Chapter 223: Anything is Possible

Chapter 223 Everything Is Possible

Karen knew that Old Saman had spent this past period coordinating the finer details of the funeral with Alfred; the old man placed great importance on his own obsequies, for though few friends or relatives would likely arrive to mourn, it was a ceremony he fully intended to attend in person.

What Alfred had passed on to Karen was that when the funeral commenced, Old Saman would not yet be dead as he lay in the casket to receive the public viewing; he would lie there very much alive to be gazed upon, a witness to his own funeral with eyes wide open.

When the hour for burial arrived, he intended to stand before his own headstone to deliver his own eulogy, before stepping back into the coffin to bring himself to an end.

Karen had once urged Old Saman against dying, and though the old man had been deeply moved, he ultimately chose to refuse.

For from Old Saman's perspective, he could not bear to watch the Pamireth faith he believed in lose its identity and be subsumed by other churches; in his own words, he possessed no strength to stem the passage of time, but he could at least cause the swinging of his own pendulum to stop.

This was his martyrdom for the God of Pamireth, and for his own faith.

Originally, Karen believed that this treaty—which guaranteed the autonomy of the Pamireth faith—might allow the old man to abandon his thoughts of death and continue to spend his remaining years in this beloved cemetery of his.

Thus, Karen had not informed Old Saman regarding the matter of the Son of God's true identity.

Yet Delius had come in person; as the Son of God of the Pamireth faith, it was only natural for him to know that a senior of his own church resided within this York City cemetery.

Old Saman was living in seclusion, withdrawing from the world, but he had not, after all, sought out the Voss family to fashion a mask for his face as Karen had done; otherwise, the Captain would not have come to the cemetery to "see him" every few days in the past.

Delius, naturally, could not blurt out his own identity either; his status could only remain a secret unspoken to the outside world, confined to a small, insular circle.

And yet, Old Saman surprisingly recognized Delius's father, who was none other than Bishop Byrne.

Back when the other bishops of the York City region—namely Leon's and Laure's grandfathers—were still kept entirely in the dark regarding the war, Bishop Byrne was already pushing forward and participating in this grand design, which made it clear that his true position and status were far higher than they appeared on the surface.

Karen did not think Delius bore much of a resemblance to Bishop Byrne, but to an old man like Saman, who specialized in the forging of spatial sacred artifacts, the world within his eyes was bound to differ from that of ordinary men.

At this very moment, Old Saman finally realized that his Pamireth faith had actually "died" long ago.

"I believe everything can be settled by sitting down to talk, utilizing the method of discussion to..."

"Buzz!"

Old Saman reached out his hand, directly seizing Delius by the throat and lifting his entire frame off the ground.

The members of Gendi's squad immediately surrounded them, but just as they prepared to take their next action, they discovered a succession of blue arms rising from beneath the earth, pinning down various parts of their torsos before hoisting them all into the air.

A blue light shimmered within Old Saman's eyes; within this cemetery, he was the master keeper.

"Some matters can be discussed, while for others, let alone talking, there is no meaning even in sitting down."

Delius did not say, "If you kill me, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Instead, he spoke with utter sincerity, "I believe in... Pamireth."

"Heh heh heh."

Old Saman let out a low chuckle as he released his grip on Delius's throat, but simultaneously, a pair of hands manifested beneath Delius's feet, grabbing him and pulling him violently downward.

With a dull thud, Delius collapsed to his knees upon the ground.

"Bang!"

His forehead struck the steps directly; even as blood welled forth, a corner of the stone step was shattered by the impact.

Gendi, who had been flung back at the very beginning, rushed forward with his blade drawn; Delius was currently his target of protection, and though he recognized the immense power of the old man before him, he had to advance.

Karen intercepted Gendi, blocking his path, and spoke:

"Have your men stand down!"

Gendi recognized Karen, having seen him at Neo's side before, but at this moment...

"If you insist on forcing him to kill, allowing all of your subordinates to die here, then you may continue your assault."

Hearing these words, a struggle and hesitation surfaced on Gendi's face, but in the end, he raised his blade and issued the command to assume defensive positions.

After the members of his squad either severed or forcibly broke free from the constraints of the hands emerging from the ground, they began to retreat one after another, forming a wide perimeter.

Karen turned around and walked toward Old Saman; before the old man, Delius remained prostrate on the ground, his forehead still bleeding, though his body trembled slightly—he was still breathing, not yet dead.

"Let them leave," Karen said.

