Chapter 563: Regional Crisis!

Chapter 563: Regional Crisis!

Because Xili was present, the dinner was not only grand but also meticulously tailored to Karen's tastes.

The reason the maid could remain constantly by Karen's side, and even follow him to the funeral parlor after his move, was certainly not as simple as her merely having large hips.

She was capable of watching Karen cook to learn new dishes, and could even craft afternoon tea to a standard that satisfied Pu'er. This in itself represented an effort that transcended the essential duties of a maid.

It was precisely because of this effort that her family had received salvation from Alfred on that bloody night targeted at the purple-haired people.

At the dining table, Karen ate with great pleasure, finding particular satisfaction in the crucian carp and tofu soup.

The fish broth, as milky white and tender as cream, was sprinkled with chopped scallions and cilantro. Dropping a splash of fragrant vinegar into it before drinking provided a flavor quite sufficient to wash away the exhaustion of having just rushed home.

Of course, the tofu had been brought over from home by Xili. Karen would make some food provisions himself, such as lard, fragrant vinegar, and oyster sauce; he also knew how to make items like century eggs, tofu, and bean curd sheets. However, once he made them himself even once, Xili could essentially replicate them. After receiving some feedback from Karen, she could fundamentally achieve the same texture and taste as if Karen had prepared it with his own hands. After all, Karen himself was no professional in these matters.

Neo had once teased Karen for not understanding the joy of pursuing pleasures. In truth, for Karen, within this world and inside his own little nest, being able to eat that familiar flavor and be enveloped by that familiar scent was in itself an immense pleasure.

"Karen, come, try this."

Madame Tangli picked up the serving chopsticks, lifted a portion of the cold salad, and placed it into the plate before Karen.

To what exaggerated extent the maternal grandmother's affection for this grandson reached was evident in how, after seeing Karen use chopsticks to dine, she disregarded whatever habits the rest of the family held and began using chopsticks herself. Silver, bamboo, fragrant wood—Madame Tangli had researched and tried all manners of chopsticks.

She used to handle knives, so whittling a pair of chopsticks at home now was simply the easiest task imaginable.

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Karen took a bite, and in an instant, his taste buds seemed to explode.

His grandmother had prepared the cold salad according to his preferences, which was entirely different from the vegetable salads Karen usually resisted. However, the ingredients his grandmother had selected were somewhat peculiar, carrying the sensation of a reinforced version of chameleon plant.

"How does it taste? I like it very much."

Karen offered no perfunctory politeness, saying directly, "This flavor is one I might still need to adapt to."

He worried that if he claimed to like it, he would be served this every time he came to the Guman house for a meal in the future. Not only that, but once Richard recovered from his injuries, his grandmother might even arrange for Richard to deliver it to him.

"Oh, is that so? I think it is very good, quite suitable for pairing with meat dishes and heavily seasoned food."

"As long as you like it, Grandmother. It must be that I haven't yet appreciated its deeper layer."

"This fish soup is excellent, and I think this white square is very suitable for developing other dishes." Madame Tangli pointed at the tofu in her bowl. "For instance, braising it and adding chili peppers; I feel a dish made that way would be very appetizing."

"Yes, you are quite right."

"It is delicious." At this moment, Mr. Eisen, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke. Instantly, everyone's gaze converged upon him; after all, he was the guest of honor at this dinner.

Though from Madame Tangli's perspective, her son's birthday was merely an excuse to invite her grandson over for a meal.

"The soup is very delicious." After Mr. Eisen repeated himself, he said to Karen, "Karen, you should drink more of it."

"Pfft, haha..." Madame Kaixi could not help but let out a laugh. As she laughed, her eyes grew somewhat moist.

Madame Tangli also took a deep breath, tilted her head slightly upward, and blinked her eyes forcefully.

Mr. Eisen appeared somewhat bewildered.

Old Master Delong smiled and said, "The maid who made this fish soup was invited over from Karen's house. Do you even need to ask if Karen has had it? This dish might very well have been invented by Karen himself."

Hearing this, Mr. Eisen immediately lowered his head and drank the soup.

As he drank, he suddenly let out a laugh, then picked up the napkin beside him to wipe his mouth.

"Brother is getting better and better," Aunt Lucie said with deep emotion.

Over these years, because of her brother's illness, the household had actually been very oppressive. Her sister-in-law had left home to take up an appointment in another city for this reason, and her parents had long resided at the hot spring resort. This house had been desolate for a very long time.

