“I now declare the first Ace of Spades Meeting to be concluded with complete success.”

Clap, clap, clap! As meeting chair, Alfred made the announcement while standing up to applaud proactively.

However, despite Pu’er and the golden retriever cooperating by patting their paws, they could not produce any real clapping sounds. On top of that, Karon only gave a few perfunctory claps, leading to a rather scattered atmosphere at the meeting’s adjournment.

But those were minor details. Alfred believed that in the future, this scene would surely receive its own bit of space on a mural.

After that, with the plan set, Alfred summoned Borg. The young man was not qualified to participate in the meeting, but the decisions and conclusion of the meeting required plenty of running around, and much of that would fall on him.

There was no helping it. Alfred had to shoulder his Young Master’s security, while the other two, being a cat and a dog, were not suitable messengers. The dog, in particular, could not even speak.

Not long after, Master Anderson, exhausted from a full day’s work, arrived in the study with Mike and Bede. Karon did not inform them that the royal family had plans to move against Allen Manor. He simply instructed them that once Prince Henry’s funeral date was confirmed, they would need to coordinate the funeral proceedings with him in detail, and they would also need to strengthen their communications with the royal household, meaning Her Majesty the Queen.

After all, she had just lost the great-grandson she favored, or perhaps a grandson. Who knew?

Master Anderson nodded and agreed to everything. Things had already been agreed upon between the Allen family and the royals, so even without Karon’s reminder, the old man would have done the same.

That night, after bathing, Karon lay in his bed holding the plan Pu’er had prepared to help Mike resolve his physical issue.

To be honest, Karon did not fully understand it, but that did not stop him from reading it with intense interest.

A family faith system awakened through bloodline, and its emergence was completely different from a church faith system that came from true god and rules.

However, once the system was guided into the body, many aspects started to converge by different roads.

Only, Pu’er’s diagrams showed the way that the body and elements moved was more metaphysical. Before purification, he would not have understood any of it, but he was now able to at least follow the drawings and gesture along with his hand.

At the moment, healing Mike was a quick way to increase their combat strength, but the process could not be rushed. His “doctor” had only just graduated, and still had his residency ahead of him.

On the windowsill, Pu’er and the golden retriever lay facing each other. Pu’er began flipping pages.

Meow?

Woof!

Meow?

Woof!

The two were selecting Karon’s educational curriculum for tomorrow for him to begin training in Arts.

The Church of Order was a great church. Its present development and scale were very different from its earliest days when the God of Order had first founded it. It had been greatly enriched and extended into many branches.

The path from Divine Shepherd to Inquisitor, and then upward from Inquisitor, was only the main branch among them.

Within the church, there were many advancement routes, and even many systems that had originally belonged to other religions, but been taken in and modified.

There were simply too many Arts.

To cultivate everything would be like memorizing an entire set of textbooks. Given all of that, it was necessary to have an experienced teacher who could tailor the key points based on Karon’s specific situation.

Fortunately, the cat teacher had stayed with the Immers family for around a hundred years and was very familiar with the Church of Order system.

As for the dog teacher, there was no need to even mention it. Pu’er guessed that if that thing had been summoned by a grand ritual from the Church of Order, then it was very likely an existence that had once been suppressed by the God of Order. Even if the God of Order had not acted personally, the heretical god had at least been suppressed, sealed, and imprisoned by the upper ranks of the Church of Order.

The cat teacher knew the system well and had witnessed Tiz’s course of study. The dog teacher had taken a beating. Between the two of them, marking key points would surely be twice the result for half the effort.

As for Alfred, he sat alone, entirely focused on studying Mr. Hoffen’s notes. Recently, his understanding of basic ritual arrays had advanced quickly, and that was thanks to the dog teacher.

In addition, his Succubus Eye itself offered a major advantage in learning. If not, Rasma would not have wanted Alfred’s eyes. As the High Priest of the Church of Order, Rasma certainly did not lack ordinary treasures.

What Alfred was doing was first attempting to thoroughly master a basic reinforcement ritual array of the Church of Order called Basic Attunement.

This ritual array itself had no offensive or defensive power, but it could enhance the effectiveness of Arts and ritual arrays of the same attribute within its range. Put simply, it provided amplification and load-sharing.

Because the last time his Young Master tried to awaken Earl Rekar, he had overdrawn himself and fallen unconscious, Alfred believed this ritual array could reduce the pressure on Karon.

Although Alfred did not know if the black chains that appeared beneath his Young Master’s feet at that time counted as a ritual array or an Art, and Karon himself probably did not know either, it did not matter. Regardless, it could be applied.

Man, cat, and dog were all busy.

Karon set his own notebook down, turned over, and switched off his bedside lamp.

Sensing that their young master was about to sleep, the arguing between the cat and dog on the windowsill dropped in volume at once, and Alfred softened the sound of his page-turning as well.

