Great Rift, Wandering Path.
On the suspended corridor, Palmer and Bologue stood side by side, overlooking the peculiar structure below. It resembled giant tumors growing on the cliffs, rising and falling, extending into the fog below.
"Speaking of which, Bologue, since you won’t die anyway, want to jump down and give it a shot?"
Palmer took a can of drink, drank a big gulp, then said.
Bologue frowned, looking at the blueprint in his hand. It was a map of the Great Rift summarized by the Field Operations Department. However, the Great Rift was an area with immense depth, and the map appeared quite complex. This spooky place was constantly being updated, and no one knew if their map was outdated.
"Don’t you want to know what’s down there in the Great Rift?"
Palmer finished his drink, tossed the can into the Sea of Mist, and without any sound, it was engulfed by the mist.
"Those who jump into the Great Rift don’t come back, but you won’t die. Maybe you can find out what’s underneath," Palmer gazed at the Sea of Mist, "and you have the Key of the Crooked Path. If you’re lucky enough to find a door, you might return to the Undying Club directly."
"If you’re really curious about what’s below the Great Rift, you could ask those people in the Fourth Group."
Bologue focused on the map, dismissing Palmer’s odd talk.
Apart from the two, the Fourth Group was also present within the Great Rift. This Special Operations Group was very mysterious, stationed within the Great Rift for a long time. Even members of the Field Operations Department rarely saw them.
Bologue had previously heard information from Lebius. It was said that they had established an outpost deep within the Great Rift. Most of the time, members of the Fourth Group were active there, directly beneath Bologue, within the rolling Sea of Mist.
But the Great Rift was simply too vast, and the outpost too small. These were just verbal statements; if one really fell down, no one knew what might happen.
More importantly, why establish an outpost in this eerie place?
Bologue shifted his gaze from the map to the gray-white Sea of Mist below. The mist here was filled with poison, yet occasionally birds could be seen flying across, like schools of fish swimming in the Sea of Mist.
Bologue put away the map, having barely determined the direction from the complex drawing.
"Where to? Trouble those merchants?"
Palmer rubbed his fists. Recently, he had either been beating up gangsters or demons, which lacked any challenge for him.
"Just the chance to try these new things."
Palmer was particularly excited, even drawing out the revolver at his waist.
After enduring Belli’s torment, Bologue returned to the Special Operations Group with a batch of equipment. The Sublimation Furnace Core supported different gear for both of them, such as Palmer’s new revolver, known as "Thunderbolt".
The Thunderbolt Revolver used large-caliber bullets. Each trigger pull sounded like thunder, and its implanted Alchemy Matrix effect was penetration, greatly enhancing the bullet’s power.
Throughout the journey, Palmer kept looking around, hoping for an unlucky fellow to appear so that he could test the new gun.
"No, we’re visiting Teda," Bologue said.
"The former head of the Sublimation Furnace Core?" Palmer recalled the name.
"Yes, he also resides in the Great Rift, at the edge of Qiushang Town, near the Wandering Path," Bologue led the way, crossing the long suspended corridor, "we need a base, and he might be able to help us."
Bologue thought for a moment and added, "We might even stay at his place."
"Turn his house into a base? Is that possible?"
"Why not? He’s left the Order Bureau and joined the Order of Truth, but it’s clear he still has connections with the Order Bureau, maybe some private agreements. At least within the Great Rift, Teda’s place is relatively safe."
This was a decision Bologue made after careful consideration.
"Moreover, he is an Alchemist, his home is his Alchemy Workshop. Establishing oneself in the Great Rift isn’t simple; perhaps it’s protected by some small Void Realm. This is far safer than digging a cave as a base."
Secret Energy·Summoning Hand is quite skilled at digging holes, and Bologue really considered whether to dig a complex cave as a base, but Palmer adamantly rejected it, not wanting to become a caveman.
"And what’s more, he’s an Alchemist, the former Sublimation Furnace Core minister. You understand what I mean, right?" Bologue said, stopping in his tracks to speak to Palmer.
