Chapter 757: Keynote

Chapter 757 The Keynote

"Order, I'm coming back soon?"

Karen tossed the internal journal in his hand onto the desk, which was now piled high with confidential documents, originating not only from within the Order Network but also from numerous external churches.

Leveraging the backdrop of the desert conflict, and using Karen's achievement of reaping lives in the desert as a ladder, Foden had successfully secured the intelligence operation concerning the desert from the Holy See.

This was a breakthrough; the Whip-Bearer would certainly not be satisfied with just a single desert, as his ultimate goal was to forge the Whip of Order into a reconnaissance agency targeting the entire ecclesiastical circle.

Restoring the Whip of Order to its absolute peak status within the church was for him merely the first step; what he desired was to transcend it.

In truth, the Whip of Order's external intelligence operations had always been ongoing, though previously conducted in silence; now, the curtain was drawn, allowing them to carry it out openly while mobilizing more resources within the church to serve their own ends.

Consequently, given Karen's current rank and standing within the Whip of Order, he was fully entitled to sit in his office and "enjoy" the intelligence network provided by the entire system.

Karen picked up the ice water before him, took a sip, and asked, "What do you all think?"

At this moment, Alfred, Leon, and Wick were also seated inside the office.

The two young men, Leon and Wick, now looked as though they were being dipped into ink every single day, even the aura they carried growing increasingly cold, deep, and solemn.

Thus, a platform was truly vital to a person's development; upon the right platform, the growth of these two young men resembled hormonal broilers in a chicken farm, maturing at a pace visible to the naked eye.

However, Karen knew full well in his heart that he was actually the same; his present self was already completely different from the self in Rielan and the self that had just arrived in Wien.

Leon spoke first: "According to reports aggregated from various sides, this matter carries high credibility; currently, it appears to be an explicit miracle of the Samsara Religion, foretelling the imminent return of the God of Samsara."

Wick drew a small bottle of essential oil from his pocket, dabbed a bit beneath his nose, took a sniff, and chimed in:

"The authenticity is definitely beyond doubt; given the current state of the Samsara Religion, even if they wished to boost internal morale and strengthen internal cohesion, they wouldn't use this method, because it would invite hostility and isolation from the entire ecclesiastical circle, or even bring about more irreversible consequences.

Our church's recent anomalies were interpreted by the outside world as the return of Our Lord, which indirectly triggered a coalition within the ecclesiastical circle to confront our church in the desert region.

It is only because our church possesses immense power and deep foundations, forcing the other churches to be temporarily unwilling to be the first turtle to stick its head out, that this situation of a tacit proxy confrontation emerged.

Otherwise, a full-scale war might have broken out by now; the other orthodox divine churches would have joined hands to wipe out our church first before Our Lord's descent.

Therefore, the anomaly of Samsara must be genuine."

Karen nodded and said, "The very first thing the Samsara Religion did after the anomaly was to handle it with an all-around low profile, making no active announcements to the outside; furthermore, they immediately dispatched a special envoy to the Dingle District to seek an audience with our church's high-ranking officials."

Leon remarked, "Is this an attempt to huddle together for warmth? Yet I don't see how doing so could hold any meaning."

Alfred shook his head, offering a slight smile: "The meaning is immense; we cannot just view problems from the grand direction, and sometimes we really ought to dig deep into the specific details. For instance, regarding this matter, I believe the Samsara Religion's rapid dispatch of an envoy to find our church might, conversely, not have alliance or huddling together as its primary objective, because that voice resounding above Samsara Valley said: Order, I'm coming back soon.

Even if it were merely to interpret the divine words uttered by their own primary deity, Samsara must seek assistance from our church right now."

Leon asked, "Then Mr. Alfred, how do you think this sentence should be interpreted?"

Alfred replied, "It depends primarily on the punctuation, plus the intonation."

Alfred had once been a radio host and possessed a high sensitivity to sound; he continued:

"For example, it could be like this:

[Order, am I coming back soon?]

It could also be like this:

[Order, I too am coming back soon.]

Or it could even be like this:

[Oh Order, I'm coming back soon, yay!]"

The last rendition made both Leon and Wick instinctively lower their heads, trying to suppress their laughter.

"Hehehe." Karen laughed.

Only then did Leon and Wick stop holding back, letting out their laughter.

Alfred looked toward his young master and said, "Young Master, your subordinate has studied this intelligence specifically, synthesizing detailed clues from many aspects; personally, your subordinate believes the interpretation of this sentence is most likely:

[Oh Order, you can no longer obstruct me, I am coming back soon; in the end, you cannot stop my descent.]"

