Chapter 277: Awakening! (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 277: Awakening! (Please Subscribe)

Richard turned his head to look at Mr. Eisen, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "Bernard is still alive? What does that mean?"

Mr. Eisen replied, "According to Wien law, we were originally only guilty of theft and desecration of a corpse."

"And now?"

"Now that Bernard is still alive, it means we are innocent."

Richard looked at Mr. Eisen very seriously, blinked, and murmured with profound realization:

"Damn, you actually make a lot of sense!"

Karen gestured to the two men behind him, and they immediately leaned in close.

Richard couldn't resist reaching out to slap Bernard’s face, asking, "Is this thing really still alive?"

"Yes, I am certain he is alive."

"Then how on earth did he manage it?" Richard inquired.

Mr. Eisen spoke up, "Could it be the same as that giant tortoise? A form of long slumber, a state of suspended animation."

Back then, Dorons’s lifespan was nearing its end, so Philias had sealed him to help him enter a long sleep, giving him the chance to catch a glimpse a century later of the crystallization wrought by everyone's painstaking blood and sweat.

Karen nodded and said, "It is highly probable. Because in the Dark Moon Island's records concerning Bernard, the cause of his death has always been extremely vague."

Before Bernard died, there was no coup, no political turmoil, nor had he suffered any severe injuries, let alone any chronic illness afflicting him; therefore, he had no specific cause of death.

The official public statement from Dark Moon Island was more or less that he had died in his study due to sheer exhaustion from overworking for the island, with a blueprint still spread across his desk, meaning that the great ancestor Bernard was still sketching the grand blueprint for Dark Moon Island's future at the very moment of his passing.

This claim was something Karen simply did not believe.

Setting aside Bernard's personal moral character, when it came to work, he was by no means someone who would whole-heartedly and selflessly sacrifice everything for Dark Moon Island. How could a man like that establish so many "wonders" on the island, while simultaneously engineering such a rich tapestry of romantic love affairs?

Looking again at Bernard's half-white, half-black hair and skin, Karen had initially taken it for granted that Bernard had maintained himself meticulously during his lifetime and that the post-mortem preservation conditions had always been excellent, allowing the corpse to remain remarkably well-preserved.

As it appeared now, he had prepared himself to "die."

The true purpose behind constructing the Palace of Yearning might not have been to express his adoration for Miss Purr—or rather, it was not merely that; what he likely desired more was a form, a physical arrangement that allowed his coffin to remain stationed above ground.

Why did he go to such trouble?

Because he did not trust anyone. Even if a person possessed absolute loyalty to him, he was incapable of trust.

After his "death," could that loyalty truly endure?

Would this man’s descendants continue to remain loyal to him?

Even with his own children, the very next patriarch he had personally designated, he was still unable to extend his trust, for he understood all too well the distortions and moral decay born of power struggles.

The fact that the Dark Moon clan still retained the "cursed insects" meant strictly for themselves to this day was the absolute best proof of this.

He was not sleeping for a few days, nor for a few years; calculating by the current span of time, he had already slumbered for a century.

He had succeeded. Because his corpse had been permanently housed within the Palace of Yearning, no matter how the power struggles of his descendants played out, he occupied a transcendent position, because he had already become a totem, a symbol of political correctness belonging to Dark Moon Island.

Was this method of placing the corpse merely to make things more convenient for himself when he woke up and came out?

The layout of the Palace of Yearning instantly surfaced in Karen's mind. Because of that towering statue of Purr, coupled with the necessity of drawing magma inside, the grand hall of the Palace of Yearning possessed no roof.

Was it that he needed to be shone upon by the dark moon, absorbing its power for nourishment? Or was the magma introduced into the Palace of Yearning also a necessary part of what he required?

Karen felt there must be reasons along those lines, though at the moment, he had no interest in investigating the finer details of the matter, because he only needed to know one thing: the Bernard before his eyes was still alive.

