Endless Debt-Chapter 854 - 8: Changes Brought by Time
Under the influence of alcohol and music, the atmosphere of the Undying Club gradually became heated. Bologue slowly began to understand why it was called a refuge for the undead.
This small club seemed isolated from the entire world. When you chose to become a member here, all your social relationships in the world, be it hatred or love, would disappear together.
The undead possess an endless amount of time, and here, all that awaits them is the revelry until the eve of the end.
When Bologue first entered the Undying Club, he didn’t understand these words, but now he somewhat grasped them.
Completely abandoning one’s responsibilities to indulge in joy is a kind of escape, and also a kind of pity.
Bologue sat silently biting on a straw at one side of the room. In front of the bar, Palmer was already drinking with Serey, and both of them were blushing, talking nonsense.
Serey and Bologue maintained an unspoken mutual understanding, neither mentioning the Dawn War nor inquiring about the name Serey had erased from the vow document.
Bologue belatedly realized that he seemed to have been deceived by Serey, fooled by his ridiculous, cynical appearance.
No matter how amusing Serey is now, or how well he dances on stage, it could never change what he did a hundred years ago.
The son of the Night King, the supreme power in the Eternal Night Empire.
According to the existing intel, the devil standing behind the Eternal Night Empire is an exceptionally strong member of their bloodline, often occupying the victor’s seat.
As the storyline should progress, the Eternal Night Empire might encounter some resistance, but sooner or later it would rise completely, spreading its shadow across the land, consigning all souls to the devil’s pocket.
Bologue couldn’t fathom what could drive Serey to betray the Night King and the devil, to overthrow the Eternal Night Empire, causing this behemoth to burn away under the scorching sunlight.
"He’s grown weary of the extended life, yet doesn’t have the courage to end it himself... but he does have the courage to end his brethren."
Bologue recalled Fuen’s explanation for this, his half-joking tone echoing in his mind. Bologue once thought it was a joke, but it seemed Serey really could do such a thing.
No... the reason still doesn’t seem sufficient.
For what exactly did Serey choose to betray?
The more he thought about it, the more Bologue realized what a mysterious and intriguing person Serey was.
As the greatest hero of the Dawn War, Serey naturally wouldn’t face liquidation, nor would he be imprisoned in the Land of Eternal Night. So why did he hide in the Undying Club?
Afraid of the devil’s retaliation?
Bologue found that impossible; if Serey feared the devil’s retaliation, he wouldn’t have done those things.
Even though alcohol numbed Serey’s nerves, the sharp gaze akin to a cold sword, fixed on him from Bologue, was distinctly felt, making him put down his glass and look at Bologue in a mixture of surprise and fear.
Serey whispered, "What... what’s he doing?"
Serey liked being watched, it made him feel dazzling, particularly when the women excitedly placed their soft hands on his chest, eagerly chanting his name.
That feeling was great, but only limited to those ladies.
Under Bologue’s stare, Serey only felt like a horde of insects was crawling along his spine, their long and sharp antennae stinging his skin, bringing a burst of eeriness and numbness.
"Is he... is he still staring at me?"
Serey swallowed and asked Palmer softly.
"Um... seems like he’s still staring at you."
Palmer glanced at Bologue, then picked up his glass again, "Don’t worry, that guy is kind of nearsighted."
"So?"
"When he’s thinking, he always has this dazed look, his eyes unfocused... maybe that’s what’s happening now."
Saying this, Palmer took out a board game. Their trip to Joyful Garden indeed left some psychological shadows on him, but compared to the joy of gaming, these shadows evidently weren’t enough.
Serey tried not to think about Bologue’s suffocating gaze and followed Palmer in fiddling with the board game, spreading it out fully on a table.
"Phew... a commemorative edition, those merchants sure know how to make money."
Once fully spread out, the board game covered almost the entire table, and compared to the deluxe edition Palmer played before, this so-called commemorative version had expanded quite a bit.
After Ewen’s death, publishers claimed it was to commemorate Ewen and, within a few months, released the new edition of "Journey through Eternal Night," simultaneously launching many expansion packs. The brisk pace of commercial operation was astonishing, and it was said the "Night Hunter" movie was also re-releasing, at around the same time a year ago, close to the Vow Festival.
As Palmer cursed the merchants for their profiteering, he nonetheless grudgingly paid for all the related products. If he could, Palmer even wanted to buy Daisy Castle.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible.
After reality shattered, Daisy Castle was purchased under the guise of the Logistics Department, and is now completely sealed off, not open to the public.
Bologue shifted his position, examining Serey, muttering, "How did I forget him."
As the Night King’s son and Night Race Lord, even among the undead, Serey was unquestionably the most ancient and noble existence.
Judging by the long years Serey has lived through, he had undoubtedly witnessed the unfolding of history and the escalating ether tides; he himself was a living fossil of history. Bologue’s many questions might find answers from his lips.
But it depended on whether Serey was willing to speak.
For reasons unknown, Serey had hidden in the Undying Club. The significance of his existence was extremely thin, relying solely on play to sustain it.
Bologue guessed that even if he pressed for answers, Serey would still say nothing, for he had "retired," completely severing his connection with the world, unable to interfere in any world affairs.
Surveying the Undying Club, Bologue suddenly felt it was not so much a shelter as a graveyard, burying those who could not die.
A rapid knock on the door interrupted Bologue’s thoughts. The outer door of the Undying Club was pushed open, and after passing through a dark corridor, the inner door was opened next.
Hart’s tall figure peered around the door, bending his head low to avoid hitting it, looking furtive. Beneath him, the shorter Aimou also peered out from behind the door, reminding Bologue of the fairy tale of the big bad wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Good evening, everyone."
Hart pushed the door fully open and strode in, "Finally off work, I’m exhausted."
This furry friend had gradually merged into the atmosphere of the Undying Club and, through the trip to Joyful Garden, forged a deep friendship with Bologue and the others.
Hart plopped down in front of the bar, occupying nearly one and a half spots by himself. Serey handed him a drink, and he soon echoed Palmer, softly mumbling grievances about work.
During Bologue’s break following the reality-shattering incident, Hart lay in the Border Sanatorium, not because his physical injuries couldn’t heal, but because the Joyful Garden left him with a great mental trauma, which took a long time to recover from.
Apart from Hart’s psychologist, he refused to disclose what he had experienced to anyone, and although he recovered as a person, the scars on his mind remained, causing some changes in Hart’s personality. Others might not sense it directly, but Bologue could.
"Good evening!"
Aimou greeted Bologue and sat next to him.
Compared to a few months ago, Aimou had undergone some changes. Though it couldn’t be seen in her flesh and blood body, due to the constraints of Blessing·Doppelganger, Aimou’s flesh was adjusted based on the Steel Body. As long as the Steel Body didn’t change drastically, her fleshly appearance would remain the same for a long time. Commonly referred to as not growing up.
Upon learning this, Bologue suddenly thought of a certain house pet, a dwarf rabbit.
Aimou’s eyes were noticeably more lively than before, the mysterious-blue rings expanding and contracting with her breaths, and on her exposed skin, the same mysterious-blue patterns seemed to flicker.
In these few months, not only Bologue made progress, Palmer rarely took the initiative to train his Ethereal Skill and took his medicine on time to hasten the stabilization of his soul. Aimou, under Belli’s round-the-clock research, completed her ascension through a very peculiar method.
Now Aimou was a Prayer Believer too.
