Chapter 227: Wake Up, Have a Midnight Snack

Chapter 227: Wake Up, Eat Midnight Snack

Purr, having just finished a midnight snack, walked into the bedroom, looked at Kevin lying in his dog bed, and asked:

"Stupid dog, what are you doing?"

"Woof."

"Selecting coordinates?"

"Woof."

"That old man gave you this compass?"

"Woof."

"He told you to just fiddle with the compass with your dog paws and come up with a coordinate?"

"Woof."

"And then the coffin containing his remains would be teleported into this coordinate? But why did he ask you to do that."

"Woof."

"He said he wanted a dog to end his dog-like, sketchy life?"

"Woof."

"He also said it was a perfect match?"

"Woof."

"Well, poor stupid dog, that old man really took you for a dog."

Purr walked over, extended a cat paw to pat Kevin’s bald dog head, and said, "Only I can call you a stupid dog, no one else can."

Kevin nodded.

"So, where did you fiddle him off to?"

"Woof."

"You say you have cracked the positioning system of the compass?"

"Woof."

"You even moved the positioning out of the countercurrent space?"

"Woof."

"Haha, you positioned him at home?"

Purr suddenly stopped laughing and hurriedly asked:

"No, stupid dog, where at home did you position him?"

Kevin turned his head to look at the big bed in the master bedroom.

"Oh, my god, damn it, you stupid dog, I’m going to burn you, that’s my bed, that’s my and Karen’s bed!"

Purr scratched Kevin’s bald head frantically with her cat paws,

"You did it on purpose, you did it on purpose, didn't you? It's revenge for making you sleep in the alcove, right!"

Kevin lowered his head aggrievedly and extended a dog paw toward the bottom of the bed.

"Um... you mean out of the whole house, you only set up an array under the bed?"

"Damn it, why did you set it up under the bed..."

Purr froze,

Because she remembered,

Some time ago, when Karen started bringing home a lot of coupons, allowing them to afford plentiful materials, she had told the stupid dog to try setting up a communication array in the master bedroom. Once this array was running, both sides could see each other and talk.

Set it up at home now, and next time they returned to the Allen Manor, set up another one in her great-great-great-great-niece’s bedroom, so the young couple could "meet" every now and then.

As the family cat and dog, where was the most suitable place to set up an array, and where was the least likely to be disturbed or damaged?

The master bedroom... under the big bed in the master bedroom.

Purr and Kevin came to the bed and looked at the big bed in front of them.

Kevin silently pushed the compass in front of himself: "Woof."

"Alright, of course I can see it too, Karen seems to want to 'awaken' him."

"Woof."

"Just like Count Rekar? 2 and 12?"

"Woof."

"Are you guys really putting together 12 Knights of Order?"

"Woof."

"It seems you’ve been influenced a lot by the radio goblin lately. You’re no longer a simple dog; you’ve been instilled with dreams by the radio goblin. I’m truly ashamed for you, stupid dog."

"Woof!"

"Okay, okay, I know it's hard for you, you’re looking forward to unlocking some more seals next time, but... if I call someone in now to help me move the bed away, is there still time?"

"Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!"

In the bedroom with tightly closed doors and windows, a great wind suddenly blew, leaving Purr and Kevin’s fur a disheveled mess in the wind.

"Woof."

"Shut up, stupid dog, I know it's too late, my bed..."

A coffin appeared above the bed, and then, fell.

"Bang!"

The bed was crushed and broken.

Such a commotion naturally attracted attention outside the bedroom. Xi Li immediately ran over and pushed open the bedroom door. She saw a cat and a dog sitting side by side in the bedroom, and in front of them was a huge coffin resting on the bed.

"What... happened?" Xi Li gasped, covering her mouth.

Purr turned her head and spoke, "Tell Mrs. Lake that it's nothing, let them continue to rest, and you too, go back to sleep, my dear ass, oh no, my dear Xi Li."

"Okay."

With a smile on her face, Xi Li backed out of the bedroom and closed the door. The door closed, but the smile remained.

...

"Alright, the funeral is over, clap... clap... clap!"

Karen began to clap.

Alfred began to clap;

Pike and Dincom, who were somewhat dazed, were still not clear about what exactly had happened, but this did not stop them from clapping along to fit in.

