Endless Debt

Chapter 1183 - 29: Phantom Blood Dance

Bologue’s patrol was not going smoothly. Gray Stone Town wasn’t large, but because of geological shifts and the encircling ravines, the buildings were packed unnaturally tight, like a stacked-up labyrinth.To avoid drawing attention, Bologue merely spread out his Ethereal Perception to detect any potential Condensers nearby, while also following the guidance of the umbilical cord as he moved forward.

Nothing. At all.

By dusk, night had swallowed most of the sky. Bologue and Aimou sat in the inn; Aimou was leaning against the wall, looking relaxed, while Bologue’s face was dark, unable to figure out what had gone wrong.

"I think something is affecting me."

After a long silence, Bologue spoke slowly, "It misled my perception and judgment, letting the evil hide itself away."

"Are we going to do a full sweep of the entire town?" Aimou asked.

"No, that would only alert the enemy."

Bologue shook his head. "I have a feeling the conspiracy brewing here might be even more dangerous than we imagined."

He lifted his head and looked at Aimou, then asked, "Did you notify the Decision Room?"

"Mhm," Aimou replied, "just like you guessed, this patrol has now been upgraded to an emergency operation. You’re the team leader, and I’m the team member."

Aimou continued, "Anyway, with the two of us, it should be enough."

Bologue thought for a moment, then repeated Aimou’s words, "With the two of us, it’s enough."

Suddenly, Bologue stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Aimou asked.

"I think I’m ultimately a nocturnal animal. Daytime doesn’t suit my work," Bologue said. "I’m guessing they’re the same. No matter how deep they hide, they still have to come out and act, and that’s when their tracks are easiest to expose."

"Need me to go with you?" Aimou asked. From the look of Bologue, it didn’t seem like he was planning to bring him along.

Bologue said, "You’ve already been busy all day. This would count as overtime. I can handle it myself."

Just as Bologue was about to keep walking, Aimou grabbed him and stared at him with a serious expression.

"We’re a community of fate now, Bologue."

At that, Bologue let out a long sigh, then showed a faint smile. "I’m starting to understand the annoying side of intimate relationships."

"That’s right. You can’t just enjoy the inner peace that intimacy brings. You also have to take responsibility for me... at least for my thoughts, and respect my wishes."

As Aimou spoke, he shrugged off his coat. After a twist of Ether’s glow, he overlapped with Bologue.

"As for the overtime fatigue you mentioned," Aimou’s voice sounded in Bologue’s mind, "don’t worry. You’re the one moving anyway. I’m just a spare battery."

Bologue didn’t say anything more. He only nodded slightly, stepped out the door, and walked into the night.

Just as Bologue had said, once darkness fell, all kinds of venomous vermin and ghosts crawled out, writhing slowly in the shadows. Their target was the small chapel tucked away in the town’s gloom. It was so dilapidated there was barely any light left to it.

York’s understanding of the Extraordinary World was still far too shallow. Even though he had carefully dealt with the corpse, by following the scent of blood, other followers of the Corrupted Crimson Sect still tracked their way here.

"We’re too close to Oath City, Oubos. Facing the Order Bureau, we must stay extremely vigilant. Don’t attract anyone’s attention."

Hammer’s warning echoed by Tino’s ear. Realizing the situation he was in, Tino subconsciously slowed his steps again.

To liberate the Calamity into this world, the Corrupted Crimson Sect had been plotting for a long time. Before Hammer and Yidir arrived, they had already dispatched a small squad ahead of time to Gray Stone Town to prepare the ritual layout.

The composition of the squad was simple: only one or two Condensers, the rest all ordinary believers. They thought this way they could slip past the Order Bureau’s notice. Yet only a few days after they arrived, the squad went missing one after another, leaving behind nothing but that lingering, indelible stench of blood in the air.

For a time, Hammer believed they had been found by the Order Bureau. But the strange thing was, if the Order Bureau had taken action, they would never have left any trace. And given the Bureau’s paranoia, once something like this happened, they would immediately patch up any defensive gap in Gray Stone Town.

But in reality, nothing happened.

Gray Stone Town was like a dense fog, veiling the road that led to the Abandoned Land. Everyone looked on with fear, yet couldn’t bring themselves to turn back.

Tino held his breath slightly. He was getting closer and closer to the chapel. Within the Corrupted Crimson Sect, they possessed a series of unique special skills, such as the Blood Scent that only they could perceive.

He could feel thick, viscous blood energy piled up inside the chapel. Tino guessed those people had all died in there.

"Was it the Priest?" Tino muttered under his breath.

Tino had seen that Priest. As a highly respected figure in Gray Stone Town, they had caught sight of him from afar on the very first day they arrived. Could it be that the Priest killed them? But when they glimpsed him that first day, they hadn’t sensed anything particularly unusual from him.

Forget it, no need to overthink it.

Tino had the Protection of the Crimson Queen, and he was also a Prayer Believer. In standard combat within the Extraordinary World, Tino already counted as a powerful combatant—let alone now, when he was leading others.

Before the Conversion Ritual could begin, Tino had to clear out every interfering factor for Hammer.