doors slid open, and after seeing Ophelia into her room, Karen returned to the guest room opposite, picked up the telephone, and dialed the funeral parlor; as expected, the loyal foreman, Alfred, was still holding down the fort at the construction site.

Karen informed Alfred of the current events and the arrangements for the Allen family, most importantly the matter of aging and constructing the tomb for Purr, and after imparting a few instructions regarding the "miserable" poetic lines to be used on the tombstone, he hung up the phone.

He harbored no worries about his call being intercepted, because in the strictest sense, he was currently the one doing the intercepting.

Subsequently, after pouring himself a glass of ice water, Karen sat down upon the sofa.

He had truly never imagined that the ripples of his grandfather blowing up the Temple of Order would run so deep, and that the waves would swell even to this day.

Rumors, at times, possessed the power to bring a colossal entity crashing down;

The rumors circulating outside that the God of Order had abandoned the Church of Order had indeed triggered a chain reaction, which was equivalent to a sacred church having its true ultimate card stripped away;

For although the Church of Order was mighty, it could not possibly face the entire ecclesiastical circle alone.

Particularly after the Church of Light perished in this epoch, the Church of Order, which had stood supreme till now in a bullying posture, had long since replaced the former position of the Church of Light;

Therefore, since Light could perish, why could Order not fade away?

Karen took a sip of ice water, then swirled the glass before him, a smile unconsciously surfacing at the corner of his lips.

The aftermath of his grandfather's explosion had developed to the point where it now affected the "soft power" of the Church of Order, especially when coupled with the grand trend of the so-called "awakening of the gods," making the destruction and devastation of the church's "cultural soft power" appear all the more severe.

"Invincible" meant that no one dared to stand in the ring with you;

"Extremely powerful" meant that people were beginning to weigh their chances of victory against you, and even if they possessed only a twenty or thirty percent chance of winning, they finally had the confidence to issue a challenge.

These were two entirely different concepts.

So, were the recent actions of the Church of Order a response to a crisis, or had they adopted an active approach, seeking an opportunity to display their might and restore their influence?

The room door opened, and Peg walked inside; because Karen had not turned on the lights, the room was rather dim, yet Peg spotted Karen sitting on the sofa with a deep look in his eyes.

"May I turn on the light?" Peg asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Snap!"

Peg switched on the light, walked over to sit on the sofa opposite Karen, lit a cigarette, and said:

"When I first walked in and saw you sitting here in contemplation, it felt rather charming."

"Heh, is that so," Karen smiled, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No need, I am too full right now," Peg waved her hand, "What did you think of tonight's fare?"

"Splendid."

Karen had rediscovered the feeling of attending a banquet in his childhood.

"Such opportunities do not come often; there weren't many chances like this back in Sampu City, and the standard wasn't as high as York City's, but there will likely be many security missions ahead."

Peg winked at Karen.

"That is wonderful news indeed."

"Oh, by the way, the maid of the lady opposite seems to look at you with some displeasure."

"Oh, really?" Karen shrugged, "I didn't notice."

"Yes, there is no need to mind such people; the closer a servant is to a great personage, the easier it is for them to harbor the illusion that they are a great personage themselves."

"A dog looking down on people based on their low status?"

"I quite like that analogy, I shall remember it, hahaha."

Peg laughed and then pointed toward the bed, saying: "Go to sleep, I will keep watch for the first half of the night, and Vanni will take the second half."

"Is there no arrangement for me?" Karen asked.

Regardless, it felt improper to sleep while two ladies stood guard.

"Unless you believe that in the dead of night, the lady opposite will call you over again for some story to unfold..."

"I think not," Karen replied instantly.

"Then you can sleep well to replenish your energy and handle her summons during the day; alright, no need for politeness, be direct and do not hesitate, show the decisiveness you had this afternoon when you said we were old."

"In truth, you are very charming, sincerely."

"Trying to make amends now, heh, too late."

Karen took off his coat, lay down upon the bed, and went to sleep.

