"Bloody hell."

Nesanel sighed, covering his face, striving to contain his laughter.

Love and peace.

This phrase often emerges from children's lips, yet now coming from Bologue, it possessed an unimaginable contrast—so intense was the disparity that it left Nesanel somewhat dazed.

Only now did Nesanel truly perceive Bologue's peculiarity; beneath those terrifying, exalted, and even ordinary halos lay such an unreserved individual.

"But only forty years separate the Scorched Earth Fury and the Dawn War."

Bologue pointed out some issues; according to the century-long war calculations, the interval between soul sacrifices this time had notably shortened.

Nesanel said, "We aren't entirely clear on the specifics, but from the intelligence we've obtained from the Devil we captured, we speculate that due to the failure of the Dawn War, we disrupted their soul-harvesting pace, consequently affecting them.

Souls are crucial to them... They're anxious, so only forty years later, they initiated another war, which due to King Solomon's power, was forced to halt and even prolongs to the present."

Bologue tried to place himself in the Devils' perspective, "It seems these Devils also have their own metrics, eager to harvest enough souls within the deadline."

For what exactly could it be?

Souls for the Devils, what are they really? A source of power or some indispensable nourishment?

In the dark world, Bologue's mood was somewhat subtle; knowing these secretive pasts and humanity's hindrance to the Devils' actions flashed images of Serey in his mind continually.

Serey Villeries.

Regarding this carefree Night Race Lord, Bologue understood more about him, yet the more he learned, the more he felt a difficult-to-describe... sense of unfamiliarity.

As an Undead, under the long life, everyone has a very complicated history, but Bologue never thought Serey's could be this complicated, even if made into a movie, it would have to be a trilogy to barely tell the story.

Bologue decided the next time he sees Serey, he must thoroughly interrogate him, even if he remains silent, he must find a way to extract some clues.

Bologue contemplated this issue, "Following Serey's betrayal, the Devils should start being cautious."

"Indeed, halting the conflict this time became much harder; fortunately, we're not the same as we were a hundred years ago."

Bologue understood where Nesanel's reliance lay—in the rapidly progressing Alchemy Matrix Technology of recent years, making it no longer a problem to counter those Chosen Ones carrying chips.

Pieces on the chessboard gradually developed their own will, no longer belonging to any side, fiercely burning until it broke through the board, shattering the chains of fate.

Nesanel added, "Truthfully, there's an even worse possibility."

"What?"

"Have you noticed? The rise in Ether density."

Nesanel's words struck Bologue's heart like thunder; since Aimou mentioned Teda's research, Bologue had been mindful of this Ether density increase. He now realized he wasn't alone, Nesanel had also observed this.

Bologue said, "If you know your staff well enough, you'd know Teda once mentioned this."

"That's right; I also learned of this phenomenon from Teda's research."

Bologue paused, questioning, "Then why did you..."

"If this phenomenon is real, then its impact range is enormous; the Decision Room chose to handle it quietly, but secretly, they've been dispatching the Scholars' Hall for research; if not for subsequent events, when Belli succeeded Teda to join the Scholars' Hall, he could have continued this exploration."

Nesanel explained, "But you know what happened afterward."

Bologue fell silent.

"Through the Scholars' Hall's research, it can be ascertained that as time passes, the Ether density in the whole world is continually rising, an Ether tide influencing the world every century."

Nesanel continued, "We proposed many hypotheses, such as whether the Ether tide is related to the Devils."

"And the result?"

"No result; we can't even comprehend what Devils truly are," Nesanel admitted helplessly, "like Pioneers deep in the night, who knows what we'll encounter next."

"But what we do know is with the arrival of the Ether tide, our perception of the Secret Source grows clearer, and the Alchemy Matrix Technology is progressing rapidly."

Nesanel worriedly expressed, "Technology is advancing too fast, fast enough to invoke fear."

"What are you afraid of?"

Bologue sorted his thoughts, realizing much of what Geoffrey told him during the induction training was false.

Even so, it didn't matter, given his position at the time, he only needed to know certain things; sometimes knowing too much is not beneficial.

Some can muddle through, while others must remain clear-headed.

"A hundred years ago, even if we exhausted our power, we could only topple a castle; now forget about castles, a suitable Extraordinary Disaster could destroy a nation."

Nesanel worried about the unknown future, "We possess such power; our enemies possess such power as well."

"What's worse is the Devils have begun being cautious; they've detected the progress of our Alchemy Matrix Technology under the Ether tide; once allowing Devils to harvest, humans now possess the power to resist. What do you think they'll do next?"

"A penned flock, growing sharp teeth and claws," Bologue murmured, "pluck their teeth, clip their claws."

"The Decision Room has always suspected that we might not face another conflict but an extinction, the Condensers' extinction, to demolish our Alchemy Matrix system and completely break our spine."

"Do you think the Devils can wield such power?"

Bologue felt skeptical; the Devils can't directly affect the mortal world; just dealing with those Chosen Ones should suffice.

"I've always thought so, Bologue, never underestimate human glory or human baseness."

Nesanel spoke meaningfully; his face transformed from worry to some joy.

"To negotiate among the Devils is a tough task; all along, we've been under immense pressure, but this time it's different—we have the chance to take risks, no longer alone."

Now the Order Bureau has two Chosen Ones; no matter what the Devil's plans involve, those truly making decisions are always the Chosen Ones; although others hidden in darkness, it seems they hold certain advantages now.

Nesanel gazed at Bologue, as if making an oath.

"No matter what your Devil's conspiracy is, the Order Bureau will always stand by your side just as you will always stand for love and peace."

Nesanel proactively extended his hand and said, "For love and peace."

Bologue didn't immediately respond, contemplating the intelligence gained during his conversation with Nesanel. Was this the true secret from the Order Bureau's deputy director, compared to others?

Considering what he'll face next, the mission with unclear purpose, impending intrigues, and those detestable Devils...

Bologue solemnly nodded, gripping Nesanel's hand firmly.

"For love and peace."

Bologue added, "And incidentally for movies, rock music...and all things worthwhile."

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