Endless Debt Chapter 647 - 158 United Company

"So, are you getting old and becoming forgetful?"

Cinderella rolled around on Ewen’s bed, making the freshly made sheets wrinkle.

"I’m not forgetful, just have too many thoughts that need sorting and recording." Ewen sat with his back to her by the window, writing densely in his notebook.

"An excuse," Cinderella lifted her head, "If you lose your notebook, won’t that be catastrophic?"

Ewen seemed indifferent, "Lost? If it’s lost, it’s lost, no big deal."

"Huh? You’ve written for so long, won’t you feel upset if it’s lost?"

"It’s not anything important anyway."

Ewen turned his head and tapped his forehead with the end of his pen, "The truly important things are in my head, not on paper."

"You wrote about me in your notebook, am I unimportant too?"

Cinderella immediately looked tearful, then slyly smiled, "Or have you already remembered me in your mind?"

Ewen’s face was indifferent, pretending not to hear; at times like this, if he didn’t react, Cinderella would soon find it boring.

As expected, Cinderella flopped down disappointedly and continued rolling around.

"Instead of this, you’d better hurry and think where your sister is," Ewen gradually accepted the situation, treating the present as the last joyful moment of his journey to enjoy, "I won’t stay in Free Port for long."

Cinderella said, "I thought Free Port was your destination."

Ewen shook his head, "I wouldn’t consider this my destination."

"Then where do you think is a good destination?"

Cinderella lay flat on the bed, her head dangling backward, and Ewen’s figure appeared inverted in her eyes.

"No place is good as a destination."

Ewen continued from Cinderella’s words, even though they had only known each other for a few hours, Ewen could sense many characteristics from this mysterious fawn.

She seemed like she had ADHD, never staying idle.

On his travels, Ewen mostly journeyed alone, silently. Sometimes he wouldn’t speak for days, and after such long periods, Ewen would stutter when he tried to talk, as if he had forgotten how to communicate.

Now, however, Cinderella would constantly bring up whimsical ideas for pointless conversations to pass the time.

"Why?"

Cinderella had said "why" too many times, making Ewen’s ears grow callous, but he wasn’t annoyed.

Ewen loved chatting with people, much like he would imagine their experiences and search for the gaps between fantasy and reality, he enjoyed communication with other minds, revealing sides he had never seen.

Everyone is a heavy book filled with wonderful stories, and Ewen is someone who loves reading.

"The destination signifies a journey’s end, the story flips to the last page, the movie reaches its final scene, life arrives at its conclusion... Thinking this way, do you still like the destination?"

Cinderella shook her head and said, "But nothing escapes the end; everything has its destination."

"Indeed, the cold, hard reality... Which is why I love imagination."

Ewen paused, then continued, "I really dislike tombstones, they’re like station signs, telling everyone that this is your end, where people can come, offer flowers, and celebrate you’re finally stopping to enjoy eternal rest."

"You can’t avoid it, you can’t just leave your corpse to the wilderness."

"If possible, I’d hope that after I die, there won’t be a tombstone, but rather that I’m placed on a train to keep running with it."

Cinderella frowned, "Well... wouldn’t the passengers find it a bit unsettling?"

"But rest assured, Ewen!" Cinderella pounded her chest firmly, "If you’re accidentally taken out by an assassin, I’ll think of a way to fulfill your wish."

Ewen complained loudly, "Instead of that, you’d better hasten to deal with your own matters."

"Alright, alright."

Cinderella flipped off the bed, bouncing over to Ewen’s side, while Ewen looked at her warily as if facing a flood beast.

"I remember where my sister lives now."

Cinderella extended her hand, pointing out the window.

Ewen followed the direction of her point, only to see densely packed buildings and distant ships; this pointing was almost like not pointing at anything.

Suddenly, Ewen saw, in the direction Cinderella pointed, near the edge of the port, a gigantic cruise ship standing like a mountain amid the surroundings, with bright lettering painted on the hull, barely visible even from that distance.

