Endless Debt

Fantasy Becoming Reality.

Belli suddenly understood why Teda was so certain she could succeed; the Wandering Crossroads was originally a land where wishes could be fulfilled, and Teda possessed the power to make wishes come true.

"Is the Order Bureau going to take action against the teacher?" Belli asked.

"We examined those Alchemy Armaments, much like handwriting, each Alchemist leaves distinct marks when implanting an Alchemy Matrix, which are highly individualistic. When we compared it with Teda's, the marks didn't match, so we can't confirm Teda is the Delusional one, only suspect it."

Yas explained, but just thinking about the situation in the Great Rift gave him a headache and a sense of powerlessness. "Moreover, over at Bologue, there are no new findings. According to his report, Teda is quite honest, barely leaving the house and has had no opportunity to connect with the Gray Trade Association."

Belli's entrustment of Bologue to monitor Teda coincided with the Sixth Group's subsequent investigation of Teda. Yas unfolded Bologue's report, noting that Teda had been extremely compliant since their settlement, with no signs of suspicion.

But this wasn't enough to dispel doubts.

"Under usual circumstances, we should have begun acting, but..."

"But what?" Belli pressed.

"But the situation in the Great Rift... it's a bit too chaotic right now."

At this, Yas couldn't help but smile bitterly.

...

"Wow, what's that!"

"A parade float."

"Wow, what are they doing!"

"Celebrating the Vow Festival."

"Wow, so this is how everyone celebrates the Vow Festival?"

"Not really, there are many ways for everyone to have fun."

A gray figure carrying a suitcase strolled through the crowded street. He was a somewhat eccentric person; while others wore bright colors, he donned muted gray. Even stranger was his habit of talking to himself as if conversing with someone, yet he was alone with no one around.

"How wonderful..."

Aimou, borrowing the senses of Bologue's body, was enjoying the festival's joy, while Bologue's face bore a hint of weariness.

All around were crowds following the parade float, with songs and cheers incessantly ringing. The environment was already noisy enough, but ever since arriving in the Agreement District, Aimou kept uttering "Wow."

She was practically like a "Wow" machine; whenever Aimou exclaimed, Bologue couldn't control his volume, feeling as if his mind shook with each sound.

However, Bologue was quite happy, or rather Aimou was happy to the point of bursting. Under the shared sensations of the Shared Chord Body, Bologue's usually gloomy mood was heavily influenced by Aimou's delight, forcing him to be cheerful.

This made Bologue feel very conflicted, but fortunately, the Vow Festival only happened once a year. If he could endure these hours, it would all be over.

As for Aimou?

Right now, her thoughts were blank, completely overwhelmed by the festive atmosphere.

Aimou constantly adjusted her body, attempting to become more human-like, adding senses to herself, but it was ultimately a clumsy imitation.

But now it was different. With the help of the Shared Chord Body, she used Bologue's body to feel experiences she never had before. A flood of information swept over her consciousness, like a drug-addicted patient, she was nearing being consumed by it.

Ether began to stir, and the golden halo in Bologue's eyes became increasingly noticeable.

Bologue turned and ducked into a dark alley, away from the joyful crowds, allowing the excited Aimou to calm down a bit.

Geoffrey had once suggested he keep some pets as emotional companions and to divert energy.

Bologue seriously considered Geoffrey's advice, even contemplated getting a dog, and had learned some relevant knowledge, like when dogs play too happily or get over-excited, they tend to lose control...

Even though it was just some pet knowledge, Bologue felt he learned quite a bit. He thought Aimou's state was akin to being overly excited, worried she might overload him, and then an unadorned Alchemy Puppet would pop out of his body.

Bologue wasn't worried about causing panic primarily, but because there would be no way to explain it to Teda. If Teda found out he had sneaked Aimou out, he might witness the power of Illusion Creation again.

Actually... sneaking her out wouldn't be impossible.

Bologue was a pragmatist; his love for the Sheep Horn Shock Hammer showed he didn't care about appearance as long as it was functional.

If you handed him a plunger and said it could smash mountains and split rocks, Bologue wouldn't mind carrying a plunger around.

"I'm a pipeline repairman, carrying a plunger is normal."

If anyone asked, Bologue would undoubtedly answer earnestly this way.

For Bologue, Aimou was very practical; with her, he had a constant supply of ether replenishment and the effects of Ethereal Concealment and Ethereal Perception. Unfortunately, time was short; Bologue couldn't experiment with them all.

Under the enhancement of the Shared Chord Body, Bologue felt like he was reinforced, having no pressure facing Prayer Believers.

He wasn't sure how effective it would be after he advanced, but theoretically, Aimou could evolve self-sufficiently...

The more Bologue thought, the more he felt he couldn't let Aimou go back. Besides, the Order Bureau wasn't far away, Teda, a Negative Power User, shouldn't be able to break into the "Cultivation Room."

Of course, Aimou was entirely oblivious to Bologue's wild thoughts. With his perpetually gloomy look, whatever he was pondering made him resemble a psychopathic killer preparing for work.

Aimou gradually calmed down, soothing her inner excitement, and coolly asked.

"Where do we go next?"

Where to?

That was a question; they couldn't just keep following the parade float, and the night was still long. For Aimou, every moment was extremely precious.

Everything seen and heard tonight far exceeded Aimou's past experiences, and every instant showed her the novelty of the world.

"Is there anything you want to do?" Bologue countered, wanting to hear Aimou's opinion.

"Hmm..."

Aimou couldn't think of anything for a moment since she had barely ventured through Opus. Even when leaving the Great Rift, it was to the Border Sanatorium.

To Bologue, the world was vast, with the Rhine Alliance and the Kagader Empire, the Wind Source Highlands and Free Port, countries wedged between gaps, and islands beyond the continent.

But to Aimou, the world was exceedingly small, with just the Great Rift and the Border Sanatorium.

She knew pathetically little about the outside world, like a hamster living in a cage suddenly one day lifted out and thrown onto a bustling street.

Bologue realized this point too and was about to suggest some ideas when Aimou suddenly spoke.

"I want to eat something!"

"Huh?"

Bologue was stunned.

"Every day, every day, every day I cook, but I can't eat, do you understand how this feels!"

Aimou's voice rose, no longer reserved as before, she let herself go.

"Food?"

Bologue could clearly feel Aimou's excitement. He began to suspect he might actually experience what it feels like to be stuffed to death this time.

"I want to eat… Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes!"

"Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes, Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes, Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes..."

Aimou, like a looping tape, repeatedly mentioned in Bologue's mind.

At this time, Bologue remembered that Aimou had come to call him in the morning some time ago, coincidentally catching him listening to Dudel's radio. Since then, Aimou also developed the habit of listening to the radio to learn about the city.

What intrigued her the most was the Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes that Dudel always mentioned; Aimou couldn't grasp how good these must be for Dudel to constantly bring them up, even becoming part of the radio's title.

Bologue felt a bit reluctant to tell her that Dudel's initial radio program was sponsored by a restaurant whose signature dish was this special delicacy.

"Alright, alright, Delicious Shrimp Crispy Cakes."

Bologue nodded helplessly and took steps towards the restaurant on the street.