Chapter 209: Shorting

Chapter 209 Shorting

Catching the lip-read translation from his captain, Karen asked in stark disbelief:

"Is this Church of Pamireth composed entirely of traitors?"

The Hierarch was the true helmsman of the Church of Pamireth. Naturally, within the Messenger Space, there might exist entities akin to the Temple Elders within the Order of Light, but in ecclesial affairs, the Hierarch possessed absolute, legally supreme authority.

The last time Rasma and three Temple Elders had come to Mink Street to confront Dis, Rasma had stood at the very front, while the three Elders remained at the rear.

The Executive Director of the Church of Pamireth was essentially the chief of staff to the Hierarch. Because she fundamentally represented the Hierarch's will, her actual influence made her the second most powerful figure, subordinate only to the Hierarch himself.

Her status was even higher than that of the Holy Son, for the Holy Son belonged to the leadership circle of the next generation, whereas she held immediate governance. Furthermore, before a Holy Son ascended to become Hierarch, anything could happen.

Thus, a figure of such exalted standing within the Church of Pamireth had stepped forth from the blue gate to salute the Knights of the Church of Light.

Had she,

also defected?

"The Holy Son is a traitor, the Executive Director is a traitor... this Hierarch is truly pitiable."

At this point, Karen paused.

What if the Hierarch himself was one too?

Though the conjecture seemed absurd, Karen had so often watched others eliminate the sole correct answer when trying to guess his own identity that he now found himself uncertain. Could such a possibility exist?

At that moment, the Third Knights, assembled outside the cavern, began entering the platform upon the sea in successive waves. They marched into the blue aura of the gateway like a dark, swelling torrent, radiating an immense and terrifying pressure.

"Let us go."

Neo called out to Karen, turning to head downward.

Karen followed his captain's lead, descending the path.

As they neared the vehicle, the captain asked, "Are you driving, or am I?"

"You, sir."

Karen truly lacked the confidence to tackle this sort of dead-end road after seeing it only once. Most importantly, he had observed the captain invoking the spellcraft within the luxury vehicle to successfully traverse the restriction.

Though Karen knew he picked up spellcraft rapidly, any mistake might cause a crash that would kill them both. He still preferred to study spells while eating plain noodles.

Neo took the wheel, retracing their route.

"How do you read this situation?" Neo inquired.

"Excluding the extreme possibility that the entire high command of the Church of Pamireth consists of traitors, only one explanation remains: our Church and the Church of Pamireth reached a secret cooperation long ago.

The charges against the Church of Pamireth listed in the Order Weekly, along with the tide of condemnation our Church whipped up, must be a smokescreen. It was all designed to create the illusion of extreme antagonism.

The Third Knights have already deployed, and it is highly probable that the Knights in other regions have done the same. For a mobilization of this scale and a smokescreen this costly and realistic, our Church's true target must be at least a major church."

"Be a bit bolder. Guess bigger."

"The target is an Orthodox Church?"

"Inevitably. No other church besides an Orthodox Church warrants a smokescreen of this caliber."

"Still, there are things within this that I cannot fathom, limited by my experience and knowledge."

"Speak."

"First, where exactly does His Highness the Holy Son stand?"

"His stance has no bearing on this matter. Remember the drugged food and drink? I find it more akin to a father who has not seen his son in too long, wishing to grow closer to him."

"..." Karen remained silent.

"I am not joking. I truly believe that is the case."

"Then that Holy Son is the most pitiable of all. Like a fish sealed inside a glass jar and tossed into the ocean, all the while believing himself free and important."

"Pitiable?" Neo glanced at Karen. "I said I would not pry into your secrets, but if you reveal them yourself, it does not count as a breach of my word. From that statement alone, one can tell your background is by no means simple.

What normal person would pity him over this?

His identity, his status, his lineage—they are all right there, enough to make countless people green with envy.

Right now, it is nothing more than a father playing a joke on him, or perhaps a minor trial to make him mature faster.

After tonight, he might well transition from a prisoner of war back to the exalted Holy Son of a church.

And you pity him?

