Karon opened his mouth, intending to speak, but for a moment no sound came out. He could only take a deep breath and blink hard several times to stop the tears from leaking from his eyes.

“Hello, this is Immers Funeral Home,” on the other end of the line, Mason repeated himself.

Karon’s gaze wandered to a picture hanging on the study wall. There was a certain feeling of timidity when approaching home. If only there had been been a letter, there would have been no problem, but the moment he heard his uncle’s voice, the face of the person on the other end and his entire being surged into Karon’s mind, as well as the people around him, the living room, the front yard, the second-floor kitchen, the third-floor bedroom, as well as every associated emotion.

Before this, Karon had never thought of himself as being sentimental. He preferred to resolve things and arrange his life calmly, and even resisted letting emotion influence his reason. Yet the truth told him he was not some exception.

At that moment, having heard no reply from Karon, Mason seemed to sense something. He lowered his voice, and unmistakable excitement filled his voice as he asked, “Karon, is that you?”

Karon clenched his teeth and finally spoke, “Uncle Mason.”

“Oh, Karon, you’re alright! You’re alright, hahaha! You’re alright! You’re alright!”

On the other end, Mason was almost shouting, and Karon could even hear the sound of leather shoes hopping on the floor coming through the receiver.

“Uncle Mason, I’m fine, I’m very well,” Karon said.

“Karon, are you in Veyn now? Ah, listen to me, asking such a question. You must be in Veyn, you—”

“Hello, Karon?” Aunt Mary’s voice came through the phone. “Karon, is it really Karon?”

“It’s me, Aunt Mary. How is your health—”

“You heartless brat! How could you only think to call home now? Has your conscience been eaten by maggots!” Aunt Mary immediately started scolding him through the phone, and Karon listened to the curses coming from the receiver with a smile on his face.

“That’s enough, that’s enough,” Mason’s voice was heard again. “Ask the child how he’s been doing in Veyn.”

“Karon, how are you getting on in Veyn now?”

“Uncle, Aunt, there was an accident with the passenger ship we were on. We were rescued and taken ashore, but ran into some trouble, so I had no way to contact home. It’s fine now. I’ve settled down and life is getting back on track. In a couple of days, I plan to start looking at houses.” Karon omitted many details.

When they heard he planned to look at houses, Mason and Aunt Mary tacitly refrained from asking further questions about the process, as they could fill in the blanks themselves. Poor child. He must not be treated well at his fiancée’s family home. He must be enduring cold stares and grievances there, which is why he plans to buy a house and live on his own.

They deliberately avoided probing at Karon’s wounds. “Take care of the house matter quickly. Oh right, you said the passenger ship had an accident; You didn’t lose any of your documents, did you?”

“No, everything is with me and has been kept safe. The loan contract is here, and the passbook and cash are all here too.”

“That’s good, that’s good. As long as you have money in hand, there’s nothing to fear. I’ll have your uncle transfer some more money into your account tomorrow.”

“Aunt, I have enough money with me.”

“It can’t possibly be enough. How could it be enough? You’re a child who cares about face; I know.”

“How is everyone at home? And your health?”

“Father is still unconscious, but his breathing has been steady,” Aunt Mary said. “Your Aunt Winnie has gone to the nursing home to discuss business, and Mina and the others aren’t at home right now, so they can’t come to the phone and speak with you.”

“It’s alright. Once I’ve settled the house and installed a telephone, I’ll call again.”

“Mm, when that time comes, give us the address. We can write letters and send some photos and packages.”

“And canned herring, Karon!” Mason shouted.

“Alright, Aunt.”

“Do you have anything else to say?” Aunt Mary asked Mason.

He took the receiver and said, “Karon.”

“Uncle Mason?”

“Believe in yourself. Have confidence in yourself.”

Karon was stunned for a moment, then realized that Mason was comforting him for being driven out by his fiancée’s family. With that, he could only smile and say, “Alright, Uncle Mason.”

On the other end, Mason summoned his courage and shouted, “Remember this, the men of the Immers family may lack money, may lack career, but we will never lack women! Ouch!”

He had clearly been pinched hard by Aunt Mary.

“Karon.” Aunt Mary took the receiver back.

“Aunt.”

“Your uncle is right.”

“Ouch...” Even while saying that he was right, Aunt Mary pinched the soft flesh at Uncle’s waist again.

“I won’t urge you to come back now. You must want to make another attempt in Veyn. I support you. You must also believe that you will certainly find the one who understands and appreciates you.”

“I’ve always believed that,” Karon said.

“Alright, take care there. Rest well and stay safe.”

“You all take care of your health too.”

The call ended. Alfred brought over a hot towel. Karon took it and wiped his face.

“Young Master, when I went to the door just now to collect the towel Borg prepared, I saw Mr. Bede outside.”

“Mm, let him in.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred walked to the study door, opened it, and ushered Bede inside. After hesitating for a moment, Alfred chose not to leave the study, and instead stood by the door.

