Chapter 752: Eldest Miss Pu'er Allen

Chapter 752: The Eldest Miss Purr Allen

Aisli had returned, though not at her parents' bidding.

In truth, Selena and Santos would have preferred their daughter stay away today. As parents, they were currying favor with Karen; if Aisli were absent or oblivious, then when Karen returned the favor, he would undoubtedly ensure she felt the weight of it upon her return, thereby yielding a much greater benefit.

Yet, during her shifts, Aisli spent half her time sleeping in the dormitories and the other half returning to the institute; this place was her home.

Upon her return, Aisli spotted little Kanna and assumed Karen had brought her for a physical examination. However, the moment she saw Purr lying on the examination table, she immediately understood.

Purr’s physical examination concluded quickly. She was in good condition and well-suited for surgery.

With three hours remaining until the scheduled operation, Selena and Santos needed to continue calibrating the equipment and familiarizing themselves with the procedural blueprint, leaving Karen free to formally begin his preparations.

For instance, having a late-night snack and taking a bath.

The laboratory possessed a bathing area that was exceedingly spacious, but it was reserved for washing and prepping the skin of magical beasts.

Karen took Purr and Kanna to Aisli’s house. He headed to the bathroom in the Santos couple’s master bedroom, while Purr bathed in Aisli’s bedroom.

Aisli herself took charge of preparing the late-night snack.

"Is Sister Purr going to turn into a human?" little Kanna asked as she applied body wash to Purr.

"I don’t know, I’m a bit apprehensive, meow."

"Will you turn into a child as small as me?"

"How could I be as small as you."

"Then will you turn into a two-hundred-year-old grandmother?"

Purr: "..."

Unaware of what she had triggered, little Kanna continued to earnestly scrub Purr's fur. "Being human and bathing is very troublesome, and humans have to wear clothes."

"Alright, you can rinse me now."

"No, it must be washed clean. You can't be lazy with any step of bathing. Mm, turn over, I'll scrub your back."

Purr lay down indifferently, enjoying the back-scrubbing service from the little bone dragon while lamenting, "I didn't expect my little Karen to specially prepare a surprise for me, meow."

"Are you very happy?"

"Of course, meow."

"Then will you mate with him?"

"Of course... uh... what are you saying?"

"Isn't that a way for a female to express herself to a male?"

"Who told you all this?"

"Richard."

"Why did he tell you that?"

"When we were in the desert, it was a bit boring, so he would take the initiative to talk about some things."

"This kind of thing usually happens between men and women of similar ages. If he treats you well or saves you, you might think of marrying him as a form of repayment. Of course, there is a prerequisite."

"A prerequisite?"

"That is, the man cannot be too ugly, otherwise it would be a repayment in the next life."

"But, according to the Order of Recurrence doctrines Wang taught me, the soul in the next life is the same."

"That is fine, because the vast majority of people in the world are superficial; they do not look at the soul, only at the face."

"Is Sister Purr like that too?"

"As for me... do you think Karen looks handsome?"

"The human concept of good-looking is something I don't quite understand, but from the conversations of those female researchers who examined my body, I can feel that Karen should be handsome."

"Right, handsome."

"You haven't answered me, Sister Purr."

"The steps are finished, time to rinse, and then wipe me dry."

"Okay."

Karen walked out after his bath, wearing a new bathrobe belonging to Santos, while his original divine robe hung in the bathroom with its self-cleaning embedded array activated.

As he walked downstairs, he heard people talking below.

It was the couple living next door to Aisli, who had come over to deliver some pastries they made today. In truth, it was because they had previously caught a glimpse from their second-floor French window of Aisli bringing a man back.

During their exchange, they learned that Aisli's parents were working overtime in the laboratory tonight, yet the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed from the stairwell.

Prying into the private lives of others had always been an unavoidable source of pleasure in human nature, so the couple subconsciously raised their heads to size up the boyfriend brought home by their neighbor and colleague's daughter.

First to enter their sight were slippers and a bathrobe...

The husband and wife immediately exchanged glances; he had taken a bath right after returning!

When Karen's face came into their line of sight, the couple was instantly stunned—no, they trembled with fear, immediately offering their salutations:

"Greetings, Lord District Chief."

"Greetings, Lord District Chief."

"Mm."