Do you possess what he possesses?

Do you possess the freedom he lacks?

Heh.

So,

is your grandfather the Archbishop of the Wien Region?"

Karen strongly desired to return the words his captain had spoken moments before: "Be a bit bolder. Guess bigger."

Instead, he restrained himself, smiled, and said, "I simply trust you, Captain."

"No need to trust me. I will fail your trust."

"But our squad's creed is: No abandonment, no surrender, no betrayal."

"That holds while I am captain. What if one day I am no longer captain?"

"Those words sound rather frightening, Captain."

"Only rather? It seems you have already witnessed things that are truly frightening, yes?"

"Yes. The sight of the Third Knights emerging from the cavern just now was deeply shocking."

"Very well. It seems that from now on, I must treat you better, just as I must treat Richard better. Do you know why I recruited Richard?"

"Your purpose?"

"Yes. Before he returns home, I want him to help me ask a question, though I do not know if an answer will come."

"You knew this would happen before you recruited him?"

"No, I did not. I merely sensed a shift in the wind. You know, a hound's ears must always be sharp, especially when I am the leader of the pack. If my hearing fails, I cannot lead the team.

So, do not trust me. My motives are never pure."

"If we were useless, you would not have recruited us, Captain. By that logic, your motives regarding everyone in the squad are impure."

"A very fitting reply. I quite like it. It instantly makes me feel clean again."

"Buzz!"

The luxury vehicle breached the boundary, continuing its drive toward York City. Without this car, gaining entry here would have been difficult indeed.

"Captain, I have one more question. Our Church declaring war on the Church of Pamireth cannot solely be a smokescreen to catch the targeted Orthodox Church off guard, can it?"

"In theory, that is the objective. But from a practical, operational standpoint, it differs.

First, the Church of Pamireth excels at forging spatial artifacts, much like that old refrigerator you acquired. What is its greatest utility? Certainly not storage, but... transmission.

Thus, you can compare the Messenger Space of the Church of Pamireth to a... massive refrigerator."

"So, the Messenger Space merely functions as a transit station?"

"It is more than just transit, it is a springboard. The Messenger Space was carved out by the god Pamireth; because of its unique nature, spatial teleportation conducted there yields far greater efficiency and speed.

Teleporting a single person can be done in the blink of an eye, but teleporting a whole knight order, or several of them, will inevitably be an incredibly slow process, and the Messenger Space serves to accelerate that very progression.

Furthermore, with the annihilation of the Seventh Knight Order, our Church was naturally incensed; mobilizing several more knight orders to deploy and display our power is a perfectly expected reaction.

Secondly, with the Pamireth Sect under attack, the resulting surge of intense spatial formation ripples within the Messenger Space is also a completely normal occurrence.

Do you have any idea? Every single time a large-scale teleportation formation is activated, the commotion and impact it generates is no less than a grand, beyond-specification divine descent ritual meant to summon an evil god—in fact, it is often vastly greater.

For I have never heard, nor seen in any record, of any evil god being summoned along with his entire army.

An immense disturbance like this is difficult to veil completely, nor can it be hidden; the other churches will inevitably perceive it, especially the orthodox ones, who lack neither specialized monitoring personnel, true powerhouses, nor even divine artifacts capable of providing early warnings.

Under normal circumstances, executing a sneak attack on them would be a statistical impossibility, but under these specific conditions, a surprise assault can yield tangible, devastating results.

Therefore, this is indeed a smoke screen, but the effectiveness of this smoke is grander than your wildest imaginations."

"This is truly a magnificent design."

"Perhaps you have witnessed some of the decadent aspects of our Church, but you must never underestimate the wisdom of our higher-echelons. To be able to supplant the Church of Light in this era and become one of the reigning poles among the faiths, our fists must indeed be massive, but our minds must be even sharper."

"But isn't this a gambit that can only be used once?"

"Yes, it can only be used once. A strategic sneak attack utilizing a mid-tier church as a springboard can only be executed a single time. Most importantly, you will not find a second church with the unique properties of the Pamireth Sect, nor is there a second Messenger Space to offer you such convenience.

