Chapter 155: “Recruitment” From The Whip Of Order |
Sycamore Street was York City’s administrative center. The headquarters of most of Veyn’s government departments were on this street. When foreign newspapers wrote reports, they also liked to describe Veyn’s stance as “Sycamore Street’s stance.”
Alfred first found the police station, then circled around and parked the car in front of a historic-looking building behind it. “Young Master, we’re here.”
“Mhmm.” Karon looked over through the car window. A line of security personnel patrolled at the entrance, which was not unusual on Sycamore Street.
Before getting out of the car, Karon glanced once more at the name card: Nio Roman. Clerk, Third Office, Group Seven, Department Three, Regional Administrative Office.
“Alfred, I think that the deputy director…”
“The deputy director has a problem?”
“No, the clerk who was beside him. I didn’t feel it at first. During the ride over, I came back to myself a little.
“Vicolay was willing to pay ten thousand Order credits and help operate a rank promotion as the price for shutting me up. Aside from worrying that I’d continue sending reports upward and file additional complaints like Mr. Pavaro did before, there has to be other reasons that are more objective.
“He told me that if someone came to verify matters, I need to speak according to the case report in the official letter he gave me, but Deputy Director Mion was far too casual. It was like he had a sign stuck to his forehead saying he came specifically to curry favor with Vicolay.
“So, Young Master, after you obtain your identity authentication here, when you go to find that clerk, you need to be very careful.”
“He has no reason to be interested in me. He hasn’t even seen me. Still, we’ll be cautious. Give me the briefcase.”
“Here, Young Master.” Alfred handed Karon a briefcase. Inside were Karon’s files, a fabricated identity the Allen family had prepared for him. According to them, he was a Veyn York City native raised in an orphanage, and his name was Karon Silva.
Originally, the Allen family had planned to use this identity to help Karon to officially join the Church of Order. Borg had even called to ask Karon what he wanted for a name. At the time, Karon had been working at the clinic. Bertha had casually given him the surname “Silva,” and he had told the Allen family to use that surname as well.
As for “Karon,” because it was a common name shared with many people, Karon decided to keep it. After all, using too many aliases was like setting a bunch of different passwords. Sometimes you failed to confuse others and only confused yourself first.
Besides that, the briefcase also held Karon’s introduction letter from Mr. Pavaro. Of course, it was something Karon had written for himself.
“I’ll go in first.”
“Young Master, I’ll wait here.”
Karon got out of the car, climbed the steps, and entered the building. Its interior was spacious. There was an information counter, with seven or eight pretty young women in black uniforms behind it. When Karon walked over, the woman facing him was squeezed aside by another. The one who pushed her way in smiled and proactively asked Karon, “Hello, sir. How may I help you?”
Karon knew this was treatment he could never enjoy while wearing Mr. Pavaro’s mask. “Hello. I’m here to process identity documents.”
“Alright, please come with me.” The counter clerk walked out warmly and led Karon into the hall to a service window. “Right here is fine.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re too polite.”
A middle aged man sat behind the window. His eyes had been fixed on the counter clerk. Then, with a perfunctory wave at Karon, he asked, “What kind of documents are you processing?”
“Divine Servant.”
The middle aged man froze. Finally, he actually looked at Karon. “That isn’t handled here. You need to go to the second floor.”
“Thank you.”
Karon stood up. The clerk smiled and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t clarify your needs.”
“No, I didn’t make myself clear.”
“You can go up to the second floor by these stairs, but I can’t accompany you upstairs, sir.”
“Alright. Thank you.” Karon carried his briefcase up to the second floor. A group of security personnel stood at the entrance there, but none of them checked Karon. He walked right through.
In the hall, most people still wore suits and leather shoes, though there were also many priests in various churches’ robes. There was an information counter here as well, and pretty young women stood behind, but these ones all wore black church robes. According to their badges, Karon knew that they were Divine Servants.
“Praise Order”
Yes. That was the tone. Karon replied at once, “Praise Order.”
“Hello. How may I help you?”
“I’m here to process a Divine Servant identity card.”
“Alright. Do you have an introduction letter?”
“I do.”
“Alright. What is your introducer’s rank?”
“Inquisitor Pavaro of Bluebridge Community.”
“Alright. Please come with me.”
Karon followed the new counter clerk inside. There were many windows, and the longest queue was for those who had spontaneously awakened as Divine Servants. The second-longest queue was for those who had an introducer. Because Karon had a letter of introduction from an Inquisitor, he could line up directly at one of the innermost windows that were almost empty. He arrived just as the person before him finished and vacated a seat.
Karon sat down at the window. The middle aged man inside was not like the one downstairs, but a serious man who wore a black church robe. “Documents and letter of introduction.”
Karon opened his briefcase and removed the relevant files. He placed Nio’s business card on top of everything and slid the stack forward.
