Chapter 189: Symbiotic Covenant!

Chapter 189: Symbiotic Contract!

Karen raised his hand, facing Ruke’s corpse:

"Order—Purification."

The remaining spiritual power within Ruke's corpse was completely wiped away. This method was the simplest and most efficient, far more convenient than back when Mr. Bede had to gouge out eyeballs and cut tongues.

Having finished this, Karen heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him. He turned his head and saw Neo walking over.

"Is it finished?"

The captain asked "is it finished" rather than "is it resolved."

Karen nodded and said, "Yes, it is finished."

Neo glanced at Ruke's corpse on the ground, bent down, and picked up the two rag dolls:

"Next time you deal with this kind of thing, you can use spells with soul attack attributes; the effect will be better."

"Yes, Captain, I understand."

"Congratulations on becoming an Inquisitor."

"Captain, in our team, I am not the only Inquisitor."

"But I believe Gerry probably doesn't want to communicate with you anymore."

"Is that so? That’s really a shame. I was still hoping to have a chance to communicate a bit more."

Karen did not ask the captain about the mask, and the captain did not ask Karen about the details of advancing to Inquisitor. The two men seemed to follow a certain initial agreement, which was to not actively probe into each other's secrets.

Neo spoke up: "The mission is over. According to the rules, it's time to have a late-night snack together."

"This meal is on me, Captain."

"Mm, of course."

Karen and Neo walked out of the factory building. Fanny, Wind, and Marlow appeared immediately after.

Wind had been responsible for tracking Ruke, Fanny was responsible for guard duty, and Marlow was responsible for using a formation to seal him in.

The initial sneak attack, however, had been launched by Neo himself.

"Fanny, notify Geng Di, have his people come over to collect the body and clean up."

"Yes, Captain."

Fanny fired a signal flare into the sky.

…

The gathering was chosen at a roadside late-night food stall.

The variety of ingredients at late-night food stalls in York City was generally not very large, even arguably singular. This stemmed from a certain proud persistence of the Vienese people, who believed that under a focused gaze, food could be endowed with a more special charm.

The truth was indeed so. Accompanied by the rise and expansion of the Vien Empire over the past few centuries, Vienese cuisine was highly sought after in other countries, especially in the colonial regions. The ordinary classes in those places took pride in being able to enjoy a meal of "Vienese cuisine," and they even actively endowed "Vienese cuisine" with many cultural and spiritual connotations that the Vienese themselves had never thought of.

Take the late-night food stall where Karen and the others were currently sitting, for example; the food it provided was only... sausage and sausage.

However, you could choose various flavors of sausage. There was a very magical sausage that was placed in front of everyone present as the signature dish. It was a sausage that had a large amount of Vienese sauce added to it when the stuffing was mixed. It looked, unexpectedly, black.

The stall owner was a white-haired old man. After serving the dishes, he stood to the side with a touch of expectation amidst his aloofness, waiting for feedback.

Karen took a bite, sending it into his mouth and chewing twice;

Well, the fact that he didn’t spit it out directly was entirely due to the blessing of his moral concept of cherishing food.

Everyone else ate quite normally;

Dietary habits were just like that; under the premise of being non-toxic, if you ate it long enough, you would naturally get used to it.

But the stall owner just had to choose Karen, leaning in to ask, "How does it taste?"

Karen shook his head: "Not good."

The stall owner froze;

But he wouldn't go so far as to argue with a customer. He just walked back gloomily to continue grilling sausages, and silently in his heart canceled the round-down discount for Karen's table when settling the bill.

Ever since she sat down, Fanny had been staring at Karen with great interest;

Wind and Marlow were the same, but they weren't as flagrant as Fanny. They would just take a bite of sausage, then take a look at Karen, making Karen feel as if they were using him as a side dish for their meal.

They had all been arranged to be responsible for the outer perimeter guard duty earlier. Except for Neo who could "watch" at close range, the others actually didn't know what exactly had happened inside the factory building.

