Chapter 106 - 59: Chaotic Reality and Illusion [Thanks to the ally

Chapter 106: Chapter 59: Chaotic Reality and Illusion [Thanks to the ally "Striving Chipmunk Chasing the Light", additional update] The urgent ringing of the phone broke the afternoon’s tranquility. Kedening walked out from the bedroom, picked up the phone, and a familiar voice sounded. "Bad news, Kedening." David’s voice came through. "There’s trouble on Eugene’s side too; the Order Bureau attacked there, moving quickly. Everyone’s dead, and the goods are gone." The terrible news poured into his ears. "What about Eugene? Did he also die?" Kedening asked. "The same, he’s dead too, and in a rather gruesome way; his head smashed like a watermelon, pieces everywhere. If I hadn’t noticed his clothes, I wouldn’t have recognized it was him." David was joking, trying to lighten the seriousness and bleakness of the situation. "But he was a Condenser." Kedening couldn’t believe this outcome. Among the "Man-eaters," Eugene was considered a very strong Condenser, whose Secret Energy - Shock Burst Vision could easily incapacitate enemies. "What the Order Bureau doesn’t lack are Condensers," David added in response to Kedening’s disbelief. Kedening fell silent, he looked around the room; the curtains were tightly drawn, a faint light barely illuminating a corner, the room filled with pungent incense, and the sound of a woman’s steady breathing came from the bedroom. "The Order Bureau must have caught on; the situation is getting worse. King’s Secret Sword’s side is urging us to quickly transport all remaining goods. After all, Opus is effectively still under the Order Bureau’s control. If exposed, all we’ve gathered will be completely destroyed. Most importantly, once the Order Bureau notices anything..." Listening to David’s voice, Kedening remained silent. He opened a drawer and took out a coin. Kedening took a deep breath, slowly raised his hand, and held a Mammon Coin between his fingertips. "According to the original plan, you try to change routes, and I will speed up production. These Mammon Coins can only be used within Opus; once outside, they lose their properties. We need to use them to create more Liquid Spirit Potions." The existence of "Man-eaters" is for the so-called Liquid Spirit Potion. Based on the technology provided by King’s Secret Sword, the Mammon Coins circulating in the wandering crossroads possess some unknown power, and using them as alchemical material can perfectly liquefy the Philosopher’s Stone into Liquid Spirit Potion. The efficiency of soul conversion in Liquid Spirit Potion is extremely high, and it can further strengthen the soul, greatly enhancing Secret Energy. Although the contained "Golden Soul" is untameable, the strengthening effect can only last for a short period before the "Golden Soul" evaporates and fades away on its own. However, experimental results show that the enhancement capability of the Liquid Spirit Potion far exceeds expectations. They all knew what this potion would be used for. Kedening had heard some about the secret war seven years ago, and now another war was looming near. Kedening felt some panic but had no solution. He looked towards the bedroom; inside, something lightly pricked his heart. From many years ago, when Jini wished upon those Devils, he had been caught in the whirlpool, and now he tied himself onto King’s Secret Sword’s war chariot. Now he could do nothing but follow them forward. "Did the ’Ghoul’ say anything?" David asked again. "He will provide as much aid as possible, and if necessary, he will even come personally," Kedening said, "but only ’if necessary.’ According to him, King’s Secret Sword’s feigned attack was too realistic, causing a strong response from the Order Bureau. They have barely been active on the outskirts of Opus for days." David was silent for a few seconds; for the first time, his optimistic tone seemed a little dejected. "Have we been abandoned by King’s Secret Sword?" "I don’t know, but at least for now, we still have value to them. Before they drain us dry, they won’t abandon us," Kedening replied. As long as the Liquid Spirit Potion’s goods are still in hand, and as long as King’s Secret Sword still needs these potions, they wouldn’t let the "Man-eaters" die deliberately. Kedening furrowed his brows. Clearly everything was going smoothly; they collected Mammon Coins in the wandering crossroads, using them as alchemical material, made Liquid Spirit Potions, and transferred them to King’s Secret Sword. According to the list’s requirements, they would soon have fulfilled the target quota. But since Nom’s disappearance, like the beginning of a nightmare, everything rushed towards destruction. "Kedening, if it doesn’t work out, why don’t you take Jini and leave? I can handle things after." David suggested once again. "You should still have some Liquid Spirit Potion with you, and you’re a Condenser too. Once out of Opus, you have ways of finding a soul for Jini rather than staying entangled with me in this conflict." "No..." After pondering for a while, Kedening refused again, "It is I who dragged you into this conflict, and it’s my responsibility to see it through to the end." "Whether it’s Nom or Eugene, they’re just cold partners; but David, you’re different, you’re my ’friend,’" Kedening emphasized. "Alright, alright," David knew of Kedening’s stubbornness, and continued, "then play your role well, manage your theater." "When are you planning to leave?" Kedening asked. "A few days after your ’Wandering Rat’ finale," David said, "that night, I will leave with the goods. If everything goes well, I’ll notify you, and you can leave directly after the performance." Hearing this, Kedening’s heart was slightly touched, and he asked, "Is it for me?" "If I said I was leaving tomorrow, the ’Wandering Rat’ finale probably wouldn’t be staged, right? Don’t worry, as long as we keep silent, there won’t be a big problem." David’s