The man took a serious look at the business card, and then roughly flipped through the materials and began filling out Karon’s data card. Once the card was completed, the man pasted a red paper slip to it and handed it over to Karon. “Sir, go over there for a test. Show them this side.”
While speaking, he even smiled at Karon.
“Thank you.”
The man then pointed at Karon’s documents which were still with him. “Your personnel file requires a bit more time, so I’ll finish it here. Please proceed to the assessment. It should be ready when you return.”
“Alright. Thank you.” Karon stood and walked to the testing area. There was a long queue there, and following instructions, Karon moved to the side marked with a red sticker facing outward. Before long, a staff member approached him and directed him to a separate room.
It was about the size of a normal office, but it felt empty. There was only a crystal ball floating at the center, as well as a white haired old man with reading glasses who was sitting in a chair.
The old man waved a hand, and Karon’s data card fell into his hand. Without lifting his head, the man ordered, “Step forward and put your hand on the sensing sphere.”
“Alright.” From dealing with the clerks to entering this room, the whole process felt like completing a physical exam.
Now, Karon faced a problem: he could not let his results to look too healthy.
Even Pu’er had not expected Karon to progress so fast. She had assumed that after he became a Divine Servant, they could simply find some loopholes and operate with a Church of Order identity, but Karon had instead made repeated leaps, climbing from Divine Seeker to Divine Shepherd. He had even reached the point that he was currently only one thin layer away from becoming an Inquisitor, and that was only because he had deliberately refrained from poking through in the pursuit of perfection.
After all, a “wild” Divine Servant was not rare, but if someone naturally became a Divine Seeker, that would draw attention, as it indicated exceptional talent. Under normal circumstances, for an ordinary person with a clean background yet without being from a family with a connection to a church to receive a god’s revelation in society and become a Divine Seeker, they would receive much greater attention and focus upon formally entering the church system.
That was because, to a large extent, the God of Order had shown such a person additional favor.
Yet someone like Karon was an even greater exaggeration. He did not want that kind of attention.
When others placed their hand on the crystal ball, what they considered was how to stimulate their spirituality to the greatest extent possible so that the crystal ball would display better results, while in contrast, Karon silently recited in his heart, “Just a little. Just a little is enough. It absolutely cannot be more.”
Karon tried hard to control himself, and released only a tiny bit of spirituality.
Sure enough, the crystal ball did not blaze brightly. Instead, only a small black point of light appeared within it, as if it was just going through the motions.
“Divine Servant.” The old man raised his head to smile at Karon. “Yet the brightness is very pure. You must be extremely pious towards the God of Order.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Karon placed both hands to his chest. “Praise the great God of Order.”
With the flick of a finger, the data card flew back to Karon’s hand. The old man then waved him off, dismissing Karon from the room. He accepted the data card and walked out. His card had received a stamp.
Returning to the previous processing window, Karon saw that the office worker was rapidly stamping documents. As he approached, Karon saw there was a stamp confirming his background information. This was something that should have been issued by the church, and then verified through police procedures, but that step was being omitted entirely.
“Hah…”
“Alright, sir. These are your original documents, while this file bag is your current dossier. Inside are your Divine Servant certificate and church documents. I have kept the parts that need to be archived. Please keep yours safe.”
“Thank you.” Karon placed the stack of materials into his briefcase in an orderly manner. While doing so, he noticed a long hair on his cuff, probably from one of the earlier counter clerks. He casually wound the hair around the button loop of his file bag a few times.
“I think you won’t need allocation, right?”
“Mhmm, that’s right.”
“Alright. If you want to transfer your file now, you’d better hurry. Otherwise, your dossier will enter the archives room, and moving it again will require about a week of procedures, though the people in the archives room complain every day that their workload is huge, I still think it’s just because they’re too lazy. If you complete the transfer today, the dossier can be taken away directly.”
“Thank you for the reminder.”
“No need. It’s what I should do.”
It was like a work assignment; Those with connections could choose for themselves, while those without could only be assigned at random.
Karon carried his briefcase and returned to the previous information counter. He handed the business card to the counter clerk who had escorted him earlier. “May I ask, which floor is this on?”
“Sir, please take the elevator over there, 24th floor.”
“Alright, thank you.” Karon went to the elevator and waited. After a moment, the doors opened. There was an attendant inside who asked each person which floor they were heading to.
The elevator stopped and started along the way, and finally arrived at the 24th floor.
Karon followed the signs and began searching for Department Three, Group Seven, Third Office. He found it in a remote corner office, and knocked.
“Come in.”
Pushing the door open, Karon saw that a fat man’s desk was right beside the entrance to the office area. Generally speaking, only someone very marginalized would be assigned to such a spot. “Hello. I’m here to find Mr. Nio.”
“Nio, Nio!” the fat man shouted.
Very quickly, Nio walked out from inside. “Looking for me?”
