Endless Debt
Chapter 235 - 26 Contract School

Chapter 235: Chapter 26 Contract School

Within the Field Operations Department, there are many action groups, each responsible for different specific matters. For instance, the Violence Suppression Action Group led by Yas is responsible for numerous extraordinary emergencies, and all its members are Condensers from the Origin School, highly adept at countering other Condensers.

Then there’s the Third Group, Wall-Breaking Blade, which handles unknown Void Realm incidents. Every member is not only outstanding in combat but also experts in the Void Realm, extremely skilled at resolving spatial anomalies brought by the Void Realm.

Under Nesanel’s arrangement, the significance of the Special Operations Group lies in utilizing the connection between Debtors and Devils, continuously digging out intelligence about Devils to understand these mysterious enemies.

From this perspective, Bologue and Palmer are undercover scouts arranged by Nesanel within the Devils, while the Ninth Group is Nesanel’s most sharp Blade against the Devils.

In this world, there are many madmen who worship Devils, giving rise to numerous bizarre sects. To keep the world rational and prevent it from being dragged into madness by these people, the Ninth Group was established. They are responsible for hunting down these cultists, denying these false deities.

The Ninth Group’s work involves Devils. These mysterious entities are best at deluding hearts, causing destruction from within.

For this, the members of the Ninth Group are strictly selected, each a staunch atheist, possessing high priority within the Field Operations Department.

Bologue and Palmer sit obediently to the side, like innocent civilians wounded, while the personnel from the Ninth Group are busy investigating the scene. Beyond them are people from the Logistics Department, who received Palmer’s information to handle the scene, only for the Ninth Group to shut them out, saying they had to wait until the inspection was complete, for the Ferryman to handle it.

The reputation of the Ninth Group seems poor, with Ferrymen waiting outside, each face full of resentment, but unable to say anything about these people.

"It seems they knew about this ritual, just arrived late." Palmer mumbled, looking at these people.

"No... They didn’t know as early as we did," Bologue denied Palmer’s guess, looking at the wooden door used by the Ninth Group when they arrived, "Such a sudden appearance can probably only be used in emergency situations, more like they detected what happened here and made a hurried assault."

Early on, when using the Key of the Crooked Path, Bologue wondered if there was a power that could allow rapid long-distance movement, not limited like the Key of the Crooked Path, truly allowing one to reach wherever they want.

It seems such power exists, but he has not yet touched the ability.

"So... Palmer, these people gained their power through Contractors forming contracts with Devils?" Suddenly, Bologue asked.

Palmer thought he had misheard, looking suspiciously at Bologue, only to hear him continue.

"I know this intelligence isn’t open to us, don’t bother asking how I know," Bologue continued, "Anyway, is it like this, right?"

"Really surprising."

Palmer quickly accepted the situation; after all, Bologue is an expert, no surprise he knows something.

"Correct, you can understand the Carnivore Sect as a group forming contracts through Contractors with Devils. They worship Devils, who grant them Protection after collecting appropriate sacrifices."

Recalling the strange Recovery Power of the person he faced with, Palmer continued.

"The devil worshipped by the Carnivore Sect, the Protection granted is ’Bloodthirsty Healing,’ selling souls through Contractors to gain the ability to devour flesh and blood to heal oneself, even attaining near immortality, an undying body."

"Sounds like Debtors." Bologue said.

"It’s different. As Debtors, we are seen as honored by the Devils. They, on the other hand, are merely humble entities begging for the Devils’ favor." Palmer’s voice even had a touch of pride.

Bologue felt no pride in this, on the contrary, immense pressure.

The Secret Energy School has eight types, but most Condensers only know the first seven, unaware of the existence of the eighth. The reasons are simple, its existence has been deliberately erased, only those at a certain Tier can know its secrets.

Ordinary Condensers cannot possibly know of it; Palmer, as the heir of the Clarks family, received elite education since childhood, knowing these is natural. Bologue learned of the Secret Energy School’s eighth intelligence through a gift from Nesanel.

The book "Devil and Electric Guitar Operation Guide."

Ordinary people can only see the Electric Guitar Operation Guide when flipping through that book, but when Bologue, a Debtor deeply connected to the Devils, touches it, the intelligence related to Devils opens up.

The eighth Secret Energy School is called the "Contract School." It does not possess direct power like other Secret Energies; the main strength of the Contract School is communication with Devils, borrowing their power, using their mighty, binding Power of Contract, to establish contracts between different consciousness.

