Key of Order

Upon hearing Ku De say that he wanted to go to the bishop alone, Jie La Er immediately shook his head. "No, that's too dangerous."

Ku De looked at Jie La Er and asked, "Do you feel it's dangerous because you think Bishop Holman has already been killed?"

"I think it's obvious," Jie La Er said. "Ten years have passed, and the Five Archbishops have not shown up. Even though Lyra has become so abnormal, they have not taken any action. I can only conclude that the problem lies with them."

Ku De was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "My opinion is the opposite of yours. In my opinion, the bishop should still be alright."

Jie La Er frowned slightly, but did not immediately ask any questions, instead waiting for Ku De's explanation.

"Because most of Lyra's rules are still in operation. Even before we returned from the Rhine, our orders were to kill you within the rules, even at the cost of making a deal with the bishop of the Rhine." Ku De slowly spoke. "In my opinion, this is the most direct evidence that the rules are still in operation. And Jie La Er, have you ever thought about this question? If the bishop wanted you dead, would you really still be alive today?"

Jie La Er's expression changed slightly. "You mean..."

"I don't know if you've ever heard the saying that God's will influences His believers," Ku De said. "I don't know how it's presented in other churches, but in Lyra, our God reveres machinery and rules, so the whole of Lyra is like that. The will and power of Lyra are transmitted from the Tower of Babel to the four regional towers, and then from the four regional towers to the whole of Lyra. Therefore, the whole of Lyra can receive the grace of our My Lord."

Jie La Er nodded slightly; he knew that.

"And there's a key point here: ordinary people can't directly confront the power and will of Lyra. They have to go through the branch towers, and those who control the branch towers and can directly connect with Lyra are only the five Bishop," Ku De said slowly. "In other words, aside from our My Lord Lyra, the power of the Bishop is limitless. They are not just like bishops of other churches who only possess power and wealth. They truly have the power to influence every region of their respective jurisdictions... Divine Interventions, or, in mechanical terms, nodes."

As Ku De spoke, he noticed a hint of confusion flash across Jie La Er's expression, and realized that he had made things a bit complicated.

So Ku De started gesturing on the ground with his fingers, which really helped Jie La Er understand, since the Pioneer Force Jie La Er hadn't done much research in this area.

With Ku De's simple gestures, Jie La Er quickly understood what Ku De was talking about—"God (the main tower) influences the bishops (the branch towers), and the bishops (the branch towers) influence the world."

"I understand." Jie La Er nodded. "You can continue."

"That's the main point," Ku De said. "We all know now that Lyra has a problem, but the key is to find out exactly where it went wrong. But no matter where the problem is, we can see that the position of the bishop is crucial, as it connects the upper and lower levels. That's why I said we must go to Bishop Holman."

Jie La Er looked at Ku De and said, "But you just said you didn't think Huo Er Man was in any trouble."

"At least nothing completely went wrong, and the evidence is... you're still alive," Ku De said seriously. "Because bishops can make rules. If a bishop wanted you dead, he could easily execute you by creating new rules. Although it's not easy, ten years is more than enough time. But in these ten years, nothing like that has happened, which is enough to prove..."

Jie La Er finally understood what Ku De meant and quietly added the second half of the sentence: "He's still on my side."

They're still on my side.

A simple sentence, but not so simple in Jie La Er's mind.

This shows that he has not been alone for the past ten years.

Such thoughts naturally stirred up huge ripples in Jie La Er's heart, and these ripples were naturally noticed by Bai Wei.

... Interesting, does he think he hasn't lost everything yet?

Bai Wei thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud; he simply observed quietly.

"But if he hadn't gotten into trouble, why hasn't he shown up for the past ten years?" Jie La Er asked again.

"This is what we need to find out. Because not only Bishop Holman, but also the Five Archbishops, including the Bishop of Tower of Babel, have not shown up for ten years. That can only mean..." Ku De stretched out his hand and pointed to the circle representing the Lyra God with a heavy expression, "There's something wrong here. As a result, the five bishops have had to focus more on 'connecting the past' and neglect 'connecting the future.' So, this explains the problems that have occurred with Lyra over the past ten years."

Ku De looked up and looked at Jie La Er again, and Jie La Er understood what he meant.

The "above" remains stable (the underlying rules are still in place), but the "below" is in chaos (various changes).

"I understand." Jie La Er nodded. "So the bishop is the key... I'll go with you then."

"No," Ku De refused again. "That's too risky."

Jie La Er frowned. "You just said that you thought the bishop was fine."