"Young Master..." Alfred spoke, hesitating.

Alfred, Old Saman staged an exquisitely brilliant funeral for us, one that has utterly reshaped my understanding of the ritual, to the point where I believe it warrants documentation as a classic paradigm.

Cremation, burial, sea burial, even sky burial, pale entirely in comparison to this 'spatial banishment.'

Once you and Kevin return, you ought to study this formation thoroughly; we could develop it into a service in the future, and I am certain there will be those who favor it.

To let a casket carry oneself, drifting through the boundless rifts of space, is both romantic and sublime, is it not?

"The young master speaks truly; I shall immerse myself in this particular formation immediately upon our return, striving to incorporate it into our catalog of services at the earliest opportunity."

"Mmh, I have faith in your capability, and greater faith still in Mr. Hoffen's discernment."

"Young master, it was you whom Mr. Hoffen chose."

"Alfred, have you forgotten? Mr. Hoffen once said your eyes were the best suited for learning; those copious notes he penned before his demise were surely not meant for my eyes alone."

"Your servant... only now realizes this."

"No matter. When we return to Logia in the future, we shall visit Mr. Hoffen’s grave. Mercifully, Mr. Hoffen was not as mischievous as Old Saman."

"Young master, regarding the matter of those twelve coffins..."

"That too is entrusted to you. See to their crafting without delay."

"Understood, your servant shall see to it. Had Old Saman delayed his passing by a single day to assist in inscribing the formation, our efficiency would have been vastly improved."

"Yet, he is already gone."

"Yes, he is gone."

"Very well, let us head home."

Karen started the hearse, and Alfred, Pick, and Dincom all climbed inside.

As they drove through the gates of the Ivy Cemetery, Karen noticed that the priests of the Pamires faith had already departed; what Karen did not know, however, was that they had already obtained what they sought.

At the very precipice of death, Old Saman had ultimately chosen to return to Pamires what belonged to Pamires.

It was likely not out of love, but a pure desire to owe nothing, or perhaps even an urge to sever all lingering attachments and fetters; he simply wished to embark on his journey unburdened and clean.

On the return journey, Alfred could not help but glance several times at his young master behind the wheel, words halting upon his lips.

Old Saman’s mortal remains were 'lost,' meaning the young master would have no way to awaken him.

Before this, Alfred had firmly believed Old Saman would become one of that chosen collective, for he met the criteria and was, moreover, the architect of the twelve coffins.

Yet the reality defied expectation.

Was Old Saman, then, not among the chosen after all?

Had his caprice cost him the favor of the divine?

What a profound pity...

However, as Alfred opened his notebook, intending to strike through the '2/12' on that page, his pen faltered.

Peering once more at his master, whose countenance remained perfectly composed, Alfred licked his lips, closed the notebook, rose, and stepped behind the driver's seat, inquiring in a whisper audible only to Karen:

"Young master, did you originally intend to awaken Old Saman?"

"I had intended to call him up for a late-night supper once the funeral concluded."

"He lacked the destiny for it; it is his loss. Much like his life, he has forfeited the chance to be enshrined upon the mural."

"Fate has long since ordained its course."

The following phrase—*it cannot be forced*—Karen omitted, for that sentiment invariably succeeded the former.

"Yes, young master."

Alfred returned to his seat.

While driving, Karen spoke to Alfred without turning: "Alfred, play a song."

"Right away, young master."

Alfred's eyes began to gleam with a faint, crimson hue, and presently, music began to filter from the car radio—a soothing, melancholic melody that suited the hour perfectly.

"Are these songs from your personal collection?" Karen inquired.

"Yes, young master. I usually keep an eye out for new releases."

"It must be a trial for you."

"Not at all. In the past, your servant was incapable of such things; it is only after following you, young master, that I have gradually achieved this. It is you who changed me."

"You have changed me as well, Alfred. I find it difficult to imagine what my life would have looked like had you not accompanied me here to Wien."

"I am willing to serve by your side forever, young master."

"Very well. Wherever I go henceforth, I shall take you with me."

Karen drove through the dark night, and as the miles rolled by, his gaze swept across the empty recess reflected in the rearview mirror.

