Endless Debt Chapter 644 - 155 Eternal Toil

Free Port, a harbor city located among the Narrow Countries, due to its unique geographical location along the Rhine River flowing into the sea, ships can sail upstream to reach various regions within the Rhine Alliance, or sail towards the sea to easily arrive at many coastal cities of the Kagader Empire.

Crisscrossing lanes converge at Free Port; it’s like a hub of trade, connecting cities scattered across distant lands, with countless ships arriving at Free Port every day, and countless ships setting sail.

Similar to the terrifying whirlpools at sea that swallow ships, Free Port is also a golden whirlpool, devouring countless wealth.

"I visited Free Port a few times when I was young," Geoffrey commented, "it felt quite marvelous to me, like another Oubos, the coastal Oubos."

Geoffrey’s assessment is not wrong. Just like Oubos, Free Port welcomes countless outsiders daily. The immense flow of people traverses the city, bringing cultural wills that clash, building steel creations amidst chaos and wealth.

Bologue stepped out of the train station into a dazzling sun that stung his eyes. Though there was still a distance from the sea, Bologue could faintly hear the sound of the tide, rushing around him.

In the latter half of the journey, Bologue and his group encountered no anomalies, no enemies attacked, nor any potential adversaries with ulterior motives... even the ordinary man suspected of handling the Demon showed no peculiarities.

Plain and unremarkable.

The journey was so smooth and simple that it was only upon stepping onto the platform and feeling the solid ground underfoot that Bologue belatedly realized he had arrived at Free Port.

"Have you been here before?"

Aimou leaned next to Bologue, curiously asking.

"Yes, more than sixty years ago."

Bologue gazed distantly over the city, the buildings here not as clustered and towering as in Oubos, leaving the sky fully exposed above. In the distant harbor, vessels crowded together, masts like a forest of spears, decks connected, paving new land on the sea.

The daylight here was abundant, but at the edge of the sea, ominous dark clouds swirled, storms hovered near the coast, reminding Bologue of the disastrous experiences at the Wind Source Highlands.

"Back then, this was already a crucial shipping hub. We engaged in a protracted tug-of-war with the Kagader Empire to seize this place."

Bologue continued, "Fortunately, the fierce battles erupted on the sea, and I, as an army man, only needed to obediently hide in the fortifications on the shore."

This was one of the few fortunate experiences in Bologue’s military career.

"If we were to dive under the harbor now, perhaps we could still find the wreckage of those battleships."

In Bologue’s eyes, Free Port gradually became engulfed in blazing flames; buildings turned into ash-gray ruins, and ships sank one after another on the sea. Fuel leaked, igniting insurmountable walls of fire on the water, turning the sky blood-red.

Blinking his eyes, the frenzied scene vanished, transforming back into the gradually cooling platform, all the passengers had disappeared, leaving only a few of them standing there like a group of lost penguins.

Everyone turned unanimously to Lebius, waiting for his next instructions.

"Let’s go."

Lebius glanced at Bologue, signaling him, "Watch him closely."

Bologue nodded, Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid forming a slender silver thread, wrapping around Duwa’s neck layer by layer.

The implication was simple: as long as Duwa made the slightest move, Bologue would break Duwa’s neck.

Duwa, however, did not seem overly frightened, but rather full of anticipation for the journey ahead.

Bologue could understand Duwa’s feelings. He was like a fanatic of King Solomon’s, successfully allowing Duwa to break through King Solomon’s true name barrier. Now, Duwa only wanted to learn more about King Solomon...

This reminded Bologue of the crazy people from the Zongge Orchestra, who claimed to be his fans, eager to peep at his every moment, putting him under the spotlight, to be watched like a pet.

Bologue quickly walked over to Lebius’s side and whispered, "Leader, can one person bear multiple protections from Devils?"

Lebius countered, "Why are you asking this?"

Without waiting for Bologue’s explanation, he directly said, "In theory, yes, it only requires a Condenser from the Contract School to help the target sign contracts with multiple Devils."

"But you must know, protections are not without cost, not only do they influence strength, but they also corrupt personal will and the soul."

Lebius warned, "Just like the expansion of the Alchemy Matrix requires the soul to enlarge and expand its capacity, while protections reduce the soul, decreasing its capacity."

"The will and soul of a human carrying a blessing will be seriously affected, and different blessings may clash or enhance each other."

Bologue knows of such examples, like the combination of Protection·Bloodthirsty Healing and Protection·Chaotic Joy. With enough flesh and blood, the enemy could gain endless life force and ether like a perpetual motion machine.

"The arrival of multiple blessings, overlapping powers, will break through our ’load limit’ while creating unknown possibilities."

"What will happen then?"

"Become a demon, or a madman... I think there’s no difference."

Bologue was silent for a moment, then said in an extremely low voice, "Belphegor told me that the Unfettered Poetry Society was corrupted, becoming the current Zongge Orchestra. Perhaps the current Zongge Orchestra has individuals carrying dual blessings."

"Dual blessings?"

Bologue pondered deeply, contemplating the demons he encountered earlier, who likely only carried Belphegor’s blessing. At that time, they were already under the control of the Joyous Desire Witch. The Condensers encountered afterward were new members blessed by the Joyous Desire Witch, not recognized by Belphegor.

The truly dangerous ones are those recognized by Belphegor, who then turn to the Joyous Desire Witch. The dual blessings and deceitful secret energy make them harder to deal with than normal enemies.

Bologue said, "I don’t know what Belphegor’s blessing is, but being cautious never hurts."

Carrying dual blessings with mysterious secret energy, Bologue could already foresee the difficulty of dealing with such enemies.

"Belphegor’s blessing?"

Lebius halted, speaking in a voice only Bologue could hear.

"Belphegor rarely bestows his blessings. As you saw, very few Contract School Condensers can communicate with him. Most of the time, he personally gives the blessings..."

Lebius changed the subject, "What do you think Belphegor’s blessing would be?"

"I can only guess part of it," Bologue said, revealing his analysis. "From the enemies I’ve encountered, the blessing itself amplifies one’s desires, eternally unfulfilled."

Hungry never sated, joy numb and senseless, so as the original sin of sloth, Bologue could already imagine.

"The cost completely opposite of sloth, isn’t it?"

Lebius nodded silently and casually said, "Eternal Labor, that’s Belphegor’s blessing."

Protection·Eternal Labor.

Bologue was momentarily at a loss, the two walked and chatted idly, surrounded by scattered travelers, as casually as discussing dinner, Lebius spoke.

"Compared to other devil’s blessings, Belphegor’s is not strong, but correspondingly, the cost isn’t that cruel... at least in my view."

Lebius spoke calmly, withholding nothing from Bologue, "Protection·Eternal Labor keeps an individual absolutely awake, enough to withstand most mental impacts. The cost is literal; the individual will work uncontrollably, even after completing tasks, finding others to do, akin to compulsive behavior, never resting until death."

"Cruelty lies in many blessed with this, amidst endless toil and fatigue, keeping their consciousness aware, feeling the body slowly collapse until death."

While listening, Bologue considered what abnormalities might arise when two blessings mixed.

Lebius’s understanding of devils far exceeded Bologue’s expectations, making Bologue surprised, especially upon learning Lebius had long known of Belphegor’s existence.

Bologue envisioned Lebius’s workaholic demeanor, muttering, "Eternal Labor..."

"Leader!"

Bologue suddenly called out to Lebius, who turned his head, his gaze as always, calm as a dead water pool.

Bologue hesitated, then shook his head.

"No... nothing."

Bologue felt nothing on Lebius, nothing at all. Bologue sincerely hoped this was just his wild imagination.