Chapter 598: Counterattack! (Big Chapter!) (3/4)

Chapter 598 Counterattack! (Big Chapter!) (3/4)

"Grandfather, are you really not going to answer our director's call?"

In the office, Leon asked his grandfather.

Wofuren was sitting behind his desk with his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, seriously reading a very thick copy of "The Light of Order";

Hearing his grandson's question, he turned a page and asked:

"Did Karen call personally?"

"No, it was Wick."

"Heh." Wofuren smiled and shook his head, "Actually, there is nothing much to chat about."

"If it is inconvenient over the phone, should I go invite the director to your office? Or perhaps to our home?"

"If you want to find him for a meal, tea, and a chat, then go ahead and invite him, but do not do so in my name."

Leon felt a wave of helplessness and said, "Grandfather, are you joking with me?"

"Alright, do not disturb my reading, it has finally become quiet with great difficulty."

"Grandfather, today here with us, it truly is much quieter."

After the incident occurred yesterday, the Chief Bishop's office was packed inside and out almost to the brim with other bishops and department heads, everyone's emotions running high, hoping to demand an explanation from the Whip of Order under the leadership of the Chief Bishop.

But today, it suddenly calmed down.

Leon went in and out of the office several times and did not see anyone requesting an audience.

Furthermore, the entire administrative building was permeated with an anxious yet bizarre atmosphere, making him feel as if he were an outsider.

"This is very simple." Wofuren smiled, "Because they know that I was the one who betrayed Jiedel, I was the one who planned to cooperate with the Whip of Order, and I was also the one who pushed for and caused the current passive situation."

"But they... how could they know?"

"How could they not know, the Whip of Order, after all, is a sieve full of holes everywhere, I have always looked down upon it, and this time, it makes me feel even more disappointed."

"Grandfather, I think our office over there should be very anxious right now, Wick told me that the investigation has absolutely no clues at all."

"I watched the press conference, didn't Karen speak very righteously?"

"I feel that this is a helpless choice by the director to make this fire burn even hotter, if there continues to be no major progress in the case, the director's side will be very embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?" Wofuren shook his head, "Why do you need to care about someone else's embarrassment."

"That is because he is my director, and besides, you were the one who told me, Grandfather, that I need to truly integrate myself into that team, which is why I..."

"No, no, no, Grandfather did not mean that."

Bishop Wofuren reached out to gently adjust his glasses frame and glanced at his grandson:

"What Grandfather meant is, compared to Karen, you are actually quite foolish."

Leon: "Grandfather, this is a consensus between the two of us, we do not need to reiterate it at all times, right?"

"Grandfather did not intend to reiterate it, Grandfather just finds it amusing."

"Amusing?"

"You have no need to empathize with him, really, you think he is very embarrassed right now, but perhaps he is currently lying in bed taking a midday nap."

...

The next day, because his physical quality had received a massive enhancement from fusing with the Dark Moon Bone, and at the same time the damage caused by the assassin was not large to begin with, Karen, having received sufficient rest, appeared to be in very good spirits.

Therefore, before attending the press conference for the case, he intentionally had Aisli and Blanche apply some makeup for him, making his complexion and lips look paler.

At the press conference, Karen used the exact same opening as yesterday:

"I am very sorry, I cannot disclose the specific details of the case here, nor can I allow those present to ask questions and receive answers."

Immediately following that, the statement below was:

"According to the investigation findings, these six bishops have corrupt private lives and severely declining morals, failing the cultivation and trust placed in them by the Sacred Church!"

The journalists below the stage revealed somewhat disappointed expressions.

After the press conference ended, Karen returned to his office and received intelligence from Alfred that the operation of many departments in the Regional Administrative Office had fallen completely into a standstill, and distinct from the previous dazed standstill, this standstill clearly carried organization, being an intentional arrangement by those above.

...

On the third day, Karen wore light makeup and attended the press conference for the case.

The old-fashioned opening remarks did not disclose details of the case, nor did they accept questions and answers.

The final statement was: "These six bishops have deviated from the Sacred Church, deviated from faith, and deviated from the great God of Order!"

Some of the journalists below the stage did not even open their notebooks.

The workflow over at the Regional Administrative Office fell into a further standstill, yet the Chief Bishop did not show his face to utter a single word.

...

On the fourth day, Karen did not wear makeup and attended the press conference for the case.

The final statement was: "The actions of these six bishops are simply a desecration of the 'Regulations of Order', and a smearing of the God of Order!"

The journalists one after another revealed bitter smiles.

The Regional Administrative Office began a strike, and even in the teleportation hall of the administrative building, except for maintaining the operation of a few special-grade teleportation arrays, most regular teleportation array shifts were canceled.

