For this reason, under normal circumstances, Seekers of Glory absolutely do not operate in the mundane world; they mostly hide in the shadows, giving enemies an invisible deterrent. Thus, when Seekers of Glory do not participate in battle, Defenders become the main force for various powers to maintain their ruling order.This situation applies to almost all Extraordinary influences, including the Order Bureau. Within the Order Bureau, Defenders hold various key positions and are crucial for maintaining the Bureau’s operations.
Bologue never imagined that the Decision Room would actually send a Defender to be the Outpost leader. Bologue wasn’t the only one surprised; Palmer also looked shocked. Fortunately, he didn’t make a fool of himself this time; the shock lasted only for a moment before he naturally concealed it.
He whispered, "Bologue, I sense something is amiss."
Bologue softly replied, "It’s too late to turn back now."
As soon as the words fell, the Curved Path Gate slowly closed, its heavy resonance echoing around the two of them.
Now Bologue is considered to be in a high position, and he has a rough understanding of the Order Bureau’s power structure.
Dividing the Order Bureau into three parts, one-third of the power concentrates at the headquarters in Oubos, responsible for the Bureau’s main operations, guarding the deadly demons and monsters in the city and acting as a fortress against the King’s Secret Sword.
Another third of the power belongs to the Extraordinary Clans and Secret Societies that support the Order Bureau. They are the main source of personnel and logistical resources for the Bureau.
The remaining third is made up of the outposts scattered across the vast lands of the Rhine Alliance.
No matter how strong the Order Bureau is, its ruling power is hardly able to radiate across the entire Rhine Alliance from Oubos, nor can those Extraordinary Clans and Secret Societies.
To address this problem, the Order Bureau has placed numerous outposts within the territory at a certain density. Depending on the importance of the watch region, the number of personnel and overall strength of the outposts vary.
The vast majority of outposts are maintained by Prayer Believers, with a few managed by Negative Power Users. This was the first time Bologue had seen a Defender stationed at an outpost. What’s more problematic is that besides him, there were quite a number of Negative Power Users in the outpost.
This isn’t an outpost anymore; it’s practically a fortress.
"Welcome, long time no see, Deputy Director."
The man stepped forward and shook hands with Nesanel. His voice was very gentle, reminding Bologue of a teacher in a classroom.
Nesanel responded with a smile, "Indeed, it’s been long, Heine."
"I didn’t think you would travel together."
Heine looked towards Ossana within the crowd. The two of them seemed like acquaintances. Ossana merely nodded to Heine and had no intention of saying more.
Heine’s smile remained, and he then greeted Holt, "Oh, Holt is here too. We haven’t seen each other for a while, have we?"
"It’s been over ten years," Holt proactively stepped forward and shook hands with Heine, "I miss the days working here."
It seems Holt had always worked here before overseeing the Desperate Outpost.
The tedious small talk continued, and Heine shifted his attention to Bologue and Palmer, who also engaged in conversation.
"Palmer Clarks."
"Oh, the lad from the Clarks, I’ve heard of your story."
Palmer didn’t know what to say. He had been troubled by gaining fame at a young age, and worse, it wasn’t a good reputation.
Heine then looked at Bologue. Before Bologue could speak, Heine took the initiative.
"Bologue Lazarus? I know you."
The other’s unprompted comment disrupted Bologue’s prepared speech, and Heine continued, "I’ve always wanted to meet you, the shining star of the Order Bureau. But due to work, the last time I left here was during the Secret War period."
"Shining star?"
Bologue paused in surprise; what on earth was that name?
"Don’t you know? You’re known for your rapid rise in position and tier within the Bureau; everyone calls you that," he added whisperingly, "If not for your Undead identity, I’d suspect you’re Nesanel’s illegitimate child."
Heine glanced at Bologue, then Nesanel, "At least your eyes are quite similar."
Bologue suddenly realized this guy wasn’t so gentlemanly after all.
Heine took a few steps back, giving Bologue no chance to speak as he clapped his hands vigorously to draw everyone’s attention.
"Alright, now let’s move on to the next item!"
Heine turned to lead the way, Nesanel closely following. The group moved forward again, while Bologue and Palmer whispered together.
"Do you know this place?"
"I don’t know; I have no impression at all," Palmer said, "Forty-Sixth Outpost, all the Bureau’s outposts are numbered.... Can you distinctly remember anyone from a bunch of numbers?"
"Of course."
"Well, perhaps your math is good, or maybe you have a good memory," Palmer abruptly interrupted himself, "Wait a second, what I wanted to say was..."
"The Condenser setup here is a bit too luxurious?" Bologue quickly said.
Palmer was momentarily speechless but then nodded repeatedly, "Yes, the setup is indeed too luxurious, a Defender among a bunch of Negative Power Users; it’s practically the Tenth Group’s arrangement. They’ve assigned an action group here! Damn, what are they guarding? The previous outpost with such a setup was guarding something like a Calamity of this world."
After rising to Negative Power User, Palmer got a bit carried away, and now reality was harshly bringing him back.
"I can probably guess some reasons." Bologue and Palmer were walking slowly, following at the very end.
Palmer regained his composure and said, "I’ve guessed it too."
Their gaze simultaneously fell on Ossana’s back, and Bologue spoke first, "No matter what, the All Secrets Order poses a potential threat to the Order Bureau; maintaining independence and peace is fine, but once they choose to oppose the Bureau, it’ll be a blade penetrating from the inside."
Bologue suddenly thought, if during the Secret War, the All Secrets Order had teamed up with the King’s Secret Sword, attacking the Order Bureau from within, the outcome would have been unpredictable.
"The Forty-Sixth Outpost is responsible for monitoring the All Secrets Order and will become a fortress if necessary to block their attack or help the Order Bureau attack."
Palmer subconsciously touched the hilt of the dagger at his waist, realizing this trip was not as simple as imagined, and no one knew what awaited them next.