CHAPTER 372: CHAPTER 149: INEVITABLE MATTERS

Teda will surely find Aimou, kill her, and take the Philosopher’s Stone from within the Constant Motion Core.

Everyone knows this, but no one has ever mentioned it directly, like an unspeakable secret, and now Serey has laid it bare in the sunlight.

Bologue wanted to say something comforting to Aimou, like he would certainly protect her, or maybe he would take down Teda, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

In Teda’s eyes, Aimou was just a tool for resurrecting Alice, but Bologue understood that, in Aimou’s eyes, Teda was like a father figure.

Now that father and daughter are killing each other, it inevitably makes one feel sad. For Aimou, whether she is killed or Teda is killed, both are outcomes she is unwilling to face.

Serey’s words made the cheerful atmosphere turn solemn, and Bologue recalled his conversation with Aimou in the Abandoned Land. If the Philosopher’s Stone was taken away, Aimou might no longer be Aimou.

This would be, for her, another form of death.

"The essence of the soul resides within a sound body, thus giving birth to self-awareness."

Belli’s voice was gentle, interrupting Bologue’s oppressive thoughts, "Now Teda possesses Alice’s corpse and carries the Immortal Heart, whereas Alice’s soul is within Aimou’s body. Only if both are combined can Alice’s consciousness be awakened."

"Don’t worry, unless you have a death wish and walk into the trap yourself, Teda can’t do anything," Serey took another sip of wine and said with a smile, "He’s carrying the Immortal Heart, the Sect of the Apes will surely not let him off, and the Order Bureau’s Sixth Group is also hunting him down. He has no chance of doing anything to you."

Bologue nodded. Serey was right; they were holding absolute advantage at the moment. Not only is the Sixth Group pursuing Teda, but the Fourth Group and the Ninth Group have also been mobilized.

The Fourth Group has heightened vigilance, guarding against the Immortal Heart falling into the Abandoned Land, to prevent it from merging with the Calamity and awakening this abominable monster.

The Ninth Group hasn’t stopped either; their duty is to chase down matters related to Devils, and the Immortal Heart clearly is one of their targets.

Bologue guessed that Teda must be under immense pressure right now, only able to hide and having neither the time nor opportunity to proceed with the next step.

"If it’s really necessary, I could serve as a bodyguard for this new friend."

Wei’Er walked over, rubbing her head against Aimou’s palm. It was Aimou’s first time touching a cat.

Although compared to normal cats, Wei’Er speaking human language was strange, Aimou couldn’t help but curiously rub Wei’Er’s head.

Wei’Er purred contentedly, she really liked Aimou, rubbing against her non-stop.

"Wei’Er, your appearance is quite deceptive."

Bologue agreed, nodding. If Wei’Er stayed by Aimou’s side, he would feel much more at ease. He hadn’t seen Wei’Er in combat, but from her fierce punches to Night Race Lord and kicks to ancient undead, it was clear that before joining the Undying Club, Wei’Er was no saint.

No, there weren’t many saints in the Undying Club, even Sai Zong, that dog, harbors an unspeakable past.

"Wei’Er, you know the rules; we can’t interfere with the current world."

Serey’s tone suddenly became severe. He rarely spoke to Wei’Er in such a manner.

"I was just joking."

Surprisingly, Wei’Er didn’t refute but admitted her fault.

The Undying Club had no concrete rules but had one inviolable bottom line: interference with the current world.

This was a sanctuary, protecting these undead. When they vowed to remain here forever, all external grudges and feuds were supposed to be severed.

Socially speaking, these undead had essentially "died."

Yet once they leave the Undying Club and meddle with the current world again, the Club will no longer protect them, and those severed grudges and feuds will resume.

After the Dawn War, the Night Race was either burned or eternally imprisoned. Bologue always believed that Serey, as the Night Race Lord, could swagger here because of the protection of the Undying Club.

"This new friend is quite good," Bode also nodded in affirmation, "Lived this long, it’s rare to see such an interesting new creation."

"From this perspective, Teda could indeed be considered an Alchemy Master. Though he cut corners a bit, he genuinely created a new life."

The undead kept examining Aimou endlessly, the creation of this new life for them brought a considerable impact, a miracle deemed impossible had actually been born.

"Thank you for the praise, thank you for the praise."

Aimou thanked softly, behaving very shyly; it’s not entirely her fault. It was Aimou’s first time attending a party, facing so many unfamiliar faces.

Moreover, Aimou was somewhat unable to control her own expressions.

Bologue noticed this point as well, Aimou previously, due to incomplete functions, always had a cold appearance like a mask, helping her hide her inner emotions.

