Endless Debt

"This is the ladder of the extraordinary world, the cruel food chain, might against might, sword against sword."

Jeffrey let go of the chess piece in his hand and let it fall on the chessboard, tumbling and impacting, making a mess on the chessboard. The chess pieces fell horizontally and vertically, and rolled everywhere.

Boluogo did not speak, but kept staring at the chessboard. It was not clear what he was thinking about. He held the "Pawn" chess piece in his hand and rubbed it hard with his fingers, almost crushing it.

The chess piece stands alone on one side and then forges ahead with no way back. It will either die on the way or reach the bottom line and complete the sacred "upgrade".

"Boluogo, whether there is new news about 'human addiction' or the beginning of the implantation ceremony, I will inform you."

Jeffrey continued to arrange the subsequent matters.

"There are no tasks for you at the moment. You might as well go home and rest, relax and keep yourself in a good condition. This will help increase the success rate of the implantation ceremony."

Boluogo raised his eyes, glanced at Jeffrey, put down the "soldier" in his hand, and then let out a long sigh.

"You're right, being impatient will only make you anxious. I might really need to take a break."

Condensers like Norm Ward are just the beginning of this extraordinary ladder, the humblest and lowest rung, and he has not yet climbed this extraordinary ladder.

No one knows what is hidden in the shadow of Opos. Bologg still remembers what he mentioned before. Those forces that are hostile to the Bureau of Order also have Sublimation Makers, and Bologg formally communicated with them. In front of the hand, it is far impossible to know their rank.

This world is tens of millions of times bigger than imagined, and Boluogo is still very weak at the moment.

"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing." Jeffrey suddenly thought of something.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember, you asked me about the 'soul fragments' before? You didn't know the existence of the Sublime One before, so I didn't say much, but now it seems that there may be another possibility."

Hearing what Jeffrey said, Bologo listened carefully. "Resurrection from the dead" has a clear origin, but for this mysterious absorption of debris, Bologo still doesn't know the principle.

"Do you know 'ether'?"

Jeffrey uttered the unfamiliar word.

Boluogo shook his head, seeing this, Jeffrey continued.

"This was proposed by alchemists. At first, they believed that everything in the world was composed of four elements, namely earth, water, wind, and fire.

But later, with the evolution of alchemy, someone proposed a new imaginary element, believing that in addition to the four major elements, there should be an element high in the sky.

This element that lives high in the sky is called ether, and ether is imagined to be the power from the "secret source". "

"Secret source..."

Boluogo whispered, the sacred "secret source", the source of all mysterious power, and the end point where truth lies.

"Ether is real. The unknown force that fills the world is the energy that drives the 'alchemy matrix'. The release of the 'secret energy' of the condenser requires this ubiquitous ether. Some alchemists believe that, The substance that makes up the soul is ether.

The soul is the purest ether. "

"Soul fragments are a kind of pure ether." Boluogo whispered.

"Yes, but these are just theories. The soul is mysterious and unpredictable, not to mention the soul fragments that are even more difficult to observe.

At present, this knowledge comes from the papers of some alchemists. No one knows the facts. "

Jeffrey explained, "I paid some attention because you were so interested. If you still want to know more, you can go to the library of the Bureau of Order to borrow "Soulology" and "Etherology", but I I feel like you’re tough enough to understand.”

ether.

Boluogo recalled the unknown strange feeling when he passed through and used the "Key to the Winding Path" before, as well as the burst of power from the vibrating hammer, and Nomu's release of "secret energy"...

Those inexplicable feelings all come from the rush of ether.

"Ether is a very convenient power. Some condensers can operate the ether outside of the 'secret energy', thereby acquiring many techniques called 'extreme skills'."

Jeffrey looked at Boluogo expectantly, "I think you are very talented, and you should learn extreme skills very quickly."

"Extreme skills? What is that?" Boluogo had a strange feeling, and he was about to get the answer.

“Ether is an extremely convenient force. In addition to driving the ‘secret energy’, some people can also directly drive the ether.

For example, making ether fill the body and increase one's strength. This ultimate skill is called 'Ether Amplification'. In addition to 'Ether Amplification', there are many other extreme skills, but each one is very difficult to learn. Being able to master one of them is considered a gift. "

Jeffrey's words instantly broke through Boluogo's confusion. He endured his excitement and kept himself calm.

"But these are a bit too early for you who are not yet a condenser. You will have plenty of time to understand these later."

Jeffrey did not continue to talk in detail. As for the remaining ultimate skills, he did not fully explain them.

Boluoge also nodded. He had already obtained the information he wanted, and turned to farewell.

