13 Mink Street

Chapter 64: Awakening A Strong One?

Night had fallen. Karon sat at the desk in his bedroom. A blank sheet of paper lay before him, a brand-new box of paints resting on top.

He had hesitated again and again, and yet he ultimately could not bring himself to use the paints. Instead, he picked up a sharpened pencil he had borrowed from Lent and he started idly sketching on the paper.

Karon first drew a pair of eyes, and then moved out from there to create the other facial features. Finally, he pulled the lines down to form the neck and shoulders.

Very soon, a person appeared on the page, though it was someone not even Karon himself could recognize. Even the figure’s gender was indistinct. Male or female, he could not tell.

After finishing, he did not bother to look at the picture; He simply flipped the paper over, face down.

If another psychologist had happened to be standing there at that moment, they might have been able to analyze Karon’s mental state from his drawing. Karon himself, however, had no interest in dissecting his own psyche.

“Karon, do you want me to fetch you a glass of water?” Lent asked from his bed, where he was lying down, playing with his cards.

“Sure.”

Lent climbed out of bed and left the room. A moment later, he returned with a glass of ice water, which he set on Karon’s desk. “Are you in a bad mood?”

“No.” Karon shook his head. “Maybe I just feel a bit stuffy.”

“Then I’ll give you this card.” Lent placed a card in front of Karon. It was finely printed, and showed a depiction of the full moon, as well as the words:

[Moonlight Purification. Dispels all negative attribute magic effects.]

Lent had a whole stack of similar cards. They had become one of the most popular collectibles for boys his age in recent years, and Lent spent more than half of his monthly allowance purchasing more.

Karon could understand that. In his previous life, when he had been a child, he had also bought countless packs of instant noodles just to collect similar cards.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Lent got back under his covers.

Karon took a couple of sips of the ice water and leaned against the back of his chair, bracing his hands as he stretched. “I’m going out for some air. Want to come with me?”

Lent asked curiously, “Will Grandfather be going too?”

“We can go ask him together.”

Lent stuck out his tongue. “I don’t want to take the risk.”

The family’s reverence for Tiz was carved into their very bones.

“Here, Karon, I’ll give you another one.” Lent pulled out another card and handed it over.

Karon took it. The card depicted a person, their shadow stretching diagonally behind them.

[Shadow Guard. Summons a black silhouette to accompany and protect you.]

“This is two cards you’ve given me. Are you sure you’re willing?” Karon asked.

Lent laughed. “Some cards are pretty easy to get. I have lots of duplicates.”

“That’s good, then.” Karon left the bedroom. The door to Tiz’s study was open, and inside, Karon could see Mason standing on a ladder, replacing the lightbulb. Karon went in and steadied the ladder for him.

As Mason worked, he said, “Mr. Lommar from church is at death’s door. Mrs. Lommar called and asked your grandfather to go pray for him. Young Lommar drove over personally to pick him up.”

“Grandpa works hard,” Karon said.

“Doesn’t he just? Half of our family’s steady business comes from the reputation your grandfather has built up. Alright, that’s done.”

Mason climbed down and flipped the switch. The light came on.

“Oh right, Karon, do want a late-night snack? Your aunt bought us a whole case of fermented herring this afternoon.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Karon said. “But I’m not hungry right now. Eating fermented herring when you aren’t hungry is just an insult to it. I’m going out for a walk instead.”

“Oh, then you’re really missing out,” Mason said regretfully. “You know, there’s only a few short moments when the family allows us to open fermented herring, especially in winter, when we can’t open all the windows to ventilate. They act like we’re setting off a poison gas bomb. Sigh. Poor people can never comprehend the true essence of cuisine, can they?”

“True. Let us observe a moment of silence for the herring, robbed of its companion.” Karon left the study with an exaggerated look of regret as he went downstairs.

At the dining table on the second floor, Aunt Winnie and Aunt Mary were going over the accounts together, quietly arguing over the details of a particular entry. They did not even notice Karon as he passed by.

The parlor on the first floor was very quiet. Only the light closest to the staircase was on, leaving several of the room’s corners shrouded in darkness. To an outsider, it would easily stir up all kinds of imaginings.

Karon glanced at the front door, but did not rush to leave. Instead, he went down to the basement and stopped at the door of his aunt’s workroom.

Inside lay the bodies of the two welfare cases. They had already received preliminary treatment; The magician had been dressed in a cheap suit, while Mandira had been changed into a red dress.

Karon looked at Mandira. After a moment, she seemed to sense something and sat up on the steel bed. “It must be stuffy staying in here. Want to go out for a walk?”

In the morning, the two bodies would be placed in the mourning room on the first floor, one after the other. Having each one photographed was part of the procedure, and then they would be sent to Paul’s crematorium.

Karon returned to the parlor and made sure that no one from the family was coming down. Mandira followed him out of the house. Dressed in her long gown and wearing makeup, she gave off a gentle and quiet impression.

As soon as they stepped out of the yard through the gate, Karon saw a figure in a red suit approaching. It was Alfred.

