New Employee

Mink Street Church;

Dis handed a wooden box to a man in a black windbreaker standing before him.

The man opened the box and glanced at the copper coins sealed inside with glass.

"Lord Inquisitor, is this the replica of the Source of Sin?"

"Yes."

"I understand. I will escort it to the Regional Administration Office."

The man closed the wooden box and affixed a seal across it, which read:

Source of Sin (Replica);

Do Not Touch.

"Right, regarding the search warrant issued by the region two months ago."

Dis glanced at him and replied, "I submitted my response to the search warrant a month ago."

"Yes, the district saw it, but as you know, this matter is no small affair. Headquarters takes it very highly, so they strictly ordered all districts, especially Ruilan District, to conduct a thorough new search."

"Yet I don't even have a search list on hand. I only know that an unknown individual held a Divine Descent Ritual in Bellwyn City. Though, I can deduce from the region's reaction that the scale of this Divine Descent Ritual shouldn't be low."

"Lord Dis, I am merely conveying the region's instructions. What you don't know, I certainly wouldn't know either. However, I must still trouble Lord Dis to compile another investigation report."

"Very well."

"May the Light of Order shine eternally."

After offering a salute, the man took the box and walked out of the church.

Dis stood in place, tidying the items on the desk.

Halfway to the door, the man suddenly stopped and said:

"Lord Dis, there is another matter I heard of."

"Speak."

"High Priest Rasma has arrived in Ruilan from Headquarters, and he will take charge of the second investigation into the Bellwin incident."

"Why tell me this?"

"Because I heard the Regional Guardian mention that you and High Priest Rasma share a deep friendship."

"And then?"

"If possible, the Guardian hopes you might put in a good word for us before Lord Rasma. If the Bellwin incident continues to remain ambiguous, many lords in Ruilan District worry about facing censure from Headquarters."

"I am merely an inquisitor. The affairs of lords should be resolved by the lords themselves."

Dis finished tidying his things and walked toward the door. When he reached the man's side, he paused:

"Are you a Divine Servant?"

"No, I am a Divine Servant."

Dis smiled. "You play the part... very poorly."

The Order Church took safeguarding the Light of Order as its bounden duty. Those who respected the existence of order often grew increasingly clear on the importance of maintaining it, which was why within the Order Church, there was an exceptionally powerful department dedicated solely to supervising the church itself, known as the Whip of Order.

It was somewhat akin to the military police of various nations.

The man lowered his head into a respectful posture.

Dis said nothing more and walked out of the church.

The man raised his head,

and while stroking the wooden box in his hands, he muttered softly:

"Actually, Lord Dis, you play the part rather poorly as well."

"Truly a deposit so generous it's suffocating."

In the first-floor living room, Uncle Mason held the agreement contract alongside a thick, tall stack of money placed beside it, filled with incomparable emotion.

Yet immediately afterward, the vigilance inherent to a former financial industry practitioner caused Mason to harbor doubts:

"A deposit of 100,000 Lu Coins, and instead of using a check, they're handing over cash directly?"

"Isn't cash good?" Aunt Mary said. "It saves us the trouble of going to the bank to check its authenticity."

"My dear, apart from the rare few who genuinely like saving and using cash, the vast majority of people using large amounts of cash do so primarily to evade tracking."

Saying this,

Uncle Mason intentionally glanced at Kallen, who was sitting opposite him,

and asked:

"Kallen, do you think there might be any minor issues on the client's end?"

Kallen shook his head;

Uncle Mason let out a sigh of relief,

yet Kallen's next sentence caused him to freeze:

"It's not a minor issue. I think the problem is huge."

"Huge?" Uncle Mason asked doubtfully.

"A multi-person funeral, and they even need to book the time in advance, as if they're completely certain that entire family will die at the same time."

"Well, that can actually be explained," Aunt Mary said. "Some families, due to special family or religious customs, will preserve relatives who pass away earlier, waiting until an entire generation has passed before holding the funeral together. It means they can enter heaven or similar places hand in hand."

"Oh, that explains it then. That gentleman said that family shares a deep affection."

"So that's how it is." Uncle Mason chuckled. "It doesn't matter anyway. The Tax Bureau won't come sniffing around our place."

As if to pump himself up,

Uncle Mason deliberately added:

"The funerals for the Tax Bureau Director's first and second wives were both held at our house, and we didn't charge a single cent."

Kallen smiled. "So our family has actually never paid taxes, right?"

"We do pay taxes. I pay the environmental protection fee and the funeral business license maintenance fee on time every month. As for the revenue tax... Winnie."

