Gun of Ashes

Lorenzo quickly ducked back into the cave and ran a few steps, trying to get as far from the opening as possible. However, the gust of air still caught up to him, causing him to stumble and fall. Immediately afterwards, a wave of scalding steam swept over his body; after the intense heat came the chilling cold.

The sudden cold and heat caused Lorenzo to sneeze.

Outside was the Furnace Pillar, to be precise, one of its exhaust parts. This must be where the daily steam overflowed, released from here and guided through pipes back to the surface.

Lorenzo hadn’t anticipated it to be so massive and deadly.

As its name suggests, the main structure of the Furnace Pillar is column-shaped, like a stone pillar embedded deep underground, though no one knows how deep it truly goes. Even its creators are uncertain, with the design schematics said to number in the thousands, weighing over twenty tons stacked together.

Of course, this was only the initial scale of the Furnace Pillar. Over the years of technological updates and the researchers’ whimsical ideas, more and more new functions have been installed, allowing the Furnace Pillar to grow rampantly with Old Dunling’s expansion into its current form.

Standing at the entrance of the cave, darkness did not affect Lorenzo’s vision as he could see the steel barriers extending endlessly into the horizon. The surface was riddled with countless exhaust holes, the air was humid and warm, with occasional puddles of water.

It seemed the exhaust had temporarily ended, and Lorenzo cautiously leapt down from the cave’s entrance, landing on the damp ground.

A few corpses lay nearby from where he landed, appearing long dead, flesh decayed and clothing tangled in an unappetizing mess. Arms stretched upward, the last postures they held in life.

Lorenzo could easily deduce their identities and cause of death. They were likely Inferior Rats, trying to escape Old Dunling’s harsh winters by warming themselves here but were instantly suffocated and cooked by the scorching steam.

His gaze shifted as Lorenzo realized the Rat King must have led him here for a reason. He pushed forward into the darkness, somewhat anxious in his search.

He dared not stray too far from the cave entrance. Despite being a Demon Hunter with experience in perilous situations, Lorenzo had never been steamed by such heat and felt uneasy.

Unsure of when the next exhaust would occur, Lorenzo worried he might be too far from the entrance without any shelter.

After progressing intensely, mechanical sounds echoed as scalding air prepared to release. At that moment, Lorenzo spotted an exit—a staircase on the other side of the wall extending upwards to faint light, a worker’s maintenance passage.

Without much thought, Lorenzo dashed toward the maintenance passage. He was confident he’d reach it before the steam enveloped him.

What one may call dexterity—propelling himself, feet pounding rusted steps in brisk succession, as high-temperature gases began releasing, wind whistling in the dark.

Suddenly, one of Lorenzo’s steps fell short. The ladder, worn from dampness day and night, now gave way under Lorenzo’s tread, fracturing instantly.

Lorenzo swiftly swung his folding blade like he had in the Rat Nest, embedding it into the wall to propel further. The lock had long rusted, but fortunately, Lorenzo’s physique suited forcing locks open. As the knife hilt struck the lock sharply, with a cringe-inducing sharp sound, Lorenzo opened the door, slamming it shut as the high-temperature gases rushed.

He found himself in a secure space with dense and muggy air akin to a steam oven.

Lorenzo grew increasingly curious about what awaited him next and, if ever given the time, wished to explore this mystical underground world where shadows hid potentially strange things beyond the reach of light.

The passage stretched far and lonely, showing signs that others had come before. Lorenzo kept moving deeper until, after some time, resurfaced outside, though not as he expected.

It was a large underground space, the passage ended at the mechanicals of the Furnace Pillar. Someone must’ve modified this area, as structures not originally part of the machinery stood atop. From afar, Lorenzo could even see figures moving about.

The sound of water rushing flowed from within, Lorenzo crouched low. His position was elevated, the ladder to this point appeared broken long ago. Those individuals hadn’t noticed the hidden entrance here.

Lorenzo concealed himself behind the pipes; this space situated in dark underground had only a few spotlights maintaining illumination, which due to limitations couldn’t light up everything. Lorenzo hid in the darkness, unnoticed.

”Are these people scavenging?”

He focused his gaze, the area seemed like one of the Furnace Pillar’s intake points. As boilers required water, Thames River had been diverted into the Furnace Pillar, this should be one of several intakes, yet this group set up a net in the channel to filter debris from the water.

No…it’s not just about filtering debris; they purposefully find what they want among the debris, one by one encased in waterproof cloth.

”Smuggling?”

Lorenzo was slightly surprised. Though smuggling was common in the Lower City District, like hiding items by swallowing them or placing them inside buckets affixed under boats, but he’d never seen such a method before.

They tossed items into a specific section of the Thames River, letting it flow and arrive here.

Not exactly genius, but a creative approach nonetheless.

Why did the Rat King guide him here?

Curiosity piqued, Lorenzo approached closer, lurking within shadows inching toward the underground dock, hand clutching the folding blade, gaze icy.

”Is this all the cargo?”

Someone asked.

”Yes, the last crate,” someone replied.

The person pried open a crate, though waterproof measures were taken, some water had seeped in, but it didn’t affect much. He stared at the soaked pharmaceuticals, their surface shimmering hypnotically.

”Times are stricter now, with hallucinogen channels mostly blocked off, only we have supply left—it’s a big opportunity for profit,” another commented.

”Those profits aren’t for us, but even catching some spillover is plenty.”

A man said, reaching into the crate and casually pulling one vial out.

”This batch is intact with no damage…but there’s a damage standard from above.”

Looking around at the fellows, all wore devious smiles. Due to transport methods, goods often sustained damage. Though this batch was intact, artificial ”damage” was expected, only they were present; nobody would notice.

The man distributed the hallucinogens; impatience led some to inject immediately, the expression like journeying to the Celestial Kingdom.

Steps wobbled before collapsing, causing everyone to laugh, yet none realized the lurking danger within darkness.

Lorenzo crept slowly from the shadows, face stern, suddenly understanding everything.

Despite distance and prevailing darkness, upon hallucinogen injection, Lorenzo intensely sensed unsettling aura.

Demon’s aura.

The fallen man climbed to his feet, hallucinations taking hold in his mind, gaze dazed, yet something drew his attention suddenly, eyes fixed on the dark.

Blazing white flame rose in the darkness, possibly fantasy driven by hallucination; he rubbed his eyes and it vanished, laughing foolishly, fully relaxed.