13 Mink Street

“You’ve misunderstood me, my son. The Church of Pamireth is not a major church, but becoming its Pontiff is no easy matter. Before one can assume the position of Pontiff, there is a necessary process: entering the Church of Pamireth’s Herald’s Domain to undergo the rite of inheritance, where one is infused with the insights and memories of all previous Pontiffs. If you truly went through that process, Delius, would you still be yourself?”

“Are you questioning my loyalty to the God of Order?”

“It is not your loyalty I doubt. It is that, after experiencing that, you would no longer be Delius. In fact, you would no longer even count as a person.”

“So, Father, should I thank you? Thank you for saving me while I was still myself?”

“You are my son, and a loyal believer of the church. Whether as your father or as a Bishop of the church, I will do everything I can to protect you.”

“Heh...” Delius released his grip on the Bishop’s collar, returned to the sofa, and sat down.

Bishop Byrne continued, “The negotiations will proceed as planned. You must continue to present yourself as the true Divine Progeny of the Church of Pamireth and will push to secure as much autonomy as possible for them in this merger. Once the agreement is accepted by the elders of the Church of Pamireth, and when the Herald's Domain is opened to our Temple of Order, your sacred mission will truly be complete. Your name, your contributions, and your presence will be recorded in the Church’s history.”

“You don’t need to tell me that. I know what I should do.”

“Mm. I’ve always trusted your abilities.” The Bishop then looked at Karon. “I should be leaving.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Karon opened the door for him and escorted him to the elevator. While waiting, Karon expected the Bishop to speak some kind of warning, perhaps regarding confidentiality, but the man said nothing at all.

The elevator doors opened, revealing Richard. The Bishop stepped in, and the doors closed.

When Karon returned to the door of the suite, he saw Paige standing there. “I’m sorry, Karon, but you’ll need to make another trip. The food and drinks have arrived.”

“Is that part of the team leader’s tasks?”

“Yes. It’s part of the procedure. Don’t worry, the captain and the others have already inspected the food and drinks, so you only need to receive them. Fannie did it last time, but this time, you’re the team leader.”

Karon nodded and walked back to the elevator. When the doors opened, Richard pushed a food cart out, delivering it to Karon with great solemnity. The young man acted as if he was transferring a divine artifact.

“Stay alert and observe carefully. Do not relax,” Karon threw in, adding to Richard’s tension.

“Yes, understood!” Richard stepped into the elevator with firm strides, spun around with a sharp motion, and stood upright.

Karon pushed the cart into Delius’s room and saw him sitting on the sofa in a daze. It seemed he had no appetite. If the Divine Progeny truly said so, Karon would not hesitate to push the cart straight back to his own room.

“The meal has arrived. Please enjoy.”

Delius stood up, walked to the cart, and took a bottle of red wine from the bottom. He opened it himself and returned to the sofa. “Have a drink with me. I’m not used to drinking with women.”

“I’m sorry, but during a mission, I’m not allowed to drink alcohol. I can accompany you with another beverage.”

Delius nodded. “Fine.”

Karon took two glasses from the cabinet. He placed one in front of Delius for the wine, while filling his own with ice and water.

Delius took a sip, gently swirling the glass, then glanced at Karon. “I envy you.”

“The fact that I can openly praise Order?”

“Yes.” Delius let out a sigh. “For nearly twenty years, I’ve dreamed of this. Standing before a crowd, placing my hands over my chest, and shouting out loud, ‘Praise Order!’”

He flicked the rim of his glass, producing a crisp sound. “Do you think that’s ridiculous?”

“No. What we take for granted is often what others dream of. That’s quite common.”

“Yes. Just as many people would envy my position as a Divine Progeny.” He paused. “Do you?”

Karon straightened. “Are you questioning my loyalty to the God of Order?”

“No, no.” Delius pressed a hand to his forehead. Though he had only taken a single sip, he looked like he was already drunk.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have answered like that,” Karon said. “In truth, I admire you. I admire your sacrifice.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I believe the great God of Order sees your sacrifice. After all, His gaze is everywhere.”

“Mm.” Delius sighed and placed his glass on the table. “I’m tired.”

Already tired? Wasn’t it you who wanted to drink and talk?

“In that case, please rest well.” Karon stood and added, “For your health, please try to eat something.”

“I can’t. I want to rest.”

“Then I’ll take the cart away so the smell doesn’t disturb your sleep.”

Delius nodded, and Karon pushed the cart out.

“Ah-ha!” Paige laughed when she saw him. “You still have that habit.”

