Chapter 580: Father

Chapter 580: Father

Mavario appeared before Karen, a smile gracing his features.

Karen, feeling a faint sense of helplessness, let out a soft sigh.

"What is it?" Mavario asked.

Karen shook his head, disinclined to answer.

Understanding finally dawned upon Mavario, and he said, "In the presence of the Gods, we must grow accustomed to candor."

"Do you mean to say that the elders dwelling upon the stars generally go about stark naked? After all, they are universally acknowledged as the ones closest to the Gods."

"This is the Temple," Mavario reminded him, his tone turning cautious. "Once we leave this barrier, do not make such jests."

"I know."

"Heh."

"What is it?" Karen inquired.

Mavario replied, "I merely tried to envision the scene you just described."

"Your reflex arc is remarkably long."

"Reflex arc?" Mavario caught the meaning and said, "It is chiefly because, under normal circumstances, truly no one would dare make such a joke with me."

"You possess a noble status, after all."

"There is but one last procedure to go through, and it will be over shortly. After that, I shall take you on a tour around the Temple. This is a rare opportunity. To outsiders, the Temple and the Church appear as a single entity, but in truth, they are two separate systems of operation. Unless one holds a special status or obtains exceptional clearance, entering is entirely impossible."

"Very well."

Mavario raised his hand, and a stretch of starry sky manifested above, immediately followed by the descent of a majestic, crushing pressure.

Karen lifted his gaze and beheld a black scythe floating in the heavens—the Scythe of War.

"We shall utilize the Scythe of War to conduct a 'sweep,' which can cleanse away any 'lingering gazes.'"

"Ah, so that is how it works."

This sensation felt quite akin to ultraviolet disinfection.

The brilliance projected downward from the Scythe of War, like the light of the moon, bathed Karen's form.

In that exact instant, Karen felt a sharp, stabbing pain pierce his chest, yet he forced himself to endure it, allowing no change to ripple across his expression.

For Karen knew full well that this pain did not stem from his physical body but was a reverberation from his soul. It was primarily because the last time he had borrowed the Scythe of War, he had struck his own soul with it, leaving a deep shadow in the depths of his spiritual consciousness.

At the same time, Karen had to restrain the restlessness of the Scythe of War residing within his own mental space; at this moment, it had suddenly grown exceedingly excited, like a young chick catching sight of the mother hen.

"Very well, it is finished." Mavario clapped his hands together. "Wait here a moment longer, and I shall have someone arrange for you to wash up."

"Is that permissible?"

"Of course, do not be polite."

Mavario's silhouette vanished as he returned first to reality. He raised his head, looking through the broken ceiling toward a star high above, upon which stood a temple enshrining the Scythe of War.

My perception just now was not mistaken. When your brilliance washed over him, I seemed to detect a sense of affinity radiating from you.

Though he bears the mark I left behind and can borrow your might when utilizing the Black Prison Castle, there are quite a few who possess such a mark, yet you have never displayed any extra affinity toward them.

Mavario hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he chose not to include this detail in his report.

For a single report could directly sway a person's future and destiny, and he understood better than anyone what a complete divine artifact truly signified to the Church and the Temple.

In short, he had allowed himself a small act of personal favoritism. After all, he did not wish to see a white-haired Karen sixty years from now, gripping a broom and sweeping the floors of the temple that enshrined the Scythe of War;

And then, with a hunched back and a raspy voice, saying to him:

"You have come."

...

The woman who had previously led Karen inside continued to read the book held in her right hand, while her left hand tossed over a set of brand-new robes of Order. She then gestured toward the open-air pool ahead.

"Wash up yourself."

"Excuse me, I wished to inquire as to where Lord Augie is?"

"Sent for medical treatment."

"And what of my cat?"

"Your cat? Is it not here?"

"It is not."

"Wash yourself first. I shall go and search for it."

"Thank you."

Karen stepped into the pool and began to bathe. The water within was comfortably warm; a magic stone had been placed directly at the center of the bottom, producing an effect even finer than that of a natural hot spring.

"Meow!"

As he was washing, a black cat plummeted from the sky.

"Splash!"

Puer plunged straight into the pool.

Karen reached out his hand to scoop it up. The black cat glared at Karen with an air of absolute indignation, its feline face entirely written with an untamed, wild defiance.

"Found it, and it is returned to you," the woman's voice drifted over once more. "Manage your pet well; this is not the world outside."

"Understood, thank you."

Once the woman departed, Karen reached out and caught Puer by the tail, simultaneously executing an "awakening" upon Puer through the bond of their symbiotic contract.

Previously, Puer had foreseen that an inspection was imminent, so it had "sealed" itself in advance. Now, accompanied by Karen's summons, Puer closed its eyes and then slowly opened them again.

