13 Mink Street

Within the Church Affairs Building of the Church of Reincarnation, at the deepest end of the fifth floor, there was a room that should have belonged to the Archbishop of Veyn, yet at this moment, Archbishop Sarko was respectfully standing outside of that door, in a show of both deference and obedience.

The Church of Order treated Veyn as its core territory, developing and operating it as a major base. Although other churches were not forbidden from establishing their institutions or mission chapels there, everyone within the ecclesiastical world knew who Veyn truly belonged to. The fact that the Third Knight Regiment of Order was stationed there served as the clearest proof of that.

In contrast, the Church of Reincarnation was unfamiliar with Veyn. First, the territory had long been occupied by Order, making Reincarnation little more than a guest borrowing space. Second, people who were part of the Marcan culture had little interest in the doctrines preached by the Church of Reincarnation.

This was especially true of the people of Veyn. Since their Age of Sail, their ancestors had taken pride in piracy. That instinct, ingrained in their blood, made them far more inclined to chase immediate thrills. As for what might come in the next life, they simply could not be bothered.

Although in recent years, the continuous influx of immigrants, along with industrial and financial development, had increased the number of bankrupt and lost individuals in both rural and urban areas, thereby expanding Reincarnation’s base of believers to some extent, it still had not formed anything substantial in the grand scheme.

Thus, although Sarko held the title of Archbishop of Veyn, his actual standing within his own church was not high. If it were, he would not have been assigned to Veyn to pioneer the church’s development in the region.

Inside of his office, unlike the aging atmosphere of the outside of the building, everything was luxurious. There was not only a study for work, but also a two-bedroom living area.

At this moment, two women lay in that bed, one of whom Karon would recognize: Bertha. She had once worked as a secretary at Piaget Psychological Clinic.

She lay nestled against the woman beside her. The other woman’s long legs, even slightly bent, were no shorter than Bertha’s when she lay flat, and Bertha herself had always been tall.

The woman’s name was Talina. She was a member of the Simons family, a lineage that had produced several Gatekeepers in the Church of Reincarnation, which was the church’s equivalent to a Pontiff.

Because of this, even though the current Gatekeeper was not a member of the Simons family, the family’s influence within the Church of Reincarnation still ranked among the top three, and they were known to possess the “royal bloodline” of the church.

It was precisely because of Talina’s presence that Archbishop Sarko had willingly vacated his own office, and was even standing outside in a show of courtesy. He was desperate to be transferred out of Veyn. He believed he was not yet old and still had room to rise within the church, so he would not miss any opportunity he could grasp.

“Bertha, do you really like this appearance?” Talina turned her head and asked the woman in her arms.

“Yes.”

“Because of the person you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have you found any leads on him?”

“None at all. It’s as if he’s completely vanished.”

“Do you need me to have people help you search?”

“No. The fact that you were willing to see me already satisfies me, and I’m very grateful.”

“You fool, why say such things? In others’ eyes you’re Light vermin, but in mine, you’re just a lovely angel of Light.”

“What about you? Why did you come to Veyn?”

“To find my brother. My family received word that he’s here in Veyn, but I don’t know if he’s in York City specifically.”

“That’s a pity. My people have already withdrawn from York City, otherwise I could have helped you search.”

“Don’t be foolish. That brother of mine loves finding women who resemble his first love and then hiding away to live an ordinary life with them. He’s a complete deviant. He doesn’t want to be found.”

“He still hasn’t gotten over losing his first love?”

“Not only has he not recovered, he’s sunk deeper into it. Father told him that woman had long since entered reincarnation, and he actually dared to talk back to Father over it. If Mother hadn’t stopped them that day, they might have come to blows.

“Who could have anticipated that he would actually imprint the memories of his first love, using a secret method from the legacy of Reincarnation to seal the consciousness of the women, installing those memories into their minds. Now he lives like this all the time.

“But that method drastically shortens ordinary women’s lifespans. Most can’t live more than half a year, so he constantly has to find new women who resemble his first love to live with.”

“I could disguise myself as his first love, put my photo in the papers as a model, and draw him out.”

“What? Having me isn’t enough for you? You want to climb into my brother’s bed too?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? You’re the only one in my heart.”

