Chapter 756: Order, I'm Coming Back Soon!

Chapter 756 Order, I am returning soon!

Madam Tangli heard this, showing neither excitement nor surprise. Her reaction was quite placid, offering only a simple, murmured response:

"Oh."

Immediately following, the original anger and depression within her heart seemed to scatter in a sudden instant, leaving a touch of desolation. She bypassed Puer and walked toward the castle.

To Tangli, Diss had once been a beacon in her life, a memory of her youth, so she would only share it with those close to her—like her husband, Delon, or her grandson, Karen. She would not lose her self-control to curiosity and joy just because Puer mentioned something about Diss, even if it concerned her.

She was no longer a young girl. Though she still retained the right to dream, she did not do so in daylight.

Puer watched Tangli’s retreating figure and sighed. She really harbored no ill intentions; all told, this was only the third time she had shifted back into human form.

The first time was accompanying Karen to the zoo after the surgery; the second time was showing off before the stupid dog until it ended; and this third time was right now.

Having changed back into a human, she always wanted to do human things.

It was not easy to encounter someone from the past era. She truly wanted everyone to sit together for a good chat, so she could pour out some of her private collection of stories—and if there were none, it did not matter, she could invent them on the spot.

But now she suddenly realized one thing: the era that once belonged to her had long since drifted away. The Aceros that once carried her was already buried at the bottom of the sea; the one who brought her back to Wien last time was its descendant, and that Bernard had even been burned to ash and scattered by Karen.

Closer to the present, in Diss's era, Diss was asleep, Rasma had imprisoned himself as a warden, Theisen was dead, and that once quick-tempered young girl now had grandchildren about to marry and establish families.

At this moment, Puer suddenly understood Tangli’s earlier abrupt desolation, because she too felt desolate now.

Even after changing back into a human, what did it matter?

The years I once knew, once lived in, and once reminisced about had long been sealed by time. Even if I turn into a human now, I find myself living with great exhaustion; no matter how hard I try to act, I still cannot perform with enough of a sense of belonging.

It would be better to just remain a cat, sitting upon Karen's shoulder.

Kevin sensed the shift in Puer's emotions and swept Puer's hand with his tail.

Puer took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and kept her chin resting on the dog's head, silent.

Kevin manipulated the reins with his dog paws, signaling the horse to move forward.

As a veteran among veteran dogs, Kevin knew very well that consolation was useless at this time. It required time—not for time to smooth you over, but for you to become accustomed within time.

Neo paused where he stood, hands in his pockets. He was in no hurry to follow Madam Tangli to look for Karen, but turned instead to find Count Recar first. Before setting off, the two "great thieves" always had to exchange experiences once more.

In the study, Delon had finally waited for the pillar of the household.

He personally opened the study door for his wife. Watching her walk in, he even hesitated whether to step out and avoid the room, but on second thought, there seemed to be no necessity for him to avoid it.

After Madam Tangli sat down opposite Karen’s desk, Delon stood at her side, head slightly lowered. He stood while she sat; he was taller than her—yes, displaying their domestic hierarchy.

"Grandmother, a batch of fresh fruit just arrived here, the kind not easily obtained normally. Please try some later, and bring some back for the family."

Karen spoke the opening words, considering himself prepared to welcome the storm.

After Karen sat down, Madam Tangli spoke:

"Director Karen..."

Having just sat down, Karen could only rise with a bitter smile.

Madam Tangli did not continue her sarcasm, but drew a roll of documents from her sleeve and placed it before Karen: "This is the application form, this is the approval document, and this is the notice of non-acceptance."

Karen flipped through these files, which contained a series of names: Richard, Kaixi, Eisen, Duck...

The formation and recruitment of the militia corps was directed toward the entire district. Because the reserve of personnel was sufficient, it first followed the principle of voluntary application. Those wishing to join the militia corps not only had to write the application themselves, but also needed the approval and signature of the chief of their own department. After all, some people's posts were relatively important and special, and the formation of the militia corps should ideally not affect the operation of the district's normal work.

After this set of procedures was completed, the person in charge of the militia corps would make the selection. This selection was bound to pick the best.

The Guman line, except for the old gentleman Delon, had all filled out the application forms and had all received the approval of their chiefs. And then... the entire Guman family was rejected.

Richard was now the office director; currently, he could play a role even within Karen's core squad, yet he was rejected.

Uncle Eisen, Aunt Kaixi, and Aunt Lucie were all array-system adjudicators. Their solo combat ability was poor, but within the array portion of the corps, their level was absolutely the pinnacle among pinnacles. The array masters currently in the corps probably truly had no one of higher level than them.

