Chapter 447: Neo's Debt Repayment

Chapter 447: Neo's Debt Repayment

The welcoming ceremony was grand and highly solemn.

After the traditional and magnificent street parade, there was no delay whatsoever, and it immediately transitioned into many smaller, specialized itineraries.

For instance, Mars and Richard—one being a tactical formation master of the Knights, the other a young master of the Guman family—were arranged to inspect the defense formation of the main island;

Blanche was arranged to inspect the battlefield medical system of the main island;

Ashley was arranged to inspect the Monster Legion;

……

Even Muri was specially arranged to inspect the guard detail belonging to the Bishops at the central hub of the main island.

While Neo and Karen intended to utilize them for a political gamble, they were not polite either, treating the observation group like sugarcane, chewing them frantically in their mouths to squeeze out the very last drop of juice.

By nightfall, it was a belated welcoming banquet, followed by a full-coverage live-broadcast "private meeting" where all reporters were present.

When everything finally concluded, it was already midnight local time.

The Luna Divine Cult arranged for Karen’s group to stay in a guest palace located at the summit of the central area of the main island. During the introduction, Mota had mentioned that this was a place only opened when hosting the most precious guests.

To Karen’s ears, however, it translated into the most suitable place for exhibiting a mascot.

Entering the palace, everyone rested in the living room, and Memphis set up a simple barrier to isolate the area and prevent eavesdropping.

When Karen walked in, he saw that whether they were sitting on chairs or on the carpet, everyone appeared utterly exhausted, and beneath that fatigue, there was a layer of panic.

Yes, they were panicked.

Before setting out, Karen had warned them that this operation would very likely affect their individual prospects within their respective families, but at that time none of them took it to heart, their minds filled only with expectations of grand scenes and high excitement.

Today, after being formally "walked" for a full round, they finally truly understood the role they played here and the impact they might produce.

Once the hot blood of youth receded, anxiety crept in, and they began to worry about personal gains and losses.

Yet Karen did not offer any psychological consolation to them at this moment, for he knew it would be useless; including himself, everyone was still waiting for news from within the Cult.

When you watch the chips being pushed forward and wait for the cards to be revealed, it is only natural for your emotions to fluctuate. At this time, any comfort is futile, and there is nothing to do but wait for the reveal.

"Everyone is tired today, go get some rest early."

Leaving it at that, Karen walked out of the living room and arrived at the open-air balcony on the second floor, where Neo was sitting, holding a cigar in his left hand while picking expensive fruits from the coffee table with his right and popping them into his mouth.

On the ground in front of him lay an open small chest, filled with gemstones and thick stacks of cash vouchers.

Karen walked over and sat down beside Neo.

Neo spoke up, asking, "Do you hate me?"

"Hate you for what?"

"Hate me for dragging you into this."

"It was my own decision."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, you’ve always been mature, kid." Neo picked up a bunch of grapes and handed them to Karen, but Karen did not take them.

"You won't eat the free ones, but you insist on eating what I buy, right?"

"The free ones don't taste good."

"Heh." Neo smiled and pointed at Karen. "Lord Parson, the Cult's diplomatic priest stationed at the Luna Divine Cult, didn't show up."

"He should have had enough time to arrive," Karen said.

"Yes, the Luna Divine Cult would arrange a direct teleportation formation for him. In fact, the moment our front foot stepped onto the shore, his back foot could have reached this main island. Yet he hasn't come. Could it be that he doesn't want to come and acknowledge us?"

"I prefer to believe he is waiting for news."

"True. I imagine when he saw the documents of the observation group, his mind must have gone blank too. At this juncture, how could there be such a low-level observation group from the Whip of Order, and a self-funded one at that.

He should be communicating with the Cult right now, oh no, the report must have been completed long ago, and he is waiting for the results from within the Cult."

"He should be here tomorrow."

"Yes, it can't be delayed any longer. It all depends on whether our Wielder of the Whip can hold the line. If he holds, we truly become an observation group; if he fails..."

Neo paused, reaching out to point at the small chest in front of him:

"It’s still not a total loss."

Karen looked at the small chest and asked, "Are these things enough for you to pay off your debt?"

"Not enough, but the matter isn't over yet. For every single activity you did today, I followed that Mota guy around to settle accounts and collect money. I think that Mota wants to throw up the moment he sees me now."

"He seems like such a clean and aloft person."

"Yes, guys who don't like wearing shoes but still have such clean feet are all like that, heh. But I won't let him off. We came to put on a show, so we must charge per performance. They are the ones who wanted to add items and extended shows, we didn't come here for charity."