Fannie came over, glanced at the food, and said, “That’s quite a high standard.”

Naturally, a meal would be tailored to the guest’s status. Since the Bishop had not specifically instructed Karon to keep things confidential, he recounted what he had seen and heard to Paige and Fannie.

“Who would have thought? The Church of Pamireth’s Divine Progeny is actually one of ours,” Paige remarked.

“That’s probably what makes our church so terrifying,” Fannie said.

Karon noticed her choice of the word “terrifying.” Normally, one would say “powerful,” but given the atmosphere of Nio’s squad, her choice was hardly surprising.

“What I find strange is that the Bishop didn’t ask me to keep it secret,” Karon said.

“There’s no need,” Paige replied. “The Divine Progeny won’t be leaving this hotel. Even if he requests to go out, it will be denied, and until the negotiations conclude, we won’t be leaving Ankara Hotel either. Our squad’s communication with the outside world has probably already been cut off.”

Paige touched the blue shell hanging by her ear. “The captain just issued a gag order.”

That explained it. They were effectively imprisoned, just the same as Delius. They would only be released when negotiations ended. There was no need for secrecy when everyone who knew was confined within the hotel.

When the negotiations ended and the Herald's Domain opened to the Temple of Order, it would mean that the core of the Church of Pamireth had been fully absorbed, leaving no room for resistance.

“So this mission is actually quite easy,” Karon said with a smile.

“That’s why security assignments are so popular among the Whip of Order squads,” Fannie said. “Cases like Miss Ophelia needing to leave midway are rare.”

Karon took a shower, changed into the hotel’s nightwear, and laid on the bed. Paige and Fannie sat by the floor-to-ceiling window drinking juice, though Karon could smell strong alcohol. They had clearly poured liquor into the juice bottles.

Given the situation, that made sense. With no external missions, and the entire squad under gag orders with their captain himself handling security on the other floors, there was little for them to do. If danger did arise, it would likely mean a full-scale attack on the Ankara Hotel itself.

Karon closed his eyes. Even though he had slept most of the day, drowsiness still overtook him.

When he woke, he glanced at the clock. Only three hours had passed. It was still before dawn, but he felt completely refreshed. As he sat up, his hand pressed against something soft. Looking down, he saw that he had placed it on Paige’s backside.

He withdrew his hand, pulled the blanket over her, and got out of bed.

Fannie, who was on watch, sat on the sofa reading a newspaper. She smiled when she saw him awake. “You don’t need to take watch, team leader.”

“I can’t sleep.” He sat down across from her.

“Then I’ll go to sleep?”

“Go ahead.”

Fannie set down the paper. She walked over and bent down, brushing her nose against his cheek. “Do you know? The last time we stayed here, Paige and I treated you like a little colt.”

“And now?”

“Now we treat you like a wild wolf we carefully tease. It feels different. Last time was amusing. This time is thrilling.” She removed the blue shell from her ear and placed it in Karon’s.

He smiled and took a sip of water. Picking up the newspaper, he asked, “By the way, why is the cart still here?”

“The captain said they don’t need a midnight meal tonight,” Fannie replied as she climbed into bed.

About two hours later, the sky outside was still dark, but dawn was beginning to stir. Karon stood up, walked toward the cart to grab something to eat, when a bell rang. It was from Delius’s room.

Karon went over, knocked, and opened the door. The moment he stepped in, a sudden sense of danger rose within him.

Nothing in the room appeared abnormal, but compared to what he saw, Karon trusted his instincts more.

He immediately stepped back out without fully entering, closing the door with his right hand while his left moved to the blue shell to alert the captain, but before the door shut the whole way, a hand shot through the gap and seized his collar.

Delius’s face appeared at the door. “I need your help!”

“Please release me first.”

Delius let go. Karon noticed the man’s face had turned ashen, and his golden hair looked as if it had been coated in gray cement.

“Heh...” An eerie laugh slipped from his throat.

Karon stepped back another two paces, pretending to adjust his collar.

Then the door opened fully. Delius was not standing upright. His limbs were braced against the sides of the entrance, his body inverted in a grotesque posture.

“You can inform your people first. But do it quickly. I need your help.”

Karon channeled a bit of spirituality into the shell and tapped it three times. The shells only transmitted one way. The captain could send orders, but the squad members could only respond with simple taps.

“Done?” Delius asked. “Come in.”

“I’m here,” the captain’s voice came through the shell.

Karon nodded to Delius. Delius turned and crawled along the wall like a spider. Karon followed him in and saw a small blue tray on the table, covered by a faint barrier. Inside floated more than a dozen black particles.

