The Undying Club remains the same, with music playing non-stop and alcohol flowing endlessly. A recent change is that Serey is out every night, seemingly having a great time with those women, and he usually returns only at dawn.
Bologue sat at the bar, looking questioningly at the guy behind the bar. With Serey gone, someone had to handle the drinks, and the snoring Wei’Er beside him was clearly not up to the task, as this guy was only good at knocking over glasses.
Raising his head and looking at the busy figure behind the bar, Bologue thought he had gotten used to everything about the Undying Club. But clearly, even he needed some time to accept new things.
"Sai Zong, that damn dead dog, did he finally go crazy after living too long?" The bartender kept grumbling.
A skeleton was mixing drinks for the two of them... though it couldn’t be said to be a complete skeleton, as it was wearing a leather jacket and had a cowboy hat perched on its head.
Ghostly blue flames flickered in its hollow eye sockets, and a whistling sound came from the skeletal head.
After Serey went out to have fun, Bode took over Serey’s position. While Bode was busy, he cursed at Sai Zong, who was biting Bode’s shinbone, scraping it with his teeth and leaving a trail of saliva.
According to Serey, Bode and Sai Zong had a pretty good relationship. The main reason was that ever since Sai Zong decided to act like a dog decades ago, he faithfully practiced canine behavior, often gnawing on Bode’s leg bone.
After a long period of adjustment, Bode was never able to beat Sai Zong into submission, but instead, Sai Zong wore down all his resistance.
"Bologue, why do you look so worried? It’s the weekend, cheer up!"
Palmer sat next to Bologue. After returning from Teda’s Alchemy Workshop, they headed straight here to celebrate the weekend break.
"No, I’m just thinking about some things."
Bologue fended off Palmer’s inquiries. Every time he came here, only Palmer would drink until drunk, while Bologue would usually just sip a little.
Bode’s taste in music was different from Serey’s. Serey liked sharp, passionate dance tracks as they facilitated his pole dancing; Bode preferred quiet melodies, and the peaceful tunes mingled with the alcohol, making people feel quite comfortable and relaxed.
Bologue liked to think in such an atmosphere, and what he was pondering was still about Teda and Aimou.
Actually, Teda’s statement of "don’t name tools" was quite understandable—simply put, it was about not treating Aimou as human.
However, after gaining self-awareness, Aimou demonstrated an extraordinary talent for alchemy, which Teda seemed to have anticipated. As for why, he didn’t explain to Bologue.
In daily life, Teda strived rationally to view Aimou as a tool, but when teaching her alchemy, he treated her as a real student...
Bologue had never seen that scene, but somehow, he could sense it from Teda’s emotions as if it were an intuition.
Very strange, their relationship seemed far more complex than it appeared. Fortunately, Bologue would be stationed there from now on, giving him plenty of time to uncover everything.
"What do you think, if all the stories were true and God truly existed, would He regret creating humans?"
Bologue raised his hand, and a silver snake slithered across his fingertips.
"What are you talking about?" Palmer looked at Bologue, puzzled at why he suddenly mentioned this. "I remember you didn’t really believe in God or anything."
Bologue squinted his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking. Then he asked, "Palmer, what do you think about Teda’s place?"
"Not bad, fully equipped and protected by the Void Realm, quite impressive."
While Bologue was communicating with Teda, Palmer had already roughly checked out the Alchemy Workshop, as if a beast inspecting its territory.
"The most important thing is the Alchemy Matrix implantation platform, which matches the information we got before. After leaving the Order Bureau, Teda’s primary economic source is helping others implant the Alchemy Matrix. Other than that, there’s nothing unusual. Teda was telling the truth; he did cross the line, but not by much."
Palmer seemed carefree but was actually incredibly meticulous. As a former intelligence officer, he was adept at finding fatal details amid the chaos.
This was the strategy Bologue and Palmer had devised together. In operations, Bologue’s cold demeanor often raised the enemy’s alertness, so in such situations, Bologue distracted all attention while Palmer acted.
Bologue always felt that Palmer was a hidden tough character, but unfortunately, his "Blessing" was ridiculously weak.
"So what do you think of Aimou, that alchemy puppet?" Bologue asked again.
"Perfectly crafted, with self-awareness, her body is covered in multiple alchemy matrices, and did you notice her chest? That should be her core, the Ether fluctuation is very stable, and this newfound self-awareness can further learn alchemy... do you know what that means?" Palmer put down his glass, his tone turning serious.