Uncle Mason called out to Aunt Winnie, who was in charge of bookkeeping.

Just then, Aunt Winnie walked over carrying coffee and chimed in:

"Because our family's business condition is very poor, we've always been in a state of loss. Without the welfare forms issued by government departments to sustain us, we wouldn't even be able to stay in business."

Kallen nodded. "Understood."

In truth, he had only collected his salary and dividends for the previous month yesterday.

The salary consisted of basic pay plus a commission for psychological counseling. The base pay was 3,000 Lu Coins, roughly on par with Ron, because when manpower was short, Kallen also needed to help transport corpses, effectively serving as the third official corpse porter.

The commission was a split from two psychological counseling sessions. He took fifty percent directly and handed over the other fifty percent, amounting to 2,000 Lu Coins.

Thus, his salary was 5,000 Lu Coins, but his dividend as a family member was 30,000 Lu Coins.

The dividend was an exaggerated figure, supported primarily by Mrs. Seymour's order. The price of the coffin Mrs. Seymour purchased for Mr. Seymour was as high as 200,000 Lu Coins. From this single coffin alone, the Immerlis Family could pocket 100,000 Lu Coins in profit.

Therefore, it was no wonder Aunt Mary couldn't help but get excited every time she heard "Grade B Package".

In fact, had the previous young girl's order not been handled at a loss for the family, last month's dividends would have been even more frightening.

In other words, Kallen's income last month was already higher than the annual working income of an ordinary laborer.

It was no wonder nurse Mina didn't mind Kallen's family business in the slightest. In the face of such massive dividend income, those corpses-oh, right, those clients-could also become amiable and endearing.

The person with the highest actual income in the family was Aunt Mary, because she mastered the "technical high ground".

Outstanding corpse porters, sales reps, and well-presented priests were actually not difficult to find. Only exceptional Funeral Makeup Artists were truly hard to seek out. The more money clients were willing to spend, the higher their demands for the Funeral Makeup Artist, making Aunt Mary's income the highest in the household.

However, Grade B Packages were rare windfalls, and high dividends and incomes could not be expected every single month. Yet even in the off-season, the dividends could still hover around 5,000.

"Right, I inquired about the base price of the Hughes Crematorium. Including the land, factory buildings, equipment, and business license, it's 500,000 Lu Coins." Uncle Mason spread his hands. "Considered a very favorable price. The cost lies primarily in the land value and the business license."

Aunt Mary sneered. "The land value is inflated."

That area belonging to the Hughes Crematorium was still far from needing residential development, and Rojia City's population pressure wasn't that high. Therefore, that plot of land could only be used for factory buildings; trying to sell the land for a profit basically wouldn't fetch a high price.

"But that's how it's priced on paper. Besides, the business license is the hardest part to process. I think the price is quite reasonable. Their side means that if our family can pay this sum directly, the Hughes Crematorium can directly become the Immoreles Crematorium."

Aunt Winnie reminded him, "There isn't that much money in the public account. Dividends are paid out every single month, after all."

Dis was no miser; the family and the bookstore issued dividends every month, leaving only basic operational expenses in the public account.

Aunt Winnie took a sip of coffee. "So, if we want to acquire the Hughes Crematorium, it requires our family members to return our savings back to the public pool, and then make up the difference using the combined profits of the funeral society and the Crematorium Society.

Most importantly, the previous operating condition of the Hughes Crematorium was actually just in a maintenance phase. Its profit isn't actually very high-much lower than ours.

Even after we acquire it and integrate it with the funeral society, the increase in profit will actually be limited, because wealthy clients mostly choose burial.

And we can't very well ask clients who only need cremation because they lack money to add a low-cost Memorial Service. That would affect our own original operations.

Above all, Mrs. Hughes has become a fugitive murderer, Old Darcy is dead, and the original two employees quit long ago. We will still need to recruit new employees.

Who is going to be responsible for managing that sector?

Mason, are you going?

Or Kallen?

You both have things to do at home."

"Madam Winnie," at this moment, Paul's voice sounded from outside. He walked in and said rather bashfully, "I was sitting outside just now and overheard your conversation. Ron heard it too."

To show he hadn't intentionally eavesdropped, Paul dragged Ron into it.

"Yeah, yeah."

Ron poked his head in and nodded.

"Hm? This is family business to begin with, and you're also a member of our company. There was never any need to avoid you," Uncle Mason said.

"Thank you, sir." Paul took a breath and said, "Sir, Madam, Young Master, if possible, I'd like to take out my savings and invest them in the Hughes Crematorium. At the same time, the operations over there can be managed by me."

