Gun of Ashes

”Your recent remarks resemble that kind of idealism.”

The Bluebird said slowly.

”All those ideologies are just ’labels’.”

Lorenzo interrupted Bluebird directly. He looked at the man in front of him and continued speaking.

”Diligent, silent, devout believer... Actually, these things are just what we use to present the first impression to others. Some people use them to earn trust, others to deceive.”

Lorenzo restrained his smile; his eyes kept darting nervously, and his hands constantly shifted positions, appearing uneasy.

In a brief switch, Lorenzo appeared like a timid coward, but it lasted only for an instant; he quickly reverted to his previous demeanor, appearing indifferent.

”But this is still a prototype.”

His thoughts shifted rapidly, pulling the topic back here.

This feeling is quite strange. In his chaotic thoughts, Lorenzo felt as if he touched something, possibly the truth of this bizarre world.

But it’s not time yet; the gates of Truth remain tightly closed; this isn’t the moment for them to swing open.

”Something is still missing here.”

Lorenzo scanned the room, different objects stacked here with meanings that cover the known world, continuously intertwining and extending through human history.

From past to present.

But it’s missing this one thing.

Lorenzo found its place; behind the steam engine, in the mound was a blank space, as if reserved for something.

This is its place, a void beyond the past and present, the force to change the current situation and exist in the future.

”The past, present, and future; perhaps this was Arthur’s intent in establishing this place.”

Lorenzo said, ”Bow in reverence, for now, you stand amidst humanity’s miracle.”

Bluebird took a deep breath; he was a devout believer, though Lorenzo wasn’t clear on what the Evangelical Church’s obscure doctrines had worth believing in, but based on Bluebird’s usual behavior, this was indeed the case.

”A miracle? Sometimes people tend to overlook these details of life.” He said with a touch of self-deprecation.

People tend to neglect what’s within reach, like those walking on the streets of Old Dunling; sometimes, they’ve never thought about the greatness and miracle they dwell in, even Bluebird is like them.

This indeed broadened Bluebird’s vision. From another perspective, even an ordinary coin held extraordinary meaning.

Compared to the doctrines, everything here can be physically touched, the miracles manifested.

”You guys here?”

A puzzled and fatigued voice sounded; the Red Falcon stood exhaustedly outside the door.

The three turned their heads to look at him; it seemed this unfortunate soul had finished his report.

The Red Falcon glanced at the strange warehouse, like an observer with poor taste; he didn’t even ask why the three were here.

”We don’t have enough firewood; if you don’t want to freeze to death, come help quickly.”

All the immense force and miracles were shattered in the face of hunger and warmth, those luxuriously adorned things.

Located in the suburbs far from Old Dunling, the steam pipes haven’t reached here. Daily life is like it was a hundred years ago; calling it retro sounds nice, calling it backward sounds not. In the initial days, Lorenzo felt extremely uncomfortable with life here, like arriving at some dreadful rural homestay.

The solemn and stern atmosphere just now was swept away; the four walked down together, powerless.

Arthur used this castle as a warehouse; it didn’t need servants or maintenance, just the minimal manpower. This situation led to operational issues when these four appeared out of nowhere; many matters required them to resolve themselves.

This place is indeed suitable for short-term isolation or a vacation, with no people around; the only connection to the outside world is the occasional passing train, which wouldn’t stop here because the place isn’t marked on the map.

With the strength of a Demon Hunter, chopping firewood naturally fell to Lorenzo. Initially, he was very uncooperative, but had to reluctantly comply for the sake of the roaring fireplace.

Busy until sunset, a new round of survival resources was prepared; the four nestled by the fireplace, found a comfortable spot amidst the chaotic pile of goods, and carefully chewed the dinner prepared by the few servants.

Actually, Lorenzo’s mental state had been off during these days... To be precise, it got strange after his revival.

At first, hearing Arthur’s description of the scene, Lorenzo was shocked and couldn’t believe it.

He remembered lastly breaking through his limits, entering Demonization. But Lorenzo knew well, given his condition then, with the continuously dissolving Silver Binding Bolt, he merely lingered desperately, with no chance of survival.

Yet he survived, without anyone controlling it, the Black Angel activated automatically, and in the end, it battled the Holy Grail Flesh...

Lorenzo looked down at the familiar yet foreign hand in the firelight; he had already guessed something.

It was Watson, at the last moment Watson saved him, using the flesh of the Holy Grail for his rebirth.

This can’t really be called rebirth; people can’t rise from the dead; death is the end, with no return. For Lorenzo, he was on the brink of death, dragged back by the Holy Grail’s powerful healing.

The other three ate intently; only Lorenzo was faintly troubled by the flames in the fireplace.

”Sigh...”

Thinking about this, Lorenzo sighed deeply; strange things inside his body increased again.

