Chapter 259: The Shadow of Order

Chapter 259: The Shadow of Order

"There, all finished. I told you it wouldn't hurt a bit, didn't I?"

The Captain clapped his hands, looking down at Karen, who was now sitting propped against the stone sarcophagus.

Blood seeped through Karen’s clothes in several dark, crimson patches, and his skin bore numerous traces of burns; various minor abrasions had also been meticulously arranged, and the Captain had even gone so far as to fracture two of Karen’s ribs.

When it came to the art of "forgery," the Captain was a man of absolute devotion.

"Captain, you shouldn't use your own threshold for pain as a standard for me."

"Don't worry, these injuries are all easily healed. Even those two broken ribs won't hinder your movement for the time being. Once the people from Dark Moon Island rescue you, they will certainly provide you with their finest healing potions and incantations. I guarantee you won't even be left with a scar."

"Is that it, then? Is it over?"

"Yes, it's over. I couldn't make you too much of a cripple; after all, your body is to be requisitioned by me in the 'story,' so I couldn't leave it in too shattered a state.

Everything else has already been set up—the statues, the position of the sarcophagi, the incinerated remains, the dense, lingering aura of Light, the signs of a struggle outside, including the trail of blood dragged along the ground leading into the cave to place you here—all of it is flawless.

Now, just sit here and wait for your rescuers.

Oh, right, there is one more thing I should remind you of. Miss Ophelia might try to conceal the true reason for your presence at that villa. I suspect she might claim that the two of you had arranged to meet there, only to encounter me sneaking into the estate; I then activated the formation, and both of you followed it to this place.

In short, she will likely do everything in her power to erase any secret you kept for her.

You can never truly know the lengths a woman will go to when she truly loves you.

So, when you are rescued and explaining the situation, you had better keep your wits about you."

"I understand."

The Captain nodded, looking at Karen with a smile of blatant disdain, and said, "Heh, what a cad, playing with other people's feelings."

"..." Karen.

"Hehehe," the Captain let out another long string of laughter. "I am leaving. Look after yourself and don't get eaten by a python. You still possess the capacity to move and a certain degree of combat ability."

The Captain walked out of the cave.

Karen remained leaning against the side of the stone sarcophagus, a trace of helplessness in his heart. If the Captain hadn't taken it upon himself to orchestrate this drama, he would probably be lying on the soft bed of his hotel room by now;

but now, he had to remain propped against the cold stone sarcophagus, waiting in bitter patience.

At the same time, Karen made a silent vow in his heart that the next time he went out with the Captain, he must take precautions in advance and not allow the Captain to indulge his whims so freely.

The wait was destined to be a long one, for Ophelia had to return to Dark Moon Island first before bringing people back from there. As for the teleportation formation in the master bedroom of that villa, because it required a specific method of activation—akin to a secret key—the people of Dark Moon Island might not be able to crack it, meaning they could not teleport over from the formation again.

Karen originally wanted to lie down and sleep for a while, but although his injuries were not severe, they were exceedingly varied thanks to the Captain, making sleep impossible.

Turning his head, he looked at the stone sarcophagus beside him. He remembered that when the Captain had briefly lost his mind, he had called out the name "Jennifer." This was her sarcophagus.

The lid of the sarcophagus had been pushed more than halfway open by the Captain before he left; for "him," looking upon his wife's corpse while conducting the requisition of a new body was the most natural reaction.

Karen approached the stone sarcophagus once more. The last time he had stood, but this time he sat crouching. The two different vantage points allowed Karen to discover something unusual on the underside of the sarcophagus lid.

He immediately lowered his body further, even thrusting his head into the interior of the sarcophagus, lightly rubbing his fingertips together. Under the stimulation of the Allen ancestor’s fire-attribute lineage, he struck a small flame that flickered like a candle, illuminating the inside.

Beneath the sarcophagus lid was a series of bloody marks—scratch marks.

This meant the woman had been "buried" in the stone sarcophagus while still alive; she had struggled, but in the end, it was all in vain.

Karen reached out and picked up one of the woman's arms, intending to observe her hand closely. Because it had become a mummified corpse, the woman's hand had long since shriveled and withered, but one could see signs of the nails being torn back, and several fingers were missing their nails entirely, appearing to have fallen off long ago.

These were all details that Karen had failed to notice when he first pushed open the stone sarcophagus.

Turning his head, he looked at Bernard's stone statue over there. He wore a smile, as if he were looking at Karen.

Suddenly, Karen realized that the reason Bernard had erected a stone statue here was probably not to create an atmosphere where the two parties were still good friends; he had deliberately brought "Miss Pur" along to appreciate his masterpiece.

