Endless Debt Chapter 635 - 146: True Name Sealed

"Are you kidding me?"

Bologue stood up, like a black wall, blocking the light, leaving Duwa in his shadow, looking up in confusion.

"Why..."

Duwa murmured, looking at Bologue in bewilderment, "Why did I only notice this now."

The suspicion and anger that had risen in Bologue dissipated, as sincerity was evident in Duwa’s eyes, as if he had never contemplated this matter before Bologue raised the question.

Duwa fervently worshiped King Solomon, yet he never knew his name.

This was utterly ridiculous.

It was as if from the beginning Duwa had never realized this issue... no one had realized this issue.

A chill rose in Bologue’s heart, Duwa’s confusion reminded Bologue of himself not long ago.

If it weren’t for Aimou’s inquiry, perhaps Bologue wouldn’t have tried to recall his experiences in Redwood Town for decades to come.

Bologue had heard people describe this feeling, as time goes by, many long-forgotten things resurface suddenly one day, engulfing you with a strong sense of unfamiliarity and familiarity, making you even question yourself.

"Did I really experience these things?"

Like a dream.

Bologue began to keep a journal, documenting the important events that occurred in his life, along with the items related to them at the time.

For example, that performance ticket that Bologue would never attend.

The Undead have a lifespan so long that they need something to prove their former existence.

Bologue stood dazedly in place, the noisy sounds around him receding like the tide, the light dimming, as dark shadows enveloped Bologue, followed by a burning pain wrapping around his body.

The searing phantom pain struck Bologue’s nerves, and as he lifted his hand, in a daze, Bologue could see the flames reigniting, gnawing at his body, blood burned to ashes, flesh and bones smelted into carbon.

The next moment, the scorching pain disappeared, the darkness dispersed, the noise returned, and Bologue stumbled back onto the chair, his expression severe, clenching his fists.

Just as during the scorching.

Until he witnessed the burning of the light with his own eyes, Bologue couldn’t determine the authenticity of that light, only assuming it to be a hallucination.

Looking at Duwa, Duwa’s expression was far more fearful than Bologue’s, he cowered on the chair, his body trembling violently, scolding himself for not even knowing King Solomon’s name, then realizing that such fervent devotion without awareness indicated that something was definitely wrong.

Duwa whispered, "There’s a rumor within the Order of Truth..."

Bologue listened intently.

Others didn’t notice the anomaly here, assuming Bologue was interrogating for necessary information; the two maintained composure, though their hearts were in turmoil.

Duwa hesitated, saying, "King Solomon is an extremely rare Contractionist of the Contract School."

"So what? Don’t stall."

Bologue pressed firmly, understanding that the essence of the Scorched Earth Wrath was a conflict among demons, and King Solomon was intertwined throughout this conflict, Bologue needed to figure out what was going on.

"There have always been some peculiar voices among us, they believe King Solomon’s achievements weren’t due to his talent, but rather... by negotiating with devils."

When mentioning these, Duwa felt a twisted sense of alienness, as if speaking words of shame, then sadly realized that the attitude of the Order Bureau was correct.

The Order of Truth to some extent is an organization that worships technology as a deity with the Secret Source as its divine symbol, and King Solomon is the divine’s envoy in the mortal world.

This is the current situation, you recognize the problem yet feel powerless to change it, and sometimes even think it’s not bad as it is.

"King Solomon made a deal with the devils, receiving forbidden knowledge and technology, creating the great Holy City."

Duwa’s voice was light, his gaze fixedly ahead, as if Bologue didn’t exist.

"The power of the Contract School originates from the devils, and names hold a special meaning for them."

Bologue understood this point, responding, "To summon a devil, you first need to know its name."

Bologue didn’t know the Astronaut’s name, hence never summoned his power.

"This is also true for the Condensers of the Contract School. As witnesses of the contract, they need to write their true names on the oath, using the power of the Devil to bind both sides of the contract."

Duwa said, "Condensers of the Contract School always hide their true names, revealing them only when witnessing the oath, while outside the oath, they use pseudonyms or aliases to represent themselves."

"Ultimately, these confidentiality methods are too simple. The more powerful Condensers of the Contract School utilize the Devil’s power to conceal their names, like... some ’True Name Secrecy.’

Under the Devil’s influence, unless prompted by external sources, people often fail to notice the existence of the Condenser’s name within the Contract School."

Bologue asked, "Are we affected by True Name Secrecy?"

"It should be this way, damn it. With King Solomon’s power, we wouldn’t even desire to know his name... not even have the thought."

Duwa questioned Bologue, "Why would you ask such a question?"

Bologue might think it’s trivial, just a name, but for Duwa, it meant something entirely different.

Before Bologue asked him, he was under the influence of True Name Secrecy, but judging from Bologue’s manner of inquiry, he seemed completely unaware of this peculiarity. Bologue surpassed the True Name Secrecy.

"I just thought of it and asked," Bologue was truthful, "Like you all, I’m curious about everything related to King Solomon."

Duwa said, "So, you didn’t feel any peculiarity at all?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"It’s a big problem. True Name Secrecy seems nonexistent to you, unless you possess great strength, but clearly, you’re just a Prayer Believer.

Another possibility is that someone guided you, much like you’re guiding me now, making us both aware of this issue."

"No one guided me," Bologue recalled, "I’ve always been alone in pursuing King Solomon’s matter."

Duwa reached one conclusion, "No, that’s impossible. Someone must have guided you... you’ve just forgotten."

Forgotten...

The train rumbled forward, the carriage slightly swayed on the tracks, making the drink in the glass slosh like rolling waves.

At some point, only Bologue and Duwa remained in the carriage. Trusting Bologue, Lebius and Geoffrey returned to their rooms, and Palmer should have gone to the dining carriage for food at this time.

Aimou is a sensible child; seeing the conversation between Duwa and himself, she probably went to eat with Palmer or might be at the train’s end, watching the night scene. After a self-upgrade, Aimou has some degree of vision even in the dark, resembling a multifunctional Military Saber.

In the quiet, Bologue and Duwa exchanged glances. Though they barely knew each other, not even friends, Bologue felt Duwa was on the same side as him.

They shared a mutual interest, a curiosity about the world.

Bologue repeated, "So, King Solomon is merely a pseudonym..."

"King Solomon’s achievements were so magnificent, he single-handedly advanced the Alchemy Matrix... Even if it borrowed the Devil’s power, the fact remains undeniable. Such a person should have left a significant mark on the world. Yet after the Fall of the Holy City, aside from the story of King Solomon’s death, we know nothing else about him."

Duwa continued, "It shouldn’t be this way. Even if the Holy City was destroyed, something should remain in the world to prove King Solomon existed... but there’s nothing at all."

Evidence of existence.

Duwa smiled, easing the oppressive atmosphere, "Actually, there’s another possibility, albeit a very slight one."

"What?"

"That you already know King Solomon’s name, you just haven’t realized it."

This possibility Bologue quickly dismissed, like a paradox. Bologue knew countless names, piled like books on the grand bookshelf in his mind. But once you lose a book, you can never find it again in the library.

Duwa then expressed a curiosity, "Why are you curious about King Solomon? All traces have disappeared, his name obscured by the Devil, and those related to him died long ago.

After all these years, only the Order of Truth maintains a fervor for him..."

Bologue stayed silent at this.

This was Duwa’s first time meeting Bologue; he didn’t know Bologue’s identity. Not everyone perished in the Fall of the Holy City; there remained one Undead, living alone through the long years.

The Devil’s disputes, the Holy City’s destruction, King Solomon’s trade...

All doubts intertwined, and that original object was undoubtedly a key to unlock the door.