Order Bureau, Special Operations Group Office.
As the office door swung open, Bologue was the first to step inside. He yanked off the Face of Horror from his face and collapsed onto the sofa, worn out. Next came Palmer, who was too drained even to remove his mask, slumping beside Bologue and leaning back as if lifeless.
Seeing the two, Lebius set down the document in his hand, intending to speak, but Bologue preempted him by raising his hand.
"Let us catch our breath first."
Lebius nodded, saying nothing more. The efforts of these two over the past period were evident, and it was clear they were utterly exhausted.
Their responsibilities didn’t involve just any urban paths but rather the entirety of the Great Rift. Even though Lebius mentioned that the current operations targeting the Great Rift were merely at the experimental stage and the two need not bear any psychological burden, in practice, the treacherous location of the Great Rift was still daunting.
Apart from the harsh and complex environment, it was a mix of various teachings and characters that necessitated constant vigilance against hidden dangers while seeking their targets in this chaotic land.
After two weeks of operation, the persistent fatigue began to wear on even the experts.
The only solace was that within this chaotic land, filled with bloodthirsty demons, Bologue managed to replenish quite a few Soul Shards thanks to these unfortunate creatures.
Although Bologue still felt a pang of hunger, it was far better than when he first awoke in the Border Sanatorium.
Bologue had once asked Palmer, a fellow debtor, how he resisted Bulimia Nervosa. Unlike Bologue, who constantly devoured Soul Shards to maintain self-fulfillment, Palmer utilized something called Concentration Potion.
This was an alchemy potion; its effect, as the name suggests, is to focus the mind and stay awake, alleviating pain to a certain extent. In Palmer’s words, it’s akin to adrenaline for the spirit.
The potion’s mental effects are incredibly potent, hence its use in treating Bulimia Nervosa. It allows debtors to remain conscious amidst agitation. Besides this, Palmer also regularly complements with "Mang Silver Soul" to ease his gnawing hunger.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Bologue later also requested these supplies from Geoffrey. For debtors, the Logistics Department provided specific aid.
"Have you rested enough?" Lebius asked.
"Yes. There’s progress in the investigation. We can now confirm it’s the Gray Trade Association causing disruptions at the Wandering Crossroads," Bologue said as he straightened.
"In the past fortnight, we apprehended many suspicious merchants, but there was no substantive breakthrough. We only knew some folks arrived at the Wandering Crossroads, but their identities remained unclear. But today, I nabbed an unfortunate fellow and coaxed the mention of the Gray Trade Association from his mouth."
The "unfortunate fellow" in question was, naturally, Jello in Bologue’s words.
"Where’s that unfortunate fellow now?" Lebius asked.
"Handed over to the Crow’s Nest. I suspect they’re interrogating him as we speak," Bologue replied. "Lately, I’ve been on good terms with the folks at the Crow’s Nest."
After receiving Nesanel’s endorsement, Bologue was thoroughly integrated into the Field Operations Department. Coupled with his excellent performance on that stormy night, many staff became aware of Bologue’s presence. Some even placed bets on whether he’d be named the best new employee of the year.
Bologue paid no mind to these predictions. As work fell into rhythm, he inevitably interacted with other departments; so far, things were going smoothly.
"Yes, it’s the same at the Crow’s Nest. Ivan thinks highly of you, saying you’ve alleviated a lot of their workload," Lebius couldn’t help but admire the expert’s prowess, managing to win Ivan’s respect.
Hearing Ivan’s name, Palmer remained expressionless, but upon catching the part about reduced workload, a smile crept across his face.
Palmer understood why Ivan framed it that way.
Bologue had changed; since that stormy night, his eyes were no longer clouded with dark violence, which was good in one sense, but aggravated his condition in another.
For instance, his overly dramatic persona and its accompanying role play.
Recently, Bologue adopted a role called "Evil Spirit." Each time after capturing a target, he’d intimidate the person in this guise. Though a few, like Jello, tried to play tough, under the expert’s influence, they all eventually crumbled.
Compared to Bologue, the Crow’s Nest’s interrogation methods were considered mild. When sent to the Crow’s Nest, these people generally confessed all their information without much pressure, leaving the Crow’s Nest to focus on documenting.
Apart from these, Bologue also commissioned the Crow’s Nest to assist in handling these targets afterward.