After all, the higher the position and level of an array master, the less their personal willingness to enter a corps would be, and their chiefs would also be reluctant to let them go. Uncle and the others had it convenient, as their chief was Grandfather, so the slips were naturally easy to approve.

Even that uncle-in-law Duck, who had to burn the lawn with cigarette butts in the flowerbed every time before entering his father-in-law's house... his position and level were enough to serve as a team leader or higher within the corps' close combat or other sections.

Madam Tangli spoke: "This is the reason I am angry, and it is the reason I made your grandfather come here."

Karen reached out and lightly massaged his forehead. He understood.

Originally, Grandmother’s family was very "sensible." Especially after Grandfather and Grandmother both knew his identity, given their character and the Guman family tradition, they would not do something like deliberately seeking benefits from their district director grandson.

According to Grandmother's temper, she would not even agree to her children joining the militia corps to fight in the first place.

But what angered Grandmother even more was that while she had no intention of taking advantage of her grandson, they were clearly treated differently precisely because of his existence.

The nature of the matter became different, and so the anger could not be smoothed over.

"I understand, Grandmother. This matter, I will..."

"You will follow up, you will investigate, you will pay attention?" Madam Tangli pointed at Delon, "And then send me home to wait for your reply? This kind of official jargon and boilerplate, your grandfather has spoken it for most of his life, and I am tired of hearing it."

Karen nodded, spread his hands, and asked:

"Then I will handle it according to your wishes, Grandmother. I will do whatever you want me to do; I will listen to you."

"I want you to arrange for them all to enter..."

Halfway through her sentence, Madam Tangli jammed.

She seemed to wake up with a jolt, looked at her husband, then looked at Karen, and then reached out to knock on her own forehead:

"Oh dear, how could it be like this!"

Delon came up immediately at this time to support his wife's arm, comforting her: "Just do as Karen says. Whatever Karen wants to do, let him do it. Let us not interfere."

"No, it won't do, this, I... Karen, you are not allowed to..."

Madam Tangli wanted to warn Karen not to recruit both Eisen’s and Lucie's families into the militia corps, but at this moment she could not utter these words. Otherwise, what was the purpose of her coming here so aggressively and even having a fight with that bloodthirsty aberrant demon?

"Karen, your grandmother and I will head back first."

"Very well, Grandfather. I will see you out."

"No, no, you have business to attend to, haha, we can return on our own."

Delon supported his wife out. Karen escorted them to the castle gates and watched them get into the carriage.

At this moment, Leon walked over, holding a document in his hand, waiting for Karen to sign.

Karen asked: "Do you know who was responsible for reviewing and approving the application forms for the militia corps?"

Leon replied: "Naturally, it is handled by those responsible for intelligence work. Director Richard performs the first round of screening before submitting them to Muri and the others for final selection."

"Very well, I understand."

After signing the document, Karen returned to the study and sat behind the desk.

Evidently, in this matter, Grandmother had been utilized. Someone understood Grandmother's temper very clearly and had successfully turned this counterforce of hers into a driving force.

This person also had to know the true relationship between himself and Grandmother, so it could not be Richard.

Furthermore, since the preliminary selection was reviewed by Richard, this person was also able to compel Richard to eliminate the entire Guman family...

Karen picked up the receiver and dialed the Guman residence. Grandfather and Grandmother had just left; even if they flew, it was impossible to be home by now.

A moment later, the call was answered, and Mr. Eisen’s voice came from the other side:

"Hello, this is the Guman residence."

"Mr. Eisen, this is Karen."

"Ah, Karen, have your grandparents left?"

Mr. Eisen was alone.

"They just left, Uncle."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I was just afraid your grandmother wouldn't agree."

"You could have spoken to me directly, Uncle."

"By then, it would have been your grandmother forcing you to disagree."

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes, I have. We all have. It's a rare opportunity, and we want to go. Your aunt and I want to go to a place that needs us, to spend some time with the children.

As for Dark, he admires and is grateful to you; he wants to follow you and work under you, and Lucy supports him too.

In short, it’s hard to state the exact purpose. It could even be described as a mid-life crisis, thinking that if we don't do something now, when we're old, we might have nothing left to look back on.

We meet the auditing requirements, right, Karen?"

"Uncle, it seems your condition has truly taken a turn for the better."

"Sigh, it's just that I’m becoming less and less able to beat the children. Formation masters are indeed weak in close combat."

"You can set up the formations in advance."

"I'm considering that, but it can only be implemented later."

"Have you really, truly decided?"

"Yes, Karen, I've decided. You don't need to worry about the casualty rate. We are followers of Order, after all."

"Alright, Uncle, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Karen crossed his hands and propped up his chin.

