Endless Debt

Secretly, the Order Bureau and the All Secrets Order are at daggers drawn, but on the surface, both maintain a facade of civility. Hence, Nesanel greeted the welcoming party with a smile, opening his arms towards the leading man.

"Fabien! Duke of Fantasy of the All Secrets Order, long time no see!"

Fabien’s age seemed similar to Nesanel’s, but his white hair and wrinkles were more prominent, giving off an inescapable sense of age. Draped in a dark green cloak, deep, dull silk interwoven with luxurious gold thread, marked with the emblem of the All Secrets Order on the back.

"It has been a long time indeed, Nesanel."

Fabien also smiled as he greeted Nesanel, giving him a gentle hug. His smile was sincere, suggesting that there were still friends of the Order Bureau among the All Secrets Order.

"However, I am no longer the so-called Duke of Fantasy," Fabien glanced at Ossana and continued, "I’m now just a humble Order Officer of the Ancestral Council."

"Order Officer, sounds quite ordinary," Nesanel said, "For those who don’t understand your All Secrets Order’s structure, they’d really think you’ve been demoted."

Bologue habitually focused on Fabien’s face, carefully scrutinizing his features. From that appearance, Bologue suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Just as he was perplexed, Ossana entered Bologue’s view, the cold woman smiling for the first time, greeting Fabien, who nodded in return.

Bologue knew where this familiarity came from; Fabien and Ossana’s appearance had some similarities, indicating a blood relationship. Judging by their ages, they might be father and daughter.

Fabien shifted his focus from Nesanel, sweeping over the other members of the group, one face after another entered Fabien’s sight. Most, he bypassed directly, lingering only momentarily on a few.

Bologue sensed that he was among them.

The next moment, Fabien walked towards him and said, "You must be Palmer Clarks? I am Fabien, once one of the Four Dukes, now an Order Officer with the Ancestral Council. I’ve always wanted to visit Wind Source Highlands personally."

Although Fabien was considered a friend of the Order Bureau, he remained just a friend; this did not change the ideals and education he received since birth. Compared to Holt, Evan, and Bologue, he preferred to converse with Palmer, who hailed from an Extraordinary Clan.

Moreover, being from an Extraordinary Clan, Fabien might convey the Condenser-supreme ideology to the Clarks. Over the years, the All Secrets Order had been attempting to export its ideology externally.

But...

Bologue’s expression showed slight embarrassment; he stepped back, pulling Palmer forward to stand before him.

"Sorry, I am Bologue," Bologue felt like a supermarket salesperson as he introduced, "This is Palmer Clarks."

Fabien paused for a moment, the pulled-over Palmer displayed an awkward yet polite smile, extending a hand to shake with Fabien.

"Hello, hello."

Fabien looked at this nodding and bowing fellow, his thoughts momentarily froze.

Logically, as heir to the Clarks, shouldn’t he be composed and deep, like an unbreakable cold iron? What’s going on with this guy? Has there been an issue with the Clarks’ education in recent years?

Fortunately, Fabien had weathered many storms; he maintained his composure and said, "Oh, apologies, I must have gotten the list wrong."

Releasing Palmer’s hand, Fabien looked at Bologue in confusion, "So you are Mr. Bologue Lazarus then."

Bologue nodded slightly, "Hello."

Fabien and Bologue exchanged a brief glance but said no more, turning to converse with Nesanel again.

"He doesn’t seem to like you much," Palmer whispered.

"That’s normal; I’m not from an Extraordinary Clan, so naturally, he doesn’t regard me," Bologue said.

"But why did he mistake us for each other?"

Bologue glanced at Palmer, advising, "You’ll inherit Fuen’s work in the future; you should start paying attention to your image."

"In the future, I’ll be the top elder of the Clarks family, why should I care about my image?"

Palmer didn’t understand; having supreme power is for acting freely, why reverse to being constrained?

Bologue sighed helplessly, not wanting to delve too much with Palmer on this matter. He continued, "Perhaps the Tier difference confused him about you and me."

Condenser from an Extraordinary Clan represents leading in Tier, Fabien naturally mistook Bologue, a Defender, for Palmer.

Fabien’s judgment wasn’t really wrong; compared to his peers, Palmer’s advancement was indeed rapid, but it was unfortunate he encountered Bologue as a partner.

"This is good news," Bologue said softly again, "This is a group with arrogance etched in their bones, the only ones who can catch their eye are Condensers from the Extraordinary Clan, which means they won’t pay much attention to a person like me... I’m starting to suspect that they haven’t carefully reviewed my file."

