Endless Debt-Chapter 744 - 222 Joyful Garden

Getting out of bed, Bologue muttered to himself. Normally, he was full of energy upon waking, eager to open the door and vent by slashing a few Demons. But today, he felt exhausted, as if heavy shackles were weighing him down, every step he took seemed burdened.

He pushed open the door, seeing the familiar living room, the familiar kitchen, the familiar sounds of shouting coming from the next room.

Everything was normal, indistinguishable from the days he had experienced before.

Bologue washed up, changed his clothes, and habitually walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Due to his fatigued spirit, Bologue was obviously disinterested in cooking this time and casually prepared something, then brought it to the living room.

Seeing the time, it was time to wake Palmer up. Bologue knocked on the door hard a few times and pushed it open, while a basement-like aura greeted him; he thought Palmer’s room needed airing.

Bologue called out, "Palmer."

Palmer stretched out on the bed, then turned over, hugging the blanket to continue sleeping.

Palmer loved sleeping while hugging a blanket, so he had two sets of blankets on his bed. According to him, this habit originated from his childhood when he loved sneaking Leica into his room and sleeping while hugging Leica, though later on, it turned into Leica hugging Palmer to sleep.

Bologue had no interest in judging Palmer’s habit; he just wanted to wake Palmer up quickly and start today’s work.

"Wake up."

"Wait a moment, wait a moment."

Palmer turned over again. Usually, he would already obediently get up, but today, for some reason, Palmer felt extremely fatigued as well, only wanting to melt into his bed like a sprout growing in the damp soil of a basement.

Silently, Bologue walked to the window, as verbal persuasion seemed useless; he preferred taking action. He yanked open the curtains, allowing the sudden rush of icy wind to flood the room.

The frigid temperature instantly cleared Bologue’s weary mind, waking Palmer in a similar manner, as if cold water had been poured over him.

Palmer tightened his grip on the blanket, making himself look like a plump cocoon, while Bologue stared dazedly out the window. A few seconds later, shock surged from his eyes as a nearly forgotten nightmare returned like a tide.

Free Port, Prime Object, Erwin Fleischer, approaching train...

"Dammit, wake up, Palmer!"

Bologue abruptly yanked Palmer’s blanket aside, ignoring Palmer’s resistance, forcibly pulling him out of bed.

Palmer was about to complain about Bologue’s rough actions, but Bologue shoved Palmer’s head against the window; the sight outside quickly filled his gaze.

The bright moonlight illuminated the dim room, with endless prairies unfurling rapidly like a rotating scroll being tossed behind, accompanied by the thunderous sound ahead and the swaying of the carriage, causing the room they were in to tremble along.

"Bologue..."

Palmer turned his head blankly; the scene clearly sent Palmer’s thoughts into a haze, leaving him only able to rely on Bologue.

"This isn’t home!"

Bologue shouted at Palmer, jolting him back to sanity. After seconds of daze, Palmer and Bologue looked towards the house’s exit.

Palmer recounted his memory, "I remember I was sleeping at the table, then suddenly Hart woke me up, and when I looked up, I saw a train crashing into the carriage..."

"I’m similar," Bologue said, "but my memory is a bit more complicated than yours."

Bologue recalled catching Ewen but before he could escape the carriage, the train engine crashed forth; among everyone there, he and Ewen were struck first.

Then he woke up in this place.

The situation was too bizarre, Palmer handed the choice to Bologue, "What now?"

Without thinking, Bologue raised his hand to break through the window.

Judging from the fast-changing scenery, they were probably on that suddenly appearing train; no matter how they got aboard, staying here certainly wasn’t a good idea.

The window was barred by crossed metal grids. Bologue punched the grid hard; normally these couldn’t stop him, but this time, they stayed unmoved, while blood flowed from Bologue’s knuckles.

"Ether... vanished."

Bologue flexed his hand, discovering the horrifying truth that the familiar Extraordinary Power was drifting away, and Bologue reverted to a mere human.

"It’s not Ether that vanished, it’s our Alchemy Matrix; it has completely gone silent."

Palmer tried but couldn’t activate his Secret Energy, losing the power to manipulate Ether.

The two exchanged glances; clearly, the complexity of this incident had severely surpassed those before, with Alchemy Matrix sealed, the two were no different from ordinary people.

Thinking of this, Palmer couldn’t resist making a joke, "Want to try your Undying Body?"

"If you can carry my corpse off the train, I don’t mind giving it a try."

Bologue turned and ran towards the door, Palmer followed close behind without changing clothes, and rushed out of the room wrapped in a sheet.

