Riding the tram all the way forward, passing through several districts, finally reaching the city center, which is the core of Opus, the most prosperous and magnificent place, where towering buildings are countless, like a jungle of iron and concrete.
The official na of this district is rarely ntioned, citizens often call it the "Agreent District" because sixty-six years ago, it was here that the Kagader Empire and the Rhine Alliance signed a contract, made a vow, and agreed on the future of Opus.
It’s said that the vow contract is still preserved in the ruins of King Solomon’s Golden Palace, but unfortunately, it is not open to the public, citizens can only see the gold reflected in the sky from a distance, under which is the Golden Palace cast from gold.
Viewing the scenery outside the window, Bologue can clearly feel the changes in the city, the Agreent District is undoubtedly much better than other districts, here gathers ninety-nine percent of Opus’s wealth, high officials and gentry live here, and it’s also the place with the best law and order in Opus.
Equipped riding police patrol the streets, the streets are clean and tidy, with no sewage or garbage at all, between the towering buildings, there are also low-flying airships with giant billboards, beautifully dressed ladies can be seen everywhere.
Compared to the ghostly environnt of Shenbei District, Bologue even feels as if he has co to another city.
Inside the tram, other passengers also looked out of the window, everyone appeared like outsiders, and their accents were ssy.
In the eyes of these foreign outsiders, the division of Opus is not too complicated, they don’t care at all about the district divisions, in their perception, Opus is only divided into two areas, the Agreent District and other districts, as for the Great Rift...
They are accustod to calling that place the mine.
Countless people co here, excavating the imagined gold in the Great Rift, hoping to take them back ho, but often they end up buried here along with the gold.
A terrible city, a city to be longed for.
The tram stopped, Bologue arrived at the station, stepping out of the compartnt, he stood on the crowded platform, surrounded by people coming and going.
Everyone is bright and shining, here, Opus turns colorful, instead of a persistent gray-white hue.
In the surrounding people’s laughter, Bologue felt uneasy all over, but fortunately, he quickly adapted, and not many people noticed him.
He was wearing the Concealer coat distributed by the Order Bureau, with a white shirt and tie underneath, Bologue has always looked like this, never having had another attire.
Taking out the ticket, he glanced at the address on it, and walked into the crowd, heading towards the destination.
...
Kedening sat at the dressing table, tidying up his appearance, his face expressionless, as if wearing a blank mask, any expression could be carved on it.
Breath in, breath out, after a brief preparation, a soft smile erged on his face, his eyes lively, speaking lines to the mirror, instantly breaking out of the cold state, his deanor serious and vivid, as if behind the mirror, there really was another person speaking to him.
Other actors passed by behind him, all casting admiring glances at Kedening, he is acknowledged as the best actor here, everyone knows this.
Even so, Kedening never grew conceited, in the fiercely competitive Agreent District, maintaining this small theater is not easy, each of his performances requires exerting all his strength, tolerating not a bit of negligence.
"Mr. Caesar, it’s really hard to et you."
A voice ca from behind, as the person arrived beside Kedening, sat down on the chair beside him, the light from the dressing table lamp illuminated his face clearly.
Kedening didn’t glance at him, instead, kept staring at the mirror, through the corner of the mirror, the man’s appearance could be seen, if Bologue were here, it would be a face that surprised him.
"Mr. Nawellen, I’ve made it very clear, right? My theater won’t be sold to anyone, this is the result of the efforts of and my wife, I just want it to continue to maintain."
Kedening rejected him without rcy.
The person was called Nawellen by Kedening, but in Bologue’s ears, he had another na, Yas Cyril.
It’s unclear why Yas appeared here, nor why he used a pseudonym.
Yas squinted his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Kedening in front of him, every ti he saw him, Kedening’s face was painted with heavy makeup, hardly seeing his true self, as if he always wore a mask, never taking it off.
"Are you sure? The offer we made is very reasonable, even generous."
Yas’s word choice was urgent, but his tone remained calm, as if he didn’t really care about the matter, his gaze subtly sweeping around, seemingly searching for sothing.
"I’m sure, it won’t change."
Kedening answered coldly.
Seeing this, Yas could only helplessly stand up, he took his hat in hand, placed it in front, bowed slightly, saying to Kedening.
"Then I’ll take my leave, Mr. Kedening Caesar, if you change your mind..."
"My mind won’t change."
On this issue, Kedening was unexpectedly firm, leaving no possibility of negotiation.
Yas awkwardly smiled, didn’t say more, put on his hat, took a few steps but stopped again, he glanced back at the dressing room, sniffing forcefully, but only slled the choking scent of perfu.
Through the mirror’s reflection, Yas’s gaze t with Kedening’s, he smiled again, turned, and left.
With Yas’s departure, Kedening’s icy countenance gradually relaxed, he sighed deeply, then furrowed his brow, clouds gathering.
Yas’s appearance ruined his good mood of the day, even the subsequent performance lacked so passion.
