Chapter 681: Two Foxes!

Chapter 681 Two Foxes!

After Richard said this, he suddenly felt incredibly foolish, and subconsciously touched his head, though he could not tell whether he was patting his own skull or little Jerry.

After a brief silence from Alfred and Wick, Richard could only force a wry smile to break the tension:

"Uh, well, I was only joking."

"Hiss..." Wick furrowed his brow and muttered, "That actually seems like a pretty good approach."

Richard asked, "Uh, really?"

Wick massaged the bridge of his nose and said, "When the operation begins, ordering the priests not to wear the Order robes shouldn't be an issue, and while the garrison must wear their armor... we could paint the armor a different color beforehand, couldn't we?"

Alfred replied, "We are the ones drafting the operational plan, so theoretically, there is no issue with that."

Once the directive was issued, even if the men found it strange, they would still comply with the orders.

"Haha," Wick chuckled outright, "So, just like that, the puzzle is solved?"

Alfred countered with a question, "But if none of our people are wearing sacred robes, and the garrison's armor has been painted different colors, then who are the corpses lying on the ground in that vision?"

It was a piece of sophistry, yet it was rooted in the true or false nature of the prophecy, an unknowable but fixed condition that naturally spawned infinite possibilities.

Wick shook his head and sighed with emotion, "What a headache, thinking about this is infinitely more complex than drafting an operational proposal, and the emotional toll is far greater, no wonder our great God of Order suppressed the Wall God, this sort of mystical deity and church should indeed be suppressed and forever branded as a heresy."

Alfred picked up his cup and took a sip of ice water, remarking, "According to mythological accounts, the Wall God was suppressed by the God of Order because he painted the end of the God of Order, it is highly probable that our great God of Order faced a predicament similar to ours back then, and might have even voiced the exact same grievance you just did."

Richard noticed that upon hearing these words, cold sweat began to bead on Wick's face, and his foot beneath the table started to tremble slightly.

This was making light of the great deity, a supreme blasphemy in Wick's eyes, how could a god ever be compared to oneself?

Yet Wick forced himself to endure the physical and psychological discomfort,

and opened his mouth to say:

"Ha! Ha!"

The sound of his laughter was inexplicably loud, causing Richard to instinctively rub his ears.

But Wick seemed entirely oblivious to his own loss of composure, and took the initiative to say to Alfred:

"Perhaps so, haha!"

Alfred lowered his head and resumed his work, he could sense Wick's desperate urge to integrate into their circle, which had originally been part of his own plan, but unlike the passive acceptance and awe shown by others, Wick's motivations were far too calculated.

Even so, Alfred did not alter his intention to recruit him, after all, during the foundational period of any team, the inclusion of opportunists was inevitable; looking at it through a dialectical lens, one had to acknowledge the utility of these opportunists during a specific historical phase, though it remained necessary to conduct internal purges at the appropriate time to maintain the relative purity of the team.

This was just like the saying the young master once uttered: fish cannot survive in water that has been entirely purified by magic.

Just then, someone pushed open the door from the outside, and the three men in the room immediately stood up to greet the newcomer:

"Karen."

"Director."

"Young Master."

"I have just returned from the Dingle Region, things have been settled with Loya, how is your operational plan coming along?"

"The first draft is nearly complete." Alfred did not gather the documents to present to his master for review.

"Then hurry along, Neo sent a crow to me on my way back, I need to make a trip home..." pausing for a moment, Karen added, "The Funeral Parlor."

Alfred pointed at Richard and said, "In that case, let Richard drive for you, he can also brief you on our operational plan along the way."

"Mm, fine."

Karen waved his hand and turned to walk downstairs, with Richard following close behind holding the car keys.

But upon stepping outside, they discovered a horse-drawn carriage waiting for them.

"Well, Karen, your condition must be quite serious."

"Haha."

Nowadays, Richard was often the only one who dared to speak to Karen with such familiar irreverence.

Though Richard tried his best to be mindful of his manners, there were times he simply could not help himself, a feeling akin to the psychological vortex his father had fallen into after his sister's death, to some extent, it was beyond Richard's own control.

As the carriage rolled along, Richard detailed some aspects of the proposal, Karen listened while gazing out at the scenery beyond the window, offering no immediate opinions.

