Endless Debt-Chapter 951 - 53: Gray Tide and Haze

Lebius Lovisa, current leader of the Special Operations Group.

Bologue hadn’t seen Lebius for some time and was filled with surprise. According to Geoffrey, Lebius had been executing some secret mission, all alone. Bologue didn’t expect to see Lebius here, nor did anyone else.

Lebius stepped in front of everyone, and Geoffrey timely took out some documents, handing them out to each person. Bologue continued to stare at Lebius, while the others opened the documents and began reading the intelligence within.

"As you all know, negotiations between the Order Bureau and the King’s Secret Sword will continue, but before we proceed, we need to address some potential threats."

Lebius spoke with no excess words, just as Bologue recalled vividly.

Bologue steadied his thoughts, noticing some sort of change in Lebius over the time he hadn’t seen him closely. Although Bologue wasn’t clear on exactly what had changed, he felt certain that Lebius was different now.

While scrutinizing cautiously, Lebius’s exterior remained as usual, until a conjecture arose in Bologue’s mind.

Defender?

Lebius might have been promoted to Defender; Bologue was startled by his own idea.

Within the Order Bureau, there were many who had been at the Negative Power Tier for a long time. Due to various reasons, they either stopped advancing or could not advance further. Bologue wasn’t very clear why Lebius and Geoffrey had been at this Tier for so long, but what he could gather was that both had remained at this Tier for many years.

If they still wished to advance further, the promotion should have been on the agenda long ago, yet it happened now. Was it because of the King’s Secret Sword? Bologue had earlier heard about the enmity between Lebius and the King’s Secret Sword.

"Alright, that’s all I need to say. The rest is in the documents, take a look yourselves, and ask me if you have any questions."

Lebius crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the lectern, the conference room fell silent except for the occasional rustle of turning pages. As the reading deepened, the others frowned tighter.

"Negative Power User?"

Noticing Bologue, Lebius suddenly spoke, "Finished your promotion?"

Bologue replied, "Successfully promoted to Negative Power User."

"Hmm."

Lebius’s calm gaze carried a hint of praise and comfort.

The others also heard Bologue’s words; at last night’s gathering, they had all learned of Bologue’s promotion. Yet seeing Bologue in person, they couldn’t help but express admiration.

"You seem to be the youngest Negative Power User within the Order Bureau, right?" Hart praised, "One Tier a year, will you be promoted to Defender next year?"

Bologue, although an Undead, was undeniably the youngest when considering the time he had embarked on the Path of Transcendence.

"I don’t know," Bologue humbly replied, "It will depend on the necessity."

As his understanding of the Ethereal Realm deepened, Bologue’s advancement was no longer solely his own, but rather part of the entire Order Bureau’s and humanity’s exploration of the Ethereal Realm.

Bologue would still have two more opportunities for promotion, namely Defender and Seeker of Glory — these were two opportunities to delve into the Ethereal Realm, which Bologue must cherish.

As for the power granted by the promotion, Bologue considered it secondary.

In this world, there’s no shortage of Defenders, Seekers of Glory; what is truly scarce is the knowledge sufficient to alter the world.

"Pioneer..."

Bologue repeated silently within himself, gradually growing fond of the term, like an adventurer wielding a torch to dispel the cold night.

He might die on the road, he might be unable to return, but Bologue believed he would find what he sought.

Drawing ever closer.

"This is the purpose of summoning everyone here today." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Lebius cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"Since the Axis Disorder Event, the King’s Shield Guard has disappeared from our view, and now they have reappeared, posing a serious threat to our safety.

Before the second negotiations with the King’s Secret Sword begin, we need to resolve this potential threat first. The first time they could employ the Silent Legion, no one knows what means they will use for the second attack."

The conference room dimmed, the curtain slid down, and the slide projector cast images onto the curtain.

"Previously, the Order Bureau carried out several cleanings and searches of the Great Rift, but failed to detect the presence of the King’s Shield Guard, leading us to mistakenly believe they had withdrawn from the Great Rift. However, they didn’t leave; in fact, they very likely made a bargain with Tyrant Mammon, living under his protection."

Bologue agreed with this possibility; the Forked Road after all was the Devil’s territory; if the Devil wanted to protect the King’s Shield Guard, it would be normal for the Order Bureau to fail in finding them.

The Devil, like human souls, not only exists within the Material Realm but simultaneously exists within the Ethereal Realm and the Material Realm. Bologue suspected that the shadow projection within the Ethereal Realm is the essence of the Devil, their Source of Power, while the Devils dwelling in the Material Realm are merely the compressed, lingering power carriers.

Even such power carriers face numerous restrictions, able to live solely within their self-constructed lands.

Bologue’s thoughts were uncontrollably spreading; perhaps the Devil’s territory also had countless ties to the Ethereal Realm, corrupting the Material Realm to gain the possibility of action within the tainted lands.