Chapter 294: Disbelief in God

Chapter 294: The Godless

"Young Master, you have returned. Please, go and rest."

Old Anderson, accompanied by Mike, welcomed Cullen, yet he offered no superfluous pleasantries. Instead, he stepped aside immediately, clearing the path so Cullen could ascend the stairs without hindrance.

Cullen offered Old Anderson a faint smile and began his ascent.

Pu'er, riding atop Kevin, trotted inside and directed her gaze toward Old Anderson.

"Bring down the bundles from the carriage. Do not touch the sword case."

"As you command."

Old Anderson and Mike bowed in unison to Pu'er, a gesture far more solemn and formal than the one they had previously extended to Cullen.

Pu'er cast a glance toward Cullen, who had already vanished up the stairs, and then spoke to Old Anderson.

"You clever little creature, your entire life's talent has truly been spent on the sheer mastery of human relations."

"I take your lecture to heart, venerable elder."

"Focus on cultivating your successor then."

"Yes, I understand. Rest assured, venerable elder."

"Call me elder again and I shall scratch you to death."

"Yes..."

"Prepare some late-night supper and send it up. Come along, stupid dog, let us go!"

"Woof!"

Old Anderson and Mike straightened their backs together. The father and son exchanged a look, both wearing a bitter smile.

At that moment, Borge entered, carrying the heavily injured Judia on his back.

"Beaten by the Young Master again?" Mike inquired.

Borge replied, "Judia provoked the Young Master and even scratched the paint on his carriage."

Mike immediately expressed concern, "Is the injury severe?"

Old Anderson spoke with profound calm, "Rest assured, the Young Master knows his measure."

With those words, Old Anderson turned and retired to his room for rest.

Mike lifted Judia into his arms and went to find his wife to treat her.

Borge rubbed his wrist, letting out a small laugh, and then headed toward the kitchen to scrounge for some late-night food.

Cullen arrived first at the door of Eunice's room. The two maidservants keeping vigil at the entrance immediately rose from their chairs and bowed upon seeing him approach.

Eunice was prone to lethargy, and her schedule was difficult to maintain. There were times when she would wake in the dead of night, requiring the servants to instantly summon the kitchen to prepare food. During the days when Cullen was absent from the manor, the most highly regarded person within these walls was, in fact, Eunice.

"Is she asleep?" Cullen asked.

"Yes, the young lady has not yet awakened."

"Very well. I came to tell you not to wake her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Young Master."

Having given his instructions, Cullen ascended to the third floor, entering the master bedroom reserved exclusively for the family patriarch. He bathed first, submerging himself into the spacious tub to wash away the mild fatigue born of the long drive.

When he emerged, he wore a set of black silk pajamas.

A sumptuous late-night feast had been laid out upon the floor. Pu'er and Kevin were seated on the carpet, eating merrily. Noticing Cullen's arrival, Pu'er waved a paw at him.

"Dear little Cullen, let us eat first. We can examine the legs after we have dined."

Cullen sat down upon the carpet and casually flicked Pu'er on the head.

Pu'er let out a disgruntled huff but continued to devour the food before her.

After partaking of some food, Cullen walked out of the bedroom.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Borge, who had been waiting outside, immediately shoved the last piece of meat pie into his mouth and began to chew vigorously. At the same time, he asked:

"Young Master, what are your commands?"

"I am going to the performance hall to take a look."

"Very well, Young Master. I shall fetch a flashlight to accompany you, oh, and the keys stored in the study."

"Mm."

Cullen walked out of the castle, arriving at the entrance of the performance hall situated on the southern side of the grounds. The grand doors were secured by heavy iron chains, and the faint, rippling aura of a defensive magical array lingered within.

Borge unlocked the chains with the key, then unrolled a scroll upon the ground, opening a temporary breach in the defensive array.

To put it mildly, in Cullen's eyes, the level of this defensive array served a largely decorative purpose. After all, the magical expertise of the Allen family was limited, and an exceptional array master was difficult to hire even if one were willing to spend a fortune.

Borge tactfully remained outside, choosing not to follow Cullen indoors.

The space within was not dim; rather, it appeared quite luminous, illuminated by numerous ever-burning lamps suspended throughout the hall.