Just then, Neo pushed open the door and walked in, a cigar clamped between his teeth. The cigar was a special purchase from the Allen Estate supplied to Count Rekar; other families' ancestors could only enjoy offerings, but the Allen family's ancestor could puff away on his own incense.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Neo asked.

"I can guess."

"Good, then I won't waste words. I don't want to be a babysitter."

"You don't have to be a babysitter."

"So those people aren't being accepted?"

"There are many people from the outer districts trying to pull strings, and a lot of favors have reached me. That is why I am staying at the Allen Estate right now. I will stay until you depart the day after tomorrow."

"So we still have to accept them?"

"We have to accept them because their families and factions can be of use to us."

"I don't like this way of doing things."

"I don't like it either, but this is reality, Neo. You understand reality better than I do."

"You can stuff people in, but I can't guarantee the job will be done well."

"The job must be guaranteed to be done well. Alfred has already included the income from your militia regiment into the financial plan for the next quarter."

"So..." Neo blew a smoke ring, "...there is no room for negotiation?"

"There is room for negotiation. We can open up another five hundred to eight hundred slots."

"Heh, that's nearly doubling it."

"Just split it into two parts. You take the existing original force. Those entering through connections from the outer districts will go into the second part. Once you arrive in the desert, the two parts will separate. You take the original force to do what you need to do, while that other part stays put to handle logistics for the Knights. Either way, they're contributing to Order."

"If that's the case, I can accept it."

Karen stood up, stepped out from behind the desk, and approached Neo. "By the way, there's one more thing. When our district's militia regiment sets off, there will be a communication formation for a real-time broadcast. Take care of the formation's arrangement. Try to make the scene look good."

"Isn't it too late to train for that now? Besides, we are going there to be bandits. Have you ever seen a disciplined and orderly group of bandits?"

"The colonial army of the Vien Empire, though they never did anything humane in the colonies, at least looked quite 'civilized.'"

"Heh, meaning I should also go order a red top hat for everyone and make them look like a line of lobsters? Our divine robes are black."

"Lobsters only turn red after they are cooked."

"Fine, I get it. But as for you, if you get bored, you can put on a mask and come find me in the desert for some fun."

"I must stay here. The logistics and supply for each district are handled by their respective districts. If I go, it will only be for one thing: to collect your corpse.

I haven't tried a desert-themed funeral yet. Don't give me the chance to try it."

"Rest assured, you won't. Dying in the desert turns one into a mummy, which isn't my preferred way to go. I'd rather rot in a quagmire."

...

Late at night, York City fell into slumber.

A top two tall buildings, communication formations had already been erected. The main avenue between them had been cleared and bounded by isolation barriers, and a highly disciplined legion was advancing along the street.

Cavalry led the way, followed in turn by shield-bearers, spearmen, archers, and musketeers; then came the spellcasters, formation masters, summoners, priests, and so on...

The composition of the militia regiment completely mirrored that of the Knights of Order, only on a much smaller scale.

Karen stood on the steps of the Administrative Building. Standing beside him was Bern, and behind them on both sides were the heads and bishops of the Whip of Order and the District Management Office.

Bern asked curiously, "How did you get them to be so orderly?"

"Because the mental-type clergymen in the ranks activated the Soul Chain."

This was the method Neo had come up with. Achieving a neat and solemn parade formation in a short time was impossible, so they had to make everyone "in the know." Each person possessed not only their own perspective but also the perspectives of their companions, allowing them to make micro-adjustments as much as possible to create an illusion of uniform steps and perfect alignment.

The only catch was that it utterly exhausted the mental-type clergymen.

"Heh." Bern smiled, looking up at the communication formation broadcasting above. "It has been a long time since my blood pumped like this. The Grand Priest is intentionally reviving the war mechanism of our Church of Order."

Karen replied, "I, on the other hand, feel that the mechanism of our Church of Order was inherently born for war."

"That's true. But don't you find one thing rather strange?"

"Which thing?"

"The portents of the Gods' return are growing more numerous and clearer by the day. Our Lord, the God of Order, will be the first to return, which has also been foretold. The Grand Priest's desperate urgency in conducting mobilization drills actually seems a bit bizarre."

"This is preparation for the coming War of the Gods. What is there to be surprised about?"

Bern shook his head, disagreeing, but he did not speak further.

The legion entered the formation hall in perfect order and began the teleportation.

Karen stood outside, watching Neo, watching Pegasus, watching Fannie, watching faces familiar and unfamiliar to him.

This meeting might very well be the last time they saw each other, yet his heart could not conjure enough reluctance or regret.

People always regret failing to see someone for the last time; but in truth, people have never understood, nor could they ever learn, how to face a final farewell.

...

"Heh heh."

While Lango roasted the meat, he watched the live broadcast of the communication array before him.

