Chapter 200: Deep Sea

Chapter 200: The Deep Sea

A colossal plume of blue flame erupted from the passenger liner, followed moments later by a thunderous boom and cascading waves that rushed toward the shore.

Smash!

The waves crashed against the pier, throwing up great curtains of spray.

A protective barrier materialized above Cullen, shielding him and the two women behind him from the falling seawater.

This was a spontaneous manifestation of magic, for Cullen had chanted no incantation; at this moment, he lacked the presence of mind to even care about keeping his clothes dry.

Following the explosion, the liner’s hull began to list heavily, but just then, two more plumes of blue flame erupted from the ship, punctuated by two deafening roars:

Boom!

Boom!

As the waves surged forward once more, Cullen raised his hand, actively summoning the protective wall this time to deflect the deluge.

Within his field of vision, the liner snapped cleanly in two, its bow and stern beginning to sink as the midsection buckled upward.

Two maritime police vessels originally anchored nearby roared to life, closing in on the position of the foundering liner.

Cullen turned around, glancing at Fannie and Peg who stood behind him, and asked:

"What do we do?"

Fannie took a deep breath and said, "If they haven’t set foot on shore and the handover isn't complete, we aren't responsible for any mishaps."

Cullen nodded.

Yet none of the three felt any relief from those words; such self-deluding consolation served no purpose other than to fill an awkward silence.

Because this was not a matter of accountability, but rather that the prize they were about to grasp had suddenly vanished into thin air.

From the initial explosion to the subsequent double blast, the interval had been exceedingly brief—so brief that Cullen and his companions could do nothing but stand on the pier and watch.

Now, as the two maritime police boats neared the sinking vessel, the Armor of the Sea God manifested across Cullen’s body.

"I'll go take a look. Let's hope the Son of God jumped into the sea in time."

"Be careful," Fannie warned.

Peg pressed the seashell against her ear and said, "The captain has already ordered ships to be deployed for search and rescue. At the same time, the captain reminds us to stay safe, as there may still be danger in the water."

"Understood."

Plop!

Cullen dived into the sea.

Another attribute of the Armor of the Sea God proved its worth underwater; Cullen felt almost zero resistance as he swam at incredible speed through the depths.

Peg and Fannie did not follow him into the sea, choosing instead to stand by the edge of the pier, keeping one eye on the sinking liner while tracking Cullen's current position.

Just then,

Cullen broke the surface, returning to the edge of the pier.

"Peg, tell the captain to call off the maritime search and rescue. We need to return to the hotel as fast as possible."

"Return to the hotel?" Peg asked in utter surprise.

Splash...

A blue rectangular barrier rose from beneath the sea, revealing a man inside dressed in blue divine robes holding a sphere that radiated a pure white light, flanked by a dozen or so rather disheveled attendants.

The barrier floated out of the sea, reaching the pier before dispersing.

The young man turned to cast a glance at the largely submerged liner out on the water, then looked at Cullen, who had just stepped back onto the pier:

"People of Order?"

"Yes. May I ask who you..."

"I am Delius. I require security protection immediately."

Delius—the name of the Pamires Cult's Son of God.

"Please get in the car. We are returning to the hotel now. Your attendants will be settled by others; our priority is your safety."

Fannie opened the car door, Peg slid into the driver's seat, Delius stepped inside, and Cullen shut the door behind him as he climbed in.

Peg reached out to press her earlobe and said:

"Captain, the Son of God is in the vehicle. We are departing now, destination Ankara Hotel."

With the report finished, Peg started the car and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

Fannie produced two towels, handing one to Delius and the other to Cullen.

Delius took the towel and began to dry his hair; formations must have been etched into his divine robes, for by the time his hair was dry, his clothes were completely dry as well.

Cullen wasn't wearing divine robes, so he simply wiped his head and hands carelessly, too lazy to fuss any further until he could change in his hotel room.

Leaving the pier, Fannie hit the ring road, but after driving only a short distance, she seemed to receive a new directive from the captain, veering sharply through the guardrail to let the VIP vehicle slide down a slope before pulling onto a side road.

