Endless Debt

The Great Rift after the blizzard, like a cracked ice valley, thick frost hanging in every corner of the view, ice spikes extending from the metal, under the pull of the wind, sketching a dynamic sense of the hurricane, like thousands of wildly dancing arms.

The situation inside the Great Rift is now very bad. Facilities that have been in disrepair for years have become even more fragile after the cold and blizzard, and the ground has also become slippery. In this perilous place, slipping and falling is not a good thing.

Bologue knew about such matters, it was not uncommon for unlucky ones in the Great Rift to fall inside for various reasons, never to be seen again.

The aerial walkway had become extremely dangerous, no one sure if it might suddenly break in the middle. Bologue and Palmer took a different path, and after a long time, finally returned to the Alchemy Workshop.

Compared to the cold outside, the Alchemy Workshop was very warm, and the temperature was still rising. Bologue took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, clearly feeling the entire building subtly trembling, the silent furnace roaring, transporting heat to every corner of the workshop while refining steel.

"Do we still need to patrol in this weather?" Palmer asked, truly not wanting to go out on this day.

"No need, Lebius asked me to prepare for the next mission."

Bologue shook his head, Lebius was considerate enough to give the two a holiday, but it was actually a time to prepare weapons and wait for the invitation from the Gray Trade Association.

Lebius was not sure when the auction would start, but according to the intelligence from the Sixth Group, it should be soon, so during this period, the two must be constantly prepared.

"From this perspective, Lebius is indeed a good boss," Palmer praised.

His hand reached into his pocket, stroking the rough and ominous black key, Bologue pondered for a moment and said to Palmer, "I'm planning to stay here for the next few days, what about you?"

The Alchemy Workshop stored a large number of weapons and potions, enough to support Bologue in dealing with any unexpected situation.

"I'll do the same."

Palmer nodded, understanding Bologue's intent, before resolving this mission, both needed to be fully prepared, even sleeping fully armed, ready for the auction to start at any moment.

"However... regarding the door."

Bologue took out the black key, examining it carefully in his hand, "The power of the Great Rift will affect the Key of the Crooked Path, we can't open the door here."

"Then let's get out of the influence of the Great Rift and then open the door," Palmer thought this wasn't a problem, "After all, in emergencies, if we can use Secret Energy, we can travel quickly."

Bologue affirmed Palmer's idea; him being so unlucky yet surviving until now was closely related to the speed brought by his Secret Energy.

"There's a problem, Bologue."

Palmer stared at the black key, posing another question, "Why can't the Key of the Crooked Path open the door now? Not activated yet?"

Palmer had never heard that the Key needed activation, but if this involved the Devil, he wouldn't be surprised by anything that happened.

Bologue thought for a while, under Palmer's slightly fearful gaze, directly inserted the Key into the door lock.

Unable to turn.

"Clearly, the key is here, but the door that should be opened hasn't appeared yet."

Bologue pulled the key out and put it back in his pocket.

"Now, about the mission plan."

Bologue sat on the chair, Palmer on the single bed, the two exchanged glances, Bologue's voice was serious.

"Have you already thought of the plan?" Palmer asked.

"Thought of a vague outline, as the enemy remains entirely unknown to us, we need to be flexible."

Bologue stretched his body vigorously, then shared his thoughts with Palmer.

Palmer's pupils slightly enlarged, absurd words swirling around his ears, but on careful thought, this indeed fit Bologue's style.

"Setting aside the messy mission purpose, it can actually be summarized in one word."

Bologue elaborated on his idea.

After hearing Bologue's simple and rough plan, Palmer was dazed for a long while, then belatedly gave a thumbs-up, uncertain if it was praise or criticism.

"You're quite the expert in demolition."

"Hurry up and prepare; the mission might start anytime," Bologue urged.

It could be in a few days, or it could start tonight, it's something no one can predict.

Bologue remembered something, a Mammon Coin appeared in his hand, engraved with a mercury symbol.

Calling the Tyrant, and asking him directly what kind of nonsense he was up to?

Bologue himself was amused by the absurd idea, put away the Mammon Coin, thinking maybe it could come in handy during the upcoming mission.

Palmer got busy; he opened the boxes in the small base hut, combining some strangely shaped items together.

These things seemed very dangerous, Palmer's eyes were full of focus and care, his arm steady like steel.

