Endless Debt

Perhaps it was the Devil's power at work. The feeling of traversing through the winding path this time was extremely dreadful. In the past, Bologue would only feel dizzy and nauseated, but this time the body's reaction was even more intense, with all sorts of unbearable twisting sensations charging violently through every nerve.

The force violently battered Bologue's will, almost grinding it to dust, then pieced it back together, only to grind it again.

Fortunately, this torturous feeling didn't last long. The chaotic vision gradually cleared. Bologue pushed open the door, his figure slightly shaky, and reached out to steady himself against the wall to avoid collapsing.

Repeatedly taking deep breaths, with each breath restoring strength to his body, muscles tense, and Ether poised to release, Bologue lifted his head, the worn and mottled forbidden mask already donned on his face.

It wasn't explicitly stated, but everyone knew this was an anonymous auction. Concealing one's identity was the most crucial thing. The power of the Face of Horror gently seeped out, and the aura of fear permeated around Bologue.

After regaining composure, the first thing Bologue did was observe his surroundings. Old dust swirled in the air, and dim light fell from above.

Scanning around, Bologue found himself in a vast Central Courtyard. Several rough stone pillars supported the space, and the surrounding walls and floor were similarly crude, unadorned, crudely displayed.

Behind Bologue was the door he came through. Pulling the door open revealed not another space but the same rough wall.

These doors were built surrounding the Central Courtyard, and besides Bologue, people continually arrived through different doors. Gray silhouettes filled the area near the massive stone pillars, slowly walking, whispering to each other.

Presumably, they were the guests of the auction. Bologue hadn't expected such a large turnout. Luckily, these people were gathered here from the start—Palmer and Teda should be among them.

Withdrawing his hand from the wall, just before pulling away, his fingertips seemed to touch something. Bologue turned his head and wiped the dust off the wall, carefully inspecting the rough surface.

The wall wasn't actually rough; it felt rough to the touch because dense patterns filled every inch of it, patterns Bologue was quite familiar with—countless engraved coins on the wall.

At first glance, others might think it was fish scales or waves, but Bologue knew clearly these were coins, countless Mammon Coins.

Walking toward the center of the Central Courtyard, the stone pillars obscured Bologue's view, but when he rounded a pillar, he clearly saw the majestic humanoid sculpture bathed in the hazy light.

The man spread his arms, attempting to embrace all the gold. Bologue knew the man's name, the greedy Mammon.

"This place is…"

A voice echoed in his mind, startling Bologue. It was then he remembered he was not alone.

"Mammon's… altar," Bologue said in a low voice.

Though called an auction, in reality, it was another form of faith gathering, where all wealth would be an offering to Mammon.

"This place is unsettling, and fearsome," Aimou continued.

At this moment, she could feel significant terror, with oppression coming from all sides, continuously instilling fear.

"That part seems unrelated to this place," Bologue explained to Aimou, "It's the power of my Contract Object."

The Face of Horror imposes fear on others, and it also imposes fear on Bologue himself. Under the Shared Chord Body, this fear was also shared with Aimou.

"Huh?"

Aimou was surprised, and hearing her reaction, Bologue decided it might be better to release some fear, putting some pressure on her.

They weren't just watching a movie; they were in the dragon's lair.

Everything happened too suddenly. Teda suddenly showed him the key, and then the key was activated and led them into the venue, leaving Bologue little time to think.

When Aimou wanted to come here with him, Bologue initially intended to refuse her. This mission was full of danger, but then he thought about the shared state of the Shared Chord Body, and given his own immortal nature, Aimou shouldn't be harmed, and she could even strengthen herself.

Most importantly, by holding Aimou, he indirectly had control over Alice's soul, turning Aimou into a sort of hostage in Bologue's hands. If Teda made any rash moves, Bologue could use this against Teda.

He glanced around at the people wandering in the Central Courtyard, each wearing different attire, but all shared the commonality of having hidden their faces, like a masquerade ball.

Whispers were constant, with languages and accents Bologue didn't understand.

The auction was unexpectedly grand. The Gray Trade Association had kindly invited everyone, and Bologue glanced at his briefcase, beginning to feel a sense of worry.

The place was a chaotic mix of people, and the attendees were likely all Condensers. He wasn't sure if launching an assault on the venue with just the Sixth Group would work when the action started.

Bologue didn't continue to ponder, those matters should be handled by Yas, and all he needed to do was perform his duties well.

