Chapter 371 - Reversal

"Oh oh oh, it’s the Minister, please come this way, please come this way."Serey turned sideways and gestured invitingly toward Belli, while giving Bode a significant look.

No one knows what Bode understood from Serey’s eyes, but he quietly kicked Sai Zong. The poor dog didn’t have time to react before being kicked into the corner.

Bode quickly tidied up the bar counter, stood behind it, and took up the duties of a bartender.

After sitting down, Belli looked around, observing every corner of the Undying Club with curiosity, and said, "I’ve heard about this place for a long time, but the Field Operations Department mentioned that you can’t enter without a member bringing you in."

Serey nodded with a smile, then suddenly grabbed Bologue, his expression turning fierce.

"Bologue, we haven’t done anything to wrong you, have we?" Serey growled low in Bologue’s ear, "How could you bring a Minister in!"

"I didn’t want to either, but she’s considered Aimou’s supervisor, so taking her out required her consent." Bologue was also unwilling to be in this situation.

After work hours, Bologue went to pick up Aimou, only to find Belli sweetly holding Aimou’s hand by the Sublimation Furnace Core entrance, seemingly showing deep camaraderie between senior sisters. But Bologue understood it was clearly a criminal displaying their hostage.

Under Belli’s pressure and coaxing, Aimou couldn’t keep any secrets, and by noon, Belli already knew about the evening’s plans.

"You mentioned before that as a Minister, you’re so important; can you just leave the Order Bureau like this?" Throughout the journey, Bologue tried every way to persuade Belli to return.

"Isn’t that why you’re here as a Field Staff? Besides, the Order Bureau isn’t far," Belli entrusted Bologue with heavy responsibility.

"You..."

Bologue wanted to find Balder to see if he had any way to deal with Belli, but since Aimou became an intern assistant, Balder had locked himself in the lab, it was unclear whether it was to avoid Belli or due to genuine dedication.

Then the timeline returned to the present, with Bologue bringing the two to the Undying Club. When the undying learned Belli was the Minister, their reaction was like mice seeing a cat.

"Calm down, she’s the Minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core, the department full of Alchemists," Bologue explained again.

The undead looked at Belli with confused expressions, continually assessing her Ether strength, then sighed collectively.

"Phew... scared to death." Serey clutched his chest; he didn’t look like he was pretending.

"Are you all this afraid of ’the Minister’?" Bologue asked.

Wei’Er said, "You know who the usual ’Minister’ that can come here is, right?"

Bologue pondered for a few seconds, and a name came to mind.

Minister Nesanel.

These undead feared nothing under the sky except for the Order Bureau’s landlord with reverence.

The Undying Club could move across distances, but it had stayed in Opus in recent years. In retrospect, perhaps it wasn’t because these undead particularly loved this city, but more like they were caught and held by the Order Bureau.

"I’ve said she’s the Minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core," Bologue responded.

"The Sublimation Furnace Core?"

Serey murmured, resting his chin while observing Belli, who didn’t avoid his crimson gaze.

"Hmm? Strange, can someone of your tier be the Minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core now?" Serey asked, "And Vibron?"

"Minister Vibron passed away over forty years ago."

Belli thought, truly, these undead have a poor sense of time.

"Huh? Vibron’s already dead, huh." Serey scratched his head, thinking it was reasonable; that guy’s lifespan should’ve ended by now.

"Who’s Vibron?" Bologue whispered to Belli.

Belli explained, "The first Minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core, considered one of the founders of the Order Bureau."

"By the way, he was a Seeker of Glory."

Upon hearing this, Bologue understood why the undead reacted so strongly; in their eyes, anyone capable of being a Minister, even if not a Seeker of Glory, should at least be a Defender.

A Minister’s arrival inevitably troubled the undead, making them wonder if they had done anything wrong recently.

"Don’t look at me being so weak; this position was originally my teacher’s." Belli shrugged helplessly.

Serey recalled, "Oh, I remember now, Bologue mentioned it before."

The original Minister was Teda, who was succeeded by Belli after involving in forbidden matters, leading to the current situation.

The misunderstanding was resolved, and the Undead were joyful again. Belli didn’t join their revelry; instead, she observed her surroundings, occasionally asking Wei’Er about relevant matters.

Bologue listened for a while and realized that Belli was inquiring about the Void Realm. She seemed quite interested in the Void Realm of the Undying Club, which had been operating for hundreds of years.