"From the looks of it, no matter what kind of response Diplomatic Priest Parson gives when he arrives tomorrow, you still have programs to continue arranging."

"No, it's different!" Neo smiled. "The price varies."

……

"Oh, I love a bed like this, it’s been so long since I slept on one." Purr was bouncing on the bed.

In the crib nearby lay Kevin, propped up on his stomach, watching Purr’s antics.

"Stupid dog, are you looking forward to seeing the battlefield scenes?"

Kevin nodded.

"True, by the time you attained godhood, the large-scale divine wars had already ended, so you must be interested. It’s been a very long time since I witnessed excitement of this caliber; in my era, war frictions between churches were already rare."

"Woof."

"You say wars have started to increase recently? Of course, because previously the most powerful maintainer of 'peace' was the Divine Cult of Order. But when Order itself begins to dabble in war, wouldn't the situation naturally start sliding in this direction?

They wage war themselves, create gods themselves, reform themselves... Honestly, back when the Divine Cult of Light went from prosperity

"Haha, I almost forgot, Karen doesn't believe in the gods."

...

"Sniffing your hair, caressing your face, letting you feel the desolation in my heart..." Richard hummed as he soaked in the bath.

Memphis, who shared the room with him, couldn't help but put down the book on the Moon God religion in his hand and asked, "Can you still be this happy?"

"Why shouldn't I be happy?" Richard emerged from the bathtub, wiping his body as he walked out.

"When everyone was in the living room earlier, they were all panicking. I saw that you were panicking too."

"Me? Oh, that was just to blend in. If I didn't panic, it would make my Guman family look like they have no standing at all."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Your grandfather would surely be pleased that his grandson is saving face for his family like this out in the world."

"Before the results are out, a day spent panicking is a day, and a day spent happy is also a day. Isn't that what Karen loves to say the most? Negative emotions that cannot change the current situation are a total waste."

"Do you love listening to and remembering Karen's words that much?"

"What else am I supposed to do? After I grew up, even if I faced my dad for a whole day, he sometimes wouldn't say a single word. Even if I wanted to listen, there was nothing to hear. Hehe, let me tell you, during my physical exam..."

Richard paused.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Richard lay down on his bed and spoke to Memphis on the neighboring bed, "Aren't you going to take a bath?"

"I'll read a bit more, in a little while."

"I've been curious about something. Where did you learn your arrays?"

"Why, does it look familiar?"

"No, it looks unfamiliar. Is there any quick trick to learning arrays?"

"Speak less."

"What do you mean?"

"Only when words are few can the heart settle down."

"Hmph." Richard snorted, grumbling with dissatisfaction, "I thought there would be song and dance performances at the banquet, but there actually weren't any."

"A war is imminent, so it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, the Moon God Cult values its dignity. Go to sleep early and don't wait up; they won't arrange a woman to accompany you in bed."

"I'm not waiting for a damn thing! But I can't sleep right now."

"You could go drop by some of the other rooms right now."

"Are you finding me too noisy?"

"No. Go comfort them. You aren't panicking, but they are."

"There's really nothing to panic about. Isn't the captain himself from the family with the greatest influence? The captain himself is bearing the brunt of it, so what do the rest of us matter? Everyone will manage to adjust."

Memphis froze for a moment, then nodded and said, "True."

He was somewhat bewildered. Given that he clearly knew Karen's "true identity," why did he always subconsciously treat him like an ordinary young man?

And the longer they spent together, the more natural this emotional habit became, which caused him to feel very strange whenever he realized it in hindsight.

"By the way, which family do you come from? You must have hidden your identity too, right? An array master needs the deepest background and heritage to learn; believers from ordinary families can never embark on the path of an array master at all."

"A minor family, not worth mentioning."

Hearing this, Richard grew excited. He threw off his blanket, got out of bed, and jumped straight onto Memphis's bed.

Memphis felt a bit uncomfortable, the book in his hand trembling slightly. Ever since his son grew up, he had never lain in the same bed with him.

"I've always had an idea. Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure..."

"After this mission is over and we go back, I'll take you back to my house. My grandfather is also a great master of arrays. I'll introduce you to him and let him pass down his arrays to you. What do you think?"

"That wouldn't be... appropriate, would it?"

"How is it inappropriate? My grandmother likes Karen quite a lot and has already taken him in as a godgrandson, it's just that Karen doesn't seem to care much for arrays."

Hearing these words, Memphis frowned slightly. He had a good relationship with Mars, and Mars respected him greatly, so he often spoke with him. In Mars's accounts, Karen's understanding of arrays was profoundly deep.

