The atmosphere in the office was deadly silent, but accurately speaking, it was only Bologue who was silent; both Yas and Geoffrey, having experienced the secret wars, were evidently already aware of this intelligence.
Only Bologue stood stunned on the spot, unable to respond for a moment, appearing somewhat flustered.
"The Gray Trade Association and the Wandering Crossroad are one and the same..."
Bologue murmured softly, then stared straight at Lebius, connecting all the threads together, realizing at this moment what these guys were concealing.
"So... you are also aware of the Tyrant’s existence?"
Bologue then looked at Yas and Geoffrey. From Nesanel’s words, he had considered that the Order Bureau might also be trading with Devils, but he never expected that it had all started long ago, and judging from their reactions, the closeness between the Order Bureau and the Devils far exceeded his expectations.
"In the secret war, the real ally of the Order Bureau was not the Great Rift, nor the Wandering Crossroad, nor the Gray Trade Association, but the master of all this.
"Does it disgust you? The organization you trust the most also has ties with the Devils," Lebius asked calmly.
Bologue didn’t respond, instead he pondered in silence, before stating his own thoughts.
"So, like the corrupted sect, in reality, the Gray Trade Association could also be considered a variant of a cult group, and what they serve is the Tyrant, right?"
Bologue pursued the question. To this day, Nesanel hadn’t replied to him, and the multitude of mysteries piqued Bologue’s curiosity to the point of being irresistible. Now, he finally found some informed individuals to clarify the complex mysteries.
"Even to say, the Gray Trade Association’s selling of Alchemy Armaments, in their perspective, is also a form of sacrifice to the Tyrant... continually pouring Mammon Coins into the Great Rift is a sacrificial act."
In his excitement, Bologue spoke quickly and walked directly to Lebius’s desk, facing him.
All the dots connected into lines, countless lines sketched out a grand picture; Bologue finally saw it all clearly.
"Are we really so close to these crazed things?"
Bologue’s voice even had a hint of laughter; no one knew if he was angry or excited.
In Oubos, within the city where countless people lived, everyone existed under the illusion of stability, separated from that evil existence by dense fog.
Like people and shadows.
Faced with Bologue’s heavy interrogation, Lebius nodded slightly, confirming everything. Realizing his speculation was correct, the joy in Bologue’s eyes grew more intense, and he asked seriously.
"So, what does the Original Sin represented by the Tyrant mean?"
Yas and Geoffrey grew tense. Clearly, Bologue was asking things he shouldn’t, just as the Ninth Group Leader Carnegie had said; once ordinary staff knew these forbidden secrets, they might be arrested by the Ninth Group the next second.
Lebius showed no intention of continuing to hide and said frankly.
The moment the true name was spoken, everyone clearly noticed the room’s atmosphere stagnate for an instant, then began flowing again.
Bologue sat down abruptly on the chair opposite the desk, as if everything was as expected, wearing a helpless smile.
"This guy is really narcissistic, naming the coin after himself."
Names have magic power, and those with some knowledge of the intelligence would refer to these beings by their revered titles, to avoid inadvertently bringing their attention with a casual whisper.
The Crimson Queen, the Tyrant...
Bologue had personally experienced the feeling of being watched by the Devil, and it was extremely unpleasant. Even with an Undying Body, he didn’t want to experience it again.
Surprisingly, under the Tyrant’s design, he had split himself into two roles: one was the Tyrant to whom the residents of the Wandering Crossroad paid taxes, and the other was Mammon engraved upon the coin.
"When someone uses Mammon Coins, when they murmur this name softly..."
Bologue whispered; he speculated that the Tyrant was using this method to control everything, with each call causing human beings to reveal themselves in the ignorant darkness.
No one interrupted Bologue’s thoughts; everyone patiently waited for him.
"Although I anticipated it, it’s still surprising how things turned out this way," Bologue quickly adapted to the situation, "So, am I involved in the Devil’s conflict?"
"It seems so. Not sure if the Gray Trade Association is acting under the Tyrant’s orders, but you are indeed targeted by the Tyrant," Lebius replied.
"Hmm? Feels pretty nice, still don’t know what he plans to do though."
Bologue didn’t feel much about it. Long before all this, he had already connected with the Tyrant. Everything now is just an extension of a stormy night, like an ominous fate. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, it’s already predestined.
"Don’t you have any thoughts?" Geoffrey asked curiously at that moment.
