Chapter 156: Bloodfiend! |
“People from the Whip of Order are so short sighted, it’s like they’ve been stuffed into a can of herring!” After hearing what had happened from Karon, Alfred could not help cursing.
“Honestly, it’s pretty good this way. I only need to pretend that I think I’m part of the Whip of Order. Maybe it’ll even make it easier to give explanations if something happens.”
“Young Master, you are always so far sighted.”
“Alright, we can head back to the funeral home now. This time, I don’t need to wear the mask. You have no idea how awkward it is for me to chat with Ms. Lake every day while wearing Mr. Pavaro’s face, and Ms. Lake can only feel more awkward than me.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The second hand black Pons drove along the road. When it reached one street, the traffic was blocked by a gathering, so Alfred had to stop the car and wait.
Karon remembered that on his first day in York City, when he got debarked the ship at the docks and taken a care Allen Manor, Ms. Jenny had said that protests and marches in York City were practically a cultural sport, and that there was nothing more common.
After waiting a while, the cars ahead began moving. Alfred started the car again and drove forward. After a short distance, Karon saw a group of people marching along the side of the road. They wore long white robes, and their heads were also covered with tall pointed white hoods, with only two small holes cut for their eyes. They did not carry placards or signs, but torches. They also did not chant any slogans, but marched calmly.
Karon said in confusion, “They don’t look like a church.”
“They really don’t look like a church, but more like some kind of hobby club. Young Master, do you want me to investigate?”
“If you have time, you can investigate later. After you drop me at the funeral home, go to Lemar’s Pottery Studio and settle our bill for the recent Bloodspirit Powder. Also, if Lemar has already restocked, buy some more Bloodspirit Powder for us to keep on hand.
“After that, go and buy two black market scrolls for Pu’er and Kevin. When you’re done with all of that, then you can investigate this club.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Oh, right.” Karon placed the ring he had accidentally snapped in two into the empty pocket beside the car’s handbrake. “Remember to glue that back together.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
The car stopped in front of the doors for Pavaro Funeral Home. Karon got out. With a wave to Alfred, he walked inside.
Alfred picked up the two pieces of the Whip of Order ring and smiled faintly. “The Whip of Order these days… is made of plastic.”
***
Inside the shop, things were still the same as ever; Pike sat in a chair daydreaming, while Dinkom was reading.
In truth, Karon’s dissatisfaction with the two of them had been building for a long time. If before it was only because they were lazy, then last night, when he had driven Ms. Lake back, he had found that these two had left their boss’s two sick daughters home alone, clocking out and leaving. That was no longer a matter of laziness.
Karon understood their thinking. Mr. Pavaro had remained a seventh-class Inquisitor for so many years that the two felt that there was little future in following him. They had chosen to simply drift along.
But while Karon understood, it did not mean that he was willing to accept it.
When he appeared in the shop, Pike looked up first, and his eyes instantly bulged. Dinkom immediately lifted his head to look at Karon, and his mouth also fell open in shock.
“Is Mr. Pavaro here?” Karon asked.
Pike and Dinkom stood up at once. “M- my… sir.”
Dinkom recovered faster and quickly added, “Sir, the boss went out on official business. You’re looking for him?”
He could not simply report that their boss had gone out to accept private work, because Dinkom knew that their boss not only accepted missions from the Church of Order, but also from other churches.
Karon smiled and took out his Divine Servant certificate, which he tossed to Dinkom. Pike turned his head to look as well. “I’m the new Divine Servant here to report in. From now on, I’m the same as you two. Please take care of me.”
“Ho- how is that possible!” Pike cried out in shock.
Dinkom stared at the certificate, then at Karon. “Sir… is this real?”
“It’s real. From now on, I’m also an employee of this funeral home. You two have seniority over me, so you’re my seniors.”
“Really?” Pike asked.
Dinkom immediately bent at the waist and returned the certificate to Karon, repeatedly saying, “We wouldn’t dare! We wouldn’t dare!”