Although his personal security squad had always been somewhat jovial, and the entire team seemed rather unreliable, in reality, everyone's professional competence was exceedingly high.

Perhaps it was precisely because of their high professional competence that they possessed the composure to remain "lively" amidst the "serious."

Sleep now, rest.

Karen fell asleep quickly; indistinctly, he heard the sound of Vanni opening the door and returning, but he did not wake, and subsequently felt Vanni lie down right beside him to sleep as well.

Thereafter came the crisp ticking of the guest room wall clock moving slowly.

Karen had thought his light slumber would last until morning, but unexpectedly, as he slept, he began to feel rather warm.

Deep within his heart, it felt as though a fire was being kindled.

It was not desire... but rather some attribute of energy, or perhaps, a certain spiritual imprint or inertia.

Karen instinctively began to search for the source of this sensation, and finally, he realized that the [Dark Moon Blade] within his body was slowly operating on its own.

Recognizing the root, Karen immediately halted the technique's operation, then sat up, only to see that the person sleeping beside him was not Vanni but Peg, and she was very close to him;

A narrow escape; if he had inexplicably succeeded in operating the [Dark Moon Blade] earlier, he might truly have sliced Peg open as she slept beside him.

Because she was sleeping next to her teammate, with someone else "keeping watch," and he harbored no murderous intent whatsoever, even the most vigilant person would find it difficult to guard against an ambush under such circumstances.

Meanwhile, in the room opposite, Ophelia, who was holding a glowing red longsword for her daily meditation, opened her eyes with a hint of perplexity.

"What is it, milady?" the female warrior standing guard over her mistress’s meditation and cultivation asked with deep concern.

"It feels as though... I have sensed something."

"This is the Ankara Hotel, where many within the Church’s circles reside. Perhaps someone else, like you, milady, is using the night hours to cultivate, causing a certain resonance in the flow of energy."

"Yes, that must be it."

Ophelia nodded, her palm gently stroking the longsword in her grasp. The crimson glow upon the blade bled out instantly, and the aura of the Dark Moon Blade grew exceptionally dense. She closed her eyes once more, returning to her interrupted meditation.

…

"Having a dream?"

It was Vanni speaking. She sat upon the sofa, her feet propped up on the coffee table as she clipped her toenails.

"Yes," Karen nodded. "First day on the mission, my mind is a bit restless."

"You don't need to explain that to me," Vanni smiled. "It's not like I’d think you’re too agitated to sleep just because Paige is sleeping naked right next to you."

Hearing this, Karen cast a deliberate glance beside him and discovered that Paige truly wore nothing at all. Strangely, he hadn't even noticed it before;

perhaps because she had already been naked beside him during the day, his subconscious accepted it as entirely normal.

"Isn't she worried that if an emergency suddenly arises tonight, she won't have time to dress?"

"What does it matter if she wears no clothes?" Vanni replied indifferently. "Being seen a few times won't cost her a piece of flesh. As long as she keeps her life."

"Right, I understand."

"Was your life very peaceful before this?" Vanni asked.

"Yes, it was."

"No wonder, then. You'll get used to it slowly."

"I will."

Karen felt that Neo's squad was much like a band of mercenaries. What Paige and Vanni displayed was not wantonness, but absolute disregard.

Being naked meant nothing to them. Even if they lost an arm or a leg, they would still grit their teeth and fight on.

Those who constantly hovered on the edge of life and death often cast aside far more unnecessary burdens than ordinary people.

Karen got out of bed, poured himself a glass of ice water, and refilled Vanni's coffee.

Then, Karen sat down opposite Vanni.

Sleep was out of the question now, but it was already four-thirty in the morning, and dawn would break soon anyway.

Vanni continued trimming her toenails, blowing on them from time to time.

"How did you and your girlfriend meet?"

"An arranged blind date by our parents."

"Heh, how cliché."

Karen nodded.

After a moment, Vanni said, "Why don't you ask about my romantic past? After all, I just asked about yours. To return the courtesy, you should ask me too."

"Because I feel it wouldn't have a happy ending."

Vanni's hand, holding the nail clippers, froze.

