Endless Debt

Opening his eyes, Bologue took nearly a minute to make his consciousness fully awake. He moved his stiff body slightly, feeling a faint pain in his muscles. Sleeping overnight on the sofa was not a comfortable choice.

Bologue didn’t sleep well; he remained highly vigilant all night. He was wary of the All Secrets Order and the person sharing the room with him. His mind was chaotic, and his dreams were a mess, with past fragments coming at him like a mixed collage.

Bologue tidied up his clothes briefly, holding the Sword Scabbard. He was fully equipped, meticulous in every aspect.

Sunlight fell from the narrow opening above the Supreme Hub, reflecting off the building’s smooth surface and slowly moving along the Aurora Path. Despite the circular canyon covering almost the entire sky, an abundance of sunlight still soaked the city.

Bologue glanced out of the window. The Supreme Hub looked as if it was on fire, with dazzling and blinding brilliance that made one want to shield their eyes. After a moment’s observation, Bologue closed the curtains, blocking all light, leaving only a faint sliver of light on the floor, like a boundary dividing light from darkness.

From the darkness came the soft rustle of fabric, gentle and hidden, like a snake’s scales brushing against fine grass.

"It’s time to go. We’ll be acting in the sunlight. Can you manage?" Bologue asked.

Crimson eyes opened as Olivia emerged from the darkness. Her expression also appeared not well. Bologue couldn’t tell if it was due to poor sleep or if his words had hurt her. She hadn’t healed throughout the night.

"I can."

Olivia extended her hand to reveal the hazy veil covering her body. It seemed like a cloak, or perhaps a skirt hem, resembling a mist-like veil enveloping her.

"It doesn’t seem like it can block out the sunlight."

To Bologue, this black veil looked utterly porous.

"You’ve judged it too quickly," Olivia gently brushed the veil, "This is a gift left to me by my mother, an Alchemy Armament known as the Veil. When direct sunlight shines on me, it can vaporize me, turning me into untouchable vapor, allowing the sunlight to have no effect on me at all."

"Vaporize? Is that a metaphor?" Bologue asked.

"It’s not really a metaphor. It’s literal vaporization."

"Are its properties overlapping with your Secret Energy?" Bologue speculated, "Your power to merge into shadows."

"Just to avoid some extreme situations," Olivia continued, "Just a reminder, every High Tier Night Race has means to some extent to block out sunlight."

"So, it means they can actually act under sunlight to some degree?" Bologue said.

"Naturally, ever since the establishment of the Eternal Night Empire, many Night Race have been unwilling to just hide in the night," Olivia said. "They’ve always tried to conquer the world of daylight."

Bologue quickly recalled the records of the Eternal Night Empire. A cloud of gloominess emerged in his mind as he spoke, "Extraordinary Disaster · Dark Iron Curtain?"

"Yes," Olivia confirmed.

As one of the greatest crises faced by human civilization during its progress, the Extraordinary Disaster caused by the Eternal Night Empire includes not only the eternal Blood Tax but also the Dark Iron Curtain.

Compared to other Extraordinary Disasters, the fatality of the Dark Iron Curtain is very low. Its effect is as literal as it sounds. Through a series of complex rituals, it creates a dark cloud layer that shields all sunlight, lingering like an iron curtain, completely covering the earth and bringing eternal night to life on the ground.

Relying on the Dark Iron Curtain, the Night Race gained the ability to fight during the day, causing immense setbacks for the Condenser alliance on the battlefield. In the face of endless darkness, the Condenser’s only advantage was completely lost.

In a moment of crisis, the Clarks stepped forward. These masters of wind riding led storms, forcibly blowing away cloud after cloud of darkness. In the final battle, cooperating with Serey’s betrayal, they even completely eradicated the pervasive Dark Iron Curtain on the battlefield, allowing the blazing sunlight to burn away all the Night Race.

"Stop thinking about those," Bologue said, "It’s not time for a direct battle with the Night Race yet. First, let’s solve the problem here."

Bologue looked in the mirror, dampened his fingers with water, and simply combed his hair, noticing Olivia still standing there. He spoke to the Olivia in the mirror.

"What are you waiting for?"

Olivia hesitated for a moment, then nodded in realization. Her body began to move and fragment, transforming into wisps of shadow and seeping into Bologue’s shadow. Under the Extreme Realm’s Ethereal Concealment, Olivia’s presence was infinitely close to zero, like a beast in hibernation.

After confirming the connection with Olivia was intact using the whistle, Bologue left the room. He didn’t need to knock this time; Palmer was already waiting in the hallway, as were the others. Comparatively, Bologue was actually the last one to come out.

"I must say, staying here is quite pleasant," Palmer said.

Seeing Palmer’s joyful demeanor, Bologue remarked, "You look like you slept well."

"Pretty much, I really like the night view here. Falling asleep by the floor-to-ceiling window was truly a nice enjoyment," Palmer paused, then added, "The morning sunlight was a bit strong though. It woke me up directly."

Bologue knew Palmer wouldn’t be so self-disciplined. Looking to the other end of the hallway, Bologue easily distinguished Nesanel’s figure among the crowd, followed by Holt and others.

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