Chapter 635: Neo's Frustration

Chapter 635: Neo's Frenzy

"Snap!"

Neo lit a cigarette, taking a ferocious drag like a starving ghost, then exhaling slowly like a gentleman.

Through the faint haze of smoke, Neo turned his head, looking at the little bone dragon, Conna, who sat on the sofa opposite him.

"Tsk."

Smacking his lips, Neo picked up a glass of red wine from the adjacent coffee table, too lazy to savor it, and downed it in one gulp.

Beside him, Alfred, holding a ledger in his hand, smiled and said, "I can sense our Section Chief's emotional dysregulation."

"Oh, is that so? I'm simply beginning to question the exact point of all my hard work. We've labored so bitterly these past few days just to earn a few meager points from this place.

Yet some people go out for a trip, take a long nap, and return with a little bone dragon possessing the heritage of the Dragon God by their side, complete with a master-servant contract already signed.

Suddenly, I feel the points we earned this time aren't quite so sweet anymore."

"They still serve a great purpose. We finally possess initial capital in the truest sense; only now can many of our subsequent plans be laid out and developed."

Neo shook his head and said, "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know exactly what you meant, but you probably wouldn't want to hear my answer: this is our young master's unique charm, there is no need to be envious, because you cannot learn it."

"Heh."

Alfred also looked toward the little bone dragon sitting there. "Miss Conna chose to stand with our young master because she identifies with his ideals. This is a victory for ideology."

"That is why I have always felt that the potential danger I present as a Remnant of Light hiding within the Church of Order is utterly negligible compared to you lot."

"It is still different. Even if you completely revert to Light, the most extreme action you would take is mere destruction, whereas we act for the sake of construction."

"Construction?"

"Constructing a new Church of Order."

"Does construction not require demolition first?"

"Specific problems require specific analysis. A one-sided overthrow is undesirable; we must still strive to win over as many supporting forces as possible. Friends, of course, the more the better; enemies, naturally, the fewer the better."

"And here I thought, given his character, he would prefer a more straightforward method."

"That is not our young master's character, but yours."

"Hey, by the way, the funding for my Remnant of Light organization will be drawn from your accounts in the future too, right?"

"You have the funding allocated to you by headquarters."

"It's not enough."

"Are you planning to establish a Legion of Light in York City?"

"Nothing so exaggerated, but it is a measure of strength nonetheless—a strength removed from the grasp of the Church of Order. This is what you want as well, isn't it? Believe me, if a situation like last time arises again, using the Remnants of Light to storm the Whip of Order headquarters building would be far more efficient."

"Such a situation cannot possibly happen."

"You don't trust me?"

"I am merely considering matters from my young master's perspective. You are always worthy of trust, but the faction you build... sometimes, once a faction takes shape, whether you truly have the final say becomes unknown."

"Which is why I am asking you to manage things for me, just as you help Karen. Will that do?"

"It will. My recommendation is to have Wick go over to assist you; his identity makes him very suited for this."

"Using a student of Rasmar to manage a Remnant of Light organization?"

"Yes."

"Are you certain you aren't joking?"

"Although Rasmar has stepped down as High Priest, his relationship with the Shrine remains excellent. Simultaneously, he should also be on very good terms with the current High Priest; this is information the young master obtained from Rasmar during his last visit home.

Therefore, having Wick act as your deputy and directly involving him in the management of the Remnant of Light organization yields the greatest returns. At a critical juncture, his identity can be utilized for whitewashing."

"You make it sound so reasonable. I am sure that when Rasmar returns and witnesses his student's growth, he will feel deeply comforted, perhaps even with tears in his eyes."

"As long as you are satisfied. I will help make the concrete arrangements for you regarding this matter once we return."

"But I still feel you are doing this out of some wicked sense of humor of your own, heh."

"Heh," Alfred smiled as well. "Wick is my primary target for development next. He is an excellent talent, and I believe he is worthy of advancement."

"I knew it!" Neo blew a ring of smoke. "If you ever lose your way, be sure to come find me. I'll take you along to have some fun."

Alfred lowered his head to continue reading the ledger, offering no further reply. With the young master around, how could he ever lose his way?

Neo stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, walked over to Conna, and pointed at the little girl, saying:

"I say, are there no clothes left? You should at least change the little girl into something that fits, right?"

Philomena spoke up, "We found some for her, but she didn't want them. She only demands to wear the clerical robes altered by the Section Chief. The replacement robes are also other clerical robes of the Section Chief specifically cut down to half-size."

