Free Web NovelChapter 167: Guidance From The God Of Light
Master Anderson stood by a bed, leaning on his cane as he watched his daughter-in-law, Ms. Lisa, tend to Judia’s injuries. “It’s nothing serious, is it?”
Ms. Lisa stood up. “It isn’t too serious. Her external injuries have already been treated. As for the rest, she just needs some time to recuperate.”
“Mm, take good care of her.”
“That is my duty.”
Master Anderson walked out of the bedroom.
Outside of the room, his son Mike was sitting in his wheelchair, and he apologized, “Father, this is due to my oversight.”
“As long as Young Master Karon is unharmed, it is enough,” Master Anderson replied as he slowly walked to the hallway window and pushed it open, allowing the wind outside to blow in. Mike pushed his wheelchair over as well.
“Mike?”
“Father.”
“It was I who was useless. My generation failed to hold things together. I could only watch as the Raphael family and the other families kept growing stronger and stronger. By the time your generation came along, things still could not be held up. Fortunately, there was danger, but we suffered no disaster. We have managed to cross the threshold, and our hope lies with the next generation. Borg and Judia are the hope of the Allen family’s next generation. They have a chance to break through and reach above Tier-5 after they come of age. If that happens, our Allen family will at least have a pillar of support both within and without, and we will not have to endure the same kind of perils we have in past years.”
“Father, there is also Eunice. Ancestor Earl Rekar mentioned that Eunice’s bloodline concentration is the highest.”
Master Anderson looked at his son, and Mike also looked at his father. The two simply stared at each other like this. After a long while, Mike asked in confusion, “Isn’t that so, Father?”
Master Anderson felt a faint bit of disappointment. Of his three sons, his eldest and the second had never been very bright. Only his youngest had ever seemed clever, yet he devoted all of his thoughts to art. Even now, in the name of “Young Master Karon,” Bede had abandoned his position as family patriarch and had run off to become a wandering painter selling his work.
What of that nonsense of claiming it was at “Young Master Karon’s instructions”? If it had truly been Young Master Karon’s instructions, then when he had first returned to the manor, would he ever have specifically asked where “Mr. Bede” had gone?
“Mike, what is Eunice’s surname?”
“Allen.”
Master Anderson let out a long sigh. “Her surname is Immers.”
Mike then immediately came to a realization. “I understand, Father.”
“Mm.”
“Eunice will ultimately become an outsider, so for our family, Judia is still more important.”
“Mm?” The old man’s hand gripping the cane began to tremble.
Mike also sighed and continued, “So in the future, the Allen family must still rely on its own people.”
The old man’s eyes grew red as he lowered his head to look at his son sitting in the wheelchair. Mike’s eyes also flushed red as he continued, “Father, I understand what you mean now.”
The old man swung his cane, striking his son directly across the face. Smack!
A clear red welt appeared on Mike’s face.
“Judia and Borg are the future pillars of the Allen family, while Eunice is the Allen family’s roof!”
“Uh...”
“I have never objected to our family members wanting to stand on their own and grow stronger. What I object to is failing to recognize reality!”
“I was wrong, Father.”
“If Eunice were not here in this house, do you think Young Master Karon would return to the manor?”
“No...”
“Exactly! Ever since Young Master Karon went to York City, he seems to have deliberately been avoiding contact with our family. I do not know the reason for that, but I am very uneasy.”
“I think Young Master may feel that we are too rich?”
Smack! Another blow landed from the cane. Seeing the symmetrical red mark appear on his son’s other cheek, the old man inexplicably felt much more at ease. “Such an idiotic reason could probably only come from an idiot’s brain like yours.”
“Yes.” Mike did not dare refute the scolding from his own father.
“The more Young Master Karon acts like this, the more respectful we must be, the more content we must be, and the more we must express our gratitude.”
“Yes, Father.”
“That pottery studio, have we sent people over to it?”
“We sent people yesterday. An agreement has already been reached. The amount they want isn’t small, and some of it can be produced by our own workshops, while some we will need to procure from outside sources.”
