Chapter 292: You Think You're Worthy?

Chapter 292: Who Do You Think You Are?

Karen stood up, let out a soft sigh, and asked,

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet, I'm starving."

"Right, carry him inside."

"Yes, boss."

"Yes, boss."

Puque and Dinkum took either side, lifting Richard on his stretcher and carrying him into the kitchen.

Karen began to boil wontons, the small ones he had wrapped himself and stored in the refrigerator earlier.

Soon, a large bowl of fresh, tender little wontons was served.

"Young master, let me feed him," Xili said.

"Alright, careful not to burn yourself."

"Don't worry, young master, I'll be careful not to burn him."

"I meant the bowl is hot, don't burn your own hands. His skin is thick, he can take the heat."

"..." Richard was speechless.

Using the leftover broth in the pot, Karen tossed in some noodles and cooked himself a bowl of wonton noodles.

Richard not only finished every single wonton, but he drank all the soup as well.

Xili said in surprise, "Sir, you are truly amazing. To have such an appetite even after being so badly injured."

Richard dismissed it casually, "Oh, it's not the first time."

Karen put down his chopsticks and said, "And most likely, it won't be the last."

"Karen, there's no need to curse me like that."

"Did anything change after your father finished beating you?"

"Yesterday he actually stayed in the living room and talked with my mom and grandmother for a while. Wow, that was completely impossible in the past."

"Yes, so this thrashing was well worth it, you reaped a reward."

"Are you saying I have to keep getting beaten until my dad recovers?"

"Why, are you unwilling?"

"If I say I am unwilling, won't it make me look unfilial and base?"

"That is not the main issue," Karen shook his head. "The main issue is that your father has probably found a way to treat himself, which is to beat his own son. If he wishes to treat himself, you have no way to resist."

Even without the entanglement of their father-son relationship, a sacred priest going against a preceptor was tantamount to utter despair.

"Oh, heavens, I feel like my future life will be very bleak."

"You will get used to it."

"Karen, you are so cold-hearted."

"Xili, go call Puque and Dinkum over. Tell them to move him into the coffin."

"Oh no, Karen, I take back my offensive remarks from just now!"

Puque and Dinkum were called over. Lifting the stretcher, they came to the storehouse, and then, holding either end, they raised Richard steadily and placed him into the coffin.

Immediately afterward, the two wheeled the coffin out, using the cart to deliver it to the back of the newly purchased hearse, loading it inside.

Karen climbed onto the hearse at this moment, looking at Richard who lay within. He tapped on the coffin wall and asked,

"How does it feel?"

Richard shifted his body left and right, saying, "Hey, don't say, I really didn't expect lying in a coffin would be quite comfortable."

"Especially after being injured."

"Exactly, riding back like this is much more comfortable. Have you lay like this before?"

"Yes."

Karen's expression dimmed slightly; he had indeed lain in one.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just miss home a little."

"If you miss home, go back and visit. If you think the ferry is too slow, use some coupons to take the church's teleportation array, it's very convenient."

"I will go back, but not right now."

Karen sat in the driver's seat, his hand caressing the steering wheel as he repeated,

"I will go back."

Karen was in no rush to start the vehicle. Instead, he looked out the window and slowly closed his eyes.

When he had first left Ruilan for Wien and entered the Allen Estate, he had experienced a brief period of feeling lost.

Lost in the atmosphere of believers, lost in his encounters with the new environment, lost in the luxurious, aristocratic life of the Allen Estate;

Although he later took the initiative to leave the Allen Estate and move to York City, truth be told, if asked whether he had any specific goal, he really could not articulate one.

Some thoughts, some notions, were too ethereal; perhaps he had that feeling in his mind, yet he could not describe it in words.

His life, up until now, resembled a form of "wandering."

Where he arrived, where he went, where he stayed, none of it seemed to have a clear purpose.

However, he did not feel panicked or bewildered because of this, for this was likely the state of life for most people.

How many people actually lived their lives day in and day out with a perfectly clear goal?

After all, those who could master their own destiny and possessed the right and ability to make a clear life plan were truly few and far between.

On this basis, to live every day of life earnestly, to face the people and things one encountered with effort and positivity, a person who could achieve this was already considered excellent.

However, Karen now conversely possessed a slightly clearer little goal.

On some future day, when he wished to go home, he could do so, regardless of whether a Rasma lived in the church beside his house.

And the fundamental prerequisite to realizing this small goal was probably for him to condense a godhead fragment and become an existence comparable to a temple elder.

Oh no,

One fragment was not enough; two would be the starting point.

Karen let out a long breath and spoke, "Are you asleep?"

Richard replied, "No, I knew you were deep in thought, I didn't want to disturb you."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, there is no need for that between the two of us. By the way, I am very curious, I wanted to ask something."