Ewen looked up at Cinderella, "Is your sister there?"

"Yeah, she’s working there, that much I remember."

Ewen’s expression was complex, as he asked again, "So your sister works at the United Company?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

...

"I still can’t understand why you need to dress like this?"

Bologue pulled at the collar forcefully; this clothing was very ill-fitting, and Bologue disliked it, so he unbuttoned it completely, feeling considerably more comfortable afterward. But when he looked down, the brightly colored clothes were dazzling.

"It’s a necessary disguise."

Lebius, as always, spoke without any change in his tone, even though now his outfit was quite similar to Bologue’s.

Both were wearing floral shirts, shorts that reached over the knees, sunglasses pinned to their collars, and sun hats on their heads, resembling vacationers on a beach.

"Crow’s Nest forged our identities as travelers on vacation from Opus, so we should look the part."

Lebius said this as he put on the sunglasses. It was nearing the afternoon, yet the sun was still strong. In some details, Lebius was always exceedingly meticulous.

He advised again, "Relax a bit, Bologue, don’t look so tense."

Bologue tried to get into a vacation mindset, his body relaxed, yet every muscle remained prepared, like an extended Whip Blade, seemingly soft but ready to reform into a solid sharp edge at a moment’s command.

"In our line of work, there’s this saying, ’adapting to circumstances.’"

Lebius’s gaze was concealed behind the sunglasses, but Bologue could sense he was looking at him.

"Look at the people around you; if you wore that heavily bundled clothing, everyone would only think you were suspicious."

Lebius was right; Free Port’s environment was completely different from Opus. Bologue felt this when he got off the car; by the time he reached the hotel, his black coat was already soaked with sweat.

Besides trade, Free Port was also an excellent tourist destination. Just a few kilometers away was a golden beach where many come every year to bask in the sunlight.

On the streets, there were many people dressed like Bologue and Lebius, though Bologue was still somewhat uncomfortable; the flamboyant colors didn’t fit him, creating an awkward feeling all over.

Bologue followed behind Lebius; only the two of them were on this trip, while others stayed at the hotel to gather intelligence and liaise with the Order Bureau. Yuriel’s train was parked nearby.

"The tenth group has arrived at Free Port, the Tidal Clan should definitely have their news."

"Are we going directly to meet the Tidal Clan?"

"No," Lebius denied, "The Zongge Orchestra might already be waiting for us in Free Port, unless it’s necessary. We still shouldn’t expose ourselves proactively, let alone opponents outside the Zongge Orchestra."

Duwa’s arrival made Lebius realize one thing: many forces had set their sights on the original object, and they had many potential competitors this time.

"As for the Tidal Clan themselves, their relationship with the Order Bureau is merely that of trade partners. As for the rest... I agree with this saying: the Tidal Clan is just a group of sea pirates shackled by modern civilization. Do you think we can talk about any so-called trust with pirates?"

Lebius followed his statement straightforwardly, "No, absolutely not."

"Then what should we do, infiltrate?"

Bologue said while looking towards the distance; at an inconspicuous edge of Free Port lay a vast industrial district, the shipyard of the United Company, currently the largest shipyard in the world, launching countless ships annually.

Aside from the world’s largest shipyard, the United Company also owned the world’s largest fleet, something that even the Rhine Alliance and the Kagader Empire could not rival; they could be described as a maritime Overlord temporarily residing on land.

Leveraging trade driven by their fleet, the United Company effectively controlled Free Port; they were the Kings of this land, also the incognito form of the Tidal Clan in the mortal world.

A gigantic cruise ship was docked at the port, bearing the United Company’s name; that cruise ship was the United Company’s office building.

"Although I don’t like these pirates, I have some friends here who will help us."

Lebius had a plan set from early on. He glanced at the cruise ship from afar, then turned around leading Bologue into a narrow alley.

Towering walls blocked the light, carried along was a fishy odor; dark red liquid flowed through the channels on the sides, unclear whether it was blood or something else.