But they knew very well that even if Ruke had been severely wounded under the sneak attack, that man was an Adjudicator after all. When the captain ordered them to stop, it was obvious that the Adjudicator's final trump card had not yet been squeezed out.

If the captain had merely let Karen go in to take the life of the paralyzed Adjudicator Ruke, they wouldn't be this surprised;

Furthermore, although they didn't go in and didn't watch the situation inside, they could feel the waves of energy venting one after another and the surging of the pure breath of Order inside the factory building.

Therefore, everyone was now very curious about Karen's "true strength."

Even though Fanny had once slept in the same bed with Karen while executing a mission,

looking at Karen now, he still felt somewhat unfamiliar.

From the very beginning, when he took a primary pistol and imitated her manner, leaning against the car window to keep guard,

to when he used two materialized scimitars to kill that dwarf and save her,

and then to when he communicated with Gerry, going from completely not knowing how to fight at the beginning to being able to hold his own without a life-and-death struggle;

finally, tonight, he went in alone and killed an Adjudicator.

Fanny felt that she really couldn't see through the handsome young man in front of her. There were too many secrets on him.

"Fanny."

"Yes, Captain."

"Distribute all of Tyers's property to Geng Di's squad."

"Yes, Captain." Fanny agreed first, and then asked, "But won't we be left with nothing?"

Neo glanced at Karen and said, "I have already found the hidden location of Ziche's property. That portion belongs to our squad."

"Haha, the captain is still the greatest!" Marlow laughed.

A smile also appeared on Wind's face.

"In addition, there is one more thing. Re-adjust the combat sequence ranking in the team. When formulating operational plans in the future, Karen will be placed into the team's second sequence."

The gazes of Fanny and the other two all fell upon Karen.

The first sequence in the squad was the captain. He would always be the strongest person in the squad; this was something everyone was used to and agreed with.

The second sequence originally consisted of two people, namely Wind and Gerry. These two had always been below the captain, the two with the strongest individual combat capability in the squad. Now, it was going to become three people.

This kind of sequence arrangement would receive a partial tilt in percentage when counting the spoils of war, such as being able to divide a few more point coupons;

if the squad obtained some holy instruments and materials, and more than one person in the team put forward a need for this item, it would default to the person with the higher sequence to obtain it.

But no one would actively transfer to a high sequence for the sake of these privileges, because members of the second sequence often had to cooperate with the captain to bite the hardest bones.

"Captain, where on earth did you discover this off-staff member? Oh, heavens, he's actually still an off-staff member." Marlow slapped his forehead, "This makes me feel quite embarrassed."

Wind teased, "Then you can hurry up and die, so that someone else can take your position earlier."

"Hey, well, you'll still have to wait for the Captain to find another array master to replace me before you can go."

Neo took a sip of his wine and said, "He is very much like me."

Hearing these words, the gaze of everyone present, including Karen, shifted.

Neo set down his cup and added, "I only said he is like me; of course, it is impossible for us to be identical."

With that,

Neo reached out and lightly tapped the table, speaking with a very solemn and earnest tone:

"On the day I received the transfer order, I told you all that the suppression and restraints we previously endured would be unshackled at this very moment. Each of us will gain access to better resources and better development.

Now, I want to add two more points;

The first point: this rhythm is much faster than I had anticipated, which I am sure you have all felt. Therefore, do not covet ease; convert your harvested resources into your own strength as quickly as possible.

The second point: I hope you do not die. Strive to stay alive."

Marlow raised his wine glass: "A toast to staying alive!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The dinner concluded, and Karen went to settle the bill.

"Eighty-three reles," the stall owner stated.

Karen handed over eighty reles.

"There are still three reles missing, not a single one less!" The stall owner glared with reddened eyes. While roasting sausages on the side earlier, he had already rehearsed the checkout scene multiple times in his mind. He was determined to make this superficial young man, who knew nothing of savoring fine food, pay the price for his shallowness!