It was a form of boasting.

This was why the smile on the statue and the gesture of its other hand gave off such an uncomfortable feeling when first seen, because the scene was as if to say:

"Look, see just how foolish they really are, hahaha."

It was hard to imagine what kind of fury "he" inside the Captain's body must have felt upon returning to this old haunt and witnessing this scene, yet even so, the Captain had still controlled his madness.

Fortunately, Pu'er had been no simple character back then either. Once hailed as the genius of her family, she possessed absolute confidence and the ability to protect herself, which had allowed her to clearly express her impatience in the face of Bernard's courtship.

Had it been any other woman facing such a man, the outcome...

Perhaps Bernard did not truly love Pu'er; what he truly loved was the feeling of unrequited longing after she rejected him. It brought him a sense of frustration, yet provoked the joy of self-absorbed devotion. It was this joy that he was addicted to.

If he had actually succeeded in pursuing Pu'er back then, it was highly likely that no such "touching" love story would have been passed down.

A woman's sixth sense was indeed remarkable.

Karen believed that Pu'er back at home had absolutely no idea Bernard possessed this side to him, otherwise she would have told him long ago instead of merely repeating over and over that he was annoying.

Now, he found himself somewhat supportive of Pu'er's plan—the one where, once her strength recovered, she would personally come to Dark Moon Island to desecrate Bernard's grave.

The most pitiable one was still the Captain; he had experienced the grief of losing his beloved twice.

But the Captain's psychological resilience was formidable. A man who could tear off his own face to wage a cognitive battle and successfully claim dominance to maintain his selfhood—his fortitude was simply admirable.

So, this must be the reason why the Captain insisted on leaving something behind for him.

He had controlled this surge of grief and indignation, awakening from his brief madness, but he could not possibly be entirely unaffected. His affliction, however, manifested in the fact that because he had felt the sorrow of losing a loved one twice, he subconsciously wanted to make amends through Karen.

He ignored Karen's opinion and forced an extra scene upon him, staging this drama of risking his life to save him, helping Karen leave an indelible mark in Ophelia's heart;

the reason lay in the fact that,

his heart was so bitter, he was desperate to taste a piece of candy.

Time slipped away, minute by minute, second by second. Karen's thoughts drifted further and further apart, until at last, he was finally exhausted.

Karen lay down inside the empty stone sarcophagus beside him. This was not his first time lying in a coffin, nor was it his first time finding it comfortable to do so.

Normal people felt a sense of taboo regarding coffins, but in truth, it wasn't so; the environment of a coffin could grant you a dual sense of psychological and physiological security.

In this narrow space, you were the master; no one would come to disturb you, and you were finally cut off from the world. You could finally enjoy the silence.

Karen closed his eyes. He fell asleep, yet he was not entirely asleep, for a part of his consciousness remained detached, keeping watch on the outside.

Every hound possessed such a talent, commonly known as "sleeping with one eye open."

It was unknown how much time had passed, only that the sky outside was on the verge of turning pale when a commotion echoed from the cave entrance; a group of people was walking toward this place.

Karen kept his eyes closed, but in his heart, he was already calling upon his symbiote.

Upon the coffin lid, the formation left by the Captain began to operate, casting a beam of white light, and once the white light appeared, the formation dissolved along with it.

The Captain was always so meticulous in his execution, never leaving any errors or omissions.

The white light was guided by Karen, condensing into a figure—it was the silhouette of Pu'er, Pu'er's human form.

She lay right upon the coffin lid, as if accompanying Karen in sleep; everything was so natural, because this was indeed Pu'er's current daily routine.

The group of people who had just entered the cave from outside let out gasps of astonishment and doubt, appearing highly agitated.

Karen heard Ophelia's voice: "Karen..."

Excellent,

he could sleep now.

...

Far away, in the master bedroom on the second floor of the Wien funeral parlor, Pu'er suddenly opened its eyes. Sitting up, it rubbed its eyes with a paw and looked out at the faintly dawning sky, murmuring in confusion:

"Did Karen just leave, and now I have insomnia, meow?"

...

Karen had no idea exactly how long he had slept; he had lost all track of time. He had woken up many times along the way, seeing a different person beside him each time, but he would quickly close his eyes again.

Among those brief awakenings, one memory stood out vividly: Ophelia had been personally changing the external herbal poultice on his wound. As a woman who was only skilled at holding a sword, it was her first time tending to someone. Her clumsy and heavy-handed movements accidentally tore at his wound, causing his body to twitch from the sharp pain.

After that, he could vaguely sense being fed numerous potions, and he felt his body warmly enveloped by healing spells.

Finally, when his sleep was completely satisfied, Karen slowly opened his eyes.

