Chapter 312: Shocking Examination Results

Chapter 312 The Shocking Results of the Inspection

"Father, Mother, you two..."

Santos made a silencing gesture, and Aisley shut her mouth immediately.

Then, Aisley's mother, Selena, took the fountain pen from her daughter's hand, unscrewed its end, and flicked it downward, causing three black butterflies to fly out and land on the faces of the three people present.

Once the butterflies landed, their wings unfurled, forming a black curtain of light that perfectly enveloped each person's head.

This was a method of communication similar to the black crow, but it was safer, carried more information, and could achieve communication over a certain distance, with only one flaw... the materials were expensive.

Therefore, the priests of the Order of Justice still preferred to simply pick up ritual paper or even tear a piece of fabric directly from their own divine robes to fold a black crow, rather than use this kind of butterfly.

Santos and Selena did not carry this on them because it was never needed for communication in the research institute under normal circumstances, as they were equipped with specialized assistants and demon beasts responsible for communication, but they knew their daughter carried it.

Right now, using this method to "communicate" was instead the safest way.

Selena spoke first, "Whew... the bone age of that cat is nearly two hundred years old."

Santos then said, "The bone age of that dog is only eight years old."

"In every single hair of that cat, I detected residues of fire-attributed power. Although the amount is very low, low enough to be almost negligible, it is present in every hair—literally every single one!

Even for a top-tier demon beast, it is very difficult to achieve this degree, just as an ordinary person cannot forge every single part of their entire body into muscle.

This means the cat I inspected is currently in a period of weakness, or it deliberately suppressed its power in front of me, but its foundation is simply too perfect; it is hard to imagine what kind of sight its peak period, or when it does not suppress its power, would truly be.

As a fire-attribute demon beast, it can smelt fire-attribute power into every part of its body; no, it has already achieved a perfect compatibility of fire-attribute power with its own body, and even with its own soul.

I dare assert that, to a certain extent, it once stood as an existence at the pinnacle of the fire-attribute system."

Santos said, "The dog I inspected had nothing unusual in its fur; it is just an ordinary dog."

Aisley stood to the side, and although she was listening, she did not know what she should say.

So, that black cat was not only not an ordinary pet, but a top-tier demon beast?

Recalling the affectionate way the black cat behaved toward Karen in front of her, she had previously thought it was just the intimacy between a pet and its master, but now that she replaced the black cat with a top-tier demon beast and recalled that previous scene, the style of the picture instantly became completely different!

A top-tier demon beast, and Karen, so affectionate?

Aisley thought back to the selection process, where Karen carried a deadweight up the mountain step by step, and finally stopped and sat there preparing to guard the gate.

And even for guarding the gate, he had let the three of them go up first; that was an absolute and transcendent confidence.

Selena looked at her husband and asked, "Then why is your face so terribly pale as well?"

Santos swallowed hard and said, "The golden retriever I inspected is indeed just an ordinary golden retriever, but have you ever seen a single golden retriever with hundreds of seals from the Church of Principles applied to its body!"

Speaking to this point, Santos grew visibly agitated, "Just what kind of dog is worthy of having hundreds of Church of Principles seals applied to it? What kind of family could be so lavish as to use hundreds of seals on a dog?"

Finally,

Santos spread his hands:

"I suspect that a soul worthy of enjoying such treatment is sealed inside that dog's body, and that dog should merely be a container."

If Karen were standing in the workshop at this moment, if these three had not used a secret method to communicate, and if Karen had heard their complete dialogue, he probably would have truly sighed with sincere admiration:

How professional!

"That cat of mine, I measured its soul fluctuations; though the fluctuations were not intense, it took a very, very long time before I heard an echo."

Aisley knew that this was a spell used to inspect the soul strength of demon beasts, similar to throwing a stone into a pool and relying on the echo to differentiate.

Humans and demon beasts were the same; on the soul level and in terms of spiritual power, they could be compared to a pool or a reservoir; a lack of intense fluctuation meant the water level was not high, but a long echo meant that, setting aside the current water storage situation, the reservoir itself was extremely deep.

Indirectly, it could be inferred how terrifying this demon beast's foundation truly was during its prime, when the reservoir was completely full!

Hearing this, Santos wore a bitter smile and said, "Right up until the moment I sent that dog away, I didn't hear any echo at all."

Selena’s eyes widened.

This response from her husband meant only two possibilities.

Either the dog was dead, but obviously, the dog was alive, so this possibility was invalid and could be directly ruled out.