Karon closed his eyes. At that moment, he felt the atmosphere of a university dormitory from his previous life.

But looking at the actual situation, it was more like several excellent teachers staying up late to prepare lessons for him, a primary school student.

Not long after, Karon fell asleep.

***

Morning. An unusually bright, sunny day, though the morning wind still carried a distinct chill.

Borg had already laid out a cushion. Karon sat down.

They were surrounded by green grass. In winter, such scenery was truly rare. Early on in their family history, the Allen family had built their manor here after considering many factors, and even the present greenery was a symbol of the family’s foundation.

However, the family’s decline had caused those same things to easily turn into liabilities.

Pu’er sat on the golden retriever’s back, wearing a small red hood on her head.

Karon took a sandwich from Borg and ate. After yesterday, for a short time, he would not allow himself to eat breakfast in peace. Even the matter of having Master Anderson install a small kitchen on the third floor would have to be postponed.

Sometimes, Karon truly could not help sighing. Only after leaving Tiz did he understand that the happiness of calmly preparing meals for a family had been such a luxury.

“Borg.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Show your ability first.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Karon wanted to first see how the Allen family faith system manifested. Borg was the best candidate.

The young man walked to the center and closed his eyes. Then he opened them. In his left eye, a bright flare appeared. Immediately after that, two fireballs formed above his open palms.

Pu’er, who had been enjoying the wind and looking out at the scenery, went still the moment her gaze fell on Borg.

“Attack power?” Karon asked.

Borg threw the fireballs. After they traveled about five meters from his body, they cracked apart and dispersed into sparks.

While chewing his sandwich, Karon thought to himself that the practical effect was underwhelming. The attack might look flashy and induce a bit of psychological pressure, but the actual power and effect could not compare to a rifle.

“Young Master, Tier-1 of the family faith system is like this,” Borg explained. “It merely proves that I have awakened the bloodline and can use bloodline abilities. I’ve seen the family’s Tier-2 abilities, and they can ignite a fire at long distances, or create water mist, or even freeze.”

“Hmm.” Karon nodded. So if it came to fighting, at least Tier-2 was required. Tier-1 could only serve as a cheer squad. The problem was that if there were not enough Tier-1s at the base, it became impossible to cultivate enough Tier-2s and Tier-3s.

“Tier-3?” Karon asked.

Borg answered, “I’ve heard others in the family say that Tier-3 can condense fire or water attribute power and coat their bodies, which can increase defenses and even enhance all physical attributes while in that state, like speed and reaction.”

Karon nodded. In that case, Tier-3 matched his idea of what a “strong fighter” felt like.

No wonder Pu’er had mentioned that Tier-3 in the Allen family faith system was roughly comparable to Alfred. Tier-1 was like stage magic indoors, Tier-2 was like stage magic outdoors, and only by reaching Tier-3 and mastering attribute power could someone be truly useful in a fight.

Pu’er’s eyes narrowed, and she kept staring at Borg.

“Alright. You can rest,” Karon said.

But Borg did not step down. He licked his lips and said to Karon, “Young Master, I have another secret.”

Hearing that, Pu’er’s gaze softened considerably.

“Oh?”

Borg closed his eyes again. When he opened them, a faint blue appeared in his right eye. It had a watery sheen.

Two balls of water formed in his palm. He threw them.

Smack! They hit the ground and burst apart.

“Both water and fire?” Karon stared at Borg in surprise.

Karon understood how difficult that was. Mike had pursued a dual water-fire body and ended up with his legs blown off.

The portrait of the family’s ancestor Allen hung in the study, urging generations of his descendants to pursue dual attributes. Consequently, every generation had geniuses who ended up with missing limbs, crippled.

And yet this boy, at Tier-1, already possessed both attributes.

This was talent, a true talent of the Allen family.

And considering that Judia had been born royal, with her tangled family relations, but definitely different access resources, while Borg had grown up in a brothel, the comparison between the two became even clearer.

Even if Judia was younger and had already reached Tier-3 and Borg was only Tier-1, in essence, they could be considered equally talented. Most importantly, Borg’s future potential was far broader than Judia’s.

Karon unconsciously rubbed his chin.

Could it be that Allen, somewhere in the dark, had sensed that his descendants had grown too incompetent, and so talent had started to burst forth?

Or perhaps Allen had long since died, but his bloodline that was passed down could be treated as a living thing. Even bacteria could be treated as a “population” and observed and defined by how the population develops. Why could a bloodline not be the same?

The bloodline itself sensed the danger of a complete decline, so in this generation, it had awakened talent to save itself.

Only the way it saved itself was almost laughable. One had awakened in the Gloria family, and one had awakened in a brothel.

