13 Mink Street

Chapter 195: The Gentleness Of A Dog

It was as though Mr. Hoffen himself had appeared before Karon’s eyes. The old man was likely stomping his feet in agitation, because in his eyes, there was only one reason for Karon to reach this page of the notes; it likely meant that Karon had already been bewitched by the heretical god.

Karon could understand Mr. Hoffen’s agitation. No matter what, what was sealed inside Kevin was still a heretical god. Even if that heretical god had entered pet mode with astonishing speed, using skills like opening doors and turning off lights in a nearly innate manner, and even if he was willing to provide Karon with Arts and spend all day being ridden around by Pu’er as a mount, Karon had never truly regarded Kevin as a pet dog kept by his family.

In fact, if one judged things from the standpoint of the human heart, then the warmer and more simple-minded the dog appeared at the moment, the more resentment and fury there might be welling up and festering deep inside.

And yet, Karon still decided to undo Kevin’s seal. This was not because he was merciful, and certainly not because he was sentimental, but because his own team was very small. If Karon couldn’t keep rewards and punishments clear, his group would be impossible to manage.

Since the seal was layered, he would simply undo it layer by layer and make sure he could continue suppressing the heretical god the entire time.

Compared to the awkwardness of Karon’s own identity being exposed and ending up enshrined, Kevin’s identity, if exposed, would inevitably bring down the merciless suppression of the orthodox churches. That was why Karon was not worried that the dog would jump the wall and snitch on him.

At the moment, Kevin, crouching before the desk, also seemed to sense something. His gaze kept drifting toward the desk, yet he still maintained the warm, sunny golden retriever smile.

Karon began reading in detail. The true method for undoing the seal started from the second step. From the second step to the tenth, there were nine steps in total. In effect, Mr. Hoffen had provided Karon with a formula, and what Karon needed to do was simply follow the provided process and substitute into it step by step.

Although at the end of every step Mr. Hoffen had added his own marginal comments.

Step Two... have you really thought this through?

Step Three... I think you can still reconsider?

Step Four... he is a heretical god!

Step Five... it is not too late to come to your senses!

“...”

Step Nine... are you truly determined to do this?

Step Ten... you are about to open the cage for a great evil!

After reading through all of it once, Karon lazily stretched and casually flipped to the last page, preparing to hear Mr. Hoffen’s final outpouring.

Instead, written on the last page was this:

Before Rhanedar was sealed, Tiz pulled him out from your chest, and then again from his own chest. His soul... no, the medium of his existence, as well as the seal I placed upon him, became inevitably tainted with the aura of the Immers family.

So there is one final piece of good news I must tell you, little Karon. My ritual array can only be successfully undone if it is cast personally by someone who carries the bloodline of the Immers family.

And considering the effect of the blood sacrifice ritual performed by Tiz, there are only two people in this world capable of helping our heretical god undo his seal. Apart from you, there is only Tiz.

Of course, I cannot rule out some extraordinarily special existences, such as those lofty beings you seem to glimpse when you raise your head. They could certainly undo my seal with ease, but the question is, would our heretical god dare seek their help?

Please let him read this passage. I trust that since you have already decided to help him undo part of the seal, he should already possess the ability to read.

And finally, I would like to give our heretical god a greeting, that is: Be a good dog! It is your only way out in this life!

Karon rubbed his nose and picked up his teacup to get a sip of water. He felt that letting Kevin read that final passage was honestly a bit cruel to the dog.

But life was like that. One always had to go through some setbacks and hardship before becoming more mature. Human life was hard enough, and dog life naturally would not be spared, so Karon pointed to that page of the notes.

Alfred stepped forward and picked up the notebook. After finishing the page, and also receiving a nod from Karon, he placed the notebook in front of Kevin.

From the slight movements of the dog’s head—left and right and up and down—it was obvious that he truly was reading, and reading very carefully. Upon reaching the last sentence, Kevin blinked. His tongue continued hanging out, and he maintained his simple and honest grin while still wagging his tail.

Alfred crouched down in front of Kevin and said, “Whether you are sincere or enduring in silence, I only wish to remind you that you are facing the most precious opportunity of your life.

“A great being is about to grant you mercy and the vastness of his heart. This has nothing to do with whether you are a golden retriever or Rhanedar. Even if you were a stray dog, sitting here in this place, you would still be able to bathe in the radiance that shines down from that great existence. 'Heaven and earth are not benevolent. They treat all things as straw dogs.'”

“...” Kevin remained silent.

“Can you sense the deeper meaning of that sentence?” Alfred asked.

Kevin nodded, but then shook his head.

Alfred smiled. “None of that matters. Truly, I only want to tell you that your submission, your endurance, even your betrayal and your resentment, are all unimportant to that great being.

“No matter what you do, the final result will be the same. That is, the great radiance will shine all the more brilliantly! Your choice will only affect your future position; Will you be forever exiled into an eternal darkness of nothingness, or will you obtain a place of your own in one corner of the sacred mural?”

