Endless Debt

"Just for this reason...do you think this is ridiculous?"

Aimu looked at Boluogo's reaction. This was the first time she had spoken her thoughts to others. More importantly, Aimu had not been in contact with more humans for so long.

"There's nothing funny about it. This kind of thing can be regarded as the ultimate problem of mankind."

Boluogo smiled and shook his head. He recognized Amu's idea of ​​self-awakening and continued.

"Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go?"

"I've read something like this in a book, but I don't quite understand it." Aimu's understanding of books is still somewhat superficial, and he doesn't understand the deeper meaning.

"Actually, I don't really understand it. Some people say it's the past, present, and future, and some people say it's a summary of human life." Bologo explained.

"Recognize who you are, what you live for, and what you die for... At least you now know who you are. Congratulations, Aimu."

Boluogo stared at Aimu in front of him. She stood among the piled up broken corpses. She was like a bright color in the gray cold.

"I am...Amu."

Aimu whispered, just like self-hypnosis, the more someone affirms her, the more real she becomes.

"What about the rest?" Aimu turned to look at Boluogo excitedly. This was the first time she had been recognized by someone in so long, which made her extremely happy.

"The rest? Where do you mean it comes from? Where is it going?"

When talking about this, Boluogo also fell silent. It is usually difficult to have a clear answer to such philosophical questions.

Boluogo knows who he is. He is the evil spirit chasing darkness, punishing those evil people who violate the iron laws of justice, but when it involves himself, this is a real mystery.

He still doesn't know why he came to this world, and this is also Boluogo's biggest secret. As for where he is going?

"I don't know. Few people can understand this. More often than not, everyone lives in the present and leaves these worries to the philosophers to deal with." Bologo said, but he quickly added .

"But, I am an immortal. If there are no accidents, my destiny will have no end."

"In other words, you didn't 'go anywhere'?" Aimu asked.

"It's probably like this. It's like a road movie. I'm driving on an endless road. Wherever I stop, that's my end."

"Road movie?"

"A type of movie...haven't you seen the movie?"

"No, apart from going to the border sanatorium for regular check-ups, I have almost never moved in the city." Aimu spread his hands and showed himself, "I am too special and can be easily discovered by others."

This is indeed true. Aimu will dress himself up every time he goes out, trying to avoid others from directly observing him as much as possible.

"Well... then your life is really full of regrets." Boluogo felt sad for Aimu, who had never seen the movie.

"Is the movie that good?" Aimu was tempted by Boluogo.

"This thing can extend human lifespan."

When talking about movies, Bologo became serious. Apart from killing evil people, this was one of Bologo's few hobbies.

"Extend lifespan?" Aimu's eyes lit up when she heard about extending lifespan, but she soon calmed down, "How is it possible? Human lifespan is destined. Even if it can be extended, it can only be extended with some extremely expensive alchemical potions. Only then can we do it.”

Aimu cares about life and death, and she has learned a lot about this. Unfortunately, she is an alchemy doll, and those potions are useless to her.

"Extension of life in another sense."

Boluogo explained, but within a few words, he was choked by the smoke and dust in the room and coughed repeatedly.

"Let's talk in another place... I don't think it's a big deal. Don't you think standing here is like standing in a morgue? A morgue for alchemy dolls." Boluogo used a wonderful metaphor.

After hearing Boluogo say this, Aimu suddenly realized, and the halo in her eyes shrank. Her fear of this place was not only that it was full of death, but also full of "corpses". If one day Aimu was also damaged, and she would probably become one of them.

The two came to the dining table. Teda was not at home, and the two of them had nothing to be formal about. They sat across the table and sat on the chairs and chatted.

Boluogo likes it very much. The space here is larger and not so depressing.

In fact, the entire alchemy workshop gave Boluogo the same feeling as a "reclamation room", or in other words, this is what these virtual realms look like.

Closed, absolutely closed.

There are no windows here, there are sealed walls everywhere, and many places are relatively small, with constant disturbing buzzing sounds.

If ordinary people lived here, most of them would suffer from some mental illness. Fortunately, Boluogo is not that fragile. He is a very adaptable person and he is used to working under depression.

"Rather than extending the length of life, it's better to make limited life more meaningful." Boluogo tried to explain his thoughts to Aimu.