Next, she changed lanes several times in rapid succession, even going so far as to take a long detour for safety's sake.

Half an hour later, Peg finally slowed the vehicle, smoothing out the ride, which meant they had cleared the danger zone and the Ankara Hotel was now visible ahead.

Cullen ended his vigil out the window and turned to study this Son of God of the Pamires Cult in earnest.

First of all, he was very young, likely under thirty, with a fair complexion but a somewhat long face, sharply defined features, and golden hair that lent him an air of melancholy and profound depth.

"Greetings, Lord Delius. I am the leader of your personal security detail for the duration of these York City talks. You may call me Cullen. My squad and I will be responsible for your safety while you are in York City."

Whew... I almost thought I wouldn't get the chance to deliver this rehearsed speech.

At the same time, Cullen added silently in his heart: What just happened to you on the ship has nothing to do with us, since your feet had not yet touched the soil of York City.

Delius nodded slightly and said, "I have made a fool of myself before you all."

Made a fool of himself?

Cullen instantly caught the implication of those words and asked:

"My Lord, was the attack on the ship carried out by someone close to you?"

"Yes, one of my accompanying elders betrayed me, seeking to bury me in the deep sea."

Evidently, that elder had failed.

Cullen began to speculate on the true strength of this Pamires Son of God; the traitorous elder certainly wouldn't have given a grand speech before triggering the explosion, and had Delius known of the betrayal beforehand, he wouldn't have brought him aboard only to let this play out right as they neared the shore.

Therefore, the likely scenario was that the elder had launched a sudden assault just as the ship was docking and everyone’s guard was lowest, yet despite that, Delius had still made it ashore completely unscathed, and with a entourage in tow to boot.

"In that case, to guarantee your safety, any communication between you and the members of your team will need to be arranged and vetted by us in advance. This may affect your talks with our side to some degree, but rest assured, it will only lengthen the process and will not alter the fundamental trajectory of the talks. Please trust in the sincerity of Order."

"I trust you, and I am willing to comply with your arrangements."

Delius was easy to deal with, agreeing without hesitation.

Cullen then asked, "May I ask if you have any desire to visit relatives or friends, or any plans for sightseeing? If so, please inform me now so I can apply to higher authority. If approved, my squad will ensure your safety during the excursion."

During the last security mission, Ophelia had requested a visit to the Allen Manor, and a disaster had struck on the return journey.

Of course, strictly speaking, that disaster had no direct connection to Ophelia, as it hadn't been targeted at her anyway.

Yet, as a security officer, Karen still harbored the hope that his charge would behave nicely and stay confined to the hotel without venturing out.

Delius replied, "I have no personal needs in that regard; I only hope the meeting schedule can be accelerated as much as possible."

"Very well, I understand, and thank you for your cooperation. If there is anything else you require, please inform me promptly."

Delius withdrew a magnetic card from the pocket of his divine robe and proffered it to Karen.

Karen reached out to receive it. This sort of card functioned similarly to a bank card; every orthodox church issued something comparable, whereas members of one's own church could simply use their respective identification.

The card bore the markings of the "Church of Samsara," imprinted with a statue of Samsara—a human head upon a wolf's body, the "loyal hound" tasked with guarding hell in the mythological narratives of the Church of Samsara.

This card was bearer-negotiable, meaning whoever held it could utilize it; truth be told, even if it were registered, it would not matter, as no church wished for its own vouchers to circulate solely within its own domain. However, with a registered card, should the expenditures and purchases appear anomalous relative to the registered identity, it would inevitably trigger an internal audit by the church, though such an investigation would never target outsiders.

Consequently, Karen would never deposit his coupons into his own personal identity account, and the same held true for the other members of the squad; everyone simply preferred to spend them on the black market.

But now Karen had his young cousin Richard. If he wished to consume through official channels in the future, he could simply have Richard do it on his behalf; given Richard's family circumstances, large expenditures were entirely plausible and would not arouse suspicion—this could, in a sense, be considered a form of money laundering... or rather, "coupon laundering."

"There are one hundred thousand Samsara coupons in this card; please take your squad out for afternoon tea."