But now it’s different; her joys and sorrows are directly shown on her face. This honest expression made Aimou feel uneasy, she struggled to control her expressions.

The bar was lively nonstop, Belli and Bode chatted about the history of the Undying Club, Aimou kept petting Wei’Er, while Bologue suddenly noticed someone familiar lying over the bar.

They were chatting too happily, didn’t even notice there was a drunk Palmer here.

"When did he get here?" Bologue asked.

"Not long ago." Serey showed a regretful expression.

"Why is he so drunk?"

"Might have run into some emotional troubles." Serey said vaguely.

"Huh?"

Bologue didn’t understand. He remembered Palmer and his fiancée were quite happy, with a weekly fixed call, Palmer even previously invited him to visit Wind Source Highlands together.

Bode got up and lifted Palmer, taking him back to his own room. Belli took advantage of Bologue’s membership status and followed Bode to take a look around the Undying Club.

Bologue doesn’t drink much, and Aimou doesn’t have any digestive function at all, giving her alcohol is purely wasteful, not to mention she’s still considered a minor. Minors are prohibited from drinking.

In the end, only Serey drank by himself. As the intoxication gradually rose, Serey suddenly spoke.

"Hmm? This new friend, they are quite valuable indeed."

Value...

This word caught Bologue’s attention, having dealt with the Devil for so long, these words seemed to carry a curse. Every time he heard them, he felt an ominous sense.

"A new consciousness born from steel and corpses, not even I have seen such an example... The Devils are like a group of collectors with strange hobbies. New friend, your soul in their hands should fetch a good price."

Serey revealed a meaningful smile.

"In the eyes of the Devil, would uniqueness also count as value?" Bologue asked in return.

"Why not? Just like a unique gemstone, even humans would go crazy for it, let alone the Devils." Serey said.

The two continued their conversation, while Aimou had fallen into silence as if Serey’s words had struck a chord with her.

"Aimou sometimes sees visions of Alice and converses with them. What do you think?" After pondering for a moment, Bologue asked.

"You brought her here mainly to ask this, right?" Serey saw through Bologue’s intentions.

"What else?" Bologue did not deny it.

Belli was taken away by Bode, and Palmer was sleeping like a dead man; the obstructive people had disappeared, so Bologue thought it was time to discuss this serious matter.

"Ask what?" Aimou had no idea what the two were talking about.

Bologue didn’t intend to explain anything to Aimou; he sat up straight, staring into Serey’s scarlet eyes.

"Serey, do you think the Alice that Aimou sees... is a Devil?"

The warm and lively atmosphere instantly plunged into freezing temperatures. Aimou became petrified, as if turned into stone, her body uncontrollable and unable to move.

But Bologue didn’t notice any of this; his attention was solely on Serey, whose expression froze for a few seconds before maintaining a smile.

"A Devil? For some reason, hearing you mention them, I don’t feel surprised."

Serey leaned back, conjuring a cigarette from his deep neckline like a magic trick, snapped his fingers, and flames ignited the cigarette, enveloping himself in smoke.

In the mist, Serey’s features gradually became obscured, leaving only those mesmerizing scarlet eyes.

"Devils, these guys are far away at times, yet sometimes right in front of you. Some people may never have any contact with them, while others live with them every day."

Serey stared at Aimou and questioned.

"New friend, you can see visions of Alice and converse with them, right?"

After hesitating for a moment, Aimou nodded.

"What do they talk about with you?" Serey asked.

Aimou remained silent for a time, but Serey didn’t push her too hard, instead asking another question.

"Have they guided you in making any decisions?"

Pictures of the past came rushing in, Alice reaching out her hand...

"No," Aimou shook her head, "they haven’t guided me in making decisions."

"Did they promise you anything?"

"No, nothing was promised."

Serey’s body suddenly leaned forward, like a demon emerging from the mist, focusing his gaze in front of Aimou.

"Then, did they mention... wishes?"

Aimou looked at Serey with determination and denied it.

"No."

"Hmm? That’s good, looks like it’s not a Devil."

Serey clapped his hands, and the volume of the jukebox increased, driving away the oppressive chill, restoring the joyful atmosphere.

"The form of Devils can shift endlessly, but their goals remain unwavering. By grasping these few principles, it’s easy to determine whether someone is a Devil."

Serey raised the glass and drained it.

"The unfortunate thing is, even if you determine whether someone is a Devil, it wouldn’t change anything. You understand this, Bologue, the Devils never lie."

Serey murmured.

"Like a dark fate, no matter how hard you try to escape, some wishes are destined to be fulfilled."