Gun of Ashes

”The world is so vast, do you really understand our ’position’? This is actually one of the great moments, positioning technology, when humans first understood the shape of the world.”

Blueprints and calculations, grids enveloping the land, thus the lands not yet reached are no longer the mythical unknown, but clearly visible on the map.

Touching the aged blueprint, Lorenzo continued speaking.

”I still remember what Merlin told me about that idea, if you can’t observe it, it doesn’t exist. You all should understand this, right?”

Joey nodded; he knew what Lorenzo was talking about, regarding that part of the prefrontal lobe removal surgery.

”We perceive the world through sensory organs, so if we can’t perceive it, does the world cease to exist for us?”

”It’s a matter of cognition, so consider it from a different perspective, Joey.”

Lorenzo continued.

”Is it precisely because of human observation that these ’great moments’ exist?”

As if touching upon bizarre taboos, the warm atmosphere turned cold, evoking an inexplicable feeling, as though some eerie presence was slowly writhing in an indistinguishable darkness.

This damned detective was always contemplating strange things, and perhaps because of this, Bluebird asked with a touch of fear.

”Do you always... love thinking so much?”

”It’s not a virtue; I sometimes can’t control my... excessive thinking. It makes me anxious and forget to enjoy the present.”

Lorenzo replied indifferently.

”Of course, this is merely a hypothesis, like a clock.”

He gazed at the clock hanging behind them; the ticking of its hands heralded the passage of the power known as ’time.’

”Humans devised calendars, and so we have what is called time...”

”But what if it wasn’t there to begin with?”

A surge of chill gripped Bluebird’s heart; he wanted to stop Lorenzo from continuing, as if this madman was attempting to challenge some forbidden rule.

Like the mad ravings of a lunatic.

”What if clocks aren’t tools for recording time, but rather because of the existence of clocks, the world came to hold the concept of ’time’?”

Though seemingly ordinary words, easily broken down into single units, when spoken by Lorenzo they carried a madness and strangeness.

According to this terrifying line of thought, the world originally had no fixed shape until the appearance of positioning technology, thus establishing the world’s shape. One could even say... beasts existed in the world initially, until some of them began to bind themselves with rules, distinguishing themselves from beasts, becoming human.

The relationship between the two was reversed, causing the entire world to go mad.

Joey looked at Lorenzo; since dying once, this lunatic had become bizarre and absurd, resembling a demon, able to bring forth effects comparable to erosion with mere whimsical words, tormenting common rationality.

”Of course, these are merely nonsense, flawed hypotheses, not worth much attention.”

With a drastic change in tone, Lorenzo feigned ease.

”Your words sound like things a mentally ill person would say,” Joey remarked.

”Ultimately, we’re battling demons. These creatures aren’t bound by normality, so our thinking has to be a bit crazy, right?” Lorenzo chuckled.

”But this is still a rational world, even alchemists like Merlin are abandoning mysticism, embracing science, aren’t they?”

Lorenzo said.

”In my view, actually... those mystic studies are no different from science.”

”No different?”

Bluebird was somewhat puzzled by Lorenzo’s self-contradictory words, maintaining a rational world yet acknowledging the weird mysticism.

Lorenzo slowly spoke.

”To me, the so-called mysticism is just science temporarily unexplained by formulas.”

He strode forward.

”Think about it, Bluebird. Hundreds of years ago, humans still wielded swords and shields; do you think they could comprehend today’s artillery? Not to mention the Ascalon Giant Cannon with a range of 130 kilometers.”

No one could imagine that humans would be limited by their own social status, even the era they lived in; everyone existed in their own cages, as if Truth cursed mortals, who could only struggle on the path of pursuit.

Like a frenetic lecture, perhaps a peaceful life had driven this great detective mad; he spoke passionately, praising humanity, celebrating humanity... In truth, he’s a self-adoring fool, rounding this scoundrel into praising himself too.

But from his occasional contemptuous gaze, he seemed unwilling to regard the two who were constantly led by his thinking as equals, at least intellectually inconsistent.

Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, truth be told, Joey was indeed momentarily intimidated by Lorenzo’s latent madness, this detective’s words were insane, but he maintained absolute rationality, sometimes blurring the lines of madness and reason.

But soon followed watchfulness, recalling what Bola had said to him before, before the Purification Mechanism officially engaged with Lorenzo, Bola had always been in contact with him. Bola had advised Joey at the time.

If possible, keep a distance from Lorenzo, not just because of this detective’s inherent danger, but also because he was a ”performer.”

Not the usual ”performer,” but more so how Lorenzo often conducted himself, life as a stage and he as the most dazzling figure on it, yet it’s all been his solo act, sometimes needing unlucky souls to highlight his prominence.

Lightly stroking the steel, its coldness akin to a sharp blade, Lorenzo gazed at the old steam engine, its smooth surface reflecting his face.

”Of course, aside from my nonsensical talk, the most important is this thing.”

Their gazes turned to the central steam engine, ”We understand its significance.”

As Ingwig people, the two deeply felt the changes brought by the steam engine, for it was its emergence that allowed Ingwig to win the Radiant War, ascending to a supreme position.

Yet Lorenzo shook his head.

”You don’t understand, this is humanity’s greatness, humans creating miracles, those moments of miracle built human society, human civilization, piling up the walls of rationality.”

His voice was calm, his pace slow, as if narrating a story long sealed by dust.

From stones to sticks, from Sword and Shield to that terrifying Armor of Original Sin.

This is a museum of history, recording humanity’s great moments, constructing all the ”concepts” of the present world.

Merlin collected them, like some mysterious ritual, or perhaps as a plan in response to disaster.

”The human epic...”

Bluebird couldn’t help but whisper.

Understanding the significance of Lorenzo’s words, every small object here bore heavy meaning.

Relying on them humans lit flames in the darkness, wielded thunder and inferno, battling demons from the shadows to this day.

”Yes, the human epic.”

Lorenzo sighed with emotion.

”It represents humans breaking through the limitations of ’biological’ existence, for the first time converting chemical energy into mechanical energy.”

Burning and rising, the roaring machines established great cities.

”If, in ancient mythology, wielding thunder and storm was the authority of a God, now we have mastered steel and the power of combustion.”

”Humanity itself is the walking Gods on earth.”

Thus the long night dawned.