At the very center of the arena lay a massive circle, within which twelve coffins were arranged uniformly. Eleven of the coffins were exquisite, while one was exceedingly hideous.

Cullen walked over to that hideous coffin, reaching out to stroke its lid. Then, he moved to the second coffin and stood before it for a brief moment.

Before he could rely on the Chains of Order to bestow and replenish his strength, he could not yet awaken them. Every premature awakening would cause them to incur more irreversible exhaustion for the time being.

Cullen walked to the center of the magical array, crouching down to press his palm against the absolute center of the smallest circle, infusing his spiritual power into it.

This array also required power to maintain its potency. Therefore, in a strict sense, Cullen had to come here periodically to replenish the formation.

During this process, the black Chains of Order manifested, swirling and rotating around Cullen's body.

Even after Cullen withdrew his hand and concluded the infusion, the Chains of Order did not vanish. Instead, they darted and glided freely through the grand array containing the twelve coffins.

Through the chains, Cullen could distinctly perceive a sense of anticipation.

Cullen walked once more to the coffin of Count Recar. Guided by his will, the black chains beneath his feet snaked their way into the coffin, and Cullen closed his eyes.

It was not strictly necessary to awaken them in order to communicate. He could attempt to merge into their consciousness, just as he had done when he first met Count Recar. The exhaustion incurred by doing so was practically negligible.

The sound of crashing waves echoed in his ears as Cullen opened his eyes. To his slight surprise, though he found himself aboard the pirate ship once more, the vessel was entirely devoid of clamor. There were no carousing sailors, no laughing courtesans, and even the Queen was missing from Count Recar's lap.

At this moment, Count Recar sat by the edge of the deck, a bottle of rum at his side and a fishing rod cradled in his hands.

This tranquil atmosphere made Cullen somewhat unaccustomed. The good Count seemed to have mended his ways.

As Cullen approached, Count Recar caught the sound of footsteps and turned to see him.

He immediately cast aside his fishing rod and dropped to one knee before Cullen.

"I offer you my eternal loyalty!"

This was no act, nor was it mere perfunctoriness. From Count Recar's movements, Cullen could discern a profound, heartfelt sincerity and... dread.

"The Count seems to have changed a great deal," Cullen remarked.

Count Recar replied, "What is more terrifying than death itself, is eternal death."

"Is that so."

"And you are the only great entity capable of saving me. Day and night, I praise your name and offer my prayers to you!"

“I thought you would hate me.”

“Perhaps others would, but not I, for the people lying here were all chosen by you personally.”

“You remind me, though—when choosing who lies here in the future, I must ponder carefully, or else he will only foster an endless resentment toward me.”

Just as Count Rekar had said, lying here was by no means a true state of happiness; it was more like death being stretched out into infinity.

It amounted to Karen placing them here, in prison.

This was a form of mental torture, one that could easily cause a person to focus their wrath upon Karen.

It was only because Count Rekar and Old Saman had chosen this voluntarily that they could come to terms with it.

“No, you misunderstand my meaning. No matter how much resentment he holds for you in his heart while here, the moment you decide to awaken him again, you are his master, you are his savior, you are his light.”

“Right, I understand, but I do not like that feeling. Do you know of Dark Moon Island?”

“Dark Moon Island? Yes, I once sailed across that sea. Dark Moon Island was merely a passable power.”

“It is developing quite well now, better than the Allen Manor.”

Count Rekar showed a sheepish look and spoke, “I feel that finding a power developing even worse than the Allen Manor at this time would actually be more difficult.”

During his last awakening, Count Rekar had witnessed with his own eyes just how useless his family currently was.

“Heh.” Karen took a deep breath. The salty, damp sea breeze was not very comfortable, but the vast ocean view was enough to easily obscure this slight flaw. “There was originally a person from Dark Moon Island who was actually quite suited to lie here, but in the end, I did not do it.”

“His character must have been terrible.”

“Character is a hard thing to define; it can only be judged subjectively by myself.”

“Yes, you are the standard by which all things are measured and decided.”

“What is the matter with you, My Lord Count?” Karen noticed a slight anomaly.