He was suddenly reminded of the book he had just read, *I Forgot You in Spring*.

The protagonist's profound paranoia and easy alarm in the first half of the narrative closely mirrored the dawn of a man's life—sensitive, suspicious, arrogant, prone to fantasy, or perhaps understood as hyperactive, intense, and anxious.

Yet once the protagonist killed his wife, everything reverted to cold reason and tranquility, a shift that rendered the latter half of the book somewhat tedious.

It seemed that life demanded the 'slaying' of something before one could attain so-called 'maturity.'

Much like the latter half of Old Saman's life.

As for the essay praising dandelions at the very end, it felt more like a sigh over the conclusion of existence; perhaps, for the vast majority of mankind, it was impossible for life to possess a perfect arc from beginning to end, and nearly impossible to achieve flawless perfection.

Even gods fell while bearing regrets, let alone mortal men; who among them could draw that final period in a perfect circle?

Regrettably, the author of that book was an actual uxoricide, which cast his own 'associations' in a rather ludicrous, forced light, as if he were merely drawing strained analogies.

Yet when a work of art is written and displayed as a solitary entity, its thoughts and perspectives are no longer dictated by the author; it is interpreted entirely by the one who beholds it, becoming wholly divorced from the creator.

His grandfather's end seemed to follow this rule;

What, then, of his own end?

Karen fell into a brief labyrinth of confusion—brief, because Old Saman had already provided an answer:

If I could choose again,

I would not think, I would not wander, I would not hesitate;

I would be carefree, I would be free, I would be willful.

A ghost of a smile touched the corner of Karen's mouth.

He himself,

had he not already chosen again?

Alfred had been observing Karen continuously, a habit born of their long companionship. Opening his notebook, he wrote:

"The divine may also wander, the divine may also find release; the greatness of the divine lies in his difference from us, yet the greatness of the divine also lies in his sameness to us."

After a moment's hesitation,

Alfred struck the lines and wrote anew:

"Though I am loath to admit it, in that singular moment, I believe I harbored doubt toward the divine. I am guilty."

I believe that everyone who comes into contact with the young master will be changed by him; their original lives, their original trajectories, will all be smoothed out by the young master.

Old Saman is not an exception, much less an accident.

I remain steadfast in my belief, just as the young master said, that everything is arranged.

I repent, for my momentary bewilderment, for my split-second distraction.

Young Master,

I am guilty.

...

The hearse drove back to the funeral parlor, where Pick and Dincombe were responsible for packing things up, while Karen and Alfred walked inside.

"You mean these twelve coffins are to be placed in the Allen Manor?"

"Yes, young master, that performance hall is quite suitable."

"I agree, and I believe Pur will agree as well. After all, Count Recal will be the first to move in. By the way, the trade between Allen Manor and Dark Moon Island—the commercial interests, that is—you take charge of following up on it. There should be progress soon."

"Yes, young master, your subordinate has kept it in mind and will report to you, young master, when there is progress."

"Mm, good, go get some rest early. I think I shouldn't have any missions lately, and it's time for a good rest. Oh, I almost forgot, in a couple of days I still need to find time to visit the pottery workshop to custom-order human-shaped puppets for Pur and Kevin."

"Young master, please rest early."

Karen pushed open the bedroom door and walked inside.

Alfred turned around and walked toward his own room. Just then, the young master's voice came from behind him:

"Hey, Alfred."

"Young master?"

"Come in for a moment."

Alfred walked into the master bedroom, and then, he saw a very familiar coffin being placed on a bed that had already been crushed down.

The scene before his eyes was so abrupt that Alfred opened his mouth subconsciously.

Fate had long since arranged it.

Alfred let out a long sigh of relief. He felt very fortunate, fortunate that he had already repented earlier while in the car, instead of waiting until now.

When the gaze of the god has already noticed you, even if you hide into the undercurrent of space, you still cannot escape the god's master bedroom.

Because the coffin lid was not nailed down, it was fixed in place by a buckle mechanism, so opening it was very simple with just a bit of clever force. Alfred alone pushed the coffin lid open quite easily.

Karen stepped a little closer, leaning down to look closely at Old Saman lying inside.

