Chapter 92 - Before the Ceremony

Chapter 92: Chapter 51: Before the CeremonyBologue always felt that those who could serve as ministers in the Order Bureau, even if not intimidating, at least gave off an aura of being unapproachable, exuding mystery and power. Even if they said nothing and did nothing, just appearing before you would make you feel a sense of security.

Take Lebius, for instance, although this guy needed a cane to walk and was taciturn, it didn’t prevent Bologue from imagining his formidable power.

But the presence of Belli shattered this preconceived impression. The mystery and power were absent, and being around her only made Bologue feel uneasy.

"An immortal lab rat, nothing beats that."

Walking in the Sublimation Furnace Core, Bologue vaguely heard Belli speaking ahead.

It was a very strange sensation. Not even when facing the Demon had Bologue felt this way. Then, it was a meeting of sworn enemies, but now, he was being watched by another bizarre weirdo, this feeling of being eyed...

"Is this person reliable?"

Following behind Belli and Balder, Bologue whispered to Geoffrey beside him.

"No choice but to rely on her. Besides her, there’s currently no one else in the Sublimation Furnace Core who can handle such precision with the Alchemy Matrix."

Regarding Belli, Geoffrey really didn’t want to say much. Specialization has its fields of expertise. She might seem unreliable, but at least in this aspect she’s professional.

"Do you remember the remaining two schools I mentioned to you? Belli belongs to one of them, the extremely rare ’Secret Initiation School.’ This school isn’t part of the original six main schools; it’s a new one with no combat abilities. Its main focus is the analysis and scientific research of Alchemy Matrices."

Listening to Geoffrey’s words, Bologue nodded slightly.

"A regular scalpel can cut flesh, but her Secret Energy can make a ’scalpel’ cut through souls, allowing for extremely subtle interference in the Alchemy Matrix. This can significantly reduce the risk during implantation rituals and increase the stability of the implant."

"But with just me, it’s still not enough. After all, we’re dealing with the Overlord next."

Belli heard the two whispering and turned her head to say to Geoffrey.

"Remember Teda? I’ve invited him back as well."

"Teda?"

Hearing this name, Geoffrey’s expression changed slightly, and he promptly asked.

"How did you invite him back?"

"How else? I told him we plan to seize the Power of Dominator, and after hearing that, he rushed over from the Wandering Crossroad. Even though we haven’t seen each other for years, my teacher remains highly passionate about knowledge."

Discussing these matters, the smile that had been on Belli’s face paused for a few seconds, then she sighed helplessly, "It’s a pity he touched on the taboo."

"But, yes, I should thank him for touching the taboo; otherwise, I wouldn’t have become the minister," like changing faces, the sorrow vanished, and Belli laughed heartily without concern. "That guy is quite resilient. If it were tough, I’d probably have to endure another ten years before assuming this position."

"Alright, control yourself; you’re almost defying your teacher and ancestors!"

Balder said, giving Belli a kick again. Without his restraint, no one knew how crazy Belli could get.

Another unfamiliar name prompted Bologue to ask Geoffrey.

"Who is Teda?"

"Teda Yazhede was the previous minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core. Due to his research touching the ’Ethical Ordinance’ and his unwillingness to compromise, he withdrew from the Order Bureau and joined the freer Truth Cultivator Society."

Bologue was stunned. A minister simply resigns and joins another organization? This... doesn’t seem right.

"The ’Decision Room’ must have reached some agreement with him, so we more or less parted amicably. Plus, the fact that he resides at the Wandering Crossroad means we even collaborate when needed, like right now."

Belli’s voice approached, and then she stopped before a large door.

Heavy chains hung down from both sides, with the door carved in eerie reliefs, resembling ocean waves or perhaps rolling clouds, and in the middle were interlocking gaps that tightly sealed the door.

"I say, Bologue buddy, are you ready?"

She suddenly became serious, asking with utmost sincerity.

"I..."

"Never mind, your opinion doesn’t matter. We’ve come this far, so turning back is not an option."

Bologue shouldn’t hold any expectations for Belli.

"This is a rare opportunity. I’ve applied to the ’Decision Room’ countless times before to dissect an Overlord, but each time it was rejected. Although this time we can’t slice him up for study, at least we can seize his power, and find out what the Power of Dominator is all about."

Listening to Belli’s mumblings, Bologue suddenly realized an issue.

"You don’t actually know his Secret Energy?"

"Of course not. The Overlord is active only in secret wars, and that very secret war nearly destroyed the Order Bureau. There are few survivors from the frontline, let alone those who faced the ’Overlord’ directly and survived."

The metallic screeching of friction sounded, sharp and piercing, as if the door had been sealed for ages.

As the door opened, a murderous aura rushed forward, the air mixing with a strange scent and a touch of disinfectant smell.

Canyin’s light descended like warm sunshine, warming everyone’s hearts, but once they realized why this sun was coming, the warmth left only fear of being watched by a scorching sun.