“When I was unfrozen and awakened to change coffins last time, that servant by your side recited your quotations to me.”

“Alright then.”

No wonder he felt Count Rekar's way of speaking was somewhat like Alfred's; it turned out Alfred had already seized every opportunity to proselytize.

“I do not know what kind of existences the Twelve Knights of the God of Order truly are, nor am I certain if I can truly gather twelve, and I cannot even guarantee whether I can truly grant you all immortality once more.

But I still adhere to my criteria for selecting people, which is that if I look down upon someone, I will not want a single one.”

“As it should be, you have the right to choose your retainers!”

“Do you usually fish here?”

“When a dream lasts too long, it inevitably becomes tedious. In my dreams during this time, I generally fish one day and study water-attribute power the next. Last time, I discussed the Ancestor Allen's Pole with my descendant, Poe, so I can take this opportunity to ponder and study it further.”

“You can even learn in a dream.”

“Yes, I happen to be fishing today; it is a rest day.”

“Perhaps I can find you a neighbor.”

“Oh? I know another person lies in that very ugly coffin next to mine, but when I was briefly unsealed and awakened, he was already fast asleep inside.”

“Do you know his identity?”

“I heard your manservant briefly introduce him; he seems to be from the Pamireth Religion.”

“Yes, I know, he is also a person who dislikes boredom. Wait a moment, let me try.”

Karen raised his hand and pointed ahead of him.

…

Outside, Karen, standing before Count Rekar's coffin, sent forth another black Chain of Order from beneath his feet, which crept into Old Saman's coffin.

…

A black vortex appeared before Karen, and through the vortex, a small path paved with chains could be seen inside.

“Shall we go in and take a look?” Karen said to Count Rekar, and then walked into the vortex.

When he came out, Karen found himself inside a graveyard. Behind the graveyard gate, there was a caretaker's shack.

All of this was exactly like the graveyard where Old Saman had grown accustomed to staying in reality.

Count Rekar followed behind Karen, sizing up the surroundings, and said, “The environment here is even worse than mine.”

“He is just used to this environment; the man himself is still very lively.”

Old Saman was sitting on the steps below the caretaker's shack, a large broom placed before him, a pipe clamped in his teeth, and a flute in his hand.

When Karen walked up to him, Old Saman smiled and said, “Hey, it is not time to cook yet.”

“Heh.” Karen smiled.

Only then did Old Saman realize that this was the real Karen, not a figment of his imagination in the dream.

“Karen, is it really you?”

“Yes, it is me, here to visit you.”

“Oh, heavens, I am bored to death.”

Compared to Count Rekar's absolute deference, Old Saman still appeared somewhat more natural in front of Karen, though the respectful “you” was naturally added to his speech.

“So, I brought you a neighbor. In the future, you can visit each other when you have nothing to do; that entrance and exit should not disappear.”

“Hello, I am Rekar, Rekar Allen.”

“You can just call me Saman; you should be much older than me.”

“Yes.”

Karen also sat down on the steps and spoke, “Give me a little more time.”

“Ha, no rush, no rush, take your time and work hard. Our boredom is just a joke; being imprisoned with hope, as long as hope is there, one can still taste a bit of sweetness.”

Old Saman actually comforted Karen instead.

“He is right. Walk slowly, and we will just wait slowly.”

“Mm.” Karen nodded. “Actually, my strength has improved quite a lot recently, though my realm has not changed much.”

Old Saman spoke, “Strength and realm are relative most of the time, but at other times, there is no particularly huge connection. You do not need to take it too much to heart.”

“Your words remind me of my grandfather; he was a Justiciar his whole life.”

Next, Karen told them about the things that had happened to him recently. He had come specifically to see them and keep them company, so he naturally had to speak of the outside world.

At least it would give them fresh material to dream about.

Moreover, there was absolutely no need to keep secrets from them; they could be granted the most comprehensive trust, because they had no way to bypass Karen to inform anyone.

In other words, anyone else might betray him, but these two absolutely could not betray him.

After he finished speaking,

Karen's eyes flushed red, and the Eye of the Dark Moon manifested.