“No matter the cost, satisfy that pottery studio’s needs free of charge. Young Master Karon rarely asks us to do anything, so whatever he does request, we must do our utmost to complete it.”
“Yes, Father, I understand.”
“We personally helped Young Master Karon to set up his purification ritual.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And now Young Master Karon is already able to defeat Judia.”
“Yes. If Young Master Karon had begun cultivating in childhood and completed his accumulation early, with guidance from that one in the Immers family, it would be normal for Judia not to be his match, yet not long ago, right in front of us, the young master formally became a Divine Servant.”
“That is what a genius is. When a genius stops by the roadside, he isn’t dozing off, but rather, looking farther down the road.”
“That is indeed so, Father.”
“Be grateful for that marriage contract. If it were not for that contract being arranged back then, I think our Allen family would have had no connection with Young Master at all. This truly is the ancestors’ blessings.”
“Meow~” Pu’er, who had just finished afternoon tea, happened to pass in front of the father and son while riding on Kevin’s back to aid digestion.
Master Anderson and Mike lowered their heads together in salute. “Ancestors’ blessings.”
***
The halo around the moon was especially dense tonight, like countless fireflies gathered in the sky, drifting in quiet unison. Karon rode a horse beneath the moonlight, with Eunice, who had just woken up, sitting in front of him. The two moved forward slowly under the moon.
Eunice asked softly, “Lately, I’ve been sleeping a bit too much. Have I put on weight?”
“No. It feels very comfortable.”
“You know, Karon, all the jokes of that kind I have heard in my life have come from you.”
“What? Do you want to hear such jokes from someone else?”
“No. By the way, do you like the wallet?”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know my handiwork isn’t very good—”
“I just think it isn’t fair to only put one photograph of you inside.”
Eunice turned around to look at Karon after hearing that. As if gathering up courage, she asked, “Who else do you want to put in there?”
“A photo of us together.”
“Mm?”
At that moment, a group of people came running out from the manor. They had already set up a camera and arranged the lighting. Karon wrapped his right arm around Eunice’s waist and drew her even more snugly against himself. “Come on, smile.”
Click! The flash went off, and the photograph was taken.
Karon then urged the white horse beneath him into a run. He had learned his horsemanship during his time living in Allen Manor. They ran very far, though they still did not leave the bounds of the estate.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. I’ve already stayed here for three days, so it’s time to go back. Besides, Alfred called and said that my captain sent someone to the funeral home to ask if I had returned. I think there’s probably a mission.”
In truth, Karon felt that at the gas station meeting, Nio had most likely already been planning the squad’s next mission, and it seemed very likely that this one required Karon’s participation. Otherwise, after everyone else had left, Nio would not have stayed around waiting for Karon to come back and eat, nor would he have shared the story of little ducks and hounds.
It was just that Nio was probably worried that Karon’s family visit would continue for too long, so he had sent someone to the funeral home to check in on him. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Strictly speaking, Divine Servants did not receive any leave. For example, Pike and Dinkom were probably under Alfred’s direction at this very moment, serving gloriously as bricklaying Divine Servants for the funeral home’s backend reconstruction project.
But Karon was an exception. After all, he was his own superior, and he could approve his own leave.
“Yesterday, I heard you say your captain is a very interesting person.”
“He is.”
“I feel that he’s very pitiful.”
“Mm. If I had not witnessed his story with my own eyes, I probably would not have chosen to come back so quickly. Would you blame me for saying that?”
“No. I know you’re very busy.”
“Really?”
“Really. Actually, before you came back, I had already prepared myself. Even if you never came back at all, once my excessive sleepiness disappeared, I would make a point to go to York City and find you. I would ask you in person whether you had already forgotten me.”
“And then?” Karon asked.
“And then, nothing...”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. Because I just feel that if this is the first time in my life that I have tried to like someone, then no matter the outcome, I should at least ask clearly in the end to give myself an answer.”
The evening wind blew, lifting Eunice’s long hair and brushing it across Karon’s face. He held her waist while resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace.
