Soon, it was November, the weather turned cold, and combined with Opus’s gloomy weather, the chilling cold swept through everyone on the streets. The gentle sway of skirts was no more; pedestrians donned thick coats, and some wrapped scarves around their necks.
After visiting Teda, Bologue explained these matters to Lebius, initially thinking Lebius might have doubts about establishing a base at Teda’s place, given that Teda was no longer a member of the Order Bureau, even though there was still an agreement connecting them.
Unexpectedly, Lebius didn’t give it much thought and agreed to Bologue’s decision. Bologue suspected that Belli might have already smoothed things over in advance, though it’s unclear how much resources she used to get Lebius to agree.
With Lebius’s permission, the base for operations inside the Great Rift was temporarily established for Bologue.
But considering the sudden developments, there were no extra rooms left for the two at Teda’s Alchemy Workshop. Teda needed some time to clear out some rooms, so Bologue and Palmer waited a few more days.
The elevator quietly descended, and inside the narrow elevator were only Bologue and Palmer, standing one after the other, quietly waiting for the elevator doors to open.
"Sometimes I feel elevator isn’t moving at all."
Palmer found it difficult to bear moments of silence. Whenever the atmosphere fell into wordlessness, he would say something, regardless of whether Bologue was willing to engage.
"Are you suggesting that it’s the building that’s moving?"
Bologue found it hard to envision such a scene; the human brain struggles to compute such bizarre spatial distortions.
"Not quite. You’ve used the Key of the Crooked Path, so you understand this thing," Palmer raised his hand, sketching something in the air, "opening one door through another."
Even after receiving the elite education at the Clarks and serving within the Order Bureau for a while, Palmer still didn’t have much understanding of this mysterious Key of the Crooked Path.
"Do you think the various departments and areas of the Order Bureau aren’t actually connected? They’re merely linked by something akin to the Key of the Crooked Path?" Bologue followed along with Palmer’s description.
"About right, perhaps? After all, the ’Cultivation Room’ is still too peculiar; who knows what the deal is with this thing?"
Palmer didn’t feel like thinking further; he simply enjoyed the comfort of free-thinking.
While on operations, combat occupied only a small portion of their time; most of it was spent in monotonous patrolling and searching. As time passed, the two began to engage in intermittent idle chatter, resembling a pair of well-coordinated partners.
A slight tremor was felt, and the elevator emitted a "ding," interrupting their conversation. They knew they had arrived.
The elevator doors opened, and the two proceeded along the corridor set atop the high walls, then descended along the suspended steps. The vast underground space gradually came into view.
Like the Courtyard of Curves and Pillar Courtyard, this was also a magnificent central courtyard space. In terms of levels, this was the negative first level of the "Cultivation Room." Bologue knew of its existence, but it was still his first time here.
In the center of the courtyard was a gigantic circular lift platform, with multiple intersecting rails crisscrossing above it. As the platform ascended and rotated, the rails on it connected and misaligned with other rails on the courtyard floor.
The mechanical roar was constant, and gigantic mechanical arms lifted train carriages. From the exterior, these carriages looked almost identical to Opus’s subway, but according to the information known to Bologue, these were all armed carriages, with bulletproof steel plates installed within the shell’s layers; internally, there were no seats or handrails, but weapons racks and medical kits.
Above the courtyard, one could see the colossal insignia etched onto the high wall, gear mechanisms wrapped in chains and interlocked with each other.
This place belonged to the Logistics Department, considered the core area for the Ferrymen; broadcasts echoed within the vast space. Cargo arms placed carriages on the lift platform’s rails, connected to the engines, rotated onto designated rails, and neat footsteps sounded as a group of Ferrymen rushed into the carriages, the subway starting, and heading into darkness along the tracks.
Those familiar with this place referred to it as such, connecting to Opus’s subway system and adding several secret passages exclusive to the Order Bureau. Armed subways from here could rapidly reach any area in Opus.
However, typically, the most frequent users of this place were not the Field Staff, but those hurrying to clean up troubles for the Field Staff: the Ferrymen.
Thinking of the Ferrymen’s disdain for the Field Staff made Bologue feel somewhat ill at ease. Previously, during a meal in the cafeteria, he overheard quiet mutterings—someone was cursing about something.
"These damned Field Staff are getting more and more excessive!"
The meal became increasingly irritating, and the Ferryman simply put down the knife and fork, cursing aloud.
"What’s wrong?" asked the friend sitting opposite.
"A while back, that stormy night, I was sleeping when I got woken up for a mission."
"Oh! That night, I remember—apparently, half the Logistics Department was dispatched...what happened?" the friend asked curiously.
