Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 162 The Church on the Takahashi Bridge
As they prepared to depart for the Church of the Golden Rule, old Theon suddenly asked Milo, "Don't you need to sleep?"

"You're the one who hasn't slept, aren't you? At least I slept for a few hours." Milo recalled that it seemed the one who hadn't closed his eyes since last night was old Theon.

“Compared to the cemetery, I think the church is more worth a visit.” Old Theon snapped his fingers, casually brushing the ash from his fingertips.

"By the way, have you attended church services or confessed your sins in the past few years?"

“To put it simply, in my hometown, there’s no custom of telling strangers about your recent masturbation experiences,” Milo shook his head.

“That makes sense.” Old Theon nodded. “You know, not long after the Great Plague ended, when the Church had just been established as the state religion, both houses passed a law that required members of the law enforcement system to be baptized at the Church if they were found to have a tendency toward extreme behavior.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this,” Milo said, slightly surprised.

He's now part of the law enforcement system, but he's never heard of this legal provision.

Even in Karl's memory, a genius law enforcement officer, Milo could not find the legal provision that old Theon had mentioned.

"Aren't the law enforcement system and the church supposed to be in a state of standoff, completely unrelated? Could there really be a precedent of law enforcement officers being forcibly baptized and purified?" Milo asked with interest.

Old Theon pointed to himself: "It is indeed above."

“Nero is right, you certainly have an impressive resume.” Milo shrugged. “So what kind of treatment have they prepared for you?”

"During the month I spent there, I had to listen to six hours of bastard chanting at the Star Clock Tower every day. My ears were practically calloused from listening to it. Back then, those damn charlatans were saying that my soul was shrouded in shadows or something, hahaha."

"So your soul has been purified or elevated?" Milo could sense that old Theon held the church in utter contempt.

It seems that since entering the law enforcement system, most of the people Milo has met have this trait, just to varying degrees, including himself.

“I remember it was this: I stole the cigarettes they took from me, got high, and then beat up the two charlatan priests in the clock tower. After that, they gave up on purifying my soul,” old Theon said casually.

“It’s a miracle you’re still in the law enforcement system,” Milo exclaimed in amazement.

"The higher-ups did consider stripping me of my black trench coat," old Theon grinned.

"What's the end?"

"In the end, they compromised and only deprived me of my pension."

“I can roughly imagine your life in your later years.” Milo’s mind conjured up the image of the old enforcer from Galid City.

"It doesn't matter anyway, I didn't expect to live to retirement age."

“Oh right, so why were you identified as… you know? Violent tendencies or something?” Milo continued to ask.

"I held the two suspects' heads underwater and forgot to take them out." Old Theon sounded like he was trying hard to remember, probably because he had almost completely forgotten about it.

It's not hard to see that this was definitely not the worst thing he had ever done to the suspect; it was just exposed for some reason.

"There is still so much I need to learn," Milo thought silently.

"Don't make that face. The Criminal Investigation Department is a quagmire. No matter how clean your soul is, if you stay here for a few years, you will become as stinking as those rotten people. Your friends will distance themselves from you, and your family will reject you. That's just how it is. No one can remain untainted in a pile of rotting corpses, haha."

Old Theon had picked up a cigarette again sometime during the night.

He spoke in a tone that sounded like he was joking. But Milo felt that the guy was introducing himself, with a strong sense of self-deprecation.

...

“That’s good. Next time I want to go into the church to investigate something, I’ll just find two suspects to kill. It’s simple, quick, and convenient.” Milo nodded thoughtfully.

“You know, you don’t need to kill a suspect to get into the church,” old Theon reminded him.

“That’s because of our different statuses,” Milo waved his hand.

The two chatted like that the whole way.

They rode their horses from Nanwei city all the way to the outskirts of the city.

The main church building was situated on a high hill on the outskirts of the city. Since it was located at the uppermost point of the canal, it was only natural that a rather grand high bridge was built there. In Milo's view, it was quite a spectacle that such a structure resembling a modern viaduct could be built with the architectural standards of that era.

The church's high bridge spans the sky, shrouded in dark clouds in the pitch-black night. The scattered lights on the bridge, like the eyes of a giant beast hidden in the clouds, look down on everything on the ground, giving off an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Behind the church bridge is an even taller tower.

These buildings inherit the characteristics of all large buildings since the last century. Perhaps because the nights in Nanwei City are somewhat cold, the church buildings in front of you seem to exude a solemn aura, while also having a touch of inhuman indifference.

Even someone like Milo, who has no knowledge of or interest in ancient architecture, couldn't help but marvel at the exquisite skills and imaginative ideas of the designers and builders when he saw the outline of this complex of buildings, which seemed to be embedded in the sky, at night.

"Only the state religion could possess such a magnificent building."

Milo and old Theon rode their horses along the outskirts of the city. Their shadows were as small as ants compared to the distant church towers, so inconspicuous.

And yet, nearly half of this massive building, which is almost ready to burst into the sky, is still under construction.

Therefore, it is conceivable what kind of resources and status the heroes who saved a country from a catastrophe could possess, and how many faithful believers the church gained during that great plague.

"In most cases, faith can be exchanged for hard-earned money."

Old Theon said something that sounded very meaningful to Milo.

They rode their horses up to the church bridge.

After crossing the canal and several hills, we entered the courtyard of the first building on the high ground.

This place is called Prayer Square.

It is also the area where believers from Nanwei City and other cities in China come and go most frequently.

Although it was late at night, there were still many believers of the Golden Rule in the fog-shrouded square, devoutly worshipping their inner deities and expressing their prayers and hopes.

……

Just as Milo stepped into the square, old Theon suddenly turned his head sharply, his gaze sharp and penetrating.

(End of this chapter)