Chapter 455: Burn Out

Chapter 455 Incineration

Richard, having gathered the provisions, drove the carriage toward the east gate of the main city as agreed upon with the commander. However, upon seeing a crowd of people fleeing back from the east gate in frantic screams, he realized it was no longer a viable exit.

He quickly located the mark left behind by the commander. Though he was now a member of Karen’s squad, his past stint with the Hound squad served him well, and the hidden signs soon guided him into an abandoned estate.

Richard parked the carriage by the entrance, hesitated for a moment, then untied the ropes and slapped the horse on its flank.

"Run for your life, and good luck to you!"

With that, Richard began hauling the supplies down into the cellar.

As he stepped down, he spotted Neo in the middle of setting up a concealment array within the subterranean space.

Setting down a crate of apples, Richard smiled and said, "Commander, this place is quite decent. There’s a wine cellar deeper in, and probably a storeroom beyond that, right? There should be food stockpiled there, and with what I’ve gathered, it’s enough for us to live quite comfortably here."

Neo continued drawing the array with his left hand, while extending his right palm toward Richard.

"Did you find the medicine?"

"This is a psychic hallucinogen. Do you need it?"

"Give it to me."

Richard handed a box of vials to Neo, who casually grabbed two. He set one on the ground, flicked the cap off the other with a snap of his finger, and tilted his head back to drain it completely.

It was simple and effortless, as though he were merely drinking soda.

"There are also some cigarettes and other medications. I'll bring them down in a moment."

"Move quickly."

"Yes, Commander."

Richard busied himself with the relentless trip up and down. By the time he brought down the final crate of supplies, Neo had just completed the last stroke of the array. The formation activated, masking both the entrance and the aura of the cellar.

"What a coincidence, Commander. We didn't waste a single moment."

Neo didn't bother replying to the fellow. As a descendant of the Goumeng family, Richard had failed to see that Neo had deliberately held back the final piece of the array, pretending to be utterly consumed by the work just to slack off and avoid doing any heavy lifting.

Richard stretched his arms. Curious to inspect the wine cellar, he walked to its deepest corner, only to find a woman curled up asleep, cradling a baby girl.

"Commander, there's someone here."

"I brought her."

The woman awoke. She had been utterly terrified earlier, and after Neo brought her here, she had nursed her child before drifting off to sleep out of sheer exhaustion. She was now startled awake by Richard's voice.

Looking at Richard, the woman recalled Neo's earlier words about having a baby boy with him. Could it be that she was expected to nurse this fully grown "baby boy" standing before her?

The woman bit her lip and remained silent. No matter what was to come, she would endure it, so long as these two men could keep her daughter safe.

"You brought her?" Richard leaned down, observing the sleeping infant in the woman's arms, and smiled. "The child seems well-fed. She's sleeping so soundly."

"Do you... want to eat... there is... still some left."

Richard pointed a finger at himself, then looked at the woman, momentarily at a loss for words before stammering, "Are you engorged or experiencing a blockage?"

"No, this isn't, you aren't..."

Richard asked, "What is her name?"

"Eliza."

"Eliza. A lovely name, huh?"

Suddenly, it clicked. As a former member of the Hound squad, how could he not know the family history of his former captain? Upon hearing the baby girl's name, Richard immediately understood why the commander had brought them here.

"So, a good name truly is vital to a person's entire life."

Richard stood up and walked back to where he had piled the supplies. He spoke to Neo, who was leaning against the wall, having downed three more vials of the hallucinogen yet remaining completely pale without a hint of color on his face.

"Commander, I deliberately brought down two sets of bedding. Talk about foresight, right?"

Neo raised his hand and demanded bluntly, "Give me one."

"This..."

Richard had no choice but to hand a set over. Neo unrolled the bedding and lay down.

Richard looked at the remaining set, sighed helplessly, and carried it over to the woman, placing it down beside her. "Keep warm."

"Thank you, thank you, sir. You are a truly good man."

The woman seemed to realize that this young man had no desire for breast milk; she had simply misunderstood.

"We might be staying here for quite some time, until things quiet down outside before we leave. But rest assured, there are plenty of provisions here."

"Yes, I understand."

"Alright, if you or the child need anything, just let me know."

"Understood. Thank you, my lord."

Richard walked back to Neo and sat down against a pillar, saying rather dejectedly, "If I had known, I would have brought an array manual with me."

"Where did you leave it?" Neo asked.

"All my luggage is back at the palace. We left in such a rush that I didn't think to bring it. Commander, where is your luggage?"