Trying to suppress the aura of fear, Bologue hid himself within the darkness. Observing, Bologue didn't notice any members of the Gray Trade Association and didn't know their whereabouts.

Raising his hand to press against the wall, Bologue whispered.

"Aimou, help me conceal it."

Ether flowed over his palm without causing any surges, and with Aimou's assistance, Bologue's aura became increasingly faint. If one didn't deliberately look, they couldn't notice Bologue hidden in the shadows.

He activated the Summoning Hand against the wall, just as Bologue anticipated, this was a massive Void Realm, with ether rushing through the building. Bologue's ether struggled to break through their protection, thus making large-scale effects impossible.

But Bologue didn't need large-scale destruction; he just needed a small aperture, a hole just big enough to insert explosives.

Opening the suitcase, it was packed with tubular explosives. Differing from ordinary explosives, this batch was sent by the Third Group, usually split up due to the dangers.

Palmer, unusually diligent this time, assembled these components in the afternoon.

The Third Group specialized in Void Realm offensive operations. According to their task records, one major challenge in Void Realm incidents was destroying the carriers of these realms, namely the buildings.

The full name of these explosives is the Void Realm Demolition Device. When detonated, ether fluctuations would impact the Void Realm, while the explosion from the powder itself would destroy the building.

The demolition squad was busy tearing down Joyful Garden, having no time to take over here, merely delivering this batch of materials. Bologue and Palmer only received a small portion, with the remaining materials held by the Sixth Group, making it easier for them to attack from outside.

Sometimes walking, sometimes stopping in the Central Courtyard, Bologue pried open one hole after another in the solid walls, stuffed the Void Realm Demolition Devices inside, then used Secret Energy to seal the wall again.

Under the training of mechanical watch, he could even perfectly simulate the patterns on the wall, leaving no flaws visible.

This period of intensive learning allowed him to deepen his understanding of Void Realms. For instance, the Void Realm protects the entire area, but unless excessively damaged, the Void Realm won't sound any alarms.

The damages Bologue caused on the buildings would be ignored by the Void Realm. Perhaps the Gray Trade Association would never expect they'd encounter such a skilled demolition expert.

Most crucially, relying on the Ether Flow Scope, Bologue could easily locate areas where ether flows were sparse, where the defenses of the Void Realm were weaker.

After finishing all this, Bologue tossed the suitcase aside, strapped the remaining explosives to himself as if nothing had happened, canceled Ethereal Concealment, walked out of the shadows, and stepped into the crowd.

During this period, the Central Courtyard had already gathered quite a number of people. Fortunately, the courtyard was spacious enough, and the crowd wasn't dense, with everyone maintaining a safe distance, cautiously watching one another.

Until the bell rang, members of the Gray Trade Association finally appeared. At the far end of the courtyard, a massive stone door slowly rose, opened the path ahead.

The attendants behind the door had been waiting for a long time. They were dressed in dark blue attire, faces covered by masks outlined with gold filigree, depicting men's faces. Faintly, they aligned with the faces on the sculptures.

"Palmer! Palmer!"

Bologue attempted to lower his voice, but no matter how he called, the other end of the whistle returned no response.

The time gap between him and Palmer was less than a few minutes. Bologue couldn't believe within those few minutes his partner could be dead... but maybe, Palmer was a complete unlucky fellow after all.

The crowd had already started moving towards the gate, yet Bologue still hadn't found Palmer. Not only hadn't he found Palmer, but he also hadn't detected any sign of Teda.

He remembered the pale doll masks, but after scanning each one, nothing was found.

There wasn't just one such Central Courtyard. Did Palmer and Teda arrive at different courtyards? But even then, Palmer ought to respond to his call, or was the distance just too far?

Bologue had no choice but to follow the crowd, triggering multiple ether responses, light rising on each person's body. Out of vigilance, everyone activated their ether.

Serpents crawled beneath Bologue's clothes, Void Realm had a suppressing force on Condensers. Ether release wasn't smooth, but the sense of controlling power reassured many.

Walking through the long corridor, attendants directed guests into the venue, which was actually a grandiose Beast Fighting Arena despite being called a venue, with guests seated on ringed staircases, a podium rising in the center, attendants dressed in similar attire stood on it.

Bologue found a convenient position at the edge to sit. Shortly, a man wearing a golden mask ascended the podium, he spread his arms towards everyone, loudly proclaiming.

"Welcome, everyone!"

Bologue observed the man from afar. For some reason, the voice sounded familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before.