Endless Debt

Walking into the Alchemy Workshop's living quarters... it probably counts as a living area. There's a dining table, a kitchen, and Palmer's favorite fridge, with the aroma of food wafting through the air, the constant clanging sounds, and people bustling around, fiddling with pots and pans.

Teda sat at the head of the dining table, picking up a knife and fork, slicing the sausage on the plate. Opposite Teda was an empty chair, with Bologue seated on it.

"How did you sleep?" Teda asked.

"Pretty well."

After a week of interaction, Bologue was less reserved, blending into the environment.

"That's good."

Aimou's voice sounded as she approached with a tray, placing breakfast on the table in front of Bologue.

"Did you make this?"

Bologue glanced at the food on the plate, then at Aimou, who was dressed like a chef, wearing an apron.

"Uh-huh." Aimou nodded.

The conversation that day ended with Aimou leaving angrily. Bologue didn't understand why Aimou was upset, as if this cold alchemy puppet understood life quite well.

Following this, Bologue pondered how to ease the tension between them. After all, keeping the relationship sour wouldn't be good for continuing the investigation.

Surprisingly, the next day Aimou seemed to have forgotten all about it, her attitude unchanged, as if the alchemy puppet bore no grudges.

This was what made Bologue feel helpless. Facing other issues, such as battles between Condensers, he had plenty of resources to learn from, but when facing the alchemy puppet, everything was unknown.

Towards this brand new lifeform, Bologue somewhat understood the feeling of adventurers discovering a new continent, driven by pure curiosity, attempting to comprehend the will beneath the metal shell.

"Don't worry, Aimou's cooking is pretty good," Teda said with a smile.

"I have no sense of taste and can't eat, but as long as I rigorously follow the instructions, I can make decent food," Aimou added appropriately.

Bologue nodded. Even if Aimou hadn't mentioned it, he had no plans to refuse. During the war, he had chewed on tree bark, so no matter how bad this food tasted, it wouldn't surpass the bark.

Forking the food, Bologue chewed a couple of times. Just as Teda said, Aimou's cooking was quite good.

And then... a scene both warm and strange appeared.

On a quiet Saturday morning, inside the peaceful room, Teda and Bologue discussed upcoming matters while enjoying the food Aimou had prepared, harmoniously resembling a normal family's daily life.

But upon deeper thought, an Undead Debtor, a fervent truth seeker, and an alchemy puppet, the three calmly coexisting in one room.

Most importantly, they were not in a normal person's residence but surrounded by the mist of the Great Rift.

Normalcy amidst oddity, everything seemed absurdly out of place.

"You've been a Condenser for a few months now, right?" Teda asked.

"Pretty much?" Bologue calculated the date, not far off from Teda's estimation.

"Are you ready for the next ascension?" Teda asked again.

"Not yet... I don't understand the power well enough. My soul hasn't stabilized yet, not to mention crossing the Triple Law."

As Bologue spoke, he remembered that mechanical watch, realizing his grasp of power was not yet proficient.

In the Condenser's ascension system, after implanting the Alchemy Matrix, the soul, which undergoes a transformation, becomes unstable. It requires waiting for the soul to gradually stabilize and for the cornerstone to become solid again before proceeding with the next tier's ascension.

Apart from these, ascension requires three prerequisites, also known as the Triple Law.

In alchemy theory, the human soul is divided into desire, will, and reason, corresponding to the three substances of salt, sulfur, and mercury, metaphorically referring to the human body, mind, and spirit.

A Condenser aiming to ascend to the next stage must first closely condense each aspect of their soul into a more resilient form. After all three aspects undergo ritual condensation, the crafted cornerstone will elevate the human soul overall, thus touching higher tiers of authority.

Bologue had only recently become a Condenser and was still in the stage of stabilizing his soul, requiring some time before he could conduct the ceremony of the Triple Law.

"That's not bad, at least the Order Bureau will foot the bill for your ceremony," Teda nodded after hearing this. "Many Condensers want to ascend but are first crushed by the alchemy materials consumed by the Triple Law."

Bologue silently agreed, as Teda's point was valid. Conducting the Triple ritual requires a vast amount of alchemy materials, and as the tier increases, the consumption grows correspondingly.