Its fur began to grow sleek and fine, and its eyes regained their bright, agile animation. Wagging its tail, it simply flipped its body backward, floating directly upon the surface of the water and using its tail as an oar to paddle.

"Is it over, meow?"

"Yes, it is over."

"Can we go home now?"

"It seems we must wait a while longer. Mavario wants to take me on a tour around this place."

"Then let us tour it," Puer said, paddling in circles within the pool. "I wish to look around as well; this place is vast."

"Have you been here before?"

"No. I have been to the Valley of Samsara, but I have never been here. It is rather difficult to gain entry, you see."

"That is true."

The environment of the Valley of Samsara was actually considered semi-public; anyone who could afford a boat ticket could go, and its temple lay deep within.

The Temple of Order was equivalent to expanding that scope, encompassing the entirety of the "Valley of Samsara" within its bounds.

Having finished his bath, Karen changed into the new divine robes, packed his belongings, and walked outside with Puer.

Outside, Mavario was already waiting. Standing beside him was the elderly man, Lister.

Lister's gaze fell first upon Purr, then shifted immediately to Karen, asking: "You know how to prepare fish?"

"Would you like to eat some?"

"Of course!"

"Then please provide me with a kitchen."

"Haha, good, excellent, no problem at all, I just love exceptional young men like you!"

"What about the other two elderly gentlemen?" Karen inquired politely.

After all, since entering the temple, they were the only ones he had encountered.

"One was sent to the hospital, and the other is at home packing his bags, his transfer papers have already come down, he is going to the Land of Shattered Stars to study the mystery of the demise of the Radiant Star Cult."

"Will he be joining us for the meal then?" Karen asked.

"He wanted to have a farewell dinner with us, but we certainly wouldn't dare eat with him, just in case he gets sentimental and lets slip at the table what shouldn't be said, then we would all have to go there together to conduct research on unpopular subjects."

The old man made no attempt to conceal his aversion to this "jinx of a colleague."

"Oh, so that is how it is."

Lister seemed to suddenly think of something, leaning in close to Mavalio's ear to whisper a few words.

Mavalio frowned slightly and said: "That would not be quite proper, would it?"

"What is improper about it, there are truly grand fish there, even made raw they are absolutely delicious, believe me."

"You have been there?"

"Yes, I have been there more times than I can count, I even have a small cabin there, fully equipped with kitchen utensils and seasonings."

Saying this, Lister smiled at Karen: "Come, we shall take you to a fine place, the Lost Paradise, do you know of it?"

"It sounds somewhat familiar, it seems..." Karen pondered for a moment, "is it the Lost Paradise described in the 'Light of Order'?"

"Yes, that is the one, how about it, I shall take you on an archaeological excursion, oh no, not archaeology, but to admire famous historical monuments, this is a place that has appeared in mythological narratives, after all."

The Lost Paradise was not originally called by this name, recorded in the mythological narratives of the "Light of Order," to give his daughter Ankara a place to play, the God of Order commanded men to construct this paradise, releasing into it all manner of rare and exotic beasts.

Later, because Ankara violated the laws of order, she was thrown into the mouths of ferocious beasts, and that paradise of old was renamed the Lost Paradise.

Karen asked curiously: "Such a place is also inside the temple?"

Lister declared with a face full of pride: "Heh, the temple is larger than you can possibly imagine, it is a single place, but this place stores many other places within it, do you understand, young man?"

"I understand."

Some places might not have originally been in the temple, similar to the "Lost Paradise," which in mythological narratives should be located in a realm filled with streaming light, clearly not referring to this place.

But the Holy Cult had obviously "carved out" certain places worthy of commemoration and possessing special significance, placing them within the temple for preservation.

Mavalio still seemed to want to prevent it, saying: "This place cannot be entered without authorization."

"What is there to fear, what is there to fear?" Lister thought nothing of it, "that place is beautiful beyond measure, and has many plump yields, we are not going to destroy it, treat it just as an outing, even if the higher-ups find out, how could they possibly punish us for such a matter."

Mavalio possessed a special identity;

Lister's identity was actually special as well, he was somewhat like an old scholar, holding no high status, no high position, and possessing no real influence, just look at how his colleague was immediately exiled.

Yet he possessed a refined nobility, so as long as he did not commit an error of principle, no one would truly do anything to him.

Mavalio sighed helplessly and nodded his head.

"Come, follow me." Lister led the way, bringing Karen and Mavalio to the basement of this building, where a small teleportation array resided, Lister began to adjust the formation, "originally the Lost Paradise was inaccessible, it was sealed off, thanks to that great upheaval more than half a year ago, which caused the seals of many 'places' to crack, so the Lost Paradise became accessible, heh heh."

Mavalio spoke up: "It will eventually be repaired."