Karen picked up his water glass once more, took a sip, and said, "I agree with your interpretation."

Wick and Leon exchanged glances, agreement settling in their hearts as well; for nothing else, standing from the perspective of the two of them, this sentence was entirely the God of Samsara shouting at their own district chief.

Alfred spoke up, "Wick, Leon, you two go ahead and attend to your tasks first."

"Very well, Mr. Alfred."

"Yes, it happens there is a small meeting to be held."

Wick and Leon rose and departed from the district chief's office; they felt no grievance at not being able to stay and participate in the discussion, for they recognized that Alfred's status within this group was different from theirs.

Once they had left, Alfred said, "Young Master, based on the clues we grasped in the past, as well as the words spoken by the Spear of Eternity you encountered in the sealed dormitory building of the Order University, we truly have reason to believe now that the absence of gods in this era is directly related to the previous God of Order."

In truth, it was not just these clues; Karen had once heard a voice suspected to belong to the God of War from the depths of the dream pool created by the [Scythe of War], asking Order, can I come back now?

Rielsa had painted the end of the God of Order, resulting in being personally suppressed by the God of Order; yet according to various signs, the early relationship between the God of Order and Rielsa seemed to have been quite good.

And given the God of Order's own character, he seemed unlikely to condescend to the point of striking out in immediate fury just for a single painting; was it merely because such behavior offended his majesty?

Or perhaps, within the scene of the end painted by Rielsa... other clues were presented, clues that could not be made public because they concerned what the God of Order intended to do in the future.

From the end of the previous era to the beginning of this era, the historical records of the major divine churches experienced a period of disruption; thereafter, this era arrived, and the stories of gods became legends, which also indicated that something of extremely profound impact must have occurred at the end of the previous era. As the overlord of that period, how could the God of Order not be involved in this matter?

Thinking further of how the God of Order had banished the Hunger Addiction into the long torrent of time, dropping it onto his own body, it truly gave off a sensation of shedding the last burden from his shoulders to go all out to accomplish something.

Karen and the previous God of Order held no subordinate relationship, but when Karen pondered problems, he would include himself as an anchor point to be factored in.

The prophecy of the "Return of the Gods" had always existed, but it was only after his own awakening that real anomalies appeared and were believed by the divine church circle.

To awaken him, Diss had conducted an over-specified divine descent ritual, drawing down the "Hunger Addiction," and bringing him along in the process.

To allow him to develop, Diss had detonated a fragment of a godhead, blowing up the shrine; that explosion could almost be called the prelude to the "Return of the Gods"—at least, within the perception of the ecclesiastical circle, it was so.

Back then, even Ophelia of Dark Moon Island had spoken to him about this in the elevator, meaning the prophecy began to officially step into reality from that very moment.

"Alfred, I have always had a feeling..."

Alfred quietly waited for his young master to continue, offering no rush.

Karen fell silent for a moment, then resumed, "We used to habitually treat the 'Return of the Gods' as a timeline; we were racing against time, striving to do more and prepare more before that timeline arrived to cope with that elusive era of new rules.

But now, I increasingly feel that this perception is inappropriate..."

Karen paused once more.

Alfred prompted in a low voice, "Young Master, what do you mean?"

Karen pursed his lips, looked at Alfred, pointed a finger at his own face, and asked:

"Is there a possibility that I myself... am the timeline?"

Alfred: "..."

"For some reason, this feeling has grown stronger and stronger recently; do you find it ridiculous?"

"No, not at all; on the contrary, your subordinate feels that your sensation, Young Master, is highly likely to be correct. The God of Order banished the Hunger Addiction into the future, you inherited the Hunger Addiction, and you also embarked on the path of Order; logically speaking, the stronger you become, the more it means the God of Order is weakened...

Therefore, if it truly was the God of Order who blocked time and barred the gods in the previous era, then as his power gradually weakens, it is only natural for the gods to break through the God of Order's blockade and gradually return."

"Alfred, here lies a point of contradiction, and it is also where I cannot figure it out: recently, my power and realm have remained at the Stage of God-Servant for a long time, yet the God of Samsara is already able to display miracles.

Does this indicate that even without my existence, the God of Order's obstruction is in a state of continuous weakening, and he might never have been able to keep it locked down permanently from the start?"

Even Cullen was unwilling to become this "original sin."

After all, if one truly followed this line of reasoning, his own advancement was instead digging at the foundations of Order, breaching its dikes.

