Endless Debt

Bologue recognized this symbol, as mentioned in the "Golden Thesis," it symbolizes certain things, and the Mammon Coin before his eyes is engraved with the symbol representing silver.

"What are you talking about?"

Bologue looked at Vika warily. It was Vika who initially explained the various aspects of the Mammon Coin to him, so Bologue clearly understood what Vika meant by "becoming a legend."

Back then, Bologue might have been extremely interested in these things, but after learning the identity of the Tyrant, his heart was filled with endless caution.

"You understand what I mean; you've become one of them, even though you may not want to admit it, the fact remains."

Vika maintained the perfect smile on his face, his words resonating with a sinister echo.

"This land remembers your name, even if everyone else forgets, someone knows of your existence."

Bologue's image froze in place, the surrounding clamor seemingly unrelated to him, within the silence, only he and Vika stared at each other.

"Will you accept it?" Vika asked.

The Mammon Coin lay between the two of them, should Bologue choose to accept this Mammon Coin, his connection with the Tyrant would deepen, perhaps even allowing him to call upon the Tyrant's help when necessary.

If refused, nothing would happen; compared to the Crimson Queen, the Tyrant is a rare, reasonable fellow. Yet, even so, the more rational the Tyrant became, the more Bologue felt he was facing the Abyss, even struggling to guess what he might be thinking.

"If I accept it, will you tell me the information about that person?" Bologue countered.

Vika showed a confused expression, then explained, "Sorry, I truly know nothing."

"With your position at the Wandering Crossroads, this claim sounds too much like a lie, doesn't it?"

"Then consider it a lie," Vika said with a surprising candidness.

This time, it was Bologue who fell silent, analyzing in his thoughts, realizing that the Wandering Crossroads were but a variant of the Tyrant's sect of beliefs, he understood the relationships here were intricate.

The Gray Trade Association and the Sanguine Sect, all the unknown and mysterious connections were associated, and all these events unfolded within the Great Rift and related to the Wandering Crossroads.

Given the Tyrant's nearly omnipotent power, he ought to know everything occurring here, and as his loyal servant, Vika does too.

"Your boss also highly values them, doesn't he?" Bologue remarked casually, even with a trace of a smile, "Looks like I'm not the only one favored by the Devil."

For many years, the Tyrant has been searching for someone.

Bologue didn't know whether that person had a deep enmity with the Tyrant or owed the Tyrant a substantial debt, whatever the reason, anyone that drew such significant attention from the Tyrant had a special nature, and as for Bologue, he seemed to share similarities with that person or perhaps be linked.

In the Tyrant's eyes, Bologue himself might be the clue to finding that person.

But now, there is a larger interest tempting the Tyrant enough for him to care for the other party, even if Bologue pledged something, he might still disregard it.

Bologue's tone feigned jealousy, but mostly it was still caution, as those favored by the Devi truly weren't innocent.

Vika continued to smile gently, shaking his head silently, negating all Bologue's guesses.

Bologue knew further entanglement here was meaningless, casting a deep glance at Vika before making a move that somewhat surprised Vika.

Reaching out to pick up the engraved Mammon Coin signifying silver, Bologue said nothing, pocketed it, and turned to leave.

On a stormy night, Bologue had refused the Tyrant's gift, only because Bologue thought it would be his last chance; he didn't want any more entanglements with the Devil.

But destiny is like this, seemingly predetermined, and Nesanel's subsequent words changed Bologue's thoughts somewhat, in addition to everything recent that had transpired.

With the connection of the umbilical, Bologue could keenly sense the powers related to the Devil, yet he still felt as though standing behind a thin veil, struggling to see what was hidden beneath.

Unless... Unless Bologue delved deeper further.

Bologue knew it was akin to dancing with wolves, yet only by doing so, could he find these wolves hidden within the deep forest and twist each of their throats.

Pushing open the bar's door, the jovial atmosphere on the street vanished, replaced by depth and oppression.

The drunken people woke up one by one, warily watching the man standing not far away, some even gripped weapons, but none dared to make the first move.

Bologue looked toward the figure that made everyone vigilant, unsurprised by his appearance, given his sensitivity to the flow of Ether, tracking Bologue's footprints couldn't be simpler for him.

