Endless Debt

Chapter 1209 - 42: Twisted Path of the Dao (Part 2)

Aimou called out to Bologue, whose Power of Command made him well-suited for this job. He could easily lift heavy objects, and with his precise manipulation of Ether, Bologue was like a human machine tool, capable of temporarily crafting insignificant parts.Bologue was evidently accustomed to this role. He followed along, helping Aimou assemble the massive apparatus hidden deep in the Scholars’ Hall.

Amidst their busyness, Aimou asked again, "Have you seen Mamo?"

Mamo was considered the chief engineer here. Every time they came to work, Aimou always saw him, but this time, the old figure was missing.

Bologue briefly responded, "His health is getting worse. After a few words with me, he went to find a place to rest."

Lifting his head, Bologue tried to search for Mamo’s figure, but could only see a vast expanse of darkness with faint light dots glowing in it.

Garden.

That was what Mamo called this place.

The surroundings were dark and silent, with scarce light sources coming from the red and green indicator lights flickering on the cables. Countless cables and mechanical structures hung from the high dome, intertwining intricately to form a massive and complex steel web.

The garden was filled with quiet mechanical structures and tangled pipelines twisting like vines. Strong currents flowed from unknown origins, swaying the hanging cables and forming soft, mysterious waves in the darkness.

Apart from the sounds of human chatter and breathing, the only sound in this steel nest was the faint noise of machinery, filling the space with a mechanical air. The machines never tire, never pause, and to them, time seemed meaningless.

Bologue watched Aimou’s busy silhouette, troubling thoughts once again surfacing in his mind.

After the extinction of the extraordinary, Bologue didn’t mind becoming a corpse himself... He should have died many years ago, yet at the sight of Aimou, illusions flooded in.

Bologue saw the liveliness in Aimou’s eyes fade away, her flesh no longer there, leaving only cold metal. But this time, even this cold body was plunged into silence, unable to move.

She would age, corroded by time, gradually becoming weathered waste and broken metal fragments...

Bologue suddenly felt a heavy sadness. He didn’t care much about himself, but he cared for those around him, cared for Aimou. Such a possibility filled Bologue with an unprecedented despair, followed by a surging anger in his mind.

"Aimou, I’m leaving now."

Bologue tried hard to control his emotions, his voice flat.

"Oh? So busy?" Aimou asked, turning her head.

"I need to find Mamo, there are unresolved matters between us."

Bologue explained simply, then quickly fled the scene. He feared staying any longer, feared continuing to see Aimou, those disturbing visions relentlessly gripping Bologue’s mind, driving him to escape.

"Don’t think about these things anymore, stop thinking..."

Bologue repeatedly admonished himself, trying to dispel these thoughts. But he was a thoughtful person and often found himself overthinking. In the end, Bologue strode briskly through the darkness, needing something else to overshadow these worries.

Like work.

Mamo adjusted his chair to recline, lying down onto it with slight difficulty. After a moment, he pressed a switch hidden beneath his collar, causing the machinery inside his body to operate, automatically injecting potions into his bloodstream.

The pain coursing through his body gradually subsided. Mamo exhaled a long breath, and his vision started to blur.

"How prolonged..."

Mamo muttered to himself, able to clearly sense his body was gradually decaying, but there was no help for it. Although he was a powerful Seeker of Glory, with a highly Etherealized physique, he ultimately hadn’t fully ascended to a more exalted existence, still retaining some of his mortal nature.

Mamo, as a Seeker of Glory, remained powerful, but his mortal side was already battered by the erosion of time.

Knocking resounded suddenly, prompting Mamo to frown. He had hardly acquired a moment of rest, only to be disrupted again.

The door opened as Bologue walked straight in.

"Is something the matter?" Mamo asked. They had met just ten minutes ago, and he wondered what Bologue had returned for so soon.

"I..."

Bologue hesitated, sighing heavily, "I want to ask about exploring the Holy City. You said I couldn’t enter from the Abandoned Land directly due to that monster?"

The atmosphere felt awkward, as if Bologue was trying to find something to talk about.

"That monster is just part of the interference. The main issue is that after the Fall of the Holy City, the Void Realm of the Holy City entered absolute defensive mode. It is King Solomon’s creation, and even now, few can scale that high wall."

Mamo continued, "To us, the war has long ended. But the Holy City’s Void Realm doesn’t see it that way. Its war continues. Its master is dead, it has no energy left to counterattack, can only summon every force to defend against outsiders."

Though the Holy City has turned into ruins, exploring this ruin still remains fraught with challenges. Even the Order Bureau has made little progress over so much time.

"So what do we do?" Bologue asked again.

He had been informed about the exploration of the Holy City long before. As the plan rolled out, everyone was prepared except himself.

"So impatient?" Mamo glanced at Bologue. Everyone said Bologue was a workaholic, and now Mamo saw it too.

"Unable to enter from outside, then just appear directly inside the Holy City." Mamo said nonchalantly.

"Curved Path Breakthrough?"

Bologue recalled the technology that forcibly rips through space, reaching reality.

"Must be barely feasible, after all, it’s the Holy City, designed by King Solomon. Even though it’s in ruins, a simple Curved Path Breakthrough can’t breach it, right?"

"Yes, it was designed by King Solomon," Mamo switched his tone, "When did I say we need to invade? Wouldn’t it be simpler to walk in openly?"

Bologue was taken aback, then realized, "You all have a direct way to reach the Holy City’s interior?"

If it were that easy, the Order Bureau would have emptied the Holy City long ago. Bologue immediately realized that this straightforward access must be laden with dangers.

"Bologue, where we are now, in the Cultivation Room," Mamo spoke leisurely, "It was originally part of the Holy City’s Void Realm. Although they’re separated, they’re interconnected, with some spatial overlap."

"Meaning..." Bologue paused, instinctively looking around, "We’re essentially within the Holy City, in a new city built upon its ruins?"

"Exactly," Mamo confirmed, "As for the path to the Holy City, it severed years ago due to an accident. Although the path remains, finding and traversing it has become more perilous than ever, a near-suicidal endeavor."

"I guess that accident was Xilin’s invasion?"

Bologue gradually pieced everything together. Following his thoughts, he continued, "And that path, ruined by Xilin’s assault, is now hidden within the isolated Ruins District?"

The Cultivation Room can be roughly divided into two areas: one governed by the Order Bureau, and another—a dangerous Ruins District—twisted by the Void Realm’s disturbances caused by Xilin’s invasion, still unresolved.

"Don’t rush, Bologue. We’ve spent so much time stabilizing the Ruins District. Wait a little longer, let it become more stable. Then the action will commence." Mamo advised.