Chapter 671: Richard's Membership

Chapter 671: Richard's Membership

While Karen read through the transcript, Dark's heart fluttered with unease. He did not think his record was particularly disorganized or rough, for lacking any standard of comparison, there was naturally no perceived "gap."

Rather, Dark felt the content elicited from the interrogation was simply too preposterous;

It was so absurd that had Karen not been waiting upstairs, compelling him to hurry and show the progress of the case, he would have subjected the aberration to a second or even a third interrogation.

Karen looked up, his gaze fixing upon Dark. Dark’s back instantly stiffened, and he spoke subconsciously, "Minister Karen, I shall return to interrogate her once more."

"No need." Karen shook his head. "It is likely true."

"True?"

"Because if she were to weave a lie, she would not make it so preposterous. Only stark reality produces circumstances such as these."

"That... what you say makes perfect sense."

"However, there is an omission here."

"Please, instruct me."

"The qualifications of those collected." Karen reached out, lightly tapping the transcript with his finger. "I believe that when she chose vagrants to prey upon, she had specific requirements for them. Not just any random vagrant on the street would have this opportunity."

Even if it were subcontracted work, the delivered goods had to pass inspection. What common ground could there possibly be between the high-society guests of the mansion and the vagrants roaming the night streets?

In fact, there was one: for instance, having once possessed the status to enter the mansion, only to fall into vagrancy after bankruptcy.

"Understood. I will go and supplement the interrogation at once." Dark turned immediately and headed back to the basement.

Once again, he felt the crushing weight of professionalism that this young man imposed upon him. The last time had been during the day regarding his own request, when the youth had directly pointed out that many of the bad debts written off under his name belonged to others;

Reaching the door of the interrogation room, Dark took a deep breath, sighing in his heart: As expected, some positions truly cannot be ascended to by mere luck.

In the living room, Karen handed the transcript to Richard, commanding, "Call the department and notify..."

Karen had originally intended to say Neo, but recalling that Neo seemed somewhat unstable of late, he truly did not dare call him out to assist with tasks for the time being, unless it came to a point of risking their lives.

As for Alfred, Karen was already intentionally avoiding adding to his burdens, for his existing responsibilities were already far too great.

"Notify Wick. Have him come here immediately."

The remnants of the Light had acted far too violently during their last operation. Even though they possessed an "official standing," they still had to enter a period of silence to weather the storm recently, leaving Wick quite at leisure now.

Richard rose first to make the notification. Once finished, he walked back while reading the transcript, only then asking, "Do you feel this matter is unusual?"

"Yes. The more anomalous it is, the more it proves the necessity of digging deeper. I have a premonition that this might turn out to be a major case."

Having spoken, Karen looked at Lucie, who stood to the side, and said, "My apologies, but I wish to requisition this place as my temporary office. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Lucie immediately smiled and said, "Of course, there is no problem at all. Thank you for your patronage."

In truth, Karen's final sentence was intended for her ears, and clearly, she understood it.

If this were a major case, then her husband could obviously rely on this opportunity to prove himself. Using this place as a temporary office meant that even now, when the forces of the Whip of Order were being mobilized, Karen was still willing to bind her husband to this investigation. When the case was solved and merits distributed, her husband’s share of credit would be heavily guaranteed.

Lucie could not help but feel a touch of melancholy. In the past, whenever her husband managed to achieve some small result with great difficulty, he would suffer the carving up and plundering of his work by colleagues and superiors. Moreover, they utilized the rules of the ecclesiastical workplace, leaving one with nowhere to vent one's anger.

Yet now it seemed this Minister Karen was truly willing to carry her husband forward.

Hah, her husband could finally obtain support without relying on the power of her own Guman family.

In truth, Lucie was mistaken; her husband’s path would wind around, and in the end, he would still have to rely on her maternal family.

Soon, Dark returned with the supplementary details.

"Artists?"

"Yes, Minister Karen. Instrumentalists, singers, dancers, writers, and so forth..."