"Wait a minute, when we enter the venue, won't they search us?" Palmer asked, "Can these things be taken inside?"

"I don't know," Bologue shook his head. He had never participated in an auction, let alone one held by the Gray Trade Association. "When the time comes, I'll carry these things. Even if something goes wrong, I can handle it."

"Alright."

Palmer shook his head. After all, this operation was planned by Bologue, so everything was left to him.

As for any problems arising?

Bologue, who was he? Palmer didn't know him at all!

Although both were debtors, there were considerable differences between Bologue and Palmer. Palmer was a mix of luck and misfortune, but he only had one life, whereas Bologue was different; he was the undead, with infinite chances to start over.

This kind of high-risk, life-threatening job was perfect for him. Bologue was practically born for this.

Their preparations continued into the evening. Palmer opened the supplies sent by the Order Bureau, assembling them piece by piece and carefully placing them into a briefcase, then locking it tight.

Bologue, on the other hand, was flipping through the action reports of the Third Group. Although he couldn't understand how these guys broke through the Void Realm, there was still a lot to learn from their experiences.

As for preparing weapons?

Bologue couldn't really think of anything he needed to prepare. Driven by the Summoning Hand, Bologue would never lack weapons, and with the enhancement of Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid, this power was pushed to its limit.

He also had some alchemy warheads stored, already carrying them on him. After much thought, if conditions allowed, he would hope to bring Aimou along.

Her Shared Chord Body could greatly enhance her own power, but regrettably, this was an Order Bureau operation, and Aimou should not be involved. More importantly, Aimou was a decent alchemist, but knew nothing about combat.

"Do we need to prepare some Mammon Coins?" Palmer asked. "After all, it's an auction."

"Do we look like people who are going to buy something?"

Bologue always thought Palmer was a clever guy, but sometimes this guy seemed unusually foolish.

"What are we?" Bologue asked back. "Think carefully, Palmer."

After pondering for a moment, Palmer said, "Bandits, demolition crew, terrorists..."

"Of those identities, which one do you think needs to bring Mammon Coins?" Bologue whispered in his ear.

Palmer's eyes lit up, looking at Bologue with a bit more respect. Then he continued assembling the weapons with such speed, like a worker on an assembly line.

Bologue pushed the door open. The two had been busy the whole day and hadn't eaten anything. He and Palmer were a bit hungry and planned to check the kitchen. But after opening the door, he noticed much more noise in the Alchemy Workshop than before.

Picking up the Ether Flow Goggles, Bologue observed that the ether flows in the Void Realm had become much more dazzling, not knowing what Teda was doing.

What surprised him most was that Aimou hadn't come to disturb him.

Since the Vow Festival, Bologue and Aimou had become quite close, already considered friends. She would often come to see Bologue and sometimes bring some food for Palmer.

Over time, Palmer was also won over. For this, Bologue even talked with Aimou about them.

"Palmer? Actually, Palmer is quite easy to get along with," Aimou said seriously.

"Why do you think that?"

"As long as you bring food for Palmer and tell weird jokes with him, he'll consider you a friend."

"Palmer is like... a dog, a very cheerful dog."

Aimou ultimately evaluated Palmer this way.

Leaving the small base, Bologue found Aimou at the entrance on the first floor. She had brought a briefcase, with something unknown inside it, looking heavy.

Bologue was about to say something when he noticed something was off about Aimou's demeanor. Unlike her usual vibrant self, the halo in her eyes was static and unmoving.

Aimou noticed Bologue, and the halo quivered for a moment but then returned to a standstill.

Something bad seemed to have happened.

Footsteps approached from the stairway, and Teda slowly walked down. Bologue glanced at him, his gaze then resting on him.

Despite no words being exchanged, a strong sense of crisis erupted from within Bologue, as if an invisible thread entangled him with Teda.

Bologue stood motionless, an intangible umbilical cord linking him with that deceitful power.

Teda seemed to have noticed this as well; he was not a debtor, but he knew all too well the ominous aura of the Devil.

In the long silence, Teda showed a helpless expression.

"Teda, do you have something on you?" Bologue asked warily. "Something not too pleasant."

"You mean this?" Teda said, taking something out and admiring it. "Are all debtors this sensitive to the Devil?"

Bologue saw clearly what Teda held in his hand.

A pitch-black Key of the Crooked Path.