"Ask away."

"Has something happened at your home?"

"Yes."

"If I were to beg my grandfather, could he help resolve it?"

"The affairs of my family can only be resolved by me personally."

"Alright, as long as you have your own mind made up."

"Let me drive you back. I will drive a bit slower."

"Okay."

Karen drove the hearse and arrived at the entrance of the Guman family's villa.

He stepped down and opened the rear door.

"Order—Chains."

Two spell chains appeared, lifting the coffin, and Karen brought it inside through the underground garage.

After all, visiting someone's home in a hearse was already quite inappropriate, and delivering a coffin right to the front door would be even more outrageous.

After placing the coffin in the basement, Karen reached out and hoisted Richard onto his back.

"Well, I won't take the coffin with me. I feel like you might still have a use for it in the future."

"Thank you."

"No need to say thank you, it feels strange."

"So you know!"

Karen carried Richard up on his back, and the door at the top of the stairs opened, revealing the figure of Mr. Eisen.

Mr. Eisen looked at Karen carrying his son up, and his gaze instantly glared:

"Can't even walk on your own!"

Richard was so frightened that he slid straight down from Karen's back. If Karen hadn't reached out to grab him, Richard would have rolled down the stairs, adding injuries to his existing ones.

Mr. Eisen walked down and shouldered Richard.

Richard's body was trembling as he gripped Karen's arm, silently mouthing "No!"

But Karen proactively withdrew his hand, watching him being shouldered away by his beloved father.

However, it was naturally impossible for Mr. Eisen to beat his child while a guest was in the house. Instead, he threw Richard onto the sofa, while he himself sat on another sofa, flipping through the newspaper.

To think he could actually sit in the living room instead of escaping into the study, it seemed his condition had truly improved significantly.

"Karen is here." Cassie walked over carrying some tea.

"Hello, Madam."

"Come, have a seat."

"Where is the old lady?" Karen asked.

"In the kitchen."

"I will go and help."

"Well..." Cassie hesitated to speak. She knew her mother-in-law did not like a second person entering the kitchen to interfere with her work. In her mother-in-law's eyes, preparing meals for the family was a sacred and inviolable matter.

The last exception was only because her mother-in-law seemed to see

"I want to give that a try next time as well!"

...

"Dinner is served!"

Madame Tangli called for Kaixi to help set the table.

Karen washed his hands and walked into the living room; Mr. Eisen put down his newspaper, gave Karen a nod, and stood up to head toward the kitchen.

Richard lay face down on the sofa, seemingly fast asleep.

Karen approached and nudged him; Richard rolled over, revealing to Karen's surprise a thin layer of white silk obscuring his face. Pulling back the collar, Karen discovered the same white silk coating the skin beneath.

"Ugh..."

Richard stirred from his groggy slumber.

"Why do I feel so sticky all over my face and body?"

Touching his own cheek, Richard muttered in confusion, "What on earth is this?"

"You swallowed that insect, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I swallowed it after having Memphis take a look. I even washed it, rinsed it in the stream."

"Then it is the insect taking effect, healing you."

"Really? Is it that miraculous? Wait, it actually feels a lot better than it did when I went to your house this morning." Richard stood up from the sofa. "Damn, I can actually stand up."

"The treatment seems highly effective."

"It is, Karen. What kind of magical insect did you give me? Oh, and whatever you do, don't let my dad know."

"Your dad was just sitting right next to you reading the newspaper. Do you honestly think he didn't notice?"

"It's hard to say. How could he ever guess there's such a miraculous insect inside me, haha!"

"Indeed, he probably has no idea."

"I'm going to the washroom to clean up. Oh, my cane—I can't just walk over there normally right now, it would be far too obvious."

"Very well."

Karen walked into the dining room first and saw Mr. Eisen already seated there. Though his face was grim and he offered no help, his voluntary presence at the table was a monumental step forward.

Seeing him there, the busy Madame Tangli and Kaixi both looked as though they might weep with emotion.

Karen took a seat beside Mr. Eisen and whispered:

"Next time you finish beating him, don't rush to use healing magic on him, otherwise you will suppress the restorative effects of the insect in his body."

Hearing this, Mr. Eisen nodded with great seriousness.

Just then, Old Man Delong returned. Spotting Eisen in the dining room, he blinked hard to ensure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

Only then did he notice Karen: "Oh, Karen, welcome to our home!"

"Thank you for your hospitality." Karen immediately rose to return the greeting.

He felt a maternal grandmother's warmth from Madame Tangli, but no such bond existed with Old Man Delong. In truth, even with blood relations, closeness is forged through shared time.

Richard came limping into the dining room with his cane and sat down. Glancing at the dishes on the table, he instantly cried out:

"Karen cooked this!"

