Order...

Karun lowered his head and looked at the black abyss below.

He had a feeling that buried within this abyss was a true secret, which was likely unrelated to the gods of this era.

This feeling was extremely strong, so strong that Karun himself found it unbelievable.

At this moment, as Karun lay on the bed in his bedroom, a golden mark on the back of his hand began to appear.

In his dream, Karun also felt the burning sensation on the back of his hand.

He knew that the reason he had this dream was because he had "seen" the Reaper of War, a top-tier undamaged artifact.

Gods, they cannot be looked at directly.

Once you witness it and establish a certain connection with it, even if it is unintentional towards you, it will inevitably leave its mark on you.

This is a phenomenon that goes beyond the level of psychological suggestion, and the term "branding" is more appropriate to describe it.

It's just that there was a problem with himself. For others, it would simply be a nightmare of being killed by the Reaper of War for a while. But because of his various special qualities, it would lead to new changes.

The simplest point is his body. Because of the modification by Larnedal, it is associated with "gods" and naturally able to see more.

Karun lifted his foot. He wanted to step into the black abyss in front of him and try to uncover the truth of the secret.

This mentality was like that of a gambler who had lost the concept of winning or losing, only seeking liberation as he looked at the cards about to be revealed.

But just as his foot was about to land, he stopped.

Karun gritted his teeth as his cautious nature from the depths of his soul regained the upper hand.

At the same time, cold sweat broke out from his body.

Why do I have such thoughts?

What does the truth of the secret have to do with me now? What difference does it make if I know it in advance or not?

Rational thinking quickly filled his mind, dispelling the mysterious and emotional feelings that had almost dominated his mind.

Karun bent down,

Gasping heavily, he looked at the abyss in front of him with fear and regret.

Is this temptation? Or... confusion?

Just like the captain facing the enchanting voice of the bloodthirsty ancestral demon?

It can stimulate all kinds of thoughts in your heart in order to achieve its own purpose.

"Hoo..."

Karun let out a heavy breath and straightened his body again. If it were his past self, he might have already stepped in, but now, after the final selection and training, he had completed self-examination and no longer had any loopholes in his state of mind.

But even so, he was still affected. This was too terrifying.

"Gudong... Gudong... Gudong..."

The abyss began to spew out black bubbles. Each bursting bubble seemed to represent a terrifying scene, with countless people fighting, shouting, screaming, and wailing inside.

Karun immediately reached out and pressed his forehead, no longer daring to look at these bubbles. He felt that his proud soul would burst from these images.

But even if he didn't look, the sound of the bursting bubbles continued to echo in his ears. Even if Karun covered his ears, he couldn't stop it.

At this moment, he felt like he was in a vast battlefield, surrounded by people with bloodshot eyes fighting desperately.

What's terrifying is not the battlefield environment, but the fact that your soul's vision keeps stretching upward, stretching, and stretching.

You see your own hand, then your own head, then yourself kneeling on the ground, then the battlefield around you, then a bigger, bigger, and even bigger battlefield.

In this almost boundless battlefield, you are just the tiniest speck of dust.

This is a suffocating sense of despair.

Compared to the magical beasts in the Oglethorpe Fortress, this is completely insignificant. It no longer attacks you by finding flaws in your heart or tempting you to reveal your weaknesses.

Instead, as you stand there, it directly shows you how insignificant you are, making you doubt your own worth.

What's even more tragic is that this is not something the other party deliberately targets at you, but a feeling that arises instinctively when you approach it.

Finally, the bubbles stopped, and the Reaper of War, which had fallen down before, reappeared at this moment. It was just floating there, motionless.

Karun finally got a chance to catch his breath. He supported himself with both hands and didn't think about standing up again.

"Buzz!"

A faint sound came, very weak, but it caused slight ripples on the black liquid surface.

"Buzz!"

The ripples continued to spread, accompanied by some kind of sound.

It felt like someone knocking on the door, no, pounding on the door, no, hammering on the door!

This person had been sealed off, and then heard the movement of someone passing by outside. They desperately pounded on the huge door, trying to attract the attention of the people outside, while shouting.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

The ripples on the liquid surface became clearer and clearer, and Karun sensed that the "dream" he was in was also trembling along with it.

This was a ridiculous scene, a person who was sealed off in a distant place, the noise of him desperately pounding on the door actually shook another person's dream.

Karun pursed his lips and looked at the abyss in front of him. He seemed to sense the appearance of each ripple, the long separation it had experienced. In between, there was not only a door, but also endless space folds, and even... the penetration of time.

Having experienced so much, and being able to mock Captain Neo with "secrets," Karun was truly panicked at this moment.

Everything that was appropriate and composed now seemed as fragile as paper, torn apart by rain.

He didn't plan to go down,

But the people below,

Seemed eager to come up!

Finally, with the appearance of one ripple after another, the sound formed clear noises once again, transmitted from the depths of the endless abyss.