When it came to practical matters, both Alfred and Wick were far more competent than he was.

However, one particular detail piqued Karen's interest: "Changing clothes?"

"Ah, yes, it was a joke I made."

"A very clever joke, I am certain Alfred will incorporate it into the plan."

"By the way, Karen, what do you think of that prophecy?"

"I don't have any specific opinion on it, I only hold true to one thing, history is forged by men."

"That feels a bit dismissive..."

"When dealing with such matters, being dismissive is often the wisest choice, the reason why the remnants of the Wall God Church generally seem unhinged is precisely because they are trapped in this cycle of thinking and cannot escape."

"Oh, true."

Richard extended a finger, pressing it against his brow before sliding it downward.

Karen's eyes narrowed slightly, he hadn't noticed it before, but he recognized the motion now: "You put little Jerry inside your own head?"

"Uh... is that not allowed?"

"Are you certain you can maintain absolute control over it?"

"Oh, come on, what's all this talk about control, we're brothers."

"I recall instructing you to seek out Director Neo to ask about the methods of rearing, did you ever go?"

"I went a long time ago, Director Neo gave me plenty of methods for subjugation..."

"And then?"

"I didn't think they were necessary, if the day comes when little Jerry wants to leave, it will tell me, look here."

Richard raised his arm, revealing a small bulge near his wrist where a creature resembling a silkworm could be seen slowly squirming.

Though separated by a layer of flesh and skin, one could still perceive that it was acting ingratiatingly toward Karen.

"Little Jerry is terrified of you, hahaha!"

Karen smiled and shook his head, he was contemplating whether the relationship between Richard and little Jerry was another manifestation of the Arter family lineage, since little Jerry resided within Richard's body, it was effectively soaked in Richard's blood constantly, over time, would it develop something akin to a bloodline bond?

If that were the case, wouldn't the Arter family be the most gifted beast-tamers in the world?

No, that wouldn't work, powerful magical beasts were immense in size, to say nothing of the fact that the Arter bloodline was dwindling, even if a massive Arter clan existed, could the first thing the entire family did upon waking each day be to drain their own blood to soak beasts, like milking cows?

Then again, Richard was truly thick-skinned, he himself could tolerate Thousand Charms inside his body because Thousand Charms was a spiritual entity that could only exist within his soul space without his permission, whereas little Jerry was a living, breathing worm, yet Richard felt no sense of discord whatsoever, and had genuinely befriended it, or rather, made it his brother.

Speaking of which... Thousand Charms.

It must be quite pleased right now, haha.

...

"The activity of the angel has been steadily rising."

"Yes, I can feel the Angel's emotions. He is very excited."

"The Angel urgently wishes to return to the Sea of the Abyss, doesn't he? He longs to welcome back the glory of my Lord at the earliest date."

"The relocation should be ready to begin. Has Lady Miliven arrived yet?"

"Someone has already been sent to meet her."

……

The funeral parlor had already ceased operations. Pick himself had now entered the Whiplash of Order system, and a new tribunal had been established in this district, though not at the original site.

In fact, Karen had initially entertained the thought of continuing to preserve the Pavaro Tribunal. Ultimately, however, he gave up on the idea. It wasn't because doing so would pose any difficulty, but rather because he felt that if Inquisitor Pavaro himself were here, he wouldn't care for this kind of formal persistence. He might even worry that it would affect the normal operations of the district's tribunal.

The carriage came to a halt in front of the tribunal, and Karen and Richard stepped down.

The rolling shutter door of the tribunal was wide open. Neo's VIP carriage was parked outside, its front bearing distinct marks of a collision.

Inside, Neo himself sat atop a mortuary table, a cigarette wedged between his fingers, while that blonde girl sat on a bench, a lollipop in her mouth.

"See? This is the honest and reliable Department Chief Karen you wanted to meet."

Neo pointed at Karen, then propped his chin in his palm.

Karen fixed his gaze upon the girl. She stood up, her hands weaving a symbol before her chest:

"Miliven, inheritor of God Nochi of the Abyss Religion, greets Department Chief Karen."

Upon hearing this title, the cigarette Neo had only smoked a third of instantly burned straight to the butt.