Aimou remained silent, clearly unlike Belli; the neurotic entrance of the Undead left quite an impact on her.

"It’s okay. When I first came here, it was even worse than it is now," Bologue comforted.

"What happened back then?" Aimou asked.

"Um..."

Bologue briefly recalled the past, his expression becoming awkward, "Better not let me remember it."

Those memories could no longer be simply described as terrible.

"So, this is the Alchemy Puppet?" Serey suddenly emerged beside Aimou, his scarlet eyes constantly appraising her.

Serey narrowed his eyes; the trajectory of Ether was visible to him. He could clearly see the surge of Ether, all converging into the Constant Motion Core at the chest, where the noble red glimmer could be faintly discerned.

"Is the Philosopher’s Stone the core?" Serey murmured, "Your consciousness should also be born out of the Philosopher’s Stone, right?"

Aimou nodded, surprised that Serey could see through it instantly. Bologue was also somewhat surprised. This fellow finally showed the erudition a Night Race Lord should possess.

"The Philosopher’s Stone’s owner was named Alice; she was Teda’s daughter. After losing her due to an accident, Teda sought ways to resurrect her," Bologue began discussing recent actions, wondering if Serey might have any valuable advice, "During the raid on the venue, Teda formally opposed us and even stole the Immortal Heart..."

Bologue and Serey earnestly engaged in discussion, while Aimou listened quietly between them.

Belli had made some upgrades to Aimou, merely making her expressions more lively and voice slightly varied. She still had sensory deficiencies. For instance, to taste liquor, she would need to use the Shared Chord Body, borrowing Bologue’s perception.

But for Aimou, this was already more than enough, and she was quite content with it.

"Hmm... is that so? I thought it would be Alice waking up, but it turned out to be an entirely new consciousness," Serey frowned, "He took the Immortal Heart possibly with the intention to use the body to confine the soul."

"What do you mean?" Bologue pursued, noting this was something Aimou had mentioned before.

"The soul determines the body, but sometimes this relationship can be reversed.

In ascension, our soul distorts the body, turning it ethereal. However, when the body’s power suppresses the soul, it acts like a transformative vessel, shaping the soul hidden within to the form we desire.

This reversal is almost impossible, but with the Immortal Heart, it might not be, given what that thing..."

As he spoke, Serey’s voice lowered; apparently, he also knew the secret of Calamity.

"You’re suggesting that Teda plans to implant the Immortal Heart in Alice’s corpse, allowing her to be physically resurrected," Bologue stated.

"After physical resurrection, reverse the Philosopher’s Stone’s Condensation Ceremony to restore the soul to the body," Serey sipped his wine, "I would love to say this sounds too far-fetched, but theoretically it’s feasible."

"Have you heard of a theory regarding death?

The body is the vessel for the soul, and once it dies, the vessel shatters, causing the soul to spill out. Even if the body is restored after death, the soul, which has already faded away, will not return. This is complete death.

Using the Undead as an example, the curse we endure seems to act on the body as a vessel, not on the soul itself.

Our bodies tightly bind our souls; even if the body dies, the soul will not disperse until the body recovers, allowing us to restart."

Serey glanced at Aimou while speaking, "Teda might think the issue lies with the Alchemy Puppet."

"What he wants now is to restore the vessel and then force the soul back into the original body, Alice’s body. Under the body’s confinement, the soul will shape into Alice’s form, allowing her to awaken."

"You really know so much?" Belli inquired, "Have you researched this as well?"

"Well, as an Undead, in our long lives, it’s unavoidable to feel reluctant to let go of some short-lived individuals and wish to revive them," Serey admitted.

"And did you succeed?"

"Do you think that’s possible?" Serey laughed, "Not even the Devil can change what has already happened, let alone the likes of us Undead."

"I tried many methods, but unfortunately, the person I wanted to resurrect was also a Debtor, her soul harvested by the Devil, and her body burned to ashes, leaving no trace behind.

I considered wishing upon the Devil, but I haven’t even repaid my own debts, let alone ask for more from the Devil."

Serey perhaps had drunk too much or maybe the mood was just right; he casually shared past tales, though he didn’t divulge much. This Night Race Lord, nearly akin to a stripper, his past remains chaotic, and hard to decipher.

"You’re in quite a precarious situation now, new friend," Serey remarked to Aimou, "Your teacher, your father, he is bound to come back for you."

"And then kill you."