Chapter 754: Stealing Questions

Chapter 754: Stealing the Questions

As the carriage rolled along, Karen leaned back against the seat, holding a document in his hand—not reading it, but merely holding it.

The bright sunshine outside only served to make one feel irritable; when you are sleep-deprived, your entire perspective of the world alters.

There was no helping it; as a regional director whose timezone was completely inverted from that of the Dingle Region, he had to accustom himself to this rhythm.

Little Conna held three copies of The Light of Order, deeply engrossed in her reading;

one was the Maclay version, one was the Lamodin version (used for the Church's longer historical records), and one was the Dragon language version.

Raising a child, teaching her basic etiquette and to bathe before going to bed, was merely the baseline; cultural education was the true priority, and the most mentally exhausting.

Even though she was only accompanying Karen out for a meeting, Purr had still assigned Conna homework that she absolutely had to complete.

Watching little Conna holding a pen in her left hand and clenching her right fist, her brow furrowed in a strenuous effort to read, Karen could never quite suppress a smile.

In truth, she didn't need to come; normally, when traveling for a meeting, bringing Richard to handle procedures and Filomena for security and errands would suffice, but this time it was a grand assembly of the Whip of Order system, and the Whiplash himself would attend.

For occasions where the Whiplash would appear, it was better to bring his little bone dragon along; Andilao had specifically reminded him of this last time.

St. Rosen's Cathedral came into view, the security personnel uniformly dressed in the divine robes of the Whip of Order.

Richard handed over Karen's credentials, and the guard saluted Karen before letting them pass.

Stepping down from the carriage, his boots struck the paving stones of the cathedral square, and a profound sense of historical solemnity rushed over him.

At this time, there were quite a few people in the square; those qualified to attend this assembly had to be at least regional directors, along with heads of expansion spaces or internal departments of the system, and counting each person's entourage, hundreds had already gathered.

They mostly clustered in small circles, chatting and laughing; in such moments, being unsociable would seem terribly awkward, like a child left isolated with no one to play with.

However, Karen's "loneliness" did not last long; soon, people began approaching him of their own accord, some of whom he had "met" before in communication array conferences, and after exchanging greetings, they warmly led Karen to meet others, a scene Karen handled with ease, concealing his sharp edges and striving to appear gentle and humble, carrying himself as a junior even when facing equals.

Gradually, the crowd gathered around Karen became the largest; youth could sometimes be a limitation, making it difficult to climb over this threshold, but if you were still young after climbing over it, it meant your future was boundless.

Therefore, few would refuse to associate with Karen; even if they didn't deliberately try to curry favor, at least no one was foolish enough to intentionally disparage him or create friction.

After all, by the time you had long retired, he would still be in a high position.

After a while, the carriages of the true heavyweights within the system began to arrive, and everyone stopped chatting in groups, saluting collectively as each dignitary stepped down, though the Whiplash's carriage had yet to appear when the cathedral bells rang to signal the start of the meeting.

The attendants all remained outside, and Karen walked into the cathedral with the others; the interior space was vast, resembling a grand theater, with position nameplates placed on every seat.

Karen's seat was in the middle section, which had the disadvantage of not being near the front, but the advantage that a wide aisle lay directly before him, offering an excellent field of vision while making it easy to be seen from above and around.

Sitting down, he exchanged brief nods with the two regional director colleagues beside him, then picked up the meeting outline placed on his seat and began to flip through it.

There were three themes for this meeting, the first being a summary of past achievements and a look toward the future, which was in the nature of an annual meeting; indeed, today's gathering was essentially the internal annual meeting of the Whip of Order system.

The second theme was the deepening of the Whip of Order's reform, revitalizing its functions to provide greater impetus for the development of the Church of Order.

This point was actually an extension of something from long ago, tracing back to the reactivation of the Whip of Order's grassroots structure, back when Karenio and Bernie Harry were still in their honeymoon phase.

But the situation varied from region to region; some regions had revitalized the Whip of Order's work quite well, such as the York City Region, while others remained mere empty shells, so this theme still required expansion and divergence.

The third theme was more concrete, involving the church mobilization mechanism reform recently promulgated by the Holy See, and the role the Whip of Order could play in the desert warfare.

The intelligence network of the Whip of Order had already been laid out into the desert, but this meeting was clearly about more than that; it involved the "militia regiments."

The Grand Priest wished to use the desert battlefield to train troops, so the heads of the various systems below naturally had to organize responses and implementation, as it was impossible to let the Grand Priest play a solo hand.