One hundred thousand Samsara coupons, if exchanged on the black market, were equivalent to nearly eighty thousand Order coupons.

The Pamires Church naturally issued its own ecclesiastical vouchers as well, but their circulation was undoubtedly limited, and the purchasable goods were far fewer compared to the orthodox churches, leaving them poorly recognized in the coupon market.

Most importantly, once the news broke that the Pamires Church was to merge with the Church of Order, the value of the coupons issued by the Pamires Church on the market would surely plumet drastically; in an extreme scenario, the purchasing power of the Pamires coupons by then might not even rival the reils of the Kingdom of Wien.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of convenience in gift-giving or sincerity, presenting coupons of an orthodox church was the most appropriate choice.

Karen did not make a show of declining but instead accepted the card directly.

"

"They were ambushed," Vannie said. "That is all I know. I joined later; that time, many of the veteran members perished."

Karen nodded thoughtfully. Just as he was preparing to bathe, Pegg suddenly spoke:

"Bishop Bourne has taken the elevator up. He wants to see Delius."

Vannie explained, "Bishop Bourne is one of our delegation's representatives responsible for this negotiation."

Karen was no longer in a hurry to bathe. While Pegg and Vannie went to inform Delius, Karen walked toward the elevator. The doors happened to slide open, and Bishop Bourne, sporting a white goatee, stepped out.

"Take me to see the Son of the Pamires Cult."

"Please show your credentials."

Bishop Bourne nodded; though his urgency was palpable, he still patiently handed his credentials to Karen.

Karen took the documents, and after verifying them, returned them with both hands.

"Please follow me."

Karen led the way, and upon arriving at Delius's door, he knocked gently.

"Come in."

The door was unlocked. Karen opened it, and as Bishop Bourne entered, Karen followed closely behind.

When Delius saw Bishop Bourne, a flash of intense emotion sparked in his eyes;

Then, looking at Karen, he said, "I wish to speak with Bishop Bourne alone."

Karen shook his head and said, "I am sorry, but according to security regulations, even when you meet with our own personnel, at least one member of the close protection detail must be present."

Bishop Bourne smiled and said, "Rules are rules. You know how it is—our Church of Order has plenty of them. Furthermore, I trust the professionalism of this Hound Squad, so we can speak openly.

Most importantly, our time is limited, and I do not have the luxury to apply for a private audience."

"Is that true?" Delius asked.

"Of course it is." Bishop Bourne pointed beneath their feet. "This is the Ankara Hotel, named after the daughter of the Great God of Order. You, I, all of us—here, we are absolutely safe."

The next instant,

Delius's figure blurred, appearing directly in front of Bishop Bourne. Reaching out, he grabbed the bishop by the collar and glared at him fiercely.

"Lord Delius, please..."

Karen was startled by this scene and immediately prepared to step forward, but Bishop Bourne raised a hand toward him, signaling him not to approach.

"Our Lord Delius needs to release some emotion. It is fine; please do not stop him. He will not harm me, for he is just like you."

Karen halted his steps. Just like me?

Delius pressed his face almost directly against Bishop Bourne's, his expression fierce and contorted with emotion:

"Count it yourself. From the moment you arranged for me to infiltrate the Pamires Cult until now, how many years has it been? How many years have passed!

During these years, time and again, I applied to you, hoping to return to the embrace of Order, but time and again, you thwarted me with all kinds of excuses.

Lord Bishop Bourne,

No,

Father,

Do you know how your son has lived through these years?"

Bishop Bourne allowed Delius to hold him by the collar,

And smiled:

"You see, isn't it quite good now?"

"Quite good?" Delius laughed. "You call this quite good?"

Bishop Bourne nodded and asked in return, "Is it not?"

"Father, what did you say to me back then? You said you were only arranging for me to hide within the Pamires Cult for two months, just to see a different horizon. Yet this infiltration has lasted twenty years!

Do you perhaps still feel a sense of regret?

After all, your son has now risen to become the Son of the Pamires Cult.

If some uncontrollable accident had not occurred,

And I had persisted for a few more years, perhaps I could have risen straight to become the Pontiff of the Pamires Cult."

———

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