Chapter 47: Informing

Chapter 47: The Informant

"A descendant of your family?"

"Yes," Purr said with absolute certainty. "So, I finally understand why I felt such an immediate fondness for her the moment we met. The exact same blood flows within her veins as in mine."

"Heh heh heh."

Karen let out a soft laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"They say grandparents dote on the next generation, but just how many generations removed are you two?"

"It is hard to count. Heaven only knows at what age her ancestors gave birth to the next."

"No, you misunderstand my point. Who was it that urged me earlier, saying all I needed to do was lie down comfortably and sire children?"

"You... shut up!"

"Is this how a great-great-great-great-great-grandmother is supposed to act?"

"You... shut up!"

Karen placed both hands on the table, leaned forward, and gently flicked Purr's chin, causing the cat's small head to bob up and down.

Purr paid no mind to this playful gesture, asking instead with curiosity:

"You just believed what I said, straight out?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you going to ask me why I am so certain, based solely on a family crest on a gift wallet?"

"There is no need to ask."

"Not even going through the motions?"

"An arranged blind date approved by Dis is a descendant of your family. Is that so surprising?"

"Uh..." Purr shook her head. "Strangely, it feels entirely natural."

"Exactly. So, there is nothing to be surprised about. If you say it is so, I believe you. However, why were you so agitated just now, demanding that I stay away from her?

Does your family have some hereditary disease?

Or does the family carry some sort of curse?

Or perhaps,

Members of your family reach a certain age and turn into cats, just like you?"

Purr shook her head,

And said:

"Turning into a cat was due to my own reasons. Because of certain matters, I broke ties with my family very early on. Then I met some people, some accidents happened, and I could only remain a cat for all this time.

Though my family is somewhat mysterious, to my knowledge, there is no hereditary disease, nor any curse."

"Then why did you warn me so vehemently to stay away from this descendant of yours?"

"I..."

Purr did not know how to put it into words.

Then,

She saw Karen smile.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Purr silently lowered her head, her face even bearing a pleading, sycophantic expression.

Karen reached out,

And stroked the cat's head.

Rarely, Purr actively leaned her head into his palm to accommodate the touch,

Saying at the same time:

"Today's fish with pickled cabbage was truly delicious. I will probably still be savoring it in my dreams tonight."

"Because I am an evil god, and you fear that because of me, involvement and misfortune will be brought upon your family."

"..." Purr remained silent.

When he spoke those words, Karen was very calm.

Filled with shame, Purr raised her head to look at Karen.

In her previous agitation, her words had come out too fast, but now, she suddenly felt that warning him for such a reason was indeed a bit unseemly, leaving her feeling deeply apologetic.

Furthermore, he had given her the fish with pickled cabbage to eat today, while he and his blind date ate oil-splashed noodles.

If only he were easy to fool, but unfortunately, he could always sensitively capture the innermost thoughts of others.

"I can understand. It is fine. A person is themselves, and family is family. Even after a century, family remains an indelible symbol of longing deep within the heart." Karen continued to rub Purr's head. "Though regarding this matter, what I say does not seem to count."

"Sigh, that descendant of mine has definitely taken a liking to you. I think most women in this world, while looking at your face and talking with you for a long time, would want to drag you to bed so as to leave no regrets."

"I did not mean that. I was referring to Dis."

"Oh, right, Dis!"

Purr raised her head once more: "What did I say before? Dis must have known all along!"

Karen felt that perhaps because Purr had been a cat for too long, her thinking had manifested a kind of single-track loop, meaning she could only speak of or do one thing at a time without being able to balance others;

This was also normal. Her condition was equivalent to being in prison. For so many years, besides being able to speak with Dis, she could only speak with him. Long-term isolation could easily cause a person to lose some of the expansiveness in communication and thought.

"Your family is in Wien, and very wealthy?"

"In my era, my family was not that wealthy. In fact, paper wealth is often nothing grand, much like Morf that night.

This does not mean my family has developed better and better over these hundred years. One could even surmise that... they are doing worse and worse.

Worse to the point of needing to accompany those old ladies of the Wien royal family for afternoon tea."