"However...Jeffrey, implanting the 'Alchemy Matrix' should be a quite complex technology that requires profound accumulation of knowledge and a huge supply of resources. The Bureau of Order has the power to maintain the birth of the Sublime One.

So where did Norm Ward, a man who lived by licking blood on wandering roads, get the ‘Alchemy Matrix’ from? "

Boluogo expressed his doubts.

"This technology is not monopolized by the Bureau of Order. You know, there will never be a shortage of people in this world who are fanatical about knowledge. I guess this guy was helped by the 'Monks of Truth' to implant The 'Alchemy Matrix'."

"The Order of Truth?"

This is an unfamiliar word, Borrowgo pressed.

"An organization composed of... a group of alchemists with somewhat problematic brains. It stands to reason that everyone likes 'scholars'. They have rich knowledge and their own opinions, while the alchemists of the Order of Truth are... They are a completely extreme group of people.

They pursue the truth of the "Secret Source", regard the "Secret Source" as a god, and regard themselves as believers, forming an organization like a sect. "

Jeffrey said sarcastically.

"The scholar who was supposed to break ignorance ended up falling back into ignorance because of his enthusiasm for truth."

"Are they a hostile organization of the Bureau of Order?" Boluogo asked tentatively.

"It's not to that level yet. According to the Bureau of Order's positioning, this is a neutral organization, but sometimes they can cause trouble and enter a state of temporary hostility... They are enemies, but they are not hateful enough to fight to the death, or even Sometimes we collaborate."

Jeffrey recalled things related to the Order of Truth. Because he tended to be neutral, he had only dealt with these fanatics a handful of times during his field career, but from a certain perspective, part of Jeffrey's The trouble is caused by these people.

"These guys never care about any rules and only want to pursue the 'secret source'. For this reason, as long as they have money, they will implant an 'alchemy matrix' into you. Of course, most of those 'alchemy matrices' are their experiments," Jeffrey gritted his teeth, "You can make money while doing experiments. It's really a good deal."

"It can be said that most of the Sublime Ones who are not recorded in the files were created by these psychopaths, such as Norm Ward."

Jeffrey continued.

"However, the most disgusting thing about these people is not only the wanton creation of Sublime Ones and causing chaos in the extraordinary world, but more importantly, their bottomless pursuit of the 'secret source'.

Whatever the means, no matter the cost.

Many people died in their experiments, as well as the extraordinary disasters caused by the experiments going out of control, and those who were lucky enough to survive the experiments, but became like monsters, I don’t know what to call them..."

"That sounds really bad..."

Boluogo muttered, he had already imagined the scene in his mind, a group of crazy scholars, greedy for knowledge, this greed even made them lose their humanity.

"This is a necessary sacrifice to advance towards the truth and find out the 'secret source'... Those people will always use this sentence to defend themselves."

Jeffrey's words were full of disgust and hatred. Crazy groups like the "Monks of Truth" are inherently on the opposite side of the Bureau of Order.

"But the Bureau of Order did not eradicate them." Bologo said.

"Because... sometimes we have to admit that these lunatics can indeed bring us surprises, so the Bureau of Order reached a treaty with them and maintained the status quo."

Jeffrey said slightly helplessly that he hated that group of people, but sometimes they really needed that group of people, which made people love and hate them at the same time.

"Of course, if there is a possibility that the Truth Cultivator will lose control, we will not hesitate and show no mercy when we take action."

Jeffrey let out a burst of horrifying laughter. The reason why the Bureau of Order allows the existence of the "Monks of Truth" is because the Bureau of Order controls absolute force. Absolute force brings power, as well as absolute confidence and calmness.

After talking about this, Jeffrey suddenly stared at Boluogo, as if he was thinking about something. Boluogo was a little frightened by his look. He was about to say something when Jeffrey spoke.

"Boluogo, if you go back to rest, you have nothing to do, right?"

"Yes what's the matter."

Indeed, when he is not working, Boluogo's life is very simple. He gets up, plays with the war sandbox for a while, and then listens to his favorite music.

Boluogo himself felt a little bored, but in the previous period, because it was an internship period and there was a possibility of being sent back to the black cell, he had no mind to think about these things. Coupled with Adele's death, his anxiety became even more It's hard to rest.

"You should find some hobbies or keep pets or something, which will help your mental health." Jeffrey said.

While talking about this, Boluogo paused and remembered that Adele had said similar words to him.

"pet……"

Boluogo murmured in a low voice, and the kind voice came through the memory.

"Bologo, have you ever considered getting a pet or something?"

In my memory, it was a gloomy afternoon, and Bologna had not yet moved from the sofa at Adele's house.

"Pets? Haven't thought about it."

