The shadow of the high wall was cast down, and the actual change made Bologue feel slightly relieved.

"Let’s keep going," Bologue said to Aimou, "or should we take a break?"

"It’s fine, let’s continue. We strive to reach Gray Stone Town before dark," Aimou said, "If we’re quick, we can have dinner there."

"Hmm."

Bologue nodded, and continued moving forward alongside Aimou.

It was described as a hike, but it felt more like wandering around and chatting, while dealing with any mindless creatures along the way.

In fact, from the start until now, Bologue hasn’t actually dealt with anyone. Since the collapse of the wandering crossroads, the demons hiding within have also fallen into the Abandoned Land, removing the pus.

Bologue hadn’t encountered demons in the city for some time.

The two ventured deep into the rift, surrounded by silence, but Bologue did not relax his vigilance. As a qualified field staff, even facing such actions, he remained fully armed.

Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid was wound beneath his lapel, while the resentful bite and Vengeful Saw Axe crossed paths, stored in a special carrying case on his back... It could even be said that Aimou could be considered an external equipment.

"You seem very happy."

Bologue saw Aimou bouncing around like a child. This reminded him of the scene when they first met.

"Of course I’m happy, finally shaking off those endless ledgers."

Aimou complained and then gave Bologue a bright smile. After the smile, her expression suddenly turned hesitating.

"What’s wrong?"

"Just thinking about something."

"What is it?" Bologue asked, "Is it work-related? If you really can’t stand it, I can arrange for you to be transferred, since your main role is as a member of the Special Operations Group."

As the leader of the Special Operations Group, Bologue gradually felt the beauty of power, at least every time he ordered Palmer to do housekeeping as the leader, the guy would obediently comply.

"You wouldn’t want your full attendance to be docked by me, right?"

"Bologue, you’ve changed!"

Such conversations often happened at home, and it wasn’t that Bologue deliberately wanted to threaten Palmer, it’s just that Palmer was excessively lazy, to the extent that even Bologue himself couldn’t stand it.

"Ah..."

Aimou suddenly sighed, then looked at Bologue with a smile, "Speaking of which, as an expert, you do everything perfectly, right? Just like an overly perfectionist."

"Pretty much." Bologue nodded.

"Then from an expert’s perspective, if I want to be happier, what should I do?"

Bologue stopped and pondered for a moment, "Are you hoping I’ll find a way to please you?"

"I never said that."

Considering motives and pros and cons, Bologue precisely analyzed like a machine, and then he came to a conclusion.

"Alright, I understand now."

"What do you understand?"

Aimou felt that Bologue understood nothing. Once this guy got stubborn, he was like a rigid old man.

Just as Aimou was thinking this, Bologue suddenly took Aimou’s hand and inquired, "Is this okay?"

"Huh?"

Aimou froze. She had considered the possibility, but it was a bit too sudden.

It seemed like every time, she wanted to challenge the expert’s limits, the expert would expressionlessly pierce through her psychology.

Holding Aimou’s hand, Bologue pulled her along, continuing to walk forward as if concerned about Aimou, he continued.

"There’s no one else here, you don’t need to feel shy."

"No, no, no, this isn’t about being shy!"

Bologue turned his head, sized up Aimou, and commented, "Aimou, you’re really not good at controlling your expressions. If you want to hide your emotions, you should maintain the Steel Body state."

Then Bologue added, "Actually, the Steel Body isn’t that great."

His eyes accurately captured the changes in Aimou.

"Your gaze is too easy to guess; it’s almost written right in your eyes."

Garble continued rolling in Aimou’s eyes.

...

Even to this day, even with a confirmed intimate relationship, even with various factors and connections, the two of them still seemed somewhat restrained. Fortunately, Bologue wasn’t very concerned about this, just like the Undead often said, he had nearly infinite time to do what he wanted, such as advancing this relationship.

Bologue held Aimou’s hand, walking towards the end of the rift along Gray Stone Rift, deliberately slowing his pace due to their different strides, maintaining the same rhythm as Aimou.

Aimou wore a carefree smile, while Bologue, despite the relaxation, remained vigilant.

As the leader, Bologue possessed a certain degree of autonomy, able to independently decide on action expansions, and currently, he intended to investigate Gray Stone Town carefully. If necessary, he hoped to resolve the hidden danger posed by Gray Stone Town as soon as possible.

Currently, the Order Bureau faces two major crises: the continuously emerging Night Race, and the Rebellious Royal Court hiding behind them; the other being the gradually collapsing balance within the Abandoned Land.

If an enemy invades the Abandoned Land along Gray Stone Town and forcibly breaks the balance, whether it frees Calamity from this world or ignites the unburned light blaze, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Oath City. Opus has already suffered too many disasters.

The sky gradually darkened, and before the light extinguished completely, Bologue saw the small town amidst the rift.

In front of the town, the townsfolk erected an iron fence as if trying to block people coming from the Great Rift. It’s also possible they’re trying to prevent people from moving towards the Great Rift from the town. Bologue was curious as to why they were doing this.