"Repaired? Ha, that is a long way off, the things gathered within our temple are simply too numerous, haven't you seen that the construction crews are still working even now?

Furthermore, those stars above must have been greatly affected as well, how smoothly and beautifully they used to operate before, now sometimes when I look up at the sky in a daze, I truly fear they might collide into one another.

Very well, let us depart."

Lister activated the teleportation formation.

As the white light enveloped his body, Karen could not help but lament in his heart, the temple was truly vast, so vast that even here one required a teleportation array just to travel.

...

"Buzz!"

The three appeared from the formation, Karen stood in place without moving, Mavalio's figure faltered slightly before regaining his balance, while Lister lunged forward entirely, face down, biting into a mouthful of tender grass.

"Bah, bah, bah!"

Mavalio shook his head and said: "This formation is far too crude."

"I came in here on my own to find ingredients to satisfy my cravings, I wasn't thinking of hosting a departmental dinner here, it is enough for my own comings and goings, the requirements are not that high."

Lister stood up, patted the dirt from his clothes, and waved his hand: "Come, follow me, my little wooden cabin is just ahead."

This place was lush and verdant, yet it was not a mountain forest, for many man-made traces could be seen, like a paradise out of a fairy tale.

Before walking very far, Karen saw several large birds with rainbow-colored feathers flying across the sky, holy and beautiful, and in form they even bore a slight resemblance to Sindy, perhaps they were Sindy's ancestors.

It was only that perhaps someone felt their feathers were too richly colored and lacked solemnity, so in subsequent breeding, pure white feathers were cultivated for Sindy.

In the secular world, it was common for humans to domesticate and breed wild beasts, and by the same token, it was completely normal for the church circles to domesticate magical beasts and ferocious beasts, after all, even evil gods could be tamed into watchdogs.

Elk with rainbows hanging from their long antlers, pure white unicorns, little winged fairies taking flight...

Watching animals in a zoo sometimes required one to hold their nose, but here, these existences that could only be seen in fairy tale books were each fragrantly scented.

After all, their ancestors had once been the playmates of the God of Order's daughter.

It was only that the arrangement here must be very ingenious, after so many ages, it could actually still maintain species diversity and reproduce down through the generations.

While Karen looked at them, they also looked at Karen with great curiosity, and there was even a unicorn that proactively approached, wanting to greet Purr who was upon Karen's shoulder.

But Purr completely disdained to respond to it, the cat had long since grown up and possessed no girlish innocence whatsoever.

"We have arrived!"

Lister shouted excitedly.

Karen looked toward the "little wooden cabin," which was clearly modified from an exquisite princess carriage.

This carriage must have once been a facility within the amusement park, Karen could even visualize Ankara sitting inside, waving and laughing at the small animals outside the window, yet now, it had been privately converted by Lister into a mobile hotdog food truck.

"Come, Karen, look at what I have here, every kind of condiment imaginable, heh heh."

Karen walked over to take a look, the tableware inside the food truck was completely provided for, and the condiments were so numerous as to dazzle the eyes, more than two-thirds of them were spices Karen had never seen before.

This was enough to prove that Lister was a true epicurean, he must have collected delicacies from multiple regions and multiple civilizations.

"Is it enough to use?" Lister asked cautiously.

"It is enough." Karen nodded, "but some side vegetables are still needed, are there any?"

"There are, right over there, there is a small castle, and behind the small castle grow many vegetables, all of them premium varieties, the kind of premium varieties that my stipend cannot afford to buy."

"Are food and lodging not provided within the temple?" Karen asked.

"Food and lodging are provided, but if you want to eat well, play well, and use good things, you must provide your own coupons." Lister said in a low voice, "for example, I also frequently help external colleagues write thesis reports and the like, and then collect a bit of writing fees."

"Is that quite alright to do?"

After all, this was the man responsible for organizing the archives.

"What can be touched and what cannot, do you think I don't know? Besides, we have a dedicated unit that liaises with the Orthodox Deity Cults."

"So that's how it is."

Looking at it this way, the idea of recruiting this old man as an intelligence informant was utterly impossible; though full of petty flaws, the old man lived with clear-headed pragmatic wisdom.

It was highly likely that the moment he showed any such intent, the old man would agree with a face full of smiles, only to turn around and report him immediately.

In that case... he would prepare two fewer fish; there was no need to be overly obsequious.

"How about this, Karen, you go over there and pick the vegetables yourself, while Lord Mavalio and I go catch the fish."

Mavalio asked in confusion, "It takes two people just to catch fish?"

"These fish are hard to catch, they can even turn invisible. Last time I had a week off, I spent six days here and only caught one, but the flavor is truly exquisite."

"Very well."

Next, everyone split up to take action.

Karen walked toward that small pink castle cradling Purr; the pink hue was quite lovely, without appearing tacky in the slightest.