"Regarding the Power of Dominator, we don’t know much, only roughly identifying it as ’Commanding School’."

Belli gazed at the light’s core, a familiar scene, with the cylinder-shaped glass container holding the dead Celestial God asleep within. Near the container were mysterious gray-clad figures, ensuring the Overlord’s safety. The "Safety Containment Department" would also participate in the implantation ritual.

"Esteemed ’Seeker of Glory’..."

At this moment, even someone as crazy as Belli showed some respect.

"I wish I could cut him open."

Of course, the respect was short-lived.

"Hey! Teacher! Still going strong, huh?"

Belli waved her hand again, shouting to an elderly man with snow-white hair.

The old man seemed to have been prepared to be here for a long time, wearing a research coat of indeterminate age. Its white texture had slightly yellowed, and the cuffs and edges were frayed and coming apart.

As one gets older, one must pay attention to keeping warm. Under the research coat was a thick black sweater, and a pen was tucked into the pocket at his chest, making him look quite ordinary. Yet as he furrowed his brow and focused, a scholarly aura hovered around him.

Directly in front of the container was an extremely complex operating table. Faint buzzing sounds arose, and apart from the glow in the container, numerous light trails appeared on the sturdy ground beneath their feet.

"Don’t worry, I can live for a long time yet, so stop thinking about my inheritance."

The old man looked at Belli, his eyes flashing the same pure Canyin color, and said bluntly.

"Minister Yazhede."

Geoffrey bowed with deep respect upon seeing the old man, and following suit, Bologue also bowed.

"I’m no longer a minister, Geoffrey," Teda snorted, but noticing Belli, he added, "Oh well, call me whatever you want, the ’Decision Room’ made her a minister anyway."

"Teacher."

Balder also approached and bowed to Teda.

Seeing Balder improved Teda’s mood considerably, though he still complained verbally.

"I intended to groom you to be my successor, but unfortunately... because of my research, everything got disrupted."

"I don’t mind at all, letting her handle such troublesome affairs isn’t impossible, I’ll look after her." Balder said with great respect.

"By the way, Teacher, has there been progress in your recent research?"

"It’s average; it has gained preliminary intelligence, but getting closer to ’human’ still poses many challenges to overcome. However, the part regarding the ’Constant Motion Core’ has been much smoother."

Talking about his research, Teda visibly cheered up.

"If needed, the Sublimation Furnace Core’s doors are always open to you." Balder said.

"No need, my current path of wandering crossroads is also quite good." Teda promptly declined.

Elderly eyes glanced at Balder and then at Belli. As his apprentice, Balder was steady and arguably the most promising to inherit his legacy. Belli, on the other hand, was extraordinarily talented, so much so that this rascal showed no interest in inheriting his legacy and even had a bit of a rebellious streak.

Ah... seeing Belli annoyed Teda, so his gaze finally fell on Bologue.

"You must be today’s protagonist, Mr. Bologue Lazarus."

"Yes."

Bologue nodded seriously. It seemed that Teda was the chief physician today, and Belli was merely a nurse, which reassured Bologue a lot. He was worried that halfway through the implantation ritual, he’d be dragged to another laboratory amidst Belli’s ghostly laughter.

"Take off your shirt and lie down."

Teda was extremely familiar with the implantation ritual. As a former minister of the Sublimation Furnace Core, after leaving the Order Bureau and becoming a member of the Order of Truth, performing implantation rituals had become one of his major sources of income.

Bologue took off his trench coat, revealing a white shirt and the suspenders wrapped around it, along with the folding knife and flying knife attached to the suspenders.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Bologue neatly folded his trench coat, placed it aside, then methodically removed the folding knife and flying knife, laying them together, carefully set down the Hook Gun and Shock Hammer at his waist, and finally took off his white shirt, standing bare-chested.

"Is that all?"

Teda raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Bologue, curious about how many more knives were concealed on him.

"That’s all."

Bologue answered, trying to keep calm, because from the start, he could distinctly feel that unfriendly gaze.

Belli was staring at him, like a genuine delinquent. The thought that her aim was to drag him off for various inhumane experiments only worsened Bologue’s mood.

Lying on the operating table, bathed in the cold warm sunlight, Bologue involuntarily relaxed. Just then, Geoffrey and Balder also stepped back a few paces, withdrawing from the range of the implantation ritual, leaving only Teda and Belli near the operating table.

The metallic sounds of clanging erupted beside him, though it was unclear what the two were busy with. Bologue wished to take a look but his vision was obscured by the glow descending from the container, allowing him to see only the brilliant gold and the Celestial God slumbering in the sunlight.

"Before the implantation ritual begins, I’d like to ask you something, Mr. Lazarus."

Teda’s voice sounded, prompting Bologue to turn his head and see the fine lines emerging along Teda’s body, emitting blistering light, mirrored by Belli as well.

Invisible ether rolled in from all directions, converging here to allow the release of the duo’s Secret Energy.

"What’s that?"

"Are you familiar with the Alchemy Matrix?"