"No matter how long a public restroom goes without being cleaned, it will never smell as bad as canned herring."

"You are right. So Dis's purpose is..."

The man and the cat beside the dining table both fell silent.

"You will go and ask Dis, right?" Karen looked at Purr.

"Actually, Dis is not a very easy person to get along with," Purr replied. "It has been that way since he was a child. Anything he decides to do cannot actually be changed."

"Understood."

"Of course, perhaps it is different with you. He is always special toward you." Purr gave a bitter smile. "Of course, perhaps because you too are special."

Just then, the doorbell downstairs rang.

There was a doorbell at the entrance of the Inmoles home specifically set up for guests, with an explanatory sign above it.

However, Miss Eunice had not used it earlier. After all, she was not a pure "guest," and calling the hosts in such a manner would seem somewhat inappropriate.

Karen came downstairs and found an old lady standing at the door, and the person supporting her arm was Mrs. Seymour.

"Hello, madam."

"Hello." The elderly lady's face was somewhat weary.

"Hello, Mrs. Seymour."

"Hello, Karen, this is Mrs. Morders. Mr. Morders has just passed away, and we need to give him a decent and appropriate funeral."

This was the power of word-of-mouth; clearly, Mrs. Seymour had acted as a referral for the family.

For a long time now, half of the truly profitable business for the Inmerais family had actually been built on this kind of "word-of-mouth" operation.

"I am so sorry for your loss. Please accept my deepest condolences."

Mrs. Morders nodded.

"Please take a seat."

Karen arranged for them to sit down, and then went to brew some black tea himself, without asking about their preferences.

Because it was observable that Mrs. Morders was not a assertive person, combined with the fact that she was currently in the midst of grief over losing her husband; at this time, a conservative "customer" did not actually need option after option. Instead, while she sat there, you needed to be slightly more assertive, offering suggestions while simultaneously helping her make the decisions.

Therefore,

next, when discussing the details and arrangements of the funeral, including the layout of the venue and the choice of casket,

Karen's concluding phrases were always:

"Does this look acceptable to you?"

"Do you think it is appropriate for me to make this choice for you?"

"Does this style meet the needs of you and your husband?"

Mrs. Morders only needed to reply: "Mhm." "That works." "Alright."

Some assertive customers strongly loathed this kind of scenario forced upon them by sales personnel; it would trigger their inner rebelliousness. This actually had nothing to do with being rational or irrational—it was just like how some people simply could not stand the smell of cilantro, yet they did not happen to have a cilantro allergy.

On the other hand, some people were more comfortable with this method, perhaps due to their family dynamics, or maybe simply because they were soft-eared. If you forced her to make a hard choice between "A" and "B", she would feel deeply distressed.

Facing different customers required different sales strategies;

it wasn’t just to secure the deal—after all, since Mrs. Seymour had personally brought the old lady to their door, even if Ron were to negotiate this contract, it probably wouldn’t fall through.

But it could make the contact between both parties shorter, and also make the old lady feel more comfortable in her heart.

The quality of service was, in fact, already beginning to show at this moment.

Once everything was finalized,

Mrs. Morders let out a long sigh of relief, leaning her body back against the sofa, but then realizing this sitting posture was somewhat improper, she immediately leaned forward again and said:

"Thank you very much, young man."

"You are most welcome. Later this evening, we will send someone to bring your husband here. If you have any other thoughts or needs, you can call us anytime; in short, we will arrange everything for you."

"Thank you."

"From our conversation, I can feel that Mr. Morders was a very solemn man."

"Yes, he always kept a stern face out in public, and his subordinates were all terrified of him. Sometimes he would even worry about it, often asking me: Am I really that scary?"

"How did you answer?"

"I answered: Oh, do you know how I have managed to live with you all these years? Hahaha."

"Hehehe."

Next, Karen smoothly began to offer Mrs. Morders some psychological counseling.

Trying his best to make her feel that her husband was just asleep, and that coming to the Inmerais house was just staying at an inn, to help her temporarily detach from her grief.

