Chapter 690: Ah Fu's New Class!

Chapter 690: Ah Fu's New Class!

"Huh?"

Hearing this response, Neo leaned back, the corners of his eyes sweeping toward the two sides behind him.

He had a feeling that Karen was standing right behind him, watching him bet and gamble, and then folding a paper crow to fly over and mock him.

Fortunately, he didn't see any sign of Karen.

Phew...

Neo suddenly frowned. Why did he have this guilty feeling? Who was Karen to him? By what right did he think he could control his gambling?

"Minister, what should we do?" Leon was somewhat worried. He had an unconditional trust in Karen; after all, he was part of the next batch of "believers" personally selected by Alfred.

"What do you mean, what should we do?" Neo lit a cigarette. "He told you to investigate, so just investigate. Didn't we come here precisely to investigate? Or did we come here just to gamble?"

Leon: Didn't you call me out here to gamble and relax?

"Well? Do you find it interesting?" Neo asked. "Just now, I only wagered a hundred coupons. If that last bet had won, I could have made tens of thousands."

"But you didn't win."

"Ah, the probability of winning this was never high to begin with." Neo dismissed it casually, standing up. "Come on, let's go backstage to take a look and meet an old friend of mine."

Neo and Leon rose from their seats and left. Many people around them cast sympathetic glances, assuming they had lost even their underpants.

In truth, this bit of capital was nothing to the current Neo, far from enough to make him contemplate the gentle breeze of the rooftop.

At the backstage area, personnel from the betting company stood there blocking the way, and inside were two individuals wearing clerical robes. The primary color of their robes was dark red, adorned with a ghostly face mask. Rumor had it that the clown figures active in today's literary works and circuses had evolved from here.

It was the image of a deity—Ganarad.

The Church of Ganarad was a medium-sized church, but it possessed a high level of renown, because the mythological narratives of various faiths referred to their deity Ganarad by another title—the God of Gambling.

Similar to how the Goddess Mills was the deity worshipped by many in the prostitution industry, the divine statues and evolved archetypes enshrined in many casinos belonged to Ganarad.

He had been active in the previous era, once a member of the Eternal faction, who later defected to the Light faction. Finally, when Order separated from the Light faction, he was among the earliest deities to follow the God of Order into exile.

One could say that in the previous era, he belonged to the deity who picked sides most actively and accurately; no matter how the clouds changed, he always held the status of a "victor."

After entering this era, for a long time, the Church of Order and the Church of Light stood side by side. The Church of Order, benefiting from the influence of the God of Order dominating the divine realm at the end of the previous era, achieved rapid development. Although the Church of Light had "lost" the God of Light early on, its heritage remained.

The tragedy of the Church of Ganarad occurred during that period. Originally, the church left behind by Ganarad possessed the strength of a large church, even touching the threshold of an orthodox faith, but the church clearly lacked their deity's knack for picking sides.

They first broke with Order to seek refuge with the Church of Light, and then they broke with Light...

The Church of Light declared the Church of Ganarad a cult and launched a holy war against them. The Church of Ganarad wanted to turn back and seek the protection of the Church of Order, but encountered only the indifference of Order.

Ultimately, under the blows of the Church of Light, the faith nearly perished, its status plunging to that of a street rat.

A thousand years ago, Light perished, and Order won the competition against Light. The Church of Order successfully established the church circle system based on the "Regulations of Order."

Then, for reasons unknown, the Church of Order not only forebore from pursuing the past betrayal of the Church of Ganarad, but also revoked the cult designation of the faith.

In just a thousand years, those former remnants had once again developed into a medium-sized church.

This fully demonstrated the vigorous vitality of gambling addicts.

"I am looking for Miye, Miye Dan'art."

The two clergymen inside immediately pushed away the outside staff and gestured for them to enter.

Led by the clergymen, Neo and his companion officially stepped backstage. In truth, they passed through an underground corridor from the "entertainment zone" to enter the "office zone" of another building.

Upon entering a spacious office, Leon heard a pleasant exclamation of surprise:

"Oh, my dear old friend Neo, it truly has been a long time!"

A middle-aged man opened his arms and proactively embraced Minister Neo.

The middle-aged man looked like a lawyer, wearing no clerical robes, dressed impeccably and cleanly.

Yes, clean.

One rarely used this word to describe a person's appearance, but this was indeed the first impression Miye gave Leon. He possessed an innate affinity that made one subconsciously want to trust him.

But trusting a casino owner... the consequences of that were quite terrifying.

Neo warmly embraced the other man, and then they took their respective seats.