Thinking that, Karon turned his head toward the distant castle and fell into thought. Maybe he had been narrow-minded. A bloodline only wanted to persist. It did not have any sense of belonging to Allen Manor.

Extending that further, and perhaps the relationship between rules and the churches and the true gods was the same. They looked like conjoined symbiotes, but in truth, each operated by its own set of basic laws. To outsiders’ eyes, their relationship was that of the most familiar strangers.

Borg had planned to wait for Karon to ask, but seeing him staring off into the distance with no intention of asking any questions, Borg dropped to one knee and spoke proactively, “Young Master, the Allen family does not know I also possess water attribute ability.”

He had concealed his dual attributes from the Allens. He could have concealed it from Karon as well, but had instead chosen to reveal this secret. After all, the most direct way to draw close and integrate into a group was to share a secret.

Pu’er turned her head slightly, her whiskers trembling without a sound.

Karon returned from his thoughts and nodded at him. “I understand.”

Borg smiled, stood, withdrew to the edge, then led his horse farther away and stopped at a more distant spot.

“He’s a genius,” Pu’er commented. She said nothing more. After yesterday’s meeting, she had realized that the radio demon had actually caught up to her and even gained an edge. She had been here first, after all.

Understanding took time. Once the surge of excitement from returning home had passed, Pu’er clearly sensed a new crisis: affection had faded.

“Can you teach him?” Karon asked Pu’er.

“Yes,” Pu’er said. “I’ll train him as much as I can. The radio demon can relay my words. When you feel the time is right, you can bring him into Ace of Spades, and then I can speak to him directly.”

“Mmm.” Karon nodded. He wiped his mouth and hands with a handkerchief, stood, and walked to the center.

The golden retriever carried over a notebook in its mouth. Karon took it and opened it. Inside were four Arts.

“These are four practical Arts for the Divine Servant stage,” Pu’er said. “They’re relatively difficult at this stage. Ordinary Divine Servants need a long time to practice, but you should learn quickly.”

“How long did Tiz take to learn them?” Karon asked.

“Tiz...” Pu’er frowned. “I think Tiz always learned Arts the moment he saw them.”

“Alright. Understood.”

Karon studied the first Art carefully. “Does it require such a long recitation?”

“Recitation is assistance,” Pu’er said. “It helps you to resonate with rules or the God of Order. It’s like begging someone to help you. If you can say more pleasant words, you say more.

“Of course, once you’re strong enough, it’s like the relationship has reached a point where a simple sentence is enough, or even just a look.”

“Mmm.” Karon indicated he understood.

“Stand properly first, right hand open. We brought the Light of Order, but you can also pretend you’re holding it. It will help you connect better with the God of Order.

“Imagine the mighty God of Order. You’re praying to him. You’re calling to him, asking him to lower the radiance of Order upon you. What a great happiness.”

Pu’er tried to guide Karon through the traditional teaching process, but in Karon’s mind, what appeared was the God of Order walking along, casually flicking his fingers to scatter vast amounts of starlight.

When you prayed sincerely to a god, the god was in fact responding in a perfunctory, casual, mass-produced manner, and even that response depended on identity, status, and rank.

Most laughable of all, that god did not possess the will of a god. It was only the shell of a god, a puppet called “god” which coldly executing the duties of a god.

Once that image and recognition formed, Karon realized he could not summon the emotions Pu’er described at all. Sacred prayer, warm calling, sincere gratitude, all of it made him feel like a shameless simp. Even worse, he knew what he was worshiping was only a mechanically turning cog. In the end, being allowed to lick up a mouthful of machine oil would count as divine grace.

At that moment, another image surfaced in Karon’s mind: Tiz, saying that the God of Order had been raised by a whore.

Clearly, respecting the god or not was not strictly necessary.

Karon drew in a deep breath, opened his left hand before his chest, and recited, “O’ Supreme God of Order, O’ chains of Order that judge all things, attend my call. Bestow protection upon your believer, guard my heart that longs for Order and my unwavering faith in Order. Order—Basic Shadow Guard.”

The moment the words cut off, Karon’s shadow climbed upward. His face, skin, and clothing all darkened in tone, as if a cloak had been draped over him.

Alfred’s mouth fell open. One attempt, and it worked?

The golden retriever also gaped, its tongue lolling as it shook its head.

Pu’er became lost in a certain memory. She remembered Tiz as a child, after he had completed his purification and had started learning Church of Order Arts.

These grandfather and grandson, they aren’t just similar, they’re identical.

Karon did not notice the reactions of cat, dog, and radio. He merely glanced down and began reciting the next Art.

The opening nonsense was the same: “O’ Supreme God of Order, O’ Chains of Order that judge all things, attend my call...

“Order—Basic Obscuring Mist.”

A faint layer of mist appeared around them and gathered toward Karon, wrapping him within it.