“Heh heh.” Karon smiled, then glanced at the floor and the walls and said, “A lot has happened recently here in Bluebridge Community. Even though everything’s been resolved, the higher ups are paying close attention to this area. Next, Bluebridge Community Inquisition will run a bit differently from other places. Mr. Pavaro already knows about this arrangement, but I don’t know if he gave either of you instructions before leaving.”
“He did! He did. We knew that someone new was coming— oh, no, a new superior. We just didn’t expect it would be you yourself,” Dinkom said, his tone turning obsequious.
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.” Pike nodded repeatedly. They had previously promised their boss that they would teach the newcomer properly and establish the rules, but of course, they no longer dared to entertain that thought.
“This floor is too dirty, and the walls are dirty as well. I have certain habits, and I do not tolerate disorder. Much like sand in the eye, it does not belong.”
“Please rest assured. We’ll clean immediately!”
“We’ll start cleaning right now!”
Karon continued, “I do not know how Mr. Pavaro managed this place in the past, but now that I am here, everything will be done according to my standards and my requirements. If I see the two of you sitting idle again, I expect it to be because you truly have nothing left to do. If I discover that tasks remain unfinished or poorly handled, I will have reason to question your loyalty to the God of Order.”
The words sent a chill down Dinkom and Pike’s backs. They might no longer consider personal advancement, but they certainly did care about their lives. Within the church, having one’s faith called into question could have some very serious consequences.
“Get to work.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!” The two lazy workers immediately began working.
Karon walked into the back. He saw Ms. Lake in her workshop, sitting in a chair and tidying her makeup case. When she saw him enter, she froze, and then quickly stood up and asked, “What happened to my husband again?”
Only after asking did she suddenly remember that her husband was already dead. She immediately grew tense again. Had something happened to “him”?
“I want a glass of ice water. Bring it to my study.” Speaking that simple line, Karon walked to the study. The room had been rearranged yet again, and a floor lamp had been added. The wardrobe had been moved out and replaced with a bookshelf. The rug on the floor had also been replaced with a new one.
He walked behind the desk and sat down, picking up Mr. Pavaro’s work notes, which he resumed reading.
Before long, Ms. Lake pushed the door open and entered with a tray. She first set the ice water down in front of Karon, then another huge sandwich smeared with sauce.
Karon, who was finally no longer her “husband,” smiled directly and said, “I don’t really actually care for this kind of sauce.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll switch to something else next time.”
“Mhmm. Next time, just prepare some biscuits. There’s no need to go to such trouble.”
“Alright. I’ll remember.”
Karon lifted the glass and took a sip.
“You- you really- really are you…?”
It sounded like a tongue twister.
“It’s me.”
“Unbelievable, that my husband’s friend would be you…”
“There are some things I can’t explain for now, but didn’t we already agree a few days ago?”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Everything here will follow your decisions.”
“Mhmm.”
Ms. Lake left the study, and Karon lit a cigarette. Once again, he placed it upside down in the ashtray, and he then continued reading the work notes.
Once he started reading, he forgot time again. When he finally reached the last page of the current notebook, Karon reached up and pressed his neck. He leaned back into the chair and looked around this study, letting out a long breath. Then, he picked up a pen, opened a notebook that had not yet used up, and wrote:
One, study Sea God’s Armor and Darkmoon Blade.
Two, understand the meaning of an Inquisitor’s judgment, and advance.
Three, kill Vicolay.
They were his three short term goals. The first was still in the preparation stage. Alfred had gone to buy the necessary scrolls, and before those were finished, Karon could not push forward.
The second item on the list could also not be rushed.
The third was useless to consider before the first two were accomplished.
With all of that, Karon could finally rest for a bit. He closed his eyes and began resting with a clear conscience.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Come in.”
Ms. Lake pushed the door open, bur remained standing in the doorway. “A call just came in. There’s a job. Pike and the other asked me to come ask you if you are going?”
“Yes.” Karon did not hesitate, but agreed immediately. That was because, in his view, there was no better way to relax than driving a hearse to collect new business.
He walked to the front of the shop and found things had changed. The floor and walls had been carefully wiped down. The greasy feeling he had felt when first entering a few days before was more than halfway gone.