For him, this was exceptionally excellent news. An "awakening" in the ordinary sense—even if it just meant making Bernard open his eyes and sit up once more—would not allow the punishment and vengeance inflicted upon him to be truly satisfying in the truest sense.

Now things were perfect. Since Bernard wasn't dead, he only needed to find a way to rouse him, and then the person standing before him would be the real, living Bernard; his punishment and vengeance would fall upon the actual man himself.

Most importantly, after killing him, he could be awakened again and killed once more.

This wasn't double the joy; this was tenfold the joy.

But now the problem arose: how was he supposed to wake him up?

If he hadn't awakened when Karen carried him out of the coffin on his back, that would be easy to understand; the external perception of a deep, slumbering state of suspended animation would surely be infinitesimal. However, earlier Mr. Eisen had used his needle-and-thread method to deploy so many formation arrays upon his body and still failed to rouse him, which meant the depth of his suspended animation was truly, terrifyingly deep.

"Do you want to wake him up?" Mr. Eisen asked.

"Yes. Do you have a way?"

"I don't."

Richard gave Mr. Eisen a shove and said, "Then why did you just ask? Are you just farting out words?"

Mr. Eisen responded with a flat, "Yes."

Karen spoke, "Our time is not very plentiful. Dark Moon Island will very quickly discover that their beloved ancestor has vanished, and we cannot remain away from our unit for too long either."

Mr. Eisen opened his mouth to say, "The way that giant tortoise was awakened."

Karen sighed and said, "But it is too late to go looking for his conch shell now."

Richard asked in confusion, "What conch shell?"

Mr. Eisen said, "When I was setting up the formation arrays on his body just now, I had a strange sensation. It was as though inside his body, there was a faint consciousness offering a weak resistance against me. I didn't mention it before because I thought it was normal, given that the amount of residual spiritual energy within this corpse is immense. It is quite standard for the residual spiritual energy in the body to produce a slight rejection toward my actions in deploying the arrays, much like carving a new inscription upon a sacred relic.

I don't know if this detail is of any use to you..."

"As for this..."

Suddenly, as if a thought had struck him, Karen reached out to press his hand against his forehead, his gaze falling once more upon Bernard.

He recalled Ophilia's reaction after she drank the cursed insect last time; when Ophilia used the dark moon to purify herself, the cursed insect inside her body would immediately launch a counterattack, causing the degree of pollution to spike even higher.

Philias had said that the cursed insects were bred step by step by using the fleas from Dorons’s body. The original purpose of breeding them wasn't to create cursed insects at all, but rather a new product that could be used to sustain a pillar industry for Dark Moon Island.

The reason that insect later became a cursed insect was entirely due to the curse Philias had laid down in his fury after escaping from Snake Island.

The Dark Moon clan still possessed the cursed insects; aside from using them for internal strife, did they serve any other purpose?

If it only carried a cursing effect against those of the Dark Moon clan's bloodline, did that imply the insect itself possessed other intrinsic value?

Bernard's method of slumbering was remarkably similar to Dorons’s...

Then what was the original purpose of breeding that insect after all? An industry, a pillar industry...

Philias and his group of followers were kind-hearted; they wouldn't manufacture something highly hazardous just to sell it.

So, was it an insect capable of letting a dying person enter a deep slumber? Only in this way could it be deemed a pillar industry, something that would be highly sought after by many people in the world.

Bernard,

Had swallowed that insect!

Not the cursed insect, but the very first type of insect that had been successfully bred, which was originally the flagship product Philias and the others had cultivated for Dark Moon Island.

The Dark Moon clan knew its value, which was why they had not driven this insect to extinction and still kept a preserved stock of it in their hands to this day.

This insect was harmless to other people—no, not merely harmless, it was likely even functional. Combined with other supplementary methods and the effect of that insect, it could allow a person to enter a long sleep. Yet the Dark Moon clan was utterly unable to turn this into an industry; once this insect was continuously bred and sold to the outside world, it would be equivalent to selling the very rope that could hang themselves.