Old Saman turned his head to look at Karen, his expression incredibly grim, no longer the endearing old fellow who used to squabble with him over macaroni.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

Karen could have chosen to deny it, for he was merely an ordinary security guard and it would be perfectly normal to be ignorant of this; but since the matter had already been laid bare, he did not care to utter any further falsehoods.

"Yes, I knew all along. I deliberately refrained from telling you just now."

Old Saman took a step closer to Karen; Alfred had already materialized behind the old man, and had Karen not made a gesture signaling him to stay his hand, Alfred might have already struck Old Saman down.

Though Alfred also understood that Old Saman would likely not commit murder, what if the old man, in a fit of rage, subjected the Young Master to the same head-cracking treatment as this Son of God?

"I do not need your mercy, nor do I require your pity! These actions of yours are completely superfluous in my eyes, and I find them utterly repulsive!"

Old Saman roared almost directly into Karen's face, and Karen could feel the old man's spittle spraying against his skin.

Karen closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and then opened them to look at Old Saman, his own voice rising in volume:

"Then what would you have me say to you? Should I tell you not to listen to the good news circulating outside, that this treaty which seemingly preserves the independence of the Pamireth faith is merely splendid on the surface while its core has long been rotted out and hollowed?

Should I tell you to stop dreaming of beautiful things, to abandon your illusions, and to hurry up and commit suicide so you can lie in your coffin while I prepare your funeral?

I know you are emotional, but you can vent your anger on him, do not vent it on me!

Ha,

At worst, you can just go ahead and die, but believe it or not, if you truly push me to anger, after you pass away, I will arrange a funeral for you themed entirely around the Church of Order!"

"..." Old Saman.

Rebuked by Karen's counter-roar, Old Saman shrank his neck slightly, his momentum instantly deflating.

Elderly folk were often like this; their stubborn tempers would flare up in an instant, yet recede just as quickly. Most importantly, Old Saman truly believed that the young man before him would absolutely carry out his word.

"I am not exactly blaming you..."

Old Saman lowered his voice,

"Alas, I shouldn't blame you either."

Old Saman tilted his head back, smacking his lips with a heavy sigh, then walked over to Delius and delivered a swift kick.

"Bang!"

Delius was sent flying, rolling across the ground until several squad members immediately stepped forward to support him and tend to his wounds.

Hunching his back, Old Saman silently walked back into his house.

Karen, meanwhile, took the handkerchief offered by Alfred and wiped his face.

Gendi walked over, his expression exceedingly grim; the object of his protection had wound up in this state the moment he took charge, meaning not only would the mission rewards be forfeited, but he would likely face disciplinary action as well.

Karen naturally discerned what was crossing his mind and offered words of comfort, "Take the Son of God and your men back to the hotel. Tend to the Son of God's wounds so they appear natural; the Son of God will not report this incident to the higher-ups because of what occurred. He will likely take the initiative to help cover for you instead. It will be fine."

"But this wound on the forehead, even with spells, will be difficult to mend completely in a short time, and he still needs to attend public events next."

"He will say he took a tumble while walking. Since he will smooth things over himself, the higher-ups will not bother to investigate further or punish you."

"Are you certain he will do that?"

"He will."

"That is well, that is well then; uh, you are acquainted with that senior?"

"Yes, the captain and I often come here for midnight snacks."

"So that's how it is." Whenever it involved Neo, Gendi was always easy to talk to, for the captain was something of an idol to him. "Then I shall take my leave first. Will you be alright here alone?"

"You need not worry about me."

"Very well then."

Gendi ordered his subordinates to escort the Son of God back, but the wounded Delius pushed them aside, insisting on kneeling back upon the steps. Though his face was now covered in blood, his eyes remained filled with absolute piety.

Karen could not tell whether Delius was truly loyal and devoted to the Pamires Faith in his heart, wishing to show his stance to Old Saman, or if... he simply wanted to use this method to divide the inheritance?

One could hardly blame Karen for thinking this way. In his original understanding, Old Saman was a solitary man with no heirs, so whoever helped manage his funeral affairs would naturally claim his estate. Now, Delius’s arrival felt as though a distant nephew had suddenly appeared just before the old solitary man's death.

Yet, after all, he was not the spatial worm inside the other man's stomach; what Delius truly thought was something he had no way of knowing.

Nevertheless, Karen bent down and spoke to Delius:

"Your Highness, you had better return to the hotel first to tend to your wounds. If you hadn't come, he probably would have continued to work and