Endless Debt

Chapter 1259 - 73: Standing Tall

After winding through many twists and turns, Bologue arrived at a room inside the office with a stack of files. Unlike the chaos outside, this room remained unaffected and was perfectly preserved; everything was so orderly, as if the office’s owner had just left recently.The secondary objective was achieved, and the Void Shedding Sword Oil for combat experiments was acquired. At this moment, the secret laboratory no longer held importance for Bologue, but to avoid bumping into security staff immediately upon leaving, Bologue decided to stay here a while longer.

With some leisure time, Bologue began investigating the secret laboratory to see what Mamo had been researching before leaving. Soon, a term that piqued Bologue’s curiosity appeared on the whiteboard.

Raymond Gaudent.

Bologue suspiciously looked at the content on the whiteboard. Most of the writing was blurred, tangled with numerous technical terms. After reading for a moment, Bologue started feeling like a complete illiterate.

With the information on the whiteboard, Bologue went rummaging again, placing more documents together, choosing parts he could understand, and coupled with his talent for overthinking, attempted to reconstruct the scene from those years.

A few minutes later, Bologue sat in a chair, sweating profusely, with a bitter expression.

He truly felt like an illiterate. Despite trying to overthink it, Bologue gathered little information, only barely understanding that before Xilin’s invasion, Mamo had been secretly researching matters related to the Void Realm.

Bologue mumbled to himself, "Raymond Gaudent... Was he researching Raymond Gaudent?"

Raymond Gaudent is the name of the Holy City, but in the scholars’ eyes, it’s more used to refer to the vast Void Realm enveloping the Holy City.

Scholars admire the Holy City; Raymond Gaudent, as its Void Realm, is a miraculous existence.

Bologue isn’t a scholar and finds it hard to comprehend their fervor, but judging from the mountainous pile of documents, Mamo poured countless hours into the Void Realm studies.

He couldn’t understand, couldn’t understand at all. Although recognizing each word on its own, when combined, they seemingly turned into some bizarre spell; apart from knowing it involved Void Realm studies, Bologue remained clueless.

Bologue began missing Aimou again, with the aid of Secret Energy·Heart Overlapping Shadow. Aimou was not only a partner providing comprehensive enhancement and entertaining conversations but also a "high knowledge" translation machine.

"The Cultivation Room originates from Raymond Gaudent, as if it’s its derivative, positioned as secondary."

Bologue read with difficulty, "Reverse engineering Raymond Gaudent’s design from Cultivation Room can glimpses at King Solomon’s greatness."

Then followed more praises of King Solomon; he wasn’t a deity, but in the scholars’ eyes, he was already nearing divine status.

"Bologue?"

A call came from the hallway, followed by Furya walking over.

"Oh, have you rested well?" Bologue noticed Furya appearing refreshed.

"Yes."

Furya nodded, observing the files beside Bologue, "What are you looking at?"

"Some research materials related to the Void Realm," Bologue added, "but I can’t understand them; they’re too complicated."

Bologue suddenly asked, "Can you understand these?"

From Furya’s few words, Bologue could gather that Furya’s internship involved scholars, together with her familiarity with the secret laboratory... perhaps she was an assistant to some esteemed scholar?

Considering her youth yet interning at the Order Bureau, besides her exceptional skills, Furya’s background certainly played a role. Bologue debated whether to inquire about Furya’s surname; knowing her surname would provide clues to her background.

"Let me take a look."

Furya’s eyes lit up, enjoying the feeling of being needed.

"They are researching a Void Realm called Raymond Gaudent, using this Void Realm to create... the Cultivation Room, which is the Void Realm we are in."

Furya was quite surprised, not having the clearance for such information.

"Continue, Furya, translate." Bologue jested.

"This section is studying whether the Void Realm possesses consciousness."

"Does it possess self-awareness?"

"The essence of the Void Realm is implanting a large Alchemy Matrix into a region, turning it into an Extraordinary Realm independent from the mortal world."

Bologue nodded gently, as he had already understood that section, even connecting it with the Devil’s land through overthinking.

As if it were a wondrous mapping.

"Just like constructing a skyscraper, initially, scholars laid the foundations well for the Void Realm, establishing the basic framework. Successors continued adding bricks and tiles on top of the foundation and within the framework, expanding the Void Realm further, adding more functionalities, and making its qualities increasingly complex."