“Master Anderson brought me the family’s business accounts again this afternoon.”
“Did you look at them?”
“No.” Karon shook his head. “I have no interest in them. But I did leave one set of accounts for you, in the drawer of your desk. You can have a look when you wake up tomorrow.”
“I don’t know how to read my family accounts, either.”
“They’re the accounts for our home. Last month’s expenses for food purchases, clothing purchases, property fees, gas fees, heating fees, and so on are all in there.”
“I’ll look at it all carefully tomorrow.”
“Let me say this first, there is one maid expense with a salary of three thousand rels a month. She is very hardworking and very responsible. Also, there is another expense that looks very high and very much like a woman’s expense. It isn’t because there’s a woman in the house, but because, these days, keeping a cat is quite expensive.”
“Heh.”
The horse began to turn and slowly made its way back toward the manor. The time was about right, and Eunice’s drowsiness would soon return.
On the way back, neither of them spoke again. They simply leaned quietly into each other. At last, Karon sensed that the woman in his arms was searching for a comfortable position to fall asleep in. “Sleepy?”
“A little. I want to hold out a bit longer. When I wake tomorrow, you’ll already have left me alone and gone home.”
“I’ll come back often.”
“Karon, have you noticed that in films and novels, couples always say very romantic vows to each other, but you’ve never said any to me.”
“Do you want to hear them?”
Eunice shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because in films and novels, most of the couples who say romantic vows don’t stay together in the end.”
***
After carrying Eunice back to her bedroom and settling her in to sleep, Karon returned to his own room. He had thought Pu’er and Kevin would be there, but they were nowhere to be seen.
So he took a shower first and changed into his sleepwear. Just as he was preparing to rest, he saw Kevin push the door open and come in, shaking his dog head at Karon. “You want me to follow you?”
Kevin nodded.
Karon followed the dog out of the bedroom. They went downstairs, and then continued further down until they arrived at a place beneath the manor that seemed to be a basement. Deeper in stood an iron door, and the original lock lay broken on the ground.
When Karon pushed the iron door open and entered, he found a large art studio inside. It should have been Bede’s studio.
However, only the easels remained in the studio. There were no canvases on any of them, nor any other paintings. Even the walls had been freshly repainted. It was obvious that before leaving home, Bede had cleaned the place quite thoroughly.
Karon saw Pu’er and found her sitting atop a painting. Apparently, this was the only painting left in the entire studio. Only after walking closer did he realize that this painting had been painted on a thin wooden board.
“What made you think of coming here?” Karon asked.
“As an elder, being concerned about the physical and mental well-being of one’s junior is perfectly normal, is it not?”
“That sounds very reasonable.” Karon crouched down. The painting depicted Apple Street from a bird’s-eye view, looking down from above at two adjacent villas. The villa on the right was clearly the one Piaget lived in. Inside it, one could see three men sitting in the living room, drinking wine and chatting.
They were Bede himself, Piaget, and Karon.
On the second floor, there was also a black shadow drifting about. That should have been the person who had remained on the second floor, observing the three men after the delivery man had left that day. Karon guessed it must have been either Captain Tirsen or Adjudicator Luke.
In short, the painting of the villa was a reproduction of that scene. However, the villa next door was clearly not a representation of the same moment in time.
That was because there was a shockingly large number of people in the neighboring villa. Karon remembered that when the incident had occurred, there had only been Elder Dock, Helen, and Vernon in that building.
Yet in the painting, the courtyard was packed three layers deep and three layers wide, with no less than dozens of people gathered together in worship.
At the center stood a damaged golden bell. “Are they worshipping a bell?”
Pu’er explained, “That should be a divine artifact, since it’s a golden bell. Bells painted gold are common enough, but in this painting, it definitely carries a specific meaning.”
“Mm.” Karon nodded, agreeing with Pu’er’s guess. “Were they receiving an oracle? No, not an oracle. It should be divine guidance.”
An oracle generally referred to the descent of a god’s presence, conveying the god’s will to their loyal believers.