Karen came to the dining room and sat down, saying nothing.

"Aisli, remember to eat the pastries."

"Yes, we will head back first."

The couple left immediately. Some private matters could be pried into to satisfy one's curiosity, while others were best left unknown.

Karen picked up the ice water placed on the table, took a sip, and asked, "Will this bring you trouble?"

Aisli smiled. "Are you referring to the scandal that might spread from bringing my superior home? I don't think it's any trouble. Perhaps the approval of my parents' laboratory projects will be even faster, and other laboratories might not dare to compete with them."

"Heh."

Earlier on, Aisli had indeed felt a spark for Karen. Back when they were on missions, she and Blanche shared a room, and the two young girls had endless topics to discuss about Karen at night.

But that was limited to a pure sort of liking, without any other thoughts.

Aisli brought up the late-night snack she had prepared. After working for a long time, she had made bacon sandwiches, beef sandwiches, and chicken cutlet sandwiches.

"Please have a little," Aisli said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's very sumptuous, thank you for your hard work."

Karen picked up a sandwich and began to eat.

Watching Karen dine, Aisli breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, while simultaneously regretting why she had repeatedly felt repulsed and refused when her mother offered to teach her cooking in the past.

If she had learned well back then, she would certainly be able to make a sumptuous Wien meal now.

Huh, wait, it seemed the District Chief detested Wien cuisine, so it was truly fortunate she hadn't learned...

Little Kanna came down with Purr balanced on her head. Purr leapt onto the dining table, looked at the array of sandwiches, and frowned.

Aisley could only offer another apologetic smile. "I am truly sorry."

Little Conna picked up a sandwich and proffered it to Purr. "Refusing food prepared by others without compensation is behavior that violates the code of an aristocratic lady."

Karen reminded her, "Aristocracy implies unequal status."

"Oh... is that so?" Little Conna asked, somewhat bewildered. "I thought 'aristocratic lady' was a single, inseparable phrase."

"Just 'lady' will do. Our little Conna is a polite, good child."

"Okay."

Little Conna picked up a sandwich, then drew a small box from her pocket, opened it, extracted a pill, wedged it between the slices of bread, and popped it into her mouth.

The little bone dragon had now formed a habit: no matter what food she encountered, she always wanted to try the sensation of sandwiching a pill inside it.

"I want to eat fish," Purr said. "Fish with pickled cabbage, poached spicy fish, Squirrel Mandarin Fish..."

Karen asked, "Are you nervous?"

"In truth, I do not harbor much hope for success right now, for I fear I cannot bear the crushing weight of failure."

"Even if it fails, it is no great matter. It will not stop me from making fish for you in the future."

"Quite right, meow."

Purr cheered up at once and lowered her head to eat the sandwich, not forgetting to comment as she chewed, "My dear Aisley, to manage to make a sandwich taste this terrible is truly no easy feat."

Aisley blushed.

After finishing their late-night snack, Karen led Purr and Little Conna back to the laboratory, where Selena and the Santos couple were already prepared.

"We may begin, Regional Director."

"Rest assured, the operation will undoubtedly succeed."

"Then, I must trouble you both."

"Thank you for your hard work, meow."

Karen and Purr each lay down upon their respective platforms.

The underlying principle of the procedure was not, in fact, complicated; it merely relied upon their symbiotic bond to install a sluice gate between Karen and Purr, allowing Purr to share and retain a portion of Karen's power for a period of time.

Yet principle and practical execution were often two entirely different concepts, and the actual difficulty coefficient of such an operation was exceedingly high.

Most of the Santos couple's operational experience stemmed from altering restrictions and contracts within magical beasts; this time, Karen was truly employing veterinarians to perform surgery upon himself.

Only, this surgery had nothing to do with the physical body.

The procedure began.

A gentle light spilled down, and all Karen needed to do now was to strive to suppress his instincts and refrain from resisting it.

At last, after an indeterminable passage of time, Karen finally felt a tinge of drowsiness and closed his eyes.

Like a dream, Karen felt an infinitesimally small force brushing against him, as though someone were lightly teasing him with a feather.

He opened his eyes to find a dark pool before him, alongside the swaying silhouette of a scythe.