Then, entirely disregarding the smoke billowing from his nostrils and ears, he burst into loud laughter:

"Hahaha! You really are a Child of God!"

Miliven looked at him with some helplessness and asked, "Didn't you already know that?"

"What do you mean already knew?" Neo shrugged. "To me, 'Child of God' is a metaphor, used to describe those kindergarten brats born with silver spoons in their mouths."

Miliven did not argue with Neo further but looked back at Karen.

Karen crossed his hands over his chest: "Karen, Chief of the Enforcement Department of the Whiplash of Order for this region."

"Department Chief Karen, perhaps you are unaware, but this is our second meeting."

"I know. We met this morning in the teleportation array hall."

"You noticed me even then?"

Neo immediately pointed at Karen and said, "Look at you. You clearly noticed her yet still let this big prize slip through the net. Do you have any idea how much wealth... oh no, how many contraband items she's carrying on her person!"

Karen said, "I was in a hurry to get to the Dingle Region at the time."

"Then you should have at least had someone tail her and keep an eye out."

"I believed the Whiplash of Order on duty in the hall would surely notice her."

"But it would've been useless. If I hadn't personally intervened, those two lads would probably be stripped naked and hanging from some tree by now. This is a dereliction of your duty, Karen, a failure of sensitivity."

Karen asked, "Are you angry?"

"How could I possibly be angry because you deliberately chose not to tell me about this? Heh, how could I."

"I merely intended to inform you when the operation began."

"Fine, you don't need to explain." Neo drew another cigarette, tapping the filter against the center of his brow. "I do indeed have some problems right now. I've called Philias back again to help me hold a meeting."

Miliven finally couldn't bear it any longer. Maintaining a polite smile, she spoke up: "My lords, could you perhaps grant this Child of God a little face?"

Neo glanced at her: "Heh."

Is a Child of God worth much around here?

In the backyard here, even the Evil God himself once could only reside in a dog kennel!

Karen personally pulled out a chair and sat down, saying to Miliven: "My Lady Child of God, you may speak now."

"I don't know where I should begin, because I wish to save a little time."

"That six-winged Angel, what do you intend to use him for?"

"Very well, so that mansion was already under the surveillance of Order. I greatly admire Order's capability. No, I admire your capability, Department Chief Karen."

"Get to the point."

"Upon the Sea of the Abyss, a temple called Heaven Square is returning. The temple elders of my Abyss believe it to be a sign of the return of the great God of the Abyss. The Angels are the oarsmen; they alone can resist the decaying effects of the temple to accelerate its return.

The task bestowed upon me was to personally assist in the relocation of that six-winged Angel. But what I actually intend to do is sabotage this relocation operation.

Originally I planned to do it myself, but now... I wish to seek cooperation with the two of you."

"Why prevent it?"

"Because on the night I received this task, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw a scene—a scene of my Lord rallying the troops on the square. At that time, my Lord made a grand vow to force open Heaven.

But at that moment, a branch god disagreed. He believed this would cause the Abyss to lose the protection of the Main God, and those abyssal entities would stage a comeback, destroying the abyssal system that had been established with such difficulty.

And so, at the grand rally, my Lord personally executed him... letting his blood stain the war banner, placing his head atop the flagpole, and furthermore, permanently imprisoning his body and divine soul right here, forcing him to witness with his own eyes the grand occasion of Heaven being successfully opened!

Therefore, what exists upon that Heaven Square is not my returning Lord, but rather that deity who was once used as a sacrifice to the flag and suppressed. After countless eons of imprisonment, I find it difficult to imagine what kind of bloody upheaval his return will bring to my religion."

In this piece of history, the ancestor of Mr. Lemar had once appeared. It was also the most glorious period of the Worth family, crafting puppets for the God of the Abyss to temporarily deter the Abyss in the God's stead.

Sitting on the mortuary table, Neo couldn't help but curse: "Damn it, it feels like listening to a children's book."

"You should maintain the most basic respect, Department Chief Neo," Miliven warned.

"Fine, but I have read your *Long Song of the Abyss* thoroughly, and there is absolutely no description of this passage. I do know about Heaven Square, though; it is a symbol of holiness and victory."

Hearing the phrase "read thoroughly" come from Neo's mouth always felt strange to Karen.