In the past, whenever her brother sat at the dining table with everyone, it felt like an execution. He would lower his head, quickly finish the food before him, and immediately flee back to his study as if escaping contamination.

Now, listen to that—he had actually attempted to actively liven up the atmosphere of the dining table just now!

Though this method of enlivening was somewhat clumsy and even a bit awkward, it proved that he was actively desiring to blend into this atmosphere. In the past, this was something one would not even dare imagine.

"Yes, Eisen is indeed growing finer."

Inquisitor Dark spoke while surreptitiously dabbing at the corner of his eye.

Why had he hesitated on the lawn outside for so long every time before entering this house in recent years? Why was the pressure so immense every time he faced his father-in-law and mother-in-law upon crossing this threshold?

If his father-in-law's family had truly been the mercenary sort, how could they have allowed their daughter to marry him back then?

Was it not because something had gone wrong with Mr. Eisen, causing his father-in-law to shift his focus and expectations onto him, the son-in-law, leading to nothing he did ever finding favor?

Over these years, Dark had borne far too much for Mr. Eisen's illness.

Now, he finally saw hope. As long as his father-in-law continued to place his attention on his own son, he, the son-in-law, could breathe much easier. He was not only happy; he was deeply moved.

"Everything comes gradually," Karen spoke. "Everything will also get better."

Philomena had been eating silently all this time, and very quickly, she finished her main course of rice.

She felt no embarrassment about asking the hosts to serve her more; instead, she stood up herself, carrying her bowl into the kitchen. Soon she emerged, having deliberately switched to a large plate piled high with a mountain of rice, alongside another large bowl.

After sitting down, she used the large bowl to scoop a full ladle of fish soup, then picked up the seasoning bottle and poured a considerable amount of the fragrant vinegar Xili had brought from home into it. Stirring it open with her chopsticks, she ate the rice first, then lifted the large bowl to her lips to drink the soup.

In truth, her manners would not count for much in an ordinary household, but within a family of the Guman tier, it appeared somewhat overly unbridled.

Although the Guman family was not populous and employed only two temporary servants—who only came during the day to clean and do chores without residing there—the actual stratum of the Guman family was far higher than that of the Allen Manor.

Even the current, revived Allen Manor could not compare to the present Guman house.

Aunt Lucie's daughter, who was Karen's cousin Lucia, looked at Philomena with great envy. She felt that this girl, who was close to her own age, possessed a very intense confidence.

Such confidence was something she lacked; she had inherited a bit of her father's nature, turning somewhat constrained whenever she returned to her grandmother's house.

Madame Tangli, watching Philomena's manner of eating, rarely did not grow angry.

After all, when she was young, she had adventured everywhere and braved the elements; her dining manners had been only more unbridled than Philomena's, and grasping food with her bare hands had been a regular occurrence.

If Philomena had eaten deliberately and properly in accordance with etiquette, it would have contrasted with her prior stiff posture toward her, making the old lady even angrier. Seeing her like this now, her indignation instead smoothed out considerably.

That old crone Felcher likely had no mind to properly educate her granddaughter; no, she had simply never intended to educate her at all.

Watching Philomena eat with such relish, a smile appeared on the face of Old Master Delong where he sat.

Alike, far too alike. Richard's grandmother had given off this exact same feeling when eating back then.

Just like a tigress, consuming her meal while remaining vigilant of her surroundings, terrified that someone might come to snatch her food away.

Old Master Delong even picked up the bowl containing the cilantro and personally used a small spoon to transfer some into Philomena's large bowl, saying very genially:

"Eat more, there is still some in the kitchen."

Philomena shook her head and said, "The fish soup is gone, I just checked."

"Er..."

Old Master Delong froze for a moment, then pointed at the fish soup basin on the table and smiled, "No matter, everyone has already had some. The rest is all yours."

Philomena turned her head to look at Karen.

Karen nodded.

Philomena then stood up, entirely unafraid of the heat, and pulled the soup basin directly in front of herself.

Her appetite was inherently large; usually, when Richard brought her boxed meals, he would bring portions meant for three or four people.

Madame Kaixi finally noticed her father-in-law's particular behavior tonight and immediately comprehended his intention. Yet, as a mother, allowing her to accept such a girl to become her daughter-in-law was truly something she could not bring herself to accept for the time being.