"Just like an ordinary farmer, he has been trapped in a mountain farm all his life, living a mediocre life in the busy world. He has never left this land in his life, but what if there is a movie?"

The more Boluogo talked, the more excited he became. It felt very good to share something he liked with others.

"Through the movie, the farmer saw a story that he could not touch in his life, another life, a larger world..."

"It's like an illusory experience. Through this medium, we can feel what we can't feel and become what we can't be." Aimu seemed to understand.

"Probably, and what's even better is that when you are immersed in the story, you can forget the turmoil of reality and enjoy a moment of peace in that fictional world."

Boluogo's tone became soothing, "There are some experiences that you may not be destined to have, but through these media, you can vaguely touch its texture, which is also a kind of inner comfort."

"Sounds great."

"It's very good." Boluogo confirmed again.

"Yeah, great." Aimu nodded in agreement.

The topic was over, and the two fell silent in unison, not knowing what to say further.

"Will you be here all the time today?" Aimu broke the silence first.

"Well, being on duty here can be regarded as finding a place to hide. I don't want to join the drunken party of crazy people." Boluogo joked.

Although those guys in the Immortal Club were crazy, they never forced Bologg to do anything. Their biggest influence on Bologg was to make some drinks next to Bologg when he was sitting solemnly at the bar. Fancy moves, trying to make yourself laugh.

These boring guys often make boring bets about boring things. In addition to betting on which door they will come out of, they also bet on how they will make themselves laugh.

Weier can perform backflips, and Sere can perform pole dancing... Boluogo wants to maintain his serious and cold image, but it is really uncomfortable to hold back his smile every time.

"The teacher usually comes back the next afternoon," Aimu said. "This has been the case for the previous Pledge Days."

"Huh?" Boluogo thought of something and asked, "Amu, when did you gain consciousness?"

"Are you talking about my birthday?"

"Birthday?"

"Is it the date of birth? According to you humans, when I was born with consciousness, it was also considered birth, right?"

Boluogo nodded and confirmed that Aimu was an alchemy doll, but she was influenced by humans, and even her actions and thoughts were just like humans.

"About two years ago, right? Two years ago, I gained self-awareness and spent two Oath Festivals. After today, it will be the third year." Aimu calculated.

"In other words, you are barely...three years old?"

Boluogo felt that what he said was strange. In terms of human beings, a three-year-old is still in the state of an infant... But Amu is an alchemy doll, and common sense is useless to her.

"Uh-huh." Aimu nodded.

"Alright alright."

Boluogo stood up and said to Aimu before leaving, "I'm in the stronghold hut. If you need anything, you can call me."

After Teda left, the only one who could be trusted in the alchemy workshop was himself. If any accidents occurred, he would have to solve them himself.

But hearing what Aimu said, she stayed here alone every year, so Boluogo felt that nothing would happen.

Back in the stronghold hut, sitting on a chair, Boluogo wanted to do something to keep himself busy, but he had been busy for too long, and many things had been handled by him long ago. After thinking about it, Boluogo also Don't know what to do.

He leaned back in his chair, squinted his eyes, and was attracted by a hazy color patch.

It was a poster posted on the wall. The picture showed a detective wearing a brown trench coat and a hound following him.

This is a movie poster posted by Palmer. Palmer mentioned this movie to himself. He tried to describe the plot for himself, but after a few words, the guy started laughing like crazy... At least Judging from his reaction, the movie was pretty good.

Boluogo originally wanted to take a look, but due to work and other reasons, he never had time.

"It's a day off..."

Looking at the poster, Boluogo muttered softly.

…

The alchemy workshop is completely closed, with no windows to peek into the outside world, and the Great Rift is shrouded in heavy fog. The changes between day and night are not obvious. It is impossible to judge the passage of time based on this.

For this reason, everyone in the Great Rift is accustomed to wearing a watch to sense the passing of time in this area where the flow of time is not obvious.

Borogo put down the "Golden Discourse" and looked at the time. It was already approaching evening. He had spent this day reading. The long reading made his eyes feel sour, but for all kinds of alchemy, He also gained a deeper understanding.

If it weren't for Baili being too difficult to deal with, Boluogo would have wanted to apply to study at the Sublimation Furnace Core for a while.

