Chapter 184 The Obligations of the Undertaker

"It's been a while since we last met. It's only natural that I should entertain you... However, I still have work to do." Bernfa remained calm. "If you're not in a hurry, please wait in the church."

"I'm also very interested in your work." Chu Hengkong said, "Do you mind if I watch?"

"No problem." Bernfa turned around. "Please follow me."

There were three roads leading out of the settlement: the arena to the west, the blocked-off Lost Forest to the south, and the battlefield leading to Nightmare City to the north. Bernfar chose not to follow the right path, but headed east. They climbed several steps resembling walls, then descended along hidden green paths until the dense foliage thinned and the wind carried the salty smell of the sea.

To the east of the settlement lies a desolate beach. The ethereal waves lap against the sand, creating an endless, meaningless echo. The rising tide surges onto the beach, covering the inscribed tombstones. Unburied bodies lie in the distance, shrouded in white cloth, silently awaiting their own funeral.

"They're all newly built," Fander whispered. "These people just died recently."

The densely packed tombstones resembled a windbreak formed by the dead. There were enough dead to fill half the settlement, and they realized this was the reason for the settlement's emptiness.

Bernfar picked up his shovel and began to work. He quickly dug a grave of the appropriate size and buried the body. He then brought in the stone slabs he had prepared earlier, solidified the soil, built the tomb, and erected a blank inscription. When he was done, he opened the Requiem and recited a prayer for the deceased.

There were no bells or churches by the sea, and this wasn't a formal "funeral," but the Bern method was still strict and solemn, and others could sense the respect this person had for the deceased. Chu Hengkong imagined that this person would be very popular on Earth, and Western families would befriend him and ask him to preside over their own or their family's funerals in the future.

After repeating the same process seven times, Berne released the fog of history, isolating the unburied body from reality. He sat on the reef and wiped the dust with his handkerchief.

"I'm a little tired after a day of work," he explained. "If you're not focused enough, funerals can go awry. The remaining burials will continue tomorrow."

"It's rude to let someone lie on the beach and wait for nothing." Vander said rudely.

"This is the most important event in one's life. At this point, people don't mind waiting and just want to get things done better."

They were silent for a moment, listening to the waves crashing on the lonely sand. A cold wind blew from the coast, brushing past with a mournful sound like the cry of an abandoned child.

As the wind blew past the inscribed tombstone, Chu Hengkong suddenly felt something leave. It was lighter than the wind, colder than the sea, and it rode the wind, drifting away from this land. Then the sound of the wind quieted, fading away amid the roar of the waves, like the whispers of a gigantic child in his sleep.

He realized that the dead could not become ghosts because they were dead.

Bernfa looked at the waves, as if in deep thought.

"When the settlement was still Volcasto, they would bury their dead by the sea, hoping the tide would carry their souls away. Locals believed that after death, they would embark on a new journey. Those who had done good deeds would drift to a peaceful and stable land, while those who had committed many evil deeds would be caught up in battle and suffer," said Bernfar. "This custom has been passed down to this day, and being buried on the coast is the greatest hope of warriors."

"Does the soul exist after death?" Chu Hengkong said, "I'm not talking about Qi Su's kind of thing. I mean... after 'death'."

"No. Once dead, you're dead. There's nothing left." Vander replied dryly.

"Vander is right... If I were in Yingshi Town, I would have answered like this," Bernfar said thoughtfully. "But you and I have both seen people come back from the dead. Like the sniper from your hometown, who returned to another Dust Island after his death. His resurrection is something I don't understand either."

He flipped through the Book of Revelation, from beginning to end, but still seemed to have not found the answer. Then Bernfar laughed softly.

"I think neither you nor I should talk too much about 'after death'. The mysteries of life and death are the domain of the gods, and we should all remain in awe. Fear, and accept."

Chu Hengkong nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He changed the subject: "You are a heretic of death."

"That's what you call me," Bernfar replied casually.

"Then why don't you come and kill me?"

Vander let out a silent wail, thinking to himself, "How could this idiot be so mean? Yeah, anyone with a discerning eye knows that Bourne's method is a deadly heresy. The problem is, the atmosphere is pretty good right now, and there's no deadly hatred. So, let's just take it over and have a laugh. Isn't it better for everyone to go back for a midnight snack and sleep?"

Why are you bringing up such a tangent... and even reminding me it's time to get to work! This guy is a serious Bone Prayer Monk, not some weak, jack-of-all-trades like Falling Soul. If Bernfa rips his face off and punches us with the Residual Light Fist the next second, we're both going to be dead. A new grave has just been added to the settlement's east coast; we'll just bury him right there and wait for death!

Bernfart tapped his knees with his fingers, looking as if he was thinking seriously.

"That's exactly what I did at first," he said slowly. "However, after arriving in this despairing wilderness, I had to put my original plan on hold."

"Why?" Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows.

"There are simply too many people who deserve to die but remain alive here," Bernfa said. "Of course, you and Ji Huaisu, who escaped death several times, are among them. That sniper also escaped death, and Qingxia's existence goes without saying...

But the messengers of Nightmare City are also the remaining souls of the dead, and the very existence of the resurrected Nightmare King is a great mockery of destiny."

"My duty isn't to kill, but to uphold destiny. How can I choose to uphold 'order'?" Bernfar shook his head. "If your deaths lead to the deaths of those in the settlement who shouldn't have died, how can I say I'm upholding destiny, rather than committing evil in the name of God?"

He was a monk, supposed to help sentient beings resolve their troubles and find their destiny. However, at this moment, Bernfa was lost.

He had to reflect on himself, because he had made a mistake. The plan was simple: ask Fansalar to take action against Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu, and he would correct the deviation of fate. The Nightmare King would not attack civilians, only the "heroes" he was interested in. The casualties could be kept to a minimum, an optimal strategy recognized by destiny.