Except Neo sat in Miye's original seat, while Miye sat on the visitor's sofa.

Miye smiled and said, "I truly never expected that the you from back then would end up sitting in this position."

"The same goes for you."

Saying this, Neo looked at Leon and introduced him: "Back then, this fellow was caught by me in Sampu City for illicitly enticing people to gamble. Later, seeing that his attitude toward confessing his guilt was good, and based on the principle that the purpose of punishment is education, I let him go."

Leon knew well that this "good attitude toward confessing guilt" must have been very expensive.

"What do you mean enticing people to gamble? I was merely trying to draw some believers for a mission. It was a task assigned from above that I had to execute. Besides, all activities of my Church of Ganarad on Order territory are strictly reported to Order beforehand.

Take this time, for instance; it was properly reported to Order, which is why we came here to periodically absorb a portion of gambling greed. Our activities, in truth, are beneficial to the normal functioning of society.

After all, what Order wishes to see is a normally developing society, is it not?"

Leon spoke up, "No, what Order wishes to see is a human society that develops freely without the intervention of churches."

Miye countered, "Then do you know that the collective greed of humanity easily breeds aberrations, or even evil gods?"

"This... I know."

"Therefore, the reason Order permits us, as well as small churches like the Church of Mills, to operate is originally for the purpose of sweeping up. At least we are much easier to control than those newly born things, and we understand the rules better.

Neo, won't you introduce this young man? Speaking of which, when we first met, you were probably about his age."

Neo replied, "If I had his family status, it would have been impossible for you to know me."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

"I didn't come to find you, Miye. I want to see the Dice Shaker. I know that in the team you brought over this time, there is such a master."

"Just this morning, our Dice Shaker went to request an audience with a minister from your regional management office and is only now resting. I can arrange a time for you tomorrow, what do you think..."

"Of course you can, we are old friends after all."

"Neo, thank you for your understanding..."

"I just received a report stating that you have illicit violations here beyond what Order permits. I will immediately order the Whip of Order to come and seal the place for investigation, to ensure that you, my old friend, are proven innocent."

"Please wait a moment, I believe the Dice Shaker would be very pleased to meet you. I will go inform and arrange it right away."

"Mm, good."

Miye stood up, opened the door to the inner room of the office, and walked in.

Neo also stood up, opened the small liquor cabinet in the office, moved the cheap alcohol outside out of the way, and took the most expensive one inside. He then rummaged through the drawers of Miye's desk, clipped a fountain pen embedded with a gemstone radiating array energy into his chest pocket, and took out an opened carton of church-exclusive cigarettes. Pulling out a pack, he tossed the remainder directly to Leon.

"Keep this for me."

"Alright."

A sip of wine, a puff of smoke. Neo burped quite comfortably and smiled:

"No matter how many grand theories they spout, their church assets are built upon the blood and tears of the vast masses of believers. So take whatever catches your eye, don't feel any psychological pressure."

"I understand, but there's nothing I want."

"To live, one must have desires," Neo reminded him.

"Mr. Alfred will guide my path."

"Heh." Neo let out a dry, irritated chuckle and downed another swig of wine. "Then I suppose you won't be disappointed."

A moment later, Mier returned. Opening the door, he made a welcoming gesture to Neo. "The Shaker is awaiting her audience with you."

With a cigarette dangling from his lips and a wine bottle in his hand, Neo strolled right in. Leon hesitated for a brief instant before following him inside.

The inner room was somewhat dim, draped in shades of dark crimson. In the exact center sat a very low gambling table with a curtained skirt beneath it, resembling a hearth table. In the winter, many ordinary Viennese families used precisely this method to keep warm.

A woman nearing forty sat there, her legs tucked beneath the table. A black veil covered half her face, yet her oval visage still bore the clear traces of her youthful beauty. Her two earrings were shaped like dice.

"Greetings, Lord Minister. Please forgive me, but I am physically disabled and cannot rise to welcome you."

"No matter, no matter. Just stay seated."

Neo looked back, and Mier, who was behind them, immediately backed out and closed the door. The moment the door clicked shut, an isolation barrier activated, ensuring that the conversation within could not be overheard from the outside.

"Lord Minister, please take a seat."

"Right, right." Neo did not sit down himself, but instead gestured toward Leon. "Sit."

"Me? All right."

Leon took his seat and lifted the curtain, sliding his legs beneath the gambling table.

He had barely settled in when he sensed a pair of exceptionally nimble feet climbing onto his knees, tracing their way up his thighs, and ultimately arriving at that very delicate location.

"This..."