Karen drew out a five-rele note and handed it to the old vendor, who prepared to give him change.

"Keep the change," Karen said with a smile, "because it really tasted quite terrible."

"..." The stall owner.

Karen walked over to his car and placed the Sword of Arius into its case just as Wind appeared beside him.

"Do you need me to give you a ride back?" Karen inquired.

"No need, my car is parked over there." Wind looked at Karen. "I heard you've been exchanging pointers with Gray lately?"

"It is Mr. Gray who has been teaching me close-combat assassination techniques."

"He taught you?" Wind expressed some doubt, for he did not believe that a single week could teach much of anything.

"Yes, Mr. Gray has been of tremendous help to me."

One must realize that before this, Karen did not even know the proper posture for holding a sword.

Wind was now certain that Karen was merely speaking polite pleasantries, so he smiled and said, "If there is an opportunity in the future, we can exchange pointers as well."

"Alright, thank you, Mr. Wind."

"Mm, good."

Wind turned and departed, quite satisfied with Karen's attitude; though young, the lad was not arrogant or impetuous.

Karen sat inside his car, but before he could start the engine, another vehicle pulled up beside his own:

"Hey, friend."

Marlow tossed a clipped cigar to Karen.

"Are you interested in arrays?" Marlow inquired. "If you are interested, I think I could..."

"Mr. Marlow," Karen interrupted Marlow's words.

Marlow assumed Karen lacked interest and could only say awkwardly, "If you're not interested, it's fine. After all, matters regarding arrays should still be left to the professionals..."

"I have some array notebooks at my place, which contain quite a few arrays from other churches."

"Mm, mm? Mm!"

Marlow's eyes instantly went wide and straight.

Mr. Hoffen had given him an entire set of recorded array notebooks, which he would occasionally study and learn from himself, though it was primarily Alfred who practiced them. He could have Alfred organize some suitable portions to give as a gift.

"Is that alright, uh, I mean, can I..."

"In

If you had truly let it go, you could have simply walked away from here, and I would not have to come and keep an eye on you every single day.

Heh, I have let it go, but that does not mean I have brought myself to my knees.

Old Saman growled in deep, bitter resentment:

Why is it that the moment the Church of Order breathes a word, my Pamireth Church must face utter destruction? Is it simply that whoever possesses the larger fist possesses the greater truth?

Neo spoke up: But if your fist is not large enough, you do not even possess the right to speak of truth.

The delegation from the Pamireth Church has already arrived in York City, Old Saman said.

I am aware, but negotiations are entirely pointless, because the majesty of Order cannot brook any violation.

To uphold the majesty of Order, other churches must be sacrificed. Heh, is the Church of Order truly not afraid of treading the same old path as Light?

That is none of your concern. As I said, you are free to leave, because in the strictest sense, you are no longer a priest of the Pamireth Church.

Do those young people in the delegation not know this negotiation is doomed to fail? Yet they came anyway. Therefore, I will not leave. I intend to stay and try to lend them a hand.

You cannot possibly achieve that.

I know I cannot achieve it, but when one grows old and one's spine stiffens, it becomes quite impossible to bend it down.

Whatever makes you happy.

Neo turned away, seemingly preparing to leave.

The fury inside Old Saman’s chest kept surging outward. Finally, targeting Neo's retreating figure, he shouted directly:

You are on the verge of losing yourself, are you not!

After hurling those words, Old Saman burst into a fit of deeply satisfied laughter.

When you are doomed to fail, making your enemy uncomfortable can be considered a victory of sorts.

Yet, by the time Old Saman ceased his laughter, he realized that a laughing sound still lingered in the air;

The one laughing was Neo, whose back remained turned to him.

For a long while,

Neo's laughter finally subsided.

He took a deep breath,

And said:

I am not on the verge of losing myself, but rather... awakening from it.

