Long-term salvation

Rhodes pursed his lips and looked expressionlessly at Bishop Raphael beside him. Beads of sweat slid down the latter's face, falling along his gray beard and sideburns, knocking over the ladybugs crawling on the grass below.

Retracting his gaze, Rhodes looked at the knights who were also half-kneeling. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. A long sword burning with golden flames emerged from his palm. Amid the knights' exclamations, he slashed the sword across his palm. A little blood immediately flowed out and flowed down the sword blade but was not evaporated by the flames.

Blood dripped onto the pages of the Bible that Michael and Mary had placed before the Son of Man. Raziel quickly recorded it in the thick book, while Baal stood by and watched those fanatical humans indifferently.

Under the sun's rays, Rhodes spoke calmly:

"This book is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you... So, then make a sacred covenant with me."

"Sign your name in this book, shed your blood, and burn it and the Bible you carry with you as a burnt offering to me. The ashes of this sacrifice bear witness that you will fight in the name of salvation."

"My Knights of the Covenant."

When the flames completely burned the Bible, the ashes were gently smeared on the face of every Knight of the Covenant. This would become the tradition of the Knights Templar in the future - every knight who believed in Christ and fought for humanity would completely burn the Bible he carried with him all year round under the crucifix in the church, and smear the ashes on his face to create a cross-shaped battle pattern.

This is the "Covenant", and those knights who are as powerful as the [Mobile Task Force] under the order of the Army Without Borders are called "Ashes of Burnt Offerings". Due to the gray equipment they wear, they are often called "Grey Knights".

The ashes of the burned Bible were placed in a golden acacia wood ark and sealed in the small church that witnessed the founding of the Knights of the Covenant... Decades later, a legend arose among the new knights of the order:

The ashes of the knights who achieved legendary feats will be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, where they will rest with the ashes of the sacred covenant until the arrival of a peaceful era, when the Son of God will personally burn them again on Mount Ararat (the final resting place of Noah's Ark) to report to God that the mission of saving the world is complete.

At that time, a rainbow will appear in the sky as God's response:

The LORD said: “I establish my covenant with you: never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth… I set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.” — From Genesis 9

By then, the tide will recede completely and mankind will enjoy eternal peace.

Chapter 267 Daily Life: Final Preparations (3/3)

While Rhode was signing contracts with the knights, the girls were busy at Hill Manor, preparing to welcome the incoming guests. Aside from Yuuka, who was still struggling with the audit report, and Hinami, who had difficulty moving and had chosen to organize books and materials in the study, everyone else was busy with this rare cleanup.

The lovely girls walked slowly through the corridor carrying various cleaning tools, stepping on the spots of light cast by the sunlight that penetrated through the thin or thick curtains. The aprons they wore swayed slightly, raising a few particles of dust suspended in the light beams.

Abigail had wrapped her long golden hair in a soft white cloth and was cleaning the dust from the crevices of the carved wall panels with a brass-handled bristle brush. After trying hard but failing to clean it out, she angrily slapped the wall and said angrily:

"Spray it out for me!"

Hill Manor obeyed fearfully—the wall shook slightly, and dust suddenly spewed out like a volcanic eruption, forming a cloud of dust in the corridor, causing Abigail to sneeze several times subconsciously, and fled from the corridor in a panic with tears streaming down her face, leaving behind cruel words such as "I will tear you down one day", which made the aggrieved Hill Manor pull the dust back in confusion and horror.

Pickman, who was squatting nearby and wiping the wall with a rag held by his cat’s paw, said: “…Fvck meow.”

Not long after, Nayako strolled over, pushing a spray cart filled with lemon balm water. She hummed a tune that sounded like a sprinkler truck from a certain country, looking lazy and unmotivated. Abigail followed behind her, holding a vacuum cleaner—she had no idea how she would power the machine in this place without an outlet—but she was sure to get rid of the dust.

The fine mist from the spray truck drifted over the cast iron candlesticks between the columns, revitalizing the gilded fleur-de-lis patterns. It also settled the dust that had been swept up, leaving layers of stains on the rolled-up carpet floor, which were then quickly mopped away.

Outside the villa, Bai Zi was using a lawn mower to remove the uneven lawns, but it was actually a very simple job:

Hill House keeps weeds under control, though they occasionally affect the ornamental flowers grown by the girls.