The expansive Order Bureau provides free resources for the ascension ritual of Condensers to Prayer Believers, but beyond the stage of Prayer Believers, individuals must strive on their own. Many alchemy materials, even for the Order Bureau, are extremely scarce.

Fortunately, very few can ascend each year, and the time it takes for each soul to stabilize varies. Some need months, others years, and the process of the ritual is fraught with high risk. Not everyone blindly pursues power.

But these challenges do not exist for Bologue. He is a debtor. Although his soul is not complete, making the ascension ritual difficult, he does not die; he merely has to attempt it multiple times.

"You also provide the implantation of Alchemy Matrix for many people... Do you offer them ascension ritual services?" Bologue asked suddenly.

Teda will implant Alchemy Matrix into ordinary people, charging a high price to keep his Alchemy Workshop operational.

"How could I? My equipment can barely support the implantation ritual, let alone involve the ascension ritual, and it's difficult to gather even alchemy materials," Teda said. "The critical materials are secretly controlled by many Extraordinary Organizations and rarely circulate in the market."

"Indirectly controlling the number of Condensers, is that it?" Bologue said.

"Exactly, it's a consensus among many organizations. They can allow a large number of Condensers to roam outside, but not higher tiers. Rather than spending massive manpower to maintain order, it's better to make ascension difficult." Teda explained.

Bologue understood that even a First Stage Condenser is a formidable existence that ordinary people cannot resist. If they were Prayer Believers or Negative Power Users... if their power were sufficient, they could easily conquer a city.

"But the appearance of the Grey Trade Association changes everything. These people not only bring alchemy armaments but also provide Condensers struggling with ascension enough alchemy materials—if they are willing to pay the price."

Bologue thought of all this, his expression grew serious, and he questioned Teda, "Do you have any connections with the people from the Grey Trade Association?"

"You want to investigate them through me?" Teda understood Bologue's intention. He shook his head, "I am not connected to them, honestly. And even if I were, I can't disclose much to you, right?"

"Indeed."

Bologue realized he was still too naive. Since Teda left the Order Bureau, even though he sat in Teda's home, eating meals made by Aimou, accepting Teda's guidance, cooperating in his research... no matter what he did, it couldn't change the fact that they weren't allies.

They belong to different factions, temporarily linked by the same interest. When the interests no longer align, no one knows what will happen.

"Are you done eating?" Teda asked.

"Yes, shall we start?"

"Yes, let's go to the second floor."

Teda said, picking up the lab coat hanging on the back of the chair, its white hem reaching past his knees.

…

The facilities in the Alchemy Workshop cannot compare to those of the Order Bureau. Under the peculiar attributes of the "Cultivation Room," Bologue could destroy anything as he wished, but here he is restricted.

"Control your power; don't affect the surrounding buildings," Teda repeatedly warned.

The Alchemy Workshop is an enclosed self-circulating entity, with the Void Realm enveloping it. Bologue's Summoning Hand is very suitable for destroying buildings; any damage might cause the enclosed Void Realm to collapse.

Teda had invested a lot of effort here. If Bologue recklessly played and caused a collapse, the old man would definitely kill him, even though Bologue is an Undead.

"I understand," Bologue assured.

Seeing Bologue's serious attitude, Teda felt slightly relieved and then said, "In fact, you should have realized that when your Summoning Hand activates, your Alchemy Matrix needs to extend out first."

"Yes, due to this, there is a brief delay in the activation of my Secret Energy."

Bologue said, summoning the Silver Snake, which crawled along his fingertips, carrying a green trace between its silver scales.

"Actually, we can think of it this way: you are not controlling the substance you touch, but by extending the Alchemy Matrix, you turn those covered substances into part of your body, thereby distorting or modifying that part... like giving orders to your limbs, commanding the extended body part."

Teda observed the Silver Snake and suddenly shared such a theory. From this perspective, the Summoning Hand is akin to the Ascension School.

"Is that so? An interesting idea."

Bologue puzzled over his palm, where the Silver Snake writhed. Suddenly he thought of something and continued.

"Actually... can this be understood as my Alchemy Matrix spreading to the soul of those substances?"

Bologue shifted his gaze and locked eyes with Teda.

"The Alchemy Matrix is rooted in the soul, and these substances also possess a soul, correct?"