He could understand Bologue’s self-perception as a villain, as well as the notion of treating the entire Order Bureau as a violent institution. But no matter what, there is a bottom line to all this, and that bottom line is undoubtedly the Devil.
The Order Bureau despises the Devil, yet they have indeed traded with the Devil. Often, they are not absolutely opposed; when necessary, they can also be allies.
With Bologue’s violent obstinate attitude, Geoffrey thought his reaction would be stronger. But in fact, Bologue seemed to care nothing about these.
"Thoughts? No thoughts. Our dealings with the Devil don’t conflict with wanting to slaughter the Devil."
Bologue had none of those awkward thoughts, unaffected by any stance.
"Besides, you must know your enemy well enough to understand how to pierce his throat."
Geoffrey thought he would see himself torn between good and evil, which might let Geoffrey down; Bologue never pondered such things.
Yas was also a bit surprised when conveying related intelligence down the Forsaken Crossroads; he’d suspected and worried about Bologue’s emotions upon knowing the secret.
Their worries were justified. As veterans of the secret war to win that difficult Extraordinary war, both Yas and Geoffrey’s hearts were filled with reluctance, even self-doubt, while trading with the Tyrant.
Their firm stance began to waver, alongside their trembling beliefs.
Fortunately, they were no longer the angry young men on the battlefield; years had made them more skilled, calm, and insidious.
But these successors were different. They were young, vigorous, full of anger, so these pieces of intelligence begged for ease with the Devil in the Order Bureau were uniformly listed at extremely high grades, with few newcomers able to access them.
"I said he was suitable for this job."
Lebius smiled and spoke. He had long anticipated Bologue’s indifferent reaction.
Bologue was different from other newcomers. He was too special; he understood the sinister rules of this dark world, even serving as the deputy of these rules.
"The Gray Trade Association believes in the Tyrant, but as you said, it’s a variant sect. They wander through various countries for years, exchanging things of supreme value in transactions, finally returning with their haul to offer it all to the Tyrant within the Forsaken Crossroads."
Upon hearing Lebius’ explanation, Bologue replied, "A feast every few years? I thought they were more grandiose."
"The Gray Trade Association’s movements are quite mysterious. They rarely act collectively, mostly dividing into several trade caravans, each wandering different regions with no consistent return times... If they gathered together and returned to the Great Rift, it would be deemed a declaration of war by the Order Bureau," Lebius said.
Bologue nodded, suddenly thinking of so much Extraordinary power flowing in, just like when the King’s Secret Sword invaded; anyone would think it signaled warfare.
"Forsaken Crossroads is the Tyrant’s abode, the endpoint of the Gray Trade Association’s long journey, where all value is submitted in that gloom."
"Value... always value. Sometimes I feel Forsaken Crossroads is shrouded by a force, a Devil’s power encompassing that absolute rule," Bologue said, looking directly at Lebius, "an absolutely fair exchange between values."
Lebius paused, hesitated slightly, then spoke.
"Rumors have circulated in the Forsaken Crossroads that as long as you pay enough Mammon Coins to the Tyrant, create enough value there, your wish will come true... But such rumors have yet to be recorded as truth, always approached with skepticism."
"Then, can I understand it as, if enough value is generated for the Tyrant, it can replace the soul to trade with the Tyrant?" Bologue speculated.
"I’m not sure; since the Secret War, we’ve ceased contact with the Tyrant, doing our own things peacefully without disturbing each other," Lebius replied.
"But now you send me to the Great Rift," Bologue pressed.
"No matter how peacefully, having such a terrifying entity hidden there remains unsettling," Yas said gloomily.
Bologue had no objection to this. The King’s Secret Sword was the most troublesome external foe for the Order Bureau, while the Tyrant was rooted beneath this land like a tumor. More importantly, no one knew what lay beneath the mist of the Great Rift.
"So are these people after my value?"
Bologue pondered. Though he had not contacted the Tyrant much, judging by his knowledge of the Tyrant, he likely wouldn’t take the initiative to influence him.
This guy preferred gently pushing people at critical junctures, so the Gray Trade Association’s attack was likely initiated by them.
The Tyrant considered Bologue to possess immense value, while they wanted to offer him to the Tyrant.
Bologue’s feeling was somewhat subtle, as if being stalked by a group of perverts.
He leaned back, rested on the chair, and gazed at the ash-gray ceiling, muttering softly.
"Conflict, endless conflict."