Endless Debt-Chapter 895 - 33: Tool_3

The body decays infinitely yet still cannot die, this is also immortality.

Living in a story, wandering through people’s memories, this too is immortality.

"You can understand the United as an artificial, false immortality system."

"The birth of the United originated from the very founding of the Order Bureau," Maria began speaking of the distant past, "The Devil constantly threatened the human world; the founding Director was troubled by this for a long time, but he could never find a power that didn’t rely on the Devil, yet still preserved our will."

Until he unearthed this technology from the ruins of the Holy City."

Bologue was surprised, "The United came from King Solomon?"

"King Solomon was a prodigious genius. His creations were so advanced they were incomprehensible. Sometimes, we began to doubt whether King Solomon, as rumored, made a pact with the Devil for forbidden knowledge."

But thinking carefully, what exactly did King Solomon sacrifice to gain such forbidden knowledge."

Maria fell silent, and Bologue could sense the gaze descending on him, not just one, but many eyes were watching him.

The grotesque flesh was bowing over, gazing down at him.

The unknowable answer incited terror and anxiety. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"The founding Director brought back a technology called ’United’ from the ruins, a technology that could fuse multiple souls... We couldn’t comprehend the purpose of this technology or what King Solomon intended to use it for. Based on our subsequent research, this technology was still incomplete, lacking data in many critical parts."

Yet for the Order Bureau at the time, even such an incomplete technology was sufficient. Using the United technology as a cornerstone, we gathered numerous souls and integrated them into this body through complex Alchemy Matrixes and Potion support, achieving the near-immortal state we have today.

The immortality of the collective."

Maria explained the significance of the United technology from another perspective.

"Humans will die, but monsters will not."

Bologue found the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, looking around it was still endless darkness, only behind him was a faint glow, yet this glow was so weak, like a flickering candle that could be extinguished with a breath.

Since the conversation began, Nesanel had silently stood behind Bologue, like a loyal Sword Guard.

Bologue hoped Nesanel would say something.

The answer he longed for only revealed a corner, yet just this corner encompassed information that made Bologue fearful.

"You seem a bit tense."

"It’s nothing," Bologue shook his head, "I’m someone... someone who tends to overthink. As you throw out an answer, I analyze all possibilities, then calculate one disastrous future after another, and figure out how to handle them."

Bologue’s breathing grew heavy, he spoke with difficulty, "The pity is, I often have no way to deal with them."

"That’s a good trait, the advantage is your thoughts are always comprehensive and rigorous while the downside is you may easily become anxious under pressure."

Maria’s voice turned gentle, like a considerate elder.

"Do you need a break?"

"No... continue, I want to know more."

Maria obliged Bologue’s request.

"After the United was designed, the founding Director became the first to fuse, followed by me, then successive Directors. It combined our souls, transforming into a vast ’spirit’, with united will became the ’heart’, and under the full effort of the Sublimation Furnace Core, it yet formed this hideous ’body.’

The essence of the United is more akin to an artificial life."

Bologue was slightly shocked; he always believed Aimou was the first artificial life, but upon deeper thought, there wasn’t much difference between the two.

Aimou’s consciousness came from Alice’s echo, her soul was based on Alice’s Philosopher’s Stone, and her body was forged by the Devil through Teda’s sacrifice.

The will and soul of the United came from the aggregation of successive Directors, the binding flesh was this grotesquely enormous body.

They all, in different ways, reconstructed body, mind, spirit; compared to them, the United was more pure, not borrowing any Devil’s power to maintain its purity.

"Thus, a monument of flesh and steel, preserving all will and soul, was born."

Listening to Maria’s words, after a brief thought, Bologue asked, "You did all this just because you feared you wouldn’t outlive the Devil?"

"We will have successors," said Bologue, "the Order Bureau will not collapse because of your deaths."

Bologue had always harbored a deep disgust for immortality, largely due to the Devil. He wondered whether he had once begged for such power out of cowardice, and he also loathed those who disfigured themselves to live on.

Ironically, Bologue hated the Devil, hated the power of immortality, yet needed this power, like a cold, dark joke.

The hideous stance of the United deeply alerted Bologue.

"I know we will have successors, but who can guarantee they’ll hold the same beliefs as us?"

Bologue considered this a stupid reason, "Is it because of doubt over future successors, the threat of the Devil, that you desperately want immortality?"

After speaking, Bologue regretted it. The pursuit of life is every creature’s instinct, even without these reasons, the existence of the United was entirely reasonable.

"Are you well-versed in history?"

"Read a lot, but never systematically studied."

Maria asked, "Then you know part of modern history?"

She continued, "With the development of the times, people’s thoughts will change. Once, people were loyal to the King, believing death for the King was a great honor.

But now many countries have abolished monarchy, Kings were trodden underfoot, beheaded."

Maria said, "Sometimes I feel we’re like the Kings in stories. What if some world-changing event happens in the future? What if future people no longer hate the Devil? What if even the Devil deserves to be embraced?"

Bologue fell silent, he didn’t believe such a future would occur,

"The Order Bureau requires a unified, incorruptible will."

Maria stood up, Bologue looked up, the bronze-green mask was overlooking, like a majestic bronze giant.

"I know what you’re suspecting, you think this is just our lie to survive."

Maria’s form began to change as if a shattered dream.

"Remember what I said, Bologue.

When I, no... when successive Directors fused with me, they were already dead; what you see is only their virtual personas."

The terrifying flesh exposed before Bologue’s eyes, a horrifying monster seemed to creep out from a nightmare.

"To be exact, I’m not Maria, not any Director.

I am the United, born of their unity."

The mechanical rumble resonated within the United’s body, it moved the cumbersome body, the shadow covering the sky.

"I am a tool.

A tool guiding the Order Bureau."

A pure, perfect, tireless, and immutable sacred tool.

Bologue heard the low hum of thousands of souls.