Yet Cullen subscribed to the philosophy that the gods should not return; this world should no longer be manipulated by them, and he approved of the rules currently established by the Church of Order.

"Young Master..." Alfred hesitated for a moment, but continued anyway, "This, your subordinate can actually explain. Your realm of cultivation may not have advanced recently, but..."

"But what?"

"Your position, power, influence, and the resources you can mobilize have taken a massive leap forward recently."

Cullen crossed his hands and closed his eyes.

The office fell into a period of silence.

Alfred stood up, walked toward the desk, and said softly, "Young Master, we are not yet certain if our speculation is true. It is highly likely this is just our..."

"It is fine." Cullen opened his eyes and shook his head. "Were you planning to comfort me?"

"Your subordinate felt that you might be distressed by this matter."

"No, I will not be distressed." Cullen reached out, stroking the copy of "The Light of Order" that sat upon almost every Order Inquisitor's desk. "If one can see a bit more of the true essence of things, one can avoid a bit of unnecessary distress."

"Young Master..."

"Rest assured, I am fine. I will not let this conjecture affect the pace of my own progress. Because even if this logic is correct, the path before me is nothing more than two choices.

Either do nothing, leave the Church of Order right now, and go to a place where no one knows me to live the life of an ordinary person, while praying that the previous God of Order’s barrier remains permanent and sturdy, never to be corroded or broken through.

Or, do what must be done, strive to move upward, and even if the moment of the gods' return truly arrives, what of it? Worst comes to worst, I will simply learn from my predecessor and lock them back into cages again."

"Young Master is wise."

Just then, the office door was knocked. Wick opened the door and reported:

"District Chief, an invitation to a telecommunication conference from the Dingge Grand District Headquarters. The clearance level is very high, and it is hosted by the Whip-Bearer."

...

"Let us hold a meeting."

Laid out before the Whip-Bearer were also many documents, basically centered around the miracle at the Valley of Samsara. This was currently the single most important event in the entire ecclesiastical circle, directly involving the circle's political layout.

However, the documents on the Whip-Bearer’s desk were far richer and more detailed than those on Cullen’s, even including observation reports from the Temple of Order.

"Yes, Whip-Bearer."

Miguel knew that the "meeting" the Whip-Bearer spoke of was different from the system's annual meeting held not long ago. This meeting did not look at titles—though, naturally, the titles of those who could participate would not be low within this system—and without exception, they were all the Whip-Bearer's direct confidants.

With the Grand Pontiff's ascension to power, the Whip-Bearer had also officially taken over the Whip of Order. Just as the Grand Pontiff centralized power within the Holy See, the Whip-Bearer had been accelerating his control over the Whip of Order system. Yet, just as the Grand Pontiff needed to reach tacit understandings with other factions to seek support, it was impossible for the Whip-Bearer to replace all the veterans in the Whip of Order. Managing such a vast system was never a matter of such brutish simplicity.

But a true inner circle of confidants did exist—the core backbone who had been the earliest to swear allegiance to the Whip-Bearer and whom the Whip-Bearer had personally promoted. Their existence was the key to the Whip-Bearer firmly grasping the system.

Just like Verden himself; looking upward, he belonged to one of the Grand Pontiff's inner circles. It was because of a group of system heads like him that the Grand Pontiff could control the Holy See.

Now, Verden needed to assemble them to hold an internal analytical discussion first, to solicit their opinions on the matter.

Miguel spoke up to ask, "Whip-Bearer, is it necessary to have Cullen, the District Chief of York City, participate in this meeting?"

The pen in Verden's hand stopped. He was waiting for an explanation and a reason.

Miguel immediately continued, "Because District Chief Cullen once entered the Gate of Samsara to participate in the trials, your subordinate feels that since this concerns the Gate of Samsara, he might have his own thoughts."

"Mm."

The Whip-Bearer gave a grunt of assent, indicating his agreement.

Participating in this meeting could be counted as an attempt to enter the Whip-Bearer's core circle. Though it was only temporary due to special circumstances, if it happened a few more times, the others, including the Whip-Bearer, might just accept it by default.

Miguel turned to arrange the meeting invitation, while in his heart he couldn't help but marvel: How does this Cullen have such a rich background of experiences?

He hadn't thought of the reason just to plead on Cullen's behalf; rather, once he thought of the reason, it naturally connected to Cullen.

Therefore, sometimes, even if those above are willing to promote you and pull strings for you, you must possess real ability yourself. That way, they not only lift you up easily, but they do so quite happily.