Then there remained the second and only other possibility: standing by the edge of that dog’s reservoir and tossing a stone down... the stone never hit the ground.

Selena asked, "Just what kind of dog did you inspect?"

Her cat could be compared to a top-tier demon beast because the inspection data from all aspects matched up, at least having an origin and a point of comparison, which could be found corresponding to top-tier demon beasts she had handled in the past or the notes left by generations of predecessors in the department she had browsed through.

But the one her husband inspected...

Santos said, "If I haven't misidentified it, the one I inspected should be a... golden retriever?"

This seemed like a ridiculous piece of nonsense, but Selena knew that when facing his professional field, her husband was famously averse to speaking nonsense; the current situation meant the shock in her husband's heart was many times higher than her own.

Santos continued, "Hundreds of seals from the Church of Principles, and each seal is interlinked, melting into one another without any conflict; the difficulty of fusing two seals is ten times that of a single seal existing alone... hundreds of seals stacked together and running in harmony, this difficulty...

I even suspect that the person who applied the seals to this dog was a Temple Elder of the Church of Principles... only those truly at the very top of the Church of Principles could arrange such an unimaginable seal!"

"Is... is that true?" Selena asked.

"The head of our department's formation team doesn't have this capability, and even the heads of the S-rank department formation teams above us, who specialize in sealing the remnant souls of ferocious beasts, cannot achieve this level, I am certain of it.

Most importantly, this dog is in good health; heavens, it has hundreds of seals on its body!

It is equivalent to a person carrying a dozen great mountains on their back yet still maintaining good health.

Setting everything else aside, if this dog were sent to the S-rank department above our heads for them to use as a blueprint for research, they would absolutely go mad for it!

This dog is a living textbook, and it could even open a new era for the S-rank department in sealing the souls of ferocious beasts!

If it were turned over to the Church of Principles, no, even if the existence of this dog were merely leaked to the Church of Principles, the directors of their corresponding departments would even come in a group, kneel down, and beg hoping to obtain this dog, at any cost!

But,

even this,

is merely the utilization of this dog's outermost value.

You can hardly imagine what exactly is sealed inside its body, and what exactly it is that could match such sealing treatment!"

"Aisley." Selena looked toward her daughter, "Are those truly Karen's two pets?"

"Yes... yes." Aisley had already been frightened by the contents of her parents' exchange, her voice almost carrying a hint of crying, "I was just outside, and I saw them being very affectionate with Karen."

Santos and Selena exchanged a glance.

Selena spoke, "To summarize the inspection results once more, if my cat was not deliberately suppressing its power, then it means it is currently in a period of weakness, and if it completely recovers, it will absolutely be a top-tier demon beast; furthermore, although it looks like just an ordinary cat, I cannot understand how it could actually display the appearance of an unawakened intellect.

Oh, it was fooling me!

That's it, it's impossible that its intellect isn't awakened yet, but it behaved so ordinarily; it possesses highly advanced thinking, which means the maturity of its wisdom even surpasses that of a top-tier demon beast.

If a family with a family belief system possessed this cat, the entire family would only need to do whatever it takes to nurture this cat until it returns to its peak state, and relying on this cat alone, they could lift up a family!

In addition, I detected a door inside this cat's body."

"A door?" Santos asked in confusion, "A contract relationship?"

"Yes, I didn't dare to perform a detailed and deep probe, fearing I would trigger the cat's awareness, but I felt in the abstract that there is the existence of a door."

Santos gritted his teeth and said, "A symbiosis contract."

Selena was startled for a moment, and then she also nodded, saying, "Guess who the counterpart of that symbiosis contract is signed with?"

There was no longer any need to guess, for the answer lay plain as day.

Serena let out a long, slow breath, turning to her daughter. "Aislee, you must thank him. When you were ascending the mountain, he chose not to obstruct you. To think that a being capable of sustaining the belief system of a first-tier family has entered into a symbiotic covenant with him, solely to support his individual growth."

"Mom, you don't have to tell me that. I knew even then that I was no match for him."

When speech had been a grueling labor for her and her mind had sunk into a numb, chaotic stupor, that man had spoken with flawless fluency, mocking her without a shred of mercy. Even then, the chasm between them was glaringly evident.

Especially when he sat there, Aislee knew with absolute certainty that if he had wished to bar her path, she would never have crossed.

