Endless Debt Chapter 914 - 40: Promotion Ceremony

"Bologue, you seem a bit tense."

"If you were lying here, you’d be just as tense as I am."

"Hmm? I do this often, haha, relax a little, don’t tense your muscles, let them loose."

"..."

"I said relax a little."

"I’ll try."

The light hit his face, almost occupying all of Bologue’s vision. Familiar faces wandered at the edge of his sight, but due to the light, they beca dark silhouettes, hard to see clearly.

"It’s just a promotion ceremony, don’t be afraid."

A concerned voice sounded beside him, she used tweezers to pick up gauze, professionally wiping away sweat from Bologue’s forehead like a chief surgeon.

"Just? Just a promotion ceremony?" Bologue tried to look at the other person, but his head was already fixed in place, his vision limited, "Are you serious, Aimou?"

Bologue’s voice gradually rose, t by Aimou’s bursts of laughter. Bologue still tried to move but he was completely restrained now, like a lab rat on a surgical table, at the rcy of others.

After a few days of rest, the promotion ceremony for the Negative Power User finally ca. Though the ceremony had yet to fully begin, Bologue’s unease had grown under Aimou’s laughter.

Bologue’s promotion was rely a side event, the true purpose of this was to explore the unknown Ethereal Realm, to uncover the secret of rising ether concentration and the Secret Source.

"This is a scientific expedition."

Mamo explained this.

In the darkness around him, clanging sounds echoed, the view rose as Bologue sensed a massive tallic structure completely enveloping him, like a crisscrossing rib cage wrapping the entire venue. Countless cables lay exposed on the ground, like thick arteries extending from internal organs.

To save ti, the Alchemists had only conducted a simple setup of the ceremony site; everywhere was filled with a distinct industrial vibe. The start was imminent; Bologue could still hear the noise of angle grinders, sparks flying in the dimness.

Compared to the previous two ticulously arranged ceremonies, Bologue felt this seemingly important promotion ceremony was more like a last-minute, cobbled-together event.

Bologue seriously lacked a sense of security now.

"Check the power!"

"Monitor the ether concentration."

Belli’s voice ca through the broadcast, directing others to perform pre-ceremony checks.

"Relax a bit."

Aimou brought a rack full of dicine bottles, picked up cotton to wipe Bologue’s wrist, burying the needle into his vein. Electrodes for detection were plastered onto Bologue’s chest, making him feel like a critically ill patient on the brink of death.

"From the design blueprint to the construction setup, our ti was so tight that this was all we could manage."

Aimou spoke as she looked up; above Bologue hung a helt with a bizarre shape, constructed entirely of black tal, with iron rods protruding from its surface. Bologue guessed it might be so kind of cranial locking device.

"Do you like those flowers?"

Bologue tried to find a topic to share the ntal pressure at this mont.

"Not bad," Aimou said, "Quite unexpected."

Bologue said no more. It was Afeiya who helped him choose them.

"Did Afeiya help you choose them?"

As soon as the thought erged, Aimou caught it, and Bologue asked, "Who told you?"

"Guessed," Aimou adjusted the handle, reducing the angle of the surgical table, "You don’t seem like soone who would choose flowers; these colorful things all look the sa to you."

"Alright, you guessed right."

This was sothing Bologue couldn’t deny; he didn’t understand flowers or the so-called language of flowers. His only contact with flowers was that burning sea of flas.

Later, Bologue learned the language of daisies is hidden love.

Bologue sotis thought about going back to Daisy Castle for a visit; it had beco the property of the Order Bureau, completely sealed now, like a museum recording the passage of ti.

"It’s really quite poignant."

Whenever Bologue thought of these, he felt an indescribable feeling inside.

Afeiya taught Bologue a lot about flowers, but since this knowledge wasn’t important, and wanting to relax his mind, he ultimately didn’t retain much, but at least gained a rough understanding.

"Not bad," Aimou repeated again, "Not bad, Bologue."

"It’s a gift to apologize with." Bologue still rembered forgetting Aimou regarding this matter.

Aimou wasn’t planning to let Bologue off easily, "Then this gift is a bit insufficient."

Bologue asked, "What else do you want?"

"Hmm... haven’t decided yet."

"Haven’t decided; that wish sounds really grand," Bologue murmured, "feeling like you could wish for anything."

"Will you refuse then?"

Aimou must be smiling; though he couldn’t see her face, Bologue could hear that familiar laugh, a rare comfort in this cold and oppressive environnt.

"No, I won’t," Bologue said, "I’m a man of my word."

"Alright."

Aimou said this while placing more equipnt on Bologue’s body, his lower half now seemingly devoured by a tallic monster, the fra tightly binding his legs. As the machines pressed down, Bologue felt a sharp pain as several needles pierced his skin.

Bologue started to be grateful he was an Undead; the psychological pressure wasn’t as great – feeling that anyone else would probably be yelling by now.