“Heh, I don’t believe that. They say men’s mouths are the most deceitful, but women’s ability to lie is no worse.”

“I just want to meet your brother, then find a chance to purify that bastard.” Bertha sat up from the bed and began putting on her clothes.

“Leaving already?”

“I can’t stay in York City for long. People from the Church of Order are still hunting Light vermin across Veyn. I don’t want to implicate you.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. The Church of Order won’t have time to deal with you soon.”

“Because of the Church of Pamireth?”

“Yes.”

“I heard the Church of Order lost a Knight Regiment.”

“That’s right. You know how terrifying it is when a space suddenly collapses. The latest news says that in the spatial distortion of that shattered space, a large number of fragmented armors from the Order Knight regiment have been found.”

In truth, Talina knew even more. For instance, the one who had used a divine artifact of the Church of Pamireth to destroy the spatial cage was an infiltrator planted by the Church of Reincarnation within Pamireth, but such matters were not suitable to share with Bertha. They were only partners in bed, while belonging to opposing camps. In secret, they could lie in the same bed, but openly, they were not even allowed to stand together.

“So the Church of Pamireth is finished?”

“Yes. Even though the Church of Order lost a Knight Regiment, destroying a Church of Pamireth is still easy. But after this, the originally loose prototype of an alliance will become much clearer and more defined. Just like when the various orthodox churches dealt with—” Talina stopped herself.

Bertha, unconcerned, picked up the thread, “Just like when the orthodox churches united to deal with the Church of Light?”

Talina smiled faintly.

“Well then, since you don’t need my help finding your brother, I’ll be going.”

Talina stood up and embraced Bertha. “Can’t you stay with me a little longer?”

“I’m planning to leave Veyn soon as well, and there are many matters I still need to handle.”

“Alright.” After a token attempt to keep Bertha longer, Talina began putting on her clothes.

At that moment, the entire building suddenly began to tremble.

“What’s happening?” Bertha asked in shock.

Having already finished dressing, Talina immediately drew a blade that hung at the head of the bed and moved toward the window.

Crash! The window suddenly shattered, glass flying everywhere.

Talina slashed once, sweeping away the shards flying toward her as well as the incoming blast of air. But with another violent tremor, she saw that the walls of the bedroom were gradually being assimilated into black.

Bang! The bedroom door was kicked open. Talina’s personal guards rushed in, surrounding her protectively.

The captain of the guard reported, “Miss, the Church Affairs Building has been sealed by a terrifying ritual array that suddenly appeared outside!”

“What about the building’s defensive array?”

“It shattered instantly. It couldn’t hold.”

“What exactly is going on?”

“Miss, Miss!” Sarko ran in. “Miss, our Church Affairs Building is being sea— it’s the Throne of Order!”

These words triggered a look of panic to immediately appear on Talina’s face, because she felt guilty.

Sarko, however, lacked the rank to know the truth of the matter, so he continued trying to reassure her, “Miss, please remain here for the moment. I will send someone out to speak with them and see if there has been some misunderstanding.”

The guard captain immediately said, “This is no misunderstanding. The Throne of Order is a forbidden-tier ritual array. Since the Church of Order is using it to seal this place, there cannot be anything as simple as a mere misunderstanding.”

Talina made her decision at once. “Roden, prepare to activate the Reincarnation Crystal. We’ll break through.”

The guard captain was startled. “Use the Reincarnation Crystal? Ye- yes, Miss.”

A Reincarnation Crystal was an extremely precious material. Its greatest property was absorption and annihilation. If a mass of power were likened to a complete puzzle, such a crystal could forcibly remove one piece of that puzzle for a short period of time.

This crystal was not being carried by her guards, but was a valuable gift Talina had brought to Veyn on behalf of her family to present to another high-ranking figure. This was not the time to deliver it; it had to be used immediately.

The guard captain turned to make the necessary arrangements, then suddenly stopped and turned back. “Miss, the Throne of Order outside is extremely powerful. Even if we open a gap with the Reincarnation Crystal, that opening will likely only last long enough for less than ten people to pass through.”

That meant only Talina and her personal guards.

Sarko hurriedly said, “Please have the guards escort your miss out first. You must ensure her safety.”