"Yes, but that's just my opinion. Even if Bishop Holman is really innocent, the situation is getting worse. Although it's not time to make new rules yet, those who want to kill you can already blatantly break the rules," Ku De said. "So you shouldn't show your face in any way, and besides, that's my job."

"Your job?"

"Yes." Ku De smiled. "The 'Skeleton' unit's primary job is to maintain stability. Maintaining stability isn't just about stopping things when they're broken. They also have the responsibility to directly contact the bishops, or even Lyra, when things get out of control at the lower levels. That's the real purpose of this key. Of course, it should have been done by my old superior, but he has clearly forgotten this responsibility along with the old rules. So it's up to me. It's necessary."

Jie La Er was silent for a moment, then said, "I am also a member of 'Skeleton,' so you can let me do it."

"Stop joking, Jie La Er. You and I both know that your destiny has always been to the stars."

"Xiaoxing is no longer here."

"Aren't you still alive?" Ku De smiled again, then his expression gradually became serious. "I'm not joking, nor am I trying to show off. I've thought it over carefully. This job has to be done by me, not just because I'm a member of 'The Skeletons,' but also because... you're more suited to stay."

"What do you mean?" Jie La Er asked. "If you go alone, what am I supposed to do staying behind?"

Ku De didn't answer the question directly right away. Instead, he paused for a moment and then said softly, "Jie La Er, I can actually sense that your actions after returning to Lyra are somewhat like... self-destruction."

Jie La Er's pupils narrowed slightly.

"Whether it's your recent decisive actions or today's act of holding Chainsaw Sword to that colleague from the 'Skeleton' unit and forcing him to tell the truth, these are not things you would have done before, and they are different from the order and rules you have always advocated. Your methods are becoming more and more radical and more and more crazy."

"Of course, I can't blame you for this, because only today do I understand what you've been facing for the past ten years. I'm already very surprised that you've been able to maintain your rationality for ten years."

"So I'm also wondering if the situation has really reached the point where only by making the former law-abiding citizens more insane and radical, operating in a self-destructive manner, can it be salvaged?"

As he spoke, Ku De held up the oddly shaped key.

"So I decided to prove that this is the last insurance that Lyra set up for the Skeleton Corps. It gives every member of the Skeleton Corps the opportunity to see the Bishop, to face Lyra directly, and then let the final order end everything. If I succeed, it means that the order is still in effect. In that case, Jie La Er, you can also end these ten years of suffering. All the injustices and darkness you have encountered will vanish. The order will give everything back to you. The proud world that we admire is still running normally as we wish."

Ku De paused, then looked up and stared directly at Jie La Er.

"But if I fail, it means that the last lock of order has also broken. I don't know what that would be like, and I don't know how to deal with it. All my education has taught me how to operate within rules and order... But I don't need to worry about that anymore, because if that really happens, I will definitely be gone, because I am the last one to break... the Lock of Order."

Jie La Er looked at Ku De quietly. He finally understood that Ku De's decision was not a whim, but rather something he had already thought through, yet still decided to do.

He wanted to use his life to prove the final order.

"Don't look at me like that, Jie La Er," Ku De said. "If that day ever comes, I won't be the worst off, because I'll be dead. And do you know what you'll be facing? The old order will crumble, the old rules will become obsolete, your enemies will use new rules against you, kill you, and then the entire Lyra will be your enemy. The predicament you'll face will be even greater than it is now... So I wonder, when that time comes, will you still try to stop this runaway train?"

Two men, one old and one young, stared at each other in the darkness. The only light in their surroundings was the oil lamp in front of the door. They gazed at each other by the faint candlelight, their shadows flickering like candle flames in the reflection of their pupils.

Jie La Er remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "I will."

Ku De laughed, "That's why I said you should stay. The Night Stars once roamed the deepest parts of the Contaminated Land, where there were no rules, no order, but there was no way to kill you. That's why you know how to face that situation. But I can't, I don't have the courage to face that kind of world... I am the Skeleton Corps, born to maintain order, and to die for the last order, so we should all do what we do best."

After saying that, Ku De stood up and stretched as if he had been relieved.

"Alright, I should go now. If we keep talking, it'll be dawn soon, and I need to go back and find my axe." Ku De waved his hand, turned around, and left gracefully. "I'll go see the bishop around tomorrow... Maybe nothing's wrong, maybe the Bishop just overslept. We can talk it over and everything will be resolved, haha."

Jie La Er didn't speak; he simply watched as Ku De walked away and stopped.

Then he turned around, gave Jie La Er a deep look, and his lips moved slightly.

"Take care of yourself."

Then he turned and left, walking alone into the darkness that the candlelight could not reach.