“Hello, Mr. Nio. Inquisitor Pavaro told me to come find you. I’ve already processed my Divine Servant certificate.”
“So fast? My god. I just got back too, heh heh.”
“Mr. Pavaro told me to do it quickly.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Mr. Pavaro really is an impatient man.” Nio reached out and grabbed Karon by the shoulder, while addressing the fat man at the door, “I’m going to help him transfer a file. If the director comes back and looks for me, tell him.”
“Alright.”
Nio led Karon out of that office area and walked straight deeper inside. Very quickly, the space grew more and more secluded, until a restroom appeared in front of Karon. “I’m going to relieve myself first. Do you need to?”
“No.” Karon shook his head.
“Alright, wait for me.”
Nio went in. A few minutes later, he walked out while wiping his hands with paper. He pointed ahead and gestured for Karon to follow.
Karon followed the man on to a separate elevator. The doors opened, revealing another attendant inside this one as well. Nio took out his identification and entered, and Karon followed him.
After the elevator went up, it stopped at the 32nd floor, but the door that opened was not the elevator’s front door, but the back door. Nio walked out, and Karon continued to follow him.
It seemed as if the elevator had opened into a private residence, as there was a separate private space. Nio took off his coat and casually tossed it onto the sofa, and then sat down behind a desk.
At this moment, his aura changed. He was no longer a timid clerk, but more like a department head with real authority.
“Do you know about the Whip of Order?” Nio asked Karon.
“I do.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“The Whip of Order exists to remove the dust from Order.”
“Mhmm. Not a bad understanding. After you go back, have Mr. Pavaro submit another transfer application for you, and I will assign you to Mr. Pavaro’s Bluebridge Community Inquisition, but first, I have another suggestion. Do you want to hear it?”
“Yes.”
“You should have guessed by now: Do you want to join the Whip of Order? You only need to answer yes or no.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.” Nio pressed a desk bell. A woman in a black church robe walked in. “Hand your dossier to her for a moment. It will be returned very soon.”
“Alright.” Karon handed his file bag to her. She took it and went back into the room they had come from earlier.
“Oh right, I still haven’t asked your name.”
“Karon Silva.”
“Alright, then I’ll just call you Karon. You can address me as… Captain.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“What is your relationship with Inquisitor Pavaro? Are you two close?”
“Not close.”
“Then why did he recommend you?”
“I don’t know.”
Nio nodded and smiled. “Then I guess you must have something he admires.”
Karon also nodded in confusion.
Because of Mr. Pavaro’s mask, many things were able to become simple.
“It’s like this; In five minutes, you’ll become an external member of a Whip of Order squad. Usually, if there’s nothing needed, you’ll submit a monthly work report. I’ll share the reporting method with you in a moment. You must keep your identity as confidential as possible. Understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“If there is something, then we will send word for you to assemble, though there generally won’t be anything. Also, you will receive an extra stipend of one hundred Order credits each month, matching your Divine Servant stipend. For confidentiality purposes, you will need to come to me to collect it.”
“Alright.”
“Mhmm.” Nio nodded and continued. “A lot has happened in Bluebridge Community recently, and many people were implicated. They either died or have been imprisoned, which has opened a number of vacant positions now. Work hard, and your future will be guaranteed.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“You’re easier to talk to than Inquisitor Pavaro. I hope you can also become a righteous person like Mr. Pavaro.”
“I will, Captain.”
“Good.”
Before long, that door opened again. A robed woman handed Karon’s briefcase back to him, and then gave him a gray file bag.
Nio rose to his feet and said to Karon, “To bear the whip is to serve Order.”
Karon straightened at once and replied, “For Order.”
“Alright. You can go,” Nio said.
“Yes, Captain.”
Karon walked to the door, more precisely, the elevator. He pressed the button, and soon the door opened. He entered, and the attendant pressed the floor for him.
When the elevator door opened again and Karon walked out, he found that he was already on the first floor. He left the building and got into Alfred’s car. Alfred drove away.
Karon opened the gray bag. It had felt thin while he had been carrying it, and sure enough, it contained only a single sheet of paper with contact information. Additionally, there was also a gray badge ring with a whip insignia printed on it.
That’s it? No, it’s this casual?
Karon picked up his own briefcase. He pulled out the button cord, and found that the strand of hair that he had casually wound onto it earlier was still there. That meant that after the woman had taken his bag, she never opened it.
She had only sat inside for a while, perhaps drank a cup of tea or coffee, then returned and handed this bag to him. She might even have a stack of the gray bags on her desk.
So in truth, he was not really an external member of a Whip of Order squad. At best, he could be considered an informant. No, not even that. His stipend was only one hundred Order credits a month, and he even had to collect them from Nio in person.
As for the ring with the whip insignia that had been in the bag, Karon picked it up and examined it carefully. Perhaps he pressed a little too hard, but there was a soft click, and the ring split cleanly down the middle. “…It’s plastic.”