Many people can only improve one skill in their lifetime, but Boluogo is an immortal and has a long life. He has plenty of time to perfect these skills one by one.

As long as he doesn't become like Sere, this boring undead spends a long time learning boring things, such as pole dancing, which he is proud of recently.

Leaning back in the chair, Boluogo raised his head and thought about the knowledge he read in the book.

In this world, the mysterious "secret source", the source of all extraordinary things, seems to have existed with this world from the beginning, and those cunning devils seem to have appeared at the same time.

The author tried to find the starting point of the story, but obviously, he failed. In fact, the alchemists' search for the "secret source" itself is the tracing of the beginning of the "secret source". However, after so many years, No one has ever really touched on it.

Thinking about this, Boluogo thought of that mysterious existence again.

King Solomon.

Not only in books, but also from Bailee and Teda, Boluogo often heard them mention that King Solomon was the greatest alchemist in modern times and the closest existence to the "Secret Source".

The closest Boluogo came to this mysterious existence was the battle that changed his destiny, the fall of the Holy City.

Bologg is still investigating that battle. After becoming a member of the Bureau of Order, he also secretly investigated a lot of information. What Bologg didn't expect was that there were similar conspiracy theories in the Bureau of Order. .

No, it cannot be said to be a conspiracy theory, but rather a variety of abnormal and delusional speculations.

In addition to the rumors of "a light", Boluogo also learned that some people suspected that King Solomon might really be the alchemist closest to the "secret source". He was not only close to the "secret source", he even said that he had completely touched the "secret source". source".

Borogo is not an alchemist, and he has only read the "Golden Discourse" to popularize these obscure knowledge. Some people suspect that the Rhine League and the Kogadel Empire seem to be seizing the Holy City as a bridgehead, but In fact, they all felt threatened by King Solomon and chose to join forces to destroy him.

King Solomon touched the "secret source" and obtained the "truth" that made countless alchemists crazy. He surpassed everyone, and everyone must take the lead in destroying him.

Everything is connected, and an invisible net traps everyone.

The disputes currently plaguing Boluogo all originated from the secret war seven years ago, and the secret war seven years ago was a continuation of the fall of the Holy City...

So which war is the continuation of the Fall of the Holy City?

Continuing from that deeply buried, forgotten era where everything has not yet begun?

Bologg felt a slight chill creeping through his body. He thought that by joining the Bureau of Order, he would be able to fully understand this strange world. But in fact, the world was not much clearer in Bologg's eyes, but instead became more clear. Be mysterious.

The more you know, the more painful it is.

Borogo had read in the Discourse on Gold that the alchemists called it the "pain of wakefulness" and the "curse of knowledge."

Now Boluogo can more or less understand the meaning.

After stretching his stiff body vigorously, Boluogo felt that these things were not that bad. There were still unsolved mysteries in the world, which was a good thing for him.

In this way, as an immortal, I can continue to have an unquenchable curiosity in the long years to come.

To live, one needs curiosity, or rather...a goal.

Curiosity makes you young, and when a person loses all curiosity, he becomes a living, decaying corpse.

For example, everyone in the Undead Club has no interest in this world anymore, and what they do is just to fill up their empty hearts.

They were extremely happy every day, but in Bolog's opinion, there was such a forced smile that it made people feel sad.

After walking out of the stronghold hut, it was evening, and Boluogo was going to the kitchen to get some food.

Palmer often said that the best thing about living here was that Teda generously shared his refrigerator and kitchen.

There were clanging sounds and busy sounds in the kitchen. It must be Aimu who is busy. She doesn't need to eat. Teda is not at home tonight. Boluogo thinks that she may be making dinner for herself?

Recently, Boluogo and Aimu have reached a strange tacit understanding... or a deal. Aimu will knock on the door and bring a large plate of food, while Boluogo will eat the food she made and chat with her. chat.

The content of the chat ranged from philosophical thinking to various experiences of Opos. Sometimes Boluogo felt that he had become a bridge, connecting Aimu with the human world.

At this point, she no longer draws knowledge from cold words, but is told to her by Boluogo, a living human being.

When he walked into the kitchen, the scene he saw surprised Boluogo.

Aimu was wearing an apron and was immersed in applying butter to a piece of cake. While doing this, she was reading a book and following the steps above.

