Endless Debt-Chapter 49 - 24: Playing with the Demon

"So, this is Norm Ward?"

"I think he is Norm Ward."

"Really?"

"Really, do you think I could lie to you?"

The atmosphere in the interrogation room was supposed to be quite serious, but due to the conversation between Bologue and Geoffrey, it was inexplicably lively.

Geoffrey glanced at Bologue next to him, then at the photo of Norm Ward in his hand, and finally at the poor devil being treated by a doctor while being interrogated at the table.

Unlike the fierce image in the photo, the "Norm Ward" in front of them had a dim look in his eyes and was slouched in the chair, his hands cuffed behind the chair, displaying a chest covered with blood and wounds, and beneath the skin were faint protrusions of broken and misaligned bones.

The doctor stood beside him, wiping away the bloodstains while injecting some strangely colored potions. With each injection, Norm’s body convulsed as if enduring some kind of agony.

He was on the brink of death, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, uttering only meaningless whimpers, occasionally vomiting blood.

"Is he really?" Geoffrey asked softly.

According to the records, Norm was a Condenser, but this mysterious and powerful Condenser was now reduced to a pile of breathing flesh.

"What else!"

Bologue retorted loudly.

Seeing Bologue’s firm attitude, Geoffrey nodded, verbally acknowledging it all, but he found it somewhat hard to accept in his heart.

It had only been half a day since he and Bologue had parted, and Geoffrey was getting ready to end his overtime and head home to sleep, but Bologue had dragged Norm out of the night at that very moment.

A Condenser was so easily taken down by Bologue’s hand, so quickly and without any chance to fight back.

"Is this the speed of a specialist?"

Geoffrey seemed a bit worried, not knowing whether to be thankful for Bologue’s efficiency or to blame him for being so effective that he couldn’t go off work yet.

"Naturally, I am an expert."

Bologue was quite adamant about being an expert.

"Sigh..."

Geoffrey wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a helpless sigh, his gaze falling onto the half-dead Norm, and he asked again.

"What’s his condition?"

"Multiple fractures, internal organ damage, major blood loss, some brain concussion... he needs to be treated for a while before he can be interrogated."

The doctor replied, and while doing so, he glanced at Bologue several times.

The Order Bureau certainly had missions to capture targets, but cases like Bologue’s—beating a person half to death and then bringing them back—were indeed rare.

Geoffrey felt a headache and gestured Bologue to step out with him. The two left the interrogation room and headed out into the hallway, walking towards the lounge not far away.

"This time... it was done pretty well, considering the opponent was a Condenser, one can’t be too cautious." Geoffrey said.

"So when can we pry information out of him, I can’t wait to hunt the next one."

Bologue urged, having slain numerous Demons, the soul fragments filled his body, like a fuel-filled war chariot, ready to push forward relentlessly.

"Woohoo! The expert’s diagnosis is here! The recommendation is euthanasia!"

Bologue exclaimed excitedly, like a madman who loved telling cold jokes.

Pushing open the door to the lounge, it was empty inside, as expected. Apart from the staff on duty, everyone else had finished their shifts.

Although it was off-duty time, the lights in the Order Bureau were always on, with a fixed number of personnel on duty. The only difference from the daytime was probably that the Order Bureau was much quieter at night, with fewer people moving around.

Geoffrey and Bologue sat opposite each other, with a small table between them where people often gathered to play cards during breaks.

"You heard what the doctor said, we can’t extract words from a dead man’s mouth, you’ll need to wait," Geoffrey calculated the dates, "just right, the ’Sublimation Furnace Core’ seems to be ready, in these few days, they will start the ’Alchemy Matrix’ ritual for you."

"To grant me ’Secret Energy’?"

Hearing this, a light sparked in Bologue’s eyes.

From his encounter with Norm, Bologue had already sensed the power and cunning of ’Secret Energy.’ If not for possessing ’Resurrection,’ allowing him to sacrifice his body without worry to restrain Norm’s offensive, perhaps he would be dead now.

Under the poison of ’Dragon Blood,’ his whole body would be paralyzed, then slowly suffocate amidst respiratory failure.

The scariest part was not this death, but not realizing the poison was Norm’s ’Secret Energy’ before you were contaminated.

Cunning and mysterious, like a villain’s gambling game, nobody knows what kind of hand the opponent holds.

"Yes, after that, you will be promoted to be counted among the Condensers," Geoffrey said, "but don’t get too arrogant, Bologue, there’s a difference between one Condenser and another."

"What do you mean."

"Like positions, like soldiers and generals, like... the ladder of power."

Geoffrey reminisced about the solemn long ladder, every step had its own guardian.

"Condenser is actually just one of many titles, but given its frequent use, it gradually became our moniker," Geoffrey continued to ask, "Have you ever played Othello?"

"I know about it, but I’ve never played it."

Bologue replied, unsure of what connection ’the ladder of power’ had with Othello.

"Then do you know its rules?"

"I’ve actually looked into this."