Factions hostile to Dark Moon Island would only need to spend a few vouchers to purchase this kind of insect from Dark Moon Island and then introduce it back into the island, which would spell absolute disaster for the Dark Moon clan.

Karen felt that his conjecture ought to be correct.

Philias truly was a genius.

He possessed personal charisma, he had a group of steadfast supporters, and he was gentle and kind. Alas... such a man, no, such a group of people, yet because of Bernard, they had met with that kind of end.

What a pity; he truly could have become a legend.

In Karen’s heart, Philias was almost an exact replica of himself a century ago; once this sense of projection took hold, his loathing for Bernard instantly intensified by another degree.

Heh...

It was fortunate that he had learned about Philias only after the fact; had he known sooner, he would likely have taken the initiative to lead the captain out to stir up trouble, exercising an even greater degree of agency than the captain himself.

However, now that the specific problem had been uncovered, the solution naturally presented itself.

Karen raised his palm, where the wound from feeding Ophilia blood last time had been treated with magic, leaving only a faint scar now.

"Memphis, Richard, I am going to do something next to wake him up. It involves a secret of mine that is inconvenient for you to see. Please excuse yourselves for a moment."

Richard grinned. "Haha, you actually say it so openly."

"Very well."

Mr. Aisen placed a cluster of silk threads before Karen, the very lines that controlled the array of formations; to activate any particular one, one need only snap that corresponding thread. Karen had watched the formation being set up, and Mr. Aisen trusted that Karen knew which thread belonged to which, without making a mistake. Setting the items down, he turned and walked out.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Richard chased Mr. Aisen out of the cavern, asking curiously, "Hey, what secret do you think Karen is planning to use?"

"He possesses many secrets."

"I know that, of course."

"Manage your relationship with him well in the future; it will benefit you."

"Though your condescending tone makes me a bit uncomfortable, it still warms my heart."

"Heh."

Richard reached out to pat the back of Mr. Aisen's head, saying, "Then you behave yourself too, and manage your relationship with my good brother Karen well. Got it?"

Mr. Aisen replied, "Very well, I shall remember."

"Ah~" Richard yawned. "I thought watching that stage play this evening was splendid enough, but I never expected the midnight experience to be even more unforgettable. Even now, it feels somewhat surreal—we actually stole someone’s ancestral corpse."

"Sometimes, you do not need to know why you are doing a thing; you only need to follow orders and execute it well."

"I know that, of course, no need for you to lecture me. I am willing to listen to Karen." With that, Richard threw an arm over Mr. Aisen’s shoulder, shaking him heartily. "I believe it won’t be long before Karen is qualified to branch out and lead a Whip of Order squad of his own. In the future, we two brothers will ride his coattails together in the squad."

"Very well."

"Karen is the eldest brother. I arrived first, so I am your second brother, alright? Let us not judge by age; that is far too vulgar."

"Very well."

"Call me brother, let me hear it."

"I will not."

"Heh, look at you, quite proud, aren't you? Fine, fine, I know you are capable, I was just joking. How about this: you be the second brother, and I shall call you brother instead?"

"I will not."

"Are you shy?"

"No."

"Brother! Did you hear me!"

Mr. Aisen nodded, glancing sideways at Richard,

and said,

"Yes, I heard you."

Inside the cavern.

Karen drew his palm across the Sword of Alius, cutting open a gash as fresh blood began to flow.

Promptly, Karen gripped Bernard’s cheek with his other hand, pinching hard to force his mouth into a pout.

Blood trickled down into the forced opening.

After a brief moment, Karen withdrew his hand.

Now, it remained to see Bernard's reaction.

The reaction came swiftly; before Karen could even apply a simple healing spell to the wound on his palm, a white insect crawled out of Bernard’s mouth. Karen recalled that the curse insect Ophilia had accidentally ingested last time was black, and this white insect was significantly larger than the black one, resembling a silkworm pupa.