Parking the car right at the entrance of the funeral home, Karen stepped out cradling the sword box, only to see Alfred emerging from inside to receive it from his hands.

Have you been waiting all this time? Karen asked.

Yes, Master. I was too excited to sleep. Congratulations, Master, on advancing to Inquisitor. Lord Diss would certainly have been overjoyed by this as well.

I never gave you an answer as to whether my advancement succeeded.

Karen’s physical trait was that he could not be discerned.

Master, if I lacked even this sliver of intuition, I would be too ashamed to ever speak again of my loyalty and faith toward you.

Fine, fine. Karen reached out and patted Alfred on the shoulder. I will head back first to get a good night's sleep. Starting tomorrow, we shall have a great deal of business to attend to.

I am afraid you will not have the time to sleep, Master, because some individuals are far more excited than I am.

Oh? Do you mean Purr has not slept yet?

She cannot sleep.

True enough.

Alfred carried the sword box into the study to put it away, while Karen pushed open the bedroom door.

Snap!

Kevin pressed the switch, and the light flickered on.

Only then did Karen realize that the bedroom was actually filled with fresh flowers, balloons, and draperies, arranged in a manner both grand and warm.

Purr wore her favorite red hood, a purple bow tie fastened around her neck, as she sat upon the bed.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

After turning on the light, Kevin began to leap and bound excitedly around the edge of the bed. The usually steady and composed dog was finally unable to maintain his calm today.

Karen knew exactly what this cat and dog were so thrilled about. To a certain extent, existing as a cat and a dog was nothing short of a cruel torment to them, and now, they finally saw a chance to break the deadlock.

Yet Karen intentionally asked Purr: Which tomcat have you taken a fancy to, that you are in such a rush to hold a wedding tonight?

Purr rolled her eyes at Karen. In this moment, she had truly retrieved the aura of the young mistress she once was:

If you insist on comparing yourself to a tomcat, this young lady has no choice but to accept it. Elders, after all, must always exercise a bit of tolerance and indulge some of the peculiar... tastes of the younger generation.

I just instructed Alfred to buy a few more fish at the market tomorrow morning, thinking we should celebrate properly tomorrow that this funeral home finally has an Inquisitor presiding over it again.

Ah, truly? Meow! I get to eat Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish again tomorrow!!!

The aura of the young mistress collapsed in an instant.

Beside them, Kevin raised a paw to cover his face, finding it too unbearable even for a dog to watch;

He immediately barked:

Woof! Woof! (The main point, the main point!)

Purr immediately spun around in place on the bed, then sat down facing Karen,

And said:

Come on, Karen!

Karen shook his head.

Purr asked in bewilderment: What is wrong?

I do not think this is appropriate.

A look of shock washed over the cat's face, and she spoke in utter disbelief: You... you... you, you are going back on your word? Did we not agree on this? Did we not agree on this!

Promptly, Purr became just like the previously excited Kevin, hopping frantically back and forth across the bed as her cat claws began to tear at the sheets:

You actually went back on your word! You actually do not want me anymore! How dare you treat me like this!

After a bout of hysterical venting,

Purr sat down facing Karen once more, both of her feline ears drooping low, while her eyes actually glistened with tears:

I know, I understand now. You want to complete the symbiosis with that Loya, do you not?

Heh, where on earth are your thoughts wandering to.

Is it not so? It is exactly so. Hmph, that is precisely what you are thinking. Hmph, men!

Purr lowered her feline head, her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

I merely feel that it is somewhat inappropriate for this matter to be brought up by you.

Huh?

Pu'er raised her head in confusion, a corner of the bedsheet still clamped in her mouth, as she stared up at Karen.

Karen took a half-step back, bowed slightly, and gracefully swept his arm downward in a curve, mimicking the classic invitation for a lady to dance at a formal gala:

"My beautiful Miss Pu'er Allen,

May I ask,

Would I have the distinct honor of binding myself in a symbiotic covenant with you?"