Endless Debt

In the dim, lightless underground world, Bologue and his group rushed continuously through the web-like crossed aerial corridors, resembling a three-dimensional maze that constantly extended outward.

"We don’t have many clues, but all of them without exception point to that place."

As they moved swiftly, Yolanda raised her hand to point to the center of the forge pit’s bottom, where numerous foundations extended from the surface, forming a massive foundation at the core, akin to mountainous hills.

Bologue gazed at the blurry silhouette in the darkness, murmuring to himself, "Indeed, it’s still the Supreme Hub, isn’t it?"

"The Supreme Hub can be roughly divided into three sections," Yolanda explained, "The foundation area at the bottom of the forge pit underground coordinates the entire forge pit’s centralized factory.

Unlike other factories, it operates fully enclosed, and according to our clues, a large number of missing people were transported there, but the centralized factory is heavily guarded, making infiltration difficult for us."

Yolanda continued, "The area above the surface, within the Land of Secrets, is at the middle position of the Supreme Hub, where the Ancestral Council took several Ethereal Vortex Points and integrated them, thus creating the large-scale Ethereal Furnace that powers the entire Land of Secrets, and also, it’s the source of the Aurora Path.

As for the uppermost part of the Supreme Hub, protruding from the circular chasm, enjoying the truly azure sky..."

Bologue responded, "The location of the Ancestral Council."

"Yes."

Yolanda replied softly.

The forge pit’s bottom was much larger than Bologue had imagined, with buildings spreading crazily like rampant mycelium everywhere, overlapping and crisscrossing each other, forming a terrifying nest of steel and cement.

Bologue and his group were getting closer to the centralized factory, and Olivia, constantly sniffing, detected the increasingly intense smell of blood.

Suddenly, a loud alarm echoed at the bottom of the forge pit, followed incessantly by a shrill siren amid the disturbing clamor. From the din, Bologue heard the intermittent sound of broadcasts—a deep, husky male voice narrating something—but the voice was diluted by the many noises, leaving Bologue unable to clearly hear.

But Bologue understood what had happened.

"I guess the major search on the surface should be over," Bologue looked up, gazing into the boundless darkness above, "Anyway, the Condensers’ Secret Energy can be quite peculiar; having a Condenser specifically responsible for tracking searches seems reasonable."

"It’s a curfew, an emergency curfew."

Yolanda watched the twisted buildings below the aerial corridors, as blood-red warning lights lit up, heavy doors fell one after another amid the continuous alarm, and all workers immediately returned to their dormitories. Even the scattered figures in the narrow alleys quickly hid in nearby buildings.

Soon, the forge pit bottom seemed to turn into a dead city, with no signs of human activity left—only the automatic assembly lines continued to run, emitting the regular, roaring sound of metal knocks.

"Someone’s coming."

Suddenly, Olivia spoke, and simultaneously she keenly detected the direction of the Ether reaction, turning her head to look in the direction from which they came.

"They’re closing in on us quickly!" Olivia grew tense.

Bologue’s expression was grim, and he wondered aloud, "Can the opponents track our residual Ether? Otherwise, this is too precise."

"Who knows?" Palmer grabbed a rapier and a dagger, nodding lightly, "But indeed, there are some people in the Order Bureau whose Secret Energy has undergone targeted specialization, possessing extremely strong abilities in certain aspects."

For the Order Bureau, Condensers are a convenient tool, much like tools in a mechanic’s toolbox, refined for different situations.

Like Yuriel, whose Tier isn’t high, just responsible for communication, or like those people Palmer mentioned, specifically specialized for certain situations.

As for professionals like Bologue, he considers himself a multifunctional Military Saber, capable of dealing with most complex environments.

"Yannis, Yolanda, you two go ahead," Bologue commanded, "Olivia, follow them."

Yannis and Yolanda are The Imperfect; once a battle erupts, Bologue won’t have the energy to protect them. As for Olivia, the reason remains the same as before: the Ancestral Council still doesn’t know about Olivia’s existence, and Bologue must try to keep her hidden until the right moment arises.

Olivia wanted to say something, but she ultimately complied with Bologue’s words.

"I’ll take them ahead and wait for you."

After speaking, Olivia twisted and fragmented, transforming into a shadow that covered Yannis and Yolanda. The two didn’t waste words, sprinting along the aerial corridor, their silhouettes blending with the darkness, footsteps silent.

Bologue watched the disappearing shadow, guessing that Olivia’s Secret Energy was probably related to the Elevation school, with derived sub-schools possibly including Illusion Creation. She could freely transform into an invisible shadow using Etherealization, like an unknowable mystery.

"Are we to confront them?" Palmer asked nervously, "I can hear them; they’re numerous."

Olivia sensed the enemies’ presence through her outstanding Ethereal Perception, while Palmer did it using his Secret Energy·Wind’s Breath.

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