The Crow’s Nest undertakes voluminous intelligence processing and sometimes has to distort information. Many individuals sent here undergo brainwashing and memory alteration before release.
Bologue entrusted them with embedding the terror of the Evil Spirit into these people’s minds, ensuring they remain ensnared in an endless nightmare.
Palmer once asked, "Do you truly have some mental disorder?"
"No, I’m implanting fear. Once they’re back at the Wandering Crossroads, they’ll continue whispering the Evil Spirit’s name, and dread it," Bologue explained.
Palmer couldn’t understand Bologue’s thinking. Bologue said it was part of his plan to hunt down evildoers, but Palmer always felt he was too immersed in role playing.
But... it wasn’t all bad.
After two weeks of work, Palmer also started to enjoy the process, the two working in concert to torment these villains to the brink of death.
"The Gray Trade Association has brought in a large amount of extraordinary materials, which will inevitably cause turmoil. Do we need to take care of them next?" Bologue asked.
Apart from the King’s Secret Sword and the Order Bureau, there are many extraordinary organizations in this world, and the Gray Trade Association is one of them. It is a group of merchants operating outside all organizations, closely linked to the Order of Truth, often handling dangerous items for those insane alchemists.
They peddle alchemical materials and weapons everywhere, and these items are banned in areas controlled by extraordinary organizations. A large influx of extraordinary materials into the market will only cause chaos and could destabilize regions.
Many extraordinary organizations dis group, but much like the Order of Truth, sometimes these merchants are indeed quite useful, bringing unexpected surprises, such as extraordinary materials that are difficult to obtain through conventional means.
"These merchants are annoying, but after all, they are just merchants," Lebius shook his head to reject, "Don’t pursue them too hard, the truly important ones are their customers."
The Gray Trade Association never stays in one location; they roam between nations like nomads, plundering wealth and leaving endless turmoil wherever they go.
"Rather than merchants, it’s more fitting to call them arms dealers," Bologue continued, "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Lebius pondered for a while, and after a long contemplation, he pulled out a document from a thick pile.
"On a stormy night, Geoffrey and I captured a King’s Secret Sword squad. They are currently under interrogation at the Crow’s Nest, but progress is slow, as their minds are protected, making it difficult to pry information from their heads."
"So?" Bologue didn’t understand why Lebius suddenly mentioned this.
"That night, there was actually one person who escaped. The individual is a Prayer Believer and possesses a Secret Sword, which is a Contract Object. Its effect seems to be exchanging blood for the ability to teleport."
"I guess he used the Contract Object to escape from you, and he’s fled to an area where you can’t easily pursue him... did he hide in the Great Rift?" Bologue understood what Lebius meant.
"In all of Opus, aside from the Great Rift, he has nowhere to hide. But since he’s a Prayer Believer, it’s uncertain if he has any connections inside the Great Rift. Just stay alert," Lebius said.
"I thought you’d send me to hunt him down."
Just staying alert left Bologue somewhat disappointed.
"Don’t rush things. You two are like pioneers, exploring the chaotic Land of Chaos. Being too eager will only ruin things."
Lebius glanced at Bologue and Palmer. Despite being exhausted, Bologue was full of energy, while Palmer was completely deflated. Normally, he would talk back a bit, but now he was utterly silent.
Bologue nodded. After two weeks of work, the more he knew about the Great Rift, the more he understood the chaos of this land.
Monsters and devils ran rampant, and there were sinister cults hidden deep within. The thought of this chaotic land being so close to Opus, intertwined and expanding together, gave Bologue a new understanding of the madness in reality.
The office door opened, and Geoffrey walked in. Seeing Bologue and Palmer, a smile appeared on his face.
"What a coincidence, you’re both here. Of course, it’s mainly you I came to see," Geoffrey’s gaze fell on Bologue.
Bologue felt a bit uneasy under Geoffrey’s gaze.
"It’s nothing, Bologue, you can slow down your work a bit these days, and Palmer can take a break too," Geoffrey said.
"A holiday?" Hearing this, Palmer sprang up. The recent work had exhausted him, and he became lively again.
"Something like that," Geoffrey’s voice hesitated for a moment, then he said to Bologue, "Belli is looking for you. She wants to meet you tomorrow at the Sublimation Furnace Core."
The atmosphere instantly fell into silence.
Bologue’s face gradually darkened, his entire body exuding strong resistance, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it.
Indeed, that day had come.