"After the reward is given, it will be transferred to your identification account. Vani will arrange it and you can check it yourself." The captain clapped his hands and said, "Alright, dismissed!"

Karun saw the captain walking towards Gengdi and the others, seemingly trying to appease them.

Gerry was a bit puzzled and asked, "The captain is very nice to Gengdi and his group."

Karun replied, "Because the captain has three squads under his command."

Gerry nodded and said, "I see."

Vani walked over and asked, "Karun, give me the keys to your car. I will arrange for someone to drive it back to your house. Is it a funeral car?"

"Yes." Karun took out the car keys, and Alfred handed over the hearse keys to Vani...

When they returned, they were on a military ship, docked at York Military Port, not York Port. Naturally, the car was not here and they needed someone to pick it up.

Peiluo said, "I have called for a car, but the military port is a bit far away. The only available option now is a truck. A business car will arrive in forty minutes."

"I won't wait then. It's the same to take a truck. I want to go back early."

"Alright, I'll arrange it for you."

Soon, a truck arrived. There were two seats in the front passenger area, but Karun didn't get in and instead climbed up from the back and sat in a corner.

Miss Puerh and Mr. Kevin also got on the truck. Alfred sat diagonally across from Karun. When the car was about to leave, Memphis also got on and said, "I'll go with you."

After getting on the car, Memphis sat on the outer edge.

The truck was shaking as it drove, but everyone felt good sitting together on the "open-air" truck.

They first dropped off Mr. Memphis, and when the car reached the street near the Guman family, Alfred signaled the driver to stop.

"Meow!"

Puerh pointed to the dessert shop in front and called out.

Karun saw this and didn't let Alfred get off the car to buy it. Instead, he got off himself, treating it as a way to send Mr. Memphis off.

"Thanks to you, Mr. Eisen, for this mission."

"No need to thank me. I am also a member of the team. Actually, I feel very fulfilled today. Before this, I had never come into contact with the Sea God Sect. Also, the captain is really knowledgeable."

"Sometimes it's good to go out and relax."

As they chatted, they walked to the entrance of the dessert shop. Karun counted silently and said to the staff, "Five strawberry ice cream cones, large size."

"Alright, sir, please wait a moment."

When Karun was about to pay, he realized that he didn't have any money on him. He turned around and was about to call Alfred to come and pay, but he saw Mr. Eisen taking out a Lail coin to pay.

"Sorry, I'm not used to carrying money now."

"I used to be the same. I always carried Lail with me because I heard that Richard has a habit of treating people after missions, but I never had the chance."

"That habit is only for Richard."

"Oh, I see."

"Well then, Mr. Eisen, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Karun returned to the truck with four ice cream cones and handed one to Alfred, and one each to Miss Puerh and Mr. Kevin.

Hmm, it would be inconvenient for Puerh and Kevin to hold the ice cream cones themselves, especially without a tray, but they could control their puppets to hold them and feed themselves.

Since Mr. Eisen was not there, Alfred took out the egg and held it in his hand.

Karun glanced at him and realized that he was communicating with the egg through another medium.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Karun decided to take a rest. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and when he came out, he saw Hili carrying Puerh coming in. She had just helped Puerh take a bath and dry off.

Karun lay down on the bed, and Puerh also leaned over. Both the human and the cat quickly closed their eyes and fell asleep.

After a while, Kevin opened the bedroom door and walked in. He had also taken a shower, but it was Pike who helped him.

He walked to the side of the bed and saw that Karun and Puerh were already resting, so he walked to the separate dog bed in the corner, licked his lips, found a comfortable side lying position, and closed his eyes.

In his dream, he saw the sun and the beach...

Guman's house, bedroom.

Richard was lying on the bed, reading a book of spells. It recorded the effects of several mental spells and countermeasures.

Unfortunately, this pre-exam preparation did not give him much confidence. Instead, it brought him a lot of pressure.

Because Richard was well aware of his own abilities. In the circle of young masters, he was not considered the bottom, but in the entire sect, at his age, he was not on the same level as the geniuses.

Originally, he just wanted to participate, after all, his grandfather helped him sign up and it cost him some favors. But when he learned that Karun would also participate in the selection, his family, intentionally or unintentionally, put pressure on him.

"How can I possibly surpass him? Sigh."

Richard sighed and continued flipping through the book.

At this time, Ke Xi walked in with a plate of fruit, smiling and said, "I didn't ask you to surpass him. Having a goal in front of you gives you the motivation to push yourself forward."

"Mom, you were eavesdropping at the door again."

"You were speaking so loudly."

Richard took the fruit plate, which was fixed with toothpicks, and picked up an apple, putting it in his mouth. As he chewed, he asked, "Mom, have you ever met a genius when you were young?"

