Chapter 766: Fatherly Love is Like a Mountain

Chapter 766: A Father's Deep Love

Upon returning to the carriage from the administrative temple, the Whipper had kept his eyes closed, seemingly at rest.

At this, Karen felt a wave of emotion; dealing with a Grand Priest of that stature was indeed a deeply exhausting affair.

Fortunately, his direct superiors had rarely been difficult to get along with—though, it seemed, they rarely stayed around for long either.

At that moment, Miguel spoke up intentionally, "District Chief Karen, you may alight once we pass the Holy See gates. A carriage leading directly to the Education Ministry building will be there for your transfer."

Miguel's initiative to let Karen leave was also an intentional move to dissipate any lingering tension, ensuring his own arrangements and promptings did not appear too calculated.

Furthermore... it was indeed time for Karen to depart; he could hardly continue following the Whipper back to his office for afternoon tea.

Just as Karen was about to nod in agreement, the Whipper opened his eyes.

Both Karen and Miguel immediately prepared to receive his words, but after opening them, the Whipper closed them once more, as if some sudden thought had crossed his mind, prompting a subconscious reflection before he returned to his rest.

Miguel pulled out a blanket and draped it over Verden’s knees; the blanket was woven from the fur of a fire-attributed magical beast, inherently possessing an excellent warming effect.

Karen found it quite intriguing. The Whipper's office was situated in an environment surrounded by glaciers, a frost giant dragon was his constant companion, and he had a penchant for cold drinks like sorbet, yet... he was actually averse to the cold?

Promptly, Karen averted his gaze; the intimate details of a person's life could very well reveal highly sensitive information—for instance, that the Whipper might have some underlying health issue—but as a subordinate, he could look no further.

Earlier, merely staring at the back of someone's head in the council chamber had drawn the notice of the Foreign Minister; if one dared to peer at the Whipper's physical frailties right to his face, one would be treating the head of the Church of Order's intelligence department as a complete amateur.

Karen looked out the carriage window; he hadn't been in the mood to appreciate the scenery along the way when they entered, but now, on the return journey, he could take it all in.

Yet as he watched, Karen's mind suddenly flashed back to the moment the Whipper had opened his eyes. Trying to put himself in those shoes, Karen’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The carriage came to a halt after passing through the Holy See gates. Miguel stepped down first, then assisted little Canna out, and finally prepared to politely see off District Chief Karen.

Karen did not step down; instead, he pulled the carriage door shut, sealing Miguel outside.

"Whipper."

Verden slowly opened his eyes.

"During the meeting earlier, the Grand Priest drew me into a circular platform completely enveloped by water."

Verden fixed his gaze upon Karen.

Karen continued, "The Grand Priest was reading a book at the time, titled *The Sinkhole*, and the author happened to be a Vienese. The Grand Priest chatted with me briefly about the book's theme and structure, asked me a few questions, and had me offer my thoughts, primarily on the relationship between humanity and divinity. Finally..."

Verden closed his eyes.

Taking the cue, Karen paused, changing his tone:

"Whipper, your subordinate takes his leave."

Verden gave a slight nod.

Karen opened the door, stepped down, and offered an apologetic smile to Miguel, who remained outside. Miguel merely shook his head gently to signal that it was no matter.

After parting ways, Miguel returned to the carriage, and the vehicle resumed its journey.

Miguel noticed that the Whipper’s eyes were open, his head turned, watching the outside world through the window.

Without even turning his own head to follow that gaze, Miguel knew the Whipper was looking at Karen, who was now walking outside.

A tinge of reminiscence surfaced in Verden's eyes.

Years ago, in a carriage, before stepping down, he had said to Norton:

"Boss, they contacted me in secret. They can help push me into the position of the Whipper, but the prerequisite is that I betray you. I refused. So, in all probability, I’ll be sent out to the frontier spaces for a while. Don't miss me too much, Boss, hahaha!"

