Gun of Ashes

”With a mindset to give it a try, I hid in the shadows and became the biggest winner behind the scenes. Those thugs would never have guessed that it was I who intervened in all of this.”

Heracles confessed.

”That was the beginning of my turning point. I understood how to use this power, and thus the Inferior Rat emerged.”

”In a short period of time, I accumulated a huge fortune, yet no one knew about it. I was like a shadow. At that time, I thought about leaving here, but soon something changed my mind. That’s the reason I sought ’you.’”

This was the point Lorenzo could never figure out. It was clear that Heracles indeed had no malice towards him, but there was another strange feeling, one that was very familiar. Lorenzo had felt it with Merlin, the mysterious Alchemist who once asked Lorenzo if he was interested in donating his body after his death.

Heracles was very curious. He was a seeker of knowledge, yearning for those mysterious insights.

”The Rat King was merely a smokescreen, a gimmick, just a chinchilla named Polo.”

”You should be aware of the chaos and danger in the Lower City District. The stronger the Inferior Rat grows, the more dangerous I become. Rather than worrying, it’s better to shift the conflict there.”

Lorenzo listened to him, lifting Polo, ”So this Polo became the Rat King?”

Heracles nodded, with a smile on his face.

”Polo is my lucky rat. Although it died in a shipwreck, if it weren’t for that chattering old rat, I might have gone completely mad. So after accumulating enough capital, I bought it from a merchant, the second-generation Polo.”

”The mysterious Rat King manages all the Inferior Rats. Of course, the actual operator is still me, but when someone harbors ill intent, they only seek the Rat King, not a mere information broker.”

Heracles continued, ”So, shall we get to the point now?”

Lorenzo responded.

”You are a purveyor of information, you should understand the value of it. Now that you’ve shared these hidden and deadly stories with me, what do you hope to gain in return?”

Heracles laughed more heartily, ”You are a clever man, Mr. Holmes.”

”That’s another story. At that time, with the wealth I had amassed, I wanted to return to Lish, but...people are always greedy, right?”

”You crave more wealth?”

Heracles shook his head, overly excited, his face flushed.

”You are like me, Mr. Holmes. Our way of thinking is different from ordinary people. Can wealth really move you?”

Lorenzo remained silent. If faced with a difficult decision, wealth obviously wouldn’t sway him. If he truly needed it, he could just take it; Lorenzo didn’t think the current bank security could stop him.

”Yes, those are commonplace things. In fact, I used to pursue those things long ago, but the shipwreck completely changed me.” He said.

”A person’s pursuit shouldn’t be those things, but those more mysterious, or rather essential things. So, what about those forbidden knowledge? That’s what is worth going mad over for people like us, isn’t it?”

Heracles began his seemingly mad speech, as if something had been triggered. Lorenzo looked at Heracles and, for the first time, felt a bit of similarity with this guy.

”I am the Rat King, managing all the Inferior Rats. They roam every corner of this city, and I exchange wealth for their sights and sounds. They are my eyes and ears, continuously sending a stream of information to my mind...it’s a very distorted desire for control.”

The words became passionate, as if a fire had ignited.

”I can deduce the fluctuations in prices from conversations at the docks, piece together a smuggling operation from idle talk among thugs, and I’ve even reached out towards City Hall.”

”Don’t be skeptical, Mr. Holmes, it’s actually quite simple. I can’t guess what dish the cook will prepare at night, but I can judge what he bought through the amount of market stock.”

”Sounds full of loopholes,” Lorenzo said, feigning calm.

”That’s why there’s always a certain margin of error in the stories I deduce, to account for inaccuracies,

just like you took out those thugs with a spoon...but that’s hardly in line with ordinary logic, is it? So, to correct these ’loopholes,’ I make some modifications to the stories, like your waterlogged shotgun can fire normally.”

Lorenzo’s expression was serious. He involuntarily tightened his grip on Polo in his arms. Though not human, the big rat could sense the heavy atmosphere, curled up in a ball, motionless.

”The information brought by the Inferior Rats is increasing and becoming more timely. The more I know, the clearer this entire city becomes to me. I can even analyze it to predict any event occurring in this city!”

Heracles’s eyes were fervent.

”Mr. Holmes, sometimes I feel like I’m akin to Queen Victoria, with complete control over this city.”

Lorenzo stared deeply at him, then said somewhat disdainfully.

”Impossible, a mere mortal can’t accomplish all this. Better than your tale, I’d believe you’re not the Rat King; you’re just one of his puppets. In some archive beneath Old Dunling, dozens...perhaps hundreds of people are integrating the intelligence from the Inferior Rats, holding laughable storytelling sessions, then handing it over to you, so you can perform your charlatan act in front of me.”