Chapter 552: Powerful Karen

Chapter 552: The Powerful Karen

Because a surplus person had appeared the last time they entered the Congers family cemetery, nearly triggering a crisis that would have buried the entire team right then and there, Karen was naturally more sensitive to headcounts this time upon entering another unknown subterranean area.

Of course, that was not the primary reason.

Due to the Twelve Knights of Order, the number twelve was highly revered within the traditions of the Church of Order. From the squad units of various departments to the high-ranking seats at certain structural levels, the establishment was fundamentally built around the number "12".

This tradition of Order was common knowledge not only within the Church but also across broader ecclesiastical circles.

In truth, however, if one were to expound upon the matter strictly from the perspective of dogma and developmental history, what the Church of Order truly valued had never been the number "12", but rather "1 + 12".

The reason the number "12" left the deepest impression on people was that the average mind generally failed to realize that above the Twelve Knights of Order, there stood a ruler—the God of Order.

This was also quite natural; after all, the God of Order could hardly be considered a human being.

Karen had been a captain himself for a long time, so the establishment of twelve in the eyes of ordinary people had always been thirteen to him. Yet, judging by the cognitive performance of the twelve individuals before him, they truly seemed to fit Neo's description: when another consciousness suppresses your thoughts, making you naturally believe and agree with his words, your perception of yourself and the objective reality surrounding you is effectively blurred.

Upon hearing Karen say "one person is missing," Luna began to look around, and the others also stared blankly in front of and behind themselves, their mouths muttering as they counted the names and nicknames of their teammates:

"Captain, Kuzan, Gray Wolf, Wild Ox, Angel..."

"Blind Man, Kuzan, Gray Wolf, Iron Nail, Captain..."

"Gray Wolf, Iron Nail, Captain, Luna, Borman..."

Regrettably, Karen noticed that not a single one of them could count past six.

In fact, as they counted, they would forget who they had just named, even if they counted on their fingers, squatted down to make marks in the sand, or cooperated to count together. They simply could not finish taking a tally of the teammates currently present.

Karen pursed his lips. He suddenly felt that Neo’s guess might be wrong, or rather, not entirely correct. If the previous sword-wielder and spear-wielder were driven by a mere combat instinct when they clashed with the two of them, that would indeed make sense—sometimes performing purely on instinct yields better results, provided you are strong enough.

But upon seeing him condense the Chains of Order, their immediate shift in attitude, their expression of affection for "home," and their joy at the prospect of their own deliverance—these emotions were far too sophisticated for mere instinct.

Furthermore, the moment the sword-wielder heard him say that he also used a sword, he understood immediately, tossing his greatsword to him as a gift. The others also understood, throwing out their weapons and sacred artifacts as offerings.

They were not doing this to curry favor. This was not like telling an ignorant child, "I'll pluck the moon from the sky and give it to you, and in return, you just need to give me the 100 Reals of pocket money in your hand." They knew they were already dead, and that keeping the weapons on their persons was meaningless; it was far better to bestow them upon a junior of the same Church so that their weapons could continue to manifest their value.

In short, this was a rational and emotional cognition that transcended instinct. Clearly possessing deeper thoughts, yet appearing cognitively stagnant on simpler matters—the problem must lie right there.

The person suppressing their thoughts had not only exerted mental suppression over them regarding the issue of headcount perception, but had also conducted targeted cognitive guidance.

Evidently, this was the work of the missing person. Karen felt that it was likely not the so-called "Sand Evil Spirit," as that entity had no reason to act this way.

If it truly had done so for some purpose, it should have been a case of "one extra person" to accommodate its presence.

Seeing that they were still continuing to count, Karen spoke once more:

"Senior comrades, if you could please quiet down for a moment. I believe we have encountered a very serious problem, which is that I cannot establish the factual truth of this entire sequence of events through your narratives.

"If possible..."

Two paths lay before Karen. Either he could take these excellent things right now and leave immediately, then report it to the Church—even anonymously—so that the Church could dispatch a larger force to handle this place.

But the moment this path surfaced in his mind, it was dismissed by Karen, because he felt things would not be that simple. If that "person" was still here, how could he possibly tolerate Karen leaving safely to call for reinforcements?

That left only the final path. When you face difficulties and dangers and are certain they cannot be avoided, the thing you should and can do is probably to face life head-on.

"If possible, please allow me to help examine your bodies and consciousness. I hope you can trust me."

The greatsword was still gripped in Karen's right hand. He raised his left hand, then stepped forward and walked toward them. The current atmosphere was incredibly eerie, yet an explicitly perceptible trust existed between both sides.

To use an inappropriate analogy, from the standpoint of Karen as a believer of the Church of Order, the group of people before him were fallen martyr seniors.

Luna spoke up, "You may."

The others also responded, "You... may..."

Karen noticed that Luna's mental activity was somewhat stronger than the others. At the very least, she did not pause or stutter when speaking.