She said:

"I used to be just like you, an auxiliary member at the start.

I met a man in the squad. He wasn't handsome—in fact, he was a bit ugly—but he said he liked me. Well, since he liked me, I dated him. We were in the same squad anyway, and I was a bit younger then than I am now..."

"You aren't old now either. Truly, you are very charming."

"Do you know what kind of behavior is the most disgusting? Plunging a knife in merrily, and then pretending to care by sprinkling sugar on the wound. It's completely useless."

"Yes, fair enough."

"Anyway, back then I just felt that since we were in the same squad, there was no need to let another man benefit, so I closed my eyes and stayed with him. I kept my eyes closed when we went to bed, too."

Karen listened in silence.

After a while, Vanni asked again, "Why don't you ask which one he was? Didn't you get to know everyone during the day? Do you remember everyone's name?"

"I remember."

"Aren't you curious who it was?" Vanni asked.

Karen replied, "You are no longer an auxiliary member now."

"Damn it!"

Vanni threw the nail clippers directly onto the carpet, staring at Karen in utter helplessness:

"Chatting with you is truly boring. There's no sense of anticipation at all—or rather, I get no anticipation."

"I am sorry..."

"Yes, you guessed right. He died. He died protecting me during a mission, and then I filled the vacancy, moving up from an auxiliary member to a formal one."

Karen nodded.

"Do you know what the last two sentences he said to me were, when he was heavily wounded and dying in my arms?"

The last... two sentences?

Karen looked at Vanni, a look of difficulty appearing on his face.

"Why don't you try and guess?" Vanni urged.

"Next time I go to bed with you, could you please not close your eyes."

"Damn it!" Vanni cursed.

Evidently, Karen had guessed one correctly.

"What about the second sentence? Guess quickly!"

"I can't guess it," Karen said.

"Guess!"

Karen shifted his gaze toward the floor-to-ceiling window and said, "I don't want to always be the one pushing from behind."

"Damn it!!!"

Vanni went completely wild.

"Are you two doing it or what!" Paige was woken by the noise. Lying on the bed, propped up on her side with her hand supporting her head, she glanced over. "Do I need to vacate the bed?"

"If I didn't know he had passed the God's Servant certification, I would seriously suspect this fellow is some bewitching aberrant demon hiding inside the ranks of the Church of Order!"

Karen licked his lips, feeling somewhat helpless. He hadn't wanted to pursue this topic from the very beginning.

"Hehe," Paige laughed. "A very interesting newcomer, truly."

"You can talk to him about your romantic history," Vanni suggested. "Trust me, there will be surprises."

"Heh, I'm not stupid. I've been awake for a while, watching you drag him into a chat, only to have your underwear stripped off by him in a couple of sentences. Oh no, it was pulled right over your head. Truly amusing."

"Do you know how the Captain described him at first? The Captain said he was recommended by Mr. Pavaro, and would surely bring a completely distinct brilliance to our team. Now I realize he is actually darker than any of us."

"Heh heh." Paige climbed out of bed, draped a piece of clothing over his shoulders, walked over, lit a cigarette, and looked at Karen, saying, "Isn't that great? Did you honestly expect a white rabbit to join our pack of hunting dogs? Having to watch someone die just to protect him when the time comes—now that would be true misery."

Karen asked, "Today's itinerary..."

Vanny spoke up, "Today's itinerary has been approved. We depart for the Allen Manor at ten in the morning. The higher-ups asked if we needed additional security configurations, which I declined in the Captain's name. Well, the Captain himself would have certainly declined it anyway."

"Of course we have to decline. The reward for a mission is calculated at the very end. If other teams meddle in the middle, even if they just show their faces, there's bound to be a dispute over the split in the end," Paige said.

"Also, there is one more thing. The duration of our mission this time will be extended," Vanny said. "According to the higher-ups' intentions, if the talks go smoothly, the Holy Church will establish a missionary branch office on Dark Moon Island, and the Dark Moon Clan will also permit a small number of islanders and family members to believe in our faith. Our team is to be responsible for escorting Miss Ophelia's delegation back, moonlighted as an escort for the missionaries and other staff members being dispatched to Dark Moon Island."