The reason it was unacceptable was not Philomena’s family background or any other conditions,

but rather the prospect of having a mother-in-law like Madame Tangli above and a daughter-in-law like Philomena below,

meaning he would be completely boxed in and managed from top to bottom.

Was his life really meant to be this bitter?

Mr. Eisen, however, showed no reaction to this; having long been in the squad under the identity of Memphis, he understood this girl far more clearly than the rest of his family.

Yet he had never thought of pushing for anything, partly because he felt his own son was already a hopeless case—how could someone possibly look down on him with favor?

Furthermore, he knew well that this girl possessed a mind entirely her own, and in the whole squad, save for Karen, no one could alter her thoughts.

In short, though the dinner lacked Richard, everyone dined in a very happy and pleasant atmosphere.

After the meal, Karen stood up and said, "I will go see Richard. Sily, are there any leftovers?"

"Yes, the old lady prepared them well before the dishes were served, and they have been keeping warm on the steaming tray."

Soon, Sily handed two dining trays over to Karen.

Philomena proactively reached out to help Karen take them.

"Then I shall head down to the basement first," Karen said, nodding to those present before walking toward the cellar.

Once he had gone, Old Man Delong let out a sigh of emotion: "They are around the same age, yet how can the gap between them be so vast."

Tonight, even Delong, as the biological grandfather, had not stood up to speak for Richard during his thrashing, but had instead proactively followed his own son out to receive guests.

Using his father’s identity to seek out ladies at a pastry shop, and even turning his father into a celebrity on that street...

With a mistake like this, it would be unacceptable not to beat him; even the old man’s own hands were itching a bit.

To put it plainly, this was the difference between the Guman family and the Naidun family; both doted on their children, but the Guman family clearly maintained a bottom line—the descendants of the family did not have to be dazzlingly brilliant, but at the very least, they could not stray into absurd misconduct.

Madame Tangli sighed and said, "In the future, we should still let Karen help discipline Richard more."

Lucia spoke up at this moment: "Grandmother, you are truly so good to Captain Karen."

"Hehe," Madame Tangli smiled, "an outstanding and sensible child is well-liked wherever he goes."

"Yes, indeed," Mr. Eisen chimed in.

To Madame Tangli, Karen was the son of her daughter who had passed away early;

To Mr. Eisen, Karen was the son of his elder sister who had passed away early;

Within them, they already held guilt and longing for the departed toward Karen, and furthermore, compared to Richard who had always been raised at home, Karen, who had been left to grow up outside and introduced himself as an 'orphan' when they met, was clearly far more deserving of their heartache;

Of course, the most important thing was still Karen’s own excellence.

Under such circumstances, no matter how good one's political balance was, it was impossible to distribute water perfectly evenly.

...

Inside the basement, Richard was not actually hung up, but was settled upon a wooden bedboard; when Karen and Philomena walked in, Richard’s body was already covered in white silken cocoons, leaving only his head exposed.

A mixed doubles beating by both parents was not without its benefits; in the past, Mr. Eisen’s thrashing of his son was an indiscriminate attack, but this time, with Madame Kaixi joining in, although the injuries were heavier, she demanded her husband not strike the face.

Well, a mother's love was still somewhat present.

"Hey, are you dead yet?"

"No, my little Jerry is working hard."

Richard turned his head to look at Karen, and then looked with some surprise at Philomena standing behind Karen.

"Told you not to act wildly, and now your wild acting has brought trouble; you brought this on yourself."

"Bad luck, I thought my dad wouldn't come home to celebrate his birthday today, but who knew he would not only come home for his birthday, but even want to call me back with him; next time I must ask Memphis for an isolation scroll so that the black crows cannot find me."

"What a wise decision."

Philomena placed the dining tray beside the bedboard, having no intention of feeding him, but asked instead: "Is the pastry shop fun?"

"This..."

Philomena asked: "Mating can bring a person very primitive pleasure, can it not?"

"This..."

Even one as optimistic and sunny as Richard did not know how to take these words.

"I am merely curious, does the pleasure obtained from friction there really captivate people that much?"

"Philomena."

"Captain?"

"You can go back and ask Pr... ask Madame Lake these questions; she can give you answers without any embarrassment."

Karen had originally wanted to say 'Puer', but remembered that his own cat was merely a theoretical master.

"Alright, I understand."

Philomena nodded.

