Chapter 441: Deity Written on a Bookmark

Chapter 441: The Deity Written on a Bookmark

"Divine Child, are you alright?"

Science, curled up on the sofa, looked with concern at Salaina, who lay upon the bed.

"I am fine." Salaina reached out, pinching a petal and placing it into her mouth to suckle, "I have long since grown used to it." "My Lord, my body will recover by tomorrow. I am quite glad now that I possess a resilience different from ordinary humans."

"Indeed, it is just a pity you do not possess a human brain."

Science: "..."

"There is no need to report this matter to the Church in detail; I do not wish to worry the High Priest and the others." "Yes, My Lord, I understand."

"Science, I still cannot fathom why the Ankara within me would suddenly awaken. I had already dealt with the assassin, so what did she awaken for? To catch a glimpse of her own memorial hall?" "I do not know, My Lord. I, too, am perplexed as to why that existence would seal that portion of my memory as well."

"Yes, that is precisely what I cannot understand. You already knew of her presence within my body, so why must your memory be sealed too?"

"Perhaps, I could try to..."

"The memory seal she placed is difficult to unravel even for the High Priest. Even relying on a divine artifact, though there is a probability of breaking it, the countermeasures she left behind could erase every memory within your soul the moment the seal cracks.

Even if she is but one shard among thousands... she is still Ankara."

"Then the truth shall remain beyond our grasp."

Salaina took another petal and placed it into her mouth, murmuring softly, "I do not know, and you do not know..."

"Does My Lord suspect those four? If that is the case, then Ankara must have reached an agreement with one of them. Does she wish to leave?" "Leave for where? Back to the Church of Order? Do you know which faction has collected the most fragments of Ankara? It is the Church of Order. Do you know what they use those fragments for?

It is not for reverence, worship, or exhibition...

The Church of Order is the sole monotheistic faith among the orthodox churches. Other churches might lack branch deities due to their small scale, but the Church of Order simply refuses to recognize any branch deities at all.

Those madmen who worship Order believe that, in their eyes, nothing else has anything to do with divinity besides the God of Order himself.

They gather Ankara's fragments for the sole purpose of condensing and activating a divine artifact of their own creation, heh heh heh.

I am truly curious,

If the God of Order truly returns one day and sees his believers treating his daughter’s remains in such a manner, what will he actually think?" Science spoke, "But, My Lord..."

"Yes, I almost forgot. The one who ordered Ankara to be dismembered was

the God of Order himself.

Alas, from top to bottom, a pack of madmen.

Yet it is precisely the church established by this pack of madmen that currently stands as the most powerful.

But I believe that once power reaches a certain threshold, it is impossible for internal fissures not to appear." "To what does My Lord refer?"

"Yes, this very assassination directed at me.

In the future, it might well be recorded in the histories of various churches as the pivotal event marking the transition of the Church of Order from prosperity to decline—the assassination targeting the Divine Child Salaina within the Ankara Hotel, signaling that the internal power struggle of the Church of Order has reached a boiling point.

Perhaps future church schools will even use this as a point of knowledge, requiring students to memorize, recite, and be tested upon it."

Bishop Byrne stepped into a small conference hall where the lights were brilliant, yet simultaneously, the atmosphere within was exceedingly dim.

For the twelve York City regional bishops in attendance all bore expressions of solemn gravity.

Particularly Chief Bishop Wolfrun, who sat at the absolute center, his expression so grim it seemed capable of shedding slivers of ice.

Wolfrun spoke, "Byrne, we require an explanation."

Byrne nodded and replied, "My apologies, I can only provide an answer you surely do not wish to hear, which is that everything is still under investigation." Bishop Wolfrun picked up an official dispatch from his hand and said, "This is an official dispatch sent by the Whip-Holder of our region. The dispatch inquires whether we require the direct investigative assistance of the Whip of Order."

Bishop Byrne replied, "He was a bit too impatient."

"Yes, but this incident has already crossed the line to the extent that none of us sitting here can sit easily anymore. This is, after all, the Ankara Hotel!" Bishop Byrne lowered his head.

"Byrne, what do you suggest we do?"

"Two plans, targeting two different intentions. One stands from the global perspective, the other from the perspective of the York City region."

"Speak."

"If we stand from the perspective of the York City region, then this matter can entirely be investigated by inviting the regional Whip-Holder to join us. His hollow shell of a department lacks the capability to investigate; once the investigation falters, he will instead share the blame with us.

In this manner, the reclamation of the management system of the Whip of Order across various regions, which Whip-Master Verden hopes to see, will at least be obstructed within our region.

I know that none of you sitting here wish to see the grassroots system of the Whip of Order restored. Leafing through the history books of the church, it is not difficult to discover what kind of blows and persecution departments like ours suffer every time the Whip of Order rises."

At this moment, a bishop asked in confusion, "Byrne, whose side are you actually on?"

"When I have not received a direct task from the Holy See, I am a bishop of the York City region. Naturally, I can think from the standpoint of my identity as a bishop."

Chief Bishop Wolfrun waved his hand and said, "This is no way to solve the problem. Turning a funeral into a celebration is merely self-deception. What about from the global perspective?"

"From the global perspective, this assassination must have been planned and driven by people within this

region, or even organizations, forces, groups, and factions that transcend this region.

