Chapter 736: A Huge Surprise for the Investigation Team!

Chapter 736: A Massive Surprise for the Investigation Team!

Trust is a delicate thing; sometimes it seems indestructible yet shatters at a touch, while other times it appears loose and fragile but is actually quite resilient.

Karen felt that Hidrood fell into the latter category.

He believed he could trust Hidrood to keep this secret for him, though not simply because the professor himself was divorced.

Rather, Karen considered Hidrood a clever man, and those well-versed in history are often adept at seeing through to the heart of matters.

He must know that the person Ukonga sought was no enemy, and that it was a story from a shared dormitory, meaning no matter who was involved, they were almost certainly classmates and companions whose bonds leaned heavily toward the affectionate kind.

On this basis, if Hidrood were to report Karen, Karen would not be sent to his "vengeful death" by Ukonga's men, while Hidrood himself would have to endure Karen's retaliation.

He truly had no motive to commit such folly; at his advanced age, with his granddaughter settled, even if he accumulated endless wealth and connections, it would mean entirely nothing compared to the status of a grandson-in-law who was a Son of God.

His persistence with the "student screening" was likely just an established habit and personal academic curiosity, coupled with the fact that his research clashed with mainstream trends, making him quite happy to slack off and skip teaching classes.

"Of course, Karen, if you are willing to share a bit of that hidden history with me, nothing could be better."

Hidrood looked at Karen with a face full of anticipation; probing and seeking knowledge of historical mysteries was the most satisfying itch in the depths of his soul.

Karen often saw this look on Neo's face, who would also helplessly rub his hands together whenever an opportunity to line his pockets arose.

"Professor, I am willing to share it with you, but now is not the right time."

"I know, I know. Tell me when you feel the time is right, even if it is just a small fragment of leftover details."

"That is no problem." Karen smiled. "I know you are very interested in the Mad Pope, Professor."

"Yes, the Mad Pope is one of my primary research subjects."

"Because of my work, I have met the successor of the Mad Pope. I can arrange for you to meet him, Professor, or even conduct an exclusive interview."

Hearing this, Hidrood's eyes instantly widened, half in excitement and half in terror.

Although his appraisal of the God of Light and the Church of Light during his lectures with Karen had been quite fair, it did not diminish his real-world sensitivity and apprehension toward the remnants of Light as an orthodox Priest of Order.

A moment later,

Hidrood nodded vigorously:

"Splendid!"

"I will arrange it as soon as possible."

"I shall await your news, haha."

"Professor, then I shall officially take my leave."

"Let me see you out."

"No need, Professor, please rest."

Karen departed, and Hidrood breathed a long sigh of relief, sitting on the living room sofa. He poured the water from his thermos into the teacup on the coffee table and lifted it.

"To think that at such an advanced age, I could still encounter something so thrilling."

With a sigh of emotion, Hidrood took a sip of water.

Instantly, his entire expression warped. He spat it out immediately, clutching his throat with both hands as he began to retch violently.

It was not because Karen had left a lingering hand and poisoned him to silence him.

Hidrood could only shout in rage:

"Gaspar, damn you, you threw your cigarette butts in here again!"

...

In the open clearing outside the guesthouse, the giant crab was finally absent today.

This left Karen feeling a slight tinge of regret, since in the memory images, he had only recently eaten a crab claw.

Though the crab Dicaloste broke apart was certainly not as large as this one, sometimes being too large was not a good thing, as the meat tended to become tough and stringy.

When Karen walked into the guesthouse and crossed the first-floor dining room, he still saw a group of teachers and students gathering inside, the same crowd from last time.

A figure in a gray robe sat alone at a table right next to them, the table laden with various wines and liquors. He ate nothing, only drank.

As Karen passed by his table, the gray-robed man looked up and glanced at Karen, while Karen also noted him from the corner of his eye.

The gray-robed man was quite ugly, his face marred by numerous pitting holes, resembling dense clusters of small volcanoes growing on his flesh. The hand lifting his wine glass showed clear signs of chitinous encrustation, and he pinched the glass between his thumb and index finger.

Was he the human form of that giant crab?

Powerful magical beasts often possessed the ability to assume human form, much like Lady Ogy, or his own little Canna.

"Hey."

The gray-robed man spoke up first, calling out to stop Karen.

Karen halted his steps and looked at him.

The gray-robed man asked, "Why are you wearing a mask?"

Karen replied, "I have a cold, and I am afraid of the wind."

"Heh." The gray-robed man laughed. "Could it be that you are some important figure deliberately trying to hide your identity?"

"Is there something you need?" Karen asked.

"Nothing at all. I simply dislike seeing a shell on someone else's face."

"Don't you have one yourself?"

"I am different from you. My shell is my skin, a part of my body."

"As am I. The mask is a part of my body."

"I understand. It is a primitive common ailment among you humans."

"But my mask can be removed. Can yours?"

"Oh, hahaha."

Just then, a middle-aged man stepped out from the group of teachers and students opposite them, carrying a wine glass. He greeted the gray-robed man, "Lord Indeman, what are you chatting with him about?"

The gray-robed man ignored the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was not angry. He sat down beside the gray-robed man, swept a glance over Karen, and said to him, "Student, please go to the counter and fetch a bottle of wine I left there. Tell the attendant it was left by me, Lisons."

Immediately after, the middle-aged man said to the gray-robed man with a touch of flattery, "Lord Indeman, this is an insect wine I specially prepared for you. You will surely like it."