Upon seeing the third theme, Karen instinctively touched the tip of his nose.

While things here were still taking the form of documents and undergoing internal system discussions, over on his side, Neo had already trained and integrated a thousand-man militia regiment, ready to march at a moment's notice.

Furthermore, the rosters for the second and third batches, intended for rotation and replenishment, were already prepared, and their training had gradually begun.

Karen had risen through military merit; in the eyes of the outside world, the heads of the outstanding youths from various major churches that Karen had hunted in the desert had paved his path to becoming a regional director.

Consequently, Karen's exemplary effect was highly pronounced in the York City Region; after news of the militia regiment's formation and training leaked out, enthusiasm for registration across various departments within the region was immense, with an overwhelming number of people pulling strings.

Those who felt capable volunteered themselves, while those who felt they were too old or held special positions making it inappropriate requested that their nephews or sons go instead.

The Church of Order had always presented a rigorous, rigid, and cold image, but in truth, a never-erased warlike gene was hidden deep within its bones.

Their Main God had slaughtered deities and dominated the divine realm in the past, and today they were the greatest church in the world; even if they died, they would seal themselves away to await future battlefields.

Yet no matter how good the genes, they required a matching degree of organization; in the York City Region, because of Burne's intentional delegation of power, the new department spearheaded by Karen had grasped nearly all the functions of the original Whip of Order and the regional management office, unlike other regions that still suffered from mutual bickering and internal friction.

The number two and number three figures of the Whip of Order presided over the beginning of the meeting, which proceeded with high efficiency and moved through the themes swiftly, fully echoing the efficient administrative model advocated by the Whiplash.

Of course, another very important reason was that lunch was not provided.

Not only was there no food, but there was not even tea; if you wanted to drag the assembly out, letting all the leaders of the system go up one by one to indulge their eloquence, you would have to endure the immense resentment of the "feudal lords" of the vast regions and departments below.

As the meeting entered the third theme, the Whiplash arrived.

He walked onto the stage, and all the heavyweights on stage stood up, while everyone below also rose collectively.

"Greetings, Whiplash."

"Greetings, Whiplash."

Foden nodded and explained, "I was pulled away for a brief, impromptu meeting and arrived late. My apologies to everyone."

With Foden's current grasp over the Whip of Order, he had no need to deliberately enter mid-meeting to emphasize his presence, and the only person who could pull him into an impromptu meeting was that one individual.

After Foden sat down, the number two and number three figures leaned over of their own accord to quietly brief him on the progress, and after listening, Foden nodded and raised his hand, gesturing for the meeting to continue.

Next was the elaboration of the third meeting theme, primarily assigning objective tasks and formally announcing that the Whip of Order in all major regions would initiate the "militia regiment model," heading to the desert to support the battlefield while simultaneously training their units.

The two regional directors sitting beside Karen sighed, one smiling bitterly and lamenting, "We're going to be busy next."

The other sighed and said, "This matter won't be easy to manage."

Then, they both looked toward Karen, as if waiting for him to join in.

Karen could only nod in conformity, "Indeed."

Foden sat in the main seat, his hand pressed against his forehead; he had just been pulled aside along with the heads of several other systems to be reprimanded by the Grand Priest.

The reason was that the warfare in the desert was progressing more smoothly than anticipated; the desert rebels were determined to wage guerrilla and attrition warfare, avoiding direct confrontation with the Order Knights, and those two Order Knights regiments active in the desert had quickly fallen into a state of having "nothing to do" after completing their initial battlefield objectives.

It was impossible to deploy the precious Knights for security and search operations—that would be using cannons to kill mosquitoes; moreover, it brought only harm rather than benefit to the Knights' combat effectiveness, as fighting such asymmetrical security wars, no matter how many, could hardly count as gaining "rich war experience."

Yet the subsequent training units that the Church should have dispatched suffered a gap; the front had run too fast, and the rear had not yet entered the track, causing a disconnection.

In truth, no one was at fault; Foden knew very well that the operational efficiency of the Church of Order was absolutely among the highest in religious circles, but large-scale operations under this system were truly difficult to fully prepare all at once.

Next, the task of each system's leader was to seize the time, squeeze out personnel, assemble various militia regiments, and deploy them into the desert battlefield.

At this moment, Foden's current first secretary, Miguel, placed the Whiplash's meeting documents before him.

