Chapter 329: Longsong Of The Abyss

Ms. Tansley took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Although she did not turn around, she could already picture the expression on Mrs. Felsch’s face.

Some people changed. She herself was one of them. Over the years, she had continually adapted to her identity and her life, learning to fit into it and even enjoy it.

But some people did not change. Mrs. Felsch was one of them. It was not that she did not want to change, but that she had never been given the conditions to do so. She was like someone lying on a floor covered in barbs, her wounds long since festering and giving off waves of foul stench, pain and torment keeping her company day after day, but she had already grown used to it. If you asked her to get up, or turn over and leave that floor, her body would inevitably brush against other barbs, and she would be afraid of the pain.

“The things of the past...”

Hearing this, Mrs. Felsch asked, “You want to persuade me to let go?”

Ms. Tansley shook her head and said, “The things of the past have nothing to do with the children.”

“The children?” Mrs. Felsch frowned slightly.

Ms. Tansley calmly covered for herself. “My son inherited my bloodline, and because of that, he has been tormented by the curse to this day. Given a choice, I would not want him to touch even the slightest trace of such pain. When I saw your granddaughter, saw her muddled and drowsy as though she were always about to fall asleep, I knew you must have made her childhood a very bleak one.”

“As a descendant of the Felsch family, she has the mission of vengeance.”

“What mission?”

“Vengeance!”

“You want her to take vengeance against Tiz? Do you think that is possible?”

Mrs. Felsch suddenly laughed. “But Tiz also has descendants.”

“Hehe.” Ms. Tansley laughed. She used that laughter to conceal the killing intent that appeared in her heart the moment she heard those words.

Mrs. Felsch picked up a strawberry from the plate on the table and took a small bite. She tossed the rest directly to her feet. Her son immediately poked his head out, ate the strawberry, and even deliberately licked the floor clean.

“I am very happy that you came to see me. Truly. This makes me think of the old days. Hehe.” Mrs. Felsch started laughing to herself again. “Back then, I truly never expected that you would end up with that silly boy Derron. In my view, apart from the Gorman family bloodline being somewhat interesting, there was nothing special about him in any other aspect. Sigh, he was completely unworthy of being compared with Tiz.”

One could scold and mock her own husband, but if outsiders spoke of him in that same way, one would naturally be unhappy.

Ms. Tansley turned around and looked at Mrs. Felsch. She leaned forward, and said, “Of course Derron is unworthy of being compared with Tiz.”

“Exactly. I knew you understood that very well in your heart—”

“But I have always known one thing, and that is that I am also utterly unworthy of Tiz.”

Mrs. Felsch’s face stiffened, because she knew very well that these words were directed at her.

Ms. Tansley straightened back up and said, “Why insist on living inside your own dream?”

“You do not understand!” Mrs. Felsch’s voice suddenly turned shrill. “You do not understand love at all. You Altairs are nothing but bloodline parasites!”

“And you do?”

“I do! Of course I do!”

“If you understand love, why did you confess to Tiz back then when you were clearly already married?”

“Marriage is not love. Using marriage to bind love is a blasphemy against love!”

“Do you know why, after that incident, I never came to see you again all these years? Even though we were very close back then. Because I realized that you and I are not the same kind of person. You treat reality as a dream, and in that dream of yours, you only care about yourself. You only consider your own feelings, your own likes and dislikes. You are far too selfish. Being your friend gives a person no peace of mind.”

Mrs. Felsch brushed the observation off, “I am simply more honest than all of you. Unlike the lot of you, each one more hypocritical than the last.”

“Then guess whether Tiz knew the truth of that matter back then.”

Mrs. Felsch froze.

Ms. Tansley continued, “It seems you have always known the answer.”

“So what if I did? He still couldn’t bear to kill me. There was still a place for me in his heart.”

Ms. Tansley picked up a whole strawberry from the table, bent down, and handed it to the man beneath the table. The man opened his mouth, accepted it, and chewed. After swallowing it, he even stuck out his tongue at her to express intimacy.

“Have you been happy all these years?”

“Just what do you mean?”

“What I mean is simple. He did not kill you because he thought killing you would be a mercy. Better to let you live and go on being tormented by life.”

“You! Are! Lying!”

“All right, I am leaving. I wish you a pleasant life.” Ms. Tansley pushed open the door and walked out. When she walked out of the small wooden gate of the garden, the villa behind her was directly swallowed by black mist, almost disappearing from sight.