“Take one out. Quickly!” Delius urged.

The barrier was weak, like one created by a Divine Servant, though it carried a trace of Order. Karon infused it with his own Order aura and quickly gained control. He dispelled the barrier.

With a blur, Delius snatched one of the particles and threw it into his mouth.

“Aah...” It was not a scream of pain but a sigh of relief. Clinging to the wall, his face and body lifted, his expression one of pure pleasure.

In daylight, Karon would never have imagined that the Divine Progeny of the Church of Pamireth could appear like this.

Then suddenly, like a lizard losing its grip, Delius dropped onto the sofa, limbs still twisted in unnaturally, like a turtle flipped on its back.

Nio appeared beside Karon, wearing a silver mask.

“Captain, what’s happening to him?” Karon asked.

“He’s been poisoned,” Nio replied.

“Poisoned?”

Nio placed a hand on Delius’s abdomen. Delius’s eyes snapped open, glaring at him.

“I’ll suppress the reaction,” Nio stated. Delius hesitated, then closed his eyes again.

Black light gathered in Nio’s palm and pressed into Delius’s body. Delius’s limbs tensed as if he wanted to curl up, but he restrained himself.

Karon clearly saw a bulge moving beneath Delius’s abdomen, as if something alive was inside. The black light circulated, driving the thing to move. As it did, the gray pallor faded from Delius’s face and hair, and his limbs gradually relaxed.

Finally, he exhaled deeply. The bulge receded. Nio withdrew his hand and stood.

“What was that?” Karon asked.

“A parasite. He’s raising a worm inside his body.”

Delius sat up, still drenched in sweat.

Nio picked up the blue tray. “These are pellets made from the blood essence of a Black Soul Shark. They’re used to feed the worm. When it gets hungry, it awakens, and when it moves, the host suffers greatly.

“The problem lies with this container. The barrier itself is fine, but Ankara Hotel is enveloped in a massive ritual array. It instinctively probes and wraps around all internal barriers. That extra layer of Order interferes with it, preventing you from opening it normally. Forcing it open could destroy both the barrier and the contents.”

Delius spoke up, “You know quite a lot. Yes, that’s all correct. When it becomes active, all of my spirituality is suppressed. Even if I try to draw it out, it gets devoured before it can leave my body.”

“Why not feed it earlier?” Nio asked. “Is it reacting to the array here?”

“No. My emotions fluctuated too much today, and it woke up.”

“So you haven’t established a mental link yet,” Nio said. “Otherwise, you could have calmed it with your mind.”

“I haven’t. I can’t.” Delius looked at Nio. “Guess what kind of worm it is.”

“A space worm. Saemis.”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn’t have swallowed it. You might deceive everyone in the Church of Pamireth, but you can’t deceive what’s inside you. It’s not that you can’t establish a mental bridge, it’s that you don’t dare. You’re afraid it will perceive your true faith.”

“To become the Divine Progeny, I had to swallow it, so I can only rely on these feedings to keep it in check.”

“Both the feedings and its awakenings bring unbearable pain,” Nio said.

Delius smiled faintly. “No matter the pain, I will not yield. If I’m forced to change my faith and accept Pamireth, I would rather die.”

Karon found the words strangely familiar, reminding him of Saman at Ivy Cemetery.

“Rest well,” Nio said. “We’ll protect you.”

“Thank you.”

Nio left the room, and Karon followed, closing the door behind them. Each room was an independent ward. Once sealed, it was isolated from the outside.

“Tonight, the food and drinks in the cart were laced with something,” Nio said.

“Drugged?”

“It’s harmless to humans, but it stimulated the worm.”

Karon remained silent.

Nio walked a few steps ahead, then turned. “It’s not your fault for removing the cart. If there had been any other issue, I would have warned you.”

“Then why didn’t you take the food, knowing it was harmless?”

Nio paused. “Knowing something is harmless is one thing. Knowing it’s been tampered with still ruins the appetite. What? Do you think I’ve got a worm in me too?”

“No, Captain. Of course not.” A hunting hound would never ignore free food. This was the same captain who would take everything he could, even when buying a ring that came with a free plastic one.

“Get some rest,” Nio said. “Treat this as a vacation.”

He turned and walked toward the elevator.

“Captain...” Karon called out.

Nio stopped and looked back. “What is it?”

“I think Delius mistook me for the squad captain today.”

“And?”

“He invited me to drink, talked to me, and deliberately drank a sip of wine in front of me. Thinking back now, it felt intentional. I suspect he already knew the food was drugged.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!