voice rose with laughter and helplessness. "After all, it’s your dream, Kedening. A poor kid from the countryside, dreaming of making it big in Opus... Now you’ve established yourself. All that’s left is to put an end to your work, let everyone remember you—oh, no, it’s you both. Jini and Kedening." These are the names of the woman and the man, and also the name of the theater. "It’s a pity this is all like brilliant fireworks, fleeting, and afterward, nothing but escape awaits us." Both fell silent, but then David’s lively voice sounded again. "At least you’ve achieved it, dealing with devils, stepping into the Abyss, paying such a high price; you’re finally achieving it. Stopping now would be too sad." "Thank you... Thank you, David, I understand." Kedening, besides expressing gratitude, didn’t know what else to say. "You’re welcome, I’ve always envied you dreamers. I’m rather mundane—I do all this just for money." David laughed cheerfully; he’s always optimistic like this. Hearing this, Kedening also laughed; he remembered David’s dream back home was to have a villa and marry a wife... "Oh, right, there’s one more thing I’m quite concerned about." "What?" "I went to observe the scene where Eugene was attacked. The Order Bureau handled it very cleanly, but the damage to the building cannot be hidden. I noticed the same marks on the scene as those in the Nom Clinic. It’s like a heavy hammer smashed down, the ground shook, and the bricks cracked. These markings can also be found in Nom Clinic, where a heavy hammer directly pierced through the roof, creating a large hole and entering indoors." David continued to add. "I guess Eugene’s cause of death was being directly hit by that heavy hammer, his hardened skull easily shattered into a bloody mess." "Are there any other traces?" Kedening inquired further. "No, at that time I relied on the ’Shadow Beast’ to reach the scene. I would’ve been discovered if I wasn’t careful. I simply took a quick look around and then left. The Order Bureau moved very quickly, and I didn’t have much time to inspect the site." "Evil Spirit." Suddenly, from the other end of the phone, came a cold word. "What?" Kedening didn’t quite hear clearly. "Evil Spirit, the story circulating lately at the Wandering Crossroads. They say it’s the Evil Spirit that attacked Nom, and now such traces appeared at Eugene’s place." Bitter laughter echoed through the phone. "Looks like we’ve been targeted by the Evil Spirit." "Evil Spirit... Does such a thing really exist? It’s probably the Order Bureau doing it, right?" Kedening didn’t believe in such mystical legends. "Who knows? The people of Wandering Crossroads like to believe these tales. They also collect those eerie Mammon Coins, the rarer the Mammon Coin, the more precious... It’s full of freaks over there." David warned. "But it’s better to be cautious, Kedening. Legends are indeed just legends, but when they become real, that’s when they cross into the realm of nightmares." "Yes, I understand." "Alright, then you prepare for the performance with peace of mind, and... wait for my news." The conversation ended, David hung up the phone, and everything became tranquil once more. Kedening remained silent for a while, exhaustedly leaning against the back, sighed deeply, eyes fixed on the gap in the curtains, the sole ray of light. The clinking of metal sounded, a woman unknowingly got up from the bed, shackles hanging around her ankles. "Why are you up? You need to rest." Kedening quickly stood up, walked to the woman, and held her back to the bed. "I’m fine. I feel my spirits are pretty good today, quite awake." The woman giggled, curled up in Kedening’s arms, exhaled warmly towards his neck, "Being in a sluggish state every day, such clarity is rare indeed." "Jini, you need to rest, the doctor said so." Kedening firmly stated. "Alright, alright." Jini relented, knowing Kedening’s stubbornness, settled back onto the bed. Seeing Jini’s compliance, Kedening’s expression gradually softened, leaning beside her, soon Jini embraced him again, whispering. "Kedening, I had that dream again." "What dream?" "I dreamt of that man again, I made a wish to him, and then he gave me what I wanted. Next thing, I turned into a monster that devours people everywhere." Speaking of this, Jini’s expression dimmed. "Will I turn into a monster?" "No way, there are no monsters in this world, and you won’t turn into one. You’re... You’re just sick, Jini." Kedening gently lifted her face, speaking with utmost seriousness as if his words were truth. "You’re just sick, the doctor said you have some mental issues and often see hallucinations." "Hmm." Jini nodded, then shook her legs, the clinking sound echoed, she laughed along with the sound. "I know, before recovery, I can’t leave this room." She surveyed this cozy little home. "Exactly, but as long as you take your medication on time, you’ll get better, surely." As Kedening spoke, he opened a drawer, took out a potion inside containing a dark red liquid, the Liquid Spirit Potion. Jini cooperated, stretched out her hand, and buried her head in Kedening’s embrace, her voice low. "Kedening, I also dreamt that you said we’re leaving here." Kedening’s actions paused for a second. "Actually, I think it’s alright. As long as we’re together, anywhere is fine," Jini said, lifting her head with sparkling eyes, "By the way, you told me ’Wandering Rat’ is about to end, right?" "Yes, that’s correct, everyone is looking forward to the ending, we even made it to the newspaper." "That’s great." Jini felt genuinely happy, then speculated further. "Can I go watch? Go on-site, see the ending." Kedening was stunned for two seconds, then rubbed Jini’s head with disappointment, comforting her. "I’m sorry, you know the situation." Jini’s gaze darkened, but she wasn’t overly sad. A reluctant smile appeared on her face as she nestled in Kedening’s arms. "It’s alright, Kedening, you’ve done enough for me."