"You've lost your mind, Paul. What money do you have to invest?" Ron laughed.

"I have 100,000 Lu Coins."

"Just 10... 100,000 Lu Coins?!" Ron cried out. "Good grief, how can you have so much money!"

Ron and Paul had been corpse porters at the Immerlis Family for quite a few years.

It was just that Ron had always lived paycheck to paycheck and occasionally borrowed money to spend, whereas Paul had saved everything.

Aunt Winnie said, "It's not entirely out of the question, but regarding the specific shares, I will still need to draft them anew."

"Very well, Madam."

Aunt Mary asked with a smile, "It seems Paul has successfully moon-gazed?"

Paul nodded shyly and said, "Yes, so I hope to build a career of my own so she can have a better life."

Ron sourly remarked, "Why is it her instead of me?"

Uncle Mason raised a hand and said, "If this matter is going to be pushed forward like this, do we still need to recruit another helper?"

Aunt Mary stretched and reminded him, "Best to have two, because I will also need a female assistant. Mina and Lunt are entering high school; they won't be able to ask for leave to come home and help whenever something happens in the family—unless we decide they're taking over the family business right now."

Clearly, Aunt Mary didn't much wish for Mina and Lunt to have their lives locked down just like that. Even if they followed in their father's footsteps to venture outside and returned empty-handed after failing, at least they would have seen the scenery of the outside world, wouldn't they?

"Alright, what about Paul's side?" Uncle Mason asked. "The Crematorium Society will also need employees, right? Which account does that come out of? Do we need to recruit together?"

Paul immediately spoke up, "My mother can do odd jobs. In addition, my fiancée and her parents can all come to the Crematorium Society as workers. I can drive myself, so there's no problem."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Mason joked, "Good fellow, you're bringing your entire wife's family into the Crematorium Society."

Aunt Winnie raised her ledger and looked at everyone present:

"Father has always held a laissez-faire attitude toward this matter, so if no one here objects, I'll go make the plan. Then, please guard your private stashes well and prepare to hand them over."

The family meeting concluded.

The next day,

Uncle Mason posted a job recruitment notice right at the front door of their house.

On the third day, Aunt Winnie finished drafting the acquisition plan and the share allocation plan.

The acquisition price was 500,000 Lu Coins. Coupled with various new equipment configurations needed, the public fund needed to raise a total of 700,000 Lu Coins.

Deducting the 100,000 Lu Coins invested by Paul, another 600,000 Lu Coins needed to be raised. Including Kallen, the five family members needed to contribute 120,000 Lu Coins each.

Kallen contributed 60,000 Lu Coins, combining what remained of the previous "Kallen's" private stash plus the Piaget consultation fee and last month's income dividend to scrape together 60,000. The remaining 60,000 was split evenly and made up by his uncle, aunt, great-aunt, and grandfather, with this "debt" to be deducted proportionally from Kallen's future monthly dividends.

Another reason the budget was so large was that the Immerlis Family's old hearse was discounted and factored into the Immerlis Family's share contribution to the Crematorium Society, handed over for the Crematorium Society's use—meaning Paul would use it.

As for the house, they needed to purchase a brand-new hearse. It would no longer be a "Nut Shell" modified car, but a proper, factory-manufactured hearse produced by an automobile company.

The price was steep, costing a full 160,000 Lu Coins.

Uncle Mason cheerfully went to pick up the hearse,

only for student protests and marches to block the traffic, causing him to drive the hearse all the way until late at night before he finally managed to return home.

Upon returning, a thoroughly exhausted Uncle Mason cursed out that group of students during dinner, and incidentally cursed Lunt out once more.

The next day, on his way back after taking the funds to complete the payment, Uncle Mason was blocked by marching workers yet again, resulting in him returning late at night once more. During dinner, his uncle cursed Lunt out again.

In short, the Immerlis Family had been very busy these past few days, and Rojia City had been even busier.

Every day during breakfast when Kallen read the newspaper, he could sniff out an aura that a storm was truly about to arrive.

It was primarily due to that Editor-in-Chief Humil in the family's subscribed "Rojia Daily". The foreshadowing in his front-page editorials was a bit too blatant, as if he were certain the Old Mayor would definitely suffer defeat in this election and was thus eagerly staking out a new allegiance early on.

"It seems the Old Mayor is in trouble this time." Kallen said as he drank his milk.

Uncle Mason dismissed it nonchalantly. "Impossible. The Old Mayor has the solid iron-vote base of the industrial zone backing him. Besides, during his years as mayor, while he hasn't done exceptionally well, he hasn't done terribly either. Didn't yesterday's worker protest get dispersed by the Old Mayor in the end?"

