Endless Debt

Panic? Fear? Powerlessness or anger?

A carefree life shattered, living in constant fear every day, they possess intelligence similar to humans but are locked in cages, observed and experimented on by another group of apes.

In terms of consciousness, they are the same species, yet their physical forms are so different.

What do the apes in the cages think about? They are powerless to change reality, sinking deeper and deeper into the whirlpool of despair... Maybe they should long to lose their intelligence, so that by becoming carefree apes again, they won't have to ponder over this agony.

"Do you want to be human, Aimou?" Bologue asked.

The girl was still too naive; she didn't know how to hide her thoughts, or maybe today was a good time, and she was willing to reveal her true inner self.

Aimou is Sido, is the ape. She is more outstanding and intelligent than most people in this world, yet she is an alchemy puppet, relying solely on Bologue's body to further perceive everything in this world.

"Me? No, humans are too weak, who wants to be human?"

Aimou gave an unexpected answer.

She hid inside Bologue's body, making it impossible for Bologue to judge her emotions through the changes in aura.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I can run indefinitely, which means I can somewhat be considered half-Undead, but humans? Humans will all die after a hundred years, some people won't even last a hundred years.

Their lifespan is already so short, and they waste a lot of time on sleep, not to mention humans get injured, get plagued by diseases..."

Aimou spoke on her own, desperately proving her superiority over humans.

"Sido and apes are in pain because they are inferior to humans, but I am different. I will become stronger than humans, one day I will achieve it."

These words made Bologue's heart skip a beat, should one say it's worthy of being Teda's student? She goes crazy just like Teda does.

"Steel is the future, Bologue."

Aimou didn't forget to conclude with one sentence.

"Alright, alright, I look forward to that day, after all, I'm also an Undead."

Bologue repeatedly praised her; he never thought that Aimou's mental state was better than he expected. He initially thought she would say she was trapped in a shell of steel, unable to become human.

But in reality, Aimou didn't care about the human shell at all, because, after all, flesh and blood are too weak.

"Then don't you feel lonely?" Bologue asked again.

"I'm so unique, so what about loneliness?" Aimou said confidently, "Have you seen an alchemy puppet like me?"

"No, to be precise, you're the first alchemy puppet I've seen."

"Then that's it, besides, don't you have me? You're also an Undead, there's still quite a resemblance." Aimou added.

It could be felt from the previous conversation that Aimou was very concerned about life and death... mainly about death, she strongly resisted death, so she wanted to continually optimize and live on.

Bologue didn't understand why Aimou thought this way, but survival itself is an instinct for every consciousness, such things don't need a reason.

"If that day really comes, I'll introduce a bunch of friends to you."

"Who?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Bologue said mysteriously.

The movie ended, and the path became darker and more desolate.

Bologue felt much calmer; within the small alchemy workshop, Teda obsessed over the fantasy of Alice's resurrection, already a headache-inducing matter, but luckily Aimou was very honest, without too many delusions.

But...

Bologue remembered something, how Aimou felt when she first tasted cake in the alchemy workshop.

If you don't care so much about becoming human, why then do you feel such an uncontrollable joy towards all of this?

The ecstasy of something new?

Bologue couldn't figure it out, nor did he press on; the two already understood each other deeply enough tonight, each person has their own little secrets, no need to probe excessively.

But Bologue completely overlooked that the golden aura in his eyes had ceased all its agitation at some point, inscribed in his pupils with a dull, numbed emptiness, lending his entire eyes a few shades of deep void.

Like the walking dead.

...

"Are we heading home?"

"I don't know, maybe just wandering around."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm... about the upcoming ascension ceremony."

As Bologue and Aimou continued their exchange, Bologue felt more like he was talking to himself.

"I'm planning to conduct a soul test to see if the soul has stabilized, then the trial of the Triple Law..."

Bologue was planning the subsequent agenda.

For himself, being an Undead, the ascension ceremony posed no real danger, at most just required a few more attempts.

For this reason, a few days ago, Bologue proposed to Teda whether they should accelerate the pace and start the trial of the Triple Law first, enhancing the three major elements of salt, sulfur, and mercury to complete the ascension to Prayer Believer.

Teda pondered for a moment and advised Bologue not to rush. Although he is an Undead, able to disregard the soul's deficiency and the risks brought by the ceremony, his soul was already in shambles; who knows what abnormal consequences might arise from such reckless actions.

Carrying the power of Overlord Xilin, Teda unexpectedly showed concern for Bologue, fearing that Bologue might get himself ruined, leaving no sample for research.