I believe,

if it weren't for the prophecies of the waking gods Looming ahead, followed closely by the violent, shattering assaults on the Temple of Order—which plunged our Church into an incredibly disadvantageous storm of rumors and threatened the very foundations of our hegemony—I am certain those men at the top would never have brought themselves to burn this card."

"..." Karen remained silent.

So, all of this was still the chain reaction triggered by Grandfather's single blast?

No wonder the Church of Order remained so deeply apprehensive even though Grandfather had fallen into slumber; after all, Grandfather could still sit up from his bed and set off another explosion. No, counting the one Grandfather had proactively handed over to the Temple of Order, he could still blast them twice more.

Nio twisted his neck, eliciting a series of faint, crisp cracks, and said:

"But after this turn of events, the hegemony of Order will continue to consolidate, unless..."

Nio paused for a brief moment,

"The gods truly awaken."

"Captain, do you wish for the gods to awaken?"

"Whether the gods awaken or not is beyond our ability to foresee, nor is it something we can interfere with. Many people long for the gods to awaken because they yearn for divine guidance to lead them forward.

Yet in this current era, the gods remain absent, and our Church, in the name of Order, forbids the faiths from excessively interfering with the secular world. It is precisely because of this that the present world displays a kind of vitality never before seen in the records of any other era.

Sometimes I cannot help but wonder: if this world had no gods, if no gods had ever appeared from the very beginning, would it have been better?"

"Captain, are you no longer hiding your true thoughts even before me?"

"Haha... That is because I trust you, and I know that you will not fail the trust I place in you."

"That is not fair."

"It is perfectly fair. Come, the drinks are on me."

Only then did Karen notice that the VIP carriage had already pulled up in front of a hotel.

"Put on your mask and get out."

Karen summoned his silver mask and followed Nio out of the carriage. However, Nio did not head toward the main entrance of the hotel; instead, he turned into an alley corner where a group of men who looked like gang members were watching them with predatory eyes.

Nio paid them no heed. Threading past them, he walked straight into the wall ahead and vanished from sight.

Ah...

Karen stepped forward as well, pressed through the wall, and found himself entering an exceptionally spacious bar. It was a bustling, lively place, packed with people.

"What, you have never been to a black market before?" Nio asked.

"It is my first time."

"Then you must have someone highly trustworthy by your side."

"Yes."

"This section is the bar, over there is the dance floor; this entire level is dedicated to entertainment and indulgence. The floor below is the true black market area, laid out like a marketplace. However, one must abide by the rules here—no violence, no pulling rank. And, well, you can also commission transactions.

In short, the black market operates under rules akin to a syndicate. Its objective is to cater to every guest perfectly and provide the finest trading environment so that it can draw its cut from the profits.

The floor above this one houses a Church Bank, where you can exchange points vouchers and even perform certain financial operations."

"Financial operations?"

"Futures, generally involving ritual materials. Furthermore, you can even speculate on vouchers there."

"Speculate on vouchers?"

"Yes. Just like the currencies of secular nations, you can go in and launch a speculative raid against them."

"Even that is possible..."

"The value of points vouchers is far more reliable than the Riel. How does that saying go? Money is only stripped of its omnipotence when placed alongside points vouchers."

"That is truly... beyond my expectations."

"You will get used to it." Nio led Karen up to the bar counter. "What would you like to drink?"

"Please order for me, Captain."

"No need to be constrained." Nio said to the bartender, "Two glasses of Derna Blood Wine. One heavy, one light." Nio produced a one-hundred denomination Order voucher and slid it across.

Karen noticed that the bartender did not offer any change.

So, a divine servant's entire monthly stipend was only enough for two drinks.

No wonder Dincom and Pick only drank soda.

The two glasses of blood wine were served. One was deep and dark in color, which Nio picked up; the other was significantly lighter, which Karen took.

Taking a sip, Karen found none of the metallic tang of blood or the harsh bite of alcohol he had anticipated; on the contrary, it tasted fresh, gentle, and smooth. After a single mouthful, a distinct, subtle lightheadedness washed over his mind—the perfect sort of micro-intoxication that brought no discomfort, but rather a profound sense of enjoyment.

