Chapter 526: Inappropriate to Not Die

Chapter 526: It Is Impossible Not to Die

In Cullen’s perpetual accounts, the defining trait of his own "Inmoiles family belief system" was learning.

It was a neutral term, perhaps even leaning toward the complimentary.

It resembled the mythological narratives in the *Light of Order*, where the God of Order madly slaughtered other deities at the end of the last era; though it recorded the events in vivid detail, it would never be so foolish as to define its own god with words like "brutal," "bloodthirsty," or "cruel."

Instead, it incessantly proclaimed that those deities had transgressed against Order and were judged as evil gods, whereupon the God of Order moved to suppress them.

Whether others believed it, or how other religious mythologies recorded those events, mattered little; after all, one could never speak ill of one's own master.

Cullen was the same; although the sequence of events that had transpired within his own life could no longer be comprehended through mere "learning," he still refused to utter the word "plunder."

Neo continued, "You told me that before you left Ruilan for Vienne, your grandfather performed a blood sacrifice ritual for you, extracting the cultivation talents of all the family's descendants and concentrating them into your body.

What is the fundamental difference between this method and those of the Filter and Natton families?

I might even indulge in a bit of conspiracy theory: isn't the relationship between your grandfather and you very similar to that between Madam Filter and Philomena?

I admit your grandfather was a genius, and I make no secret of my respect and even admiration for him, but is there a possibility... that your grandfather knew he had taken the wrong path, that there was no turning back, and so he placed his hopes on you?

With you, Cullen Inmoiles, walking this path in his stead, he could then deal with you in the exact manner Madam Filter dealt with Philomena.

Do you think such a thing is possible?"

"No."

"You are still stubborn, yet your voice trembled just now as you spoke."

"Heh," Cullen smiled, "that was merely to indulge you, for I guessed what you were about to say."

"Anything is possible, isn't it?"

"It is entirely different.

My grandfather did what he did because he was weary of the chaos and darkness of the Church circles, and because of what happened to my parents, he hoped his family could stay far away from those circles and live the stable life of ordinary people; his current slumber is, in truth, a way of guarding that peace.

My uncle, my aunt, including my cousins—none of them ever set foot on the path of faith, not from the very beginning.

In fact, had it not been for my own persistence, I would not have taken this path either; I only completed my cleansing after arriving in Vienne.

Therefore, situations like those in the Filter and Natton families simply do not exist in mine."

"But how do you explain it?" Neo shrugged. "The method is identical."

"Do you know of the Arter family? They were once bestowed a blessing by the God of Eternity, but for a long time, that blessing became the Arter family's nightmare; they were penned like swine, serving as mere curiosities to witness high-society weddings.

Blessings and curses are sometimes separated by a hair's breadth.

One side is a blessing; alter it slightly, and it becomes a curse.

The method appears identical, but in reality, they are two sides of the same mirror."

"So, do you mean to say that when your grandfather moved against the Filter and Natton families back then, he was merely practicing? Using the family of a Chief Bishop as a mere exercise?"

"I do not rule out that possibility."

"Tsk, tsk," Neo smiled. "How can you trust your grandfather so completely?"

"Because there is no need for deceit. Even if Grandfather wished to wait for me to grow so he could devour me, he could have simply told me outright, saying he would grant me a certain number of years of freedom, and when the time came, he would come to consume me.

I would have replied: Oh, very well.

He knows I would agree, so there is no need to deceive me.

I am not like Philomena. This life of mine was picked up by chance, and I cherish it deeply; under any other circumstances, I would never surrender it, and whoever sought my life, I would fight them to the bitter end.

But if it were Grandfather who demanded it, I believe I would agree."

"The bond between you and your grandfather is truly profound."

"Strictly speaking, he and I do not possess a traditional grandfather-grandson relationship; we ought to have been strangers. He said that because I called him 'Grandfather' when I woke, he would not kill me, but would instead protect me as his grandson.

Since he treated me as a true grandson, I likewise regard him as my grandfather.

Furthermore, between him and me, there exists a resonance of spiritual inheritance—a bond that defies description in words, yet perhaps transcends blood relations. It is much like that light-believer named Ryan who emerged from the gate and directly bestowed his Spirit of Light upon you; do you share a blood relation with him? You had never even met before, complete strangers.

Therefore, if Grandfather wishes to complete his godhood, if he wishes to attempt his ultimate goal, he need only tell me; I will help him, at any cost."

Cullen paused, picking up a paper napkin from the table to wipe away the residual traces of blood from his jawline before continuing:

"In a relationship where one can surrender life itself, what need is there for deceit?"

Hearing this, Neo pointed first to himself, then to Cullen, and inquired:

"Then what of the relationship between you and me? Would you surrender your life for me?"

Cullen shook his head and replied, "No."