Burlogo was lying on the sofa, looking at Adele walking out of the kitchen. She was already very old, but Burlogo always forgot that she was an old person, and the good times still stayed with her.

"I think you can raise something." Adele sat next to Boluogo and gently stroked his head.

"Whether it's a cat, a dog, or a little mouse, you always need some living things to make your dead life a little lively, right?"

"I think my life is quite alive, I am alive," Bologo said.

"That's not true of you. Whether you are hungry or full, it is ultimately your business alone... What do you need to care about? There are some little lives that need your care."

"Need to take care of, need to care about..."

Coming out of the memories, Boluogo felt a little enlightened. He didn't expect that so much time had passed and so many things had happened.

He couldn't remember what he said to Adele at that time, but he remembered that at that time, Boluogo was still worried about the ups and downs that would follow, and he didn't know whether he would continue to remain free or be put back in a dark prison, so for He didn't care much about pets.

"I think my mentality is quite healthy. If it were not healthy, I would have gone crazy in the dark prison... As for pets, I will consider it."

Burlogo doesn't think this is a problem.

Jeffrey was speechless for a moment. Is Bologg not sick? It seems that there is indeed no problem. A very normal person can communicate effectively, but is there really nothing wrong with Boluogo's mind? Jeffrey had his doubts.

Just like staying in a lunatic asylum for a long time, Boluogo had already been infected with a little bit of madness, but he didn't notice it at all and regarded this "abnormality" as "normal".

Jeffrey was clearly aware of this during the year of getting along with him, so he always interfered with Boluogo intentionally or unintentionally. He did not expect to make Boluogo recover, but at least he would not get worse and be as human as possible. , whether it’s clothing or mental state.

After coughing twice in embarrassment, Jeffrey dug into his pocket, took out a ticket and handed it to Boluogo.

"You should find something to do, meet other living people... What do you think about watching a stage play?"

Burlogo took the ticket, which was a theater ticket with the time and place printed on it, as well as the program to be performed.

"OK, all right."

Boluogo did not refuse Jeffrey's kindness and collected the tickets.

In fact, Boluogo felt that he did not need to rest. He was resurrected from the dead like a tenacious iron man, with an iron body and an iron will.

He thought this was great, but Boluogo also understood that being so active would inevitably make Jeffrey worried. It was better to listen to his words and relax appropriately. This was not for himself, but to reassure the people around him.

"I really like this troupe. If I hadn't been working overtime these days, I wouldn't have had time to go, so this is an advantage for you." Jeffrey added.

"Then...I went back?"

"Go back! Go back!"

Jeffrey fired up Bologg, who stood up and walked to the door. He was about to open the door and leave, but turned back.

"By the way, Jeffrey, when I captured Nomu, I also got some unknown potions and the Philosopher's Stone. What should you do with these things?" he asked.

Jeffrey understood what Burlogo meant, and he responded.

"The potion has a dedicated person to test its ingredients, and the same goes for the Philosopher's Stone. We will hand it over to the alchemists, who will restore the Philosopher's Stone back to the 'golden soul'. I will ask them to pay attention to distinguishing the soul in it. If With Adele’s soul, I’ll tell you.”

Hearing this answer, Boluogo nodded, looked at the chessboard, picked up Black's "pawn" and held it in his hand.

"I'm leaving."

Boluogo said, waved goodbye to Jeffrey, and left without waiting for Jeffrey to say anything.

The return journey is a bit long, and there is no "Key to the Winding Path". Every time he returns to his home from the Bureau of Order, it is a long journey. Boluogo has made up his mind to get a "Key to the Winding Path" later. "Key" or move to Linna District, this damn commute is too excruciating.

Walking on the street to the station, perhaps because it is about to enter winter, I can clearly feel the coldness of the night. A few withered leaves hang on the dry trees, making a rustling sound.

Boluogo put his hands in his pockets, still holding the "Pawn" chess piece in his hand, which was held tightly.

He was thinking about something, something that Bologger himself didn't know how to describe.

Boluogo felt that naming this extraordinary power after Othello was not for any similar reason, but that it should have a deeper meaning.

It's like intuition.

Whether they are the humble "Condensing One" or the noble "Glory One", these chess pieces are all members of the chessboard from beginning to end...

So is there such a possibility that there is something watching the chessboard outside this vast chessboard? They are chess players hiding in the dark. They have been playing chess since thousands of years ago, or even in older times. chess, and this dispute has not ended yet.

Boluogo's steps stopped, and a cold feeling born from the depths of his soul erupted, spreading from his heart, along with the rushing blood, to everything around him.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling a puff of white mist, Boluogo stopped thinking and walked straight into the darkness.