This was likely a peculiar kind of symbiotic relationship—unlike the symbiosis between himself and Pu'er, theirs existed purely on a physical level.

The insect required a nest; the one who ingested it essentially leased out their body as a landlord. The insect took up residence here, obligated to handle the cleaning and maintenance to pay its rent.

Once the white insect crawled out, its body convulsed, and in an instant, Karen sensed it shifting its attention toward him.

It took flight; separated from the human body, it seemed desperate to find a new abode.

Its gaze fixed precisely upon Karen's bleeding palm.

Karen did not stop it, allowing it to land in the center of his hand.

Yet, this white insect did not bore into the wound as the black one had done before; instead, it lay prone on Karen’s palm, spinning strands of white silk that blanketed the injury.

An immediate itch arose at the wound, a sign of rapid healing.

Following this, the white insect flew back to the edge of the coffin and lay down, appearing somewhat listless.

Beholding the neatly "bandaged" wound, a smile played at the corner of Karen's mouth; so this was the true nature of a curse insect.

Seeing an injury upon a body, it simply could not restrain itself—much like spotting a neighbor's broken door and taking the initiative to fix it, with no ulterior motive other than a compulsive need for order.

Karen reached out to lift it up, holding it before him.

The insect possessed two eyes upon its head, seemingly observing Karen in return.

With his index finger, Karen tapped its head gently.

The white insect rolled over, squirming a few times in his palm as if seeking Karen’s permission to enter his body.

But if you enter my body, you will instantly drop dead.

"Richard!"

Karen called out toward the cave entrance.

"Coming, coming!"

Richard came trotting in immediately. Believing Bernard had been awakened by Karen, he first inspected the interior of the coffin upon entering; seeing Bernard still lying motionless, he could not help but feel perplexed—he hadn't awoken.

"Extend your hand."

"Huh?"

Richard held out his hand, only to see Karen place a white insect onto his palm.

"What is this?"

"Something good. Take it out and ask your... ask Memphis to verify it once more. If there are no other issues, I suggest you swallow it. Remember, do not chew."

"Hey, it's rather cute. Where did it come from?" Richard inquired.

"Miss Ophilia gave it to me. It was dormant, but now it has awakened. With this insect inside you, the recovery of your wounds will be much faster."

"Really? Miss Ophilia gave this to you, and you are just handing it over to me?"

"We are good brothers."

"Mm-hmm, yes."

"Remember, let Memphis check you over first to see if your constitution is suited for swallowing it. Also, have him check if there are any other precautions to take."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Anything else?"

"No, you may leave. From now on, unless I call for you, none of you are to enter."

"Mm, I understand."

Richard left, cradling the bug in his hands.

"Richard."

"Hmm? What else?"

"Before you swallow it, remember to wash it. It’s cleaner that way."

"I think this little thing looks quite clean."

"We must practice good hygiene."

"Understood."

Karen believed this white bug was harmless, not just because it had politely dressed his wound moments ago, but because he trusted that Mr. Philias would not deliberately cultivate something harmful to humans.

This could be considered judging a bug’s character by its master's character.

Furthermore, the bug had existed in symbiosis within Bernard’s body for a hundred years, clearly growing and maturing a great deal. It was indeed an excellent specimen. It was a pity he couldn't use it himself, and bringing it home for Alfred and the others to consume carried the risk of unforeseen complications if the bug remained outside a human host for too long; it had already looked a bit withered earlier.

Thus, gifting it to Richard to curry favor was the most appropriate choice. It was equivalent to granting a favor to Mr. Eisen as well. One gift yielding two favors was a highly profitable bargain.

Watching Richard walk out of the cavern,

Karen turned around,

reached out to tap the edge of the coffin,

and said,

"Are you going to keep pretending to sleep?"

Bernard

opened his eyes!

———

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