Although the investigation is not yet concluded, according to the intelligence I have just received, several hotel-related personnel who might have been involved or held knowledge 'committed suicide' before the incident occurred." A bishop spoke up, asking, "We are asking for a solution, Byrne. You should speak of the method."

Bishop Byrne smiled,

His gaze swept across everyone present,

And he spoke:

"There is a high probability that the person who drove this matter to happen is currently sitting inside this very conference hall."

The expressions of all the bishops turned unsightly one after another.

Bishop Wolfrun took a deep breath and asked, "And the method?"

"This is likely no longer an affair that can be resolved solely by our region. If we wish to achieve a better resolution from a global perspective, then we must introduce powerful external forces to conduct a thorough investigation and purging.

I have heard that Whip-Master Verden drew backbone members from the headquarters of the Whip of Order at the Holy See a few days ago to organize an elite team, ready at any moment to respond to the requests for assistance from subordinate regions.

This team is sufficient to construct the framework of a regional Whip of Order management department within a short period, allowing a region's Whip of Order management department to operate rapidly and normally."

"So, Byrne, according to what you say, from the perspective of the global interest, we need to invite the power of the Whip of Order inside?"

Bishop Byrne responded, "Otherwise? Investigating, apprehending, and solving cases are precisely what the Whip of Order is best at. The knights of the garrison can only serve as ornaments in these matters.

Or, we deploy the garrison to arrest everyone in the Ankara Hotel—no, we must also arrest everyone in the regional management office, including those of us right here. The vast majority would certainly be wronged, but those who are not wronged would inevitably exist as well, heh heh."

Bishop Byrne even laughed as he spoke.

"I would very much like to know why the Whip-Holder of our region was able to receive the news so quickly after this incident occurred." Bishop Wolfrun asked, "He was even able to send out the official dispatch before we arrived." "Chief Lord, the one responsible for protecting the Divine Child of the Lunar Deity Church happens to be a squad of the Whip of Order."

"Heh heh." Wolfrun smiled, "I do not believe a squad of the Whip of Order in the York City region would, upon an incident occurring, take the initiative to report the information to a department merely responsible for receiving documents and stamping seals."

Hearing this, Bishop Byrne

Countered with a question:

"Therefore, do you feel this phenomenon is quite normal?"

The original intent behind the establishment of the Whip of Order was, in fact, not directed outward, but inward.

"Wielding the Whip... for Order!" This slogan meant cleansing the dust that stained Order from above.

Yet along with the development of the church system, from top to bottom, departments at all levels have consciously suppressed the Whip of Order, for no one wishes to see the resurgence of a transcendent organization that can stand above all systemic departments, as it would bring a sense of insecurity to everyone.

Especially within the various districts, it was widely accepted that the Order's Whip squads were used as tactical police units, and hailing from the so-called Order's Whip meant one could transition to a desk job at any time.

This forcefully transformed the sword dangling above their heads into a kitchen knife used for chopping vegetables.

"I do not believe this matter was orchestrated by the upper echelons of the Order's Whip for their own development," Chief Bishop Volvulen began. "If the Divine Son of the Moon God Church dies at the Ankara Hotel on the eve of the negotiations, it is highly likely to trigger a conflict between the Order and Moon God churches..."

"It won't trigger a war," Bishop Byrne interrupted directly, cutting off the Chief Bishop. "At most, we will make some reparations, because the Moon God Church dares not wage war."

A nearby bishop asked, "And what if the Moon God Church truly does go to war?"

Bishop Byrne replied, "Then another group within the church will be delighted. They have just reaped benefits from the War of Samsara. How can a beast that has tasted blood be content to remain locked in a cage? We will be able to cast suspicion on another group of people." "Byrne, go down and continue your investigation."

"Yes, Chief."

Bishop Byrne walked out of the conference hall.

Once the doors of the conference hall closed, the bishops present began to vent their anger:

"What does he mean by that? Is he pushing everything toward the factions?"

"He won't rest until he blows this matter completely out of proportion."

"So, did he receive instructions from the Holy See, just like last time?"

"It's possible. Although our new Grand Priest has just taken office, he is entirely different from the former Grand Priest, Rasma."

"I even suspect he did it himself!"

Karen returned to his room. Aisley and Blanche were in their inner chambers and did not come out, while Ophelia was in her own room and did not visit either.

Well, Karen quite enjoyed this sense of tranquility when peace was needed, because his subordinates knew that right now, he preferred to be alone to quiet his mind rather than endure idle

Diss are still asking, his voice echoing through the study.

But Karen knew that in the actual scene, it must have been the God of Order questioning Ankara.

"You haven't decided yet? Then take your time. Perhaps pondering whose name to write down is a pleasurable process in itself. At least it has stopped my daughter from weeping now, hasn't it?"

Karen stood there, waiting.

After a brief moment.

His voice rang out once more: "Is it written yet? Oh, not yet. No matter, keep thinking, my dearest pearl."

"Artemis had Pamireth deliver a gift to me. Guess what it could be, my darling?"

Karen continued to wait, and wait. After a succession of fruitless inquiries, at last:

"Finally finished, have you? It seems we must offer our condolences in advance for a certain deity and his followers.

Come, let me see whose name my darling has actually written down."

The very next sentence caused Karen's eyes to widen in utter shock, for it was a total, radical subversion of everything recorded in the mythological narratives!

"Oh, you wrote down my name."