Foden flipped through them casually and found several regional work documents underneath, one of which caught his attention because it bore the signature of the York City Region.

Upon opening it, the Whiplash initially thought it was a proposal, silently reflecting that this young man's mind truly worked fast, knowing not only how to read the wind but also possessing the capability to act.

But as he read on, he realized something was amiss; this was no proposal, but clearly a project implementation progress report.

Personnel allocation, equipment allocation, supply allocation... the completion rate had reached one hundred percent across the board.

Furthermore, as if turning in the exam early with a perfect score wasn't enough, he had even answered the extra credit questions and submitted them together, because even the subsequent second and third rotation batches were already planned and largely implemented.

Foden raised his hand and gestured with his finger.

Miguel immediately bent down and leaned close.

"Did you take points coupons from him?"

At this precise moment and in this exact position, placing that proposal directly in front of him was undoubtedly deliberate.

Miguel immediately explained, "It is a departmental document forwarded by Minister Andy Lau yesterday. You went to meet with the High Priest first thing this morning, so there was no time to present it to you."

In truth, it was entirely Miguel's own doing; Cullen's proposal had been submitted three days ago, only to be intercepted by the Department of Discipline Inspection and held for two days before being transferred back to them last night.

The sole purpose was to ensure that the value of this proposal would be maximized in the eyes of the Whipper.

Once the proposal reached Miguel, he used his position to hold it for another half-day, intentionally waiting until the meeting was underway to present it.

He was deliberately doing someone a favor, but he would never willingly invite suspicion from the Whipper for doing so.

Foden gave a dry chuckle and continued, "That academic faction, always so full of little schemes."

Then, Foden frowned slightly: "Why did Cullen get mixed up with them?"

Miguel chimed in immediately, "Perhaps he was too lonely, before he received your audience."

"Heh." Foden rubbed his fingers across the cover of the proposal a few times and said, "Miguel."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Keep a closer eye on him for me; he is someone who knows how to get things done."

"Your subordinate understands. Your judgment of character has always been unerring."

Foden tapped the table, and the number-two official, who was currently speaking, stopped instantly to look at the Whipper.

"Ask about the specific state of preparation, ask about the batches, and cut down on the polite nonsense."

"Yes, Whipper."

Very quickly, the various district heads sitting below perceived the shift in tone from above; from the initial setting of tasks and goals, it had turned into a far more specific implementation plan, even actively demanding that the "feudal lords" seated below speak up.

For a moment, the officials below looked at one another in mutual surprise; the test paper had just been handed out, and they were already expected to submit their answers?

However, Cullen was clearly not the only one who had "stolen the exam questions" in advance; in truth, the general direction of today's meeting theme had long ceased to be a secret.

And those who could steal the questions while also possessing the capability to answer them in advance did exist.

For instance, Scarlett, the Whipper District Head of the Dingle Grand District, her bright orange hair pinned up in a manner that gave off an air of efficiency, took the initiative to speak, beginning an introduction on the preparatory work of her district's militia regiment.

Yet the Dingle Grand District was, after all, the capital district of the Church of Order; though people would usually mock its district head as having the least presence, it was not surprising at all that she could sense the wind and begin her homework ahead of time.

It could be said that even if a pig were placed in her position, that pig's political intuition would absolutely never be slow.

Following her, a few more who had done their homework spoke, recounting their preparatory circumstances.

Then came a few unprepared visionaries... who had done absolutely no actual work, yet that did not hinder them from talking smoothly and at great length.

From beginning to end, Cullen did not raise his hand, nor did he intentionally make any expression of disdain; he merely sat there with total composure.

His proposal had already been submitted in advance, so there was no need to show off here; as long as the higher-ups knew he did his work well, that was enough, and there was no need to jump out and act as the "model child" to breed resentment among peers.

In the past, his arrogance and domineering nature were because he had no choice; now, he wished to be a humble and good man.

Standing behind the Whipper, Miguel watched one district head after another finish speaking, yet Cullen never raised his hand, which left him slightly puzzled, though he soon came to an understanding.

This young man, younger even than himself, how could he remain so remarkably patient?

Foden listened for a while, but eventually, his gaze began to drift toward Cullen intentionally or unintentionally; though Cullen sat in the middle, it was the first row behind the aisle, making him very easy to spot from above.

Into a crowd of men old enough to be uncles and grandfathers sat a single youth, and a remarkably good-looking one at that, making it hard not to notice him.

"This kid..."