Yas saw Bologue emerge from the bar too, a flash in his eyes, nodding in acknowledgement to Bologue.

"Where are the others?" Bologue asked.

"I sent them directly to Qiushang Town; from there, they can directly return to the 'Cultivation Room,' " Yas said.

Yas had come from the route from Qiushang Town, impatient for his new group members.

"Actually, I thought you'd make an entrance like they did—isn't it called Curved Path Breakthrough?"

Bologue joked; not long ago, he had watched the Ninth Group's dazzling debut and assumed every task force would be equipped with such power.

"That thing is extremely risky and can only be used under special circumstances," Yas replied.

"Rescuing team members doesn't count as special?" Bologue retorted.

"Special, but not quite special enough. Without your reinforcement, we might have activated it," Yas spoke with rare courtesy towards Bologue, which made him uneasy.

"Seems like you didn't catch that guy."

The two paced down the street of Wandering Fork, Yas whispered.

"Wandering Fork is sheltering him... He should be part of the Gray Trade Association," Bologue revealed the information he had gathered.

"I suspect it's a trap, a trap aimed at me. Do you know anything?" Bologue continued to ask.

"Hmm... This is a task the Sixth Group has been handling lately. With Gray Trade Association's arrival, a lot of Alchemy Armament has flowed into the market, causing a group of thugs to rally, and under the enhancement of Alchemy Armament, they have become extremely dangerous."

Yas began explaining the task-related information to Bologue.

"We are responsible for subduing these thugs and retrieving the Alchemy Armament. Kemp and Shelley are newly joined members, so we've entrusted them with the simplest tasks, instructing them to gather intelligence and confirm the thugs' locations.

If this is a trap targeting you, then it doesn't seem like they messed up but were targeted from the beginning."

"The opponent anticipated it in advance—a task so simple wouldn't warrant sending High Tier Condensers, would it?" Bologue muttered.

"Possibly."

Bologue fell silent, still unable to ascertain the gunman's identity, having only fragmented information to deduce his identity.

He might be affiliated with the Gray Trade Association or merely hired by them, or perhaps just a wealthy individual who acquired various Alchemy Armament from the Association.

But all these conflicting sources point to one question: What was he thinking, attempting to assassinate an Undead? This absurd act remained unfathomable to Bologue.

"I left some of them alive; did you notice?" Bologue said.

"The thugs? Noticed. They should be alongside my team members, being escorted back to the Cultivation Room." Yas understood Bologue's intent and continued, "If the opponent wants to hide, they wouldn't leave such obvious flaws."

"However, regardless, we can glean some intelligence from these thugs," Bologue wouldn't overlook any clues.

At this point in the conversation, Bologue paused, scrutinizing Yas as if recalling something.

"You are friends with my leader, Lebius, right?" Bologue suddenly asked.

"What do you want to ask?"

The abrupt topic shift immediately heightened Yas's guard.

"I want to ask some personal questions... like, do you know about his relationship with Vika?"

Initially, Bologue connected with Vika through Lebius, indicating that his leader had intricate ties with this enigmatic land, which he hadn't visited in years.

"Since I've observed the strangeness here, I believe you should have noticed it early on, too? So why is everyone indifferent, allowing this Land of Chaos to grow unruly?"

Bologue pressed, needing clarity on why the Order Bureau seemed to disregard Wandering Fork.

"The relationships are complex, Bologue, especially concerning certain crucial secrets...

We've always adhered to such conduct—there are secrets that shouldn't be disclosed, but for those overly curious, we won't prevent you from pursuing those secrets."

Yas paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"Much like children playing with fire, once burned, many things become clear, and our adult words are no longer necessary."

Just as Bologue thought he might leave disappointed, Yas shifted his tone and continued.

"Excluded from those unutterable, there are indeed some secrets I can share with you.

Lebius and Vika's friendship began during the secret war; back then, we battled the King's Secret Sword in every city's shadow, including the Great Rift."

At this point, Bologue had grasped the situation, speaking softly.

"You made a pact with Wandering Fork, causing them to align with you during the secret war."

Yas neither confirmed nor denied, merely staring at Bologue impassively.