Endless Debt

Upon hearing the visitor's name, Palmer's expression showed a noticeable shift; he hadn't expected such a mysterious fourth group to appear before him so suddenly. Bologue, however, reacted calmly, as the remnants of his memory informed him that it was these fourth group fellows who had rescued him.

Those continuous, thunderstorm-inducing, pitch-black crossbow arrows.

Based on Bologue's understanding of the Order Bureau, upon awakening from a coma, an interrogation and recounting of his experiences were inevitable.

Having gone through such peril, even without anyone explaining it to him, Bologue profoundly felt the terror of the Abandoned Land and the secret that the Desperate Outpost had been vigilantly guarding.

The city buried in ash, and the calamity hidden beneath the ashes and flames.

"Palmer, step outside for a bit, give us some privacy," Bologue ushered Palmer away.

Palmer glanced at Bologue in confusion, then at Evan. He said nothing, awkwardly turned the wheelchair with one hand, slowly moved out of the ward, and even closed the door behind him.

Evan pulled up a chair, sat opposite Bologue, took out a report, and began browsing through it on his own.

Glancing at the document and then at Bologue, Evan spoke, "I won't waste too much time, please tell me, what did you see in the Abandoned Land?"

"Abandoned Land? That's what you call that place."

Bologue didn't think it was a slip-up from Evan; it seemed more like Evan was intentionally revealing the place's name to him.

Evan did not answer Bologue's query, simply gazing calmly at Bologue. Their eyes intertwined; he wasn't afraid of Bologue's lousy stare, and Bologue didn't intend to get tangled up with him.

"I don't know the precise spot where I fell, but when I awoke, everything around me seemed normal, just black rocks."

"Then you started moving inward?"

Evan noted, "The Abandoned Land is very complex, like a massive maze; logic dictates that those who fall on the edges find it hard to navigate towards the central region."

He suddenly stopped his note-taking, voicing a suspicion, "Umbilical cord? The umbilical cord with the Devil guided you, like a light shining in the darkness, leading you to the central area."

"Maybe..."

Bologue wasn't sure. When he was in the peripheral area, he indeed felt nothing, but as if driven by fate, Bologue unintentionally moved closer to the central area, and the umbilical cord's sensation became clearer, leading him to the buried Holy City.

Like two travelers walking in the dark with lanterns, when Bologue saw the Calamity, the Calamity also noticed him.

"Even as a Debtor, you have a deep connection with the Devil."

Evan analyzed, stating that for anyone else, reaching the Holy City within the Abandoned Land was elusive; they would only be lost in the massive rift maze, amidst the pervasive ash.

But Bologue was different; he had what was called the umbilical cord pass. All the anomalies beckoned to him until he became one of them.

"And then there was the burning wind you encountered...what is that?"

For the various defense mechanisms of the Abandoned Land, Bologue had already formed speculations, but he wanted more assurance from Evan's words.

"The breath of Calamity, you saw it, that thing is immense. The dormant breath drives the burning flames, forming that lethal burning wind."

Evan concealed nothing, "The ash you saw is the same, the flames constantly scorched the Calamity, keeping its rebirth and demise balanced. Over the long years, the ash gradually filled the Abandoned Land."

"Oh, and everything thrown into the Great Rift meets the same fate, devoured by the Calamity, turning into its flesh, then burned into ash."

Bologue nodded, still with some unclear points, but at least now he knew where the things falling into the Great Rift ended up.

"Sounds like you've made Calamity into a...garbage recycling station? And kind of eco-friendly disposal at that." Bologue chuckled.

Evan took a moment to react, then understood what Bologue meant. He adjusted his glasses, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"This is the first time someone's described that monster like that."

With the explanations done, Evan gestured for Bologue to continue.

Bologue thought for a moment, digesting the information he'd gotten from Evan, "Then, as you said, I kept approaching the source of the burning wind according to the umbilical cord's guidance, and thus discovered the city..."

"Hmm...could you, from your perspective, describe to me the information you gathered from the Abandoned Land?" Evan suddenly made a bizarre request, "In your view, how do you think all this in the Abandoned Land came about?"

Bologue didn't refuse and shared his speculations.