But he mistakenly believed that he could understand the god's character based on records, mistakenly believing that the god would act according to the deductions of fate. The moment Orlek arrived in Golden Leaf City, the situation completely slipped out of his control.

Innocent people, unrelated to fate, perished because of Orlek's actions. Those who should have perished survived this series of rampages. Just like Vansalar's mockery, the funeral procession, in its quest to fix a single error, always led to further deviations. He must carefully consider his next move, to live up to both himself and the gods.

Chu Hengkong sneered: "You are confused in front of your goal. It seems that your faith in God is not devout enough."

"If one is devout and has no worries, then all living beings should believe in God."

"Don't you have destiny to guide you?" Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows, "telling you who should die and how they should die."

"Thinking you can control your own destiny is a very foolish act!" Bernfar pondered. "I don't intend to interfere with your fight for now. There are still many souls in this land who need me..."

"Let's meet again after work is finished."

Chu Hengkong watched the monk walk away without saying anything. Fander poked his head out of his pocket, trembling with fear: "Brother, honestly, can we not be so impulsive next time? Life is precious, it's not worth it."

"We're not in Yingshi Town anymore," Chu Hengkong said. "Bournefa has revealed his true identity. With a heretic with unknown motives by your side, who would dare to act rashly? We need to understand his attitude before we can decide our next move."

"That's true..." Vander scratched his head, "But what if a fight really breaks out?"

"We're not fighting alone," Chu Hengkong said, raising his voice. "The knights guarding the settlement won't let him do evil!"

There were the sounds of footsteps from behind, and blood-red hair streamed through the gaps between the leaves. Qingxia walked down the stairs, leaving two lines of hoof prints on the beach.

"You didn't listen to me." Qingxia smiled.

"Because I don't trust you." Chu Hengkong said bluntly, "You've saved me many times along the way, and you've kept many things secret. Now that we're alone, I might as well tell you all."

"Okay." Qingxia sat down next to him. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened in the last counterattack?" Chu Hengkong stared at her.

"How should I put it...it's not a very glorious thing." Qingxia looked at the nameless graves. "Do you know what the holy pillars looked like in the past?"

"The Holy Pillar was once even more majestic than it is now, like a pillar of light towering from heaven to earth. It is a treasure left behind by the Knight King. Within the Holy Pillar's range, even non-Transformer warriors can fight against outsiders.

Every counterattack we launched relied on the Holy Pillar's protection, and the 34th was no exception. That was the closest we've ever come to victory in a major war. Under Grandfather's stewardship, the settlement has been rejuvenated and nurtured a group of powerful warriors. Among the newcomers is a formidable warrior named Hun Xingzhe, whose martial arts rival yours.

We devised a strategy with Commander Chongming, managing to divert some of the emissaries. Then, we deployed our secret techniques, which we could only use once, in a last-ditch effort. Hun Walker and I led the warriors directly toward the Nightmare City. We were nearly victorious, having already reached Vansalar's throne!

"But at that moment, the Holy Pillar went out." Qingxia lowered her eyes. "You can't imagine such a scene."

He could imagine it. He had seen similar scenes before. At the end of the defense of Huilong City, the Youyou totem gave the team members the strength to fight against the enemy, helping the city survive the final crisis.

And if that power suddenly vanished, if all those united in purpose were suddenly betrayed, and left at their weakest before the outsiders...

"The warriors lost their protection and were killed on the spot by the heretics. The Hun Walker also reached his limit and had no choice but to move to the upper levels. I couldn't figure it out, so I desperately rushed to the settlement. Only to discover that, at that very moment, a newcomer had arrived in the wilderness... He took advantage of the chaos when the settlement's elite troops were all out and stole the core of the sacred pillar. Our counterattack has failed!"

Qingxia smiled, as if discussing something that had nothing to do with her. "But this can't be the end of it! If I let that thief escape, how would I face the dead? So when he used the power of the Holy Pillar to leave, I took a deep breath and followed him. I followed his scent all the way to a place called Jinye City."

"I had to kill that man and bring back the power of the Holy Pillar. But I couldn't touch the Holy Pillar. And Wu He hired powerful bodyguards to prevent me from pursuing him. To be honest, even I felt desperate at that time!" Qingxia looked straight at him. "Fortunately, I was very lucky. There happened to be a stone seed in Jinye City. I heard from my grandfather that it could help us. I later discovered that Jinye City is connected to the wilderness. And just at this time, another group of powerful people came to this city..."

Qingxia said with a smile: "You know everything that happened next!"

Chu Hengkong clenched his fists, then unclenched them. Fander instinctively sensed something was amiss, but couldn't put his finger on it. He heard the killer say, "You already knew Vansalar might come to Golden Leaf City."

"Um."

"You know Wu He carries the power of a knight."

"Yes."

"You know the ruins underground."

“I discovered it on the first day.”

"Then you can already guess what will happen in the end."

"Of course." Qingxia smiled brightly, "I understand that scumbag very well. I know it will definitely drag you all into the wilderness, because it likes people like you the most!"

"Even if we could retrieve the Stone Seed, the settlement would be doomed. That's why I helped you survive. That's why I ran to save you when you went berserk. That's why I deliberately kept everything secret. All of this was to get you to enter the Despair Wilderness and fight the Nightmare King with me."

She spoke nonchalantly, revealing what she had been thinking all along and the motives behind Jinye City's many bizarre actions. She opened her arms and sat defenselessly in front of Chu Hengkong, with her usual sweet smile on her face.

"That's it, I'm done." Qingxia said, "You can hit me now."

Chu Hengkong punched her in the face.

(End of this chapter)