"Does it taste good?" Nio inquired.

"Yes, it is excellent."

"Then remember its name. Next time you come to a place like this with your captain, you should order this for him."

"Oh, understood."

"Shall I take you around for a stroll? Down to the black market below?"

Karen shook his head and said, "I have nothing I need to purchase for the time being."

At home, the ones responsible for drawing up the shopping lists were the cat and the dog; the one responsible for making purchases at the black market was Alfred.

Aside from being somewhat tempted by ingredients that could be bought with points vouchers, Karen had absolutely no need to worry about traditional materials. He only needed to focus on earning the vouchers and leaving them in Alfred's safekeeping.

"Then let us go upstairs to the bank and have a seat. I usually like to order a drink here and then head up to sit; it is quiet up there."

"Very well, Captain."

Karen agreed to the suggestion, feeling simultaneously that heading upstairs had likely been the Captain's true intention all along.

“Oh, I almost forgot, there are other services here—like the confectionery, where church priests, both men and women, frequently offer their services, though transactions are made in point coupons.

If humans aren't your preference, there are also some peculiar species available, such as demon beasts.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Mm, right, I’ve heard Vanni and Paige complaining before that they stripped naked right in front of you and you didn’t even budge.”

“They even told you about that?”

“No, I guessed it. Looks like I was right. Next time we meet, I’ll have to mock them properly and see if they still dare to remain so confident in their figures.”

“……” Karen.

Karen followed the captain to the second floor, where guards stood at every critical position. Many guests wore cloaks to conceal their faces; Karen and the captain were wearing masks.

The bank upstairs was spacious and quite crowded, yet it remained remarkably quiet.

Neo selected a chair in a corner and sat down, while Karen pulled a public bank magazine from a shelf and took a seat beside the captain.

On the large screen ahead, the latest financial information flashed continuously, creating an atmosphere heavily reminiscent of a secular stock exchange.

If Uncle Mason knew such a place existed, would he regret not taking over the funeral parlor back then?

Karen flipped open the magazine. In the point coupon section, the space gem coupons issued by the Pamireth Cult were highly prominent, marked with the note "recent immense volatility."

When he touched the page, a hidden image slid into view just like in the Order Weekly—it was a trend line.

For a long time prior, the exchange rate between the space gem coupons and the Order coupons had remained perfectly stable. Recently, the first downward slide had appeared, a timing that seemed to coincide with when criticisms of the Pamireth Cult began appearing in the Order Weekly;

After a long period of steady decline, a slight rebound had occurred a few days ago, precisely when the Holy Son of the Pamireth Cult arrived at the Church of Order for negotiations;

Though the rebound was modest and the value was nearly halved compared to the very beginning, it had at least halted the downward plunge. From this, one could also see that the ecclesiastical financial circle was not very optimistic about the development prospects of the Pamireth Cult after being swallowed by the Church of Order, viewing it as far worse than when it was independent.

“Aren't you curious why the various churches agree to the existence of these black markets and black market banks?” Neo asked Karen, holding up his wine glass.

Karen reflected for a moment before replying:

“I imagine the Orthodox Churches are certainly pleased to see this. The more people who use their point coupons and the wider the area of circulation, the greater their profits.

Apart from the Orthodox Churches, the vast majority of the lower churches are actually exploited by this model, yet they dare not strike down the existence of these black market banks.

Firstly, because the Orthodox Churches tacitly allow their existence from behind the scenes; after all, the fists of the Orthodox Churches are too powerful for them to contend with.

Secondly, the damage caused by withdrawing would be even greater. Unless a church has the capacity to achieve comprehensive self-sufficiency, it would only restrict its own development.

But the problem is, if a church develops to the point of comprehensive self-sufficiency... its strength would likely allow it to join the ranks of the Orthodox Churches, and it would end up liking this model instead.

Meanwhile, a group like the Pamireth Cult, which excels at forging spatial implements, can actually derive relatively