This compelled Karen to take a few more looks at the headless corpse lying beside Luna—Torisa, the captain of this elite squad.

Luna was not the only female in the squad, so why did she receive special treatment "in terms of thought"?

Karen did not choose to go to Luna to examine her first. Instead, he walked over to the sword-wielder who had fought him at the very beginning; if he remembered correctly, his name should be Kuzan.

Karen raised his hand, preparing to touch him. Kuzan remained motionless, allowing Karen to place his hand over his chest.

The contact felt very real—this was a redundant observation; the other party could not possibly be some illusion or phantom, considering they had just fought, and Neo had even blasted the spear-wielder with his ten fingernails.

They possessed heartbeats, but the frequency of the throbbing was dull and smothered. Under close observation, one found that they exhibited all the manifestations of "living," yet they lacked vitality. This state was infinitely close to being awakened.

An investigative spell began to condense in Karen's palm, and simultaneously, his consciousness prepared to enter the other’s body to conduct a deep-level examination.

Perhaps sensing Karen’s subsequent action, Kuzan warned, "Be... careful... of being entangled... by the... curse..."

Curse and pollution were sometimes synonymous. It was also like an infectious disease; certain high-risk behaviors could easily cause oneself to become infected.

Karen held a higher level of goodwill toward this senior who had gifted him the greatsword than the others, and immediately responded with a smile:

"I am the same as you."

"I am the same as you."

Neo walked back after parting ways with Karen, but as he walked, the sand pit ahead suddenly seemed to become boundless. In response, Neo did not panic; instead, a smile curved up the corners of his mouth.

He stopped his pace and waited quietly.

When this sand pit offered him special treatment, it meant that "he" had finally stopped hiding and was beginning to reveal traces.

What Neo had not expected, however, was that the first sentence transmitted by the other party would actually be "I am the same as you."

There was no one behind him, nor at his side. It appeared "he" was still unwilling to manifest completely.

During this process, Neo looked at Alfred and the others on the distant platform. Judging from their still-peaceful demeanor, the "image" they saw from the platform was highly likely still just himself and Karen standing in the distance, negotiating with those ten—oh no, now twelve people.

After waiting for a while without hearing "him" continue speaking, Neo had to urge:

"You could speak a bit more specifically, because I am very sorry to say that sometimes even I cannot clearly recognize what kind of person I actually am. So while you say you are the same as me, my understanding of you has only become more blurred."

"He" replied, "I saw you employ the power of Light."

"Oh, you mean that."

Neo "realized in a flash," and then recalled the sentence Karen had spoken in his heart: Three hundred years have passed. If a threat exists, it should have seen us by now.

"He" said, "This is a good opportunity."

"A good opportunity?" Neo said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Since you chose to communicate with me alone, it means you also possess a sense of urgency. So, could you please not speak so concisely? It makes me exhausted to listen."

"Apologies, I have not communicated with anyone for too long, so I am somewhat rusty; I need you to help me, help me break the curse here."

"Then why did you keep me here? I am walking back right now precisely to find the formation master in our team to prepare the deployment of a magic array and destroy the operation of this sand pit."

"No, you will not do that. You and your 'Keeper' have long harbored suspicions about this place. Your 'Keeper' even asked a question there: he asked, did you come to execute the mission with a full roster?"

"Is there anything strange about that?" Neo shrugged, "This question is no different from asking what new play is being staged today or what color the clouds of last night's sunset were—it's just a colloquial phrase for daily communication. Oh, perhaps you are not a citizen of Wien, so you might not be very familiar with these habits."

"Look, you are testing whether I am from the Dinge District."

"Heh." Neo smiled, "Then does this count as a disguised answer from you? I don't believe that Sand Evil Spirit could distinguish regional customs."

The geographical locations of the Dinge District and the Wien District were different. The former was a capital of romance; three hundred years ago, before the technology of film even existed, the Dinge District was already a place of pilgrimage for artists, which caused local residents to carry a bit of an artistic tone even in their daily communication habits.

As for the residents of Wien, they would only ask how the weather was and what flavor of soybean paste they ate last night, because the weather in Wien was truly as terrible as hell, and Wien people would always have the residual scent of their own homemade special soybean paste lingering on them.

"I can help you control your Keeper. I can help you gain deliverance from his 'hands.' I can help you regain your freedom."

The Keeper?

Did he mean Karen?

"He" perceived himself as Karen's "slave?"

Neo had never heard the title "Keeper" before, but he could try to grasp the implication: in the entity's eyes, the fact that he, a remnant of Light, walked alongside Karen meant he was merely Karen's slave.

What atrocious eyesight!

Damn it, he was clearly Karen's superior!

Neo began to recall the sequence of details since they descended. He had gone down first to scout the path, and he was the one responsible for coaxing information out of that welcoming corpse. When they reached the sandpool, he had jumped in while Karen remained flying above; it was he who dove into the sandpool to push out the corpses below, while Karen simply floated overhead.