That year, the carriage departed, leaving him behind as he held little Augie's hand.

Little Augie had asked, "Is expanding the frontier spaces fun?"

He had replied, "It's fun. It's very easy to play yourself to death."

"Then, do you regret it?"

"No, I am just terrified in hindsight."

……

Little Canna: "Is it fun inside the administrative temple?"

Karen: "It's fun, there are many exquisite murals."

"It's a pity the Radio Fairy didn't come."

A child raised by Purr naturally inherited the nicknames Purr had designated.

"Yes, he would probably like that place."

"So tired today."

"Are you sleepy?"

"I took some pills in the carriage just now. The mooching secretary used red wine to help me wash them down. It tasted terrible."

"Then it must have been very expensive, what a waste."

"Not a waste." Little Canna pulled a red wine bottle out from her clothes.

Karen: "..."

Her clothes were originally Karen's own clothes, altered for her; they were on the larger side, making it rather convenient to hide things inside.

"How did you dare?"

To pilfer something from the Whipper's carriage—this level of audacity was truly immense.

"Why wouldn't I dare? The mooching secretary invited me to drink it."

"Heh."

Karen hoisted little Canna onto his back. Her left arm looped around Karen's neck while her right hand gripped the wine bottle:

"I don't like to drink it, but I know you all like to drink it. You like to drink expensive things and eat expensive things."

"Yes."

"Karen, did I do something wrong?"

"Next time, just say it upfront. Don't take it yourself. This time I’ll keep the secret for you and won't tell your Sister Purr."

"Then should we return it?"

"No need."

Their own little bone dragon had pinched a bottle of red wine from the Whipper. Even if the Whipper found out, he would likely only find it amusing and wouldn't truly be angry.

"Do you know, Karen? I had a dream the night before last."

"Come, let me hear what kind of dream our little Canna had."

"In the dream, I stole an apple for you from a very dangerous place. A crystal-like apple."

"Then it must have been very delicious, right?"

"I don't know. I only know that when I grabbed it and looked for you, my bones started to age and crack. As I flew, bones kept falling off, scattering all over the ground."

Karen froze for a moment.

This was no dream born of a young girl's imagination; this was likely her ancestral memory.

In truth, strictly speaking, little Conard could be considered the "God-Child" of the Crypt Cult.

Looking for me?

Is it me they seek... or the previous God of Order?

The Rebellious Dragon God once went to a perilous place to fetch an apple for the God of Order, an apple that could rot the physical flesh of a dragon deity possessing the most indomitable physique in the world?

Yet, given the relationship between the Rebellious Dragon God and the God of Order, it was hardly surprising that the Dragon God would be willing to do such a thing.

The will represented by the Rebellious Dragon God and the will of Order were, in fact, very close; one could even say they were in perfect alignment within the context of that era dominated by the gods.

Karen asked probing Pathways, "What else was in that dream?"

"Nothing else, it just felt very painful and agonizing, but I couldn't bear to throw that apple away, and I was frantic to find you, not knowing where you went, and in the end, I never saw you before I woke up."

"Oh, I see."

"Mm, that's how it was..."

As little Conard spoke, she fell asleep slouched across Karen's back, but even in sleep, that bottle of red wine was still clutched tightly in her grasp, leaving Karen not at all worried that it might fall.

After several transfers, Karen concluded this business trip and stepped out from the teleportation array hall of the York City Region.

Here, dawn was just breaking, the temperature was low, and as the cold wind blew, Karen felt a slight daze, almost forgetting that his trip to the dinge Region this time was to "accept criticism and education."

The new teleportation array hall was nearing completion, and the laying of the permanent arrays was progressing in an orderly fashion within a suburban barrier, spanning an area ten times that of the current one, and its throughput upon completion would exceed a hundredfold.

In truth, because the previous Administrative Building had been destroyed, the current teleportation array hall could only be reconstructed in the basement level of the newly selected Administrative Building, making the sense of space somewhat cramped, though it still managed the required teleportation workload of the region apart from occasional delays.