"I get it, I get it, the old guy is loaded. If we manage to rob him, we’ll hit the jackpot!" Palmer said, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"According to Belli, that old guy is a Negative Power User."
"But he was once a member of the Order Bureau. We can’t go too far with this, can we? Helping him out sometimes might earn us some extra cash."
Palmer showed no embarrassment, handling everything smoothly, the very model of an opportunist.
As they crossed the aerial corridors over the complex buildings, the two gradually left the area of the Wandering Paths, heading towards the corner of the Great Rift. In that direction lay a small town within the Great Rift, widely referred to as Qiushang Town.
Through the dense fog, Qiushang Town could be seen from afar. Unlike those structures clinging to the cliffs, Qiushang Town sat on a flat piece of land within the Great Rift. Aside from a gloominess, it seemed no different from other small towns outside.
Qiushang Town wasn’t originally located within the Great Rift. Initially, it was on the surface at the edge of the Great Rift, but during an earthquake, the entire area collapsed into the Great Rift, inhabitants and all.
It happened in the autumn, and because the Great Rift was also called the scar of the earth, the incident became known as the Autumn Scar Event. Over the years, the sunken area developed into a town, which was eventually named Qiushang Town.
Compared to the chaotic Wandering Paths, Qiushang Town was undoubtedly more orderly. Many ordinary people lived here, and the town featured large elevators connected to the surface, as well as a subway system that could reach any area in Opus through Qiushang Town’s station.
Qiushang Town brought a touch of liveliness to the Great Rift, along with a great supply of resources. The Wandering Paths maintained a mutual understanding, with few troubling Qiushang Town. Both existed in peace.
Bologue initially also wanted to establish a base in Qiushang Town, but when considering the dangers his upcoming work might involve and the hard-won peace in Qiushang Town, he abandoned the idea.
Teda likely held similar thoughts, choosing to live on the outskirts of Qiushang Town, detached from various zones.
"Bologue, what are your thoughts on that Secret Sword?"
Palmer also gazed distantly at Qiushang Town beyond the fog, then at the cliffs afar, covered with corridors and stairs, twisted buildings crowding one after another.
"If he wants to hide in the Great Rift, just finding him will be exceedingly difficult."
"He’s on his own now, completely detached from the organization. Whatever he plans to do, he’ll need resources and help," Bologue analyzed calmly. "Who do you think will help him in this Great Rift?"
"No one in this Great Rift can help him."
Palmer said, the Order Bureau had not ventured into the Great Rift, but that didn’t mean the Order Bureau wasn’t watching it.
The reason the Order Bureau allows the Great Rift to exist isn’t clear to Palmer, but he knows one thing: if necessary, the Order Bureau can suppress the Great Rift completely. This means the Order Bureau would never tolerate any power exceeding its control within the Great Rift.
The remaining forces can only tear each other apart in the Great Rift, powerless against the Order Bureau.
"No, there’s still someone who can help him, those Gray Trade Association folks, I think those blasted arms dealers wouldn’t mind stirring the Great Rift into more chaos," Bologue had already made a plan, "and whatever that Secret Sword aims to do, he will need supplies. Finding those merchants presents a chance to capture that Secret Sword."
Palmer nodded in agreement; Bologue was right. Internal forces had already solidified, but now there’s an influx of external power. No one knows exactly what goods these merchants bring.
"I’m still concerned about what Jello said," Palmer continued, "he mentioned the merchants brought a mysterious item."
"Don’t worry about it; once we find those merchants, we’ll interrogate them one by one."
Speaking, Bologue picked up a map, glanced at it, then at the other side of the fog. He pulled out an address given by Belli from his pocket, the words now glowing faintly.
"Looks like Teda’s place is indeed protected by a small Void Realm."
The note burned in Bologue’s hand, a subtle power momentarily attaching to his eyes, dispersing the obscure fog. A twisted corridor nailed to the cliff appeared, extending into the mist below, faint outlines of buildings barely visible.
"Let’s go, we’re there."
Bologue said, putting on a gas mask as he stepped into the thick fog.