Santos spoke up, "There is no need to summarize my analysis of that dog. It is an objective far beyond my station; I lack the qualifications, and I lack the standing. But I wish to note one thing. The relation between the Church of Principle and our Church of Order has always been amicable. By long-standing tradition, beginning from the stage of the Inquisitors, members of both churches will seek out a partner from the other side.

The Church of Principle provides our Order personnel with intellectual and experiential support, while we offer them protection and the martial force required to secure materials.

Such arrangements may be rare within our specific department, but across other branches of our faith, it is practically a default convention.

Therefore, what I mean to say is, the member of the Church of Principle who could deploy hundreds of arrays upon that golden retriever... the partner of our church corresponding to them..."

Serena interjected, "Is it a member of Kallen's family?"

Santos added, "Look further at the attitude of Chief Bishop Wolfrun..."

Serena whispered, "Within Kallen’s family, there sits a Temple Elder."

A Temple Elder—a existence that transcended all departmental systems, reigning supreme over the entire Church.

Legend had it that the immediate bloodline of every Temple Elder's family would receive the blessing of Order itself.

Serena could not help but gaze at her daughter once more. In this world, the vast majority of mothers were not driven by simple snobbery when choosing a son-in-law, but rather by an earnest consideration for their daughters. Having walked the path of marriage herself, she knew precisely what hardships awaited after the initial sweetness of affection dissolved into the mundane routine of life.

Perhaps wealth was no longer a necessity for them; they cared more for spiritual development. For researchers like them, the departmental project funds approved each year required fierce competition among every office. Research, after all, was an enterprise that devoured resources.

If your background was formidable enough, not only would no one dare vie with you for funding and resources, but you could even secure additional authorizations, affording more serene conditions to bring the ideas in your heart to fruition.

Most importantly, the young man was exceedingly handsome.

Sensing her mother's thoughts, Aislee blurted out immediately, "He thinks nothing of me. He said I am not beautiful."

Serena pressed a hand to her forehead.

Santos countered, "Do not always dwell on such matters. Aislee's temperament differs from yours and mine. In the future, it is best to find a young man within the department, preferably one with talent but no background. That way, after they wed, we can still look after them. Otherwise, with that foul temper of hers, I truly fear she would clamor for divorce within a few years of marriage."

Fathers, it seemed, often saw through things with greater clarity.

"Very well, it is time to step out. Let us hasten and adjust our mindset. It is enough that we understand his family lineage in our hearts, but it must remain strictly confidential. The elders of the Kallen family have deliberately arranged this manner of trial to temper him. We have no need to interfere. Guard your tongues."

"I understand, Dad."

Aislee knew her father's words were meant for her.

"Fostering a good relationship is never a mistake. Setting aside his family lineage, his inherent talent ensures his future achievements will not be low. This is not only beneficial for the final selection or the subsequent trials within the Gate of Samsara, but it will yield advantages for the distant future as well."

Serena reminded him, "The cultivation plan..."

"Proceed. Follow the cultivation plan for top-tier demonic beasts. The supplements that ought to be given, the reagents that ought to be provided, and everything else—supply them all. Deduct the expenses from our stipends. It is worth it."

"Yes, it is worth it."

...

Standing outside, Kallen had been waiting for the three to emerge from the workshop.

Purr, nestled in his arms, remained somewhat dissatisfied. Though it had intentionally disguised itself, being referred to as an ordinary pet still kindled a trace of displeasure in its heart. I may pursue simplicity, but you possess no right to call me wretched.

Alfred walked up behind Kallen, placing a hand gently upon his shoulder, his voice filtering into Kallen's ear: "Master, the telephone in the workshop did not intercept any sound. I suspect they are utilizing communication sorcery for a secret exchange. I believe they may have detected the irregularities of Purr and Kevin."

Kallen nodded, responding in his heart: "It is only natural. That is their trade, after all."

"Master, will any mishap arise from this?"

"No. I have grown quite accustomed to it."

"Oh?" Alfred froze for a moment. "I am dull-witted and fail to grasp your meaning, Master."

"Rest assured. They will fill in the blanks with their own imagination."

Kallen lowered his eyes, casting a glance at the silver ring upon his finger.

"When I seek to climb higher and pursue greater growth, it is inevitable that others will discern something amiss. But it is of little consequence. So long as I do not utter the truth myself, they will only assume my background is terrifying.

Besides,

my background truly is terrifying."

Having endured such occurrences far too often, Kallen felt he had grown

The next chapter will be delayed; I am taking my time to craft it, so please look for it tomorrow morning when you awaken.

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