Chapter 346: A Blurry Photograph

The dog at home had once said that he had helped the God of Reincarnation dump trash into the Reincarnation Gate.

At the time, Pu’er had even mocked Kevin, saying, “You helped this High God with one matter, then another High God with that matter. No wonder you ended up being suppressed.”

So, were Getanbert and Fynethes thrown into the Reincarnation Gate by Rhanedar back then? Karon decided to call home after class and ask about this matter. The student phone lines in the base hotel shouldn’t be monitored, right?

“You have three tasks this time.” Barrett walked to the lectern and leaned his lower back against it. “Your first task, which is also the least important, is to seek your own opportunities within the Reincarnation Gate. Find souls suited to you and form pacts with them. Of course, they will be choosing you as well.

“However, there is one thing you may rest assured about. Once you come out, the church will arrange specialists to examine you. If compatibility is very high and the soul is also obedient, then all will be peaceful. You will achieve and develop alongside each other.

“If the compatibility is not high, the church can also help you seal that soul, then gradually unseal it in layers once you have developed further in the future. The church can also help you negotiate with such a soul. After all, you have proven that you qualify for this level of treatment, and once you come out of the Reincarnation Gate, your qualifications will be even higher.

“In short, under normal circumstances, as long as you can bring a soul out, the church can help you deal with everything that follows.

“As for abnormal circumstances... Hmm. If you really do form a pact with a special soul and it creates a problem with you, and the problem still cannot be resolved after you come out, do not consider it too unexpected. No matter how low the probability may be, it does exist. It is the same as taking a teleportation array. In theory, there is always a risk that something could go wrong and your body could disintegrate on the spot.”

“Even we believers of Order have a chance of falling into derangement, do we not?”

Barrett picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and continued, “Your second task is to make contact with and search for some of the factions inside the Reincarnation Gate, and gather some intelligence.

“There is one particular matter that our church has always suspected, though we have never obtained any actual evidence. Many of the Church of Reincarnation’s great families of today have origins that have always been a mystery. The church suspects that they may be connected to the Reincarnation Gate.”

Barrett was still speaking very tactfully, but Karon understood what Barrett and the higher-ups in the church meant, because the dog at home had once said that the Church of Reincarnation’s current royal family, the Simons family, was originally an existence inside the Reincarnation Gate. Kevin had even sighed over the matter, wondering if the Church of Reincarnation had been corrupted by the Reincarnation Gate.

Only, there were some things Barrett could not say openly. Directly speculating about the origin of the Church of Reincarnation’s royal family, the family of the current Gatekeeper of the Church of Reincarnation, was somewhat taboo.

However, what was the purpose of investigating this? Karon knew very well that the Church of Order was not the Church of Principle. The guiding spirit of the people of the Church of Principle was that everything was for the sake of research. Whatever the Church of Order did, was done with a clear objective.

So, had the church still not given up on further plans targeting the Church of Reincarnation?

“Your third task: before you enter the Reincarnation Gate, the priests accompanying you will give you tokens related to Getanbert and Fynethes. They can also be considered their relics, and there will be one for each squad. After you enter, try to resonate with them.

“Before they ‘disappeared,’ they were carrying out a secret mission. The church suspects that a portion of the results should still be with them. At the very least, there should be some information related to what was found.

“All right, these are the church’s three tasks for you. A handbook with detailed annotations will be distributed to you shortly.

“Lastly, I am pleased to inform you that you will only be setting off for Reincarnation Valley three days from now, so you still have three days of rest. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

“Class dismissed!”

All the students below stood up and saluted Barrett on the stage.

After Barrett left the lecture hall, everyone relaxed. Their training was over. It had been brief, and the instructors had not had much teaching experience, but everyone had gained a great deal.

Murray looked at Karon and asked, “Shall our two squads hold a joint meeting? I think it would be best not to schedule our leisure time that we’ve been given. Oh, right, tomorrow I’ll take you around St. Andis for a bit of sightseeing.”

“All right, thank you.”

“Then let’s return to our rooms and rest first. I’ll bring my squad members to your room later?”

