Chapter 348: Sacrifice

Chapter 348: Sacrifice

The next day, no one went out; instead, they remained within the training base to familiarize themselves with their instruments of war.

Karen spent the entire day in his room, leaning back against the sofa with his eyes closed, hands tucked into his pockets. In his mind, he reviewed the contents of Mr. Hoffen's notes, while the Rubik's Cube Key silently carried out its deductions.

He sat like this for essentially the whole morning, and after having lunch, he sat once more for the entirety of the afternoon.

This led Ventura, who unlocked the door and returned that evening, to mistakenly believe that the captain’s "illness" had not yet abated, prompting him to insist on setting up his floor berth outside the captain’s bedroom door again that night.

Once night fell, Karen generally stopped studying and would read a few novels instead to break his academic focus.

When he felt ready, Karen would drift off to sleep.

The third day followed the exact same routine, studying alone in the morning.

However, in the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Karen went to open it, finding Muri standing at the threshold.

"We set out tomorrow, and my grandfather called me home for a meal. I wanted to invite you to come back with me."

Muri explained the purpose of his visit.

"I would rather not go," Karen declined.

Being a guest at someone else's house was a stifling affair in itself, to say nothing of the fact that he already knew Muri's status within his family beforehand.

Even with his eyes closed, he could easily picture it: upon arriving at the house, he and Muri would sit on the sofa, enduring the scrutiny of the elders. It certainly would not be a warm and cozy visit.

"Alright then." Muri flashed a bitter smile. "I didn't expect you to refuse so bluntly."

"Enjoy your family dinner."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

After seeing Muri off, Karen sat back down on the sofa, intending to spend the rest of the afternoon continuing his "studies."

But just then, a faint cracking sound echoed, and Karen opened his eyes.

He had set up a small array barrier in the living room area—a formation so simple it could not possibly be any simpler. Its true difficulty lay in how to arrange it to be even more basic.

The true purpose of this kind of array was not defense or isolation, but rather an early warning.

Because with the slightest touch, it would fracture.

"What are you up to?"

Pilo appeared in the living room.

His ability to enter was not surprising. He was the one who had

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Muri shook his head.

When everyone had finished reviewing the documents and the appointment letters, Groven spoke up: "Once we arrive at the Valley of Samsara, your every action will be subject to my command. Is that understood!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Karen's side comprised two squads totaling twelve people, while Groven's team numbered more than thirty, and they had also taken charge of Karen and his men's luggage.

Unfortunately, because a teleportation array ahead had experienced a minor technical issue, the arrays on this subsequent tier were all delayed.

The crowd could only bide their time in the waiting area, though to call it a waiting area was a stretch, as there was not a single chair to be found; everyone sat cross-legged on the ground, their weapons laid out beside them, which gave Karen a distinct sense of the flight delays from his past life.

After waiting for nearly two hours, a notification finally broadcasted through the air.

The group filed into the teleportation array, and following a flash of white light and a tremor that lasted roughly ten minutes, Karen and the others materialized on a small island.

Ahead lay a pier where a vessel sat at anchor.

A squad of knights was patrolling the perimeter of the teleportation array.

Upon emerging, everyone was forced to stretch and loosen their limbs; this was by far the worst teleportation experience Karen had ever endured, leaving his body feeling as though it were about to fall apart.

The reason was simple: the teleportation array at the reception point was a crude, temporary structure. The Church of Samsara was not like Dark Moon Island; even in defeat, they would never allow the Church of Order to establish a fully-fledged teleportation node within their Valley of Samsara.

Having arrived here, the next leg of the journey involved taking the boat to the Valley of Samsara; the trip would not be too long, and as it was now close to noon, they would likely arrive by early tomorrow morning.

It was just that everyone had originally assumed a single teleportation array would bring them straight to their destination, never anticipating the need for a transfer.

On the pier, Karen also spotted a fair number of Samsara clergymen. This island presumably belonged to a temporary joint administration by the two great churches, or perhaps it was a place the Church of Order could only use under the direct surveillance of the Church of Samsara.

Yet no one on the Order side felt any sense of humiliation at being watched; this was equivalent to setting up a teleportation point right at the doorstep of another's holy see, so it was only natural for them to be a bit tense.

After all... the Church of Order had beaten the Church of Samsara to its knees precisely by means of teleportation arrays.

The interior of the passenger ship was quite spacious, with each member assigned a private cabin containing a rudimentary washroom. Karen took a quick shower, changed out of his divine robes into civilian clothes, and lay down on the bed.

He had a habit, formed back during his days with the Hound Squad, of seizing every spare moment before a mission began to catch as much sleep as possible; while eating and drinking could be resolved quickly, sleep alone required time.

After dozing for an hour, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by the voices of Ventura and Muri outside.

Shortly after, Muri opened the door and walked in, carrying two portions of food in his hands.

Karen sat up, took the tray, and murmured, "Thank you."

Muri took a seat on the chair while Karen sat on the edge of the bed, and the two of them ate their meal.

Once the food was finished, Muri picked up the trays to leave.

Karen looked at him with confusion. "Didn't you have something to say?"

Muri shook his head, let out a soft sigh, and walked out of the room.