"Your level in arrays is so excellent that my grandfather will surely like you, just like my grandmother does. We're good brothers anyway, so we'll just have my grandfather take you in as a godgrandson too."

Memphis: "..."

...

Diplomatic Deity Official Parson arrived at the Mipos Archipelago, bringing along eight stationed foreign Deity Officials of Order. However, their group did not receive a grand reception; Mota merely stepped forward personally to lead them to the palace on the main island's peak.

Clearly, the upper echelons of the Moon God Cult knew exactly what kind of "observation group" they were hosting, so it was naturally impossible for them to grandly welcome Diplomatic Deity Official Parson to the Mipos Archipelago.

If they made a big scene out of it, and Parson directly read out the orders of the Church of Order, reprimanding the observation group and ordering them to return immediately, it would be the Moon God Cult that lost face.

But the Moon God Cult was not worried about such a situation arising either. Because things had already progressed to this point, whether the observation group stayed or left, their purpose had already been served. No matter how the Church of Order handled it next, the Moon God Cult would not lose out; in fact, it could be said that they had made a massive profit long ago.

Even so, Mota still observed Diplomatic Deity Official Parson's reaction and noticed his dark expression and heavy dark circles under his eyes. It seemed the outcome was not very good.

Indeed, over the past few days, first the Moon God Cult had suddenly declared war on Reincarnation, catching Parson—the diplomatic deity official of Order stationed at the core of the Moon God Cult—completely off guard. Before this, he had not gathered any intelligence regarding the Moon God Cult's imminent declaration of war, which was inherently a failure of his duty.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, he received news that a high-specification observation group dispatched by the Church of Order would enter the holy land of the Mipos Archipelago, which caught him off guard yet again.

As a diplomatic deity official, he was supposed to be the bridge of communication between the two great divine churches. Why did it now feel like the two great churches were intentionally avoiding him to get things done?

When he transmitted the news of the observation group back to his own church, within the span of a single day, he received a vast number of replies from over a dozen departments. Some demanded that he investigate the matter, some required him to issue a formal reprimand, and some even directly scolded that it was not an observation group but a band of apostates, demanding that he go arrest them immediately.

So, this observation group was not arranged by the internal authorities of the church?

Then how did they appear?

Did they come here at their own expense to cheat the Moon God Cult out of free food, drink, and benefits?

Despite the Moon God Cult's numerous obstructions, under Parson's persistence, he still managed to obtain the original mission details of this observation group. After reading it, he was instantly stunned:

An observation group involving the entanglements of three orthodox divine churches and an ongoing war had its mission indicators issued by an assistant director under an assistant manager under the purchasing office under the logistics department under the Whiplash of Order Headquarters of the York City Area.

The reason for initiating the mission was actually written as: It is heard that the procurement plans of the relevant systems and departments of the Moon God Cult have always been clear and frugal. To learn from this advanced experience, a special observation group is dispatched to observe and learn.

Extra notation for the mission: Travel, lodging, and meals are at own expense.

Seeing this, Diplomatic Official Parson's face turned purple. He naturally knew what a cold and quiet department the Whiplash of Order Headquarters under the local area actually was; it basically had no other authority besides sending, receiving, and stamping documents... Were you going there to observe and learn their frugal printing techniques, or to learn how to make more durable ink pads?

Parson was certain that this was a conspiracy, a conspiracy initiated by a traitor of the Moon God Cult within the Church of Order, utilizing this method to achieve political hype at this sensitive juncture.

Originally, Parson was going to come to the Mipos Archipelago yesterday afternoon to arrest people, and to suppress the diplomatic fallout brought by this incident as much as possible. But just as he was about to depart for the teleportation hall, he received a document of the highest security level.

The document came from the Whiplash of Order Headquarters, without any prefix, not from any local area, and at the bottom of the document was the handwritten signature of one person... Verden Elrod.

The Wielder of the Whiplash of Order, the supreme commander of the entire system.

The content of the document was very simple: The situation is known. It is hoped that the diplomatic embassy will cooperate with the observation group's actions to achieve a good observation and learning outcome.

The Wielder of the Whiplash of Order was telling him to help the observation group learn how to be clear and frugal during procurement?

Ever since that document arrived, Parson sat in the mailroom for the entire night. The inquiries and reprimands regarding the observation group from various system departments, which had been "flying" in without pause during the day, had all completely stopped.

In Parsons’ eyes, it seemed as though all other noise within the church fell away, leaving only the final document from the Whipper.

Parsons knew this meant the internal debate was over, or rather, it had been suppressed; in the end, the Whipper had stood resolutely with this observation group composed entirely of members from the Whip of Order.