But it was obvious that this was not the first time that Aimu had done this. Her movements were very skillful, and she just needed a tutorial to confirm. Under her fiddling, a circle of beautiful decorations was applied to the cake base, and the cream on the top was Smooth it out and sprinkle with some chocolate chips.

She was humming a song while making the cake, completely immersed in it, and did not notice the arrival of Boluogo. Boluogo did not make a sound, but just leaned against the door and observed quietly.

This should be a birthday cake, a birthday cake to celebrate Aimu's own birthday.

Boluogo guessed that this was probably her... third birthday? There are three candles placed next to the table, which is quite easy to guess.

In other words, today is Aimu’s birthday? She was born with self-awareness on the Oath Day three years ago, and she saw the world clearly with this hazy consciousness.

After a while, Aimu finished making her birthday cake. The cake was small and exquisite. The halo in her eyes flashed back and forth between circles and stars. She walked around the table several times to observe her work in all directions.

Picking up the three candles on the table, and just as Aimu carefully inserted them on the cake, she finally noticed Boluogo standing behind the door.

Boluogo looked at Aimu expressionlessly. Aimu was stunned. She pretended to be calm, but the halo in her eyes trembled, bent, and deflated into an oval in an instant.

"You...how long have you been here?"

Relying on his vocal cords that still need to be optimized, Aimu's voice was calm and indifferent.

"From the time you started applying cream."

"Why...don't you say anything? This sounds like peeping, right?"

"Huh? Doesn't matter? I just watched you make cakes, and you are quite involved. If I talk, I will definitely disturb you."

Facing Boluogo's answer, Aimu lowered his head. When the atmosphere fell into dead silence, Boluogo picked up the ether flow goggles hanging around his neck. In his eyes, Aimu's body became brighter, and the ether surged and rampaged. .

"Actually... you can let it go." Boluogo took off the goggles, still expressionless.

After a few seconds of silence, Aimu let out a mournful cry.

"Ahhhhh!"

…

Boluogo can understand this emotion of shame. When the behavior is in great contrast with the normal self, in order to maintain his image in the eyes of others, individuals usually do not want this hidden side to be seen by others. .

The solution to this dilemma is also very simple, just be consistent on the inside and outside.

Boluogo feels that he is a consistent person. He feels that whatever he does will be in line with his own style no matter when and where. He doesn't need to care about this at all.

Another example is Sere. At first glance, he looks like an elegant ancient nobleman, but the next second he will be dancing with a pole, or wearing clothes with slits to the navel, adjusting for you behind the bar. liquor.

You think Serei's image has collapsed, but in Serei's view, his own image is like this. Serei has never collapsed, but you don't know Serei well enough.

"what's on your mind?"

The voice came from the front. There was a table between Aimu and Boluogo. There was a birthday cake on the table.

Ever since Aimu wailed, the two sat down opposite each other, and the atmosphere was as oppressive as a negotiation table.

"That's interesting. Are you celebrating your birthday?" Bologo said.

"Big...probably..."

Aimu felt ashamed to be discovered. She didn't even dare to look directly at Bolog, even if Bolog didn't care about it.

"Does Teda know?"

Bologg asked curiously. As he got to know Aimu, Bologg felt that Aimu looked more and more like a real human being.

"The teacher doesn't know," Aimu shook his head, "He leaves every year during the Oath Festival."

"So this is your secret?"

Boluogo realized this. This was a secret that only belonged to Aimu and no one knew about it, but she seemed to have forgotten that there was a new tenant here.

"Um."

Aimu nodded.

"But you have no ability to eat and no sense of taste... Is this just a ritual for you?"

Speaking of this, just like empathizing with Aimu, Boluogo felt a little sad. This ignorant life tried its best to imitate all kinds of human beings, even birthdays.

If Amu knows the meaning of birthdays, what is she thinking about when she celebrates her birthday alone?

He carefully made the birthday cake, but couldn't taste it. Boluogo hated this feeling of powerlessness and sadness, but at this time, Aimu spoke.

"Would you like a taste?"

She looked at herself curiously and pushed the birthday cake towards her.

I'm too lazy to divide it into chapters, so it's a two-in-one. I've ordered almost 3,000 for both. Take this water and order one for each.