"Yes, yes, Karen was an immense help to me today. I must say I feel rather ashamed for letting a guest do the cooking, but I truly wanted to see Karen's culinary skill.

Karen, you must come over often in the future to teach me how to cook, won't you?"

"Certainly, I will come often whenever time permits."

"Good, rest assured, I shall have Richard call upon you, haha."

It was a sumptuous lunch, and everyone dined with great pleasure, including Mr. Eisen.

Old Man Delong said high-spiritedly, "It seems my taking leave to come home for lunch was a truly wise decision, otherwise I should have missed such a delicacy, which would have been a sin indeed!"

After the meal, dessert was served: a soup of silver ear fungus and lotus seeds that Karen had simmered.

Everyone conversed while enjoying the sweet.

At that moment, Madame Tangli spoke up: "Old man, that quota you mentioned last time—could you manage to secure one for Karen as well?"

"What quota?" Karen asked in confusion.

Old Man Delong found it rather strange; he believed his wife understood exactly how difficult that quota was to obtain. He acknowledged Karen's excellence, but the entire York City District was teeming with exceptional youths of the right age. It had been arduous enough using his connections to get his own grandson, Richard, into the running; how could he possibly secure another?

Thus, he wondered why his wife would make such a request; favors were not meant to be expended in this manner.

Yet, remembering that Karen had saved the lives of his son and daughter-in-law, Old Man Delong could not help but feel a pang of guilt for his initial hesitation.

"I shall do my utmost to arrange it. If it proves truly impossible, I will give Richard's quota to Karen. In any case, Richard himself admits that Karen is his superior."

Richard immediately Chimed in, "Yeah, I agree!"

Mr. Eisen maintained his poker face.

A look of awkwardness flitted across Kaixi's face; she did not wish for her son to forfeit the opportunity, yet she understood it was only right for Richard's quota to go to Karen.

Karen asked, "Is this the quota for the selection of the Gate of Reincarnation?"

"Yes, precisely," Delong replied.

"Oh, I have already signed up."

"Signed up? Who registered you?"

"Bishop Wolfrun."

"Bishop Wolfrun?" Old Man Delong asked in astonishment. "He signed you up?"

Evidently, because of his grandson Richard, Old Man Delong was well aware of the tale regarding the Dark Moon Princess abandoning the bishop's grandson for the embrace of a member of the Whip of Order.

"Yes, that is correct. Furthermore, the selection process leans toward the spiritual and soulful realm, so Richard might want to exert a bit more effort during this period."

Karen did not mind sharing the questions beforehand, for he believed that since Bishop Wolfrun had leaked them to him, he must have leaked them to Leon and Lore as well.

Old Man Delong smiled and said, "That is wonderful. Karen, you must do your best, and Richard, you must do your best too. Even if you are ultimately not selected, it remains an excellent experience and journey to leave the district and get to know and compete with other outstanding youths of the Holy Church."

"Understood, Grandfather, I see."

Eisen spoke up, "If it is merely a spiritual test..."

Terrified, Richard instantly shouted, "I will go to Karen's place tomorrow, and we can study and research together to strive to pass the selection."

Karen countered, "I am leaving the city tomorrow to see my fiancée."

"Karen, you cannot do this. What is more important, a brother or a woman?"

"She is far more important than you."

"Fair enough."

Madame Tangli spoke up, "Bring her over to visit the house next time there is an opportunity, won't you?"

"I will. She is experiencing some physical inconveniences at the moment, but we shall in the future," Karen replied.

Following that, Karen stayed a short while longer before rising to take his leave.

Mr. Eisen, looking as though he had been granted a grand reprieve, rose and retreated into the quiet of his study.

Kathy, meanwhile, supported her son as she guided him upstairs to his bedroom to rest and nurse his wounds.

Old Delon, driven by a flicker of curiosity, leaned in close to his wife and asked, "Whatever possessed you to bring up that quota just now? Thank goodness Karen was already registered."

Madame Tangli countered coolly, "If it is something Richard can have, why should Karen be denied it?"

"What sort of logic is that? I agree that giving Richard's spot to Karen was the right choice, but I am Richard's grandfather, after all, not Karen's."

At this, Madame Tangli lifted her eyes to her husband with a faint smile; she seemed on the verge of speaking, but ultimately held her peace, offering only a slow nod.

"Well, my dear, I must head back to the department. There are matters left to attend to, and things are rather hectic at the moment. Once this rush passes, I shall take you to the hot springs to rejuvenate your health."

Once Old Delon had departed, Madame Tangli poured herself a cup of tea, lowered her head to take a quiet sip, and sighed, murmuring softly:

"Heh, as if you are even worthy."