Since the female aberration’s targets were bankrupt artists turned vagrants, then the target of that mansion should be the celebrity artists of the current era?

What kind of peculiar requirement was this, after all?

Karen silently drew a cigarette case from his pocket, pulling out a cigarette to bite between his lips. He paused just as he was about to strike a light, looking toward Lucie.

Lucie hastily extended her hand. "Please, feel free."

Then, she placed a teacup before Karen to serve as an ashtray.

Karen remembered that Dark was an old smoker who would fumigate the outside flowerbeds every time before entering his father-in-law's house, yet there was not a single ashtray inside the home.

Faced with this, Karen initially put the cigarette back.

But after pondering for a moment longer, Karen picked the cigarette up once more, no longer catering to the sensibilities of his "aunt," and lit it.

He took a drag. This was the tobacco Uncle Eisen had gifted him, and a fierce, stimulating sensation immediately assaulted him, as if someone had drilled a hole in his skull and poured a tin of liniment inside.

Karen lowered his head subconsciously; smoking it for the first time truly took some getting used to.

Yet as the cloud of smoke exhaled, Karen's consciousness plunged into a certain deliberate "distraction" just as he wished. At this moment, passing the details of the transcript through his mind once more, a new hypothesis abruptly formed.

Stubbing out the cigarette, Karen leaned back against the sofa. "Richard, go to the department now and compile a summary analysis of all recent surveillance reports regarding the Abyss Cult."

"Yes, Minister." In matters of official business, Richard would call him Minister; during ordinary interactions, he still preferred to call him Karen.

Karen pulled his identification badge from his pocket and tossed it to Dark. "Inquisitor Dark, go to the educational administration building now and retrieve all public records, personnel movements, and material exchanges of the Abyss Cult’s York City office that can be traced in the archives."

Dark caught Karen's badge and nodded immediately. "Yes, Minister Karen."

His own authority was insufficient, but Karen's authority was more than enough.

"In addition, treat that aberration well. She has an opportunity to redeem herself through meritorious service."

Dark immediately commanded his two subordinates, "See to it."

"Yes, Boss."

"Yes, Boss."

Richard returned to headquarters, Dark took two subordinates to the educational administration building, and the remaining two divine servants went to the basement.

In the living room, only Karen, Lucie, and Lucia remained.

Karen glanced at Lucia and asked, "You may go and rest now. You still have to attend the church school tomorrow, correct?"

Lucia nodded, bid her mother goodnight, and returned to her room.

Had Karen been a middle-aged minister, she would have stayed to keep him company, for everyone else had departed and it felt somewhat inappropriate for her mother to accompany him alone. But Karen was too young, and youth could erase a great deal of greasy discomfort.

In truth, Karen's words were a bit abrupt; in his subconscious, he regarded Lucie and Dark as his "relatives," thereby overlooking whether the situation was entirely proper.

"Shall I pour some more water for you, Minister?"

"Is there any ice? I prefer to drink ice water."

"That was my oversight. I actually heard my mother mention it before." Lucie quickly brought over the ice cubes, then sat on the sofa opposite Karen.

Karen spoke, "It is plain to see that your life is very happy."

"Yes, very happy." Lucie rested her chin in her hand, looking at Karen. "Yet the vast majority of people always ask me first why I married my husband."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. From the moment we were together until Lucia grew to this age, such questions have never ceased."

"Quite annoying, isn't it?"

"No, not at all." Lucie shook her head. "I rather like telling others just how much I love my husband."

"Heh." Karen smiled and nodded.

"Isn't Minister Karen the same? I recall your fiancée hails from a minor family's belief system?"

A minor family's belief system, is it...

It is a good thing Purr, that cat, is not here.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Minister Karen, you must have experienced quite a few similar issues yourself, right?"

"I am managing fine."

