Endless Debt-Chapter 799 - 260: Incoming Letter

"To be honest, I’m still quite dazed."

Palmer leaned against the sofa, the hazy morning light casting a holy appearance on his face, like a statue of the Son in a church.

"I met the author I had been yearning for, spent some time with him, participated in a real game hosted by the Devil, and incidentally saw the author’s quirky nature."

Palmer lazily leaned against the sofa cushion, feeling a mix of comfort and bewilderment.

A week had passed since their escape from the Joyful Garden, during which, apart from endless reports and recounting their experiences at the Joyful Garden to their superiors, they had done nothing else.

It wasn’t until yesterday that Lebius finally let everyone go, stating that the Decision Room had collected enough information and everyone could rest.

Rest, a rare rest, which was expected by Palmer; after every deadly mission, to comply with the faint presence of the labor laws, the Field Operations Department would grant them a vacation.

Vacation, preparation, and then awaiting the next life-or-death fight.

Palmer looked out the window at the towering black spires standing among the city, feeling another wave of daze about his future.

A waft of aroma arrived from the kitchen, Bologue removed the apron and walked toward the living room carrying a tray.

Placing the tray in front of Palmer, Bologue sat down next to him on the sofa.

Today, Bologue made thick egg and cheese sandwiches, steam rising from the slices of bread, with a light sugar glaze on top.

Palmer gradually realized that Bologue was someone who loved life dearly, and perhaps his meticulousness at work carried over into his living.

No matter how tired or busy, Bologue would always clean on time; the food he made daily would be somewhat exquisite, unlike Palmer, who either ate fast food outside or casually made something at home.

"By the way, did you win the Best Newcomer Award?"

Palmer mumbled incoherently with food in his mouth.

"Hmm."

Bologue did not want to dwell on this topic for too long, mainly because Nesanel’s subsequent actions were really unacceptable to Bologue.

Nesanel seriously listened to Bologue’s thoughts and made Bologue’s award ceremony incredibly grand—Nesanel plastered the award announcement all over the Field Operations Department.

Now, Bologue was a celebrity in the Field Operations Department; everyone knew Bologue had won the award, and some started to be curious about who Bologue really was, while others complained about the endless announcements, suspecting it was some kind of prank.

Palmer had been lying at home these past few days purely out of laziness, while Bologue stayed away, hoping everyone would forget about the incident before reappearing in the Field Operations Department.

Bologue thought people wouldn’t forget, but at the current peak of attention, it’s better to just let it go.

Thus, Bologue and Palmer were rare companions at home, spending a few days in a state bordering on decadence.

Having some time to spare, Palmer’s first task was to shove "Journey through the Absolute Night," a board game, into the cabinet, losing interest in playing it for a while.

Bologue sorted through their accumulated films, particularly horror movies involving pythons, which Bologue similarly crammed into the cabinet.

No matter how one may describe it, the impression left by the Joyful Garden was still somewhat excessively insane; Bologue managed, while Palmer mentioned he had been plagued by nightmares for several consecutive days.

After breakfast, Palmer gathered the trays, heading to the kitchen to wash up the dishes. As Bologue often said, there are no freeloaders in this house; everyone must contribute actively.

Bologue drew the curtains, making the living room dim, casually picked up a newly purchased videotape and started the movie.

"Hey! Wait for me!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Came Palmer’s voice from the kitchen.

Bologue picked up the remote, pressing the pause button, waiting for Palmer to finish tidying up the kitchen.

Palmer asked again, "Aimou and the others are coming tonight, right?"

"Yeah, what’s up?"

"Oh, nothing, just asking."

From the kitchen, Palmer went quiet, leaving only the sound of running water.

To celebrate the few who managed to return alive, there would be a gathering at Bologue’s house tonight.

Canary was nowhere to be found, and due to differing allegiances, Bologue hadn’t considered inviting her. Gold was still at the Border Sanatorium receiving treatment, reportedly suffering massive psychological impacts, possibly leaving lasting aftereffects.

Hart was in the same situation; though he endured less torment than Gold, it still had a considerable impact on him, and apparently, they were sharing the same room in the hospital.

After several rounds of selections, Aimou was the only one able to come, and the gathering size had been reduced again and again, finally turning into a regular dinner party.

Bologue had prepared ingredients for the dinner in advance, and just in time for the holiday, the house needed resupplying too. Opening the fridge, Bologue poured himself a glass of orange juice while Palmer finished the dishes, wiped his hands with a cloth, and sprawled next to Bologue.

Sipping the orange juice, Bologue pressed the pause button again, the movie started playing, this time not a horror flick, nor a violent one, but rather a heartwarming family film.

Bologue and Palmer agreed they needed something warm to heal themselves.

But in reality, neither of them was able to focus on the movie. Like a shared tacit understanding, they were thinking about the same thing until Palmer finally spoke up.