"Tsk."

"But if you have need of it, I could risk my life for you once."

"Heh."

Neo picked up the cigarette from the table, bringing it to his nose to catch its scent. "A most fascinating sensation, as though witnessing a piece of history."

"In the future, we may well be part of that history."

"Which is precisely why I have always suggested you serve as the image ambassador for our headquarters; your grand words truly sound as though they cost nothing."

Cullen closed his eyes to rest a while longer, while Neo sat beside him, continuing to smoke. After roughly an hour had elapsed, Mr. Dalis returned.

"My apologies for keeping you both waiting."

"Not at all, not at all, we were just sitting here digesting our dinner," Neo said, rising with great warmth to greet Mr. Dalis, naturally taking the bag containing the cigarettes and other gifts from his hands.

Dalis inquired, "Where to now?"

Neo patted him on the shoulder. "Back to headquarters, though we must trouble you to stay in the detention center first."

"Of course, everything should proceed according to protocol."

Cullen and Neo escorted Dalis back to the Whiplash of Order headquarters. Prior to his investigation, Dalis was placed inside the detention center, directly across the hall from his eldest brother, Terrison.

"Sorry for the discomfort," Neo remarked once more before closing the door. "We will arrange the investigation immediately and strive to complete the process early so you may rest."

"Very well, no problem."

With a metallic clang, Neo shut the door.

"Dalis, you've been brought in too?" From the opposite cell, Terrison called out to his brother. "Did Father have you bring any message inside? Hey, Dalis, answer me quickly!"

Yet Dalis paid his brother no heed; instead, his gaze narrowed slightly as he watched the retreating figures of Neo and Cullen.

...

"Was I perhaps a bit too cold just now?" Neo asked Cullen.

"A little."

"But it is difficult for me to muster any warmth; it seems you were right after all—the most normal person in the Natton family turns out to be our cuckolded gentleman."

"Mm."

"I shall go inform Bernie of tonight's events and have Fannie and the others help arrange Dalis's investigation process. As for the suicide note, I won't mention it; there is no way to explain it."

"Mm, we can just wait for Bishop Dolph to publish it himself tomorrow."

"Right, let him announce it himself, but we could certainly give it a little push. For instance, scheduling a joint departmental meeting to discuss the matter. What do you think?"

"I think that is an excellent approach."

"You should attend as well when the time comes."

Just then, Philomena and Richard walked up from a distance, returning from their late-night snack.

Neo shot Cullen a meaningful glance, then went upstairs to find Bernie first.

"Captain, we brought back some night snacks. Would you like some?" Richard offered with immense enthusiasm, holding up the items in his hand.

"No need, I just ate. Share it with the others."

"Oh, alright."

"Philomena, come to my office for a moment."

"Yes, Captain."

Cullen stepped into his office and took a seat behind his desk.

Philomena closed the door, walked over to sit across from Cullen, then gestured toward the teacup on the desk and asked, "Would you like me to make some tea for you, Captain?"

"Oh, no need."

"Ice water?"

"Neither, thank you. Did everything go smoothly?" Cullen began, looking for a conversation starter.

"Smoothly." Philomena hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, I ran into my grandmother. She entered the city."

"At what time?"

"Around eight o'clock in the evening."

Cullen nodded, recalling the timeline in his mind; it aligned perfectly. So, was Madame Felsher going to meet Dalis?

The two targets cursed by his own grandfather had met tonight. What did that signify?

"Captain, I have a premonition."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I feel it is drawing near. My grandmother might be hauling in the net, and I am the fish."

"Do not worry, I will help you."

Philomena blinked. Cullen had said similar things to her before, but this time, he spoke with seemingly greater confidence.

After all, having confirmed that the curse was laid by his own grandfather, Cullen did indeed possess more certainty.

Of course, that was only regarding the curse itself. Madame Felsher was a contemporary of his grandfather, so she would certainly not be easy to deal with.

"Well, for the time being, do not return home. Try to stay at headquarters as much as possible, and ensure your communication devices are fully backed up. Actually, never mind, I will have Richard take charge of..."

"Captain, I trust my own abilities. I can send a request for assistance to you in a timely manner, or even ahead of time."

"We must be as meticulous as possible, understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

"I will have Richard accompany you these next few days."

Philomena knitted her brows slightly.

"Do not misunderstand. Richard possesses a unique ability that neither you nor he is aware of, capable of transmitting danger perception."

Tomorrow Memphis would rejoin the team. The Arte family's ability would allow Memphis to perceive Richard's condition. In truth, theoretically, Cullen also possessed the Arte bloodline, though it was not as pronounced.

"Very well, Captain. I submit to the arrangement."

"Once the matters with your family are concluded, you should take a proper look at your life and choose your own path."

"I will."

Cullen made a welcoming gesture of dismissal.