"Perhaps."

Kallen flipped the page of the newspaper, which featured a photograph of Delis;

Hmph, despite her young age, she had matured rather prematurely.

How could Lunt possibly have a crush on her?

Yet upon second thought, Puer seemed to have mentioned that Lunt had already been secretly practicing manual relief, and thinking of it that way, it suddenly seemed to make sense.

Lunt had been scolded by Mason throughout breakfast for the past two days, causing him to wake up extra early today, grabbing his breakfast to eat on his way to school.

"Oh, right, Kallen, I'm heading out later. I still need to make another trip for the Crematorium Society's follow-up paperwork. At noon, we have two applicants coming for an interview. I've already pre-interviewed them, and the basic salary and benefits have been nailed down. You can review it then."

"Everything's nailed down, and it still needs a review?"

"Sigh, it's not like I've given them a final, dead-set answer yet. You can just take this opportunity to instill the corporate culture of our Immoreles Funeral Company into them once more."

"Oh, alright." Kallen nodded, hesitating briefly before deciding not to ask his uncle what exactly their family's corporate culture was.

"Today is the 14th, right?"

"Yes, they booked four days, and today is the first day."

Uncle Mason chuckled and said, "Hoping they manage to last four days."

Earning the deposit while lying down felt pretty good, too.

After breakfast, Uncle Mason drove off in the new hearse.

Kallen read in his bedroom study. He had asked Mina to borrow plenty of books on "religion" for him from the city library.

Ever since he had awakened in this world, he had found little use for mathematics, physics, or chemistry, but "theology" was everywhere.

Even setting all that aside, even if he never encountered those strange things, even if his grandfather Dis really were just an ordinary old priest, he would still have to deal with clients of all different faiths.

Kallen took notes as he read.

He kept at it until "barking" came from the courtyard downstairs. Well, barking was perfectly normal. That stupid dog liked to bark for no reason whenever he had nothing to do.

Mr. Hoffen, who had nearly died, been saved, slipped back to death's door, and then stubbornly pulled through again, was still locked in a bitter struggle with death, refusing to draw his last breath.

So the Golden Retriever had remained with the Immerlis Family.

But besides the "barking," Kallen also heard a cat meowing. Even Puer was making noise?

Kallen opened the window and saw a man and a woman standing outside the courtyard gate. They were probably the prospective new employees coming for their interviews today.

Kallen left his bedroom and headed downstairs.

On the way down, he was still thinking, Our company culture? How should I make that up?

Then Kallen stepped out of the ground-floor living room.

In that instant,

he froze midstep.

As Kallen approached, the woman in the black hat raised her head.

Nasi...

That night, it had been this very face, this nurse in her uniform, who had nearly killed him and Puer.

After a brief moment of shock, Kallen remembered who had carried Nasi's body away.

So this Nasi standing in front of me was... Miss Molly?

Then the man beside Nasi was...

The man took off his hat,

and smiled at Kallen.

Alfred!

Kallen turned around, went back into the living room, and sat down on the sofa.

Alfred and Miss Molly pushed open the unlocked courtyard gate themselves and followed him into the living room.

Looking at Miss Molly, who had become "Nasi," Kallen suddenly felt terribly unaccustomed to the sight. Perhaps Miss Molly's original appearance had simply left too deep an impression on him.

As for Alfred, although he was wearing traditional casual clothes rather than a suit today, nothing could conceal that air of immaculate refinement.

Seated on the sofa, Kallen looked at the two of them,

and asked,

"You're here to..."

Alfred and Miss Molly dropped to one knee before Kallen,

and said in unison,

"When your greatness has need of us, it is only right that we answer your summons!"

At that moment,

Aunt Mary, who had been sorting tools in the basement, heard the commotion on the ground floor. She remembered her husband saying that two new employees would be coming during the day, one of whom would be her female assistant.

Her husband had also said that Kallen should give them another introduction to the Immerlis Family's company culture.

She had asked her husband what exactly their company culture was.

Mason's answer had been, "I don't know either, but I'm sure Kallen can make something up."

Finally, Mason had joked,

"He can even give people psychological counseling now, so he can definitely talk the new employees into being completely won over. Who knows? He might even get them to work for us for free, without taking any wages."

Curious, Aunt Mary walked up the ramp, wanting to listen in on this "company culture."

But the moment she reached the living room,

she saw the two new employees, a man and a woman, kneeling before her nephew Kallen.

Aunt Mary covered her mouth in shock.

Good heavens,

was our company culture really this powerful?!