At the moment, Dinkom and Pike already had the gurney ready, and the hearse had also been pulled out.
When the two men saw Karon approaching, Dinkom immediately yielded the driver’s seat. Karon got in and asked, “Where are we picking up the guest?”
“Boss, it’s Redtree Apartments.”
Karon remembered where Redtree Apartments was. It was not far from Allen Apartments where he lived. Every day that Alfred had driven Karon to the clinic, they had passed it. It was an old style apartment complex that had some bit of age. “From now on, just call me boss. No need to call me sir.”
“Yes, sir,” Pike said.
“Yes, boss,” Dinkom said.
Karon drove while Pike and Dinkom sat in the back. It was obvious that they both were exhausted. Karon had been reading for almost half the day, but the other two had not rested at all, but had been performing a deep clean the entire time. Even so, their faces were flushed, which suggested that they still were rather spirited and excited.
“Who called?” Karon asked.
“A man. He said his wife died and wants us to pick up her body.”
“Did you tell him that we need a hospital’s death certificate?”
“We did. He said he has it.”
“Good.”
There was a guard booth at the entrance to the old apartment complex, and two elderly, white-haired people sat inside the booth. Seeing them, Karon did not dare honk. He was afraid that doing so might send them both off together.
Pike and Dinkom got out and pulled the gate open. Karon drove the hearse in and parked in front of Building C.
Pike and Dinkom ran over. Dinkom said, “Boss, it’s the seventh floor, 702.”
Climbing up to the seventh floor would be exhausting, especially considering that Pike and Dinkom also needed to carry the gurney. By the time they arrived, both men were already panting.
Karon stood in front of the door of apartment 702. He wanted to push the doorbell, only to discover that the doorbell had long since fallen off, and there was only a rusted spot on the door. He could only knock.
Knock…
The door was not locked, and when he knocked, it simply swung open on its own. “Hello? We’re from Pavaro Funeral Home.”
While announcing his presence, Karon felt that the name simply did not roll off the tongue. The funeral home’s name should change.
“Hello, is anyone here? We’re the funeral home that came because of the call?” Karon stood in the doorway and called inside for quite some time, but there was still no response. While standing there, Karon seemed to catch a faint scent of blood, but he could not be sure.
“Boss, how about we go in and take a look?” Dinkom suggested. Karon nodded and yielded the position at the doorway. Dinkom and Pike walked in first, and only then did Karon enter.
The furniture inside was also old, though clean and very neat. It was a two bedroom apartment, with one living room. There was no one in the living room, but there was fruit set on the table.
No one was in the kitchen either. Pots and bowls were set out very neatly.
“Hello?” Karon tried calling again.
Dinkom opened one bedroom door. No one was inside.
Pike opened the other bedroom door. It was empty too, no one.
Only the washroom remained. It was not far behind Karon, but he did not turn around to check it.
At this time, Pike whispered, “I want to use the toilet. I can’t hold it.”
Karon looked at Dinkom. The man seemed to understand what Karon was about to ask and immediately announced, “I had him repeat the address twice during the call, and I repeated the address back to him as well. I confirmed it was this address.”
“Go on,” Karon waved a hand at Pike.
“Thanks, Boss!” Pike immediately ran to the washroom.
When someone truly feared you, even receiving permission to go piss was worth offering thanks for.
“The family member is a man?” Karon continued to question Dinkom, though his eyes remained fixed on Pike going to the washroom.
“Yes, Boss. He’s the ‘guest’s’ husband.”
“Ahhh!!!!!!!!!!” Pike, who had entered the washroom, let out a scream.
While silently chanting an Art in his heart, Karon followed Dinkom at a quick pace toward the washroom. Pike’s scream continued. While the pitch weakened, it did not shift, proving the man was merely frightened, but not being attacked.
When Karon entered the washroom, he saw that Pike had collapsed onto the floor, his zipper still undone.
Behind the bathtub curtain, a woman was nailed to the wall with a silver nail, dead. Two fangs protruded from the corners of her mouth. Her ten fingernails were excessively long and black. Her expression in death was incomparably ferocious.
“Bloodfiend!”