This was actually somewhat self-deceiving, because the pain of a loved one's passing could not possibly be wiped away by a half-hour or one-hour conversation, but it could allow her to sleep as soundly as possible during these days of being busy with the funeral and receiving relatives and friends.

During this time, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had also returned. They actually really wanted to ask Karen about the results of his blind date today, but seeing Karen chatting with the guest, they very mindfully went upstairs quietly without disturbing them.

Finally,

Mrs. Morders stood up on her own initiative: "Thank you, young man."

"Rest assured, everything will be properly arranged."

"I believe so, and my husband would believe so too."

Mrs. Seymour supported Mrs. Morders as they left; upon exiting the door, Mrs. Seymour even gave Karen a slight wink.

Karen responded with a smile.

Having seen off the guests, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie appeared in the living room almost simultaneously.

Before they could ask him for the results,

Karen directly spread his hands and said:

"Aunt Winnie, I've placed the order sheet on the coffee table. I need you to call the supplier to deliver the goods immediately.

Aunt Mary, please call Uncle back. I'm afraid that Uncle might stay at the crematorium tonight to drink late with Paul, and I promised Mrs. Morders that I would go and bring her husband back to stay at our house tonight."

"There's no rush for that..." Aunt Winnie said.

"Yes, there's no rush for that first..." Aunt Mary said.

Karen said:

"Package B."

"I'll go contact the supplier."

"I'll go call that deadbeat husband of mine and tell him to get back here right now!"

"Whew..."

Karen let out a long sigh of relief.

Dinner was handled by Karen, who simply made a few dishes: stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, sliced pork with shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fried pig ears with Erjingtiao chili peppers.

The staple food was flatbread, made using the home oven, with a crispy crust. Karen then used a knife to cut a slit in each bread, letting everyone stuff their own "Chinese hamburgers" with the side dishes.

The soup was a fresh vegetable and tofu soup, very delicious. In fact, if not considering selling it outside, making tofu at home by oneself was still very simple.

For the sake of Mrs. Morders' order, everyone in the family busied themselves. Karen, on the other hand, took an early bath after dinner and returned to his bedroom.

Turning on the desk lamp,

he took out that book, "The Light of Order", and continued

reading for about an hour. Karen closed the book and pulled out a piece of paper.

First, he drew a circle,

then, next to this circle, he drew a sketch of his own face.

Because he had studied painting for a period of time in his past life, although he couldn't make a living out of it and it couldn't be called exceptionally good, in

Finally,

In a corner of the paper, yet another circle was drawn, this one labeled "Wien."

Directly following that,

Upon the circle marked "Wien," the figure of a girl was sketched—Eunice.

The Purr family and the Inmeles family were undeniably entangled, a bond that must have spanned many years; after all, when Dis was still but a child, Purr had already become a pet cat in the Inmeles household.

Even before transforming into a feline, she had clearly maintained dealings with the family.

The diagram was simple and glaringly explicit, requiring no deliberate analysis, much less the theatrical mystique of a high-intelligence charade.

One only needed to circle their own avatar and drag it toward Wien, or rather, to Eunice's side.

Dis

Was carving out an escape route.

Was it because some shift had occurred within his own identity, or was the influence of the God-Descending Ritual continuing to ripple outward, beyond all control?

Though the Purr family, by her own account, could hardly be deemed better or worse off than they were a century ago, one truth remained clear: the clan still commanded immense status and prestige in Wien.

The Morfe family of Luojia City, a mere financial syndicate with a modicum of influence in Ruilan, possessed absolutely no right to compare themselves to this old-line Wien house.

First, the sheer scale of the two nations was entirely mismatched; Ruilan was, to a certain degree, practically a vassal state to Wien.

Second, a massive, inherent chasm separated a family newly risen on the back of raw wealth from an aristocratic house steeped in ancient heritage—a chasm that, in a world ruled by "Theocracy," could only widen to an almost exaggerated degree.

After all, Mr. Morfe could only "adopt" a marginal female devotee of the Mills Church to serve as his mistress, whereas a century ago, an elder of Eunice's family already possessed the means to become a cat!

Most vital of all, this cat had managed to survive for so long, a veritable living fossil.

