Gun of Ashes

”So? Is it because alchemy is so mysterious, or is it that our existing knowledge cannot explain it?”

Lorenzo couldn’t answer the queen’s question; it was already beyond his realm of understanding.

”When faced with the unknown, people often seek help from others. But when others cannot explain it either, they place their hopes in some elusive gods, attempting to save themselves through faith...

Look at the Demon Hunting Order, you hold the technology of demons, yet explain it under the guise of divine power, whereas the Purification Mechanism rationally views all this.”

The queen’s words suddenly stopped, she looked at Lorenzo with amusement, and at this moment, the most central secret of the country was thus opened to him, so abruptly.

Seeing Lorenzo’s somewhat dazed appearance was truly amusing, the queen finally asked.

”You should know the answer, right? Mr. Holmes.”

Clearly, Lorenzo knew.

The world was shrouded by layer upon layer of veils, hiding the true visage behind the curtain, and Lorenzo had already vaguely glimpsed a corner of that reality.

”Steam engines... no, all existing industrial power... all of this is ’alchemy’, albeit ’alchemy’ whose principles we can understand and explain.”

Suddenly, everything about the Evangelical Church and the Demon Hunting Order flashed in his mind.

The Silver Binding Bolt far surpasses modern industrial technology, the extremely mysterious Divine Favor Baptism, and the Well of Ascension crafted like a gift from the gods; all of these things sketch out a hideous shadow, completely enveloping Lorenzo.

”After the Golden Dawn split, with the passage of time, all of this was eroded by time, only families like ours Victoria, who rule a realm, have a clear record of all this; the rest of the alchemists have forgotten these due to interrupted knowledge.”

”During the Radiant War, we attempted to leverage whatever alchemy we had to change the tide of war, but as you know, this force far exceeds basic understanding and cannot be utilized on a large scale. And over so many years, even our Victoria family’s understanding of alchemy has continued to weaken.”

The queen laughed self-deprecatingly.

”After all, having become king, who still cares about these alchemy things? Initially, the Victoria family internally disdained all this, family members thought all this was just ancient faith, witchcraft that should have been abandoned long ago, no one believed in the authenticity of these things, they were retained only for the history of the family.”

”Until the Radiant War...”

Lorenzo guessed the story that would follow.

”Yes, war came, in despair, people would desperately strive for survival regardless of the cost, the buried alchemy was picked up again, but still couldn’t change the situation until we remembered those alchemists who stayed in the divided lands.”

The land of Ingwig was shrouded in gunpowder smoke, the army of Gaulunaro advanced, and steps forward would put Old Dunling right in front.

”This was a desperate attempt. We termed those staying alchemists as Secret Keepers, they guarded the most complete knowledge of the Golden Dawn and built a vast library, we placed hope in them advancing in accordance with family history.

We didn’t know if they still lived, if they continued to guard those secrets… I don’t know what happened next, as there’s no record in the family about that journey. In any case, after that, improved steam engines appeared, a new industrial system emerged in Ingwig, we won the Radiant War and took the dominant position in the Western world.”

The queen slowly stood up, discovering a metallic crashing sound within her body, her body slightly shook and trembled, yet she still managed to stand up, normal as any person.

”As for the cost of all this, it was the King’s Curse.”

With a smile, showing no pain—not really, to be precise, she couldn’t feel pain anymore, to hide the secret of the King’s Curse, the queen had long cut her nerves and used bizarre alchemy to mitigate its impact.

Lorenzo could see it, beneath her dress, pale limbs were adorned with spikes and machinery so she could freely move temporarily without anyone’s help.

To keep this secret hidden, she paid a considerable price to disguise herself as a normal person.

”I don’t know exactly what the King’s Curse is, but it’s believable that it’s a curse, a price for that knowledge. Luckily, the Victoria family is resilient, we haven’t been completely destroyed by this curse.”

The queen walked before Lorenzo, filled with the scent of death, that was the essence of the King’s Curse.

”And from here onward, it’s what we need to entrust you with.”

”Is it regarding the King of the Ice Sea’s commission?”

It was this commission, due to which Lorenzo met Queen Victoria, and through this commission, he was informed of secrets enough to shake the world.

The price of the Viking nations.

Cold sweat slid down Lorenzo’s neck.

Indeed, the price of the Viking nations, that’s what Queen Victoria wanted, so what was this price worth to her for paying so much?

”The split land of the Golden Dawn only exists in the family’s historical record, it’s beyond the distant Ice Sea, we call it the World’s End, and the Secret Keepers along with those libraries of knowledge are located within the World’s End.

Before trading with Jiuxia, we have revisited there several times, results were fruitless as these seemed to be just myth legends, not existing in reality.

But we all know they exist, just unwilling to connect with the outside world for some reason.”

The queen explained.

Lorenzo still put on a calm facade, but inside, he was erupting with towering waves.

The north, why is it also the north?

Lorenzo recalled the legend circulated within the Evangelical Church, the initial saints couldn’t bear the darkness’s cruelty, heading towards the Promised Land in the north, retrieving the Gospel and Revelation to repel the darkness.

Similarly originated from that cold north, could the origin of the Evangelical Church and the split Golden Dawn be related?

His gray-blue eyes raised strongly, he gazed directly at the woman before him, awaiting her final answer.

”The passage to the World’s End must pass through the Viking nations, they don’t know of this existence, but after all, being in the north, they have somewhat some tales about the Secret Keepers. No matter what they know, we must ensure the Secret Keepers’ power doesn’t leak out.”

”So the price paid by the Viking nations is, indeed the passage of the Ice Sea, is it?”

”Everyone thinks it’s a desolate deadland, but only we know, it hides the most precious knowledge in the world, if it could change the world once, it could change it a second time, a third time.”

Her voice turned cold.

Lorenzo shook his head, suddenly Secret Blood surged within, even Arthur beside felt fear at Lorenzo’s sudden change, before anyone could react, a blazing white rage burned within their eyes.

Lorenzo himself was the most deadly weapon, dense and sturdy Iron Armor covered along his arms like a protruding short dagger, pointed at Queen Victoria’s neck.

Corrosion spread within the Platinum Palace.

”So, what do you want to do, Your Majesty, what do you seek from the Secret Keepers?”

The blazing white sun shone upon the woman’s face, she didn’t dodge at all, staring directly at that fiery blaze, even as tears brimmed at her eyes, she didn’t look away.

”I’m all too familiar with all this, like the Evangelical Church, they survived using Secret Blood power, yet then want to use this power to conquer the world, and now, is it your turn to become the Evil Dragon?”

Lorenzo felt sorrowful for human frailty, the dense Iron Armor incrementally expanded, like a slowly unsheathing blade.