Cullen entered the communication formation ahead of time. Once the formation was activated, the surrounding scenery transformed into a round-table conference hall, with a large round table in the center, while Cullen's position was on the outer ring of chairs.

The seating arrangement was determined by the headquarters. Once the participants connected to the communication formation, they would automatically be seated in their designated spots.

The meeting was set to begin in a quarter of an hour. Five minutes after Cullen entered, people began to appear sequentially in the various seats. Some Cullen recognized; during the last grand assembly, they had either sat on the rostrum or in the front rows. Some, Cullen had never seen before.

But these people seemed to be very familiar with one another. Upon "taking their seats," they began to exchange pleasantries and greetings. From time to time, some purposely directed their gazes toward Cullen, though all carried well-meaning and gentle smiles.

After all, apart from Miguel and the Whip-Bearer, no one knew that Cullen had only been brought in provisionally; everyone would only subconsciously assume that Cullen had already been chosen by the Whip-Bearer into their circle.

This circle was far smaller than the Academic Faction, and its influence was inferior to the Academic Faction, but its cohesion and combat effectiveness were absolutely formidable, and it practically represented the will of the entire Whip of Order system.

If one could officially join, then one was truly family. Within this system, almost no one would dare to bully you or trip you up;

The only extra thing required was to spare a prayer for Whip-Bearer Verden while praying to the God of Order each day, because once Verden, the "head of the household," fell, the outcome for everyone would in all probability be direct purging and exile by the next Whip-Bearer.

The Whip-Bearer appeared, and everyone saluted him in unison.

The Whip-Bearer nodded and went straight to the point: "Let us speak of the miracle at the Valley of Samsara."

There were no lengthy introductions, no cumbersome formalities; this was an internal tea-time chat. Soon, everyone began to express their own views. Behind each person lay their own staff system, which could be considered the convergence of wisdom and ideas within the system.

It was very much a higher-level, more influential replica of the exchange Cullen had just shared with Alfred and Wick in his office.

Sitting there and listening, Cullen did obtain more detailed intelligence, though from an analytical perspective, nothing new was turned up. In fact, due to the limitations of their thinking, it struck Cullen as somewhat superficial.

This was inevitable. After all, Alfred's perspective of interpretation was built upon the premise that the God of Order was sitting right in front of him.

Even the depth of understanding that Wick and Lyon possessed regarding this matter far exceeded that of the lords present here.

Soon, the direction of the meeting began to turn pragmatic, discussing how to utilize and manipulate this miracle of the Church of Samsara. As the churches of what were clearly the first and second returning gods, at least for the moment, it was highly necessary to "unite" together, even if the two churches had fought a war not long ago.

But this kind of thing was just like two children bickering; in the eyes of adults, it amounted to nothing. It was entirely possible that while the two children were crying with scraped skin and bleeding wounds, the two sets of parents could sit together, clinking glasses and laughing out loud.

The gods were the adults, the churches were the children. Nothing could be more important than welcoming the descent of one's own Master God.

However, Cullen noticed that as the discussion grew deeper, Verden's countenance began to grow increasingly somber and gloomy.

In this meeting, Verden would not deliberately conceal the display of his emotions; after all, they were all "his own people."

Cullen was not the only one to notice this, but the others still had to continue discussing and delivering opinions. The Whip-Bearer had already framed the scope of the theme, so they had to actively and continuously fill it in.

Verden was indeed vexed, because the things his subordinates were exploring were things he himself actually agreed with. They were completely from the perspective of the Church, and many of the words and ideas were things he could use directly when facing the Grand Pontiff... if the Grand Pontiff's name were not Norton.

Maorindi, the undead archmage in the underground world of the Church of Earth—why was she imprisoned, and why was she executed? Because as a member of the core confidants who had helped the Grand Pontiff rise, she had discovered a secret of his.

Maorindi believed that the Grand Pontiff had betrayed the God of Order; her loyalty to the God of Order surpassed her loyalty to Norton.

Yet, was Maorindi truly the only one to discover this secret?

Of course not. Some had discovered it, but pretended they hadn't. One of them was Verden.

In other matters, Verden could cooperate unconditionally with the Grand Pontiff, but on this single point... he had no way to do so.

Could he pretend to know nothing, be oblivious to that secret of the Grand Pontiff, and run to the Grand Pontiff to talk enthusiastically about how they should cooperate with Samsara, pursuing the most stable method to welcome the return of our Lord?

But the problem was... Verden felt the Grand Pontiff likely knew that he knew this secret.