Sitting on the lawn mower bored, Bai Zi wore a round straw hat with two holes poked in it for his ears, and mechanically chewed gum in his mouth to let the last bit of sweetness spread out.

The girl's thighs, so white and tender they were almost dazzling in the sun, were resting on the steering wheel, controlling the machine beneath her to run around... She even thought about using a flamethrower to deal with the weeds! But after being unanimously opposed by the others, she could only use her random thoughts to pass the time during her boring work.

After thinking for a while, Bai Zi glanced at Hill Villa, took out a small notebook from his pocket, and began to write a plan to attack Rhodes' bedroom at night.

"First step, follow. Second step, knock him out... No, knock him down. Resistance is more interesting..."

"Step one, pour it in. Step two, add water..."

In the villa's kitchen, Marianne was preparing the food with Noah and Asuka Ikiji. The guests would arrive today or tomorrow, and to avoid making a fool of themselves, they had to prepare early. However, the refrigerator wasn't big enough, so some of the processed food had to be stored in the cellar.

"We still have to cook French food tomorrow," Marian said anxiously. Her right hand, holding the knife, was rapidly cutting the vegetables, slicing the carrots into even rounds and throwing them into the stainless steel basin beside her. "So what should we have for dinner today? Let's keep it simple, like some vegetable soup and beef Wellington?"

"But dessert can't be made today... Well, we can make less. Abigail and the others will definitely want to eat it."

Noah said with a smile that she was rapidly learning Marian's cooking methods and Rhodes's dietary preferences that were inadvertently revealed.

"It's a good thing to have ghosts to help clean up at night," Asukai Muji said softly. She picked and washed the celery, cut it into very small pieces, and added them to the simmering soup - this was today's lunch. "But it might scare the guests who want to stay here... After all, apart from Mr. Randolph Carter, no one dares to live here, right?"

"He doesn't want to live here anymore."

"Maybe it's because he got too many frights in the dream house," Asukai Muji nodded, his face full of deep approval. "I don't know why, but he always comes across things that others can't... the dreamland, the museum with mummies, and things like [doors], it sounds too incredible." Note ①

"Mr. Randolph is very talented," Marianne said calmly. She stared at the wine on the chopping board, ready to be used as cooking wine, for a moment, then said blankly, "Wait, did I just ask Little Red Riding Hood and Myrna to clean the wine cellar?"

"Yes, they could hardly contain the joy on their faces."

"You didn't even remind me!"

Amid the laughter of Noah and Asuka Ikiji, Marian tore off her apron and ran quickly to the wine cellar.

As soon as she passed through the kitchen door, Marian bumped into Nikki Yang who had hurried back. The latter had a look of surprise on her face. She blinked her eyes and asked:

"what happened?"

"No... nothing," Marian adjusted her hair a little awkwardly, then pushed the black-haired Nikki into the kitchen and said quickly, "I left some food for you, just heat it up in the steamer!"

After saying this, Marianne continued to jog, but when she reached the door of the wine cellar, she found it was too late.

D was dragging Mana and Little Red Riding Hood out by the back of their collars. Both of them reeked of alcohol. There were a few empty bottles of wine on the floor of the wine cellar, which had collided with each other, making crisp clashes.

"I smell alcohol."

D said expressionlessly, and threw a fool and a drunkard in front of Marian, leaving both of their faces with the embarrassment of being caught and the still-drunk red of drunkenness.

"And then they followed the smells and sounds and found their way here... They drank at least four bottles of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Ahem, we've cleaned the wine cellar," Little Red Riding Hood said awkwardly. Mana, who was completely devoid of her usual efficiency and intelligence, was too embarrassed to return her companion's gaze. She could only echo what she had said and quietly added:

“The wine is genuine.”

"Authentic or not, you've already drunk them all! Didn't we agree to drink them at the celebratory banquet after the Commander's meeting?"

"I couldn't help myself...there's still a lot of wine left."

Looking at the two guys with silly smiles, Marian's eyes twitched slightly, but in the end, she sighed and said unhappily:

"You two should go take a shower, otherwise you'll have to eat at the same table with the commander while reeking of alcohol."

"Um..."

Note ①: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Out of the Aeons, and Through the Gates of the SilverKey, respectively.