Even though Bologue repeatedly admonished himself to be humble, there was still a certain pride hidden deep in his heart, believing that anyone who read his resume would be stunned by his work experience.

The Decision Room shouldn’t be foolish enough to make all my exploits public. Bologue felt a slight sense of loss.

Led by the welcoming team, Bologue and his group were guided into an Umbrella Tower. Inside the tower, the streamlined architectural style was still everywhere, with enormous intersecting curves contrasting sharply with the Cultivation Room’s angular style. Bologue looked upwards in appreciation, feeling as if he had inadvertently walked into an art exhibition.

"The All Secrets Order is composed of many Extraordinary Clans who elect Legislators from each family, forming a group known as the Ancestral Council, which becomes the power leader of the All Secrets Order."

Palmer, who knew much about the All Secrets Order, explained to Bologue along the way.

"The Ancestral Council generally doesn’t appear in the public eye, like... like the Decision Room, secretive," Palmer suddenly asked, "Where do you think the Ancestral Council is?"

Bologue didn’t hesitate, directly looking toward the center of the circular deep valley, at the massive high tower that crossed boundaries.

Supreme Hub.

"That’s what I think too," Palmer agreed, continuing, "The Ancestral Council is isolated, only the Order Officer can directly meet them, which is that Fabien."

Palmer looked toward the front of the team, where Fabien was chatting with Nesanel about something, bursts of laughter echoing. Palmer didn’t think the two were chatting happily; it was just two cunning old foxes probing each other.

"There are many Extraordinary Clans in the All Secrets Order, but among these clans, some are strong while others are weak. The four most powerful families control the vast majority of resources and seats in the Ancestral Council. The leaders of these four great families are known as the Duke, and you could say the All Secrets Order is the Duke’s All Secrets Order."

Bologue questioned, "Like the founding Six Great Clans of the Order Bureau?"

"Hmm? There is still a difference. The six great families of the Order Bureau hardly remain today, and the power level of the Decision Room is higher than the Extraordinary Clans. You see, my old man is already a Seeker of Glory, yet he is still ordered around by the Decision Room."

"I know."

Bologue certainly knew that the Order Bureau is the Decision Room, it is the Decision Room of the masses, the Decision Room of countless strange flesh and enormous thoughts.

He also knew that as time went on and wars continued, the original Six Great Clans no longer exist, now serving more of a memorial purpose.

The eerie blue light reflected onto the welcoming team. Simultaneously, accompanied by the light, an exhilarating Ether reaction emerged, continuous like ocean waves.

The people of the Order Bureau immediately became cautious, Palmer decisively placed his hand on the knife handle, his heart pounding.

"Damn it, is the All Secrets Order planning to act without even offering a meal?" he complained inwardly.

"Calm down."

Bologue placed his hand on Palmer’s shoulder, forcibly holding him down, as Fabien’s voice echoed.

"Everyone, don’t be alarmed, it’s merely a normal Ether phenomenon."

Fabien addressed everyone, "This is the energy supply system of the Land of Secrets, due to its special supernatural phenomenon, we call it the Aurora Path."

Bologue looked up. Pure Ether gathered together, like silk floating in mid-air, traversing between high towers. The brilliance became increasingly dazzling, the eerie blue tone began transitioning, refracted like a rainbow into magnificent hues.

Near the buildings, Ether started to dissipate, transforming into a glorious rain of light, trickling onto the buildings, merging within, disappearing without a trace.

"It’s so beautiful..."

Bologue couldn’t help but marvel, feeling that Aimou would appreciate such a view. Searching to the end of the Aurora Path, Bologue discovered its origin within the Supreme Hub.

"From the Supreme Hub, this pure and refined Ether is condensed, guided directionally, transmitted between buildings, then converted to required energy, providing nearly lossless power."

While introducing this, Fabien’s tone was filled with pride.

Fabien indeed had reason to be proud; the integration of Ethereum Technology and basic science in the Land of Secrets had already reached a seemingly futuristic level, like during the Industrial Revolution. Its large-scale utilization of Ether could indeed trigger an Extraordinary revolution.

Bologue fantasized in his mind about such a world, recalling memories of a "past life," memories gradually becoming reality...

"No," Bologue rejected in his heart, "Humanity is not yet ready to accept this power."

This is the Devil’s gift.

When humans excessively use Ether, continuous Ethereal Vortex Points will also be generated, like hidden bombs, ready to collapse the civilization humans have painstakingly built, sending everything back to the primitive, leaving only desolation and decay, vanishing without a trace.

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