Chapter 695 (2/2)

“Oh, you are still in the Order. Don’t worry, I am basically him. Even if I look like this. My fiance doesn’t like it much either.” Then Neveah transformed, and Naffur saw so many teeth that he wished he had never asked.

But what Neveah did tell him was that the Order Ducis was important. Incredibly so. Mostly because it was seen as the vehicle for the will of the Ghosthound, which was important to basically all of the important political figures, but also because the Order Ducis was given sole responsibility of issuing permits for the founding of Orders by some charter.

And then there was the money.

“Answering all the letters to make things Orders is boring,” Neveah said, shaking her head. After some goopy features, she had settled on an androgynous body that looked similar to Randidly but was clearly not him. “But some are persistent and sent gifts. You can have them, it’s of no use to me.”

So Neveah had given him a seal, signifying the authority of the entirety of the Order Ducis, a pile of letters, and so much money that Naffur still didn’t believe it was really sitting in the side of his small rooftop shack. At nights, sometimes he counted it to fall asleep. He never finished going through the bills.

Some of it was American dollars, others were the Donnyton buck, with there were promissory notes from various institutions, companies, and organizations of varying repute. It was hard to know even what was worth what.

But Naffur’s interaction with Mareen had filled him with a strange sense of powerlessness, so today he made an exception to ignoring the letters. After making a small fire, he began to read.

The first was a letter from someone who simply introduced herself as Annie. She, in spare prose, asked for leave to found the Order Sagitta.

Naffur was having none of it; the letter was dropped into the greedy flames without a thought.

The next was also a rejection: it was for the Order Denaris. Although he wasn’t positive that he knew what it stood for, based upon the implications of the letter this was from a bank. At the thought of a banking institution possessing the power to be an Order, Naffur wrinkled his nose. In the old world, banks had run the world. He wasn’t in the mood to allow that to happen again.

More and more Naffur read applications for status as a recognized Order, and more and more his frustration and anxiety about Mareen dissipated. Soon, Naffur stopped reading the letters, because he was deeply concerned.

In what way would he be able to know if these groups should be orders…?

Already, the influence of the Orders could be seen. For most other Orders, there were small groups in most places supporting them and benefiting the community.

For example, the Order Fide was opening shelters for the poor in the Orchard, giving away soup and bread twice a day. The Order Valorum had set up “Valor Boards” where anyone could post jobs and rewards that were free for people to take.

The Order Veritas offered some sort of honor based promises service that Naffur didn’t quite get, but he recognized it was gaining popularity. Basically, an oath before someone of the Order Veritas meant something special. People had even taken to inviting a member of the Order Veritas to witness their wedding.

These were forces for good. How could Naffur hope to rival the planners of the Orders in choosing who should be allowed into the group of Orders…?

“How can I do this?” Naffur had asked when Neveah dumped it all on him. He was overwhelmed and likely still a bit concussed. “Look at me! I am just-”

“Someone who went back to help in the face of danger,” Neveah had said shortly. She flashed a smile at him. “I was watching. And I think you’ll do fine. Half of being a leader is just clenching your fist and being the first one to take a step forward.”

Then she had paused. “...the second half is results, but you get better at that part over time. The sooner you start practicing, the better, I think.”