He then bowed to Talina. “Miss, please rest assured. No matter what misunderstanding this stems from, I will lead my people to hold this building and negotiate with the Church of Order.”

Talina glanced at Sarko. She knew that if he were aware of the truth, he would not be nearly so calm. In the eyes of this Archbishop, the situation likely appeared to be some sort of misunderstanding, or at most, some controllable friction between the two churches. Sarko could not believe that this was something that would irreversibly escalate to bloodshed.

But the Church of Order had just lost an entire Knight Regiment. Talina did not dare take any risk. She knew that as soon as Order learned the truth, its wrath would consume everything here. She looked at Bertha. “Come with me.”

“Alright.” Bertha did not refuse, nor did she hesitate. She immediately moved close to Talina.

The guard captain said, “Miss, please proceed to the rooftop in five minutes. We’ll open a breach there. Once it’s open, choose a direction and withdraw immediately. I’ll lead the men to hold the rear and draw Order’s attention.”

“Alright.” Tarina nodded. “I’ll see to your families... all of your families.”

The guards answered in unison, “Endless Reincarnation, undying loyalty!”

***

“Praise Order!”

“Praise Order!”

Led by his captain, Karon continued praying, each line of the prayer ending with the same words: Praise Order!

Nio was praying that the sealing of the Church Affairs Building before them would proceed without incident, yet Karon felt that even if his captain did not know the term, he clearly understood what it meant to tempt fate. His prayers carried a deliberate edge, as though he were deliberately provoking fate.

After all, back in the car, the captain had already said that once the Throne of Order was used to seal the building, so long as nothing unexpected happened, they would lose any chance to profit from the chaos.

So... let something unexpected happen. Otherwise, tonight would be reduced to nothing more than idle stargazing, and... Karon lifted his head. The weather was poor, as if rain was coming. There was no moon to be seen at all.

Finally, the captain stopped praying. Karon immediately stopped as well. It seemed the captain had also realized just how ridiculous their behavior must look. Fortunately, there was no third person present to witness it. “Karon, do you often pray to the God of Order?”

“I rarely pray to the god to ask for anything. I simply offer greetings and praise the Great God.”

Nio said, “I also rarely pray. The last time I did was when the earl successfully concluded negotiations with the church. I thanked God for granting me a glimmer of hope while I endured.”

But the results... Karon suddenly realized that the captain’s change had likely begun with Elisa’s death. According to Saman, the captain had begun to enter a stage of derangement, yet in Karon’s perception, the captain did not seem to be falling into derangement. Instead, it felt more like another consciousness within him was awakening.

The man’s personality remained the same, his manner of speech was the same, and even his behavior was the same, yet the impression he gave was different.

Perhaps, when the captain had stood before Elisa’s gravestone, the previous version of him had already died. What the captain said, that even without knowing why he lived, he would still continue to live out of habit, felt more like a state without subjective will caused by a transition. The old self lay dormant, the new self was awakening, and the captain was currently in between.

“Captain, have you ever seen a psychologist?” Karon asked.

“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“I know a very good one. If you’re willing, I can introduce you.”

“Do you think I need one?”

“I think you could try it.”

“Heh. Even Lacresis’ copper coin doesn’t know what I want in my heart. I don’t think a psychologist would be of any use.”

Karon found himself unable to argue with that, because he had personally seen the captain pick up a copper coin with his bare hands while maintaining a calm expression, and then casually toss it away.

So the captain not only has no psychological issues... but is psychologically flawless? Or perhaps before this change, that was the captain with the problem, and what he is currently experiencing is not deterioration, but a kind of healing?

At that moment, Nio glanced at his watch. “The stationed forces are about to arrive. Looks like nothing unexpected will happen tonight after all. Our prayers have been answered.”

As soon as he finished speaking—

BANG! On the rooftop of the Church Affairs Building across from them, a black vortex suddenly appeared, as if a hole had been torn open within the area covered by the throne. Figures leapt out from within it, throwing the people below who were maintaining the ritual array into chaos. They had not expected a gap to appear in the throne in such a bizarre and sudden way.

Karon observed, “Captain, something unexpected just happened.”

Nio slapped the railing in front of him and said, “Just as I thought. The gods like to hear things in reverse.”