Thus, if he were to depart for Wien and secure the protection of Eunice's family, his safety would be guaranteed to a certain extent.

And yet...

Karen knitted his brows slightly.

Why did it feel as though he were being "married off" to a distant land?

Would he not essentially become a "live-in son-in-law"?

Subconsciously twirling the fountain pen between his fingers, Karen found himself deeply conflicted;

He cherished this home; he wished for Dis, his uncle, his aunt, his aunt-in-law, and Lent to continue living here in harmony and peace.

Human beings were inherently selfish, yes, but familial love was itself a form of devotion born of that selfishness.

Therefore, if for his own sake it required him to become a "live-in son-in-law" to ensure the safety of the Inmeles family, he would not, in truth, harbor much resistance.

They treated him as family, and so he was entirely willing to shoulder the responsibility for them.

Only,

What, precisely, were Dis's true intentions?

Just then,

The bedroom door clicked open, and Lent poked his head through the gap.

"Brother, Grandfather wants you in the study."

"Understood."

The study door was left slightly ajar; Karen tapped lightly against the wood before pushing it open to step inside.

To Karen's slight surprise,

Dis was not hunched over his desk tonight, scratching away with his fountain pen as was his custom.

Instead, he reclined with great ease in his chair, a teacup held gently in his hand.

"Grandfather."

Karen took his seat before Dis in a perfectly natural manner.

"Did that young lady visit this afternoon?"

"Yes, she did."

"Mm."

Dis offered a slow nod.

Holding the teacup with one hand, he extended his other, palm upward.

"Order—Cage."

"Hmm?"

At that exact moment,

Just outside the study door, a certain black cat that had been attempting to eavesdrop was abruptly cast out.

Dis resumed speaking:

"How did she strike you?"

"Very beautiful, possessing an excellent temperament, and highly cultivated."

"Do you like her?" Dis inquired.

"In what sense do you mean, Grandfather? If it is the degree of favor a man holds for a woman, then yes, certainly."

"That is well."

Dis inclined his head slightly, once more opening his palm.

"Order—Cage."

Outside the study door, the black cat, which had stealthily crept back on padding paws, was instantly bound and levitated up onto the living room chandelier.

"'Allen' is the surname of Purr's family. In Wien, it carries considerable weight—an ancient noble house."

"Yes, Purr has already told me."

"Take advantage of this period to cultivate a good relationship with the young lady."

"To what extent should this relationship develop?" Karen asked.

"That young lady is a genius; her academic pursuits were completed rapidly, and she has been shielded by her family since childhood. Thus, she is currently a blank sheet of paper—at least regarding her worldly experience.

Though, as a grandfather, it is rather unseemly to discuss a girl with you in this manner."

"No, I know you have my best interests at heart, Grandfather."

"Mm. Court her, then. Do not waste time; she will not remain in Luojia much longer, so your window of opportunity is quite brief. However, I believe that for you, it should pose no great difficulty.

Am I correct?"

"Though I feel it is somewhat improper to approach a romance in this fashion, still... I believe it should not be an issue."

"Be more urgent. When the time comes, let her take you back with her to Wien."

"I... understand."

"Speaking with you always spares me much effort. I am very fond of a grandson like you."

Even though it felt somewhat inappropriate, communicating with an autistic grandson was truly an exhausting endeavor.

“I am also very fond of a grandfather like you.”

“Oh, right.”

Dis opened the drawer, took out a stack of bills from within, and placed them upon the desk.

“When dating a girl, your pockets certainly cannot be empty.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Previously, Cullen’s “little treasury” had been entirely surrendered as investment shares, so he truly did not have much cash on hand.

Of course, that fellow Alfred was bound to be very wealthy; if Cullen asked him for money, he would certainly oblige.

Yet the feeling of receiving pocket money from his grandfather’s hand was different, akin to how many university students in his past life would request extra romance funds from their parents after falling in love.

“Very well, there is nothing else.”

Cullen held the stack of rubles in his hand but did not rise. Instead, he asked:

“Grandfather, is it because of my identity that has caused…”

Before Cullen could finish his sentence,

Dis shook his head.