Lucee shifted her hand to continue propping up her chin and said, "True. In current family dynamics, or rather in romantic choices, men seem more accepting of marrying down, whereas if a woman does so, she easily encounters conflicts with established conventions."

Karen set down his water cup and said, "I support gender equality."

"But objective reality is objective reality, and at least for now, it does not shift according to human will. So everyone finds it quite normal for Minister Karen's fiancée, but they tend to pay more attention to Dark and me."

"That is indeed the case, yes."

"I just feel that as long as I am satisfied and happy, it is fine. I choose what I believe to be happiness and will not crave anything more. Perhaps this is also the reason why Father and Mother have never really liked Dark.

I actually had an older sister, but she passed away early. My sister was excellent and used to be the pride of Father and Mother, so they actually projected her image onto me.

But I disappointed them.

After marriage, my work, my formation research, and my personal cultivation realm have all virtually stagnated. Father and Mother probably think it is Dark's fault.

But I know it has nothing to do with Dark. When I was a child, I lived a bit in my sister's shadow. Of course, I do not hate my sister. I was still young when she passed away. Eisen was older than me and had a closer bond with her, but I remember she was very good to me back then too.

I really cannot compare to my sister; in terms of personal talent and capability, I truly could not achieve it. A Law Pronouncer is truly my limit. My natural talent is mediocre."

A Law Pronouncer calling themselves mediocre in talent... seemed somewhat inappropriate.

But within the Guman family, that was indeed the case.

Regarding achievements in formations, Delon could be considered the foremost figure in the York City Region. Uncle Eisen had wasted a large portion of his prime due to mental issues, but after meeting Karen, his formation proficiency also broke through within a short period.

Even Richard, though not outstanding in the frontline team and incomparable to someone like Philomena, was actually among the excellent bunch when compared to ordinary believers and the young master class. One had to realize that before Richard met him, he was virtually left to fend for himself, with a mentally ill father and an absent mother; he had no motivation to cultivate.

Therefore, relying solely on bloodline theory was incorrect, but completely ignoring the existence of objective reality was also wrong.

Lucee sighed and said, "So, I do not have any excessively high expectations for Dark either, because I know he has always been very earnest and has worked very hard, and that is enough."

Karen spoke, "The vast majority of inner anxieties in this world stem from one's level of personal desire exceeding their level of personal capability."

Upon hearing these words, Lucee pondered while nodding slightly.

Karen continued, "Particularly in a marital relationship, once one party's desires exceed their capabilities, it becomes very difficult to find happiness."

"Hehehe, Minister Karen, you make a great deal of sense." Lucee covered her mouth and laughed. "But you clearly are not married yet, so why do you see through marriage so thoroughly?"

"Read it in a certain journal from the Church of Principles. As you know, they will research just about anything."

"Yes, you are quite right."

"I am going to take a look at that aberrant."

"Shall I take you there?"

"No need. In fact, you can go and rest now. You still need to go to work tomorrow. I feel that given my relationship with the Guman family, you do not need to be this courteous with me."

Lucee shook her head and replied, "But this is not the Guman household; this is the Menet household."

Menet was Dark's surname.

Karen shrugged and said, "You deserve to be happy."

Walking into the basement, the two divine servants stationed there helped Karen open the interrogation room door and then consciously withdrew.

The conditions in the interrogation room were decent, and the formations were meticulously arranged. An ordinary Inquisitorial office would not have this level of treatment, but who could blame them when the Inquisitor of this household had a Law Pronouncer wife specialized in formations.

The female aberrant was sitting on the interrogation chair, wolfing down a sandwich dipped in Wien bean paste, eating very hurriedly.

After Karen entered, she continued to consume large mouthfuls while staring at Karen with both eyes, looking like a... pitiful lamb.

"Eat slowly, no rush."

The female aberrant immediately set down the unfinished sandwich, guzzled a large gulp of water to force the food down her throat, and swallowed it. She understood that being told to eat slowly meant: stop eating, I have things to say to you now!

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Karen Silva..."

"It is you!"