Ophelia was not sitting by his bed, fallen asleep from the exhaustion of tending to him.

Across from his bed stood a single chair. A man sat upon it, his expression cold and stern, his skin exceedingly pale, with both hands resting upon the armrests.

To a certain degree, he bore a slight resemblance to the statue of Bernard in the cavern—not in his exact features, but in that distinct aura.

Although Karen had hidden behind the curtain that time and had not seen his true face, he had a premonition that this was Ophelia’s uncle, the man who had willingly yielded the position of patriarch to his older brother... General Taifuman.

As an island power, the Dark Moon Island's geographical reality dictated that its greatest strength lay inevitably in its navy, and he was the leader of that very force.

Seeing Karen awake, Taifuman showed no great surprise. Instead, he silently picked up a clipped cigar from the coffee table before him, lit it with a lamp, took a draw, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, completely unconcerned that this was a patient’s sickroom.

Karen slowly used his hands to support himself against the mattress and sat up.

He had always heard that the therapeutic effects of the Church’s hospitals were astonishing, and the treatment he enjoyed this time was surely of a higher grade than even those. The various wounds across his body had already scabbed over, and he could feel them regenerating, as an itching sensation spread all over his skin.

Without trying to curry favor, and without initiating conversation, Karen simply sat there, his shoulders slightly slumped.

Taifuman continued to puff slowly on his cigar, making no attempt to hide the scrutinizing gaze he directed at Karen.

Karen maintained a single expression; after lying down for so long, sitting up felt quite comfortable.

The captain had only reminded him that Ophelia might help conceal the fact that he had appeared behind the curtain of the villa; as for the rest, the captain had said nothing.

Because what Karen needed to do next was simply to play the part of a gifted clansman blessed and chosen by the "Ancestor."

As for how to play a genius, the captain felt that this posed no difficulty for Karen whatsoever; he merely had to act as himself.

Finally, Taifuman rested the cigar on the edge of the ashtray, adjusted his posture, and spoke:

"I am Taifuman, Ophelia’s uncle, commander of the Dark Moon Island’s offshore fleet."

From these words, Karen knew that Ophelia had indeed hidden the truth for him; otherwise, there would be no need for Taifuman to introduce himself so deliberately.

"Hello, General."

Taifuman stood up, walked to Karen’s bedside, and looked down at him, saying:

"The Dark Moon has guided the descent of a genius to us. Though he was once isolated overseas, in the end, he has returned to the embrace of the Dark Moon."

Karen said nothing, only watching him silently.

Taifuman smiled slightly. "Karen, do you believe in fairy tales?"

Karen remained silent.

"Most fairy tales that manage to be passed down are false, yet they are alluringly false. In other words, as long as it enchants people, no one cares whether it is true or independent reality.

Just like... you."

Karen continued his silence.

"I faith in the Dark Moon, and I revere the Ancestor Bernard. But I am sorry, I have drifted upon the sea for a long time, grown accustomed to filth and baseness, and witnessed too much despair and numbness.

I used to think that faith was a comfort gained only through one's own bitter pursuits.

But I truly never imagined that faith could, in such a direct manner, deliver a gift right to our doorstep, and even thoughtfully ring the doorbell.

What do you think?"

Karen maintained his silence.

"Do you have nothing you wish to say to me, Karen?"

Karen shook his head and finally spoke, "I do not know what I should say to you."

"You could speak of the reason—for instance, why you are unwilling to use an honorific title for me."

"Why should I use an honorific title for you?"

"Because if you consider yourself of the same generation as Ophelia, then I am your elder."

"But, General, did you view me as a junior?"

"For now, not yet."

"Then why should I view you as an elder?"

"Hmm, fair enough."

"If we

"I am engaged."

"I will allow your fiancée to become your mistress in the future, and I believe Ophelia will accept such a compromise as well.

In the near future, she will become the family patriarch, but looking at your disposition and your own lineage, whether the patriarch is ultimately her or you remains to be seen, does it not?

You will have the opportunity to become the foremost power beneath the Dark Moon."

"Heh..."

"What are you laughing at, Karen?"

"Do you know, I often dream of a woman; sometimes she takes the form of a lady, and sometimes she takes the form of a black cat. In those dreams, she always repeats the same sentence to me over and over again. Would you like to hear it?"

"What did Lady Pall say to you?"

"She said she deeply regretted choosing the family faith system. She never expected the Primordial Ancestor to be so weak, placing such a constraint upon her."

"So, what do you mean by that?"

"The Dark Moon is only fit to reflect the shadow of Order."

— — —

Regarding my schedule, I missed a daytime update. I will try my best to finish writing the next chapter before midnight.