“That works.”

“Good, let’s do that.”

Everyone left the lecture hall and returned to their respective rooms.

Vintral poured Karon a glass of ice water. He knew his captain had an unusual fondness for ice water.

“I’m going to take a shower first. Vintral, call this number. Let me know once you connect.”

“Yes, Captain.” Vintral walked to the telephone and began placing the call. Because the two districts were so very far apart, this sort of phone call required a lengthy process. For such a long distance, sending a telegram would actually be more suitable, but it took more time, and Karon had no way of reading a reply composed entirely of “woof woof woof.” The hotel also had communication arrays available, but they were in public areas with staff on standby nearby, so that option was ruled out as well.

By the time Karon emerged from his shower, Vintral had managed to connect the call. Karon took the receiver, and heard Pu’er’s voice. “My dear Little Karon, how has your training been over there?”

“Very good,” Karon answered Pu’er. “There is something I need to ask Kevin.”

“Woof!” Kevin’s bark came from the other end of the phone.

Vintral headed upstairs.

“Kevin, do you remember Getanbert and Fynethes?”

“Woof!”

“He says he doesn’t remember.”

“They would be from when you were dumping trash,” Karon reminded.

“Woof!”

“He said, ‘who goes rummaging through trash bags when helping dump trash?’”

“All right.” Karon nodded. “Then never mind.”

“Woof! Woof!”

“The stupid dog is asking if there’s news about them from inside?”

“Yes.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“The stupid dog is asking if your church wants you to bring those two out. He says you should be very careful. This matter is likely not that simple. It is very likely to be a trap.”

“I know. I will be careful. All right, stay safe at home.”

“You too, Karon.”

After hanging up, Karon sat down on the sofa and leaned back. In truth, he was not very worried about going inside the Reincarnation Gate or the dangers he might encounter there. Conspiracies and undercurrents were both things he could take in stride.

In addition, although Barrett had already given the squads their three tasks, Karon would only firmly carry out the first task. As for the other two, he would wait to see how things developed. He would not risk his own life or the lives of his squad members. At the very least, he was not motivated enough to take such a risk.

Vintral had just finished his shower and returned downstairs when the doorbell rang. He went to open the door, and Murray and the others entered. They arrived much earlier than expected.

The commotion in the corridor alerted the other members of the squad in the rooms to both sides. Bart and the others quickly opened their doors and entered Karon’s room as well.

The small sitting room felt rather crowded with everyone present. There were not enough seats on the sofas, so most people sat cross-legged on the carpet.

Murray said, “I really was not expecting the third task. What do you think?”

Karon bluntly said, “We prioritize completing the first task. Completing the second task will only be incidental, while we will leave the third to chance.”

“That is completely the reverse of Instructor Barrett’s requirements.” Murray smiled. “I think the same. All right, Karon, next, tell us what you know about the situation inside the Reincarnation Gate. We also have a bit of information. When you finish, I’ll see if there is anything I can add.”

“I do not know much, and what I do know is rather general. I’ll start there.” Karon recounted the information he had obtained from the dog at home, cutting out the unnecessary parts. Afterwards, Murray shared the information he had obtained. Together with what they had heard from Barrett in the afternoon, a basic framework and outline had more or less taken shape, but it still felt somewhat vague.

Pasquio sighed. “I think that not even the Church of Reincarnation probably knows the specific situation inside the Reincarnation Gate right now.”

“We’ll take things one step at a time,” Murray replied. “I suggest that after we enter the Reincarnation Gate, our two squads shouldn’t separate at first. We should move together.”

“I agree.” Karon nodded.

“When we move together, the command will be given to you, Karon,” Murray said.

“All right.” Karon did not refuse. In an unknown and dangerous environment, a clear chain of command was extremely important. There could be no modesty in such a matter, because Karon also had no desire to entrust his fate to someone else.

The doorbell rang. Vintral went to open the door, and a hotel dining cart was pushed inside. It was dinner time.