"I came with nothing."

"Oh... Commander." Richard took a deep breath. "What a pity. Without the manual, this period would have been a perfect opportunity to study in peace."

"When we were outside before, I never saw you studying diligently. You were always out looking for bugs to mate with."

"I think I was quite diligent. More diligent than Karen."

"Are you serious?"

"I've only ever seen him reading spell books while eating..."

"Then go blame your grandfather. Tell him the bloodline of your Goumeng family is simply too pathetic."

"Commander, if I actually dared to say that, it wouldn't just be my dad beating me anymore. My grandfather would probably join in too. He cares deeply about family honor."

"That sounds great. Two at once might actually stimulate the potential of that bug inside you more effectively. Oh, alright, I admit you've been somewhat diligent, otherwise that Jerry inside you wouldn't have matured so quickly.

You are essentially using the price of your own body being repeatedly beaten and injured to provide your Jerry with opportunities to farm experience."

"Commander, about that baby girl's name..."

"What do you want to say?"

"Are you planning to adopt her?"

"Not interested."

"Then you..."

"I just couldn't bear to leave her behind after hearing that name. Once it's safe outside, they can go wherever they please."

"After this incident, how many natives will even be left on the Mipos Islands? Once they leave this place for some unfamiliar territory, what will they rely on to survive?

Back at the pastry shop, I often heard stories of single mothers who had no choice but to work there just to scrape by. Commander, would you really have the heart to see that?"

"Then you take them home with you."

"My family would never believe it. Me, finding a woman outside and even having a daughter?"

"You could say it's your dad's."

"We can't do that, Commander. My dad's condition has finally shown some signs of improvement."

"Here, drink a bottle of psychic hallucinogen."

"Commander, are you annoyed because I talk too much? But if I drink this, won't I just talk even more and babble absolute nonsense?"

"It's fine. If you drink this, you won't feel the pain when I knock you out."

Richard hesitated for a moment, but he still picked up a bottle and downed it. Within moments, the effects kicked in; as if thoroughly intoxicated, a deep flush spread across his face, and his gaze began to grow unfocused and drift.

Watching his reaction, a trace of envy slipped into Neo's eyes.

His own resistance to such substances was simply too formidable, rendering this entire large box of psychic hallucinogens no different from sugary water in his mouth. He truly envied someone like Richard, who could enter the right state after just a single bottle.

And then, Richard began to ride the high, speaking entirely without filter:

"Captain, don't you think this is a twist of fate? In a place like this, you happened upon a baby girl who shares the exact same name as your late wife. According to the narrative logic of a theatrical play, once this baby girl grows up, she is bound to fall in love with you, Commander.

"Then, you will constantly evade her, refusing to acknowledge it and remaining utterly cold, yet she will pursue you relentlessly.

"After a succession of dramatic events, she will begin to melt the thick ice within your heart using her own passion and warmth.

"Just when you are finally ready to turn around and accept her, she will meet with grave danger and die right in your arms."

Neo: "..."

"No, no, no, I forgot about your bloodline as a bloodthirsty aberration. Let's infuse a bit more of that tone found in vampire literature—it could also be that she falls into danger, and you sacrifice yourself to save her.

"Or perhaps, after her death, you descend further into the dark to resurrect her, surrendering completely to the shadows to become the very incarnation of darkness, the immortal king."

*Thud!*

Neo grabbed Richard's head and brought it into intimate contact with the pillar behind him. Richard immediately drifted off into a sweet, peaceful slumber.

"Surrendering to the darkness... This father of yours is clearly a champion of the Light."

...

"This is a victory, my Lords Commanders. This is a triumph grand enough to turn the tide of the previous battles, and it marks the moment our Church of Samsara steps out from the shadow of the 'First Day War'."

Rango entered the flagship's command center to offer his congratulations to the two commanders stationed there. Following closely behind Rango was Peide.

However, neither of the two commanders—the white-haired elder and the middle-aged man—bore a smile upon their faces; their expressions were solemn and heavy.

Believing he understood the reason, Peide immediately spoke up: "I know that you two Lords Commanders are fast approaching your threshold time. But neither the collective heart of Samsara nor the annals of our church's history will ever forget your monumental contributions."

The eyelid of one of the white-haired elder's eyes had already begun to droop. They had less than half a day remaining to them; at this stage, their physical bodies were already showing signs of gradual decay and imminent collapse.