"I have. Your father is one."

"Oh, my goodness, it's hard to imagine."

"I'm not joking with you. Your father was completely different when he was young compared to now.""Okay, okay, I know, I believe you," Richard lowered his head and continued reading.

"You read well. After your grandfather comes back tonight, he will teach you separately. Karun can't enjoy this kind of treatment," his mother said as she entered.

"Look, Mom, you're here again."

"Um, I misspoke. I apologize to you, son. Keep up the good work."

Kaixi walked downstairs and came to the living room, hearing the footsteps at the entrance and seeing her husband.

"Back?"

"Yeah, I'm back."

Now, Kaixi had become accustomed to her husband's sudden disappearances.

According to her usual habits, if her mother-in-law didn't still live in this house, she would have probably returned to Sangpu City after recovering from her injuries.

Kaixi was preparing some snacks for her son in the kitchen when she was called from behind.

"Wait a minute."

Kaixi turned around and looked at her husband, asking, "What's wrong?"

Mr. Eisen raised his hand, holding a half-melted ice cream cone.

"Is this... for me?"

Mr. Eisen's eyes began to blink, the corners of his mouth twitched, and his face stiffened. But he still managed to speak coherently, "It's your favorite, strawberry flavor."

Kaixi reached out and took the ice cream cone, while Mr. Eisen turned around, his back slightly stiff, seemingly restraining his walking speed to avoid looking like he was fleeing. Finally, he walked to the study door, opened it, and went in.

Kaixi looked down at the ice cream cone in her hand and took a lick.

Hmm, it had already melted.

...

Karun slept until evening before waking up, and then he lay in bed with his eyes open for a while.

Puerh was still asleep. Controlling the puppet was quite exhausting for it now, but Karun knew that it had been enduring it, afraid that he would no longer take it with him if there were similar opportunities in the future.

Getting out of bed, washing up, and standing at the door of the master bedroom, Karun heard Kevin's faint snoring.

Karun gently pushed open the door and walked out. The weather was good tonight, with stars filling the sky. Especially in the backyard of the funeral society, which had a similar layout to a quadrangle, the upward view was great.

Without rushing to find a late-night snack, Karun first sat down on a bench. With his hands resting on both sides of the bench, he tilted his head back and quietly looked at the stars.

Originally, he had planned to send Mr. Wood back to the Allen Manor, but he refused. Many people on Corona Island had died for him, and now he needed to clean up the aftermath.

From this incident, it could be seen that the power of the Allen Manor was still too weak, but this was not something that could be resolved in a short period of time.

Karun gently twisted his neck, clearing his mind of other thoughts and simply emptying himself.

At this moment, Pick led two people into the front hall. A man and a woman, Lemar and Serina.

Then, Pick walked past him, and Lemar and Serina also walked past him.

Huh?

Didn't they see me?

Karun instinctively stood up.

Lemar sensed something and immediately stopped and turned to look at Karun, asking, "Karun, do you also use the body-shaping technique at home?"

"I was just sitting here." Karun pointed to the bench.

"It's impossible. We didn't see you," Lemar said.

"Oh, maybe I wasn't thinking about anything just now." Karun quickly changed the topic. "Is there something I can help with?"

Just like every time he went to the pottery studio, Lemar personally came to his door, so there must be something important.

"Yes, there is indeed something. I need your help this time."

"Come, let's talk in the study. Pick, prepare some tea."

"Okay, boss."

After entering the study, Lemar exclaimed, "I like the decoration style of this study. It's a pity that I rarely use a study, otherwise I would decorate it like this too."

"Please have a seat."

"Okay."

Karun turned his head to look at Serina. He felt that the girl was unusually quiet tonight.

But upon closer inspection, Karun immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Serina... she..."

"My sister has been locked up."

"What happened?" Karun asked.

"Because of an accident a few days ago."

"Accident?"

"It's like this. Three days ago, someone broke into my shop. I wasn't at home that night, and when I came back, my sister was locked in this puppet body. I only found out what happened by asking the other dolls in the workshop."

"How did they do it?"

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"They sealed off Serina's external perception in this body. Now, Serina is locked inside this body. She can't come out and change bodies, and her external feedback function has been cut off. She can see and hear you, but she can't respond. Everything she does now is controlled by me."

"Serina is locked inside her body? Does the other person also know puppet forging?"

"Yes, the other person is also from the Voss family, with the same surname as us. However, that branch has always lived in Bernite, and we have no contact with them. In fact, I don't know when he came to Wein or how he found us. He locked my sister inside and left a message for me with my dolls. He wants to unlock the lock on my sister's puppet and set her free, but I have to exchange it for the Ilmaz carving knife."

