Endless Debt-Chapter 838: Epilogue

The dense fog, mixed with ashes from the Abandoned Land, surged out from the scar that spanned the earth. It soared high into the sky like the breaths of a pod of whales, intertwining with the heavy cloud layers, forming a grey mist canopy that almost shrouded most of the city. Moisture condensed between the grey mist and the cumulus clouds, becoming heavy until gravity caught hold of it, turning into a fine drizzle that fell down.

The mildly cold rain sprinkled on Bologue’s face, invigorating his slightly weary expression. He stood atop the building, gazing at the ever-expanding steel forest that still stretched outward. A sense of time’s illusion crept into his mind. In less than a century, everything had become unrecognizable.

The afterglow of the sunset spread out, dyed by cumulus clouds and mist, making the whole sky seem ablaze, emitting a color akin to fireworks. A nearly pitch-black High Tower soared into the cloud sea, almost holding up the heavens and the earth amidst the layers of clustered buildings.

Forgetting that it’s his company, Bologue felt that the Cultivation Room was indeed an architectural marvel. In this city, it stood like a towering giant, and those tall city buildings seemed tiny comparable to ants at its feet.

Today was a rare rest day. Bologue finally could break free from the daily grind. The Great Rift now seemed like his second home; every rusty corridor was all too familiar.

After inhaling the fresh air, Bologue returned home. The interior was as usual, cluttered with various items, mostly stacks of movie videotapes, books, and some record tapes. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Palmer eventually convinced Bologue to allow some modifications in the living room, the public space. The originally blank walls were filled with various posters, some promoting movies, some band posters for rock albums, a few even having autographs. Who knows how Palmer managed to get those.

Snores came from the sofa. Palmer, curled up on the couch, had been asleep who knows how long. Beside him was a novel with a bookmark in it and not far off, a plate covered with breadcrumbs and jam.

Since modifying the living room, Palmer seemed to regard it as part of his bedroom. Almost every holiday, he could be found curled up on the couch.

Bologue placed the plate in the kitchen sink and then returned to his room. The sound of the door startled Palmer awake, his sleepy eyes catching a glimpse of Bologue’s back as he entered the room.

Sitting at his desk, Bologue paused for a moment, then took out his diary from the cabinet beside him. After some thought, he also retrieved a hefty book.

Bologue’s room had few pieces of furniture; this cabinet was one of them. It held very few things, but all of immense importance to Bologue.

Inside were Adelle’s diary and necklace, a half-knitted sweater, and a theater ticket. This ticket now was a rare item in Opus, seemingly of high value in the secondary market. Recently, there were a few more collectibles.

A twenty-sided dice and the thick book Bologue had just taken out.

For Bologue, the book was unexpectedly heavy. Flipping any page seemed to drain all his energy. Inside, a piece of blood-stained paper was tucked between the pages.

This was one of Ewen’s relics. In that frantic narrative, during their last embrace, he had discreetly folded this sheet of paper and slipped it into Bologue’s pocket.

Back then, Ewen used this secret as a bargaining chip to persuade Bologue to buy him time, allowing him to meet his Muse.

"Bologue, I think I’ve discovered a secret."

Bologue had read this line many times, especially during each sleepless night.

"If Devils truly exist above us, then why do they possess what we call human nature? This is undoubtedly a degeneration for them. Why do they do this, merely for easier temptation?"

"That doesn’t seem right. It’s like would you grovel on the ground, barking to please a stray dog?"

No, you’d at most pity it, throwing it a few bones. No matter how much you pity it, you cannot fully empathize with it, for we are fundamentally different from the start.

So why would Devils become like this? Why would they also suffer from the pain of their own Original Sin? Just like Asmodeus, just like everyone else."

The alarming text continued on the paper, illustrating the terrifying truth speculated by Ewen.

"I can feel it. I can sense it from Asmodeus.

If it’s said that the Devils’ cold and wicked nature is their optimization, and human nature is merely the portion not entirely eliminated in optimization..."

From the written text, Bologue could sense Ewen’s tone at the time. He was as excited as if discovering a New Continent. Had there been a stone, he would have carved his name into it.

"Like a joke, do you think Devils can truly be converted, possess human nature? I think not. To humans, they are superior predators who will not possess human nature... unless they had human nature from the start.