Following the traces in his memory, Bologue opened a drawer, grabbed a Sheep Horn Hammer, and tossed Palmer a pistol.

This place seemed shaped by their memories, even the details were perfectly restored; if it weren’t for Bologue’s passion for work, considering the uncanny fatigue, he and Palmer might not have risen from sleep.

Twisting the doorknob, he pushed open the security door, warm lights shone on his face like a hotel corridor, with doors lined up along either side, some already opened, the others tightly closed.

Even a fool like Palmer realized the situation was dire at this moment. He turned to look at Bologue, who grasped the Sheep Horn Hammer without any fear and strode forward.

The two were caught up in this mysterious train, and the Alchemy Matrix fell into complete silence without any response. As for Bologue’s Undying Body... Bologue wasn’t interested in trying it for now. If this eerie place could seal even his Blessing, then everything would be over.

Bologue couldn’t just leave Palmer alone, holding his corpse and wailing, even if he wasn’t really dead.

Huff... In times of peril, even experts encounter such bizarre situations for the first time.

Bologue quietly approached another door and cautiously turned the handle, which reminded him of his first year as an intern, bringing a feeling of returning to simplicity.

Silently pushing the door open, behind it was another bedroom, dimly lit, with an incredibly neat and orderly layout, the floor spotless.

Bologue faintly heard light breathing inside the room. He motioned for Palmer to stay outside while he ventured further in.

From a gut feeling, it seemed that the person in this bedroom was likely another unlucky passenger like himself, though Bologue didn’t know who it was at the moment.

Stepping inside, Bologue saw the individual lying on the bed. Her sleeping posture was extremely standard, square and upright, with a calm expression on her face, as if lying in a coffin.

Bologue put away the hammer and shouted, "Aimou, wake up."

"Hmm?"

Aimou looked at Bologue through sleepy eyes, "Bologue? Am I dreaming?"

Bologue urged, "No, it’s not a dream. Get up quickly, our situation is very dangerous."

"Oh, oh..."

Aimou squinted her eyes, still half asleep. When told it wasn’t a dream, she vaguely got up and started gathering her things, while Bologue timely turned his head and stood guard at the door like a security guard.

As Aimou finished dressing, she looked in the mirror to tidy her messy hair, her dull mind gradually accelerating as her consciousness cleared.

Wait a minute... If it’s not a dream, why is Bologue here?

Aimou turned her head stiffly, and Bologue, growing a bit impatient, knew that women had many routines upon waking, but now wasn’t the time for such details. Look at Palmer, such a dedicated guy, even wrapped only in a bedsheet.

Bologue said, "Are you ready? We should leave."

"Ah... Okay."

Aimou had intended to scream to express her inner shock, but seeing Bologue’s serious demeanor, she swallowed her voice and astonishment down.

With Bologue’s way of thinking, he wouldn’t overthink things, though Aimou felt a bit embarrassed. Just then, there were two successive screams from outside the door, and Bologue sensed trouble, rushing out immediately to see the door opposite had been opened.

When Bologue went in, Palmer had wrapped a bedsheet around himself like a form-fitting gown. Across from him, Hart held a pillow, guarding his lower body, eyes full of fear, huddling in the corner.

"Why are you in my room?!"

Compared to Aimou’s belated realization of changing clothes in front of Bologue, Hart’s experience was truly shocking.

What could be more terrifying than waking up to find a man standing at your bedside? Well, there is — when he’s only wrapped in a bedsheet.

"I treated you like a brother!"

"If it weren’t for being brothers, I wouldn’t have come to find you!"

The two started shouting at each other. Palmer didn’t think there was anything wrong with his behavior and instead reproached Hart, "What’s wrong with you? Are you that childlike?"

Palmer reached for a black plush toy. Damn it, Hart’s bed was covered in plush toys, all made from his own hair.

"Do you understand what privacy means?"

Hart just finished yelling and noticed Bologue outside the door and Aimou, who had just changed clothes and caught up.

This gentle side of his was seen without any cover. Hart’s brain started to crash, and he even considered quitting his job.

"Calm down everyone!"

Bologue stood out, his voice steady, "I don’t know what kind of madness you’re having, but please note that our current situation is very dire."

Seeing Bologue come out to stabilize things, Hart’s emotions calmed down significantly. Anyone would be furious when suddenly invaded in their room.

"What’s going on?"

Calming down, Hart realized there was something off about the current situation.

"We..."

Bologue was just about to explain the situation to Hart when another voice from outside interrupted him.

"We are in Joyful Garden."

Canary stood at the door, holding an empty Dagger.