Sigh. Ms. Tansley had originally just wanted to dismantle the crow her son had sent to Karon. She had been a little curious in her heart about exactly what her son and grandson were doing, so she had followed over to take a look. In the end, she had actually discovered that it was related to this person.

Tiz, when you last came to Veyn, why did you not kill her while you were at it?

***

At the entrance of a farm, Karon and Eisen stood side by side. Philomena had brought them here, saying that this was the person’s hiding place. However, many defensive puppets had been arranged inside the farm, and for fear that the person would escape, she would go in alone first and capture him. Karon agreed.

Eisen asked, “You truly believe her?”

“Mhmm.” Karon nodded. “I had some contact with her during the selection. Her situation is also a little special.”

“Also?”

“Oh, no.”

Eisen said, “I sensed it. Yes, like me, she has some mental problems.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I have always been very curious about something.” Eisen looked at Karon. “I have always felt that you respect me a little too much. This confuses me greatly, and it also makes me very uneasy.”

“It’s because you are an upright person.”

Eisen shook his head at this answer. Clearly, he did not believe this reason.

“She can barely be considered one too.”

“Oh? So the word ‘upright’ in this context means this. I understand now. She does not like lying.”

“Right, there is something I want to ask you. Do you have any insights regarding the messenger crow Arts?”

“Insights? As long as it can fly once folded, is that not enough? Does one also need to pursue folding it beautifully?”

“Mhmm, you’re right.”

“I think that eagle can be looked into,” Eisen continued. “Shall I take responsibility for that matter?”

“There is something problematic about her background. Don’t investigate it yourself. I will go personally.”

“All right, I understand.”

That eagle, which had suddenly appeared, had instantly changed Philomena’s attitude. Karon vaguely felt that there might be some connection between it and his grandmother. The next time he went to the Gorman residence, he could try asking her about it. Of course, if she wanted to tell him something, she would call and ask him to come over, or have Richard come and invite him. After all, Richard’s legs were healing very quickly.

“Oh, right. The higher-ups will make arrangements soon. I will probably form a new Whip of Order squad. I’ve already discussed it with Richard, and he will join when the time comes. However, he has a very good relationship with ‘Mr. Memphis,’ and begged me to let ‘Memphis’ join as well. Otherwise, he will not join. What do you think?”

Eisen solemnly said, “He actually dares to use your grace toward him to threaten you?”

“That is wrong of him. When you go back, you can properly educate him again. But about the new squad?”

“Can I join?” Eisen asked. “What I mean is, would you feel it troublesome?”

“No. I hope you can join. You and Richard are still just attached members anyway. You can simply become official members with me.”

“All right, I will join. Thank you.”

“It is fine.” Karon felt that this uncle of his had probably truly come to like life in the Whip of Order, and also liked the feeling of being teammates with his own son.

At this moment, Philomena walked out carrying a fat man.

Thud! She threw the fat man to the ground. “Take him back to the pottery studio and let Lemar look at him. If there are no problems, settle them according to Lemar’s attitude.”

“I understand.”

Eisen stepped forward and picked the fat man up. After confirming Karon’s expression, he left first with the man.

Philomena looked at Karon and asked, “Why did you not leave with him?”

“Although there were some twists and turns in this matter, from my standpoint, you helped me resolve a problem. I should offer you my thanks.”

Philomena could not be convicted of something that had not happened, even if she should have been the hired muscle the fat man had invited earlier.

“Can that pottery studio also make puppets?”

“Yes. His craftsmanship is very good. You can speak directly with the owner, Lemar, to place an order. Mention my name, and you should get a discount.”

“Alright.” Philomena tilted her head slightly. “Do you know my grandmother?”

“Uh, I don’t know her, nor have I investigated your background.”

“Then do you want to investigate?”

“If there is an opportunity in the future, I will visit your elders.” Karon remained polite.

Philomena asked, “Then are you busy now?”

“That depends on what you want me to do next.”

“I want to take you home to meet my grandmother. She heard about you from me and admires you very much.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Philomena nodded.

Karon continued, “This is not aimed at you.”

“It is fine. My home is also not a place suitable for visits.”

“I mean no offense.”

“I am used to it and will not take it to heart.” After saying this, Philomena turned around and left abruptly.