Therefore, unless a total holy war commenced, with the Church of Order declaring war on the entire ecclesiastical circle, turning the York City Region into a war zone or a hub for supplies and personnel, there was absolutely no need for a new teleportation hall with such massive throughput in ordinary times.

The reason was that the group of mentors and students from the University of Order responsible for its construction had thrown all the research results of their new projects onto it, caring only about "realizing their own value" without any regard for practical operational efficiency.

This was a common microcosm of the financial crisis during the preparation of Karen's new department; if you asked them to improve the flavor of soybean paste, their first step would be to travel to surrounding countries like Vien and Rylan to assess the temperature, humidity, and soil of various regions, and then experiment on what changes would occur if the paste jar were placed thousands of meters underground, in the sky, or within a special spatial barrier...

Only in the York City Region, and only with a regional director like Karen, would anyone bite the bullet and play the part of their gullible benefactor.

But once the new teleportation array hall was completed, the current one would close, meaning the new department would completely supplant the functions and business of the teleportation array hall originally belonging to the Regional Management Office.

The clergymen currently working here would also report to the new unit, thereby "cleansing" their institutional status.

Other departments were being replaced in a similar fashion; with Byrne's tacit approval and driven by the vested interests of multiple parties, riding the favorable wind of the Holy See's reform, Karen was setting about to conduct a "great purge" of the functions, institutions, authority, and personnel of the entire York City Region, stamping it with his own mark.

This was the reason he was willing to be the great fool; as long as he endured this difficult period, the York City Region would be thoroughly controlled by the "Servants of God" from the Immels family.

Byrne's attendant appeared before Karen, and understanding his meaning, Karen walked with him, carrying the sleeping Conard on his back.

Previously, he and Byrne would find a separate time to communicate and exchange information, but now, Byrne seemed accustomed to meeting him in passing whenever Karen returned from a business trip through the Administrative Building.

Only this time, the attendant did not lead him to the Chief's office on the top floor, but arrived at a middle floor, pushing open a door to reveal a spatial barrier inside.

Stepping inside, Karen saw a pool where Byrne sat leaning back, completely naked.

There were many spots on his body, from which pus would occasionally ooze, and two physicians beside him were helping him treat them.

Seeing Karen enter, Byrne smiled and said, "Well, are you frightened?"

Karen shook his head indifferently and said, "I have been to that contaminated cavern; this of yours can hardly face the light of day."

"Yes, it cannot face the light of day, yet it can take my life."

Karen walked to the edge of the pool and asked, "When did you contract this?"

"During a capture mission, I personally snapped the target's neck, but who could have thought that fellow was a hardened soul, having swallowed a belly full of poison sacks in advance after knowing escape was hopeless."

"From what you say, it is quite severe?"

"It wasn't severe originally; though it couldn't be rooted out, it could be suppressed through care so it wouldn't affect work, or even life, except when my bodily functions began to decline due to age... the small issue that could once be suppressed became somewhat unmanageable."

"When did you realize it could no longer be suppressed?"

"When my..."

Byrne waved his hand, and the two physicians withdrew.

"When my son last came home to see me."

"The time war was declared?"

"Mm."

"Heh." Karen placed little Conard onto a nearby sofa seat, then turned and walked back, "You really are old, to have actually learned to use such warm words to comfort yourself."

"It cannot be helped; when a person reaches a certain stage, they must submit to the laws of that stage. Two years ago, I wouldn't have thought I would fall into such cliches, yet who knew it would turn out this way.

You know, I find myself missing my son more and more now, and missing my father more and more as well."

"These words do not seem like something you should say to me."

"I can even cede power to you; showing vulnerability before you is no great matter."

"So, is it because of this reason?"