Divine guidance, on the other hand, referred more broadly to the use of certain rituals or divine artifacts to make contact with a god’s will and receive a fragmentary response. An oracle was usually very clear, while divine guidance often required people to guess at the true meaning.
Karon remembered that when he had borrowed the identity of a member of the Church of Nature and had claimed that he could receive oracles, Helen had said in great surprise, “You people can still receive oracles?”
From this, it could be seen that the current Light vermin could no longer “see” their god. They could only obtain a few fragmentary thoughts from their god through the method of divine guidance.
Moreover, Bertha had also mentioned that the reason they had approached Piaget was because they had received divine instruction. That was probably related to some sort of divine guidance, which was the act of worship shown in the painting.
When Bede had lived in that villa, he might have sensed something, or perhaps learned something through his contact with Elder Dock and the others, which was why he had painted this picture.
“Karon, look at the date on this painting,” Pu’er reminded him.
Many painters had a habit of marking the date of completion and then stamping their personal seal after finishing a painting. Generally, the date would be placed in the lower right corner, yet the date on this painting was in the lower left corner.
Not only that, the date was much earlier. It was not dated the day of the firefight on Apple Street, but nearly two months before that.
“This date should refer to the time the Light vermin received divine guidance from that bell. After receiving that guidance, Bertha and the others gathered a group of people and began approaching, and nearly controlling, Piaget, awaiting the opportunity that she said had been foretold by their god.
“Piaget, meanwhile, was waiting for Mr. Bede. So when Piaget and Mr. Bede met, those Light vermin believed they had finally found the right person. They needed both Piaget and Mr. Bede to remain in the villa and complete the painting, thereby providing the final prophecy.”
Pu’er nodded and said, “Karon, do you remember anything about this date?”
“Hmm? At that time, I should still have been in Allen Manor.”
“Yes, but more specifically, don’t you remember what happened on that date?” Pu’er asked.
“What happened?” Karon thought for a moment. “I can’t remember clearly. During the time I stayed in the manor, I practically ignored the dates and days of the week, because life here was too comfortable.”
“Looks like in the future you probably won’t remember your wedding anniversary either.” Pu’er used a paw to flip over the thin wooden board, and Karon saw that there was actually another painting on the back.
However, this one had not been painted directly on the wooden board, but on a piece of paper that had then pasted onto the backside of the board.
This painting depicted the performance hall of Allen Manor and grounds leading to the manor entrance. Rain was falling. At the performance hall, one figure was kneeling. At the manor entrance, Master Anderson stood before a group of core family members, anxiously waiting.
There was a stain in the middle that split what should have been a complete painting.
Karon remembered that stain. He had made it by accident when tossing the cloth over the easel on the day it had been painted.
Using her paw, Pu’er pointed to the date in the lower right corner and said, “Same day.”
Karon said, “In other words, the day I underwent purification was the same day the Light vermin received divine guidance.”
Pu’er swished her tail. “You can be bolder. Look. Although it’s raining here, your purification took place during the day, while on the painting on the reverse side, when all of you were sitting together drinking, that should have been at night, right?
“Which means that although it was the same day, your purification happened first, and their receipt of divine guidance happened later.”
“So it was my purification that stirred the Light vermin into receiving divine guidance?” Karon remembered what had happened that day. The finger of the God of Light had pressed against the center of his brow and said, “Order, show yourself.”
Pu’er said, “My guess is that the only thing they could confirm from that divine guidance was probably Piaget. So the Light vermin approached and took control of Piaget because they wanted to use him as a clue and wait for the appearance of the opportunity.
“Meanwhile, Piaget dreamed that he would meet a dejected Bede whose family had been destroyed. So the Light vermin— no, not only them, but us too, all assumed that Piaget’s role was meant to wait for Bede.
“But the problem lies right here, because who can say for certain that the person the Light vermin were waiting for and the person Piaget was waiting for were actually the same person?
“For example, someone who had just bought a house and taken on a mortgage, who desperately needed a job, and while lying in bed drinking ice water and reading the newspaper, happened to see an advertisement for Adams’ Psychological Clinic?”