"What else? There were bodies everywhere, every site looking like a slaughterhouse; and the countryside, they smashed up a stone bridge...actually can’t say smashed, but the bridge’s structural integrity was destroyed, making it impossible to bear weight or be traversed, which is as good as destroyed."
He clenched the knife and fork, his voice almost becoming a low growl.
"Insane! The regulations clearly state that operations potentially causing major damage must be reported to the Logistics Department in advance!"
Destruction caused by battles between Condensers in surrounding areas was unavoidable. Usually, once an operation was planned and if there was potential for major destruction, the Field Operations Department would contact the Ferrymen from the Logistics Department.
They would operate together, and after the Field Operations Department completed the task, the Ferrymen would immediately step in to handle the scene. But Bologue’s operation that night had not been reported to anyone, and no one expected him to do such a thing; in fact, even Bologue himself hadn’t anticipated it.
"We loaded four trucks with just bodies!"
In his complaint, Bologue rarely lowered his head in shame.
Arriving below, Palmer waved to the staff, inquiring about the train schedule.
This time, neither of them had an operation scheduled, hence there was no special train prepared for them in the departure sequence. They were just trying to catch a ride, as every trip to the Great Rift was always a hassle.
First, driving through crowded streets, parking, waiting at red lights; the security around the Great Rift’s edge wasn’t great. Palmer still had to find a safe place to park to prevent his beloved Leica from being stolen.
Next was trekking on foot, passing through heavy smog, and walking along the steep outer wall... much like exploring Deep Nest.
But leaving from Deep Nest Courtyard was different; here it connected to Opus’s subway system, allowing them to take the subway directly to Autumn Town, and from Autumn Town reach Teda’s Alchemy Workshop.
"Hey! Bologue! This train."
Palmer shouted to Bologue, indicating for him to follow. Guided by staff, the two boarded a train car, but once inside, they felt something was off.
Unlike their impression filled with weapons and medical kits, this car was loaded with various supplies, from drinking water to food, all kinds of daily necessities, and even a few novels to pass the time. From the titles, one book was called "Night Hunter."
"Did we get on the wrong car?" Palmer was puzzled too, asking Bologue in a low voice.
"You’re the one who chose this, why ask me?"
Bologue sat in the corner, the seat was small and very hard. These armed subway cars were utterly lacking in comfort.
The mechanical crane was still working, lifting car after car and attaching them behind, perhaps equally filled with supplies.
Footsteps approached, and the Ferrymen boarded the train. The newcomer glanced at the two, and Palmer timely picked up the badge, with the twisted Rupert’s Tear engraved on it.
This was the credential for the Field Operations Department’s Special Operations Group. It might not work in other departments, but in the Logistics Department, which had a love-hate relationship with the Field Operations Department, this was very useful. No explanations needed, just show it and they would understand your purpose.
But this time was odd; the newcomer’s gaze, initially about to move away, was drawn back to the badge, staring at it for a long time. A familiar feeling surged up, and he rasped.
"It’s you two again!"
Bologue and Palmer were stunned, what did "again" mean, what did "it’s you two again" imply?
Carefully observing the newcomer, Palmer clearly didn’t recognize this guy, but Bologue, being an expert, recalled the man’s identity immediately.
Bologue uttered the man’s name.
He remembered this guy; when he and Palmer dealt with David, it was this man who brought the Ferrymen to handle the scene. It was then that Bologue realized the Field Operations Department had registered a company named Ferryman to facilitate their operations.
"Oh? You remember me, how heartwarming."
Marion sat beside them, the car full of supplies made the space exceedingly cramped, feeling as if they were sitting in a warehouse.
"You’re headed to Autumn Town too? With all these supplies." Bologue asked curiously.
"I don’t want to go, but it’s a logistics mission."
As Marion spoke, the subway started to move slowly, its speed gradually increasing. It left the Deep Nest Courtyard and plunged into the deep darkness.
In the underground tunnel, the subway sped onward, the car swaying slightly. Among the metallic clatter was the roar of compressed air.
"So many supplies, who are they for?"
Bologue continued to ask, pondering why the Field Operations Department suddenly decided to intervene in the Great Rift, given these massive supplies.
"If we’re not supposed to know, just forget it." Bologue added, not wanting to make Marion uncomfortable.
"No worries, we’ll be delivering supplies to you in the future anyway, just those working in the Great Rift."
Marion took out a booklet, flipping through it, unsure of what was recorded inside, but it was clear Marion knew Bologue was operating within the Great Rift too.
He reached out and patted the supplies beside him, speaking to Bologue.
"These are supplies for the Fourth Group and the Desperate Outpost."