"It cannot be denied that this is part of the reason. I am old, I can see my end, and my obsession with certain things is no longer as vast as before. But the main reason is that I think highly of you and approve of you, Karen. We are of the same kind, both possessing faith in our hearts yet willing to use any means to achieve our ends, only you do it a bit more properly than I."

"I know a physician; I will have them look at you when the time comes."

"We need not speak of such meaningless nonsense. Do you think I haven't sought out the top physicians within the Church? I have even sought those from external churches. Unless you invite a deity, this illness of mine is beyond cure.

Just like dying after becoming old and decayed, this is not a matter of contamination; this is a matter of life coming to its end."

"How much longer?"

"Why?"

"The funeral must always be prepared in advance. A Chief Bishop dying in office will draw many mourning guests; arrangements and planning must certainly be made beforehand."

"I won't die within a short time, rest assured, I should still manage to scrape by for another two years, presumably."

"Oh."

"Why do you sound somewhat disappointed? What, do you grudge me for living too long? If anyone else were to sit in this position now, you wouldn't even dream of encroaching upon the region's power so comfortably."

"My point is, two years—with such a long time ahead, did you really need to deliberately call me to meet here? I am being assassinated every other day, and whether I can see tomorrow's sun remains uncertain.

"Their relationship is exceptionally good."

"No matter how good a relationship is, once someone reaches that position, suspicion and paranoia will always creep in."

"I understand."

"Still, you've been quite candid with me today. I can tell that you haven't embellished or omitted much. Hm, you've truly shown me great respect."

"That is only out of respect for the fact that you are about to die."

"Alright, let us talk business. You issued bonds, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"You must have raised a considerable amount?"

"Quite a bit. Especially since the various black market syndicates and accounting organizations I crushed a while ago went out of their way to send tributes through intermediaries. The sum was rather substantial."

"No matter how substantial, it cannot match the appetite of those gold-devouring beasts in the new department. Now, every time I look at the financial reports and their project schedules, I instinctively feel they aren't here to build a department—they are here to construct world wonders."

"It cannot be helped. We just have to hold on for now, for as long as we can. Originally, I thought about emulating the old Vienna Imperial Government by issuing privateering licenses to pirates, letting the militia earn some extra pocket money for me out in the desert. But now the situation has shifted, and the pirates we sent out are actually turning into regular army forces.

Oh, right, during the meeting, the High Priest assigned our tasks. The relevant documents and directives should be issued shortly. Our Church is about to deploy massive reinforcements and resources into the desert."

"Well, there is no rush for that. I have a method here that can help you weather this financial crisis. Would you like to take a look?"

"Stop keeping me in suspense. As long as you can procure the funds, I would even let you sell me off."

"Though the Church of Pamires is merely a mid-sized church, it has, after all, inherited traditions dating back to the last epoch. The internal heritage and foundation of the church are still somewhat substantial."

Karen instantly understood Bourne's meaning and asked, "In what manner?"

"As a subsidiary deity church of our Order, the Church of Pamires can be issued an official letter in the name of the York City Region, requesting them to assist and support us in forming and maintaining the militia. I imagine they will not refuse."

Instead of eagerly agreeing, Karen gently shook his head. "How could I be so shameless?"

Bourne also seemed to be joking, "It belongs to my family anyway. Take whatever you please."

"Too expensive."

In this world, the cheapest thing was actually interest.

Karen refused to pull strings with other factions within the Church of Order precisely because he feared that while borrowing from them, he would be forced to pay a price far higher than mere interest—let alone dealing with an external church. Besides, too many sensitive matters were entangled in this.

In the past, Karen did have external assistance, but whether it was the scraps from Dark Moon Island or the Church of the Moon, they were utterly negligible compared to his current financial demands. Now, he needed a method that would bleed a mid-sized church white, pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy, just to squeeze out enough grease to satisfy his present needs.

"Their demands are few."

"Are you here to act as a lobbyist?"

"More or less. A mutual satisfaction of needs."