He opened his mouth and countered with a question: "I am quite curious as to how the church history will record us. Will it say we died in the war against Order, only to be reawakened by Order, to win this campaign against the Church of the Moon God?"

The middle-aged man, meanwhile, supported his chin with his hand. He had died by slitting his own throat, and now the fissure across his neck was widening; to prevent his own head from toppling off, he had no choice but to manually provide some structural stability.

He spoke up: "And after winning the war, the two of us even 'ordered' the massacre of the civilians upon this holy land?"

"This is war," Rango sighed. "There are times when war inevitably demands these sacrifices. I believe you two Lords Commanders should understand this truth perfectly well."

"No, we do not understand," the white-haired elder said in a deep voice. "I already ordered the landing forces to exercise restraint, yet they completely ignored my command the moment they stepped ashore. I ordered them all to return to the ships, and still they ignored my command. Those upon the island right now are nothing but a pack of blood-crazed demons!"

The middle-aged man gave a dry chuckle and said, "And just as we were about to order the magic crystal cannons on the warships to conduct a blanket bombardment of the main island, you appeared."

"Yes, for how could I possibly allow such a thing to happen," Rango replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Those currently upon the island are the strength of our Samsara. Even if they are a pack of demons right now, they are still the demons of our Church of Samsara. You two should be well aware of just how catastrophic our church's losses were during the First Day War; even the two fleets you lead this time were bought back by our church from Order at a heavy price.

"The Valley of Samsara has also endured the incident with Relielsa, and the elders of the temple suffered tremendous casualties.

"Even though this campaign is won and we have temporarily reversed Samsara's disadvantageous position against the Church of the Moon God, our Samsara remains weaker than them. We are currently in desperate need of a new force, a new legion, to elevate the strength of our Samsara.

"I have already witnessed what these people are doing on the island, and I can clearly perceive that they are evolving, they are growing, and they are becoming stronger.

"This is their land of blessing. We will not only obtain the Mipos Holy Land of the Church of the Moon God, but we will also harvest a far more formidable Legion of Samsara!

"I know what angers you two Lords Commanders. The actions on the island right now may not align with your convictions, but what we ought to consider now, and what the Gatekeeper considers above all else, is how to ensure the continued survival of Samsara!

"If even the Church of Samsara ceases to exist, what meaning is there in those principles you hold so dear?

"Furthermore, what meaning would there be in the very existence of this world?"

The white-haired elder took two steps back and sank into his command chair. Looking at Rango, a look of mockery surfaced on his face as he said:

"This is precisely the logic of your faction of noble houses. When you bind everything to familial interests and grant them absolute priority, no matter how noble the slogans you shout may sound, the only thing ever visible in your eyes is profit."

The middle-aged man spoke: "The reason the great God of Samsara established the Gates of Samsara was in the hope that departed souls could find a place of rest belonging to them, without clashing with the world of the living. Yet this time, you have taken the initiative to throw open the Gates of Samsara, allowing the souls within to emerge and possess the living. You have already defied the original intent of the God of Samsara.

"A Church of Samsara that violates the will of the God of Samsara—what meaning is there in its continued existence?"

The white-haired elder continued, "If the gods return, when the great God of Samsara descends, you had best await the divine wrath. We still have a few hours left to us, but we no longer have any interest in living another few hours beneath a Church of Samsara such as this. To remain even a single second longer would be a form of torment and torture."

With that, the white-haired elder spread his palm open, and a cluster of grey flame condensed into being.

The middle-aged man drew closer, offering a smile: "Borrowing a light."

The fire caught upon the elder himself and transitioned across to the middle-aged man. The two reawakened commanders of the Samsara fleet began to immolate themselves right before Rango's eyes. Through two separate acts of suicide—whether the first time or this second time—they were giving form to their absolute piety toward their god.

Peide stared at this scene in sheer disbelief.

Rango, however, merely closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Before the figures of the two men dissolved into two piles of grey ash, they left behind their final words:

"When I entered the Church of Samsara, I was naive enough to believe that you all possessed the same absolute piety toward the God of Samsara as I did. Only later did I gradually realize that this was not the case at all."

"Your faith in the God of Samsara is hypocritical, self-serving, and despicable. You do not believe in the god."

...

Looking down at the two tracks of ash upon the floor, Rango took a deep breath and said softly:

"In truth, perhaps you do not even know it yourselves, but the ones who truly do not believe in the god are you."

———

Overslept, which caused a delay in writing... I will do my best to make it up to you, sorry about that, everyone.