Hearing this, Geoffrey nodded, making it less difficult for him to explain. He then drew out a black-and-white chessboard from the small table beneath him and placed it on top.

"This is considered a fixed project within the Order Bureau, and we even hold regular chess king tournaments."

Geoffrey said casually, then picked up the chess pieces and placed them on the chessboard.

Bologue quietly watched all this, and at a certain moment, like an illusion, the chessboard suddenly became vast, almost overlapping with the entire world.

The black and white squares were interlaced, accompanied by a loud, ancient bell tolling from distant years. The sky darkened, and then countless pieces, like towering mountains, fell. Each move brought the sound of mountains collapsing, causing the earth to tremble.

"Bologue."

The call startled Bologue awake, looking up at Geoffrey, who was staring at him in confusion.

"Were you daydreaming?"

"No... nothing."

"Let’s continue then."

Having arranged the pieces, like armies at odds, Geoffrey occupied the white side, while Bologue was the black side.

Black and white were assembled, ready to head to the battlefield and engage in slaughter.

"Regarding ’Secret Energy,’ its tier levels somewhat resemble black and white chess, so we often use the naming conventions from black and white chess to refer to the different tiers of ’Secret Energy.’"

"For example?"

Bologue inquired, sounding as if the relationship between the two was exactly why black and white chess was popular within the Order Bureau.

"For example, this piece."

Geoffrey said, picking up the "pawn" piece.

"It represents the Condenser, and the full name of the Condenser is ’Condensed Guard.’

Bologue said nothing, listening carefully, looking at the other pieces, vaguely aware that these pieces represented different tiers with different names.

"The ’knight’ piece is the second stage of the Condenser, ’Knight of Prayer,’ or ’Prayer Believers.’

Geoffrey went on, picking up the "knight" piece, referring to the meaning each piece held behind it.

"The ’bishop’ is the third stage of the Condenser, it is called ’Negative Bishop,’ which means ’Negative Power User.’

Geoffrey toyed with the "bishop" piece in his hand for a while, then continued, "Negative Power Users are the backbone of the Order Bureau, they undertake numerous important duties."

Bologue’s eyes scanned over to the piece named "rook," which was the fourth stage of the Condenser. His breathing quickened, his blood turned hot, shouting incessantly.

"The ’rook’ is the fourth stage, ’Defensive War Chariot,’ for those who are Defenders have progressed further. As for their whereabouts, I don’t know, it’s confidential."

For such existence, Geoffrey also expressed his ignorance. The hierarchy within the Order Bureau was strict, and being unable to reach that tier meant ultimately not being privy to all the secrets.

"And then there’s... the ’Queen.’"

Though he was talking about it, Geoffrey picked up the "pawn" piece, showing a face of doubt.

"The ’Queen’ is an exceptionally special stage. If you’re familiar with the rules of black and white chess, you should know about ’Ascension,’ right?"

"The ’Ascension’ of a piece, I know."

Bologue said, picking up the black "pawn," moving it relentlessly along the chessboard.

The "pawn" advanced bravely, rising from the lowest tier, pushing aside all obstructing pieces, finally reaching Geoffrey, the white side’s back rank.

"When the ’pawn’ reaches the opponent’s back rank, it can ’Ascend’ to any piece except the ’King,’ but everyone typically chooses to ’Ascend’ to the powerful ’Queen.’"

"The ceremony for advancing from the fourth stage to the fifth stage is very special. The Alchemists call it ’Ascension.’ After the ’Ascension’ ceremony, one steps into endless glory."

Geoffrey’s voice was solemn, filled with anticipation and reverence.

"This is the fifth stage of the Condenser, also currently the known, most supreme power, ’Queen of Glory,’ bathed in radiance and holiness, the ’Seeker of Glory.’"

"Currently known?" On hearing this, Bologue’s gaze shifted to the ’King,’ "Then what about the ’King’?"

The core of black and white chess, the King, which countless pieces fight to protect with sword and blood. So what about it? What position does it hold in this system of extraordinary power, what does it represent?

"The ’King,’ a stage that only exists in theory. Has anyone truly reached this stage? I’m not sure... no, no one knows. It’s like an unknowable enigma, an unbelievable tale nobody believes."

Geoffrey explained, up to now, there’s no concrete record proving that a Condenser has truly reached the ’King’ stage.

"Therefore, among various forces, the top-tier power is the ’Queen of Glory.’

"Then what is the ’King’ called? Even if it’s hypothetical, within this long hierarchy of power, you’ve certainly left a place for it, right?"

Bologue abruptly asked, eyes fixed intensely on the crown on the chessboard, it stood silently among the pieces, displaying an illusory, mesmerizing color.

"The Crowned King."

Geoffrey’s voice paused for a moment, devoid of any emotion.

"At the end of that supreme ladder, wielding the authority to command a thousand armies, bestowed with a crown of justice.

It is absolute, and also the only one... the Crowned."

The pieces remained silent, like towering tombstones, watching indifferently as the world’s conflicts seemed never-ending.