Who hid my body?.

Chapter 101 The Key to Order
When he heard Kud say that he wanted to go find the bishop alone, Gerard immediately shook his head: "No, that's too dangerous."

Kud looked at Gerald and asked, "Do you feel dangerous because you think Bishop Holman is in trouble?"

"I think this is obvious," Gerard said. "For ten years, the five archbishops have not shown up. Even though Tianqin has become so abnormal, they have not taken any action. I can only think that they are the ones with the problem."

Kud was silent for a while, then shook his head: "My opinion is the opposite of yours. In my opinion, the bishop should not be in trouble."

Gerard frowned slightly, but did not ask immediately. He just waited for Kud's explanation.

"Because most of Tianqin's rules are still in operation. Even before we returned from the Rhine, the order we received was to kill you within the scope of the rules, and we even made a deal with the bishop of the Rhine." Kud said slowly, "In my opinion, this is the most direct evidence that the rules are still in operation. And Gerard, have you ever thought about this question, if the bishop wanted you to die, would you really be alive now?"

Gerald's expression changed slightly: "You mean..."

"I don't know if you've ever heard of this saying, that God's will affects His believers." Kud said, "I don't know how it's presented in other churches, but in Lyra, our God worships machinery and rules, so the whole Lyra is like this. Lyra's will and power are transmitted from the Tower of Babel to the four sub-towers, and then the four sub-towers are transmitted to the whole Lyra, so the whole Lyra can receive the grace of our Lord."

Gerard nodded slightly. He knew this.

"And there is one point, that is, ordinary people cannot face Tianqin's power and will directly. They must go through the branch towers, and the only ones who control the branch towers and can directly connect with Tianqin are the five bishops." Kud said slowly, "In other words, apart from my Lord Tianqin, the power of the bishops is unlimited. They are not just like the bishops of other churches who only hold power and wealth. They are real, and they have the ability to influence every area under each other's jurisdiction... The branch spirits, from the perspective of mechanical theory, are nodes."

As Kud spoke, he noticed a flash of confusion in Jellal's expression, and he realized that what he said was a bit complicated.

So Kud started to gesture on the ground with his fingers, and this really helped Jellal to understand. After all, the pioneer unit that Jellal was in before did not have in-depth research in this area.

With Kud's simple gesture, Gerard quickly understood what Kud said - "God (the main tower) influences the bishop (the branch tower), and the bishop (the branch tower) influences the world."

"I understand." Gerald nodded, "You can continue."

"That's the main point, actually." Kud said, "We all know that something went wrong with Tianqin, but the key point is to know exactly where the problem is. No matter where the problem is, we can see that the position of the bishop is the most critical part, which is why I said that we must go find Bishop Holman."

Gerald looked at Kud and said, "But you just said that you think there is nothing wrong with Holman."

"At least nothing went wrong. The evidence is... you're still alive." Kud said seriously, "Because the bishop can make rules. If the bishop wants you dead, he can kill you by making new rules. Although it's not easy, ten years is enough. But in these ten years, nothing like this has happened. This is enough to prove..."

Gerald finally understood what Kurd meant, and he gently added the second half of the sentence: "He is still on my side."

Still on my side.

A simple sentence, but not simple in Gerard's heart.

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

Such thoughts naturally caused huge ripples in Gerard's heart, and such ripples were naturally noticed by Bai Wei.

...Interesting, do you think you haven't lost everything yet?

Bai Wei thought about it in his mind, but did not say it out loud. He just observed quietly.

"But if nothing happened to him, why hasn't he shown up in the past ten years?" Gerard asked again.

"This is what we need to find out, because not only Bishop Holman, but also the five major bishops including Bishop Babel have not shown up in the past ten years. This can only mean..." Kud stretched out his hand and pointed at the circle representing the God of Lyra with a heavy face, "Something went wrong here, so that the five bishops had to focus more on 'carrying on the past' and relax 'initiating the future'. So, this can explain the problems that have occurred in Lyra in the past ten years."

Kud raised his head and looked at Jellal again, and Jellal understood what he meant.

The "top" is still stable (the underlying rules are still there), but the "bottom" is chaotic (there are various changes).

"I see." Gerard nodded, "So the bishop is the key... Then I'll go with you."

"No." Cooder refused again, "That's too risky."

Gerard frowned, "You just said that you thought there was nothing wrong with the bishop."

