Endless Debt Chapter 721 - 206: Disappear

Opening his eyes, he sat up, and the hazy drowsiness quickly faded from Bologue’s body; he was now fully awake and habitually scanned the surroundings.

There was nothing unusual in the narrow room. The sea outside the porthole was calm, the sky cloudless, the room quiet overall, with the sound of water lightly flowing through pipes and faint mechanical noises behind the sturdy metal panels, along with the endless snoring above Bologue’s head.

Rising from the lower bunk and dressing, Bologue glanced at the upper bunk, where Palmer lay sideways, tightly clutching the blanket like a koala hugging a tree. He was deeply asleep, showing no signs of waking.

Hesitating briefly, Bologue abandoned the idea of waking Palmer. Palmer had contributed significantly during this incident and deserved some rest. Bologue drew the curtains of the porthole for him, darkening the room.

Exiting the cabin, Bologue followed a familiar route forward, encountering some guards along the way. They all cast awe-filled glances at Bologue, but he pretended not to notice.

Pushing open another heavy door, Bologue stepped into the lounge. He thought he had arrived quite early, yet many people were already waiting inside.

Bologue greeted, his voice steady, "Hello, everyone."

Geoffrey sat on the sofa, with bandages wrapped around his abdomen and gauze on his face. During the battle three days ago, he was ambushed by Bai Ou and Hert, the two Negative Power Users, and fell victim to Bai Ou’s calculation. Among them, his injuries were the most severe.

The ship doctors looked worried, but Geoffrey felt indifferent. In his lifetime, Geoffrey had often faced death; such injuries were not enough to utterly bring him down. After initial treatment, Geoffrey had almost recovered and now just needed to wait for the wounds to slowly heal.

Standing beside Geoffrey was Lebius, the leader, as always, with a sullen face and unfocused gaze, uncertain of what he was looking at or pondering.

Two guards from the Tideseeker community stood at the lounge’s door. Each time their gaze fell on Lebius, deep awe surfaced in their eyes.

They still remembered the fierce battle at the Wrecked Ship Shore three days ago, when Lebius effortlessly tore through the Angry Tide Squad’s defense lines, captured a speedboat, and under the storm’s fury, launched a surprise attack on the nearer Horror. Alone, he was like an army.

Wolves controlled the captain’s room, and under the threat of death, everyone became rational. Under Lebius’s enforced calmness, the captain intelligently communicated with the Order Bureau. The guards did not know what the captain discussed with the Order Bureau. Nevertheless, the operations at the Wrecked Ship Shore were immediately called off; they turned toward Free Port and aided the Paradise burning with war.

"Order Bureau..."

The guard murmured softly, long aware of this colossal entity entrenched in the Rhine Alliance, wielding secret knowledge, advanced Alchemy Matrices, and formidable Seekers of Glory.

Seekers of Glory.

Among the Tideseeker community, Defenders were already considered the pinnacle of strength, and their numbers were scarce. Yet, the Order Bureau not only held Seekers of Glory surpassing Defenders but their Alchemy Matrices were also more advanced than the Tideseeker community. The guard could hardly fathom the power of those Seekers of Glory.

Comparatively, the Tideseeker community, aside from their maritime prowess, could not match the Order Bureau. Even the maritime advantage stemmed from the Order Bureau’s full attention to the conflict with the King’s Secret Sword, disregarding the sea disputes.

A strange pressure pressed on the guard’s chest. Except for trade, the Tideseeker community rarely interacted with the Order Bureau. Despite working for so many years, this was his first time so close to these mysterious beings. Even though they each seemed casual, a fearful pressure still filled the lounge.

"Where’s Palmer?"

Yuriel, sitting on the other side, asked. She looked somewhat haggard, dark circles adorning her face.

Yuriel had not stepped onto the battlefield, but as the Communication Officer, she had been continuously exerting her Secret Energy to connect everyone, seriously impacting her mind and body. Three days ago, after handling everything, Yuriel fainted until Bologue pried open the carriage and woke her.

"He’s still asleep," Bologue said, "It’s not like he’d be of any use even if he were here, right?"

Upon hearing Bologue’s words, silence fell over the group, as if everyone agreed with Bologue being Palmer’s external brain.

The sound of knocking echoed, and the door was slightly pushed open. Aimou peeked inside, confirming she wasn’t lost, before fully opening the door and entering.

Aimou apologized, "Sorry, I got a bit lost."

"It’s nothing."

A man’s voice came from behind Aimou. Turning, she saw the captain pushing through the door, smiling at them.

"As a warship, Horror’s complex internal layout effectively limits enemy invasion during boarding battles and aids us in counterattacks, much like street fighting."

The captain stepped past Aimou, crossing his arms before himself and standing aside. Like others, they all awaited something.

To pass the time, Bologue stood and walked to the porthole, gazing toward Free Port.