"Phew..."

...

"Phew..."

In the living room, Karen and Neo drew in a deep breath almost simultaneously, the two of them exchanging a glance.

The cards were about to be revealed, the outcome was at hand—whether their prospects would take flight or if Karen would follow in Neo’s former footsteps to be exiled together to a small city as a squad leader depended entirely on the impending announcement.

Behind Karen, all the team members held their breath as well, waiting for the diplomatic priest Parsons at the front to read the document aloud.

Purr lay sprawled on Kevin's back, her cat claws instinctively wanting to grasp something, ultimately latching onto Kevin's ear, for Kevin's head was already bald, leaving no fur to clutch.

Diplomatic Priest Parsons read out the brief document.

Karen looked up abruptly; the gamble had paid off!

Every member in the rear grew immensely excited, and a few already let out thrilled roars from their throats.

Mota, standing beside them, was also stunned—had he guessed wrong? Had the higher-ups of the Luna Church guessed wrong too? What they thought was a fake observation group was actually real?

Parsons walked toward Neo, intending to exchange pleasantries and discuss the upcoming work, but Neo simply bypassed him with a smile, walking over to throw an arm around Mota's shoulders instead.

Karen stepped toward Parsons and bowed to him:

"My Lord, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Let us dine together."

"Very well, very well."

Breakfast was arranged for ten-thirty in the morning, a hour so late that one could scarcely call it breakfast without blushing.

Because this was a small banquet, the high officials of the Mipos Holy Land and various relevant representatives would come to eat together; it could be said that the flavor of political theater entirely eclipsed the aroma of hot milk.

Karen, Neo, and Parsons sat at one table, while the other members were divided among separate tables, and diplomatic priests from other churches stationed at the Luna Church had also arrived.

The Chief Bishop of Mipos, Lord Hilven, delivered his breakfast address, and everyone listened attentively.

Karen, meanwhile, sipped his milk; he rarely drank ice water during meals, as it hindered digestion.

Neo, seated beside him, nudged him gently with his elbow, and Karen immediately turned his head.

Neo whispered, "My debts are about to be paid off, and my car can finally be unseized."

"So fast?"

"Yes."

"How are you managing it?"

"A new project, just negotiated, very high price."

"When does it start? This afternoon, or tonight?"

Neo smiled at Karen and was just about to answer when Chief Bishop Hilven finished speaking; the entire room erupted into applause, and Karen and Neo joined in smoothly.

As for what he had said, Karen had not heard clearly; it seemed he compared the relationship between the Church of Order and the Luna Church to two slices of bread—only when the two churches worked in full cooperation could they hold the bacon and fried eggs inside, a sandwich, no, only then could the ecclesiastical circle truly achieve stability and harmony.

Neo stood up, and people from many tables in the living room turned their eyes toward him, everyone knowing he was the head of the observation group and assuming he was about to give a speech.

"Uh, terribly sorry, my Lords, my nicotine craving has struck, I'm going out for a smoke."

Chief Bishop Hilven froze for a moment, then smiled: "Of course, our Luna Church is different from Samsara, everything here is free, ha-ha."

Neo held out an open hand; he knew Karen had a habit of carrying cigarettes and a lighter on him.

Karen handed the cigarettes and lighter to Neo, and Neo waved the cigarette pack in his hand, smiling: "Excuse me, if you will pardon me for a moment."

Chief Bishop Hilven said: "Commander Neo may sit down and smoke here."

"No, no, no, I mustn't affect anyone else, smoking is hazardous to one's health."

Neo walked to the dining room window with his cigarettes, rested his elbow on the windowsill, lit a cigarette, and began to puff away.

"Next, we invite Diplomat Parsons to speak."

Parsons stood up and began his address.

Karen's attention was entirely focused on his captain smoking by the window—what kind of new project could suddenly clear all those leveraged debts?

Sensing something, Neo extended his cigarette-clutching arm out the window, then turned sideways and looked back, flashing a smile at Karen.

Immediately,

A sharp, ear-piercing sound of tearing air rang out.

"Bang!"

Neo's chest, right where his heart lay, was pierced clean through by a magical crossbow bolt, leaving a fist-sized hole; mortally wounded and on the brink of death, Neo staggered backward uncontrollably, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Assassin!!!"

Having finished his shout, Neo fell straight to the floor with a heavy thud.

The entire dining room instantly dissolved into utter chaos, save for Karen, who silently drained the last drop of milk from his glass; what his captain had screamed as he collapsed sounded, in his ears, like:

"The debt is paid!!!"