The Last Gentleman
Chapter 571: 569: The Essence of the Boss

The boss’s swollen and infinitely expanding essence was the root, extending endlessly deep into the cavern, connecting to the dark boundary while also erasing its outlines.

The Circus was built because of the boss,

The Circus’s movements were the boss’s movements; its gathering, concealment, and performances were all revelations of the boss’s intents,

That’s why beings as powerful as Mr. Rabbit were utterly deferential in front of the boss,

Even Art, the mad and despicable clown who dared to cause trouble in the Cancer Palace, would instinctively restrain himself when talking about the boss, like a well-behaved treasure.

Upon realizing the essence of the boss and the issues with the Circus Tent, William also noticed something else, something only the current him could notice.

"Boss, you are... the Abyss!"

"Correct, the passing of the Evil Sun’s eldest son brought the concept of ’Death’ and plague to the world and also formed the darkest region not shrouded by the Evil Sun, as well as the Abyss known as the Original Tomb.

I, still young back then, witnessed the birth of death and darkness up close by chance, was deeply attracted, and decided to pursue the ultimate darkness with the rest of my life.

Though I revered the eldest son, especially his courage to pursue his aspirations and go against his father’s ways,

my pursuit of darkness was not ’Death’, but ’Fear’.

I succeeded, at a horrific cost. If the Original Tomb is considered a Source Epidemic Area rather than an Abyss, then I am the ’First Abyss’, and the only living Abyss that can move freely."

"The First Abyss! And one that formed before the war, while the Evil Sun was still present!"

In an instant, William held the boss in awe.

"William, the reason I had high hopes for you, even promising you the title of Chief in advance, was because I saw in you the potential related to the Abyss and your intrinsic pursuit of darkness.

Before you came along, Jian was the best successor.

However, Jian’s ambitions weren’t sufficient, too content and not the best choice. But you are different; I can see your ambition, your even more relentless pursuit of the ultimate.

Therefore, should I lose complete control or die, the Circus might possibly be handed over to you for management."

"What!?"

William was startled by this sudden legacy.

"Don’t panic, I know you still have many things to settle and many attachments to cut, but I can hold on... at least twenty years should pose no significant problem."

"Boss... Is there really no solution for your injuries?"

"Why don’t you feel it for yourself?"

The part of the boss embedded at the front of the essence actively reached out a hand, indicating William to come forward for a handshake-style contact.

The instant their palms touched, William’s Madness Brain immediately established a connection with the boss, rapidly perceiving the physical state that the boss willingly displayed.

The received signal shocked William, he could hardly believe the information obtained by the Madness Brain

"This!"

The boss’s seemingly vast body, each major ’component’ was in a shattered state, held together merely by black hair, tied, stitched, and connected,

scarcely maintaining the whole, constantly at risk of disintegrating into extinction.

After half an hour of examining the boss through the Madness Brain, William couldn’t find a single intact part. He had also clarified one issue concerning the nutritional substances that Chef Timi injected into the boss.

After William’s analysis, it would be more appropriate to describe them as hormonal drugs, accelerating hair growth through injections to maintain the body’s stability.

That’s why there were so many remnants of black hair.

"These injuries... were they caused by a joint manhunt from the Source Epidemic Area, or by war?"

"Both, but war played a larger part. Although I don’t get along with those from the Source Epidemic Area, my enmity with them is insignificant in the face of external enemies.

I had fully thrown myself into the war, which led to such trauma.

Defeat made me realize that I couldn’t change the world with my power alone, so I began to deliberately spread Fear, cultivate Fear, and recruit talents in the field of Fear, attempting to create an organization that could equal or even surpass the Source Epidemic Area.

However, I didn’t expect the injuries left inside my body would become incurable. I probably won’t see the day when the Circus reaches full maturity."

"Boss... I actually think there’s still a chance. Even if you’ve searched the entire Old World and found no way to heal, perhaps there might be one in other worlds.

I will definitely travel to other worlds in the future, and I will find a way to obtain healing methods from those worlds."

"Other worlds, huh... Hahaha! Such words do sound convincing coming from you, since you are indeed a visitor from another world.

I’ll reluctantly believe you, William~ But still, all plans must proceed under the assumption that I might die at any moment.

Before I die, I will merge myself with the tent, so that even if my consciousness dissipates, the tent will still exist and continue to grow by feeding on Fear."

At this point in the idle chat, the boss showed an extremely rare smile.

As they shook hands, the boss slowly reached out to touch a button on William’s suit.

"Alright, take off your clothes."

"Huh?" William was taken aback by the quick change of subject, momentarily unable to react.

"Shed your skin, and let me see your... Abyss Medium."

"Oh, okay."

William hurriedly corrected his thoughts, and with a snap of his fingers, his clothing peeled away on its own, revealing his perfect physique and the Abyss Gate at the center of his abdomen.

The boss was not shy, directly tracing a finger gently across the surface of the Abyss.

That simple gesture set off William. His whole body itched, and he trembled uncontrollably,

Even thousands of kilometers away, in the depths of the Abyss to the north of Rat City, the entity of the Tenth Abyss also shuddered, as if a tuft of hair were tickling its navel.

"Fresh, soft, and full of vitality... Quite a unique Abyss, and it has a high affinity with me as well, very good~ very good.

That will do, William. You may return to your work on the construction of the Theater now."

At this moment, William scratched his head and tentatively asked,

"Um, boss, if I get all the preliminary work for the Theater done and Price takes over as the deputy director, could I take another extended leave?

There are some troublesome matters I need to deal with in the human world. They not only concern the survival of the organization I belong to, but they also involve the Skin Factory and a former Source Plague organization that should have been extinct - the Blood Citizens."

When the boss heard William was planning to take another leave, his facial hair became extremely tense, clearly unhappy.

But at the mention of "Blood Citizens," the tense hair actually formed a terrifying hollow face on his visage.

"I haven’t meddled in world affairs for a long time. So, the rumors about Blood refugees setting up in the Skin Factory are true?

Alright then, as long as the preliminary work for the Theater is completely done, I’ll make an exception and grant you a month’s leave. But when you come back, you must bring a performance worthy of the stage, and the dish for the magic feast must be even more sensational than last time.

Furthermore, if in dealing with human affairs you face the Blood Citizens, make sure Fear spreads through their hearts before you kill them all."

"Understood, boss. Even if you hadn’t said it, I’d have killed those despicable lot."