“Young Master Karon,” Bede called, then quite casually pulled over a chair and sat down.

“You handled things very well,” Karon commented. “Mr. Bede, you have always been capable.”

Bede smiled. “Thank you for your praise, but in truth, my abilities are quite limited, especially for this family. No, I mean for the former state of this family. What I could do was truly not much.”

Karon nodded. The previous Allen family had not been at a point where simply replacing the patriarch with someone wiser could resolve their crisis.

Whether it was the relentless pressure from the Raphael family or the carefully calculated black seed plan of the Glorias, what had been required was absolute strength. Bede was capable of many things, but fighting was not one of them.

Tiz had killed the Raphael family’s patriarch, and Gloria the Ninth had been dealt with by Earl Rekar. Though it felt a bit like using a cannon to swat a mosquito, those two mosquitoes had been ones that Bede was completely powerless against.

When one is powerless while also possibly capable of seeing that, the only choice was passivity.

“I’ll be moving into York City in a couple of days.” Since Karon was leaving, it was necessary to inform his hosts beforehand.

“If you wish to live in the city, Young Master Karon, I will immediately compile a list of the family’s properties there to present for personal selection.”

“That won’t be necessary. Before coming to Veyn, my uncle and aunts prepared a loan contract with the Veyn National Bank for me. I can afford to buy a house with that loan.”

For a moment, Bede did not know how to respond, especially given that he saw Karon smiling confidently as he spoke.

Still, the man quickly understood the implication and smiled. “I understand. Then I sincerely wish that you will select the house with the best value for money that satisfies you, Young Master Karon. The Allen Consortium will not interfere.”

“Thank you for the care these days at Allen Manor.”

“No, it is Allen Manor that should thank you, Young Master, for your care,” Bede said, standing up while speaking very earnestly.

“Alright, there’s no need for such courtesy between our two families.”

“The warning you once gave me, that I need to receive the breath of the earth, after hearing what you have arranged for yourself, I seem to have gained new insight into those words.”

“What insight?” Karon asked with curiosity. His prospective father-in-law was someone qualified to sit face to face with Tiz and have a conversation. He had many obvious shortcomings, but his strengths were surely exceptional.

Setting aside everything else, the painting he had done for Karon was enough on its own. With just a few words, he had understood Karon’s inner thoughts and expressed them visually. One could not help but marvel at his talent in that field.

“The Wall God Church has always been obsessed with painting murals of gods, believing it to be the highest pursuit of art.”

“Mhmm.”

“I am beginning to doubt that pursuit. Young Master Karon, your decision to leave Allen Manor at this time must also involve such considerations, does it not?”

“I am a Divine Servant— no, I am a Divine Seeker. At this stage, I believe that what I need to do is think more and observe more. Allen Manor is very comfortable, but is not a good observation window. Or perhaps it is that I have not yet reached the level where I need to observe this stage, or rather, I have not reached the stage where I can observe this level.”

“You wish to observe city life, Young Master Karon?”

“Yes, my focus will be observing people.”

“I understand. This is also a question I have been weighing repeatedly in my heart. I vaguely feel that constantly pursuing the aesthetics and heights of murals might be an extreme misconception?”

“It is not a misconception.”

“It is not?” Bede was surprised that Karon gave a negative answer.

“I have studied some of the doctrines of the Wall God Church. In my view, the pursuit of the Wall God Church is to record and pass down the history of the previous epoch, and even the one before that, perhaps even more distant history, through murals. You are artists of the present, but at the same time, you are observers and recorders of history.”

“Yes, that is correct, Young Master. Your description is very accurate.”

“So I believe your method is not wrong.”

“The method is not wrong?” Bede caught the implication. “Then what is wrong?”

“I think perhaps because Rilsaar was suppressed by the God of Order, the Wall God Church has developed an extended obsession and extremism for many years. You have mistaken that for true beauty. A loyalty and fearlessness and spirit of self-sacrifice for art that insists on painting a scene even in defiance of power, but it might be that exact obsession that has narrowed your vision on the path of pursuing art.”

“Narrowed?”

“You are too fixated on using ‘the gods’ murals’ to record history.”

“But if murals do not use ‘gods’ as the theme to record, what should they use?”

“People.”

“People?”

“People. People alone are the driving force that creates history.”

***

Two days passed. During those two days, Karon gave Eunice two more foot massages; once while she wore black silk stockings and once while she wore white silk stockings. Perhaps the knowledge that her fiance would soon leave, Eunice became somewhat more proactive.

In addition, Karon was given a formal farewell dinner with members of the Allen family. At that dinner, he stated his reason for temporarily moving out of Allen Manor, saying he wanted to explore more and see more in the crowded streets of the city.

But perhaps because the reason he gave was too genuine, to the point that aside from Bede reacting thoughtfully, everyone else felt it must be false. They preferred to believe that Karon had other factors requiring him to leave, or that the Immers family had made other arrangements.

Karon was too lazy to explain further. During the meal he agreed to Master Anderson’s request to keep in frequent contact with Allen Manor and also to find time to return often.