The waiter distributed boxes of simple fare one after another. The quality was actually decent. Karon opened the boxed meal he had been handed to find both meat and vegetables. It was quite nicely prepared. It was only when it was compared to the credits cuisine they had eaten yesterday that it felt somewhat unworthy of the table.

Murray asked in confusion, “You eat this?”

Ashley said, “We’re used to eating quickly, and then holding meetings to discuss and study.”

Bart echoed, “That’s right. Wasting precious time on enjoying food is a crime against one’s own life.”

Murray nodded and addressed the waiter, “Bring our meals as well. We’ll eat here this time.”

“Yes sir.”

The waiter left. Before the people in the room had said much more, the doorbell rang again. When the door was opened, the waiter pushed in another dining cart of identical simple meals and distributed them to everyone in Murray’s squad. They all glanced at one another.

Murray asked in confusion, “Are these our meals?”

“Yes sir.”

“Our meals...”

All the members of Karon’s squad lowered their heads and ate, pretending not to know anything.

Karon said, “He probably misheard your instructions and thought you wanted the same as us.”

Murray smiled. “Looks like it.”

“Let’s eat first. Later, I’ll talk about some matters concerning the Church of Reincarnation. When I was carrying out missions with the Whip of Order in the York City Region, I had contact with them.”

“All right, everyone hurry up and eat,” Murray instructed.

Everyone from the two squads finished their simple meals with great speed, and Karon then recounted his experience fighting the brother and sister from the Church of Reincarnation’s Simons family, though he omitted their identities. He mainly analyzed their combat habits and weaknesses.

Everyone listened very seriously, because everyone understood that the danger of their pending excursion did not only come from the Reincarnation Gate, but also included the other people who would be entering the Reincarnation Gate with them. No one dared guarantee that the Church of Reincarnation, after being knocked flat during a direct confrontation, would not try to regain some face within the Reincarnation Gate.

At eleven o’clock that night, the exchange ended.

Murray stood up and signaled for his squad to leave, though he very warmly said, “Let’s go out together tomorrow. I’ll take you to the most scenic place in St. Andis. It also happens to be Pasquio’s home.”

Pasquio said, “I only remembered earlier when I called my family, but tomorrow is my birthday. Since our training is done, everyone should come and have some fun.”

“All right,” Karon agreed.

“There’s no need to prepare any gifts. Coming to my birthday banquet is already the best gift you can give me. Besides, no one has time to prepare anything,” Pasquio added.

“All right,” Karon agreed very quickly.

After seeing Murray and the others off, Karon’s own squad members returned to their rooms as well.

Vintral still prepared his bedroll outside of Karon’s door. In his heart, he worried that his respected captain might suddenly die in his sleep at any moment. After asking Vintral to sleep upstairs in his room, only to be refused again, Karon allowed the young man to do as he wished.

Once Karon laid down on his bed, Vintral, who was lying on the floor, suddenly thought of something and said, “Captain, I won’t go to the banquet tomorrow.”

“Why not?”

“The banquet will definitely run very late, and we’ll be leaving early the next morning. Since that’s the case, there will be no one to call for tobacco and alcohol.”

“It’s fine. That office chief will help us with that order. He only needs to run the accounting. Even the process of delivering them upstairs can be skipped.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. Attending this banquet is also for the sake of encouraging the relationship between our two squads. After all, once we enter the Reincarnation Gate, we’ll both need to watch out for and help each other.”

“Mm, I understand, Captain.”

One thing Karon appreciated about Murray was that he was completely aligned with Karon in regards to the overall goals of the excursion. For example, earlier that night, Murray had first asked for Karon’s view on their three tasks. Only after confirming Karon’s attitude had Murray mentioned the command structure when working together. Most likely, Murray had been worried that Karon, lacking any family backing, would be too eager to prove himself, earn merit, and climb higher. That kind of mindset would inevitably lead to aggression and risk-taking. Murray, on the other hand, had the support of his family, which allowed him to be far more composed in such matters.

The next day, the birthday banquet would be held in the evening, but early in the morning, both squads set off for Amber Bay in St. Andis.