Hearing this, Neo licked his lips, knelt down, and pointed a finger toward Conna, teasing:

"At such a young age, to be sensible so early?"

Conna opened her mouth and bit forward.

Neo was faster, snapping his finger back just in time before it could be bitten off.

A shadow of gloom deepened in Conna's gaze.

"What a terrible temper, Uncle was only joking." Neo stood up. He could sense this little bone dragon truly wanted to fight to the death, so he decisively ceased his provocation.

"She dislikes you." Puer jumped onto the sofa, extending a fleshy paw to gently pat Conna's arm.

Soothed by Puer, the gloom in Conna's eyes dissipated.

"Why?" Neo shrugged. "What kind of aura on me made her uncomfortable?"

"It is not because of that. It is likely that from the very first glance you cast her way upon entering the door, she already disliked you, because you looked at her with the eyes of someone sizing up merchandise."

"Fine, that is my mistake." Neo did not defend himself further. Catching sight of Kevin walking out, he simply sat down on the carpet in front of Karen. "Come, Lord Evil God, let us play a game."

Neo pressed his palm flat against the carpet, and Kevin happily lay down as well, placing a canine paw upon the back of Neo's hand. Neo raised his other palm to strike down swiftly.

"Snap!"

Kevin withdrew his paw, and Neo slapped the back of his own hand.

Kevin smiled, and Neo smiled too; man and dog were having a wonderful time.

About a quarter of an hour later, Karen emerged from the study. He had just broken down the contents of the formation scrolls, making the final preparations for the subsequent operations.

Neo pointed at Kevin and said, "Karen, look at how many animals you already have in your house. I feel that as your superior..."

The corner of Karen's mouth quirked into a smile.

"I feel that as your senior, I should help my junior within the scope of my abilities. For instance, by helping you raise your dog?"

"If Kevin is willing, it can go live at your house."

"You know perfectly well it won't be willing."

"Then there is no use in saying this to me. I cannot force it, unless you stand up right now and condense a Godhead—never mind whether it belongs to Order or Light, or failing that, revive the ancestral bloodline of the Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon. That way, it would be willing to return with you."

"Then why don't you directly summon a descent of the God of Order? I will accompany you to sneak into the First Knight Regiment to awaken them, and we can directly unify the Church of Order."

"I worry I am moving too fast, dealing you a blow and throwing your mindset completely out of balance. Sometimes, out of consideration for your feelings, I have to slow down my own pace."

"I am not afraid of your blows. Honestly, I would be quite content to lie back on past favors, doing absolutely nothing but enjoying myself. The issue is that while your current stride is fast, you still have a rather long way to go to reach that position, and the danger factor is also much higher. I worry that if I lie back too early, it will be easy for me to be branded as your accomplice and dragged down to my death by you."

"In earlier versions of *The Light of Order*, it was recorded that Light awakened Order, so the rhythm must not be disrupted. You should wait until you become light first.

If you never change, then it is you who have constrained my development; it is entirely your problem."

"I am talking to you about the present, so why are you bringing up history with me?"

"History is a mirror that can reflect the present."

"Then teach me a method to immediately transform into light. I guarantee I will execute it at once, without delaying you in the slightest."

"I actually do know a method. When followers of the Light sacrifice themselves for their faith, do they not all transform into light? Though it is only a fleeting instant, at that moment, they are absolutely dazzling.

When there is an opportunity in the future, you can stand in front of me and die once for my sake; it should produce a very good effect."

Neo clapped his hands and said, "The next time you get seriously injured, kid, I will drag you into a conversation for three days and three nights, making sure you cannot even dream of sleeping."

Sitting on the sofa nearby, Conna looked at Neo with a slight change in her gaze compared to before.

Because in the conversation between Cullen and him, they lacked even the slightest reverence for the gods, instead singling out a god specifically to make jokes, which improved her impression of Neo.

Little Conna did not yet know what her convictions specifically were, nor did she know how to describe them rationally. Therefore, her intuitive feeling right now was that whoever did not care about the gods and whoever blasphemed them earned her goodwill.

Alfred had previously reminded his young master about this, saying that the little bone dragon was not actually on the same path as their side.

She merely treated opposing confinement as her sole demand. It was possible someone had guided her with certain information beforehand, or perhaps during her brief time being raised by the Earth Vault Cult, witnessing the devotion of those believers toward the "god" had triggered her aversion.