After that, Karon continued with the next one. “O’ Supreme God of Order, O’ Chains of Order that judge all things, attend my call...

“Order—Protective Wall.”

“O’ Supreme God of Order, O’ Chains of Order that judge all things, attend my call...

“Order—Basic Black Feather Guard.”

A black, door-shaped projection appeared before him. On either side of his body, two black wings appeared, wrapping around him.

Now there were black shadows, black mist, a black door, black feathers, which left Karon completely covered in dark things. You could not even see that a person was standing inside.

“Ahem...” Karon coughed once.

The black shadow, black mist, black door, and black feathers all dispersed. Karon’s complexion was rosy. There was no sign of excessive power consumption. He only asked, confused, “You two picked these four out so carefully last night? Why are they all defensive?”

Pu’er answered, “Because the Divine Servant stage learns defensive Arts. A Divine Servant’s job is to protect himself well and grow.”

“Is there nothing to use to attack?” Karon asked.

Was every fight going to be him putting a turtle shell on himself and waiting to be hit?

“Divine Seeker is also mostly defensive, while also learning Arts so they can listen better for divine revelation. The Divine Shepherd stage is different, and that’s where attack Arts appear.

“If you treat an Inquisitor as the chief of a local police bureau, then a Divine Shepherd is like the detective under him.”

“Is there one here?” Karon asked, flipping pages.

“No,” Pu’er said. “At this stage, I think if you can stack protection on yourself, or at least buy time until the radio demon comes to save you, that will be enough.

“I’m worried that overloading too early might push you to overdraw. Although right now, your performance is better than I expected. I might consider going to find...”

Karon flipped to the back and found a page with extremely ugly handwriting.

If the previous handwriting could be called cat paw script, then this page was truly dog scrawl.

Spear of Punishment? Karon looked up at the golden retriever. The dog twitched its eyes at him.

Karon did not immediately recite the dog crawl script. Instead, he asked Pu’er, “What stage is Spear of Punishment?”

“Basic Spear of Punishment?” Pu’er said. “That’s a Divine Shepherd Art. Damn it! You stupid dog! You actually dared to sneak in something above the syllabus!”

Pu’er instantly realized what had happened and reached for the dog’s head with her claws.

“Can I try it?” Karon asked.

Pu’er stopped scratching and hesitated. “You can try, but if you feel like your body can’t bear it, just stop early like you did just now.”

With that confirmation, Karon nodded. He did not want his first day of learning Arts to end with him doing nothing but stacking turtle shells on himself.

His expression turned serious. He followed the dog crawl script and began to recite, “Great God of Order; chains of Order that judge all things, attend my call. Grant authority to punish acts that violate Order and cleanse its defilement. Order—Spear of Punishment!”

When he finished reciting, Karon opened his eyes and looked around himself. He saw no spear.

So, had it failed?

As expected, skipping ranks was not so easy.

Just as Karon decided to accept reality, he noticed that Alfred, Pu’er, and the golden retriever were all staring above his head as if they were looking a ghost.

Karon raised his head too.

Above his head, a black spear had appeared. Black mist coiled around it, and ancient, mysterious inscriptions flowed across the shaft.

It worked! Karon instinctively reached out to grab it, but the spear rose higher as his hand moved.

It can’t be held by hand, so how is it controlled? Karon moved his right hand to the east. The spear overhead turned with it, almost perfectly aligned with his hand.

So that’s it. Karon raised his right arm, and the Spear of Punishment flew higher. He pointed at a patch of green in the distance. As if understanding had formed on its own, a word left his mouth, “Punishment.”

Buzz.

Karon swayed on his feet. The back of his head felt as if it had been struck by an open palm, and he sensed that liquid about to drip from the tip of his nose.

Still, he could endure this much. It was much better than before, when even the slightest strain would leave him overdrawn and unconscious. This sensation left Karon believing that he could fire the attack again.

The Spear of Punishment shot forward and stabbed into the open green ground. A detonation followed.

Even though Karon had deliberately aimed far away, the force of the blast still exceeded his expectations. With days of continuous rain, the ground was quite soft and muddy.

In an instant, heavy clods of wet, black mud and torn grass were hurled into the air, only to rain back down on top of Karon and the others, coating the cat, the dog, and the man alike in filth.

Pu’er muttered, “Impossible. Impossible. That wasn't a Basic Spear of Punishment at all... This is practically brushing up against the advanced version.

“Oh my god! Damn it, Karon! When you chanted, you didn’t say ‘Basic,’ so it automatically defaulted to the strongest grade of Art you can bear! You dropped a word, Karon!

“Stupid dog, you didn’t write it in full! I’m going to scratch you to death, stupid dog. Do you even know what kind of problem that could cause?”

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Karon wiped the mud off his face with the back of his hand, and then cleaned his nosebleed with his palm. He let out a long breath, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Not bad.”