Karen asked, "Doesn't that mean the reward for our mission this time will be even greater?"

"It amounts to getting the rewards of two missions while doing it as one," Paige said.

Vanny smiled and said, "Most importantly, according to tradition, when we depart from Dark Moon Island, the Dark Moon Family will certainly give us an additional gratuity for our hard work. This gratuity definitely won't be low, so it can practically be called doing three missions all at once."

Paige sighed with emotion, "Oh, I love York City. This is what you call a mission. No, this is what you call a real vacation!"

...

In the morning, the doorbell rang.

"Go on," Vanny said.

"Go on," Paige said.

Karen stood up and opened the door. It was the maid standing at the threshold, who said to Karen, "Miss wishes to invite Mr. Karen to join her for breakfast."

"Alright."

Karen walked to the opposite room. The dining cart had long been wheeled inside, laden with an extremely lavish spread of food. Some of it he had eaten at the banquet last night, while others he had never tasted before; it was obvious at a glance that these were high-grade ingredients purchasable only with point coupons.

This dining standard was truly ridiculously high. Even breakfast was this extravagant; the breakfast in his own room across the hall surely couldn't compare to this by a long shot.

Karen picked up a plate, piled it with food from the cart, then sat down and began to enjoy it.

After finishing one plateful, he stood up again, walked over to the dining cart, loaded another plate, and sat back down to continue enjoying his meal.

He reckoned that this single breakfast had probably consumed more than three months of Mr. Pavaro's salary.

From beginning to end, Ophelia only tasted a few bites. Most of the time, she simply sipped her milk while smilingly watching Karen eat.

Karen thought to himself: What a spendthrift. Is milk not available at the store?

Finally, Karen was full.

"The food in Wien isn't as terrifying as I imagined before I came," Ophelia smiled.

"Because what you are eating, Miss, is not the kind of food ordinary Wienese people get to eat."

"Oh, do you mean it is a regret that I haven't tasted it?"

"No, it is a piece of good fortune."

"Haha, you always manage to make me pleased, Mr. Karen."

At this moment, the maid Xinla spoke up to remind her, "Miss, it is time to prepare for today's itinerary." Then, she looked at Karen, implying that he could take his leave first.

"Mhm," Ophelia nodded.

"Miss, I will wait for you outside." Karen stood up and walked naturally to the dining cart. "Miss, let me help you push the dining cart out."

"Alright, thank... you."

"There's no need to trouble Mr. Karen with this," Xinla stepped forward and said.

"It's fine, I am happy to be of service to Miss, please don't mention it." Karen smiled and insisted on pushing the dining cart out of the room. After closing the door, he wheeled it straight back into the room across the hall. Paige and Vanny immediately stood up and walked over.

"Come, come, come, eat something delicious."

"Haha, brilliant! This has long surpassed the dining standard for VIPs at the Ankara Hotel. They must have ordered this extra on their own. As expected of a wealthy family from Dark Moon Island, even breakfast is ordered so extravagantly."

"There's so much. Let's eat first, and we can pack the rest in bags to bring to the Captain and the others later. The Captain loves grilled drakon meat the most."

Karen smiled and said, "You two eat first, I'll go find some bags for packing."

In the opposite room,

Ophelia stared at the spot where the dining cart had previously stood, cradling her stomach with both hands.

She was a martial artist, and one of the characteristics of martial artists was that they had an immense appetite, needing to consume a great deal of food for every meal. She hadn't eaten much at the banquet last night, entirely occupied with socializing.

And just now, in front of Karen, she had felt too embarrassed to truly start eating and reveal her massive appetite, so she had only drunk some milk to stave off the hunger, thinking she would feast to her heart's content after Karen left. In the end...

"He... actually pushed the dining cart away."

Miss Ophelia bit her pearly teeth against her lower lip,

feeling somewhat aggrieved as she whispered:

"I'm so hungry..."

———

More coming tonight.