To use an analogy, she simply opposed the slave owner above her head; whoever dared to stand above her, she would oppose. She opposed for the sake of opposing, and rebelled for the sake of rebelling, possessing no theoretical basis of her own, only extremely pure likes and dislikes.

After finishing his reminder, Alfred received a very brief criticism from his young master, but after being criticized, Alfred felt incredibly proud and excited instead.

Because Cullen's reply to him was:

"Then what are you being fed for?"

Alfred believed this was a mission bestowed upon him by his young master, containing absolute trust.

That evening, while balancing the accounts, he took the opportunity to conceptualize the independent branch mural for his preaching to the Dragon God and the civilization of the Dragon God!

"Alright, we can set off now." Cullen looked toward Purr. "The array to enhance the contract's soul connection has already been set up in the study, and I have placed afternoon tea inside. Thank you for your hard work."

"Rest assured, meow!"

This operation was not suitable for bringing too many people, because Daan's meaning was a secret execution.

Therefore, Cullen only intended to call upon Neo, Alfred, Philomena, Ventura, Little Conna, and Kevin.

Bringing Kevin along was because it served as an extremely excellent detector.

This outstanding detection capability had been revealed more than once: once on the Sacrificial Island, once when the assassin entered the house last time, and a while ago in the theater, it was also Kevin who perceived the presence of the skeleton in advance.

Although Kevin's current combat capability was practically negligible, it was like a destitute noble—devoid of money, land, and capital—but if you brought it to an antique shop, it could sharply analyze the authentic pieces from the fakes for you. This was not something it had deliberately learned, but rather because these things used to be displayed in its home.

Cullen did not plan to bring Purr along, instead letting her stay behind to act as a liaison; of course, this was mainly out of safety considerations.

Before Purr recovered her strength, Cullen would avoid bringing her to any place with a high danger factor. The binding of a symbiotic relationship was sometimes also a constraint; if one party met with an accident, the other would have to die along with them, leaving not even a chance to help seek revenge.

Cullen walked up to Conna and extended his hand. Conna also extended her own hand, holding Cullen's hand as they walked outside together.

Alfred and Philomena followed behind.

Neo took the initiative to grab Kevin's leash, holding it in his hand as he walked side by side with Kevin.

Purr had told Cullen that over the past two days, the fun-seeker had become even more attentive to Kevin. Kevin told her it was because a slight problem had arisen with the bloodthirsty aberrant demon ancestor inside the fun-seeker's head, and he was seeking Kevin's help.

This was indeed very much in line with Neo's character; he had the knack for displaying opportunistic behavior in a way that did not make you feel so averse to it.

However, this also proved from a sideways perspective that Neo's bloodthirsty aberrant demon lineage seemed to have reached another critical breakthrough point again. He even needed to come and consult Kevin rather than consulting the one residing in his head.

In the end, Purr had even given Neo an extremely high evaluation: it is only because he stands together with you that his abnormality does not appear so obvious.

Without Cullen to serve as a comparison, once the clear-headed Neo got going, his speed of progress... was simply so astonishing that it felt like riding a roller coaster.

The group arrived at the main gate, where Ventura was already waiting there, driving a large ladybug.

Seeing everyone come out, Ventura waved very happily and shouted:

"Everyone, get on the bug quickly."

...

The cave where that apostate was imprisoned was not too far from the main city, so there was no need to resort to a teleportation array. However, riding the ladybug would still take close to a day's time, even though this was a ladybug with very good stamina.

In fact, riding on Lord Augie's body to get there would be faster.

But having had the previous experience, Cullen would rather choose the ladybug than go out to do things with that female dragon again.

Of this day spent on the road, Cullen used half a day to continue studying the imprisonment array, and the other half was taken for rest.

When Cullen was studying the array, Conna initially followed along to watch, but later found she truly could not understand it, which made her dragon head ache.

She then pulled out the picture book Purr had selected for her and began flipping through it. It was a publication for younglings from the main city bookstore, helping younglings of various races understand the subterranean world.

When Cullen went to sleep, she pouted her lips. Just as she was getting into the spirit of reading, she had no choice but to close the picture book, lying down in imitation of Cullen's posture to force herself to sleep.

Alfred, on the other hand, continued to balance the accounts.

The work of the special task force was already entering its final stages. Right now, it was just a matter of waiting for the final payments to be collected, as well as pondering how exactly to execute the last wave of extortion before the incident occurred to maximize profits.

Because Daan had already explicitly told Cullen the time remaining before the arrival and action of the Knights of Order, this opportunity presented by the final wave of market volatility had to be seized.

