Endless Debt Chapter 1469 - 51: Fantasy Tree (3)

Just like the All Secrets Order, just like Ossana’s family, who poured all their energy into researching Fantasy Species, each side has something worth taking from.

"We spent nearly a century and made countless sacrifices to carry out a complex ’cultivation’ of the Fantasy Species. By now it should be called a Fantasy Tree instead. After a series of intricate transmutation rituals, we can turn High Tier Condensers into nutrients, feed them to the Fantasy Tree, replenish the Fantasy Species’ depletion, and bring forth new fruits."

Bologue thought it over and felt that Ossana wasn’t lying. The Fantasy Species is just the ignition point; to actually fulfill wishes still requires a multitude of prices to be paid. Just like what Aimou did back then: in that final scramble of the timeline, she couldn’t withstand the Fantasy Species’ drain on her own body and nearly died in the past.

The Fantasy Species hanging on the Fantasy Tree that sustains the Ancestral Council are the same. Those decrepit cowards terrified of death would never implant a Fantasy Species into their own hearts, let its roots burrow into their flesh and draw nourishment. They need another batch of Condensers to serve as "soil."

"Did anything occur to you, Bologue?" Ossana suddenly looked at him with a smile.

Bologue hesitated for a moment, but still said, "The Supreme Trial—this grand ritual of implanting the Alchemy Matrix in the entire population. Hearing it now, it doesn’t sound like the spread of Condensers, but rather... rather like the creation of resources."

"Perhaps."

On this point, Ossana did not give a definite answer. She only murmured, "In the presence of the Ultimate Condenser, everyone is just a number, just a resource."

"Then what about the price?" Bologue retorted with a clear head. "You’ve told me so much and helped me so much—what price do I have to pay for it?"

Ossana stopped walking, folded her arms, and assumed a look of serious contemplation.

After a while, she said, "It’s free."

"What’s free is always the most expensive."

Bologue had once accepted a free gift. That gift came from Mammon, and it had left a deep impression on him.

"Then do as you please."

"As you please"—that answer grated harshly on the ears.

Ossana raised her hand and pointed ahead. "Cross this street and in front of you is the Wasteland District. Once you’re there, someone will naturally come to receive you. Whether you plan to escape this place next, or rise up and strike back, they will help you."

Bologue glanced at that stretch of squat buildings and suddenly said, "If I win, that’s equivalent to helping you get rid of the radicals, freeing your family’s fate once and for all. But if I lose..."

"Even if you lose, it won’t affect me," Ossana said, patting her chest. "I will still be a loyal believer of the All Secrets Order."

With the words laid out to this extent, everything had become clear. From the very beginning—from the moment Ossana arrived at the Order Bureau—she had already planned all of this. She used the rift between the Order Bureau and the All Secrets Order to lead the delegation into the Land of Secrets, carving out a path of blood for her own Truth Faction.

For the fate of Truth, Ossana used everyone. Her courage was commendable.

Bologue gave Ossana a long, deep look and said in a low voice, "I hope that when I see you again, you won’t be a mangled corpse."

"Let’s hope so."

Bologue and Palmer strode forward, like two blurred shadows of darkness.

Just as they were about to vanish, Ossana suddenly spoke. "People say that Condensers of the Illusion Creation school always carry a touch of romantic idealism. I suppose I’m the same..."

Ossana’s words were lost in the wind. She wasn’t sure if Bologue had heard them.