Kevin stared at Alfred, but Alfred had already risen to his feet and turned back to face Karon, who sat behind the desk. “Young Master, I have already prepared the materials. Would you like to begin after you wake tomorrow, or now?”

“Now,” Karon replied. “I’ll rest afterward.”

Sleep had always been important to Karon. He was much more accustomed to facing a new day with the abundant energy that came after waking from a proper sleep.

“Very well, Young Master. Please wait a quarter of an hour. I will arrange everything.”

“Mm.”

Alfred left the study and went to the storage room, while Karon stood and walked into the bedroom. Pu’er was lying on her side beneath a blanket, fast asleep. It was obvious she was sleeping very soundly.

Alfred had said that after recovering a bit of strength, she had gotten so excited that she used her newly regained power to heat the boiler, only to burn herself straight into exhaustion.

The moment that scene appeared in his mind, Karon could not suppress a smile.

Not long afterward, sounds came from the study, and he returned to see that Alfred had already arranged the ritual space. Kevin sat in the very center, no longer smiling. He looked somewhat solemn, as well as somewhat nervous.

In front of him sat a small stool that even had a backrest. Alfred had prepared it specifically for Karon.

Karon sat on the stool, and Alfred brought over two small tea tables. On the table to Karon’s left sat the notebook, while the table to his right held a glass of ice water, a plate of dark chocolate, and a plate of cream cakes.

Sensing that this process would take quite a long time, Alfred had made preparations for his young master in advance.

Holding the notebook, Karon began at the second step and followed the procedure.

Gradually, the ritual array surrounding Kevin began to shine. Karon continued holding the notebook in his left hand while extending his right hand in Kevin’s direction, repeatedly hooking his fingers.

The process was just like solving a problem; Even when the formula and the process were already given to you, and ignoring the unfamiliarity of the task itself, the basic calculations still had to be done by you. Naturally, the process could not go quickly.

As Karon advanced, step by step, rings of light filled with the aura of Principle emerged from Kevin’s body, one after another. When those rings of light appeared, the figure of the elderly believer of Light reappeared in a corner of the study.

This was the first time Alfred laid eyes on the old man, though he had long known of the thought impression’s existence. He immediately gave the old man a slight nod. “Hello.”

The old man returned the nod. “Hello.”

The old man then stepped a bit closer to the ritual and quietly observed. Alfred also moved forward a few steps to stand beside him.

“I cannot influence any of you, rest assured. I only exist within thought, and the only thing I can affect is thought. Do you think I can affect him?” The old man pointed toward Karon, who sat there concentrating on the ritual steps.

“To be able to exchange thoughts with the young master is your blessing.”

“No, it is corruption,” the old man retorted without any intent to conceal anything. “I am already beginning to doubt.”

What he doubted was his own faith.

“To be instructed by the young master and to see the road ahead with true clarity is your opportunity.”

“I am only an imprint of thought; I am not my true self, and I cannot affect my true self.”

“Heaven and earth are not benevolent. They treat all things as straw dogs,” Alfred repeated that same quote again. This was not because he had run out of things to say, but because he felt the line was especially suitable. Earlier, he had spoken it to a dog, while this time, he was saying it to a thought imprint. Neither could count as human, and the latter could not even count as life.

“What are straw dogs meant to be?” the old man asked.

“My understanding is that within a certain cultural background, they are... sacrificial objects used in rituals.”[1]

“Sacrificial objects? Then do the heavens and the earth refer to the gods?”

“Yes, but I rather believe that it is a title grander than the gods, or at the very least, it should refer to the collective will of the gods.”

“I understand. This sentence has depth to it, but is also very subversive, because in the preaching of every religion, their own god is bound in an intimate relationship to their believers.

“I remember that people of the Church of Principles once came up with a theory treating divinity as a point and a circle. Your explanation rises one level above that group’s theories. Very good. I feel quite comfortable with it, because apparently I too, just like my true self, can be called a straw dog.

“Ah, I can already feel my faith peeling away, and along with it, my understanding of my own place.”

“It was the young master who allowed a new you to be born, who gave you a self.”

The old man looked at Alfred in surprise, and instinctively sensed a kind of danger. It was because he had a premonition that, in the future, he might well develop in the direction of becoming similar to this red-suited man before him.

The old man immediately chose to change the subject. He pointed to Kevin in the middle of the ritual and asked, “Is there something sealed inside that dog?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“A heretical god.”

“...What?”

“The heretical god, Rhanedar.”

“Uh...” The old man’s expression became exaggerated. He seemed to have forgotten entirely just how calm and composed he had been when he first appeared. “So what is happening right now?”

“The young master is personally undoing the seal on the heretical god.”

“...Did I hear that correctly?”

“You did.”

“Has everyone gone mad?” the old man asked again. His expression shifted from exaggerated disbelief to complete rigidity. “Or has this thought imprint of mine already been warpt to the point of hallucinating?”

Alfred smiled. “In the young master’s eyes, you and this heretical god are both straw dogs.”

“Oh.” The old man responded numbly. Large distortions appeared throughout his figure, and even his voice became disordered. “I still... firmly believe... in the great Light... the God of Light.”