Outside of his work, Alfred would also use a fountain pen to do sketches. With the addition of an existence possessing the Dragon God's inheritance, the mural design series planned before all had to be adjusted anew.

Ventura and Philomena took turns driving the ladybug. This ladybug was far more resilient than a camel, capable of rushing on the road for half a month without sleeping, and then making up for sleep for an entire month afterward. Therefore, almost all ladybug drivers in the main city raised more than three ladybugs at home to prevent any idle periods.

Neo, meanwhile, stayed with Kevin by the edge of the ladybug's back the entire time. Aside from playing that kind of hand-clapping game, the man and dog were whispering to each other, and Neo would even take the initiative to set up a simple isolating barrier to prevent outsiders from overhearing.

Kevin also knew that the relationship between Neo and Cullen was out of the ordinary; swapped with anyone else, it would not dare to use an isolating barrier to communicate with the other person right under Cullen's eyelids.

Furthermore, since Neo had not taken the initiative to speak to him about the lineage problem he was currently encountering, Cullen did not take the initiative to ask. He believed that once Neo truly managed to tinker his way to success, he would definitely be unable to resist sharing it with him.

After all, recently, he had already fallen behind on many secrets. Although he did not worry about having too many debts and there was temporarily no hope of clearing them, persisting in his efforts was Neo's final stubbornness.

Finally, deep within a canyon, they found the entrance to the cave. It looked very ordinary, with nothing special about it.

Cullen summoned the Cube Key, while Alfred unloaded the array materials, helping his young master set up the array.

Very quickly, the array setup was completed. Next, it only required activating it to correspond with the imprisonment array, and then manipulating the imprisonment array to first inflict as many rounds of torture and consumption as possible upon the prisoner inside.

If no accidents occurred, Cullen's execution mission this time would only require going inside to confirm the other party's death.

But the fact that Cullen did not bring Purr along for a "tour" and instead sought out subordinates he trusted and who could fight meant he realized there was a high probability an accident would occur.

Sure enough, when attempting to correspond with the imprisonment array, Cullen detected something amiss.

"Woof, woof, woof!" Crouching beside Cullen to observe together, Kevin let out a bark.

Philomena asked, "What is it saying?"

Neo pulled out another cigarette, lighting it while saying, "What it is saying is that the prisoner inside has long since mastered the very array imprisoning her in reverse."

Ventura said in confusion, "Then why doesn't she come out?"

Neo exhaled a smoke ring and replied, "The most clever form of imprisonment is making the imprisoned person unwilling to come out themselves."

Ventura continued to ask, "Then what do we do next? Has the plan to wear her down using the imprisonment array just failed outright?"

Karen shook his head with a touch of helplessness; the complication had surfaced at the very outset. Within the array scroll Daan had given him, the only useful portion was the coordinate orientation, though that commander likely remained oblivious to such a predicament himself.

Alfred spoke up, "We cannot simply depart, nor can we merely surrender. Young Master, I suggest we dispatch someone ahead to scout the path and ascertain the risk index first."

Philomena volunteered, "I will go."

Karen shook his head and addressed Philomena, "Venturing in alone to scout is too perilous; it would be irresponsible toward your personal safety, and I cannot permit it. Thus, it is best to let our Chief of Reconnaissance go first."

Neo spread his hands, "I believe it necessary to enlighten you on a point of lore: the bloodline of a bloodthirsty demon does not equate to immortality."

Karen retorted, "But there lies a profound distinction between dying from a single stab and requiring numerous stabs to perish, does there not?"

Neo gestured toward Kanna, who stood there quietly, and questioned Karen:

"Then why is it not you who goes? With her assistance now, your defensive fortitude is terrifyingly immense!"

Kanna blinked and murmured, "Inside... my... mother..."

For a moment, everyone was struck dumb, a revelation entirely unknown to them until now;

First, because documentation regarding the apostates was inherently scarce, and Daan had commissioned them to covertly silence targets, not to conduct biographical interviews;

Second, Kanna had taken no part in the planning deliberations, and even had she been shown the map before their arrival, she would not have recognized the location, as she possessed no understanding of maps.

Neo heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair, and muttered with utter resignation:

"Very well, I shall go. If an accident should befall me within..."

"I shall burn paper offerings for you."

Neo glared at Karen,

and cursed:

"Damn it!

Why do I get the feeling that the sole reason you invented the funeral custom of burning ritual coupons was so we could comprehend exactly what you meant when you uttered that phrase in a scenario like this?"