Chapter 445: Red-Eyed Gambler

Chapter 445: The Red-Eyed Gambler

Perception stems from contrast.

Looking at the young team members under his command, Cullen felt a sense of loss and disorientation.

He felt a sense of loss that such a gap could exist between them, and a sense of disorientation over whether he was being mature or merely pedantic under the guise of worldliness.

Cullen knew full well that he envied them.

But Cullen knew even better that he could never become them.

Hmm?

Cullen noticed that Mr. Memphis was actually chiming in as well, looking quite excited, and it did not seem feigned; at this moment, he was Memphis, not Eisen Goodman.

This scene suddenly allowed Cullen to regain his confidence. There was no reason for a mental patient to try so resiliently to face the passion of life while he himself fell into early decadence.

On the steps, Kevin lay prostrate, his dog paws crossed, his head resting upon them as he watched the lively scene of the group of young people before him.

It reminded him of a conversation he once had with Ogulev.

In the mythological narratives of the *Light of Order*, Ogulev was one of the four retainers under the God of Order, the embodiment of wisdom and experience; rumor had it that he was already a deity before becoming a retainer.

The final selection ground Cullen had experienced was located precisely at the Ogulev Fortress within the void space.

Kevin remembered that the bald man had once lost his composure in front of him, lamenting with deep emotion:

He said that they used to sit together with the God of Order, laughing wantonly, arguing loudly, and reveling with abandon.

Every time, the God of Order would sit there, watching their boisterousness.

In the god's eyes, he seemed to glimpse envy.

Kevin turned his head to look at Cullen sitting there, then immediately averted his gaze. He did not believe Cullen was that great being who had once sat before him and made him tremble with fear, but he felt that if Cullen did not meet an untimely demise along the way, he would ultimately draw closer and closer to that figure.

Would he become him?

Kevin recalled the suppressed, mournful wails Cullen had let out while locking himself alone in the washroom during his last bout of psychological addiction.

He was fighting back,

While I,

Have long resigned myself to fate.

Sigh.

The golden retriever sighed.

Kevin felt that he was truly getting old.

…

The light meal concluded, and everyone began packing their things for the final time, preparing to set off.

Purr enjoyed buying clothes for herself, but she also liked buying backpacks for Kevin, selecting them with great care. She said Kevin was family, so she had to be attentive.

Though in Cullen's eyes, Purr looked more like she was choosing a "dog saddle" for herself.

Because they were traveling far, Kevin was required by Purr to carry a high-capacity pack this time, with two large pockets on each side of his body and many smaller pockets attached.

To match the color scheme of everyone's clerical robes, Kevin's backpack was also black, making him look somewhat like a police dog.

However, circumstances permitting, Purr preferred to sit on Cullen's shoulder, as she could sit higher and see further from there, and when facing the glances from Cullen's team members, Purr could reminisce about the feeling of being an adventure squad leader in the past.

Once everyone was ready, Pick and Dincom drove a hearse and a secondhand Pors respectively, carrying everyone to the front of the Administrative Building.

After stepping out of the car, Cullen glanced back at his team members, who had consciously formed a single file, and suddenly felt as though this was a spontaneous, leave-at-a-moment's-notice trip.

The teleportation array was located in the basement of the Administrative Building. Even at night, the administrative hall was quite crowded, but Cullen and his group did not draw much attention when they entered; everyone was long accustomed to seeing movements and travel in the form of small squads.

Taking the elevator to the second basement level, they found the "ticket window" for the teleportation array.

Tickets were divided into tiers. For the cheapest ones, not only was the teleportation experience the most grueling, but it also required a certain number of people to gather before the array would activate.

The expensive ones offered immediate transport upon arrival.

Therefore, if you bought a premium teleportation ticket, you could still hold your chin high with pride when passing by the "economy class."

Even though Riels had been replaced by points, the sense of social stratification brought about by currency had not actually changed.

In many previous teleportations, Cullen had used the premium array because he was mostly on official business and could get reimbursed.

"Hey, over here."

Neo stood there waving, holding tickets in his hand.

"Let's go over."

Cullen led his people forward. He had been very worried that Neo would buy the cheapest tickets, considering he had just gone bankrupt.

But upon receiving the tickets and finding they were for the premium array, Cullen became even more worried. Was the squadron leader just throwing caution to the wind now?

At that moment, a staff member came over to verify and register everyone's identity information.

Neo pulled Cullen to one side and whispered, "I had the registrar here change our itinerary's purpose to 'gathering.'"

"Mm."

It was impossible to directly present the official letter stating they were an observation group bound for the Moon God Religion, because the entire church circle now knew that the Moon God Religion had declared war on Samsara. Registering with that official letter would definitely

Monster beasts were, in their own right, a vital strategic resource—the very reason why the Church of Light had established a diocesan district here.

To Cullen’s surprise, a dilapidated bus pulled up across the road, letting out a few intentional honks as the group emerged.

