Gun of Ashes

”Don’t worry, although the setup looks a bit intimidating, it’s really just because this machine is too big.”

Abigail stood in front of Lorenzo, fastening the various mechanical clasps on the chair.

She wasn’t wrong. The machine was enormous, with cables and steel resembling the roots and stems of trees, spreading from Lorenzo’s chair beneath him. As Lorenzo sat on the chair, he could clearly feel the slight tremor of the metal, as if some monster was moving below ground, but in reality, it was the steam surging through the pipes.

As an important research facility of the Purification Mechanism, the research area of Black Mountain Hospital, like the Perpetual Motion Pump beneath the Mechanical Institute, was directly powered by the Furnace Pillar, with immense energy coursing through the machinery. And with the development of lacquered antimony, this power grew even stronger.

Lorenzo looked up around him. Above was dazzling light, making it hard for him to look directly, and around him was a structure like a cage. Lorenzo was at the center of this cage.

On the way here, Arthur roughly explained this place to him. They called it the birdcage. At first, Lorenzo didn’t understand the meaning of the word, but now he started to grasp it.

He felt like a delicate little bird, trapped in this metal prison. Because of the blinding light above, Lorenzo couldn’t see the people outside the cage, but he could clearly feel several pairs of eyes fixed on him.

”What’s this machine for?” Lorenzo asked.

”To parse the brain... Actually, it’s rather complex and contradictory to explain, but I do have some time now to explain it to you.”

As Abigail spoke, a clattering sound came, with medical staff pushing a cart down the steps. They then took out some bags of medication and syringe, and skillfully hung them on the iron frame beside Lorenzo, then inserted the needle into Lorenzo’s arm.

”These are emergency measures, since this technology is still immature. Some accidents may occur in the meantime, and you’re a Demon Hunter, different from normal people... So if something really happens, these drugs will be urgently injected into you. I don’t know to what extent your Secret Blood can handle it, but having this at least counts as a safeguard.”

Accompanied by a few crisp sounds, Lorenzo was completely restrained in the chair, with steel almost entirely enveloping him. It was like a throne, yet like a prison.

”This feels like an electric chair to me.”

”Pretty much, the biggest difference is, the output of an electric chair would kill you... probably, but this won’t. You’ll at most feel pain, and some hallucinations.”

Abigail waved her hand, signaling for them to reconnect the broken cables.

”Explaining this is somewhat tricky. The Purification Mechanism has always viewed the world rationally, and so does my research facility. However, due to rationality, Merlin and I have had some disagreements in recent years.”

Abigail suddenly reached out and pressed her hand on Lorenzo’s head. Because he was restrained, Lorenzo could hardly resist.

”For example, the human brain. From a rational standpoint, humans have no will or soul to speak of. All our actions are just directed by that mass of sticky rotten flesh under the skull, and the demon’s corruption could be understood as... some kind of radiation? Or something else, whatever it is, it’s still unknown to us, so call it whatever you want.

Once corrupted, the human brain first begins to ’mutate,’ transforming into a demon and spreading this corruption, much like some kind of... [plague].”

Lorenzo frowned slightly. In Shermans’ notes, that old man had a similar view, but the truth behind the fog was still unknown to anyone.

”After all, Merlin is an Alchemist. Although he also advocates for rationality, his past identity sometimes binds him. He believes that people... might have souls, and corruption is a kind of decay to our souls.

But you should know a bit about these theories, right? They’re all just useless nonsense, but this does relate to the essence of this machine.”

Abigail grew serious.

”We are exploring the unknown in an uncontrollable way, often obtaining unknowns that exceed our current understanding.”

Gently stroking the surface of the steel, which was once covered with blood, and the people sitting in the chair either mutated into monsters or successfully received power, becoming Rangers.

This reminded Abigail of those alchemy rituals, shrouded in mystery, so similar to the experiment now. The birdcage was the altar of this ritual, and Lorenzo was the offering to be sacrificed.

”This machine is currently our most precise means of detecting corruption, whether the so-called Pseudo Holy Grail is a strange [plague] or, as Merlin speculates, some mysterious Spirit Body. Regardless of its form, as long as it exists, it will certainly have some impact on your brain.”

”Like the wind, we can’t see it, but we can hear it, feel it...” Lorenzo stated.

”Pretty much, so the first step of the experiment is to detect if your brain has any obvious anomalies, and if so, whether that anomaly is the Pseudo Holy Grail.”

Having completed all the preparations, Abigail descended from the platform. After she left the area, Merlin’s voice came through the intercom.

”How are you feeling now, Lorenzo?”