Leon moved to stand up, but he saw Neo take a seat beside him and address the woman: "You keep your secrets remarkably tight. Even Mier had no idea."

"After all, this involves matters of such gravity; he has no right to know," the woman answered Neo while casting a deeply meaningful glance at Leon.

Leon felt entirely like a little bird that had been resting on a branch, only to be suddenly swept into the heavens by a violent gust of wind.

"Let us get down to business," Neo said, lighting another cigarette. "He won't last very long."

Leon: "..."

"Very well." The woman produced a deck of playing cards. "You must be well aware of the price I must pay to gamble with you."

"Hasn't the Church of Ganalard always been bearing this price?" Neo sneered. "Right now, it is merely the most ordinary of dues."

"Heh."

The woman drew out three Aces, laid them out, and turned them face down.

Then she found three Kings, placed them before Neo, and similarly turned them face down.

"Truth be told, some of the elders in our church feel that back then, in order to lure Light into declaring war on large churches like ours—thereby easing the pressure on Order and winning that epochal confrontation—we had already paid a sufficient price and rendered great service to Order. We should have received better treatment, yet Order granted none."

Neo took a sip of wine and replied, "Survival itself demands a price. Those elders have perhaps forgotten that the right to exist is not an inherent birthright."

"Three cards... isn't that a bit too many?" the woman asked.

"I actually find it too few."

"Very well." The woman produced three dark crimson diamonds and placed them respectively upon the three cards before her. "I originally thought this scene would be more rigorous, more solemn. I never expected it to be so crude. It truly does an injustice to my three lucky diamonds."

"Did you expect me to invite you to the headquarters of the Whip of Order to conduct this ritual?"

"That won't be necessary."

The woman placed her finger upon her first card. Her fingernail detached on its own, and blood began to well up copiously. Immediately afterward, blood seeped from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, finally gathering above the card to resonate with the diamond beneath.

It was a horrific sight, so terrifying that Leon instantly cooled down.

"Ah."

The woman let out a soft sigh and withdrew her feet, allowing Leon to exhale a long breath of relief.

"How about we switch to you instead?" the woman said to Neo.

"I wouldn't mind, actually. After all, I am well aware of your particular kink."

"Exactly, let me make you feel good."

"After making me feel good, I would kill you."

"Well, it seems you truly love your wife deeply. You know, such sincere affection is rare to see in a gambler—no, it is virtually nonexistent. Instead, there are plenty who would sell their wives for gambling capital."

"Focus a little."

"To help you, I specifically applied for a top-grade sacred relic. Rest assured, there will be no problems this time. It is just that having my feet idle is rather unfamiliar; it will affect my state of mind and performance."

"If there is a next time, I will bring you a fellow covered in parasites. That will certainly keep you entertained."

"I shall look forward to it."

The diamonds began to melt.

Neo placed one of his fingers upon a card before him.

"Make your choice," the woman said.

"Order."

A flame of Order condensed at Neo's fingertip, ultimately attaching itself to the playing card.

The woman's eyes instantly widened as though she had discovered something extraordinary, and her expression immediately turned solemn. She said, "It appears your Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon lineage is much higher than anticipated."

This was because the order of revealing the cards went from lowest to highest.

"Can we reveal the cards now?"

"We can."

Neo flipped over the card in his hand. The face of the card turned entirely black, and with a low hum, it hovered directly into the air between the two of them.

The woman flicked open her own current card in tandem. The two cards met in mid-air and finally drifted slowly downward, the black card facing upward but now encircled by a dark crimson seal.

"Hiss..."

The woman drew in a sharp breath, her face turning incredibly pale. Clearly, the very first seal had already subjected her to immense pressure.

"I have the honor of experiencing the treatment our great deity once used to heal Order."

In the mythological narratives of *The Light of Order*, it was recorded that following a divine war, Ganalard healed the God of Order.

This was a highly illogical description. The faction of Light at the time possessed far too many deities skilled in healing and restoring life, so why would the God of Order choose the God of Gambling to treat his wounds?

The conclusion reached by later ecclesiastical historians of divine history was that the God of Order must have had Ganalard seal something within him.

Because Ganalard himself was the collective manifestation of gambling delusions, yet in surviving murals, his image and deeds depicted him as a thoroughly refined and scholarly deity, embodying both elegance and composure.

He only wore that clown mask during battle; normally, he did not.

Furthermore, the sealing system Ganalard excelled at was incredibly minute; he was likely only adept at sealing "personality" or "character."

Based on this, academia of divine history believed that the God of Order's frenzied slaughter of deities at the end of the previous era was probably because he was... insane.