"The Fall of the Holy City wasn't as simple as the official records state. Something must have happened that's been deliberately buried, like if King Solomon was a...Crowned?"

Mentioning these, Bologue carefully observed Evan's reaction, but unfortunately, Evan remained as composed as ever, showing no flaws.

"You've heard such rumors, right?" Bologue relaxed, raising his hand to gesture in the air, "A beam of light."

"I've heard of it; do you think it relates to King Solomon and his powers as a Crowned?" Evan followed Bologue's words.

"King Solomon released that light, piercing the earth, causing the Holy City to fall into the Abyss, and thus the Great Rift was born."

Bologue continued to recount the ancient story according to his own conjectures.

"After the Great Rift was formed, you suppressed the Calamity here and established layer upon layer of seals, like that damn Ether vacuum down below."

"Serenity Defense Line."

Evan corrected, as if aware of Bologue's thoughts, and went on to explain.

"You've witnessed the power of that Calamity, blessed with protection by the Crimson Queen, turning it into a genuinely immortal and indestructible entity. To limit its regeneration, we removed its heart and subjected it to fiery enchantment, yet even these measures are not enough to completely bind it."

"So you created an extensive Ether vacuum in the Abandoned Land, which is the Serenity Defense Line."

"Yes, that's correct," Evan nodded in agreement with Bologue's words, his gaze resting on Bologue, "The resurrection of the Calamity is much like… you."

"Resurrection requires Ether support, so you severed the Ether."

Bologue suddenly realized, and he couldn't help but ask, "Can the Serenity Defense Line be understood as an encompassing Void Realm of the massive Abandoned Land?"

"Interesting conjecture."

Evan smiled but did not directly answer the question, instead saying, "Please continue."

Bologue knew well that Evan's lack of a response indicated it was information beyond his reach. Both maintained silence, and Bologue didn't press the matter further.

"Is the Wandering Crossroad also part of the defense line? I am unsure of the Tyrant's exact role, but if the entire Great Rift is thought of as a bottle, then the Wandering Crossroad serves as a cap, sealing everything below.

A cap made by…the Devil sounds bad, but if the Tyrant is also bound by a Blood Contract, then even a treacherous Devil can become reliable."

Bologue speculated.

"Perhaps the Tyrant's power is usually hidden and only assumes part of the defensive duties in necessary situations, rooted in the Order Bureau's initial pact with the Tyrant."

"Hmm, quite a plausible assumption, is that all?" Evan asked next.

"That's all," Bologue replied, "Aren't you going to answer anything?"

"Answer what?"

"Whether my conjecture is correct."

This time it was Evan who began to ponder, carefully considering Bologue's responses, and then said, "Mostly correct."

"Mostly?"

Bologue laughed, understanding just how vague "mostly" could be, a subtle detail could unleash an entirely different story, a trick on Evan's part.

Regrettably, Evan had no intention of further explanation, instead reassuring Bologue.

"I know you have many questions, but I'm sorry, you know the regulations."

Bologue nodded silently. The strict regulations of the Order Bureau bound them tightly; what he managed to learn was already exceptional.

"I look forward to our future cooperation, Mr. Lazarus."

Evan spoke, shaking Bologue's hand briefly before leaving the hospital room without hesitation.

Once away from the room, the gentle expression on Evan's face vanished, turning sharply serious as he connected to the Whistle, Holt's voice echoing in his mind.

"How much does he know?"

"Basically everything except what's inside the Holy City… he even speculated about King Solomon's involvement with the Crown."

Evan took a deep breath, remembering his own feelings upon first learning these matters, he had been terrified that such monsters, existing only in theory, were real, followed by relief that it was dead.

Regardless of whether King Solomon was the Crowned one, he was buried sixty-six years ago in the Fall of the Holy City.

"Lebius mentioned, he said such secrets can't be hidden from the experts." Holt seemed uneasy.

"But these experts often have a fatal flaw," Evan chuckled, "They are overly confident, once they form an understanding of something, they feel they are correct."

"What's the matter?"

"He thought our layered defenses were solely to seal the Calamity."

Evan exhaled long and recalled that unquenchable fire, the curse from King Solomon.

"Bologue doesn't know that the Calamity is just one part of sealing the Light Scorch."