"Yes, but this is just 'I think'. Even if Bishop Holman is really fine, the situation is getting worse and worse. Although it is not yet time to make new rules, those who want to kill you can blatantly cross the rules." Kud said, "So no matter what, you should not show up. Besides, this is my job." "Your job?"

"Yes." Kud smiled. "The job of the Skeleton Troops is to maintain stability. Maintaining stability is not just about stopping any violations. When the lower levels are out of control, they have the responsibility to directly contact the bishop or even Tianqin. This is the real purpose of this key. Of course, it should have been done by my old boss, but he has obviously thrown this responsibility and the previous rules out of his mind. Then I have to do it. This is a must."

Gerard was silent for a while, then said, "I am also a member of the 'Skeleton', so you can let me do it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Gerald. You and I both know that your destiny from the beginning to the end is Eve Star."

"Evestar is gone."

"Aren't you still alive?" Kud smiled again, and then his expression gradually became serious. "I'm not joking, nor am I trying to show off. I have thought about it carefully. This job must be done by me, not only because I am a member of the Skeletons, but also because... you are more suitable to stay."

"What do you mean?" Gerard asked, "You went alone, what am I going to do here?"

Kud did not answer the question directly immediately. Instead, he was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "Jellal, I can actually feel that your series of actions after returning to Tianqin are somewhat like... self-destruction."

Jellal's pupils narrowed slightly.

"Whether it's your clear actions these past few times, or the time you put the chainsaw sword on that Skeleton unit colleague today to force him to tell the truth, this is not what you would do before, and it's also different from the order and rules you have always advocated. Your methods are becoming more and more radical and crazy."

"Of course, I can't blame you for this, because it wasn't until today that I understood what you've been facing for the past ten years. I'm surprised that you've been able to stay sane for ten years."

"So I'm also wondering, has the situation really reached that point, where the former lawful ones have to become even crazier and more radical, and operate in a self-destructive manner to save the situation?"

As Kud spoke, he held up the oddly shaped key.

"So I decided to prove it. This is the last insurance that Tianqin set up for the Skeleton Army. It gives every member of the Skeleton Army a chance to meet the Bishop and face Tianqin directly, and then let the final order end everything. If I succeed, it means that the order is still in effect. In that case, Gerard, you can also end the pain of the past ten years. All the injustice and darkness you have encountered will disappear, and the order will return everything to you. The world we advocate and are proud of is still operating normally as we wish."

Kud paused, he raised his head and looked directly at Jellal.

"But if I fail, it means that the last lock of order is also broken. I don't know what that situation is like, and I don't know how to face it. All the education I have received teaches me how to act according to rules and order... But I don't need to worry so much, because if that happens, I will definitely be gone, because I am the last broken... lock of order."

Gerald looked at Kud quietly, and he finally understood that Kud's decision was not a whim, but he had already thought through everything, but still decided to do it.

He wants to use his life to verify the final order.

"Don't look at me with that expression, Gerald." Kud said, "If that day really comes, I won't be the worst, because I'm already dead. And do you know what you are going to face? The old order collapses, the old rules become invalid, your enemies will use new rules to target you and kill you, and then the whole of Tianqin will be your enemy. The difficulties you will face will be greater than now... So I want to know, when that time comes, will you still try to stop this out-of-control train?"

Two men, one old and one young, stared at each other in the darkness. The only light around them was the oil lamp in front of the door. They looked at each other in the faint candlelight, and each other's figures swayed like candlelight in the reflection of their pupils.

Gerard was silent for a long time, then said softly, "I will."

Kud smiled. "That's why I said you should stay. The Evening Star used to roam in the deepest part of the polluted land. There were no rules or order there, but there was no way to kill you. That's why you know how to face such a situation. But I can't. I don't have the courage to face such a world... I am a member of the Skeleton Army. I was born to maintain order, and I should die for the final order. So, we should all do what we are best at."

After saying that, Kud stood up and stretched as if relieved.

"Okay, I have to go. If we continue talking, it will be dawn. I have to go back to get my axe." Kud waved his hand, turned around and left. "I will go to the bishop at about the same time tomorrow... Maybe there is nothing wrong, but the bishop overslept. We can talk then and everything will be solved, ha."

Gerald didn't say anything, he just watched quietly as Kud walked away and stopped.

Then he turned around, looked at Gerard deeply, 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.

(End of this chapter)