This seemed to be a sentence that the captive desperately wanted to convey. For this, he was almost frantic, angry, and hysterical!Karun heard the complete sentence,

What he said was:

"Order, how much longer do I have to wait?"

...

When this sentence fully and clearly entered Karun's mind, he sensed that everything around him was rapidly shrinking. The abyss disappeared, the scythe of war disappeared, and the dream disappeared.

Karun lay on the bed, his eyes open. He had already woken up, but he hadn't realized it yet.

Blood flowed continuously from his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears. Veins appeared grotesquely on his body, followed by deep bone pain and muscle spasms.

But Karun still didn't notice, because his soul was undergoing rapid and continuous distortion. Compared to the pain his soul was enduring, the physical pain could no longer provide him with any additional stimulation.

Finally, when the turmoil in his soul ended, Karun turned his head slightly and then sat up, supporting himself with his hand on the bed.

After sitting for a while, Karun gradually felt his consciousness and perception returning to his body.

Why is everything red?

Karun was confused. He opened his hand and found that his hands were also blood-red.

Then he wiped his eyes with his hand, and the redness in his field of vision began to fade.

But when he lowered his head, he found that the bedsheet had already been stained red with his blood.

"Cough... cough... cough..."

A fit of coughing, with each cough, he felt his organs being pulled, causing intense pain.

At this moment, Karun really wanted to lie down and sleep, because he knew that as long as he fell asleep, these symptoms would ease or even disappear.

But as soon as he lay down halfway,

Looking at the dirty bedsheets, looking at his own dirty self...

In the end, he gritted his teeth, got out of bed, and dragged his extremely weak and exhausted body into the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet above the sink, cupped the water in his hands, and kept splashing it on his face. The icy sensation quickly cooled his consciousness.

After a long time, he looked at himself in the mirror, and he looked so haggard.

He lowered his head and looked at the marked back of his hand. In that position, it was completely charred, but even in the charred area, the outline of the mark was still clearly visible.

However, Karun also knew that this mark was only a trigger from his previous experience.

As for which one played the crucial role in turning the nightmares of others being killed by the scythe into nightmares of seeking help, Karun was not sure because he had too many pendants on him.

After washing his face, Karun observed that the bleeding had stopped.

He walked to the bedroom door, opened it, and knocked on the wall with his hand.

"Captain?"

Ventura slept on the second floor, but he didn't close the bedroom door. As soon as he heard the noise, he immediately responded and ran downstairs. When he saw Karun in this state, Ventura was startled:

"Captain, what happened to you?"

"I'm fine."

Karun saw Ventura coming down and then walked back into the bathroom, took a shower, changed into a new set of clothes, and when he stumbled out, he saw that all the items on his bedroom bed, including the bedsheets, had been replaced with clean ones. It should be Ventura who took everything down and replaced them.

"Captain, do you need me to call a doctor?"

"No need."

Karun sat down by the bed.

"Captain, the way you were just now, it was the same as when I had a contamination attack when I was a child. Are you also..."

"I won't be..."

Karun paused.

His body wouldn't fear most contaminations, but if the presence knocking on the door of the abyss didn't belong to the "most" category but to war...

So, his previous physical and spiritual reactions were equivalent to his rejection of contamination?

If he were an ordinary person, would he have already been completely contaminated?

No, if he were an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to be contaminated like this.

Karun rubbed his forehead with a headache.

"Captain, you should rest."

"Yeah."

Karun maintained this posture and fell asleep leaning against the bed.

He woke up several times in the middle, and Ventura was sitting next to him each time. Karun asked him for the time, and it was mostly fragmented, waking up every twenty or thirty minutes.

However, the last time he fell into a deep sleep.

When Karun woke up, it was already afternoon.

Ventura was still sitting on the floor, holding a glass of milk and a piece of bread in his hand.

Karun got out of bed, stretched his body, checked his condition, and found that although he was still a bit tired, his body and soul were fine.

"How are you, Captain?"

"I'm fine. What about today's schedule?"

"Oh, well, the Mueller team didn't finish until noon, so today's schedule was postponed to tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know."

"Captain, should I prepare some food for you? Oh, and they don't know about your situation last night. They all went to the training ground at the base to familiarize themselves with the equipment. Do you need me to call them back now?"

Karun turned his head to look at the clock on the bedside table. It was already past four in the afternoon.

"Forget it, let them finish their training and have dinner together. I have something to say. As for what happened to me last night, it's enough that you know."

"Yes, Captain, I understand." When Ventura was about to turn around and leave, he seemed to remember something and turned his head. "Captain, there's one more thing. Today, a logistics director from the base hotel dressed as a waiter came to knock on the door and handed me a business card."

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

"He probably saw that we've been ordering cigarettes and alcohol every day for the past few days, so he can directly buy them from us at a discount of 15% off the price in the point shop. What do you think?"