"Is that so, haha, then I must have a taste."

"Certainly, certainly." Lisons glanced at Karen and urged, "Student, why are you still standing here? Hurry along."

Karen ignored him and walked straight toward the stairs.

Karen knew clearly that the teacher named Lisons ordered him around to do errands simply because Karen was wearing the most ordinary robes of Order, lacking any markings of rank or department, essentially a blank robe.

In the academy, blank robes of Order were equivalent to the students' school uniform, and this was right at the school gates. Although Karen wore a mask, it was still evident he was very young, so it was perfectly normal for a teacher to order a student about.

Furthermore, in Lisons' eyes, he would think he was giving a leg up to this student who had previously been speaking with Lord Indeman.

However, Karen had no interest in deliberately performing here to fit in with them. Of course, he was not angry at the teacher's attitude toward him, nor did he feel looked down upon or oppressed; he was not that sensitive, nor did he have that much free time.

Watching Karen leave directly, Lisons said with a bit of amusement, "Students these days are truly so disobedient."

Inderman could not help but burst into laughter, a harsh, grating sound rasping from his throat as he spoke, "Lysons, it serves you right that your professional title has not been promoted to this day."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"He is no student. Granted, he is quite young, but his demeanor and bearing are absolutely not those of a student. Either he holds a high position himself, or he comes from an illustrious family. As for you, you might very well have offended someone else for no good reason."

"I certainly did not intend to offend anyone. I even thought that after he brought the wine, I would have him sit down to accompany you for a drink."

"That is precisely your problem. You do not judge people half as accurately as a mere crab. Ah."

"My Lord, you speak in such a way that I truly do not know how to respond."

Lysons rose and fetched the wine himself. Upon his return, just as he opened the bottle and began to pour for Inderman, he saw the young man from before descending the stairs again, followed now by a woman and a little girl.

Karen was about to leave the school to rendezvous with Richard, who had gone ahead to secure their position, but before departing, he intended to settle their delayed lunch here.

Finding a table to sit down, Karen handed the menu to little Conna and asked, "What do you want to eat? Order for yourself."

Little Conna did not take the menu. Instead, her eyes

"Are you not eating the crab meat?" little Kanna asked.

"No, I simply don't feel like it today."

A pleasant lunch concluded, and Kallen boarded the reserved carriage with little Kanna and Philomena.

Inside the carriage, little Kanna spoke with great excitement: "Kallen, when are you going to school again?"

"I don't know."

"You will come back eventually, right?"

"I will."

"That is wonderful. Next time you come, the new flesh on his wound should have grown back."

Kallen wanted to remind little Kanna that such a hobby did not quite conform to the etiquette of a noble lady, and that she would be lectured by Sister Purr upon their return.

Unexpectedly, little Kanna's next words were:

"Next time, bring Sister Purr along. She will definitely love eating it too."

Kallen fell silent, for he felt that little Kanna's words made perfect sense.

Meeting Richard at a hotel in the Dinger District, Richard had booked a large suite in advance; the three people and one dragon did not delay much, settling in early to rest.

The next morning, Kallen arrived at the investigation team's assembly point, bringing along his two allotted retinue members and one bodyguard who could hardly be counted as human.

Though they were the final batch of the investigation team, the numbers were by no means small; including the retinues, there were nearly three hundred people.

Many had arrived two or three days early and had already organized private gatherings to foster connections, which was a customary habit under official events.

Kallen felt no regret about this; he had not come early, but that was because he had gone to school.

The only slightly awkward part was that upon checking in, he discovered he was a group leader, with seven members in his group, each bringing two retinues; those seven people, along with their respective entourages, were waiting for him right at the check-in desk.

All seven were heads of the Whip of Order from other districts, belonging to the same system.

Kallen greeted them to get acquainted, but before a single round of conversation could finish, the notice was handed down directly: the originally scheduled luncheon and evening banquet were all canceled, and the departure time, meant to be at dawn, was moved up to the morning.

Immediately, carriages pulled up one after another, and everyone hurriedly boarded to rush to the teleportation hall.

Fortunately, the incomplete introductions could still continue in the carriages; the directors shared one carriage, while the other retinues took the two following behind.

Upon reaching the teleportation array hall, there was not the slightest delay, and they were immediately arranged to enter the teleportation array.

A flash of white light erupted, and this batch of the investigation team, along with their accompanying personnel, were all teleported away.

The teleportation had no transit stops and was direct, though the duration was rather long; by the time everyone stepped out of the teleportation array, quite a few clerics, accustomed to desk work, could not help but slump to the ground, letting their retinues massage them.

This truly was not affectation, for even Kallen felt somewhat uncomfortable; the turbulence of this teleportation had indeed been severe.

Richard murmured in surprise, "Huh, why are there so few people in the teleportation hall of the Desert Church's holy land? The Maqina Holy Land should be ranked near the top of the Desert Church's hierarchy as a bustling holy ground."

Soon, others also noticed that something was amiss; by all accounts, since the people from the Church of Order's investigation team had arrived, the Desert Church should have welcomed them warmly, yet now not only was the welcoming ceremony absent, but even the staff here were sparse, and each of them bore a panicked expression.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a tremendous roar echoed from outside, followed by a violent shaking of the teleportation array hall.

The group of Desert clerics who had still been responsible for managing the teleportation array immediately abandoned their posts and began to scramble and flee in chaos, shouting as they ran:

"This is bad, the rebels have fought their way into the holy land!"