Karen immediately shook his head, and the image before him twisted and dissolved; some dreams, when dreamt too often, formed a sort of habitual memory, for even though the mark of the Scythe of War was no longer upon him, he had nearly entered that same dreamscape again at this crucial moment.

Having dispelled the image, a new scene began to coalesce, and Karen saw a land covered in flames, as though a nearby volcano had just finished erupting, the fissures in the earth overflowing with flowing magma.

Karen walked forward, and before he had gone far, he saw a villa standing ahead—no, it was floating, drifting upon a river of lava.

This villa was deeply familiar to Karen; it was his home, the standalone villa at No. 13 Mink Street that belonged to the Inmerles family.

For a very long time, including the present moment, this villa remained the most fitting vessel within the depths of Karen's heart for the concept of "home."

Here, he had been granted the true warmth of family.

At the same time, this house was also the home within Purr's spiritual consciousness.

The time she had spent living at the Allen Manor was nowhere near as long as the time she had spent here.

A yellow curtain of light connected the magma and the villa, a golden glow emanating from the Laxis copper coin Karen carried with him, the coin's power being a fundamental link in the operation.

Loya would personally bless and protect this procedure for Karen.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, he stepped into the yard, and before walking toward the front door of the foyer, Karen paused and lifted his gaze.

Sure enough, upon the third-floor floor-to-ceiling windowsill lay a black cat.

The black cat was gazing at the world outside the window, a habit it had preserved for the past century.

Karen pushed open the door, entered the house, climbed the stairs, and reached the third floor.

The third floor comprised his grandfather's bedroom and study, as well as the bedroom he shared with his cousin Lunt.

As he passed the door to his grandfather's bedroom, Karen deliberately caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye.

Ultimately, Karen walked over to the windowsill, where Purr was still staring intently outside, her eyes unblinking.

From this vantage point, one could see not only the churning magma but also all manner of ferocious magical beasts and exotic demons; in the sky, pirate ships sailed, and a woman dressed in the robes of a temple elder was screaming at the top of her lungs.

This house severed Purr's life into two.

Here, she was a black cat, while outside lay the tumultuous and magnificent life she had once led as the family's most brilliant genius.

Venturing out to sea for exploration had not been the rebellion of an aristocratic lady born of too much comfort; it was a genuine quest into one perilous secret realm after another to seek the true meaning of the world.

In that era, Purr had stood upon sea beasts and sailed across the boundless infinite; though the family's system of faith constrained her, she had nonetheless lived out her own spectacular brilliance.

She was an utterly exceptional being, and because of her uniqueness, the Evil God permitted her to ride upon his back, the little bone dragon willingly obeyed "Sister's words," and even Dis, before falling into his deep slumber, had specifically instructed Karen to take good care of Purr.

It was undeniable that some people were simply born blessed by fate.

Wherever she went, she would receive affection; even if she merely sat there, swinging her legs, sipping coffee, and watching such a scene, it would make people feel that it was an enjoyment, that it was exactly as it should be.

Outside the window, the earth split open, and a colossal finger of light slowly emerged, its power seemingly sufficient to tear through this canopy of sky.

The true turning point of Purr's life was precisely this finger.

Purr said softly, "Little Karen, I am afraid of turning back into a human, I am afraid of truly stepping out."

Karen smiled.

He did not offer words of comfort like: Do not fear, I will protect you.

Instead, he let out a sigh and said:

"Then let us forget it. I shall wake up and tell Santos and the others to end the operation."

Purr turned her head to look at Karen, her feline eyes wide and round, her cheeks puffing out.

Evidently, she was very angry.

Karen leaned down to look at her, the faces of man and cat nearly pressed together, Purr's whiskers already brushing against Karen's face, conveying a tickling sensation.

"What do you say?"

Purr said testily, "When you ask Eunice to change into stockings, it is all 'Will you be too tired?' 'There is no need to change again,' 'This is fine,' 'I am very satisfied.' Back then, your mouth was so sweet, it was as if your lips were smeared with honey."

"You were eavesdropping again."

"I stopped listening long ago, I grew tired of it. No one would believe it if it were told—the Regional Director of the Church of Order actually possesses such a kink."

"Such a kink is perfectly normal."

Purr extended her fleshy paw, gently teasing Karen's chin, and deliberately lowering her voice, said:

"Is it not quite normal for the God of Order to possess such quirks?"