"Sir, there’s a phone call for you!"
At this mont, a staff mber ca quickly, whispered by Kedening’s ear, Kedening nodded, left the dressing room, heading toward his office.
The theater was small, all the rooms were crowded together, calling Kedening’s office more like a dressing room with tables and chairs, he closed the door, walked to the telephone, picked it up.
"Hello! Kedening."
A familiar male voice sounded, and hearing his voice made Kedening feel a lot more at ease. Before the other party could say anything, Kedening spoke first.
"That person nad Nawellen has co, he seems a bit odd... I suspect he’s soone from the Order Bureau. We might already be under surveillance."
Kedening’s gaze turned cold, with a slight chill running down his spine. The thought of that slight possibility made him feel a wave of fear.
The Order Bureau, a mysterious and terrifying Extraordinary Organization.
"I’m not sure about your first statent, after all, I haven’t seen that guy, but for the second half, you’re probably right. I also suspect we’ve been targeted by the Order Bureau."
A man’s voice ca through the receiver, sounding not at all relaxed.
"What happened?" Kedening pressed on.
"Norm Ward, our contact, he’s missing. I went to Wanderers’ Lane today to check. His clinic was a complete ss, everyone is dead, bodies piled up together."
A whiff of blood perated through the phone line, leaving Kedening silent.
"I inquired a bit at the Cobweb Bar, nobody knows anything, just so rumors, rumors about an ’Evil Spirit.’ They say it was an attack by the Evil Spirit."
"Evil Spirit?"
"Yes, Evil Spirit. You really ought to see the scene, it looked like so monster was feasting there. The clinic was torn apart, bodies and limbs mingled with congealed blood, forming a wall of corpses."
The man’s voice carried so hesitation as he spoke.
"For a mont, even I believed that the Evil Spirit might be real."
"Never mind the so-called Evil Spirit, where’s the goods?" Kedening asked.
"Gone, both the Liquid Spirit Potion and the Philosopher’s Stone have vanished... The loss is massive," the man complained, "we shouldn’t have stored so much at Norm’s place."
"Stop whining. If it really was the Order Bureau’s doing, I guess Norm is already howling in an interrogation room. He didn’t know much about us, but eventually, so clues will be unearthed..."
Kedening’s voice gradually quieted down until the man picked up the conversation again.
"We’re no longer safe, Kedening. Prepare to evacuate. We’ve already provided ’them’ with enough profit; there’s no need to risk our lives."
"I know, David, but before leaving Opus, we need to get the goods out. These things cannot stay within Opus... How’s your preparation going?"
Kedening rubbed his temples, the bad news coming one after another.
"The route is ready. I’ll handle the first batch of transport to test if the route is safe. If it is, you’ll be in charge of taking the remaining goods out of Opus."
David recalled the arrangent of the route and continued speaking.
"Once we leave Opus and reach Free Port, we’ll be safe... Damn it, those people said they could hold the Order Bureau off. How did we get noticed so quickly?"
"I don’t know, who knows, maybe it’s so ddleso newcor?"
Kedening speculated casually, unaware that his guess was quite accurate. Had Adelle not died, they wouldn’t have drawn Bologue’s attention, causing all this chaos.
"We might need so backup. I’ll report this to the ’Ghoul’, " Kedening thought aloud, then said, "Anyway... stay safe, David. We’re just small fry, our lives are most important."
"Alright, I’ll go arrange that. Rember to give my regards to Jini."
With that, David hung up, and Kedening lowered his head, his gaze falling into the shadows, gradually clenching his fist as if it were a block of iron.
He was like a volcano about to erupt, his expression twisting into a nacing snarl.
"Sir?"
The door was pushed open, and soone in a performance costu poked their head through.
"What’s the matter?"
Kedening looked up with a smile, the nacing air completely vanished, as if he were a different person.
"The performance is about to start."
"Alright."
Kedening nodded and left the room, walking down the corridor as more people appeared around him. He could vaguely hear the murmurs of the audience, everyone anticipating today’s performance.
Standing behind the curtain, Kedening’s mind was a chaotic whirl, leaving him ntally exhausted, but just then the music started. The curtain slowly drew open, and the spotlight descended from the dimness, landing on Kedening.
Raising his head, Kedening’s gaze montarily lost focus. In the next mont, all the overwhelming noise dissipated. He smiled and recited his lines loudly, as if reborn. The other actors also took to the stage, gradually elevating the theatre performance to its climax with the rising music.
Wave after wave of applause crashed like the sea against the stage, captivating everyone’s attention, touching their hearts.
Even Bologue, seated in the audience, was no exception.
Bologue watched Kedening, sotis cheering, sotis applauding. It truly was a remarkable performance.
In later tis, Bologue often recalled this scene, thinking that if there were truly a deity of fate in this world, surely it would be a being with a perverse sense of humor.
ssing with everyone, leading them to make wrong choices, step onto the wrong paths, and arrive at wrong endings.
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