But what can be done about it?

From Lorenzo’s own perspective, he’s always been living under the mercy of the Death God. According to a crappy fate, he should have died on that burning night, yet Lorenzo not only survived but also made it to Old Dunling. And this time, he was supposed to die with Lawrence, but he survived again, continually winning time in front of the Death God.

This made Lorenzo think of that crazy gambler. This is the gambler’s favorite moment, where not only did you win everything from the gambling table before the Death God’s scythe fell, but you also lightly brushed against the dark robe, tainting yourself with the breath of death.

Perhaps only those whose lives are utterly meaningless would love such a moment, for only in that intersection with death can they feel truly alive.

The atmosphere felt like a warm afternoon, only outside the window was pitch black.

Lorenzo placed the tray to the side, lazily curling up on the soft sofa like many days in the past.

Although it was boring, Joey and the others greatly enjoyed this rare leisure, as if demons had been briefly deleted from their world.

Lorenzo, however, wasn’t quite used to it. A life full of running suddenly calmed down, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

But no matter the situation, people can always survive, and leisure isn’t too bad.

”Just like this?”

Lorenzo suddenly spoke up.

The few people beside him cast wary glances, having deeply felt the power of Lorenzo’s rotten words after these days of interaction.

If Lorenzo were to start a cult, with his ridiculous idiot aura, he could definitely drive a group of people insane.

The most wary among them was the Bluebird. In his view, Lorenzo was like a demon, possessing some kind of spreading pollution power, affecting those around him unconsciously. The Red Falcon was deeply affected, to the point where he could hardly notice it, but the Bluebird was different; he kept a safe distance from Lorenzo.

”What’s like this?” Joey asked.

”I mean, isn’t this life boring? At least it’s like a paid vacation; why is it like asceticism?”

”This is far better than any ascetic environment,” Bluebird said.

”Then what do you want to do?” The Red Falcon had not realized he was starting to go as crazy as Lorenzo.

Lorenzo gave a thumbs-up to the Red Falcon; he was waiting for someone to respond.

”Anyway, the long night is endless, so why not tell some stories? I’m quite curious about how you all got into the Purification Mechanism!”

Lorenzo looked at everyone with excitement. Ever since returning from the dead, his mental state had become quite odd.

But Lorenzo himself hadn’t realized this. His gaze first fell on the Red Falcon. Obviously, the Red Falcon was different from the other two... to be precise, these people were all quite different from each other.

The Red Falcon had said he was once a thug, admired by Bola and then infiltrated the Purification Mechanism; as for Bluebird, Lorenzo was unsure, but from his pious demeanor, his origins must be quite peculiar.

Lastly, there was Joey, with the codename Mystic Phoenix. Unlike the others, he didn’t mind whether he was referred to by his codename or real name, and judging from his demeanor and temperament, he likely came from a wealthy family. It was just unexpected for him to have joined the Purification Mechanism.

It seemed just as Arthur had said: they were people connected by will, not caring about identity, class, or past, gathered within the war machine named the Purification Mechanism.

It was almost like a bizarre garbage can, putting all sorts of things inside.

”What’s there to talk about?”

The Red Falcon was a bit puzzled. ”It’s just like that, I needed a job to ensure I wouldn’t starve, so Bola gave me a job.”

Joey also nodded.

”Family business; I followed the family arrangement and ended up here.”

”Origin? I wanted to find the true meaning of faith among the demons.” Bluebird’s words had a much higher tone than the previous ones.

Lorenzo looked at everyone with a confused face.

In his anticipation, he thought there would be a group of grizzled old men sitting around the fireplace, sharing deep pasts, with an atmosphere of seriousness and silence, unveiling already scabbed wounds. But it turned out to be as simple and casual as a security guard asking which household you belonged to.

”No... wait a minute.”

Lorenzo began organizing his thoughts, first looking at the Red Falcon.

”Because you didn’t want to starve, you took up this kind of job?”

This isn’t just any serious job; this involves fighting demons, like someone about to starve, and someone hands him a knife, and they go wrestle with a lion... actually, you wouldn’t starve even if you resort to robbery!

Then there was Joey, and Lorenzo asked.

”Family business?”

Joey nodded, solemnly saying, ”Although not a prestigious family, since the inception of the Purification Mechanism, the Joshua family has established a strong bond with it.”

So sending one person to die wasn’t enough, you have to take the descendants along too? Lorenzo screamed in his heart.

In the end, it was Bluebird’s reason that turned serious, but he did not explain anything, instead looking at Lorenzo with curiosity and said.

”Actually, I want to ask you something, Mr. Holmes.”

”What is it?”

”Are you interested in telling about your time with the Demon Hunting Order? Apart from these, I’m quite interested in the mysterious Demon Hunting Order,” Bluebird asked.