Bologue lay among the verdant wild grasses, feeling the damp dew between the green leaves and the soft soil beneath him... Everything here is so relaxing.

The Wind Source Highlands weren't always so isolated. It's sparsely populated simply because it lies within the core territory of the Clarks family. In this era of information, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the Clarks family has exercised control over the core area.

But outside the core region, there are traces of human activity. Some towns even exist, mostly under the management of the Clarks family, bringing enormous wealth to the family each year.

Palmer mentioned that in recent years, due to industrialization and the beautiful environment of the Wind Source Highlands, more and more people have moved there to retire, leading the Clarks family to earn significantly from selling houses.

Palmer said if it weren't for his own duties, he considered opening a resort in the Wind Source Highlands to be quite appealing.

Aimou acted like a child... to be precise, she was a child. She laid beside Bologue to feel the continuous tranquility of life. With her boundless energy, she ran wildly across the fields, encountering Leica who crawled out of its nest, and rode Leica as they recklessly charged forward.

Leica seemed quite happy too, having a strong fondness for this guest who secretly fed it delicious food against a healthy diet.

Only Palmer felt a bit uncomfortable, worrying about the aged body of Leica as it ran around.

Like the Wind-Eroded Bird, Leica is an alchemical creature, a Wind Chasing Dog born from the foundation of canine species augmented by alchemy technology.

The difference between them is, Wind-Eroded Birds are considered degraded as alchemical creatures, lacking any intelligence, relying solely on biological instincts to fight, and exceedingly bloodthirsty, essentially serving as biochemical weapons.

As a Wind Chasing Dog, Leica possesses a degree of intelligence, with loyal characteristics, and through years of nurturing, can execute relatively complex tactics.

During the Clarks family's long development before the age of industrialization, to control the vast territory of Wind Source Highlands, they created the Wind Chasing Dog as an alchemical creature.

Unlike the leisurely and indulging Leica of today, historically, Wind Chasing Dogs wore iron armor, relying on their speed and strength to crush enemy skulls into fragments.

Their figures even appeared in the Dawn War a century ago. Due to the backward alchemy matrix technology, the coalition relied heavily on these alchemical creatures as auxiliary troops.

With the gradual excavation of the Secret Source and advancement in alchemy matrix technology in recent years, these expensive and high-maintenance alchemical creatures have gradually retreated from the historical stage.

Solid railways and roaring internal combustion engines replaced Wind Chasing Dogs, leading to a decline in their breeding over the years. Today, only a few are still bred within the Fortress of the Morning Wind, serving as witnesses to history.

From then on, Leica shed its duties as a combat unit, turning into Palmer's companion, running and frolicking with him.

Now accompanying Aimou running around, it's essentially returning to Leica's old trade.

Palmer sat down next to Bologue, who suddenly spoke, "Actually, I always thought Leica had already passed away."

"Huh?"

"Isn't it so? Only something that's dead needs to be commemorated with a name."

"You really are..." Palmer didn't know what to say for a moment, but looked at Leica again, his gaze turning sorrowful, "Actually, I'm pretty surprised that Leica could live this long."

"According to the books, the average lifespan of Wind Chasing Dogs is around fifteen years, and Leica was my birthday gift when I was six," Palmer calculated simply, "It's already a total grandfather."

Bologue keenly noticed Palmer's hidden emotions, "Leica is still alive, so why are you so sad?"

Palmer replied irritably, "Seeing it still alive makes me very happy, but thinking about its impending death makes me very sad... Is this hard to understand?"

"It's really surprising," Bologue bluntly commented, "I didn't expect your emotions to be so sensitive and delicate."

"What's so surprising? I'm very concerned about anything I invest personal emotions into, okay?"

"But when working with me, I haven't seen you like this."

Bologue recalled their work experiences, where he was either implicated by Palmer's misfortune or doing all the work himself while Palmer zoned out beside him.

Only two answers remain: either Palmer is lying, or he doesn't care about Bologue as a partner at all.

"You are the Undead!"

Palmer emphasized, "You're the guy who's absolutely never going to die."