And what the Grand Pontiff loathed most was insincerity from his subordinates. Someone like Maorindi, who pointed out to his face that he had betrayed the God of Order, was still kept imprisoned for decades until the Grand Pontiff officially took office before being secretly executed. Whereas those who had attempted to play false before the Grand Pontiff in the past usually did not live past the next day.

Finally, the voices of discussion gradually ceased.

Verden took a deep breath in his heart. He knew that soon the Grand Pontiff would also convene an internal meeting, at which point he would be required to speak. Having just obtained the authority over intelligence work, it was impossible for him to shut his mouth and play dumb at that meeting.

But how, after all, was he to speak of it?

He could hardly state it plainly—that their Grand Priest seemed to harbor a subtle aversion to their God of Order, and was none too eager for their Lord’s return, so perhaps everyone could change their line of thought and discuss a different angle?

Forget it, he would ponder it further on his own. Just as Vorden was preparing to bring the meeting to a close, a certain figure suddenly crossed his mind—someone who, since the very commencement of the council, had not uttered a single word or spoken a single phrase.

People were prone to inertia in their thinking; once you grew accustomed to a subordinate consistently executing tasks with brilliance, you would habitually bestow your expectations upon him. Naturally, once such momentum formed, should that person ever fail to deliver, the ensuing disappointment would be redoubled.

Vorden spoke: "Karen."

Karen stood up immediately, responding, "I am deeply honored and profoundly moved to be able to participate in this meeting..."

The assembly exchanged glances. Evidently, Karen’s response was somewhat beyond their comprehension; after everyone had deliberated for so long, had this young man truly not absorbed a single word?

Vorden frowned slightly. What on earth was Karen prattling on about? Had he been called here merely to deliver an acceptance speech?

Vorden raised his hand, preparing to bring the gathering to an end.

"...In the past, even if I had wished to enter this place and take part in such a council, I surely would have been barred. This time, finally, no one obstructed me, and I have come inside..."

Vorden’s hand, raised halfway, froze in place.

"...Therefore, I am truly grateful for the recognition and encouragement from all of you, and even more grateful for the guidance and patronage from you, Lord Whiplash."

Vorden lowered his hand. He looked at Karen thoughtfully and said:

"This is the treatment you deserve."

...

The Office Temple of the Church of Order.

The Grand Priest sat there, listening to the reports of the assembly below. Essentially, everyone displayed an optimistic and receptive attitude toward the manifestation of the miracle by the Church of Samsara. After all, the miracle of Samsara further substantiated the return of their own God of Order—had they not heard that the God of Samsara had even greeted their God of Order in advance?

Some had even put forward the view that the God of Samsara would return hand-in-hand with their Lord.

From beginning to end, the Grand Priest spoke very little, merely listening.

After the meeting had gone on for some time, the Grand Priest asked, "Vorden, why are you silent? Or is it that your Whiplash of Order has failed to even gather the proper intelligence for you?"

Vorden stood up and spoke, "Grand Priest, I remain silent because I disagree with what they have previously stated, I disagree with the proposals they have formulated, and I certainly do not believe that the miracle of Samsara is a fortunate event for our Church of Order.

Because everyone seems to have overlooked a certain possibility—a possibility that can instantly alter the very nature of this entire matter."

"Speak."

"Has anyone considered the possibility that it was our Lord who sealed and trapped the God of Samsara, rendering him unable to return all this time?"

Shock washed over the faces of all the dignitaries present.

Vorden continued:

"If that is the case, then will the return of the God of Samsara still be a fortunate event for our Church of Order?"

The Grand Priest spoke with a solemn countenance:

"Vorden is correct. Our every action and movement will directly impact the operation of the entire Church of Order; we cannot simply assume the best in everything. Therefore, I believe we need not be in a hurry to accept the so-called olive branch proferred by the Church of Samsara.

On this point, I shall make a declaration at the roundtable conference, and I will communicate with the Temple as well.

Everyone, I firmly believe that our great Lord will inevitably return.

But I believe even more firmly that when our Lord returns, he certainly would not wish to see us prostrate on the ground, upturning our backsides, merely waiting for his advent to save us;

Rather, he would wish to see that even in his absence, his believers are still maintaining the rules of Order at all costs!

Therefore, moving forward,

What our Church must do is use every conceivable method and exhaust every possible means to obstruct the return of the God of Samsara.

Because the God of Samsara once disrupted the order between life and death.

Therefore,

The advent of the God of Samsara violates the Codex of Order!"