Free Web NovelChapter 1286: Chapter 86: The Troubles of Ordinary People (Part 2)
"York’s identity is somewhat special, not to mention that during this period of the Night Race’s rise, his identity has become even more sensitive."
Bologue knew what Palmer was referring to. York was of the Night Race, and it’s highly likely that he had received blood from the Regent King.
For the Night Race, blood possesses many strange abilities.
Due to York’s identity issue, the Order Bureau was very concerned that he might be influenced by the Regent King, becoming an unstable factor that could explode on any given day in the future.
As a result, York could only exist as an intern for a long time, and the level of his understanding of the Order Bureau was also strictly controlled.
On one hand, the Order Bureau feared York would be used by the Regent King; on the other hand, the Order Bureau also wanted to use York to see if they could trace the Regent King.
After all, the last time the Regent King appeared directly inside Oubos City and even had a confrontation with Bologue.
"But putting all that aside, he’s doing a decent job."
In the days when Bologue was absent, Palmer was always responsible for York’s related affairs. "With his prestige, managing Gray Stone Town is not a difficult task, and what he needs to do is not much different from usual, to be wary of all malicious outsiders."
Palmer contemplated for a moment and said, "The only thing that makes me uneasy is that chain."
"The Thorny Pain Lock?"
"Yes, after some research, the Sublimation Furnace Core returned that contract object to York. Although it’s York’s weapon, I always feel uneasy," Palmer added, "at least nothing has gone wrong for now."
The Night Race and the Scarlet Corruption Sect became increasingly active around Oubos City, making Gray Stone Rift, which leads directly to the Abandoned Land, a critical passage.
On the surface, York is gradually turning it into a fortress with his influence, while secretly, the Order Bureau is dispatching a continuous stream of forces to reinforce it from within the Abandoned Land.
However, all this is based on an ideal scenario.
As Bologue brought back Furya and others, the Ruins District returned to the Order Bureau’s sight, and all of a sudden, the shortage of personnel at the Order Bureau became even worse. On one side, there was the task of reclaiming lost land, and on the other, reinforcing the defensive line. Both were important, leaving the staff exhausted.
Fortunately, these matters don’t concern Bologue and others.
"Any news about Olivia?"
Bologue asked again, glancing at the staircase as he did so. Bologue always felt that whenever he talked about Olivia, Serey would pounce out of the shadows.
"No."
Palmer shook his head, "We’ve conducted several searches and haven’t found any trace of her."
"She should still be in this city. Now that the Night Race is on the rise and the Regent King holds supreme power, only here can she find shelter," Bologue said, glancing again at the staircase, "and only here are there people willing to protect her."
Palmer knew what Bologue was implying, but thinking of that person who they had high hopes for, Palmer found it hard to have high expectations.
"Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing, Bologue."
Palmer recalled something major, but compared to many things at present, it seemed less important, to the extent that he almost forgot about it.
Under Bologue’s puzzled gaze, Palmer said, "Shortly after you infiltrated the Ruins District, news came from the Crow’s Nest that a rebellion broke out within the Kagader Empire."
"Rebellion?"
Bologue didn’t find this particularly severe. During the Scorched Earth Fury, the Kagader Empire forcibly integrated its fractured territories and ruled those scattered powers with absolute force. Although they possessed a highly centralized will, the internal forces were full of divisions.
Rebellion within the Kagader Empire is not uncommon. It occurs almost every so often and is subsequently forcefully suppressed by the King’s Secret Sword.
In contrast, the Rhine Alliance has always been a somewhat loose alliance that only bands together under excessive external pressure. Even after the Order Bureau was established, there were still many factions drifting outside its influence within the Rhine Alliance Territory, such as the organizations formed by these drifting factions known as the All Secrets Order.
Though it lacks the highly centralized power of the Kagader Empire, the Rhine Alliance Territory is at least quite stable, with all factions maintaining a certain degree of tacit understanding.
"This rebellion is different from previous ones," Palmer said, "The Crow’s Nest discovered the presence of King’s Shield Guard during the rebellion."
Bologue’s expression immediately became serious, "Has Xilin finally lost patience?"
"The Crow’s Nest suggests this is just the beginning."
The thought of a chaotic future gave Palmer a headache, "Do you remember those Silver Knights?"
Bologue nodded. Those knight puppets had given him considerable trouble.
"During the rebellion, the presence of these Silver Knights reappeared," Palmer continued, "which means that the Third Seat, who went missing during the Decay Epidemic incident, is not dead. He has joined forces with Xilin."
"It sounds like these events might favor us," Bologue said, "Xilin has returned to the Kagader Empire territory to challenge the decaying royal authority."
"Yes, at least for a while, the Kagader Empire won’t interfere with us, giving us time and energy to deal with the rise of the Night Race."
Palmer sighed deeply, "The Year of Turmoil is coming, Bologue. Aren’t you afraid?"
"No. Have you forgotten? I’ve already gone through one Year of Turmoil,"
Bologue replied with a smile, "It couldn’t be worse than the Scorched Earth Fury, could it?"
"That’s not certain," Palmer said, "The Alchemy Matrix has iterated so many times now, the intensity of war is no longer comparable to decades ago."
"I am the same," Bologue said optimistically, "I was merely a mortal then, but now I’m an Undead, a Negative Power User. There’s so much I can do."
For a moment, Palmer didn’t know how to respond to Bologue’s words. Finally, he said, somewhat deflated, "Sigh, I’m not like you people. I have no great ambitions or strong desires. If I must say I have any strong desire, it’s just to live a stable life."
"I don’t even understand what meaning there is in gaining such powerful strength." Palmer felt deeply puzzled.
"You need to think about it differently, Palmer," Bologue leaned in, gently draping an arm over Palmer’s shoulder, "The Year of Turmoil is inevitable, which means you won’t be living a stable life anytime soon."
"But as long as you have enough strength."
Bologue said, clenching his fist in front of Palmer’s eyes, "As long as you have strength, you can quickly end the Year of Turmoil and live the life you want."
"My thoughts may be extreme. I believe that whether it’s noble ideals or mundane wishes, everything begins with having the power to defend them, absolute power."
Bologue said, "As long as you have enough power, you’ll hover over the world like a mighty force, ready to resolve disputes as if with a sword hanging overhead. And if you’re an Undead, perhaps the world under your rule might gain everlasting peace."
Palmer’s gaze was somewhat vacant, and then he shivered violently as if chilled.
"Wow, Bologue, your speech really sounds like a villain," Palmer said as he opened a comic book, revealing a page with the villain on it.
Bologue, indifferent, said, "I’m already a debtor, so I never imagined I’d be someone righteous."
"Don’t think about those things. If grand ideas like ’for all of humanity’ don’t motivate you, lower the bar."
Bologue said softly, "How about for Vasilina?"
Palmer huddled down again, and after a long time, he let out a sigh of helplessness.
Bologue just sat beside him, smiling. He knew that people like him, with obsessions, were few and far between. The ones who truly make up this world are people like Palmer, ordinary people with no grand ambitions or strong desires.