"So?"

"So I don't need to worry about your death," Palmer reiterated, "You are eternal, you won't die, I don't need to fear losing you, it's so relaxing."

Talking about immortality, Palmer's expression was immensely relaxed, though he was the Undead, his expression made Bologue feel as if he were the Undead.

"Don't be fooled by his demeanor; this guy's personality is very sensitive."

Church sat down beside him, as Palmer's former partner, he had a lot to say about this.

"After I got injured, this guy tried to compensate me, treating me every day, to the extent he couldn't pay the rent... For a while, he spent his nights on the sofa in the lounge."

Church pointed to his own eye as he spoke; it was an Alchemy Eye, and it was the weakness of Church's Secret Energy·Faceless Man.

Palmer glared at Church, the feeling of having his inner thoughts exposed was terrible, but upon seeing Church's eye, his momentum faltered somewhat.

Church seemed no longer angry about the past; he might have never cared, simply finding Palmer's reaction amusing.

Bologue lay completely relaxed on the grass, Palmer hugged his knees, gazing into the distance, while Church supported himself with one arm on the ground, the other resting on his propped-up knee.

The three sat together, watching Aimou scampering with Leica in the distance—on the verdant fields, the lovable dog and adorable girl made them all feel that nothing could be better than this.

"I just..."

Palmer began to think, following the line of thought from the morning, pondering his desires, his relationship with Vasilina, and many other perplexing issues.

Gradually, Palmer realized one thing: living in Oubos of Oath City, although filled with conspiracies and fights, all these things could be solved with violence.

As a field staff, Palmer was adept at violence, not to mention he had a partner who was extremely violent.

There was almost no worry in his work life to speak of, and after work, there was the endless drinking party at the Undying Club...

Palmer discovered that his life in Oubos within Oath City made no psychological progress at all; now, psychologically, he was no different from when he first entered the workforce.

Work served as a great excuse for Palmer to avoid numerous worries and the curse that bothered him since childhood.

"I'm just... so afraid of losing."

The gentle breeze caressed his tender heart, perhaps making Palmer incredibly relaxed in the scene, so much so that he inadvertently brought up the thought he had hidden away.

"Every time I think about Leica, my longtime companion, dying, I feel very sad."

Palmer glanced at Church as he spoke, "It's the same with you. Just thinking about how we almost died in that ritual fills me with panic."

Church's fake eye not only reminded Palmer of that crazy past but also constantly warned him how close he came to losing his partner.

Church said, "As a member of the Order Bureau, you should be indifferent to death."

"No, I can be indifferent to my own death, really, I feel like death means nothing to me," Palmer shook his head, "but I can't accept the death of others, the destruction of things I care about, that's what I can't endure."

"I can tell," Bologue nodded, "When you told me about your conception of the afterlife, I could sense it."

"Why?"

Palmer didn't understand; in his eyes, Bologue was a complete oddball, sometimes painfully oblivious, sometimes startlingly perceptive, leaving one unsure if he genuinely didn't understand anything or just pretended not to.

"At first, I couldn't quite grasp it, but ever since we got the company car, I suddenly realized."

Bologue couldn't recall what day it was, just another night after work when Palmer happily hummed along with the radio, occasionally slapping the steering wheel, cursing the cars cutting in front.

This guy was extremely happy, and the scene Palmer envisioned for the afterworld was so similar to now.

"Riding in a car with friends, traveling an endless highway... eternal joy, eternal friends, eternal companionship, eternal parties."

Bologue assessed this, "That was too easy to guess."

Palmer was left speechless by Bologue's words; in truth, Palmer had never thought about these things, but following Bologue's line, he felt Bologue was absolutely right.

Palmer loved this feeling, being with friends, the idea of happy times never ending, like right now, this felt great.

But the sad thing is, Aimou will tire of playing, Leica will get exhausted, the sun will set, night will fall, and the three of them cannot stay here forever...

Everything has its end, just as even the weightiest tome has its final page.

"I think I know why I am so afraid of Vasilina."

Palmer murmured as something dawned on him.

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