Philomena stood up. She was actually quite puzzled as to why Cullen had called her in just to say this, but her disposition prevented her from asking too many questions.

After Philomena departed, Cullen stepped into the adjacent room, took a quick shower, changed his clothes, and lay down on the bed.

Within his mind, the images displayed within the silver mask continued to surface repeatedly.

When would he ever become as powerful as his grandfather had been in his youth?

Yet, upon second thought, even a grandfather so excellent and powerful had lived such a repressed existence during his middle and later years.

Strength could resolve the vast majority of problems, but strength could not resolve every problem.

Cullen closed his eyes,

muttering to himself:

"Bishop Dolph, please depart early. I wish to advance to the rank of Inquisitor."

...

The investigation into Mr. Dalis commenced overnight, though naturally, this had little to do with Cullen.

Just as Neo had said, an excellent leader is adept at guiding an excellent team. In short, by the time Cullen woke up, washed, and was having breakfast, Alfred and Wick had arrived with the investigation report to brief him.

Furthermore, before reporting to Cullen, they had already bypassed him to report directly to Neo.

In any other department, such behavior would be considered jumping the hierarchy to claim credit, a subtle way of undermining one's direct supervisor, but within the Disciplinary Inspection Office, it was not an issue at all.

Because Alfred wished for his young master to sleep a bit longer, he had awakened Neo ahead of time—who was likewise sleeping—and reported to him first.

Cullen drained the final sip of milk from his cup just as the briefing concluded, as if Alfred had structured his delivery precisely to match the rhythm of Cullen's breakfast.

First, the chain of evidence regarding Terrison's criminal acts had been solidified; second, Mr. Dalis, acting as a tainted witness, had already completed his testimony and submitted his evidence.

The next step was to deliberate at the joint departmental meeting on what sort of grand accusation would be fitting to pin onto Bishop Dolph.

Cullen stood up, picked up the documents, and walked out of his office. As he stepped through the door, he happened to spot three people sitting on the long bench.

Philomena and Richard were regular fixtures. Having no work assigned to them on ordinary days, they sat there most of the time, looking to Cullen like two door-gods pasted outside his office entrance.

The extra addition was Leon.

"Captain, I have completed the transfer procedures. I am now officially reporting to you!"

The once-aloof young master of a noble house had now become a subordinate under his command.

Witnessing this scene, Cullen could not help but feel a touch of sentimentality in his heart. Perhaps this was the very meaning of striving forward?

Cullen did not mask his emotions; he reached out to pat Leon's shoulder and asked of his own accord, "Never expected this, did you?"

"When we first met, I truly never imagined it," Leon admitted quite candidly.

The security guard who had sneaked out with him to snatch food during a meeting hiatus back then had now actually become his immediate superior.

"We are on the same side from now on. Come with me to the meeting first, and then..." Cullen looked toward Richard. "Richard, you will be responsible for helping the new member integrate into the squad afterward."

"Yes, Captain."

Richard and Leon were old acquaintances as well. After all, Richard had once belonged to the circle of wealthy young masters, though he rarely hung around Leon and his crowd in the past. Later on, after Richard developed his pastry shop project, it became even more impossible for them to mingle.

"Come, follow me to the meeting first. Has your grandfather arrived?" Cullen inquired.

"They are here, Captain. Along with Bishop Byrne, Chief Moche of the Law Enforcement Department, and oh, the directors of his three direct offices as well."

"Very well, I understand."

Karen led Leon straight to the conference room, Leon stepping forward ahead of him to push open the door for Karen.

Inside, at the conference table, District Chief Harry and Chief Bishop Warfuren sat side by side in the head seats, with Bernie and Neo on one side; Bishop Byrne, Chief Moche, and his three directors sat on the other.

Karen took his seat beside Neo, while Leon sat behind Karen, pulling out pen and paper to begin taking the meeting minutes.

In truth, the moment Leon walked in, everyone from the greater district side cast their eyes upon him in unison.

This matter had been kept confidential until now, meaning everyone was only just finding out that their own boss’s biological grandson had actually "defected to the enemy."

Warfuren set down his teacup and said with a smile, "Everyone might share a few cognitive contradictions regarding our methods of work, but I believe that in the grand scheme of things, everyone remains willing to cooperate fully, execute tasks well, and contribute a measure of strength to the Holy Church."

This was clearly a subtle explanation for his grandson's presence on the opposing side, serves as an opening statement for this first joint law enforcement department meeting.

District Chief Harry nodded and said, "Naturally. We are all believers in the God of Order; this point has not changed in the past, does not change now, and will never change in the future."

Bernie spoke up, "I propose we proceed immediately to the agenda of today's meeting."

Chief Moche responded, "Let us begin then."

Bernie looked toward Neo, who stifled a yawn and glanced at