The man saw Karon, as well as Mandira standing behind him. A thought immediately crossed Alfred’s mind: Oh heavens, is this the sort of preference that only a great one can have? Going for a nighttime stroll with a corpse?

“Young Master.” Alfred bowed.

Karon had not expected Alfred to come by so late. If he had arrived a bit earlier, Karon would not have needed to “call” Mandira to accompany him. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve found some leads regarding that circus, Young Master. They haven’t left Roja City. They’re hiding out at a farm, waiting to see how things develop. I’ll keep using my connections to monitor them and gather more intelligence.”

“Alright. Share the information with Tiz as well.”

“Yes. Should I go report to Sir Tiz now?” Alfred felt he probably should not act as a third wheel at the moment, even if the Young Master’s companion for the night happened to be a walking corpse.

“Grandpa isn’t home. He went to pray for Mr. Lommar.”

“Mr. Lommar?” Alfred repeated thoughtfully.

“Just an ordinary believer,” Karon said.

“I understand, Young Master.”

Tiz had told Karon there were seven days left. It was nearly midnight, which meant that only six days remained. In the precious time remaining to him, Tiz had chosen to go pray for an ordinary believer, doing the work an ordinary priest should be doing.

Was that hard to understand? No. It was perfectly in line with his character.

“Alfred,” Karon asked as they walked. “Have you been to Veyn?”

“I have,” Alfred replied as he followed. “Veyn is a remarkable country.”

He kept his answer simple. He knew that even if the Young Master had never been to Veyn, he could easily learn everything about it through various means. The real intent of the question was simply to say, in a less abrupt way, “Come walk with me.”

Karon walked down the middle of the sidewalk. Alfred followed half a step behind and to the side, while Mandira followed precisely in Karon’s footsteps.

For the next stretch, Karon did not speak. Alfred also remained silent. Mandira, of course, was not going to suddenly remark on how beautiful the moonlight was tonight.

They entered a small park on Mink Street. It was really nothing more than a slightly larger open space, sporting a few potted plants and several benches. Karon sat down on a bench. Alfred sat beside him.

Mentally, Karon gestured for Mandira to also sit. She accepted the cue, walked over to him, turned her back to him, and sat right on his lap.

If Karon were to put his arms around her, they would have formed the textbook example of an intimate pose between lovers.

Alfred’s eye twitched slightly. He immediately averted his gaze to look at a dim streetlamp across from them. What a beautiful lamp. Truly a marvel of creation.

Karon himself had not expected Mandira to take such a seat. His aunt had not dressed the corpse in thick clothing. It did not matter whether corpses felt cold or not; They could not complain anyway.

Mandira’s body, clad only in a thin dress, felt extremely cold. Her muscles had long since stiffened, making the experience quite uncomfortable, like leaning against someone made entirely of tensed muscle.

Mandira, go sit over there. Karon said it silently.

She stood up, walked to the opposite bench, and sat down facing Karon and Alfred.

“Alfred,” Karon called.

“Yes, Young Master?” Alfred replied, still admiring the design of the lamp.

“Can Mandira maintain this state indefinitely?”

“No. The amount of spirituality preserved within a human body is limited.”

Alfred’s eyes glowed faintly red as he pointed at Mandira and continued.

“I can clearly see the ‘saliva’ left by the Beguiler demonkin that Pu’er mentioned. In other words, the ritual array. Its first function is to better preserve the spirituality that lays within Miss Mandira’s body. The second is to allow for easier control. Broadly speaking, her spirituality will continue to decline; The array merely slows that process.

“On a smaller scale, the array itself will wear down quickly, and requires periodic reinforcement, much like reapplying makeup. I can already see signs of flaking. Perhaps tomorrow or the day after, you will still be able to call Miss Mandira out like tonight, but she may limp slightly tomorrow, and the day after, her movements will become quite strange. The day after that, she will likely only be able to crawl behind you.

“After that, once the array fully dissipates, she will be like the other ordinary people you have awakened before. After a brief period of activity, she will return to silence.”

“So this state cannot last?”

“No. It is finite.”

Alfred paused, then continued carefully, “I believe Miss Mandira was naturally rich with spirituality. Such people are very suitable for entering religious systems for purification. The Beguiler likely chose her for that exact reason. In his eyes, she was excellent material.”

“What about Ms. Molly?” Karon asked. “Was she resurrected by you?”

“No, no. Ms. Molly’s case is different. Due to her family lineage, she already possessed a trace of something special in her blood. It was very faint, and her family itself died out long ago, but still.

“Additionally, she once was lucky enough to have encountered a source of contamination. Even without that car accident, she would eventually have demonified. All I did after the accident was tend to her remains and protect her consciousness. I prevented her from going insane from the transformation.

“Fortunately, Ms. Molly is very emotional. She may frighten the occasional petty thief to death, but overall, she retains her normal thought process. Her only flaw is her emotional instability, but impulsiveness and emotional imbalance are common even among ordinary people, are they not?”

“So Ms. Molly and Mandira are fundamentally different.”

“Yes. Mandira transformed only after her death, whereas Ms. Molly was already half demonkin before her accident.