Well, of course, the main reason was that it didn't use cute animals made of plastic sculptures as a backdrop, but rather living, romantic creatures.

As Karen walked past the side of the castle, a flock of owls perched on the upper railing even began to hum a melodious nursery rhyme, though it was not sung in the Maclai linguistic branch.

"This nursery rhyme, who knows how many generations it has been passed down through."

Hearing this, Purr said, "They are actually quite pitiful; in their perception, this place is the entire world."

Karen said, "Sometimes possessing such a perception is also a kind of happiness. Just like if I hadn't left Ruilan for Vienne, living the life of a normal person in Luojia City would also be a kind of happiness."

"I thought that after seeing Diss, you would become more radical."

Karen smiled and said, "I have indeed become more radical, it's just that you haven't seen it."

Manipulating the phantom image of Diss to mimic Rasma and deliver a kick to that old man's consciousness—his past self would never have easily attempted such a radical gamble.

After stepping into the vegetable garden, Karen and Purr, one person and one cat, both of whom could be considered well-traveled individuals, still gasped in unison:

"Whoa..."

"Wow..."

Many vegetables and fruits from reality could find their counterparts here; the varieties themselves weren't particularly rare, but every single item within... possessed a crystal-like temperament.

"I suspect that even with coupons in reality, it would probably be very difficult to buy food of this quality."

"No need to suspect, this is the vegetable plot of a true god after all. What you are seeing should be the degenerated varieties, meow."

Karen picked a cucumber, and to show it proper respect, even though it was perfectly clean, he still wiped it with his hand.

Taking a bite, it was crisp and refreshing.

He used to think those scenes where someone was so moved by eating good food that they shed tears were exaggerated descriptions, a bit fake; but right now, Karen felt it truly and tangibly.

It was honestly quite absurd, that eating a cucumber could move a person to tears.

Karen handed the cucumber to Purr, who held it with her paws and took a bite.

"Wow-oh!!"

Purr's reaction was even more exaggerated.

"If the hundred-odd years since I became a cat had been spent here, how wonderful that would have been, meow."

"No matter how delicious something is, if you eat it for a long time, you'll still get tired of it."

"True." Purr nodded in deep agreement, but still corrected him, "Except for the fish you cook."

"Thank you for your high praise."

"You're welcome. I'm really looking forward to how delicious the fish cooked with these as side dishes will turn out now."

"The species of fish are different as well."

"I don't find anything novel about that. Have you ever eaten a unicorn? It looks fair and tender, but the meat is very stringy.

Fruits and vegetables are harder to grow, whereas with those animals, according to my experience, the better they look, the worse they usually taste."

"Then Lister..."

"I think he might prefer the added bonus of that forbidden pleasure, meow."

"You make a very good point."

Karen picked a few more fruits to taste together with Purr, and then began to look for the side dishes needed for cooking in the vegetable garden.

"Karen, can we harvest a bit more to take back with us when the time comes?" Purr asked.

"I don't know, I'll ask Mavalio when the time comes."

Purr nodded, "Mm, we should ask. After all, it's very difficult to come here once. You should know that in the last era, this was the agritainment resort where the God of Order brought his daughter to play."

Just then, Karen suddenly saw a purple object on the melon vine ahead that didn't match the surrounding colors. Parting the concealing leaves, Karen saw a purple hairpin hanging there.

How could an object like this be left behind?

But on second thought, since this place had been sealed all this time, perhaps it really was left behind by Ankara back then.

The Cult of Order only had one sole god—the God of Order. But in reality, the Cult of Order possessed existences similar to the branch gods of other cults, it was just that the Cult of Order did not recognize their divine status.

If this was something left behind by Ankara, would this count as a divine artifact?

"Purr, do you think it's possible that this..."

As Karen spoke, he looked toward his shoulder, only to find that Purr was gone.

And right at this moment,

The tender, immature voice of a young girl came from behind Karen:

"So amazing, you found it, Daddy!"

———

The update is quite late, and it's been single updates for several consecutive days, my fault, I apologize to everyone here.

Actually, for several days I really wanted to add a line below the chapter: there's another one tonight.

But after hesitating, I still didn't add it, mainly because I felt my energy might not support finishing the second chapter, and then I'd make everyone wait in vain again.

What used to be time enough to write two updates can now only produce one update; I can clearly feel the physical sense of fatigue. However, I have slept very well these past few days. After letting go of some psychological burden instead of burning the midnight oil to write the second chapter, I simply lay down to sleep, getting a few consecutive days of full sleep.

No line of work is easy, and authors are nothing special either; it's mainly that once you start a book, there is no rest time. This recent period of single updates has given me a holiday-like sense of happiness.

Once I've recharged my batteries, I will strive to write more bursts of updates, and I also hope everyone takes care of their health, big hugs to everyone!