Having just stepped out of a high-grade teleportation array, encountering such a rustic display of soliciting passengers offered quite the jarring contrast.

Yet Cullen soon realized he had misjudged the situation as the female driver leaned out, waving and shouting an affectionate greeting: “Neo, you son of a bitch!”

Only then did Cullen understand that this was a close friend of the captain’s, who had been notified in advance to pick their party up.

The group boarded the vehicle, finding that the interior appointments far surpassed the exterior's ramshackle appearance; there was a conspicuous false ceiling, indicating that a fair number of defensive arrays had been laid out.

It was a modified tactical vehicle.

Neo spoke up: "Serqi, you really should see my VIP coach. Now that is a truly fine automobile."

Serqi snorted and said, "Fine, next time I visit Vienne you can drive it out to show me."

Cullen answered, "He can't drive it anymore. It's been pawned off."

"Ha ha ha," Serqi burst into a loud laugh, "So, the reward you promised me this time can't be fulfilled either, can it?"

"Of course, I believe the camaraderie of our past days as comrades-in-arms is priceless." Neo walked over and took the passenger seat.

Serqi said coldly, "I don't wish to recall my past with you."

"You could phrase that differently, lest my subordinates misunderstand; there is nothing improper between us."

Serqi turned around to shout at everyone sitting in the back: "I used to work with your boss for a time, then later my husband and younger brother died simultaneously during a mission, so I backed out.

I hate your boss. He was the one who pulled me out. I would rather have died with them. After saving me alone, I didn't even have the courage to commit suicide—this bastard!"

Neo picked up a pair of nail clippers from the front console and began to trim his nails, completely ignoring the woman's vitriol.

Serqi turned back to drive, asking, "Is that enough? No more misunderstandings? They won't go telling Elisa."

Hearing this name, Neo blew softly on his nails and said:

"Elisa is gone."

Serqi looked at Neo in great surprise and asked, "What happened?"

"Lost."

"Damn it!" Serqi cursed, realizing she shouldn't continue her emotional outburst. She steadied her tone and said, "For Elisa's sake, I won't charge you any points for this reception."

"I'll thank you on Elisa's behalf." Neo smiled, "Besides, Elisa would never suspect anything between you and me; she knew I don't care for flat chests."

"Whoosh!"

Serqi took a deep breath,

"Are you trying to make me put a bullet through you right now!"

"It doesn't matter, just a hole, it won't kill me."

"Neo, you really have changed a lot."

"That is your illusion." Neo leaned his head against the car window, "I'm going to sleep for a bit, wake us up when we arrive."

...

The island was vast, divided into inhabited and uninhabited zones; the uninhabited area lacked proper roads, yet the dilapidated bus moved quite smoothly.

From the surroundings, the cries of monster beasts drifted over from time to time, giving Cullen the distinct impression of riding a sightseeing bus through a safari park.

Purr kept pawing at the window, watching the scenery outside while occasionally identifying this or that monster beast for Cullen.

Cullen did not look at all, merely lowering his head to rest with half-closed eyes while offering perfunctory nods and hums in response.

Finally, as dusk began to fall, the bus came to a halt.

"We're here."

Neo called out: "Change out of your divine robes, put on civilian clothes."

Everyone began to disembark; Cullen carried Purr, who was now feeling sleepy and ready to doze off.

Ahead lay a town of considerable scale.

Bart asked curiously, "Don't they set up concealment arrays around the perimeter of a smuggling point?"

Serqi glanced back at Bart and replied, "Is it possible that your Church of Light tolerated this smuggling activity just to save costs? In any case, whenever the Church feels the time is ripe, they can reclaim this place at a moment's notice."

Bart looked at Serqi and asked, "Are you not a member of our Church?"

Serqi rolled her eyes at Bart and said, "I took early retirement."

"Then why say 'your'..."

"For a pension of fifty points a month after taking early retirement, you still expect me to say 'our'?"

"Uh..."

"Do you need to rest here?" Serqi asked Neo.

"If possible, I'd like to head to the teleportation array point right now. I need to go to the Mipos Archipelago."

"Didn't you tell me you came here to purchase monster beast materials? You lied to me?"

"Yes, you said it yourself, a monthly pension of only fifty points. Tell me, shouldn't I lie to you?"

"Heh, but you guys don't exactly look like wanted fugitives either."

"Either way, our movements cannot see the light of day."

"Will it involve me?"

"Hardly, hardly."

"War is about to break out in the Mipos Archipelago. What are you going to do there? Experience and observe life?"

"This time I really didn't lie to you, you guessed right."

"Then I'm sorry. Because of a nearby volcanic eruption recently, the energy fluctuations here have developed some issues. For safety's sake, the teleportation array only opens during the day, so if you want to teleport out of here, you'll have to rest here for the night."

