Endless Debt-Chapter 950 - 52: A Beautiful World (2)

Bologue has had enough of Palmer’s rejections.

"Well... I’m not wearing any clothes..."

"Huh?"

Bologue was stunned.

Palmer covered himself with the blanket and dragged the pillow back into bed; he’s had this sleeping habit since he was young.

His hand stiffly loosened and retracted; Bologue stared at Palmer, while Palmer shamefully looked away.

The two fell into an awkward silence, and a few seconds later, Palmer shouted uncontrollably.

"This is my room, I can do whatever I want!"

Palmer seemed to be trying hard to prove something.

"Mm."

Bologue nodded, expressionless.

"Hurry up," Bologue closed the door, "I’ll wait for you a bit."

"No! Bologue!"

Palmer attempted to chase after him, feeling that Bologue might have misunderstood something, but as soon as he tried to move, he realized he was completely unclothed.

"Damn it!" Palmer cursed, "You usually knock on the door!"

"I knocked for a long time; clearly, you were dead drunk."

Bologue recalled the completely reversed relationship between Palmer and Vasilina and thought Palmer’s current state quite suited his position in the relationship.

"Help!"

A desperate cry came from within the room. Palmer decided he’d lock the door to sleep from now on, although the flimsy wooden door couldn’t block anything; it was just a psychological comfort.

Bologue sat on the sofa, listening to Palmer’s curses from inside. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, and he couldn’t help but smile broadly, eventually laughing out loud at Palmer’s foolishness.

"Oh God, Palmer."

Bologue sighed deeply. Just a moment ago, he was immersed in thoughts of great responsibilities and duties, feeling like he was a burdened ascetic, a devotee.

But as this absurd scene unfolded in the morning, Bologue was inadvertently pulled back to the mundane world by Palmer.

"What am I worrying about, really."

Bologue leaned back and started to laugh to himself. At this moment, Palmer came out, holding up his pants. Seeing Bologue like that, he continued to curse.

"You’re still laughing! Still laughing!"

The louder Palmer shouted, the more Bologue couldn’t control his expression. He understood why Vasilina liked Palmer; few could refuse such a fool, as though his life had no dark side.

"Nothing, nothing," Bologue waved his hand, "We should go."

"Speaking of which, you’ve become a Negative Power User; shouldn’t we celebrate it a bit?" Palmer fastened his belt, putting on his shirt.

Bologue said, "Didn’t you all celebrate last night?"

"But you weren’t there!"

"Anyway, you were just looking for a reason to drink; does it matter if I’m there or not?"

Palmer paused his actions, staring blankly at Bologue. Bologue realized his oversight in words—celebration was secondary; what Palmer and the others really wanted was the joyous time spent together.

As Bologue prepared to say something, Palmer beamed and said, "If you’re there, we have another reason to indulge and drink, don’t we?"

"Huh?"

"Let’s hold it again!"

Bologue swallowed back what he was about to say, deflated, shaking his head with a mix of laughter and frustration.

"I will cherish this friendship, Palmer."

Bologue said sincerely.

Palmer, who was bending over putting on his shoes, suddenly straightened up, looking baffled, his eyes filled with complexity.

"What’s gotten into you?"

Palmer looked at Bologue suspiciously, wondering if his mind was muddled after the promotion.

Bologue rarely said such warm and soft things; what he usually said to Palmer were things like "Kill him" "Take out the enemy on the flank" and such.

Palmer suddenly became alert, thinking back to what had just happened in the bedroom and Aimou’s worries.

Palmer protected his chest.

"No, Bologue, no, we’re partners, right?"

Palmer felt the more he spoke, the stranger it seemed. This bastard just got promoted to Negative Power User; even if it came to a fight, he couldn’t win. Palmer’s mind had issues; everyone knew it.

"What?" Bologue frowned, "You’re nuts, aren’t you?"

"You’re the one who’s nuts!"

Palmer felt it wasn’t just him who drank too much; Bologue did too.

Even as they stepped onto the street, Palmer’s anxious heart didn’t calm. He could clearly sense how different Bologue was; he seemed unexpectedly happy.

This happiness didn’t come from the joy of promotion but from something Palmer couldn’t clearly articulate.

Palmer couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you so happy?"

"Everything."

"Which is?"

"This world."

After several rounds of conversation, Bologue’s mood had significantly improved. As everyone said, he needed some time; he needed conversations with friends; he needed a closer connection with the world to avoid falling out of touch with it.

To love this world.

Bologue said, "Don’t you think this world is wonderful?"

"Wonderful? You serious?"

Before Palmer could finish, a piercing siren sounded, followed by a car speeding down the street and crashing into a lamppost. After a while, police sirens slowly approached, surrounding the robbers, guns drawn for a standoff.

Looking further away, Palmer saw dense fog billowing out from the Great Rift; he shook his head, "This world surely is wonderful, but this city, certain parts of this city, I wouldn’t call wonderful at all."

Putting away his playful mindset, Palmer became serious, "What kind of work do you think Geoffrey will assign us?"

"I’m guessing it’s the King’s Shield Guard’s."

Bologue analyzed, "The King’s Secret Sword has always been external pressure, but the King’s Shield Guard, along with those Silent Ones, they pose a threat within Oubos."

"The Great Rift?" Palmer hazily guessed, "Do you think Geoffrey will send us to the Great Rift to resolve them?"

"Resolution is unlikely, but it’s definitely related to intelligence gathering," Bologue continued, "That’s the Devil’s domain; only debtors like you and me can see the path ahead in the fog."

Palmer muttered, "Sounds kind of bad."

"Think positively; I’m a Negative Power User now," Bologue maintained his confidence, "Now ordinary enemies aren’t up to par against us."

"That’s the issue!"

Palmer’s voice rose, shakily adding, "Have we encountered ordinary opponents?"

"..."

Bologue seriously warned, "Don’t jinx it."

"You know my Blessing is uncontrollable; I’m trying my best..." Palmer agreed, nodding.

Not long after, they arrived at a tiered meeting room within the Cultivation Room; some people had already arrived early, whispering. Bologue thought this might be a separate Special Operations Group action, but evidently, it wasn’t.

Luckily, all present were familiar faces; Bologue guessed this was likely a joint action between different operation groups.

"Alright, everyone’s here."

Geoffrey counted the attendees, and everyone took their seats.

Not many attended; besides Bologue and Palmer, there was Hart, Kemp, and Shelley, along with Church, totaling six of them.

Bologue didn’t see Aimou, as Aimou was likely assigned under Mamo’s command, and those scholars should be seizing the time to research the information Bologue brought out.

Palmer greeted the others, and upon seeing Church, his former partner, he seemed even more excited, faintly hearing him inquire about Church and Afeiya’s follow-up.

Bologue relaxed, but then a peculiar rhythm of footsteps aroused his wariness—a long-absent person appeared before them.

"Is everyone ready?"

The long-missing Lebius reappeared, scanning the crowd, eyes sharp as ever.