"The Ilmaz carving knife?""It was a long time ago when one of the extremely outstanding ancestors of the Voss family forged twelve engraved knives. However, over the years, many of these knives have been lost or damaged, and now there are only three known to still exist."

"So, he wanted your engraved knife, which is why he locked up Serina as a condition for the exchange?"

"Yes."

"Three days ago?"

"Well, I came to see Mr. Karun two days ago, but you weren't home. I came again yesterday, and you were still not home. I finally see you tonight."

"Sorry, I was out the past few days."

"No, no, you don't need to apologize."

"How long did he give you as a time limit?"

"Ten days. I think he intentionally gave me enough time to try and fail to break the seal, and then willingly beg him."

"Is breaking this lock difficult?"

"It's very challenging. Any slight mistake could lead to my sister's consciousness being extinguished. But for me, it's simple. I only need fifteen minutes to crack it."

"You can break it?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Are you afraid of alerting him?"

"Yes, since he dared to target my sister, I want his life."

"I understand." Karun nodded. "I can understand your feelings."

Lemar got up from his seat and bowed to Karun.

"Mr. Karun, please help me. I don't know what I can promise you, but I know that I will do everything I can to help you in the future!"

"Mr. Lemar, I don't think we need to be so formal with each other. Serina is a kind and lively girl, and I can't just watch her being bullied like this. I promise you this, but when exactly? I mean, when should you pretend to compromise and lure him out?"

"The last day of the deadline, which is seven days from now. I want him to think that I persisted until the very end before reluctantly making this decision. By then, he should be the least guarded."

Karun estimated the time in his mind. In three days, he would have to participate in the selection in the York City district. The selection shouldn't take too long.

After the district selection, he would proceed to the final selection at the church. There should be some spare time during this period, but the specific schedule hasn't been released yet.

"I might need to go a little earlier." Karun said, "If it's around the time of seven days from now, I might be a day or two early."

After the results of the York City district selection came out, he couldn't possibly skip the next round of the church's selection unless he gave up his identity as Karun.

If Serina was abducted, Karun wouldn't hesitate. After all, from the first time he stepped into Lemar's pottery gallery to their subsequent interactions, the Lemar siblings had been very kind to him. Every interaction between them was advantageous to him, both morally and logically, Serina's safety was the most important.

But the problem was, Serina was currently safe. The other party clearly underestimated Mr. Lemar's craftsmanship.

Karun knew better that Mr. Lemar would never joke about his sister's safety to save face. If he could safely open this lock, then he could definitely do it.

If it was just for revenge, Karun had to consider the timing.

"If it's a day or two earlier, I think it's not a problem."

"That's good." Karun smiled. "Do you remember the person who first asked you to make a mask?"

"Him?"

A surprised, fearful, conflicted, and expectant expression appeared on Lemar's face.

Indeed, it was very accurate to describe the feeling Lemar had towards the captain, as Serina had once described it to him.

"I personally think that it's best to keep him until the tenth day. I will inform him and ask him to help with this matter. If I'm in York City that day, I will go with him to help you seek revenge and eliminate this hidden danger. If I'm not in York City that day... I'm sorry, but this is an activity within the church that I can't refuse unless I want to give up my position in the Order of the Divine Order."

"You don't need to explain. I understand your difficulties, Mr. Karun. Really, there's no need to explain. We are friends and can understand each other."

"Well, if I'm not in York City that day, he will be fully responsible. It's not just to comfort you, but it's the truth. In terms of revenge and completely cutting off future troubles, he is more professional and excellent than me."

If it was someone else, Karun wouldn't be so reassured, but the captain...

Karun believed that the captain would be completely fine.

"That's really great."

"Yes, you should take Serina back now. We will take care of the person who locked you up."

Serina showed no reaction, but Lemar could see and hear.

After Lemar left with Serina, Karun picked up the phone and didn't call the captain or bother with any formalities. He directly called Vani.

"Hello.""It's me, Fannie. Can you contact the captain for me? Ask him if he could visit the pottery museum in the next couple of days. I need him to help the owner with a problem."

"Alright, got it."

After hanging up the phone, Karun stretched lazily. He believed that the captain would help. After all, the captain owed him a lot of secrets. If all else failed, he could just let Kevin stay at the captain's house for a few days.

Leaving his study, Karun planned to make himself some late-night snacks in the kitchen. As he approached the kitchen door, he saw Alfred holding the egg and sitting inside, silently communicating.

"Alfred, aren't you resting?"

"Hmm?" Alfred seemed to "just wake up" with his eyes wide open, and immediately stood up, "Young master, you're awake."

At this moment, Karun heard the egg speaking to him:

"I really... can't stand... him anymore... Please... just fry me..."

******

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