The skyscraper wasn’t built in a day; throughout the years, thanks to countless scholars’ efforts, today’s Void Realm differs from the initial Void Realm entirely.

"They... they are researching whether the Cultivation Room can become more intelligent?"

Furya was astonished by Mamo and their ideas.

"What?"

Bologue was also startled.

Intelligence, in other words, self-awareness.

Bologue knew all too well the trouble that could come from granting self-awareness to an inanimate object, like the time Aimou caused a temporal chaos.

Aimou was somewhat manageable; back then, she was just an alchemy puppet, a child with a distorted longing for paternal love. But now Mamo’s research was about giving intelligence to the Cultivation Room.

This concept was entirely different.

Furya picked up a notebook filled with sticky notes, skillfully flipped to a page, and handed it to Bologue, pointing for him to see.

"Look at this."

Bologue read the words on the page, "The Holy City is great precisely because King Solomon seemingly endowed it with intelligence. Even after King Solomon’s death and the destruction of the Holy City, Raymond Gaudent continued to resist with a broken body."

"No one imagined the Holy City could also meet its end... So, what about the Cultivation Room?

Will it stand forever?"

Bologue’s heart was completely seized, and he picked up the secondary objectives list, comparing the handwriting between them. At this moment, he could confirm these were indeed written by Mamo.

"Oh my..."

Bologue whispered in awe, the neurotic feeling conveyed in the words exactly like Teda back then.

Fortunately, many years have passed since the secret war, and Mamo now seemed normal. As the first director of the Sublimation Furnace Core and a Seeker of Glory, he might have controlled himself.

"What exactly are you thinking, Mamo?"

Bologue wondered, he suddenly felt Mamo deliberately called him to retrieve the group photo, using this to make him aware of these things.

Why not say it directly? Mamo could have told him before Bologue ventured into the Ruins District, about his reckless behavior from many years ago, like attempting to give intelligence to the Cultivation Room.

"All of this is still in the theoretical stage," Furya interrupted Bologue’s thoughts, "just concepts, speculations, no concrete implementations."

Bologue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it, and then he speculated why Mamo didn’t speak frankly with him.

"Wait a moment."

Bologue began rummaging again, accurately speaking, conducting a thorough search, stuffing all the files, notes, records, and so forth into the office.

"What are you looking for?" Furya asked, "I can help you."

"I’m looking for an emblem," Bologue replied without looking up, "the emblem of the Scepter and Sword, which is the symbol of the Decision Room, meaning the document has passed the approval process of the Decision Room."

Although an intern, Furya quickly realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Do you think?" She instinctively covered her mouth.

"I feel that when Mamo researched these things, he never went through the approval process of the Decision Room," Bologue realized, "That’s why this place is called a secret research lab!"

"Damn, if the truth is this, with Mamo’s understanding of the Cultivation Room, it’s not impossible for him to evade the Decision Room’s scrutiny," Bologue continued, "The destruction of the Holy City stimulated him, he’s afraid the Cultivation Room will repeat the same fate."

One piece of information after another popped into his mind.

"The Cultivation Room’s prototype is Raymond Gaudent, since King Solomon could do it, why can’t he, even if it’s just a superficial imitation it would suffice."

Bologue spoke faster and faster, overthinking revealing its power at this moment.

Suddenly, Bologue paused, standing amidst a pile of messy papers, he still hadn’t found the emblem he was looking for, unconsciously muttering.

"Xilin’s invasion interrupted Mamo’s research, further causing the secret research lab to fall into the Ruins District, Mamo’s years of hard work vanished completely."

Bologue lowered his gaze to the Ethereal Line on his waist, which was first cut off by security personnel, then freed in the ensuing battle, now reconnected to Bologue, yet at this moment it had become extremely unstable, alternating between reality and illusion, as if the next second it would completely sever.

"What do you want me to do, Mamo?"

Bologue questioned, "Is it to retrieve your research for you?"

Before he finished speaking, an absurd idea rose in Bologue’s mind.

"Or perhaps, help you destroy it all, pretending nothing happened, after all, you hid this from the Decision Room, your purity and loyalty will be questioned."

Bologue recalled that blurry black and white photo.

"You will be unable to reach that illusory Celestial Kingdom among the masses."