“Also, the Beguiler merely used a ritual array as a means to mechanically control Miss Mandira’s body, allowing her to perform on stage. His method and your Awakening are entirely different. Your ability is closer to that of a Church of Order Inquisitor. You reignite the remaining spirituality within a corpse, which is a natural awakening. The Beguiler’s method is closer to hypnosis.”

“Can spirituality only be consumed?” Karon asked. “Is that loss irreversible?”

Alfred fell silent for a long time before answering cautiously, “That is a question better asked of the black cat at home. I swear, that cat is the most knowledgeable... cat in the world.”

“There are certain things I’d rather ask you,” Karon replied. “Because I believe you will always stand by my side.”

Alfred froze. “Yes, Young Master. I will forever be your most loyal servant.”

He took out a cigarette and offered it to Karon, who waved it away. “Smoke if you want.”

“Yes, Young Master.” An excited Alfred lit his own cigarette, inspiration flooding his mind.

A new mural took shape: one day, when the Great One wished to smoke, his loyal servant Alfred lit the flame for him. God said, let there be light, and Alfred gave Him light.

Alfred was so overcome that he forgot to exhale several times.

He was a rational, intelligent man, but when his deepest fervor was struck, it produced reactions ordinary people could never understand.

“As for your earlier question,” Alfred continued. “I don’t believe it’s absolute. The corpses of some powerful individuals, if well preserved, may retain abundant spirituality. The Church of Order’s Awakening Arts awaken corpses that still identify as their original selves. With enough recovered self-awareness, they may even resume their cultivation, replenishing their reserves.

“However, such powerful corpses are normally reclaimed by churches. Their core members are never left unattended after death. Most importantly, the stronger the corpse, the harder it is to awaken. The cost increases geometrically, comparable to another form of divine descent ritual.

“Using Sir Tiz as an example...” Alfred shook his head vigorously. “No. Sir Tiz is an extreme case and breaks immersion.

“Take an ordinary Inquisitor. Awakening a normal corpse is easy, but awakening one with heavy spirituality is harder. Awakening a demonkin or clergy corpse costs much more. Awakening a truly powerful being often fails while also draining the caster completely.

“It’s no different from divine descent rituals. When those fail, the ritualist often serves as the sacrifice.”

Alfred paused, then suddenly froze. He slowly turned toward Karon, his face lighting up with joy. “But you, Young Master, you have not undergone purification. You have no faith system. In a sense, you are still an ordinary person. Even so, you can awaken corpses. This means that the burden placed on you is much lower than on other Inquisitors.”

He gave an analogy: If others earn three thousand rupi and buy a radio for eight hundred, Karon could earn three hundred, and buy the same radio for eighty. The effect was identical, yet when Karon earned three thousand, he would be able to achieve ten times the result.

As for why the shopkeeper would sell one person the radio for eighty, that was both hard and easy to explain: humans deify what they cannot understand. One could even say the eighty rupi was just taxi fare.

“Is this why you wanted to go for a walk tonight?” Alfred asked, half-standing.

“I’ve been thinking,” Karon said. “If I truly have natural affinity with corpses, then perhaps I can find well-preserved, powerful remains and resurrect them. That way, I could gain a powerful bodyguard. Not just for their strength, but for their experience, wisdom, and special abilities.”

Tiz had promised that he would not die in six days, but after Karon left for Veyn, how could he ensure his own safety? Naturally, his attention had turned to his ability.

Such corpses were rare, due to preservation, religious reclamation, and demonkin competition.

Still, death was unpredictable.

“Your idea is magnificent,” Alfred said fervently. “Once we reach Veyn, I’ll begin searching. There are ancient tombs, fallen religions, and even royal mummies in museums.”

Karon nodded. His thinking had followed along those same lines.

“Let’s go home,” he said. They returned together. Fortunately, no family members were on the first floor, which allowed Mandira to enter normally.

Pu’er had lived in the house for many years, but aside from Tiz, she was forbidden to speak with any of the other family members.

Karon was the same. He could not possibly bring out Mandira’s moving corpse to show his uncle and aunts. Doing so would violate Tiz’s standing prohibition.

Karon gestured towards a coffin prepared for the next day, indicating that Mandira should lie inside.

Once she had, he silently asked, Do you wish to be buried?

“Outside... cold... here... warm...”

Alright.

Karon turned to Alfred. “Before you leave, place a stack of money at the parlor door. Include a note requesting a burial for Mandira.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Karon tapped the coffin gently. “You can rest now. Tomorrow you will be buried. I will personally see you off.”

Mandira climbed out, walked across the basement, twirled around, and then stepped forward to give Karon a kiss on the cheek. That done, she laid back down.

Karon stood still, his fingers brushing the spot.

Alfred exclaimed, “Young Master, not the living or the dead can resist your charm!”

Karon turned to him, serious. “She heard all of our conversation in the park. When I told her to return to the basement, she chose to come back and kiss me. That means that if we awaken a truly powerful corpse, its first act might just be to kill us both.

“She was warning me.”