In the morning, before preparing to leave Allen Manor, Karon again went to the Allen family’s ancestral cemetery to pay his respects.

Looking at the restored Pirate Ship tombstone, Karon’s lips curved into a smile as he gently stroked it.

In truth, he had always been curious about one matter: why had he been able to awaken Earl Rekar? Was it because his own ability was truly at that level, or was it because of Earl Rekar’s own disposition that made it easier to awaken his corpse?

After all, he had originally wanted to try awakening one of the Allen family’s more average ancestors first, not someone renowned in history, because fame often indicates greater strength.

Thus it was true that he awakened Earl Rekar and resolved the crisis of Allen Manor, yet did the easily ignitable disposition of Earl Rekar also help him accumulate experience? For example, when Karon had performed the awakening, the iron chains beneath his feet had turned red.

Put more plainly, any skill requires proficiency. Just the same as when he had repeatedly practiced the Spear of Punishment Art, one must succeed at least once before one can effectively reflect, summarize, and improve. If one never succeeds, one falls into a dead loop of self-doubt.

And so, had he and Earl Rekar complemented each other? Or perhaps they were fated?

Karon brought two bouquets. After placing one before Earl Rekar’s tombstone, he placed the other before the tombstone of the progenitor Allen. The remaining tombstones received nothing.

One should not expect that kicking their legs and dying is the end, because if one failed to become something worthwhile in life, one would still be treated differently in death.

After finishing his tribute, as Karon prepared to get into the car, he saw Ms. Jenny standing by the door.

“Young Master Karon.” She spoke first.

“Madam.”

“Eunice...” Ms. Jenny took a deep breath before continuing, “What do you plan to arrange for Eunice?”

It was a question that should have been asked by her husband, but Ms. Jenny had noticed over the recent days that her husband had been muttering to himself and his mental state had grown rather unstable. As a mother, she was forced to ask for her daughter instead.

“She is currently awakening her bloodline. I believe staying at home will allow her to receive better care.”

“And after that? I mean later. I spoke with Lisa, and she said that within two or three months there will be some obvious improvement; She will not be so drowsy. She will fully recover in no more than half a year.”

“I will return to the manor every month to see her.”

“Mm, and then?”

“After she has fully recovered, I will take her away with me. She has promised me, and I have promised her.”

“Karon, should I trust you?”

“You should trust the family education of the Immers household.” Karon bowed slightly to Ms. Jenny. After Alfred opened the car door for him, he sat inside.

The car was parked behind the manor. The Allen family saw Karon off with the same etiquette used to receive royalty.

Alfred sat in the front passenger seat, while the driver from the Allen family.

Pu’er jumped onto Karon’s lap. Having just been outside in the wind, his hands were somewhat cold, so Karon pressed them into Pu’er’s fur to warm them.

Seeing this, the golden retriever edged closer, trying to suggest that his fur was denser than a cat’s and better suited for warming Karon, but no matter how he wagged his tail, Karon chose to ignore the dog. He leaned back into the leather seat and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The driver started the car. When it drove around the castle and reached the main gate, Master Anderson stood there with the rest of the family to see Karon off.

He did not roll down the window for a final farewell, yet from the corner of his eye, he noticed two small figures standing at the window of the third-floor study. One was Judia, and the other was Borg.

Pu’er’s tail rose, only to be pressed down by Karon’s hand.

When the car passed the performance hall, Alfred said, “Young Master, you once said that this place is most suitable to be used as a mourning hall.”

Unfortunately, it had only hosted Prince Henry’s funeral that one time.

“There will be opportunities in the future,” Karon replied. “I think this place will be used again, but the guest can’t be someone as unimportant as Prince Henry.”

After a moment he added, “Most importantly, we can’t pay for it ourselves again.”

At that moment Alfred said, “Young Master, after we enter the outskirts of the city, we will get out and have him drive back. We will take a taxi to the hotel. I have already made an appointment with a real estate agency. This afternoon I will first look at the houses listed as suitable. Young Master, you can rest at the hotel.”

“There’s no need to rest; We’ll go together.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Make sure you keep in mind our loan limit. Do not go over that.”

“Of course, Young Master. There is one unfortunate matter I must inform you of. The passbook for my savings that I brought to Veyn seems to have been lost at some point, so from now on, we can only rely on the money in your possession and the loan your family took out to purchase a house.”

“Heh.” A smile appeared on Karon’s face. “Very well.”

The car continued down the road, gradually moving farther away from Allen Manor.

Alfred turned on the car radio. After adjusting it, a lively and light countryside song began to play: Girl of My Hometown, Wait for Me to Return.

At that moment the golden retriever used his paw to tap Karon’s knee.

Karon looked down to see that the dog was holding a playing card in his mouth. Karon took it; It was the ace of spades.

He rolled down the car window and flicked the card out. The ace of spades spun rapidly in the air before finally lodging perfectly into a crack in the middle of the road.

This was a new beginning.