A pair of white gloves rose into the air, floating on either side of the woman's body. This was the top-grade sacred relic: The Demon's Hands.

With the reinforcement of the sacred relic, the woman restored herself to normal. Placing her hand upon the second card as blood welled up once more, she asked, "Ready for the second one?"

"Are you sure?"

"Confirmed."

"Very well." Neo placed his hand upon the second card as well.

"The second card—what is your face?"

"The Bloodthirsty Aberration."

A crimson aura bled from Neo’s fingertips, cloaking the pasteboard until it took flight.

Seizing the momentum, the woman flicked her own card forward; the instant the two collided, she sprayed a massive geat of blood, her entire being collapsing once more into profound decrepitude, though the gloves flanking her body continued to cut and shuffle with frantic, autonomous precision.

Behind Neo, a figure clad in a formal evening suit materialized, its visage blurred and indistinct.

Layer upon layer of dark-red seals were now descending to shroud the silhouette, which struggled in vain to resist.

At long last, after a protracted stalemate, the figure was successfully sealed away.

The white gloves ceased their frantic motions; threads spun from them, now looking tattered and worn.

With a trace of dread, the woman looked down at her hands, then at the gloves, her lips trembling; she clearly lacked the courage to turn the third card, uncertain whether her constitution could withstand the toll.

"I am... somewhat afraid now, afraid to discover what the bottom card of your final play might be..."

Neo, utterly indifferent to her plight, spoke with direct bluntness: "Can you not afford to lose?"

"In truth, I truly might not."

"As long as you do not die, it will suffice."

"I really might die, Neo. In our prior correspondence, you never told me that the persona you needed sealed was so terrifying!"

"My fault, then?"

"I always believed the final card would be Order, yet you laid it down on the very first; your hand is far too grand, I think..."

"As for me, when I lose, I prefer to lose entirely; even if I must go to the rooftop to catch the wind, I will not timidly halt halfway through. By that same token, I dislike it when those who gamble against me leave the table early."

"My terms were too low, Neo; what I requested before bears absolutely no proportion to what I am about to pay!"

"The wagers have already been verified; it is too late to regret now. Let us do this: I can take one more step back, and once you have finished this round with me, I shall permit your people to harvest more gambling resentment in York City than was originally declared, and the Whip of Order will provide cover for you.

Absorbing a bit more of them can be considered a way to make this city somewhat cleaner, after all."

"Lacking in sincerity, Neo."

"My patience is limited."

"I wish to obtain a promise from you..." The woman drew forth a letter, placing it upon the gambling table. "I have a pair of daughters; they too are followers of Ganarade, currently being groomed. I hope that if I die, you can utilize Order's protocols to demand them from the Church of Ganarade. You need not raise them; I only wish for them to leave that place. I do not want my two daughters to become dice-rollers like me."

"Very well, I agree, but on the condition that you must successfully defeat me."

"I will."

The woman spread her hands, and the gloves automatically fell back, slipping onto her fingers as a flash of absolute resolve surfaced in her gaze.

As she rested her hand upon the final card, she inquired, "In truth, you never intended for me to survive past today, did you, Neo?"

Hearing those words, Leon looked toward Department Head Neo in sheer consternation.

Neo merely smiled without offering a word.

"I have a premonition—a premonition belonging to a dice-roller—that once the next bottom card is revealed, I will certainly be silenced, because it must be a secret you cannot allow anyone else to know."

As the woman spoke, she pointedly cast another glance at Leon.

Leon’s gaze remained steadfast.

"Too much theatrics becomes tedious; you didn’t tell Mie precisely because you hoped that after this ends, I wouldn't kill the others, did you?"

"I was merely harboring a stroke of luck before stepping up to the table... a gambler’s psychology."

"Reveal the card," Neo urged.

"Then... let the card be revealed; the bottom card of your third play is..."

"Light."

A burst of holy light manifested, coalescing upon that final card.

Leon: "!!"

With a loud clatter, Leon’s knees violently struck the gambling table first, before his hands swiftly hit the floor as he scrambled backward, staring in sheer disbelief at the flame of light coalescing from Department Head Neo's fingertips.

"Impossible... impossible... impossible..."

Department Head Neo—how could he possibly be a remnant of Light!

"Heheheh..." The woman began to laugh. "You are truly ruthless, young man; your life also reaches its end today."

The woman turned her card in one fluid motion, and the two cards fused together.

Her hands moved with such rapid acceleration that they nearly became an afterimage, while behind Neo, a silhouette clad in the sacred robes of Light emerged, upon which dark-red borders materialized time and again, only to be neutralized repeatedly.