Chapter 268: The Coming One After Another (1/3·3K)

Many years later, when Miss Lara Croft led the investigation team through the dark ruins of the other world, she would always recall the afternoon when she followed her mentor Dr. Timothy Flyte to Hill Manor.

As the car got closer to Hill Villa, Laura could more clearly sense the darkness hidden in the villa:

Even in summer, Hill Manor is unnaturally chilly. Its gate and windows are extremely inconsistent in architectural design, yet it has a certain messy beauty, as if from a certain angle, you can see the manor moving its "eyes" to look back - a mirrored reflection suddenly flashed in a window of the attic, as if a pupil suddenly contracted behind the blinds.

"...That thing behind the window, isn't it a ghost?"

Through the car window and the house window, Laura stared blankly at the ghost of the old woman. The latter seemed very dissatisfied with this look. She raised her middle finger at the girl and then slowly disappeared.

Laura: “…”

"Don't worry about it, Laura," Dr. Flyte said with a smile. He opened the door and got out of the car as soon as it stopped. "Although this manor is filled with darkness and malice, with Rod here, it dares not act rashly... Of course, I don't recommend you wander the corridors at night. Those ghosts like to come out at night."

I won’t stay here at night, the girl thought to herself.

Following her mentor toward the villa, Laura saw two vehicles, seemingly surface-to-air missile launchers, deployed in the distant forest, and a radar vehicle positioned in another direction. Several Humvees and wheeled infantry fighting vehicles passed along the road to one side, followed by a group of Army Without Borders soldiers with dogs on leashes. This type of grouping was prevalent throughout Arkham, and even across Massachusetts, numerous agents were active.

But inside Hill Villa, these security forces are almost non-existent. In fact, the security personnel may not be as strong as the residents living in the villa... This is indeed a big blow to Captain Jack Krauser, but he did not take it too seriously.

The two men who rushed into the villa nodded. The scar on Klausa's face crawled like a centipede as his muscles trembled, and he slowly squeezed out a slightly ferocious smile:

"Dr. Timothy Flyte, Miss Laura Croft, and the other directors have arrived and are resting in the reception room. You can also go to the kitchen to see if there is anything you would like to eat."

"Oh, of course! Thank you, Captain," Dr. Flyte nodded in response. He looked around and leaned forward to ask curiously, "Didn't Perseus and Hammer fight? I heard that both of them will attend today's meeting."

"One win, one loss, and one draw. The old Soviet guy's fighting skills are actually better than the general's, but he lost in military mapping... Their marksmanship skills are even."

Krausa replied in a similarly low voice, suddenly looking forward to his duel with the Soviet VDVs—perhaps after a few days, he could report to the general and head to Africa. Sure enough, the soldier's final destination was the battlefield, not boot camp.

"Haha, I'm glad nothing happened. I was quite worried before."

Upon hearing the answer, the doctor laughed a few times, patted his student on the shoulder, and said:

"Laura, go to the kitchen. I remember you didn't eat much. I'm going to the living room to see my old friends. I hope those old bastards can leave me some good wine."

"Do you need me to bring you something to eat?"

"That's not necessary."

After watching her mentor slowly ascend the stairs and greet the ghost worker repairing the clock at the corner, Laura, with a somewhat stiff expression, took a few deep breaths and politely said goodbye to Captain Krauser. As she walked towards the kitchen, she took in the villa itself and the guests who had arrived.

The two old priests who had met each other once before greeted Laura with a smile and gave her blessings. The latter gladly accepted them and pretended to be a lady, which made the two old men laugh.

Instead, another priest and a young man with a slightly gloomy face cast some reproachful looks, as if they thought that the place should not be too noisy. They were standing a little further away, talking cautiously to Mary, the girl Laura had met in London. The little nun had a gentle smile on her face, but her words were clearly full of reprimands, and the two grown men could only agree meekly.

Without interrupting Mary, who was standing with her hands on her hips scolding the two men, Laura walked around them and continued walking towards the kitchen. Halfway there, she saw an old man with white hair and beard, carrying a few books, slowly walking down the side stairs, accompanied by a girl she didn't recognize.

"Ah, yes, Miss You, we in the Argos Panoptos family welcome you. We have many ancient books that need to be deciphered...Oh! Laura! My good girl!"