After all, back then Neo had taught him that there was absolutely no need to memorize the *Regulations of Order*; one could just randomly fabricate which chapter and article it was. In any case, the arrested individuals likely hadn't read it either, and even if they had, they had no way to raise an objection.

Yet this fellow, having inherited the erudition of Philias... really was secretly advising others not to study well while quietly memorizing all the textbooks himself.

"This involves the internal matters of my religion. The Abyss Religion began in the Abyss. My Lord first opened the Abyss, and then forced open Heaven. But when the last epoch ended, Heaven collapsed... It can be said that half of our religion's inheritance has perished.

The present-day Abyss Religion... is basically the Sea of the Abyss faction. Since this epoch, they have altered the relevant overviews within the *Long Song of the Abyss*, aiming to erase the traces of Heaven, making the Abyss Religion entirely the religion of the Sea of the Abyss."

Karen asked, "Does this have anything to do with that deity who was sacrificed to the flag?"

"You can understand that deity as your religion's... Lord Tyranus. I recall your religion has no branch gods. That deity once helped my Lord construct the system of the Abyss. It can be said that he is the... founder of the Sea of the Abyss faction."

Neo smiled: "So, it wasn't at all that he opposed opening Heaven, but rather that before opening Heaven, the God of the Abyss feared his own backyard would catch fire, so he deliberately found an excuse to slaughter him in public?"

Suppressing her anger, Miliven ultimately nodded.

Karen couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion: As expected, even with theological stories, once the outer garments are torn away, what remains inside is still a history of bloody struggle.

"Then what about you?" Karen looked at Miliven. "You said you are the inheritor of God Nochi. Then God Nochi belongs to..."

"God Nochi was a student of Pamires, having once followed God Pamires to learn the laws of space. Later, he came under my Lord's command to help my Lord open Heaven. Therefore... yes, that's right, God Nochi belongs to the Heaven faction."

The Desert Religion and the Wilderness Religion were undergoing internal

Otherwise, the elders of your pantheon would not have aided his swift return."

Miriven adjusted her hair and glanced around, as if gathering her words, before she finally smiled and said, "If he returns first, then the Abyssal Cult... will no longer belong to the God of the Abyss. The sacred lineage established by my Lord will be usurped by him."

Then, Miriven extended her hand toward Garen, saying, "I believe you can trust me now, and that you are willing to cooperate with me. I do not wish for my motives to be exposed, but I can assist you in disrupting this transfer. Furthermore, the extra 'tea money' has already been settled with Minister Neo; I have agreed to the payment terms he requested."

Garen looked toward Neo, who was sitting on the mortuary table, and Neo looked back at Garen. Their eyes met, and a smile broke across both of their faces.

Neo stood up, stretched his arms, and said, "But I feel like backing out now."

"What do you mean by that? Without my assistance, it will be difficult for you to resolve this matter elegantly, because a temporary teleportation array has already been erected inside that mansion."

Neo replied, "As a cleric of Order, I don't think I have any reason to pass up the chance to witness an internal schism within a fellow orthodox cult.

So, why should we stop it? Letting him through directly and allowing that deity to return—wouldn't that be rather entertaining?

We have all heard the prophecy of the gods' impending return. I am quite looking forward to seeing how the God of the Abyss will react when he returns only to find his home's nameplate has been changed, hahaha!"

Garen shook his head and said, "You cannot put it that way. We must be men of integrity in our actions. Since you have already promised the Son of God, it is inappropriate to back out. It is unethical."

Neo placed his hand over his heart, speaking with feigned sorrow, "My sense of morality was weak to begin with, because what flows in my eyes, within my body, and through every pore of my skin is an absolute, unadulterated loyalty to Order."

Miriven clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to lose her temper, and shouted, "I could resort to extreme measures and report this information to your Order!"

Neo nodded and said, "And then the information you report will just end up transferred into the hands of the two of us."

Miriven: "..."

Neo stepped down from the mortuary table, approached Miriven, and held out his palm, upon which a long list of payment terms—the so-called tea money—was written in blood:

"There is a way to alleviate my moral guilt while allowing me to agree to uphold our cooperation. Do you know what it is?"

"What is it..."

Neo raised his other palm, presenting both hands to Miriven at the same time, and smiled:

"Double it!"