"This is not something the Bourne I know would do."

"This does not disrupt or affect Order."

"What are their demands?"

"For that, my son needs to lead a delegation here tomorrow to negotiate with you in person. By the way, my son is currently the Executive Officer of the Church of Pamires. In their church, that is the final stepping stone before ascending to the position of Hierarch."

"Tomorrow? How is it that I know nothing of this?"

"It is a commercial meeting of low rank. He is joining the delegation provisionally, so it is only normal that you are unaware."

"I am not particularly inclined to engage with them. I would rather go back and think of other ways."

"Favors must always be repaid."

"Whose favor?"

"Mine," Bourne said with a smile. "Karen, you owe me. You are still in my debt."

"Heh." Karen nodded. "Did you really have to push the conversation to this point?"

"As you know, my father is the Hierarch of the Church of Pamires. He has been in a state of slumber, and the latest news is that my father will pass away before me."

"That is sorrowful news."

"My son needs help. As a subsidiary deity church of our Order, the external force the Church of Pamires is permitted to rely upon can only come from the Church of Order. He wants to invest in you—well, he wants to invest in you on behalf of the Church of Pamires."

This was just like a secular political election, where campaign funds were openly absorbed, and once the election was won, the backer would naturally expect a return on their investment.

With Karen's age, status, potential, and current momentum, he was already qualified to be a contender. Even if he wasn't aiming for the position of High Priest, the probability of him holding a high office within the Church of Order in the future was exceedingly high.

"Once my father, the Hierarch, passes away, the internal power of the Church of Pamires will undergo a round of competition and reshuffling. My son's grip on the seat of Hierarch is not secure, and it is inconvenient for me to intervene. Once his true lineage is leaked, his situation will only become worse and more troublesome. But you, Karen—with your current status in the Church, you can fully help him stabilize the situation, forcing those competitors to stay their hands out of respect for you."

"Bourne." Karen pointed at the pool. "And you still claim you didn't do this on purpose? You only stripped and jumped into the pool when I was about to teleport back, didn't you?"

"That is not important."

"You truly have grown old. Approaching the end of your life and facing death, have you finally awakened your paternal love?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Speak."

"For generations, my family has plotted against the Church of Pamires for the sake of Order. Now, we are very, very close to success."

"The Church of Pamires is already a subsidiary deity church of Order."

"No, that is not enough. It is not enough to fulfill my family's long-cherished wish, nor is it enough to resolve my obsession. Most importantly, I know that unlike myself and my father, my son's loyalty to Order... is not entirely steadfast. In his bones, he actually leans more toward the God of Pamires.

He wants to invest in you for two reasons. First, he hopes to use your current status within our Church to stabilize his own position so he can successfully inherit the seat of Hierarch. Second, he hopes that through his relationship with you, you might look after him in the future, allowing his Church of Pamires to attain a higher degree of independence.

Just watch. When he meets you tomorrow, he will certainly put forward such conditions, demanding a commitment from you."

"So, should I agree?"

"Agree to his terms, and then, first drain the foundational heritage of the Church of Pamires dry. You are facing financial difficulties anyway. Later on, through your relationship with him, suppress him, master him, control him, and then break the Church of Pamires piece by piece, grind it into powder, mix it with water, and swallow it whole.

Let the Church of Pamires become just like the Church of the Desert will be in the near future. Carve out a reservation for them within Order's missionary territory, but in reality, let this church be absorbed, turning it into a mere faction or department within our own Church."

Suddenly, Karen felt that Bourne had become normal again, returning to the familiar figure he knew. The seemingly brewing warmth of paternal love from moments ago was indeed just an illusion; it did not exist.

Yes, this was the true style that belonged to Bourne, consistent as always.

Bourne took two steps closer, looking at Karen, and spoke with utmost gravity and earnestness:

"Karen, promise me. Help me destroy this son of mine who is unfaithful to Order, and help Order... devour the Church of Pamires!"