"You know me?"

"It is difficult for your name not to be known, but I did not know your appearance because... the newspapers published by the Church are too expensive for me."

"Let us keep it simple then, let's make a deal with you."

"How would I dare make a deal with your noble self? Please give your orders as you wish, and I will execute them unconditionally!"

"Tomorrow, you continue your daily routine, understood?"

"Understood. You do not want to alert them because of me, but the actual situation tells you that for someone at the very bottom like me, even if I disappear for a day or two, they will not raise suspicions, because I am too small and insignificant."

It appeared to be a layer-by-layer subcontracting.

"But I do not want any slip-ups, no matter how small the probability."

"Yes, I understand, I will do it. Additionally, if you need me to act as your informant on the handover day to help you catch people, I have no problem with that either!"

She had anticipated and spoken all the words Karen intended to say.

"I will poison you."

"No problem, administer it as you please. I believe my loyalty can earn me the antidote!"

"Heh."

"Your name, in my eyes, is like the sky above my head. Please do not doubt my current loyalty."

"This is an opportunity I am giving you to redeem yourself through service. If things proceed smoothly, you will be exempted from your original punishment due to your contribution to Order."

"I want to..."

"You still have conditions?"

"Yes, I want to become an unofficial aberrant staff member."

"You are in no position to propose conditions."

"Yes, I was wrong, but I just want you to know, so that after you see my prominent contribution and complete loyalty, you might recall this matter."

"Resume your meal."

"All right, thank you, it is delicious. I love bean paste the most, truly."

This time you predicted incorrectly; I detest Wien bean paste.

Karen walked out of the interrogation room. As he walked upstairs, he stroked his chin. It turned out his name had become this useful within the aberrant circles.

Arriving at the living room, Lucee stood before the telephone and said to Karen, "A call from the Church Affairs Building, it is the Chief's Office, looking for you."

"All right."

Karen reached out, took the receiver, placed it to his ear, and said, "Hello, this is Karen."

"Please hold for a moment, Minister Karen."

On the other end, it seemed the adjutant was passing the receiver to Burn.

"Karen? Is something wrong?"

"The threads are still a bit tangled for now."

"I must ask, can you not take a moment's rest?"

"At this hour, how is it that you are still working in your office?"

"Keep in touch at all times, just in case it turns out to be a major affair."

"Rest assured, I shall. I will never squander an opportunity to have you shoulder the blame for me."

Standing nearby, Lucie drew in a sharp, quiet breath upon hearing those words; she knew the one on the other end of the line was the Chief Bishop.

Though her own father was now a bishop as well, the gulf between an ordinary bishop and the Chief Bishop remained vast, for the latter held an entirely transcendent station.

Hanging up the telephone, Karen knew that when Dark used his identification to retrieve the archives, it had alerted Burn, who was terrified that Karen was about to instigate another grand incident, and a foreign-related one at that.

Just then, the newly cradled telephone rang once more, and Karen picked it up with a practiced hand.

"Hello, Richard speaking."

"This is Karen."

"Minister, I have already retrieved the relevant investigative reports and am currently compiling a summary. Vic has already set out and should arrive shortly."

"Very well. By the way, Richard, I need you to do something else for me. That manor operate on a membership system, does it not?"

"Yes, it is strictly membership-only. New members require the recommendation of three existing members to qualify for admission."

"Go secure two membership cards for me. Mind you, do not alert them, and the faster, the better."

"About that... Karen, just now at my uncle's house, my aunt, uncle, and cousin were all present, so I felt too embarrassed to speak of it..."

"What do you mean?"

"As for membership cards to that manor, I already have one. It was registered under a writer's name, called Richard."

"Heh... but I require two."

"Well, I happen to have two."

"Oh?"

"After obtaining one under my own name, I felt it was rather inconvenient. You know how it is—using one's real name in such places is never quite ideal.

So, under the guise of a pianist, I procured a second membership card...

under the name of Eisen."