Alfred replied, “But the God of Light is too far from you, whereas the young master has always been right in front of you.”

“What you say... is very true...” The old man’s figure began to dissipate. Every time he appeared, the amount of time he could remain grew shorter, yet each time, he also received an even stronger mental blow.

At that moment, Karon’s process of undoing Kevin’s seal had reached the critical stage. Kevin, as well as the one inside of the dog, fully opened their mental defenses toward Karon at that instant.

Under those circumstances, because the two soul auras were so close, the stronger party could often see certain memories buried deep within the other’s soul. Out of professional habit, Karon did not refuse this opportunity.

...

Crash...

Crash...

The sound of waves kept reaching him. Karon found himself standing on a beach. On a reef in front of him sat a man. Karon walked over, climbing up the reef to stand beside him.

Then, Karon saw that on the other side of the reef, beyond its shelter, there was an enormous harbor, with many pirate ships docked there. The harbor was densely packed with people.

Immediately after that, Karon saw a woman in a long white dress. She was surrounded by a crowd as she walked to the edge of the harbor and boarded a small boat all by herself.

All of the women on the shore knelt toward her, chanting and praising. All around them, the vicious-looking pirates were, for once, strangely quiet. The small boat carrying the woman began drifting toward the depths of the sea, and her body gradually began to radiate a gentle white light, like a soft moon descending onto the sea.

Far out in the depths of the ocean, a wall of seawater suddenly rose up. It climbed higher and higher, until it nearly blocked out the sun, plunging the harbor into darkness.

But the moon represented by the woman completed the replacement of light at that very moment.

Within the wall of seawater, an enormous mouth appeared, as though it could devour everything in the world.

The woman’s boat drifted into that great mouth. In an instant, the mouth closed, and the light disappeared. It was as though the entire scene before had only been an illusion.

Then rain began to fall from the sky. From the harbor came the sounds of women weeping.

The man standing beside Karon faced the sea and spoke at that moment, “I swear, one day I’ll erase the Church of the Sea God. And the Sea God... will fall.”

***

The memory ended there. In Karon’s field of vision, a series of rings of light appeared. There were twelve rings in total, representing the twelve layers of the seal. He placed his hand upon the first ring. Not long afterward, that ring dissipated.

Karon took the initiative to end the ritual there. His consciousness returned to his body, and when he opened his eyes, he saw not a golden retriever wildly thrilled by the release of part of his seal, but Kevin lying prostrate on the ground with tears filling his eyes.

Kevin buried his head beneath his paws, pressing it down as much as possible.

Karon said nothing. He simply gestured to Alfred that the ritual array could be dismantled.

Karon walked out of the study, went into the bathroom, and began bathing. As the warm water washed over his body, he could not help but think back to the scene he had just witnessed through Kevin.

The woman who had sat in that small boat and drifted into the mouth of the sea, could she be the Goddess Mios? Had Rhanedar’s lover had been Mios?

According to the information Karon had found, in order to ensure the survival of the prostitutes on the islands and protect them, the Goddess Mios had voluntarily gone into the depths of the sea and been devoured by the ocean, becoming the Sea God’s lover. From that point onward, a rule began to spread among pirates: No matter what, you must never withhold payment from prostitutes.

Otherwise, when they put out to sea, the moon would tell the ocean of their voyage, and the waves would overturn their ship, swallowing everything they had.

That was the agreement Mios had reached with the Sea God, because strictly speaking, the only thing capable of frightening lawless pirates was the sea itself. In the strictest sense, the Goddess Mios had not been a High God. In fact, the orthodox churches did not even acknowledge her as a true deity. She had been more like a subordinate god attached to the side of the Sea God.

Yet later, with the collapse of the fundamentalist Sea God Church, the orthodox faith in the Sea God had begun to fracture. The Goddess Mios, who had originally only existed as a subordinate god, had gradually risen to the forefront. Her followers were no longer limited only to prostitutes on the islands which served pirates, but spread across the continent.

Had the collapse of the Sea God Church been done by the dog in Karon’s own house? But then why had he been branded a heretical god by the Church of Order and sealed away?

After finishing his bath, Karon walked out of the bathroom and laid down on his bed. After tucking the corner of Pu’er’s blanket in a little more carefully, he turned off the light and closed his eyes.

***

Beneath the night sky, a dog sat atop the roof of a funeral home, staring up at the moon overhead.

It lifted its head. It opened its mouth. There was no long howl, no frantic barking. Instead, it raised a paw and reached tentatively toward the sky, grasping at nothing.

With a hint of helplessness, it lowered itself and laid down. Resting on its side on the rooftop, it was as if it was lying beside the moon.

A deep, thick hatred flickered in its eyes, unwilling and unyielding. Slowly, it settled into a long, quiet loneliness and fatigue.

At last, it stretched out its paw again, imitating the gesture someone in the house often used towards the cat at night: it tucked the corner of the blanket for the moon, and gently called out, “Woof~”

1. “Straw dogs” comes from the Dao De Jing, referring to ritual objects treated with reverence before use and discarded afterward, symbolizing indifference. ☜