Because the Chief Bishop had consistently not made an appearance, Bishop Dunke, whose status and seniority among the bishops of the Regional Administrative Office were second only to the Chief Bishop, began to issue a solemn protest to the Headquarters of the Whip of Order on behalf of the Chief Bishop!

...

On the fifth day.

"These six bishops have lost their faith and violated their oaths, and should be cast into the mouths of ferocious beasts for true punishment just like Ankara!"

The number of journalists below the stage had already decreased by one-third.

Over at the Regional Administrative Office, Bishop Dunke personally led people to the Headquarters building and met with Regional Director Harry, raising suggestions and criticisms regarding the current working style of the Whip of Order, and demanding the release of the six bishops being detained under the guise of investigation.

...

On the sixth day.

After Karen finished delivering his statement that changed the words but not the meaning, only half of the original journalists remained below the stage.

A rumor began to circulate over at the Regional Administrative Office, which was that this incident was pushed forward by Chief Bishop Wofuren, who had betrayed the region.

And when this piece of news was able to circulate at the grassroots level, it meant that the upper management had already been informed long ago.

...

On the seventh day.

Karen had his subordinates prepare breakfast for the journalists who could still continue to attend the press conference for the case.

Over at the Regional Administrative Office, the vast majority of bishops, including the six bishops still being detained here at the Headquarters of the Whip of Order, jointly publicized an impeachment application directed against Chief Bishop Wofuren.

...

On the eighth day.

Ventura told Karen that the breakfast prepared today was even less.

At the regional management headquarters, the various operations that had ground to a halt began to stir back to life, signaling that a preliminary conclusion had been reached.

...

The ninth day.

Karen was absent from the press conference, sending Alfred in his stead.

Alfred invited the journalists who still persevered in attending to join him for breakfast in the headquarters' dining hall.

The relevant departments of the Dingle Region issued a public response. Citing Chief Bishop Warfuren's failing health and his inability to bear the burdens of his office, they appointed Dunk as Acting Chief Bishop to alleviate the pressure.

Though name-only pretenses spared Warfuren from formal suspension or retirement, the groundwork was already being laid. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Dunk would be the man to succeed Warfuren as the next Chief Bishop of York City.

...

The tenth day.

Alfred continued to stand in for Karen at the case briefing. It was no longer held in the grand auditorium, but rather in a meeting room, where everyone shared breakfast together.

In his capacity as Acting Chief Bishop, Dunk dispatched an official letter of protest to the Whip of Order, demanding that the headquarters release the six detained bishops within a strict deadline and issue a public apology and self-reflection to the entire Church.

...

The eleventh day.

The briefing migrated from the meeting room to a smaller conference room, where Alfred treated the journalists to a taste of wonton soup.

Dunk issued a second letter of protest as Acting Chief Bishop. In addition to the original stipulations, he appended a clause demanding that those responsible for dereliction of duty and abuse of power be held accountable.

...

"You have done well. Though it took a bit longer than expected, the higher-ups are well pleased. Especially after receiving word that Warfuren would not cooperate, your swift shift in strategy yielded even better results. This is very good."

"Thank you for your praise, sir. I am merely making amends for my own mistakes," Minister Bernie said, bowing toward the communication array before him.

"It was not your fault. That grand lord himself relayed the word; this matter was never your fault. You executed it well from the beginning, and your remedy thereafter was equally excellent. Congratulations. Through this affair, that lord has come to appreciate you even more. He even said with his own lips that your scheme was far superior to the one he had drawn up, and that you firmly seized the initiative."

"My profound thanks for your introduction and kind words, sir."

"However, I must remind you that since you were involved in this matter after all, there will inevitably be a punishment with your name on it. But do not worry. After six months or a year, once the storm blows over, you will be raised up again. After all, that lord has remembered you now. He intends to transfer you to the Dingle Region, though of course, you could also choose to serve as a regional director in any other territory."

"I leave everything entirely to your arrangement."

"There is one thing I am curious about. Does Warfuren possess the complete list in his hands?"

"As far as solid evidence goes, probably only Yeder's is complete. Regarding the other names on the list, because he was furious over Karen's treatment during the commendation assembly, he refused to send us the subsequent names and evidence as requested. However, he likely does not have them at all, because... it was impossible for him to foresee that such an incident would strike his own household, prompting a sudden, frantic urge for piety on his deathbed. He could not have conducted these investigations and gatherings in advance. Most importantly, compiling such a chain of evidence is immensely difficult. Even as a Chief Bishop, it would be hard for him to accomplish, let alone... in such a short span of time."

"Then next, we throw Yeder out to give both sides an honorable way out. In this manner, the established balance of power between the Whip of Order and the regional management office will remain unbroken. Bishop Dunk knows how to cooperate; he has already been notified. This tempest ought to end now."

"Understood, milord. But there is one matter upon which I would still like to seek your counsel."

"Speak."