Karon shouldered the Aelius Sword and walked back to his car, which was parked not too far away. After sitting there for a while, he started it and drove home.

***

By the time he reached the funeral home, it was already evening, but what surprised Karon somewhat were the two unfamiliar cars parked in front of the entrance. After getting out and walking into the front hall, he found three men and two women standing inside. They were all wearing casual clothes, but after drawing close to them, he could sense a familiar professional aura from them. When they saw Karon enter, their faces all moved slightly.

A woman in her thirties with many freckles on her face walked toward Karon and extended her hand to him. “Jotto’s Squad, Marlena.”

Karon shook hands with her. “Karon.”

“Congratulations, Mr. Karon. You passed the final selection.”

“Thank you. What are you...” Karon noticed that there was a gurney behind them, with a man’s remains lying on it.

We actually have business? Karon truly found it somewhat difficult to adapt to. After all, ever since Saman’s funeral, the funeral home had been closed.

“This is my captain, Jotto.” Marlena pointed toward the gurney.

Karon walked over to the stretcher trolley. Lying on it was a middle-aged... perhaps somewhat elderly, man, his hair half white. Still, his features were sharp and defined. He also had a strong build, and must have been hale and vigorous when still alive.

“We have already discussed things with your servant earlier. He’s already agreed to arrange our captain’s funeral for us.”

This customer did indeed conform to the new rules Karon had set for the funeral home. That was, in order to save manpower, they would only accept business paid with credits.

“All right. Thank you for your trust. We will hold Mr. Jotto’s funeral properly.”

At this moment, Alfred walked out holding a booklet. He first bowed to Karon, then handed the booklet to Marlena and said, “As for the options and detailed requirements in this booklet, I hope you can discuss them properly with Mr. Jotto’s family yourselves, mark them or fill in the supplementary information, and send it over before the night after tomorrow. After all, the restoration of the deceased’s appearance itself requires some time.”

“All right, I understand. Thank you for your hard work.”

Marlena turned to Karon again. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Karon immediately responded, “This is what we should do.”

Marlena raised the booklet in her hand and said, “Then we will leave first. Captain... our captain, we leave him in your hands.”

“Please be at ease.”

After Marlena and the others drove away, Alfred called Pike and Dinkom over and had them push Jotto into Ms. Lake’s workroom, while Karon and Alfred followed behind.

“This business came to our door on its own?” Karon asked. “Or did someone introduce them?”

“They came to our door on their own. I briefly chatted with Marlena earlier and learned that before Mr. Jotto died, he was holding onto the latest issue of Order Weekly, pointing at the page with the article about you, Young Master, and was happily praising you as the pride of the Whip of Order in the York City Region. Then, he clutched the newspaper and died.”

“Why does that sound strange?”

“My apologies, Young Master. I phrased that poorly. Mr. Jotto died due to his own circumstances. He was injured and corrupted during a mission, and had been receiving treatment at the church hospital for the last few months. However, because his corruption worsened, he took the initiative to sign his own consent to death. Yesterday was the day he was euthanized.”

After Pike and Dinkom pushed the remains into the workroom, they left. Karon lifted the white cloth covering the corpse and placed his hand on it to sense it for a moment. There was no residual spiritual power left in the body. Clearly, it had already been purified.

Corruption during a mission was not especially rare. If not treated in time, or if the corruption ran too deep or its nature proved difficult to handle, a priest’s life entered the final countdown. A small number would lose bodily function as the corruption worsened. Those ones could still be considered lucky, because at least death would bring an end to things. However, because of the nature of priests themselves, most cases of worsening corruption did not end in death, but in derangement. They would either become a new source of corruption, or would lose all reason and turn into a violent demonkin. Signing one’s own consent to death was not some act of cruelty. It was simply a person refusing to allow themselves to reach that point. It was a desire to preserve a final measure of their own dignity.

“His squad members believe this was the captain’s final wish, and also found out that you work at Pavaro Funeral Home, so they arranged for Mr. Jotto’s funeral to be held here.”

“All right.”

After a normal priest died, the corpse would be reclaimed by their own church, but Jotto had died because of corruption. His corpse could not be reclaimed. After death, his body had been purified according to convention, which was also why there was no residual spiritual power left. Such remains no longer had any value for recovery.

“Your servant will handle the handover of this matter properly. After the funeral plan is prepared, I will submit it to you for inspection and review, Young Master.”