It is said the ritual of the Rhine Alliance and Kagader Empire swearing vows on the wasteland was hosted by Contractors, with Devils as witnesses, binding these two giants with the Power of Contract, thus preventing the rekindling of war in subsequent days.

This was a positive use of the Power of Contract, but the Contract School is ultimately too close to Devils. Many Contractors became obsessed with the power of Devils, eventually offering their souls to them.

Since then, the Contract School has been categorized as forbidden. They remain active but hide beneath the ice, with few knowing their whereabouts.

"What we’re dealing with is the Carnivore, a Tier within the Ape rot Sect, which corresponds to the Condenser," Palmer added.

Footsteps sounded, a tall shadow shading the two of them, Carnegie came over. This Ninth Group leader, like Bologue, always wore a stern face, though Bologue didn’t have quite as many scars.

With the added scars, Carnegie carried with him a palpable hostility, as if he was always in the calm before the storm.

"You were the ones who experienced it firsthand. Talk to me about what happened here."

Bologue and Palmer glanced at each other. It was clear who was in charge between them, then Bologue stood up and began recounting the events to Carnegie.

From the sensing of the umbilical cord to the ambush ceremony, Bologue said everything he knew, except for the part where he had actually summoned the Devil.

It wasn’t that he felt the need to hide anything; from a safety standpoint, Bologue decided to tell Nesanel about it personally.

Bologue gradually realized his own peculiarity, even if the ceremony was interrupted, he could still summon the Devil by calling its true name. Who knows if speaking of these things here would cause that woman to appear again.

If Nesanel were here, having a Seeker of Glory around made talking about these sinister secrets unexpectedly comforting, after all, if the sky falls, there’s a deputy director to hold it up.

Carnegie furrowed his brow, after hearing Bologue’s recount, he said nothing, but instead looked around worriedly, seemingly more concerned over something else than the Ape rot Sect.

"You’re the leader of the Ninth Group, in charge of all matters related to the Devil, you should know a lot about the Devil, right?" Bologue asked.

Carnegie couldn’t be bothered to reply to Bologue. Other team members were surveying the area, some still clearing the ruins left by the battle, trying to find something useful.

"Gluttonous..."

Suddenly, Bologue’s voice rang out. These unprovoked words raised Carnegie’s vigilance, he looked fiercely at Bologue, who was smiling as he held a booklet obtained from Belli.

Bologue didn’t continue speaking, he simply wanted to gauge Carnegie’s reaction.

"I have a friend who’s a devout Cultist, she always tells me about humanity’s Original Sin... Gluttony is one of them."

Bologue was striving to dig out those hidden secrets, things not recorded in the "Devil and Electric Guitar Operation Guide," possibly not written by Nesanel.

With Nesanel’s lively personality, he certainly hadn’t reviewed it properly when writing, so the intelligence Bologue gathered was fragmented, often needing to extract relevant information from others to piece together the whole.

There are no gods in this world, but the Devil truly exists. Maybe the earliest doctrines were extended from the Devil, except some chose to fall, while others denied the Devil and fabricated gods of Glory to scorn the Devil’s existence.

Some hold these secrets tightly. To know more, one must find ways to climb higher.

"If you weren’t part of the Special Operations Group, I should arrest and detain you all on the spot, even if you are my colleagues."

Carnegie lowered his voice as if discussing some sort of forbidden secrets.

"Oh? Seems like I guessed right."

Bologue remained calm; an expert couldn’t show panic.

"Your words sound like the style of the Inquisition hundreds of years ago, all who touch forbidden knowledge shall face the flames," Bologue commented.

"If this maintains world stability, I wouldn’t mind others calling me that," Carnegie ultimately didn’t do anything out of line. "Human will isn’t reliable, no one knows if your resolute allies will be swayed by the Devil at a crucial moment."

"So you try to isolate knowledge of the Devil as much as possible? Don’t know, then don’t exist, don’t exist, then won’t be swayed," Bologue thought this was self-deception.

"Anyway, this has nothing to do with you Debtors, you’re already swayed, and the Devil holds you in high regard."

Carnegie did not hide his disdain for the Debtors.

"Then... everything that needed explaining has been explained. Can we leave?"

Palmer said inappropriately, checking his watch before speaking to Bologue.

"We’re almost late."