"This means that even without Teda’s help, Aimou can evolve on her own, she will transform metals herself, adding more powerful strength to her body, implanting more and more complex alchemy matrices."
Bologue shared his speculation, as the Silver Snake in his hand raised its head to meet Palmer’s gaze.
The Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid is Aimou’s work, an alchemy puppet created this Corruption Black Level alchemy armament. Although it has various flaws, and it couldn’t be considered an alchemy armament without Bologue, it is indeed a Corruption Black Level alchemy armament, this point is undeniable.
"Fortunately, Aimou doesn’t possess any combat abilities, at least not in the short term, just maintaining her own stable operation is already a miracle." Palmer added.
As an alchemy puppet, Aimou is like a delicate clock, a slight bump will cause it to stop ticking.
"Is that why she covers her limbs with Iron-Repelling Paint? It’s not just for protection, it will also be her means of attack, but that’s about it." Bologue realized.
"Who knows? Teda holds significant influence within the Wandering Crossroad, after all, if you want to implant alchemy matrices, he’s the one to see; no one would dare touch Aimou," Palmer weighed pros and cons, "Operating under Teda’s name is much more reliable than under the Order Bureau."
"Moreover... you might part too, expert? Or should I say Mr. Assassin." Palmer winked at Bologue.
Watching Palmer’s expression, Bologue couldn’t help but smile, thinking Palmer guessed right.
After contacting Teda, the point most beneficial to them is that Bologue might try to get the list from him in subsequent dealings, the list of people implanted with alchemy matrices by Teda.
Once obtaining this list, it would undoubtedly provide great convenience for Bologue’s actions within the Wandering Crossroad, revealing the opponent’s identity, secret school, and nature all at once.
"Teda won’t easily release these things, he knows very well that once the list is leaked, he will first become the target of all." Palmer said.
"I know, don’t rush, let’s take it slow," Bologue said, standing up and picking up his coat, "Are you going to keep drinking?"
"Ah? Is it over already?" Palmer exclaimed.
"Hangovers are not good for the body," Bologue said, waving at Palmer, "See you Monday, Palmer."
Returning to his familiar home, Bologue wrote about meeting Aimou in his diary. Due to time constraints, Bologue and Palmer didn’t stay long at Teda’s place, just greeted casually, got a general understanding of the situation, and then left.
But even such a short meeting gave Bologue enough intel. Closing the diary, putting down the pen, whenever Bologue closed his eyes, he saw Aimou’s figure, feeling driven by intuition, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was hidden beneath that steel body.
Bologue turned to look at the wall, covered in photographs, clipped newspaper articles, and document materials, all connected by countless red strings and pushpins, the photos marked with red crosses.
Even though Adelle’s incident was over, Bologue hadn’t taken these things down. After thinking for a while, he got up and started taking them down one by one, tearing off the paper, writing down name after name, then pinning them back on the wall.
After a while of busyness, Bologue slowly retreated, sitting back on the bed, gazing at the wall.
At the top of the wall was a sheet marked with "Great Rift," from which two red lines extended, connecting the Wandering Crossroad and Qiushang Town, with many pinned papers beneath.
The fugitive King’s Secret Sword, the far-traveling Gray Trade Association, life’s researcher Teda, the alchemy puppet Aimou... the Wandering Crossroad’s master, the Tyrant.
"This world is like a chessboard..."
Bologue recalled the scene when he first learned about the Condenser Tier, his gaze resting on the last sheet of paper, on it was written the name of the Tyrant.
A sudden chill enveloped his heart, making Bologue feel as if everyone within the Great Rift was a pawn under the Tyrant’s control.
Recalling his stormy night pursuit, the Tyrant did not ask anything from him... perhaps he had already paid the price? For instance, the Tyrant might not have wanted that train to leave Opus either.
Yes, sometimes it doesn’t require a tangible price to pay, acting as a Deputy for the Devils, in a certain sense, is a price in itself.
Bologue’s headache worsened, feeling as if he had entered a vortex, unable to see the whole picture.
The Silver Snake coiled around Bologue’s body, crawling slowly in sync with his thoughts, its silver scales expanding and contracting, until a sudden ringing pulled Bologue out of his deep thought.
He quickly glanced at the phone, the ringing continued, his expression growing more serious.
Ever since answering the Tyrant’s call, Bologue felt an uneasy reverence towards unfamiliar calls, fearing one day he might hear the Tyrant’s voice, something truly unnerving.
Moreover, Bologue’s circle of friends was small, very few knew his number, who would call him at this time?
Bologue walked over, answered the phone, and a familiar voice greeted him.