“No, in truth, it has nothing to do with you.

I performed the Descent of the God ritual solely to preserve my family; before doing so, it was naturally impossible for me to leave behind any hidden perils that would cause my family to fall into the danger of being investigated again.

Therefore,

it has nothing to do with you, nor does it have anything to do with the Descent of the God ritual. You are not a burden, Cullen.”

“Then…”

“It is that some problems have arisen with myself, some problems beyond my expectations. And this problem is, moreover, very troublesome, something I had not anticipated before I held the Descent of the God ritual.

Therefore, the trouble is directed solely at me; it will not affect you, nor will it implicate the Inmerais family.”

“But Grandfather is also a part of the Inmerais family, and the most important part at that,” Cullen said.

“I will handle it, and only I can handle it. Just like that night when I took you to the Morf house, some matters have already exceeded the level where ordinary people can intervene or offer assistance. You should be able to understand this.

Therefore,

while you place your trust in me, concentrate on doing well what you ought to do right now.”

The meaning behind Dis’s words was that they should not engage in a sentimental, back-and-forth emotional tug-of-war. For instance, there was no need to mention useless nonsense such as being together forever, the family always supporting him, or not allowing him to take risks.

Cullen nodded and stood up.

Just as Cullen was preparing to leave,

Dis spoke once more.

“Cullen.”

“Grandfather, please speak.”

“All along, my dream has been that starting from me, the Inmerais family could break away from the world of the Church.”

“I know.”

“This matter will succeed. Whether or not I can handle this trouble properly, it will ultimately be realized.”

“I believe in your ability, Grandfather. In my eyes, you are an omnipotent existence.”

“But I will not interfere with my family making their own choices for their lives. Just as back then, when I clearly knew the man Winnie chose had some issues with his character, under Winnie’s stubborn insistence, I ultimately still chose not to stop her.

This is life; this is existence.

If one loses the right to choose for oneself and merely follows a set path step by step, when one grows old, there will not be many things left worth reminiscing over.

This is also the reason,

why I hope you can go to Vienna.

The things you have displayed over these past few days have indeed caused my thoughts to undergo some changes.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

At this moment, Aunt Winnie walked up to the third floor, lifting her gaze to see Puer grasping the chandelier.

“Heavens, this cat is getting more and more mischievous now.”

Perched upon the chandelier, Puer could not help but roll her eyes.

Winnie walked to the door of the study and knocked.

Cullen opened the door.

“Aunt Winnie?”

Aunt Winnie smiled at Cullen, then looked toward her father sitting inside.

“Father, the hospital called again. They said Mr. Hoffen experienced another critical condition earlier, but this time he was resuscitated very quickly.”

“Good, I understand.”

“Mm.”

Aunt Winnie turned and left.

Cullen was also preparing to close the door and return to his own bedroom, but he saw Dis stand up from behind the desk.

“Cullen, accompany me to the hospital.”

“Very well, Grandfather.”

“Old Hoffen is very tired; it is time to bring him home to rest.”

…

The hospital,

The ward.

Today, the caregiver was rarely not dozing off, but was instead meticulously peeling an apple for Mr. Hoffen.

“You were resuscitated very quickly this time, which shows that your body is slowly getting better.”

“Heh, perhaps so,” Mr. Hoffen said with a smile, while opening his mouth, preparing to receive the apple that was about to be placed inside.

But after waiting for a moment, finding that no sweet apple entered his mouth, he cast a glance upward and discovered the caregiver remained completely motionless, maintaining the posture of feeding the apple.

Mr. Hoffen did not panic, nor did he lose his composure;

quite the contrary, he let out a very long nasal sigh, as though he had finally awaited his deliverance.

At the doorway,

a black shadow slowly drifted inward, gradually condensing into the silhouette of a man.

Immediately following that,

a majestic voice resounded:

"You stand accused of participating in an un-sanctioned, high-tier divine descent ritual, and by the authority of the Order Ordinance, we have come to interrogate you."

"At last, you have arrived,

The evil god...

The evil god has already descended!"