The woman’s features began to age rapidly, her vitality dwindling away at a ferocious pace; the gloves disintegrated continuously amidst this flurry of swift movements, and decomposing along with them were her hands, then her elbows, her arms...

She was like a knitted sweater, being rapidly unraveled.

Ultimately, when nothing remained of the woman but a solitary head, the phantom of Light behind Neo was finally stamped successfully with a layer of that dark-red wax.

"Smack!"

The woman’s head landed upon the gambling table, and she spoke: "I won."

"The original terms, plus your pair of daughters—I shall grant them all to you."

"Thank you."

Neo reminded her, "You should be dead now; I have no desire to purify you myself, lest Mie misunderstand."

"Very well, the suicide note and diary are beneath my seat cushion; I have stated that I lost myself and chose to end my own life."

"Mm."

The woman closed her eyes, a plume of black smoke drifted upward, and she passed away completely.

She had won, yet she had lost entirely—so utterly that even awakening would be an impossibility.

Neo stood up, first stretching his back; with this, the problem of the reading club could be temporarily resolved, and he had bought himself another long stretch of lucid time.

Regrettably, he did not feel much joy.

So, what exactly am I anticipating, after all? Heh.

Neo immediately shook his head, murmuring to himself, "How can I think that living is so exhausting? I mustn't be so negative; it seems I'll have to let that fellow Karen examine my illness again."

With that, Neo turned his head to look at Leon, who had already curled into a ball in the corner.

"Hey."

"Aaaah!!!!"

Leon let out a piercing shriek.

The person he revered most was Karen, and the second was Department Head Neo; now, he could not accept the fact that Neo was a remnant of the Light, feeling as though his entire worldview was about to crumble.

Furthermore, he felt that Neo was about to silence him by murder.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Breathing rapidly, Leon summoned his courage and stood up: "Remnant of the Light, I will fight you to the..."

"Swish!"

Neo materialized right in front of Leon.

"Ah!"

Leon cried out in terror, his back slamming hard against the wall in his fright.

Yet very quickly, Leon rallied his courage once more, staring directly at Neo: "Remnant of the Light!"

Neo: "Ptui."

Leon: "..."

Neo reached out his hand, and Leon immediately tried to conjure a spell, but with a casual flick of Neo's fingertips, the newly forming magic instantly dissipated.

Before the veteran hound, Leon, formerly a pampered clerical gentleman, was nothing more than a cute little quail.

"Tap, tap!"

Neo gently brushed the dust off Leon's shoulders.

"Rest assured, I am not going to silence you, look at how terrified you are."

"I... I..."

"It is not as if I failed to invest your money properly; if I had lost all your vouchers, it might actually be possible for me to drag you along to jump off a rooftop together."

"But... I... you, the Light..."

"You want to report me, don't you, if I do not kill you?"

"Undoubtedly, I will never yield to a remnant of the Light, even when faced with the threat of death, so Department Head Neo, no, Neo the Renegade, you had best kill me right now."

"I will not kill you, but I would like to ask, to whom will you report me?"

"I will report you to Department Head Karen!"

"Very well, go ahead, oh, by the way, Mr. Alfred, whom you respect so dearly, is currently right outside the casino entrance."

As Neo spoke, he reached out to tap the seashell worn behind his ear:

"Hey, there is a barrier here, the signal is poor."

"I can hear you, the newly improved magical communication device has excellent reception."

"This child, take him away."

"Understood, the Young Master has already returned to the manor, I have just finalized the personnel arrangements here and am preparing to head to the manor as well."

"Oh, good."

...

Alfred tapped the seashell behind his ear and shifted his gaze toward the casino ahead.

Sitting in the back row, Vic asked in confusion: "Mr. Alfred, are we waiting for someone?"

"Yes, waiting for someone just like you, he will be out shortly, and then we shall set off on our journey together."

"I am looking forward to it, Mr. Alfred, but could you give me a slight preview in advance of where we are going? Just a little hint would be wonderful, truly."

Alfred smiled gently: "A brand-new future, a place that can completely transform you, a performance that can reshape a person entirely."

"I am already looking forward to my teacher seeing my transformation when he returns; I believe that in the place we are going, it can be discovered, Mr. Alfred, I yearn to know that secret, and I yearn to blend into their circle, because I have witnessed their progress and elevation."

Alfred responded:

"Trust me, Vic, when your teacher sees you again, I swear, he will be proud of you, and he will be so comforted by your progress and achievements that he will shed tears of joy."