Director Argos Panoptos turned his head, his old face full of kindness. After hugging Laura, he said with emotion:

"If I weren't old, I would definitely want to see the crack and take a walk in the other world."

"It's too dangerous there," Laura sighed, but she thought about her experience and added, "It's definitely worth witnessing. There are so many secrets and stories hidden in that darkness. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely go in again."

"It's good to be young... By the way, if you're going to the kitchen, remember to call Randolph Carter and Allen Grant back and have them go to the reception room to discuss the details of the upcoming meeting."

"Ok!"

Having accepted the mission, Laura didn't delay any longer and continued forward under the guidance of Abigail and Nayako who were passing by. At first, these two guys who were eager to see the world in chaos pointed Laura in other directions, and only pointed to the corridor leading to the kitchen after hearing that they were looking for someone.

As she passed the side door, Laura saw an old man who had recently become a celebrity again—Carvin Johnson—who was complaining to his secretary, Ms. Caroline, with a look of indignation on his face:

“As the CEO of Aperture Technologies, why can’t I become a permanent director of the Cogito Foundation?”

"You are already the former CEO, sir. Mr. Rhodes is now the CEO."

“…Fvck!”

Without listening to Calvin's mumbling complaints, Laura quickly crossed the corridor. When she passed by two lifeless statues, she didn't notice that the statues' postures quietly changed the moment she passed by, and their malicious gazes flashed by.

Hill Villa was delighted by the influx of so many powerful psychics, but they only dared to carefully collect the dissipated emotional energy under the supervision of Rhodes and a group of girls, like squirrels preparing for winter.

"Let me look at the sign... the kitchen is in this direction... why are there cat paw prints next to the sign? Could it be written by that black cat?"

When Laura arrived in the kitchen, it was already filled with a rich aroma and the crisp echo of metal utensils clashing against each other. Unlike the cold and desolate corridor, the atmosphere in the kitchen was cheerful and a little hot, especially when Randolph and Allen were both there:

"The newspaper I recently submitted my work to has a new horror writer named Sutter Cane whose works are very popular," Randolph Carter said, gripping the handle of his coffee cup, his face full of indignation. "But I write horror stories too, so why should they be classified as fairy tales?"

"Perhaps if we have time, I can accompany you to visit that writer," Alan Grant shrugged. "He's always got some talent...invite him to dinner and ask him about his writing skills."

"My writing skills are terrible?! Oh, and speaking of brushes, when are you going to visit that billionaire's overseas paradise? I remember he seemed to have invited you many times, and you were always hiding in the dinosaur fossil excavation site."

"Almost a year later? I haven't been taking care of my hobbies lately, but tracking the traces of those Titan beasts... Laura! Is Dr. Timothy Flyte here too?"

The two directors smiled and raised their glasses to Laura. Marian and Noah, who were preparing the meal, also turned their heads to see Dr. Flyt's disciple and the strong woman who had adventured with Rhodes in the other world.

Facing these curious gazes, Laura felt a little shy. She quickly spoke out the purpose of her visit:

"Both directors, you should go to the reception room. The others are waiting for you."

"What?! Dr. Peng is here too?" / "Damn it! I still need to print out some documents first."

"Mr. Grant, there are printers and fax machines in the townhouse on the east side of the villa!"

Marian shouted a warning to the fleeing figure, who responded with a loud thank you before vanishing completely. Randolph Carter, however, remained for a while, leisurely finishing the cookies on the porcelain plate in front of him and taking a milk pudding from the refrigerator before strolling off, more skillfully than at home.

"Well... Miss Laura, would you like something to eat? The party probably won't start until quite late."

"so I……"

Laura wanted to say that she only needed some biscuits, but when she smelled the aroma of corn soup and soft bread, she swallowed subconsciously and said shyly:

"I'd better eat something, Lady Marianne."

"Ok!"

About half an hour later, Laura, who had eaten and drunk her fill, tiptoed into the conference room and sat down in the back row. There were quite a few people here, and there were far more young people than middle-aged people attending the meeting. It seemed as if the directors had brought their trusted descendants and successors here specifically to witness the event.

Witness the vote that was twenty years late.

Now, the board meeting of the Kogito Foundation is about to begin.