When it came to conversing with those seniors of Order and revealing their official identities, it was Karen who stepped forward.

Then Karen told him to head back, and he did just that. Though it was a tacit division of labor between them... Neo suddenly felt that if the entity judged him to be Karen's slave based solely on this... it didn't seem entirely incorrect. Good heavens, it seemed he had indulged Karen too much in the past, allowing their current relationship to become so devoid of proper boundaries.

"Help me break the curse here, and I will help you seal your 'Keeper' within this place. This is a deal between you and me."

"A deal? Of course I am willing to make a deal, but you cannot expect me to believe you just because of a few words. After all..." Neo's mind raced. He suddenly realized a possibility, a reason why this "he" would choose to communicate with him alone—why "he" was so cautious, or rather, somewhat cowardly, despite this being "his" home turf.

Furthermore, this reason indirectly proved he was Karen's slave.

"He" could perceive everything since their descent, but for fear of being detected, "he" had failed to eavesdrop on their previous conversations.

Only when he and Karen entered the range of the sandpool did "he" thoroughly seize the initiative and gain a measure of confidence.

A conclusion deduced from behavior.

Heh...

Neo suddenly felt an urge to laugh. The reason the entity was so cautious was that he had "seen" Karen awaken that welcoming corpse, and after successfully doing so, Karen still appeared perfectly normal.

"He" did not know of Karen's unique abilities, nor did "he" see Karen utilize scrolls and high-tier holy artifacts as assistance to offset and weaken the price of "awakening." In "his" perception, Karen had awakened that corpse with absolute ease.

From this, "he" deduced Karen's strength... to be terrifying!

For such a terrifying person to be accompanied by a "subordinate" who was a remnant of Light, it naturally equated to the relationship between a "Keeper" and a "slave."

What Neo did not know was that under "his" gaze from another perspective, Karen was approaching the team members one by one, touching them to ask for their names.

Even though Karen had already entered that domain, even though he had already touched the curse with his own power and consciousness, and even though the mental pressure would descend upon him equally;

He appeared remarkably calm, continuing to ask one by one, as if he were entirely unaffected.

By now, Karen had nearly finished asking; he was already questioning the last person, Luna.

To easily awaken that welcoming corpse and to bear the curse and spiritual pressure with such ease—such an existence was truly too powerful.

So powerful that "he" did not dare to strike at Karen directly.

"He" even suspected that Karen was using this slow, deliberate manner to "fish" for him.

"A person like me does not easily trust others, as you should understand. As a slave, rebelling against my Keeper means that if I fail, the end is death—and an exceptionally agonizing death at that."

"I understand."

"Therefore, I need to see your sincerity first."

Although Neo himself did not know what kind of sincerity he wanted to see, it did not matter; the entity would provide the answer. "I can trap him first, letting you see that I possess this capability, even though he is indeed very powerful. When the time comes, whether you are willing to help me break the curse will depend on your own judgment. Furthermore, I can promise that once I regain my freedom, I will bestow many benefits upon you.

I am even willing to hide among the remnants of Light. You people have always yearned for more power and support; I am willing to join and assist you."

Ah... indeed, even three hundred years ago, the foolish image of the remnants of Light had already deeply ingrained itself in people's minds.

Anyone and everyone wanted to fool them, use them to kill with a borrowed knife, and discard them once they were done.

Neo smiled and said, "I cannot promise you anything just yet. I want to see how things unfold first. You know, I possess absolute loyalty toward my Lord Karen."

"You will see it."

"Additionally, I have another conjecture for which I would like a response from you." "Ask away."

"When I saw that headless corpse, I actually knew its purpose. Do you know why? For a very long time in the past, I have also simulated how I should hide and evade when certain specific moments arrive, given my rather unique identity.

Alas, your method aligns perfectly with my thoughts during a certain stage.

Eyes can deceive, ears can deceive, noses can deceive, but feelings are sometimes very difficult to deceive. Most importantly, the perspective and mindset of a certain stage are the hardest to deceive. To think I would find a resonance of perspective and mindset with you.

So, there was never any Sand Evil Spirit at all, right?

The perspective and mindset of a certain stage are the hardest to deceive. To think I would find a resonance of perspective and mindset with you.

So, there was never any Sand Evil Spirit at all, right?

Your true identity is..."

Karen removed his hand from Luna's shoulder and, finally, looked at the headless corpse lying beside her.

"I have already asked for the names and nicknames of everyone here. You are indeed missing one teammate."

Karen paused, then reached out to point at the headless corpse, continuing:

"But in that case, the existence of this headless corpse becomes somewhat impossible to define.

If I absolutely had to assign a function to its existence, I would believe that this headless corpse is the final member among your twelve teammates.

You are all actually here, all twelve of you;

The person who went missing should be your captain—Torisa!"