Karen warned her: "Be careful. If you accidentally lure out that thing in the depths of my soul, it will eat you."

Purr stood up, leaping from the windowsill onto Karen. Karen reached out to catch her, and she smoothly climbed up to sit firmly upon his shoulder.

"An excellent sailor never fears the challenge of unknown winds and waves, let alone this familiar sea where I once galloped!"

Purr raised her fleshy paw, cheering herself on.

Karen smiled faintly and began to walk back, descending the stairs, passing through the foyer, and arriving at the courtyard gate.

"Time to go out."

"Yes, time to go out, meow."

Karen pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped outside.

The Purr upon his shoulder suddenly fell into agony and distress; her soul was trembling.

Compared to Karen’s soul, which had undergone countless rounds of intense tempering from his struggle with the hunger addiction, the pain Purr had to endure now was clearly far greater.

Loya's voice rang out at this moment:

"You need to pray."

"Pray?" Purr asked in confusion.

"Through prayer, you can obtain Brother Karen's power."

Purr suddenly understood something and sneered, asking: "You are trying to disgust me on purpose, aren't you?"

"This is a part of the surgery. Only through this method can your problem be resolved more easily. Besides, if you want to gain power, you cannot expect to pay nothing at all."

"Then why don't you just directly alter our contract format? I imagine that with the wisdom and methods of you artifact spirits, altering a symbiotic contract—something seemingly impossible—is also within your capabilities, is it not?" Purr countered.

"Because the surgery does not need to be that complicated."

"Because you are afraid a certain someone won't agree."

"Say whatever you want. I do not feel you are qualified to sit upon Brother Karen's shoulder. As an artifact spirit, I am more qualified than you to forge a contract with Brother Karen!"

"Can the God of Laxis even compare to a single finger of the God of Light?"

"You..."

"It seems you do not truly understand your Brother Karen. As a friendly reminder, he dislikes it when others carry themselves with a mercenary attitude, relying on their status in front of him."

"Thank you for the reminder."

"And thank you for your efforts and contributions toward my surgery. Furthermore, prayer, is it? Oh, little sister, just how old are you? This elder sister may never have been in love, but did you think I have never been out in the world?"

Purr's gaze grew clear. At this moment, sitting upon Karen's shoulder, she spoke:

"Oh, now, please grant this kitty your power, our dear Little Brother Karen..."

The moment her words fell, a rich, spiritual energy surged toward Purr like a warm spring.

...

Inside the laboratory, Karen opened his eyes and sat up. Outside the window, the first light of dawn had already appeared; the surgery had actually lasted until morning.

He walked over to the platform where Purr lay. At this moment, Purr's body was shrouded in a mass of black light.

Little Kanna's coffee had already been brewed and was being poured into a cup.

Philomena held a set of black dress in her hands, which, like the coffee, had been requested by Karen in advance.

The black light began to diffuse. Within the darkness, the silhouette of a woman gradually took shape; the fur originally on the cat's body transformed into a black dress, and even the hood upon her head appeared along with it.

Little Kanna suddenly realized: "So Sister Purr was wearing clothes all along."

The black light dissipated entirely, and the woman's figure was fully revealed—playful, charming, noble, and elegant. She was not of an extreme, absolute beauty, but the combination of her temperament and appearance gave off an exceptionally comfortable feeling.

Purr Allen opened her eyes, and after sitting up, she first stretched herself.

"Sister, have some coffee."

Little Kanna handed the coffee cup into Karen's hand.

Karen then passed the coffee cup to Purr.

Purr Allen took the coffee cup, lowered her head to sniff it, and took a shallow sip. She did not raise her head, but she seemed able to perceive that the young man standing beside her was experiencing a slight discomfort facing her current self—perhaps even accompanied by a touch of helplessness, though he certainly concealed it with great propriety.

Karen did indeed feel somewhat unaccustomed. The pet he had raised himself had truly turned into a human before his eyes. Previously, he could stroke her fur and feel that delicate texture; now, where could his hand possibly go?

Purr Allen turned her face and looked up. She looked at Karen, and Karen looked back at her; the atmosphere between the two of them even grew slightly stagnant.

Finally,

She smiled first and said:

"I want to eat fish, meow."