“All right. Let’s proceed like this for now.”

“Young Master, there is also the matter of the tutor, Dasha.”

“You finished the investigation so quickly?”

“Yes. Dasha seems to have recently been in contact with some new ideological organizations and has been attending their activities, but those organizations have nothing to do with the church.”

“That is good.”

“Your servant will continue keeping an eye on these matters.”

“Mhmm, thank you for your hard work.”

***

In the underground workshop of Lemar’s pottery studio, a fat man was restrained on an upright workbench. Additional wards had been placed on him, so that he could only open his eyes and look, but could not move or make any sound. In front of him, Lemar released the “lock” on the puppet his younger sister was within.

After Serena recovered her freedom, her first sentence was, “Brother, Mr. Karon specially came into my bedroom to talk to me and comfort me!”

“I was still worried that being locked inside for so many days would cause some psychological problems for you. It seems Mr. Karon truly is an excellent part-time psychologist.”

“Brother, have you forgotten? I’ve lived in all sorts of puppets for many years. Being locked inside a puppet is just like you closing the shop and taking a few days off without going out. How could there be any psychological problems?”

“It’s good that there are no psychological problems.” Lemar walked over to a little boy puppet beside him and reached out to pat its head. It opened its mouth and spat out a crystal carving knife.

Holding the knife, Lemar smiled at the man before him. “You didn’t expect it, did you? The Ilmaz Gravers was placed in such an obvious place by me, because to me, although they are very precious, they are ultimately still only a tool.”

Immediately afterward, Lemar handed the Ilmaz Gravers to his younger sister.

“Brother, why are you giving them to me?”

Lemar pointed at the carving knife, then pointed at the man before him and said, “Serena, today, your brother will formally teach you puppet-making. We will use him as the raw material for your first work.”

“Brother, are you sure this isn’t a joke? If that is the case, then I really will develop psychological problems.”

“That is perfect. Then you will have a reason to seek treatment from Mr. Karon.”

“But I’m a puppet! A puppet! What am I learning puppet-making for?”

“Our progenitor, Voss, was originally a puppet.”

“Brother, are you running a fever?”

“No.”

“If Progenitor Voss was a puppet, how could we exist?”

“In the mythological account recorded in the Church of Abyss’s Longsong of the Abyss, it is written: When the God of Abyss went to open up paradise, he summoned Voss to craft a puppet in his own likeness, so that the vicious beings of hell would mistakenly believe the God of Abyss was still in hell and would not dare act rashly.

“In the legends passed down through our family, what happened next is described as follows: After the matter was done, the God of Abyss asked our progenitor what reward he desired. Our progenitor replied: Great god, please bestow upon me a drop of your blood.

“Historically, the reason our family declined was that the Church of Light demanded we craft a puppet for them, but our family refused. From then on, because of the Church of Light’s suppression, the family declined and fell apart.

“Because back then, the Church of Light brought out a drop of... blood that inspired dread. Guess whose blood it was? And what do you think their purpose was?”

“Brother, I have never been very interested in these grand mythological narratives and family legends that are half true and half false since I was little. You know that.”

“Serena, I have always suspected that perhaps the ones truly most suited to cultivating puppet forging are not descendants like us, but... puppets. What we create are tools, but what you and the progenitor create are your own kind.”

“Brother, you know how lazy I am.”

“Mr. Karon has a fiancée.”

“Brother, why are you suddenly saying that?”

“Mr. Karon is a principled man. He will not be with you. Moreover, your body is unable to bear children. Do you not think this will be an enormous regret?”

“Brother, do you not think it is cruel to treat a younger sister who has just been released after being locked up for so many days this way?”

“But perhaps, some day in the future, you can find a suitable excuse and ask Mr. Karon for a drop of blood.”

“Hehe, Brother, do you take your sister for an idiot? Do you think I am that easy to fool? Even if I studied hard and truly reached the same heights as our progenitor, the thing you are tempting me with still could not happen. After all, Mr. Karon is not a god.”

“All right, then there is nothing to be done. Sigh.” After sighing, just as Lemar was about to take back the Ilmaz Gravers, he discovered that someone had already grabbed hold of the handle. The one who had taken the carving knife was none other than his younger sister.

Serena mimicked him and said, “Sigh, I am just too soft-hearted. Seeing my brother look so disappointed really makes me feel awful.”