“You were the first to take a bounty hunter's head, and you were the first to organize a militia regiment and dispatch them to the battlefield. Terrible ability, terrible mindset, and on top of that, terrible luck.

Why do I feel like you will be the next High Priest of Order?”

Lango decided to write a report to the Janitor later, one detailing how to Win over and build a good relationship with Karen in advance, and the other detailing how to assassinate and eliminate Karen beforehand.

The former was something everyone would do; the future High Priest of the First Divine Religion was a figure every religion was willing to befriend in advance. The current High Priest, Norton, had once served as a diplomatic ambassador and still maintained decent relations with several churches.

The latter was because, if any church happened to have a grudge against the future High Priest of Order, they would truly have to find a way to evade the risk. Assassinations had never been rare.

“Ah, at this old age.”

Holding a steak in his hand, Lango ate as he walked outdoors. After leaving the desert, he had returned to the Valley of Reincarnation. From where he lived now, he could just see the Gate of Reincarnation towering in the distance.

Not many of the desert observation group survived, and he was one of the survivors. Because of this, he faced criticism from other divine religions, and some even went so far as to try to force the Reincarnation Divine Religion to hand him over for investigation. They believed that he—no, that Reincarnation—had completely defected to Order.

Therefore, the Reincarnation Divine Religion could only recall him and keep him here, half under watch and half under house arrest, because even the Reincarnation Divine Religion felt he had defected to Order.

“The world inside the gate is still better. The Divine Religion of Order inside the gate was strangled until only remnants remain, while no one outside the gate dares to openly tear off their mask and provoke the Divine Religion of Order.”

Lango lifted his head and let out another sigh.

Right at that moment,

Suddenly, a terrifyingly loud roar echoed, and the entire Valley of Reincarnation began to tremble at this instant, like an erupting earthquake, causing a large number of ancient houses to collapse.

When many people on the island perceived this tremor, whether ordinary citizens or divine officials, a wave of horror surged from the depths of their hearts, because this made everyone recall the terror created when Rielsa ran out of the Gate of Reincarnation back then.

“Is it inside the gate? Is another powerful entity about to emerge?”

Lango tossed the beef aside, gripped the railing tightly with both hands, and stared in the direction of the Gate of Reincarnation.

The Gate of Reincarnation was slowly opening. When it opened to a fifth of its span, it stopped again.

The Reincarnation divine officials and the legions on the island, including the Reincarnation Temple, all began to react, preparing to confront the terrifying existence that might emerge from within the gate.

However, as a native of the world inside the gate, Lango could clearly see that what appeared through this modest gap was not the scenery of the world inside the gate at all!

Visible within the crevice was a thick, dense blackness, exuding a sense of slaughter and despair.

“This time the Gate of Reincarnation opened, it did not connect to the world inside the gate, but to another... region.”

Lango could only temporarily use the word “region” to describe it, because that stretch of blackness did not seem to be a specific place.

The blackness began to bulge, as if a person inside was using a palm to try and push the blackness aside.

The Gate of Reincarnation was colossal. It was magnificent, spectacular, and the most dazzling miracle. Yet the height and size of this hand made one feel that if a person truly resided within, his height would be nearly equal to that of the Gate of Reincarnation itself.

At this moment, numerous silent forbidden grounds in the Valley of Reincarnation began to grow restless. Ancient spirits and skeletons, which the Reincarnation Divine Religion itself could no longer mobilize or even dared to touch, actually began to emit the aura of souls voluntarily.

Many divine statues of the branches of the Reincarnation Temple within the Valley of Reincarnation released light at this instant, and the divine artifacts preserved within the religion also began to vibrate.

This feeling was like an elderly, critically ill old man who was suddenly provoked by some stimulus and was about to lift his head and stand up.

That hand was still manipulating the blackness, yet the blackness was never pierced through, continuing to shroud the existence within. Finally, the hand ceased its manipulation, and the Gate of Reincarnation began to close once more. The Valley of Reincarnation, which had just grown restless, gradually sank back into the long-maintained silence of this era.

However,

At the very final moment when the Gate of Reincarnation closed, a thick and majestic voice echoed from within, turning into a clap of thunder that reverberated through the entire Valley of Reincarnation, bringing tidings of joy that made the entire Reincarnation Divine Religion incomparably thrilled!

A miracle, a miracle, a miracle!

Even the Reincarnation Divine Religion itself had not expected that after the anomalous movements from the Divine Religion of Order signaled the imminent return of the God of Order, the second to show clear anomalous movements signaling the imminent return of their own main god would actually be themselves!

For the Reincarnation Divine Religion, which was currently heavily depleted after experiencing two consecutive wars, this was simply heavenly good news!

Lango heard it,

What that voice said was:

【Order, I am coming back soon!】