Neo nodded and said, "Then we shall rest. Thank you for the room and board arrangements."

"Bullshit, my task ends here. I'll recommend an inn to you—the Makachi Inn down below. The environment and price there are quite acceptable."

With that, Serqi actually started the bus, turned around, and drove back.

Neo shouted to everyone: "Alright, we will rest and reorganize here for the night. Everyone remember to reclean and iron your divine robes tonight. When we arrive at the Mipos Archipelago tomorrow, we must be impeccably dressed, reflecting our arrogance and disdain for others, understood? Cullen, repeat it."

Cullen spoke up: "Tomorrow, just play yourselves."

"Yes, captain!"

The group began to walk toward the town. Neo, walking at the very front, said to Cullen, "Play ourselves, how interesting. It seems I am still not used to leading subordinates who are young masters and ladies."

"A delay of one night shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"It just so happens that I can clear out some time to go and meet with... No, this smuggling point definitely has an official smuggling group from the Moon God Church. I will find them to notify them directly so they can prepare a welcome and reception tomorrow. Going at night is indeed inconvenient; it only works well during the day.

Oh, there's the inn ahead. Go open the rooms, I will go notify them first."

"Alright, Lieutenant Commander."

"Call me Commander."

"Understood, Commander."

The proprietor of the Machachi Inn was a middle-aged man with a thick beard. At that moment, he sat behind the front desk holding a heavily made-up woman in his lap. When Karen and his companions entered to request rooms, the owner's hand remained hidden beneath the woman’s skirt. Instead of pulling away, he bared a mouth of yellow teeth, his smile growing even broader.

Karen frowned slightly. If Seqi considered an establishment like this to have a decent environment, the overall standard of the inns in this town must be abysmal.

"Very well, the entire third floor is yours." The owner pocketed the vouchers and tossed a single key with one hand.

Karen asked, "Just one key?"

The owner replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "All eight rooms on the third floor share the exact same model of lock. And here is a little secret for you: the second and fourth floors are exactly the same, hahaha."

"I require food as well."

"No problem, it is already included in your room fee. However, do you need any women or men? Oh, we even have merfolk here, hehe. If you need them, I can arrange it for you, but it will cost extra vouchers."

"No need."

"Oh, right, you brought your own, haha. It is just that you have more men than women, not quite enough to go around, or perhaps one of you possesses exceptional stamina?"

The owner's lecherous gaze swept back and forth across Aisli, Blanche, and Philomena.

"Hehe," Karen smiled.

"Hahaha," the owner laughed along.

Karen looked at Philomena and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

Philomena froze for a moment and asked, "To go upstairs?"

"No, are you not angry?"

"I am."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, very well."

Philomena's figure vanished from her spot and reappeared directly behind the owner.

The owner gasped, and the prostitute on his lap instantly changed her expression, her hands extending abnormally as she clawed at Philomena. Philomena delivered a direct slap that sent the follower of the Mills Faith flying through the air.

The owner pulled a blade from beneath the counter, its surface radiating a blue glow, but Philomena stamped down with a kick, driving the weapon deep into the floor tiles. The owner pulled with all his might but could not wrench it free.

Immediately afterward, Philomena reached out, gripped the owner by his throat, and slammed his entire body down onto the reception counter.

Thud!

The counter shattered completely, leaving the upper half of the owner's body riddled with wooden splinters.

Philomena raised her foot and delivered another kick to the owner, launching him through the air until he crashed against a pillar and crumpled to the floor. His body was still writhing, many of his bones broken, yet his life remained intact.

"May I kill him?" Philomena inquired.

The owner lying on the ground nearby instantly raised his head, shaking it frantically as he begged for mercy, "I was wrong... I was wrong... I was wrong..."

Karen replied, "If the late-night supper is unsatisfactory, you may kill him on our way out during checkout tomorrow morning."

"Understood."

With the owner thoroughly intimidated, Karen led everyone upstairs. When the rooms were distributed, Karen took a single room for himself.

The room was reasonably clean. Karen placed the soundly sleeping Purr onto the bed, while Kevin fetched a blanket in his jaws and lay down to rest beside the bed.

Karen extracted his black notebook from his backpack, flipped to the newest page, and wrote upon it:

"I know that tomorrow marks the beginning of the gamble, yet my heart feels no trepidation;

I do not believe it is because my inner self is strong enough to remain calm, but rather because I know that true, bloodshot-eyed gamblers, before stepping up to the table, would sooner believe the sun could rise from the west than believe they could lose.

Those who suffer the most miserable losses are often the very ones who, beforehand, felt absolutely certain of victory."

Having finished writing these words, Karen put the notebook away, entered the washroom to wash his face, and raised his head to look at himself in the mirror.

His hair was slightly damp, his gaze tranquil.

In the next moment, the Eye of the Dark Moon activated, and his eyes instantly turned crimson.

Well,

it was merely to suit the occasion.

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