The scenery was extremely beautiful. One could see the vastness and boundlessness of the sea, as well as the exquisite azure stillness. Great manors stood one after another nearby, with barriers around their perimeters.

How to put it? If one had only secular wealth, they could never qualify to purchase property in this place.

Pasquio explained that it was a retirement development project, and that it was not only open to the Church of Order. Many elderly people from other churches also chose to live here. Of course, the elderly did not lack children by their side either.

That morning, everyone played beach volleyball and football.

Karon did not participate in such activities. He silently lay on a lounge chaise on the beach, a glass of coconut milk in his hand as he basked in the sun. The sunshine was not scorching.

Lunch was a seaside barbecue. Karon just snacked a bit, then continued lying on the beach, taking an afternoon nap.

After sleeping for two hours, Karon smelled smoke. He opened his eyes and saw Bart with a cigar between his fingers. The young man even struck a pose with an angle to the sun while smoking.

Looking at him, Karon commented, “Bart, your upbringing was very strict with your family, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm? Sorry, Captain, did I wake you?” Bart smiled. “Uh, it’s all right, I suppose. My upbringing, I mean. My parents are a bit strict. How did you know?”

“You don’t have to inhale smoke from a cigar.”

“Oh, really? I thought it was the same as smoking.”

Karon turned his head and looked around, finding that after playing for most of the day, everyone was now basically enjoying the afternoon sunlight.

Ashley walked over with Blanche, holding a bottle of milky-white essence, and asked, “Captain, would you like me to help apply some? It can nourish the skin together with sunlight.”

Hearing this, Bart glanced down at his own bronze skin, then at his captain’s fair skin. “I think the captain’s skin is even better than yours.”

“I can see that.” Ashley glared at Bart in annoyance.

Bart smiled. “Look at Blanche. Ashley, you should lose some weight.”

Previously, everyone had been wearing priest’s robes, which made it hard to see what lay beneath. Now that they had changed into lighter clothing, figures had become far more apparent.

Ashley actually had a very nice figure. She was not plump, but had a certain fullness where it suited her.

Blanche, on the other hand, had the figure one would typically associate with a model. Clearly, that was Bart’s preference.

“Unfortunately for you, Blanche likes the captain’s type. With your build, you’d be very popular with widows.”

“Ashley...” Blanche’s face turned red when she heard Ashley’s comment.

Karon did not take part in the discussion. As the captain, he needed to maintain proper distance from his female squad members. Suggestive jokes were often a tacit way for both sides to test boundaries and draw closer.

Karon took another sip of the coconut milk and looked over. Quite a few members of Murray’s squad had female companions by their sides, likely their girlfriends.

It was a nice place. In the future, if he had the chance, he could bring Eunice for a vacation. If they were a little extravagant, they could simply take the teleportation array, which would be very convenient.

Murray walked over and asked with a smile, “How about a big group photo?”

Karon very much wanted to reply that taking a group photo before going on a dangerous, long-distance excursion was an extremely unlucky thing to do. It readily brought to mind a scene from years in the future where some survivor took out an old, yellowed photograph and recounted the stories of their former teammates, one by one.

However, Bart had already called over a professional photographer, so Karon found it awkward to refuse. After all, this would be a photo like those in Order Weekly, and could move.

Every member of the two squads gathered together. Some of the girlfriends wanted to join the group photo, but were driven back by glares from their boyfriends.

Karon and Murray sat at the front. Behind them stood all the members of the two squads, surrounding them. Everyone smiled together.

Click!

“One more, my lords! My apologies, the Arts lighting wasn’t quite perfect.” The photographer glanced at the freshly developed photograph with a smile, then casually tossed it onto the beach.

Everyone cooperated and continued holding their poses.

Click!

The photographer happily said, “Haha, perfect!”

Pasquio called out, “Everyone can go get changed for my birthday banquet. My grandfather invited quite a few old friends.”

Everyone went to change into their priest’s robes.

While leaving, Karon casually picked up the first discarded photo and discovered that two people inside the moving image were very blurry.

One was Murray, sitting beside Karon, while the other was Vintral, who stood behind him.