Foden licked his lips, nudged the proposal in front of him toward the number-two official at his side, and tapped the cover twice.

After scanning it, the number-two official immediately called out by name:

"Next, we will hear the statement from the District Head of the York City Grand District."

"Swish!"

In an instant, the gaze of the entire hall began to search and then converged upon Cullen.

Although those sitting below could not and dared not use spiritual detection to eavesdrop on the conversations of the big bosses on the stage, the actions of the big bosses up there were seen with absolute clarity by those below.

The Whipper’s movement, the number-two official’s movement, followed immediately by the direct naming, combined with the memory of the Whipper summoning Cullen for a private audience not long ago, made it difficult for anyone not to feel that everything in today's meeting had been preordained.

Cullen had not anticipated being called upon to speak either; there was no way around it now, as the proposal had already been submitted, and rising to offer mere platitudes and pleasantries would instead look like a deliberate slight to the leadership above.

The nuances of worldly wisdom could only be used in private, because in a formal professional setting, they could not bear the light of day.

Cullen stood up, and a staff member of the meeting hall brought a microphone before him; Cullen accepted it and spoke:

"The York City Grand District militia regiment has completed its assembly, training, and reorganization, and is ready to enter the desert battlefield immediately."

...

The meeting concluded and the crowd dispersed; although everyone was ravenously hungry by now, they still lingered in the plaza for final pleasantries, and the experienced ones had long instructed their attendants to bring their own food and water, which they began to share, making the group of district heads look as though they were enjoying a spring picnic.

Richard was even more professional; he ran over to the carriage and had little Conna, who had been doing her homework inside the carriage all along, carry over a large crate wrapped in a quilt, which when opened, revealed thermos flasks inside, which little Conna took out and opened one by one, offering everything from main dishes to soups and desserts in a complete, seamless service.

Not only that, Richard immediately began distributing the food; those who were closer, or who had direct professional dealings with Cullen, were invited to eat together, while those who were more distant and possessed less investment value were actively offered a pastry.

This was not snobbery; sometimes, one simply had to draw lines and differentiate treatment, because pure equality in treatment often meant... having no friends at all.

Scarlett, the District Head of the Dingle Grand District, walked over on her own initiative, appearing as though she wanted to speak with Cullen, but just as she began, the others around them stood up and made way, for Miguel, the Whipper's secretary, was walking toward them.

His official rank could be considered the lowest present, yet everyone treated him with the utmost respect.

Miguel bent down slightly, looked at the dishes, and smiled, "District Head Cullen, you have prepared quite a sumptuous spread."

"Yes, indeed."

"I was also quite startled just now."

"Haha, this is the first time since the meetings began that I have seen something so magnificent."

A single remark from the secretary drew a chorus of agreement and flattery from the surrounding district heads.

Cullen replied, "In the past, when I was handling security duties in the district, I was terrified of being starved while the targets of protection held their meetings, so this became a habit."

"Oh, so that is how it is. Please come with me."

"Very well, I understand."

Miguel turned and walked outward, and Cullen followed him to the side of a carriage.

Miguel opened the carriage door and made a gesture of invitation to Cullen.

Cullen stepped into the carriage, and Miguel closed the door.

After about half an hour, Miguel opened the carriage door, and Cullen stepped down.

Miguel smiled, "District Head Cullen, if I remember correctly, you still owe me a meal?"

Cullen replied, "No, it is two meals."

"Heh, very well, it is on the books. When I come to collect the debt, you had better be prepared."

"When a friend comes to dine, what need is there for preparation in advance?"

"Mm, I like that phrase."

Miguel opened the door, stepped into the carriage, and before long, the carriage drove away.

Cullen returned to the previous dining area; the scene, which had been bustling earlier, now appeared slightly quiet, and the looks the surrounding district heads cast toward Cullen clearly bore a layer of special meaning.

"Everyone, I still have matters to attend to in my district, so I shall take my leave first."

"Very well, if duty calls, do not let us keep you."

"Director Karen, until we meet next time."

"Official business comes first, we understand."

After bidding farewell to the crowd, Karen stepped into his carriage.

The moment they boarded, Richard inquired with burning curiosity, "Karen, what did the Whip-Wielder speak with you about in private this time?"

"The Whip-Wielder departed long ago; his secretary merely remained behind according to protocol to oversee the conclusion of the meeting."

"Then, inside the carriage..."

"There was no one inside the carriage. I simply took a afternoon nap within."