Having eaten, Karen went up to the deck for a walk. The sea here was peculiar; there was hardly any wind or waves, yet the fog was visibly growing heavier. When they had first boarded, it was merely a light mist, but now visibility had dropped significantly.

"Captain Karen?"

Karen turned around and saw Groven walking toward him.

"Greetings, Captain."

Groven nodded, gestured toward the distant fog, and said, "Late tonight, past midnight, if you still have the inclination to wander around here, you can borrow the searchlight up there and shine it downward. You'll see quite a few phantom skiffs drifting on the surface of the sea."

"Phantom skiffs?"

"They don't truly exist; they are merely a form of spiritual imprint recorded by this thick fog. The closer one gets to the Valley of Samsara, the more active the spiritual realm becomes. You could also understand it as a shift in certain laws."

"So that is how it is. Have you been here many times before, Captain?"

"The resident clergymen have rotated through many generations, but I have served as the deputy military attaché beside the resident clergyman for three consecutive terms."

Karen knew that the resident clergymen here were equivalent to diplomats between nations.

"I rather like this place," Groven said, leaning his back against the railing. "Here, it is always very easy to find peace. Sometimes I even purposely run out to the boundary of the Valley of Samsara just to gaze at the lines of walking corpses marching in the distance."

Groven gave a gentle wave of his hand and continued, "Life and death lose their traditional sense of boundaries there, forming a unique kind of aesthetic beauty."

Karen nodded. "I can imagine that feeling."

"But this beauty won't make you linger; instead, it leaves you constantly wanting to destroy it. It is like a brand-new book with a creased corner; you know it is wrong, and you want to smooth it out, but you can never quite manage to do so."

Karen did not know why this captain was telling him so much.

"Alright, there is a matter I need to discuss with you. Come to my room."

"Yes, Captain."

Karen followed Groven to his quarters. To Karen's slight surprise, Ventura was already standing there, holding a letter in his hand and reading it.

"Whose letter is that?" Karen asked.

"Captain, it's a letter from my grandparents."

"Couldn't they have just called?" Karen inquired.

This letter had undoubtedly traveled via the teleportation array express service, otherwise it could not have arrived here so quickly. Ventura could never have afforded to spend such a large sum of points to send and receive mail. Most importantly, the hotel telephones allowed for free long-distance calls, even if the connection took a bit longer.

Was the purpose of this letter, then, to touch Ventura's heart at this crucial moment, or was it a form of threat?

Karen’s cautious nature accustomed him to always imagining the worst possibilities first, and this scene before him was indeed unnatural.

Groven pulled out a letter, tore open the envelope, and revealed a new document within, which he handed to Ventura first.

After Ventura finished reading it, his eyes widened in astonishment.

Karen reached out and took the paper. The document contained a command ordering Ventura to use his own body as a vessel to host the soul of Phunetes for its return.

It bore an official seal, along with the signatures of several individuals.

"What is the meaning of this?" Karen asked.

Groven put a cigarette to his lips, lit it, and exhaled a ring of smoke. "Can you not understand it, Captain Karen?"

"My meaning is, can safety be guaranteed?"

Groven laughed. "If safety could be guaranteed, there would be no need to issue a separate command specifically for this. Once we land on the island, we will give you the token belonging to Phunetes out of the two relics. It will be kept by Ventura. Array lines have already been laid out upon it based on his soul characteristics, making it easier to summon and bear the soul's return through the token."

"If I am not mistaken, the array must possess an effect that suppresses the user's own soul, correct?"

"Naturally. Otherwise, how better to receive the oncoming soul?"

"This is risking Ventura's life."

This was equivalent to dealing a blow to one's own soul first, and then inviting another soul inside to push one's own soul aside and occupy the body.

This was no soul covenant; it was direct usurpation and replacement!

"Yes, that is correct. Therefore, the Church will grant him rewards. Whether he succeeds or fails, his family will also be well provided for by the Church."

"I cannot accept this," Karen said.

"I understand your feelings, Captain Karen, but this is his duty. We are all loyal to the Church, loyal to the God of Order. Sacrificing everything for the Church is the obligation of each and every one of us."

"You are distorting the concept. If a church war broke out and someone died on the battlefield, or if they perished while executing a mission to save a companion, those instances would truly be sacrifices.

But to prepare for sacrifice ahead of time simply to bring back two souls whose current specific condition even you yourselves are unclear about—I cannot accept that."

Ventura is still so young, and he possesses such immense talent—do you have any inkling of the sheer effort and hardship he endured to reach where he is today?

Our faith in Order should never be trampled upon in this manner.”

“Captain Cullen, I can appreciate your feelings, but I am truly sorry; this decision has already been handed down from above, and Ventura remains one of the most suitable candidates.”

“And what of the other candidate?”

“That would be Captain Muri, who already understands his duty and has given his consent.”

“Well, we do not consent here.”

“Sacrifices must always be made by someone, and this is an established command; defying it will bring punishment upon your entire squad! Furthermore, Captain Cullen, if Ventura is bypassed and you are chosen instead, would you be willing?”

“I am willing!”

Cullen spoke without a single shred of hesitation.

He wanted to see for himself whether the soul of Funites could successfully crowd into his own body—an endeavor