"Was it successful this time, Karen?"

"You knew I was not at the manor?" Karen asked.

"Oh, of course, because the Director disappeared as well."

"The Director is currently watering flowers at the hospital."

"Oh, heavens, then it must have been very dangerous, right? Are you all alright? Were you hurt? Philomena, were you hurt?"

"We are both fine, the Director brought it upon himself."

"Whew, that is good then."

"How long will it take for your injuries to heal?"

"It should be soon, Jerry is much more formidable now than before; I am currently considering whether to delay it a bit, otherwise my parents will think they hit me too lightly and feel unbalanced in their hearts."

When dealing a blow to Richard could not only make the father's psychological state smoother and better alleviate his illness, but also simultaneously promote the son's unexpectedly obtained bodily self-healing ability, it became very hard for Richard to escape a beating.

"No need to delay it, come to work; your family cannot possibly be ignorant of your recovery speed."

The vacation was over, the silence period was also over, and next they would certainly have to look for work again.

A department like the Whip of Order was actually somewhat like the Remnants of Light, most terrified of being forgotten.

"Alright, no problem, I will just use you as an excuse; anyway, my parents do not know whether there is actually work to do in our department."

"Listen to me, do not think of hiding things from your family in the future; your family members are all very clever."

"Ugh, Karen, why are you talking so verbosely today."

"Then tomorrow I shall instruct Memphis to make you a tracking-isolation scroll."

"Now that is more like it, good brother!"

"Recover well from your injuries, I shall head back first."

"Goodbye."

Karen turned to leave. Philomena glanced at the plate she had carried down, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately chose to follow his lead.

Threads of energy shot out from Richard, adhering to the food left on the plate and carrying it piece by piece into his mouth, a feast he thoroughly enjoyed.

After bidding farewell to the Guman family and politely declining Mr. Eisen's offer to drive them home, Karen stepped out of the villa with Philomena at his side.

The evening breeze blew past, carrying a damp moisture that portended rain by morning, yet for the moment, the air remained entirely pleasant.

"How did you find the dinner?" Karen asked.

"It was excellent," Philomena answered with uncharacteristic sincerity.

Karen turned around just then to see an aged figure hurrying after them. Unlike the grandmother, whose sudden shifts in position possessed an effortless elegance, Old Delon was genuinely running and gasping for breath.

Karen, however, suspected it was a mere performance, for he found it impossible to believe the old gentleman lacked the mastery to dissolve into a shroud of black mist.

"You left in such haste, I quite forgot to give you this." The old man drew a yellowed scroll from his sleeve, offered it to Philomena, and smiled. "When the children's grandmother practiced her bladecraft in her youth, I would sit nearby and make rubbings. Since you wield that very blade now, take it and have a look."

Philomena cast a sidelong glance at Karen.

"Accept it."

Philomena took the scroll.

"Offer your thanks."

"Thank you."

"Address him properly."

"Thank you, Lady."

"Incorrect."

"Thank you, Lord Delon."

"Heh heh." Old Delon waved his hand dismissing the formality. "No need to be polite, we are all our own people here."

With those words, the old gentleman turned and began his jog back, still panting with deliberate effort.

Karen smiled to himself. It seemed the old man was not entirely the simple soul he appeared; at the very least, his youthful pursuit of the grandmother could not have relied solely on honesty.

Reaching the main road, Karen was about to hail a carriage when a black crow began to circle overhead before swooping down toward him.

Karen caught the creature and unfurled the message sent by Minister Bernie. The contents caused his gaze to instantly freeze:

"The Chief Bishop of York New District, Wolphren, has just been assassinated."

— — —

My health has been quite uncooperative over these past ten days, and I have been trying hard to make adjustments.

The main issue is that sometimes when I prepare for bed, I wake after only an hour or two and find it impossible to fall back asleep, yet when I merely intend to rest my eyes, I fall into a heavy, confused slumber the moment I lie down.

Thus, when an update suddenly fails to appear, it is not because I intended to skip notice, but rather that I had no plan to take leave and simply fell asleep, only to wake up, check the clock, and realize the disaster.

In the past it was merely a disrupted schedule that a good night's rest could fix, but now there is no schedule left at all, and I suspect I may be suffering from a touch of neurasthenia.

I will do my best to make phase-by-phase adjustments and maintain the updates as much as possible. I offer you all my apologies, and I hold you all close to my heart!