Generally speaking, there would be discounts when selling on the black market. If it's not cheap enough, who would buy things on the black market?

Of course, some special controlled items were exceptions, but cigarettes and alcohol were obviously not included.

"Then call him and let him come to collect the goods tonight."

"Okay, Captain."

...There was a restaurant in the training base, and the Mu Li squad usually dined there, but Karun's squad preferred to gather in the captain's room for meals.

Once everyone had arrived, Karun emerged from his bedroom. He had changed into a new robe, which looked no different from the one he wore yesterday.

Esli and Blanche had just taken showers. Saint Antis was a tropical coastal city, so the two girls were dressed rather lightly.

Mas was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, while Bart was in a tank top, his bronze skin exposed, looking like a dock worker.

After sitting down on the sofa, Karun asked, "How was the training this afternoon?"

Esli, while peeling a shrimp and putting it into her mouth, replied, "Captain, I think I need more time. The time was too short."

Mas nodded in agreement, "Yes, Captain, we didn't have enough time to get familiar."

Bart, however, was nonchalant, "No worries, who knows if we'll need it after entering the Gate of Reincarnation. We'll basically all join your Order Whip Squad, Captain. We'll have plenty of time to train and coordinate then."

"Right, there's no rush. We'll have plenty of time in the future." Blanche echoed, while peeling a shrimp and placing it on Karun's plate.

Seeing this, Esli quickly peeled a shrimp and handed it over as well.

Mas also picked up a shrimp, but Bart nudged him with his elbow, "Alright, alright, you don't need to peel any."

Seeing everyone's reactions, Karun was quite satisfied.

"There's something I need to tell you. You heard it yesterday. These war tools will be given to us in the form of teleportation scrolls when we are inside the Gate of Reincarnation.

But once we come out of the Gate of Reincarnation, these tools will basically be left inside.

So, those lovely big toys you got familiar with this afternoon, they will be gone the moment you come out of the Gate of Reincarnation."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

It was like a group of young people who had just started playing with adult cars, drinking adult drinks, and smoking adult cigarettes, thinking they had grown up. But a slap in the face made them realize that they were still just children.

"My crossbow..."

"My Array Curtain..."

"My Cage of Imprisonment..."

"Um, I want to ask, can anyone here afford to buy a war tool out of their own pocket?"

Everyone looked at each other, and Ventula lowered his head to eat his bread.

No one spoke.

War tools were expensive, very expensive. One of the main reasons for their high price was that they were controlled items.

Although they would be priced in various district coupon stores to stabilize the value of order coupons, in reality, they were not expected to circulate widely.

Therefore, their prices were set high.

The war tools allocated to the knight orders, their actual manufacturing cost might only be one-tenth of the price in the coupon stores. Of course, the cost price couldn't be calculated like this, as it also included the talent costs of research, forging, carving, array formation, and other processes.

But the price was definitely inflated, after all, the Order Church wouldn't want the remnants of the Light to cause destruction with a magic crystal cannon one day.

Moreover, there was another point that couldn't be ignored. Even if someone here could get a discounted price, or even buy some intact tools marked as scrapped from the knight orders, they couldn't operate in this way.

Because you're not collecting them... you're going to use them.

Once the Order Whip Squad is established, as a model of reform, it will definitely attract a lot of attention. When executing missions, the use of war tools will definitely be discovered and can't be hidden. You need to explain their source clearly.

The Order Church is not like the Reincarnation Church where the royal family and other major families can cover the sky with one hand. The main purpose of this reform is to divide and attack the family factions within the church. No family would be foolish enough to hand over a knife to the church at this time.

Seeing that his words had the desired effect, Karun spoke, "It's okay. After we establish the Order Whip Squad, we can speed up our mission completion, earn more coupons. I believe it won't be long before we can buy back those big toys you got familiar with today from the coupon stores. We might even be able to buy better ones.

The feeling of managing and accumulating is actually more interesting, isn't it?"

"Captain is right!"

"Captain is right!"

At this moment, the doorbell rang. Ventula got up to open the door, and a chubby waiter walked in. Seeing so many people in the room, he immediately bowed to everyone.

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Ventula opened two suitcases for him to check.

Karun noticed that Ventula must have also called for Mu Li squad's share of cigarettes and alcohol today, otherwise there wouldn't be so much.

This kid, he's really quick to learn in this aspect.

These goods, after being recycled, would reappear in the base hotel warehouse, and the purchase price would still be the original price.

When the goods were packed and he handed a large stack of order coupons to Ventula and prepared to turn around and leave, Karun spoke:

"Please wait a moment."

"Hmm? Do you have any other instructions?" The steward's attitude was very good.

Karun pointed to the lavish food on the dining cart and asked, "Is this the top-tier meal for our treatment grade?"

"Yes, it's the top-tier meal for your treatment grade."

"Then from tomorrow, just send us simple meals, and give us a discount on the coupons."