Count Rekar said in surprise, “Is this the Eye of the Dark Moon? I truly did not expect that the clan on that island could actually develop to this point.”

Old Saman, however, said, “The faith of that clan should have been interrupted, or perhaps they took it up later; it is a faith with a fault line. Therefore, what can ultimately be triggered is actually full of the unknown.”

"These eyes were not cultivated by Bernard himself either; they were a gift from someone else. That organization has existed for a long time, so it is only natural for them to possess holy relics from the predecessor of the Dark Moon faith.

Furthermore, I have seen these eyes manifest the visage of a goddess; at the very inception of the Dark Moon faith, there should have been a deity."

Count Recar sighed, "A lost faith, then?"

Old Saman, astonished, asked, "Then exactly how many divine faith systems do you currently bear upon yourself?"

"Let me count."

Karen spread his fingers and began to reckon:

"The Order faith system, the Light faith system—these two are truly systematic. My Order system is that of an Inquisitor, and my Light system is a Luminary equivalent to an Inquisitor, which is to say, the level of a dual-attribute Inquisitor, I suppose.

The family faith systems: the Allen family faith system, and another which is the Immels family faith system initiated by my grandfather. These two family faiths are also systematic.

In short, as far as organized systems go, there are just these four."

Count Recar blinked and said, "Just these?"

Old Saman was also left utterly speechless.

"As for those that are not systematic, used merely as forms resembling spells, the Armor of the Sea God is one—I have yet to touch upon its actual system. The Blade of the Dark Moon, although I obtained the Eye of the Dark Moon and beheld that female deity, I merely employ it as a martial spell. Right now, it counts as my strongest method of combat; in close quarters, my advantage is immensely significant.

Additionally, I still carry the bloodline of the Alte family, as well as the bloodline of the Guman family. I have no interest in seeking out relatives for the Alte family bloodline, so I do not intend to trouble myself with it.

The Guman family possesses a spell resembling a Rubik's cube for controlling formations, which I plan to study a bit.

Oh, and there is one more..."

Karen extended his palm forward, and a cluster of greyish mist rose from his palm, gradually condensing into the vague shape of a 'gate.'

"The Church of Samsara?" Old Saman cried out in shock.

Count Recar reached out and pushed his own jaw back up.

"These scattered bits and pieces, I have not treated them as systems, because I have no desire for deep involvement with them. Moreover, I am quite worried that having too many systems hanging upon me will cause difficulties in my final advancement.

Should the most extreme scenario occur—where if I wish to advance one system, I must ensure all systems advance equivalently—then I might lock myself into a dead end."

Old Saman nodded and said, "Though the premise of your hypothesis is truly unreasonable, I somehow find it makes perfect sense."

Count Recar smiled bitterly, "As someone who originates from a family faith system, I have always held a sense of reverence toward the churches, but you make me feel that these faiths, all of a sudden..."

Old Saman supplemented, "Have become cheap."

Count Recar asked, "How on earth did you manage this?"

Old Saman retorted sarcastically, "What, you wish to learn as well?"

"Can I not just ask? Why must you speak so aggressively, you young man."

Karen spoke up, "I have thought about this question too. If we analyze it according to theory, when I underwent the purification of Order, the God of Light once appeared, and the Eye of Order appeared as well. This equates to my purification receiving the blessings of two chief gods, though both of them might be entirely unaware. The Allen family system was obtained through the symbiotic relationship with Purr, and the Immels family faith system relies on bloodline.

As for the remaining spells, I convert them all using the power of Light. Because during my conversion, no loss occurs, making my efficiency of use almost identical to that of a pure believer. Furthermore, the characteristic of my Immels family faith system might just be learning, because my grandfather was a genius."

Old Saman immediately added, "You are also a genius."

Count Recar echoed, "Right, right, right."

"So, I learn things quite quickly."

Old Saman asked warily, "If we do not analyze it from a theoretical perspective, what is it?"

"In the eyes of almost everyone, each system corresponds to a god; it is this god who created and represents this system. Therefore, every system is bound to a god or a progenitor, and to walk any given path, one must believe in that specific god or progenitor—this is virtually an ironclad law. Whereas I..."

Karen paused for a moment, then continued:

"Do not believe in gods."