He did not lie peacefully, at least not in a peaceful posture in the traditional sense.

The violent jolting during the array transportation had turned him from originally lying face up into a face-down position with his hands pinned behind his back, looking as if he were doing the butterfly stroke inside the coffin.

Pur narrated the process of the entire incident.

Only then did Karen understand why, after going to the cemetery, Old Saman had talked to him about his family's golden retriever.

...

"How else do you want me to describe it? Say it's as smart as a human? After all, it's just a dog."

"Mm, right, after all, it's just a dog."

...

Old Saman wanted an aesthetic and darkly self-deprecating humorous way to banish himself. He chose a dog as his target. In Kevin's words, when Old Saman gave him the compass, he threw in a bone so gnawed down that even flies couldn't find a foothold on it;

At the same time, Old Saman also drenched the compass in the gravy from dinner. He wanted the golden retriever to lick and play with the compass, and then choose a spatial coordinate for him.

It was truly hard for Karen to imagine how Old Saman could ever think of and carry out such a dog-brained thing.

After all, under normal circumstances, a golden retriever licking, pawing, and biting at a precision compass—heaven knew which coordinate the compass would point to when the array activated; even a post-event review wouldn't be able to look it up.

But as fate would have it, Old Saman had terrible luck; he actually let an evil god tune the compass orientation for him.

The evil god, treated as a dog, was obviously angry in his heart;

Fine,

Since you treat me like a dog, then I will pull you back down, and we shall be dogs together.

"Kevin."

The golden retriever squatted before Karen, wagging its tail.

"You did very well."

"Woof!"

Receiving praise, Kevin was very excited.

Pur tilted her head and said, "What I want to ask is, where are we sleeping tonight?"

Alfred spoke up, "The bed can only be replaced tomorrow. Tonight, the young master can sleep in my room."

"No need to trouble yourself," Karen waved his hand. "It's just for one night, sleeping on a floor mattress is fine too. By the way, are you guys hungry? I'll go make a midnight snack."

Karen walked out of the bedroom and came to the kitchen. There was a lot of leftover rice in the refrigerator. Although the family had gradually started using rice as a staple food because of his tastes, they were clearly still in the adaptation phase, so a lot of rice was left over every day. But such rice was most suitable for making egg fried rice.

Cracking eggs, beating them evenly, putting in oil, then putting in the eggs, and then tossing in the rice to stir-fry together.

For egg fried rice, Karen liked it on the drier side, as the sense of satisfaction when eating it was stronger that way. Finally, sprinkling a large handful of chopped green onions, the fragrance instantly burst forth.

"Alfred, call them to the kitchen to eat."

"Understood, young master."

Karen, on the other hand, scooped two bowls of rice separately, placed them on a tray with two pairs of chopsticks—one pair laid flat, the other pair stuck into the bowl.

Then, Karen carried the tray toward the bedroom.

In the bedroom, there were only Karen and Old Saman, one standing outside the coffin, one lying inside the coffin.

Karen placed the tray on the floor, standing facing the coffin.

A black chain extended out from beneath Karen's feet, climbing up onto the coffin and entering the inside.

A deep vortex appeared in Karen's left eye,

He raised his hand, pointing at that coffin, and said in a deep voice:

"In the name of Order, I command you to awaken!"

The black chain turned red in an instant. Karen perceived that the spiritual power within his body was being rapidly drawn out, though now, he could bear this cost relatively easily.

After it ended, the black chain turned back to black, retracting beneath Karen's feet and finally disappearing.

Karen sat down on the cushion, picked up a bowl of egg fried rice, and took two bites with his chopsticks. Mm, a bit bland; next time he needed to put more salt.

Just then,

Old Saman slowly poked his head out of the coffin. With an incomparably astonished expression, he sized up the surrounding environment, only feeling that this place was so familiar; for a moment, he thought this was the conscious world after death;

Until he saw the old refrigerator placed in this familiar bedroom, he finally understood exactly what had happened.

Here was reality, and he had been awakened!

Finally, the old Saman’s gaze fell upon Karen, who was seated right in front of him, and he asked in a tone laced with sheer disbelief:

“Was it... you who called me back up?”

“Mm.”

“For... for what purpose?”

“To have a midnight snack.”