Embers of Embers

Chapter 109
There was a strange scent on the eye mask, which kept pouring into Lorenzo's nasal cavity. Although it was not pungent, it made his sense of direction a little confused.
With the demon hunter's senses and Lorenzo's outstanding memory, even if he is blindfolded, Lorenzo can gradually retrace the path he came from based on his sense of space, but it is obvious that even this has been blocked. The purge agency took notice and did not give Lorenzo room to act.
He could only hear the roar of machinery, as if he was heading underground. Also, the complex underground facilities of Jiudunling were perfect for covering up a secret agency.
During the Glorious War, many shelters were renovated underground in the old Dunling. They were usually connected to the complex underground waterways, which were as confusing as an anthill. Without a map, you could easily get lost in them and starve to death in them.
After the end of the Glorious War, the old Dunling made many improvements to the complex underground, not to mention the core furnace pillar system and the steam pipes and sewers extending outward from the center. A complex subway was built to increase transportation convenience.
Under this continuous renovation and addition, Lorenzo sometimes felt that even the mechanical yard may not necessarily have the full picture of the underground drawings, just like a child who keeps stacking stone bricks, and the castle is crumbling.
The march lasted for more than half an hour, and finally Kestrel took off Lorenzo's blindfold. The long darkness made it difficult for Lorenzo to adapt to the bright light. He raised his hand to try to cover it, and then his blurred vision gradually became clear. stand up.
At this moment, he was in a steel tunnel. The steam pipes were directly exposed. Due to constant repairs, water droplets still seeped into the gaps in the steel. Rust was everywhere, and even the air was filled with the smell of rust.
Looking back, behind Lorenzo, the gates had already fallen. From the wide gap, one could see the bright metal. They were like intertwined swords and halberds, stacked one on top of another to guard the gate. The rusty facade was carved with He was looking at ghosts and gods, with a hateful face, as if he would break out of the door in the next second.
The dim yellow electric lights above the head continued to extend to the end of the corridor, where there was also a dropped gate. The soldiers wore heavy armor, and in their hands were weapons that Lorenzo had never seen before, and cables were connected to them.
Lorenzo didn't ask any more questions. This ghost place had an unspeakable sense of oppression, just like the Cathedral of San Naro.
Kestrel motioned to Lorenzo, and then Lorenzo realized that he and Kestrel were the only ones here. Neither Joey nor the previous soldiers followed him. Kestrel seemed to notice Lorenzo's confusion and whispered to him.
"In order to minimize the possibility of monsters invading the headquarters, the headquarters implements a minimum personnel circulation. Even high-ranking knights need strict approval before entering the headquarters."
Lorenzo nodded, and Kestrel continued.
"What's more, please trouble you to silence your secret blood. The headquarters is completely covered by a large Geiger counter. Any abnormality in the index will cause the internal blockade. If possible, don't cause other troubles."
The soldiers' faces were obscured by heavy helmets, and Lorenzo could only see darkness. As the two passed by, the steel gate slowly rose, and the weapons in the soldiers' hands also ejected dazzling arcs of electricity. , staring at Lorenzo until the two left their sight.
There are many such gates along the way. Once an invasion occurs, these gates will be sealed, trapping the demons inside.
"What is that thing? I have never seen such a weapon."
Seeing the gun dancing with electric arc again, Lorenzo couldn't help but asked curiously.
The weapons used in the purge mechanism are full of a sense of ultra-modern science fiction, such as the thermite rifle, and the original sin armor that boldly mixes machinery and demons. The design of each weapon is as unconstrained as it seems. Inlveg started the age of steam is worthy of the name.
"Electric spear gun, a weapon specially designed to deal with monsters."
Kestrel explained directly to Lorenzo without hiding too much.
"You can think of it as a shrunken harpoon gun. The bullets are special conductive metal spears. They rely on compressed gas as the launch power. The impact force under the thrust is enough to penetrate tough flesh. There is a connection at the end of the conductive metal spear. A small cable, it will energize directly and deliver an electric shock to the target it hits.”
Kestrel explained the principle of the weapon.
"According to our many years of analysis of the demon, it is essentially a living thing, and its so-called muscles also need nerve control. Under the baptism of high current, its muscles will spasm and lose its ability to move to a certain extent. Of course, for demons of different sizes , there are different models of electric spear guns, for example, to recover the out-of-control Original Sin Armor, we will use large electric spear guns."
Lorenzo looked at the weapons dancing with electric arcs and became a little wary. As expected, the black technology for purifying mechanisms was not much less than that of the Demon Hunting Order. Lorenzo knew the principle, but he never thought that this kind of thing could also be used in military affairs. change.
"What about humans? What if the intruder is a human? Aren't your weapons designed to deal with demons useless?"
He asked again, but this time Kestrel looked at him in surprise, and then laughed.
"It seems that Mr. Holmes sometimes falls into misunderstandings."
Kestrel pointed at himself and then at Lorenzo and said.
"Not everyone has the power you do. Mortals are very fragile. Weapons that are so fragile that they limit demons are very fatal to us."
"Those conductive metal spears can easily penetrate the human body, and the current that restricts the demon is fatal to the human body. A normal person will be burned by the high-voltage current the moment he is hit, let alone resist."
Weapons that can fight demons are extremely deadly to mortals from the beginning, just like the Jiuxia Armor that Lorenzo saw at the Far East Exhibition. Although he doesn’t know what its condition is, think about it. , an original sin armor suddenly appeared on the mortal battlefield, and it would be a one-sided massacre.
Lorenzo was silent. He felt the sense of urgency again after a long absence. Arthur once said the final direction of the world. Once the monsters restricting the purification mechanism are completely eliminated, these weapons will surely be available in the near future. A gorgeous appearance on the battlefield between humans.
This is just like the fate of a demon hunter. After all the demons have been driven away, the only enemies left in the world are those pagans who do not believe in gods.
"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling uneasy?"
Kestrel looked at Lorenzo who looked a little ugly and asked thoughtfully. After all, every weapon here is for fighting monsters, and there is not much difference between demon hunters and monsters.
Lorenzo shook his head and continued.
"It's nothing, I just feel that the world is really complicated."
Kestrel was stunned for a moment and then laughed.
"I don't have so many worries. I used to be a worrier, thinking about saving the world and other weird things all day long. I was very annoyed, but I later found my niche."
"What's your position?"
"This world is a huge, crazy-running machine. Even the old Dunling and the purification mechanism are just part of this huge machine, a system, and we are just gears that mesh together one after another. The gears cannot determine the outcome of the machine. Going forward, all we can do is turn it hard and don't let this machine stop."
Kestrel was surprisingly cheerful in this regard. Lorenzo thought about it for a while, but said nothing more.
After passing through the complicated corridor, the two finally came to a relatively open space. People were walking quickly, and everyone looked very busy. The gates opened and fell, and the rumbling sounds continued.
Looking up, there were countless translucent pipes on the huge dome. Something seemed to be being transported in them, traveling at high speed, and finally disappeared out of Lorenzo's sight.
Everyone has their own functions, undertakes their own work, and rotates hard to keep the machine moving forward.
If the purification mechanism is a machine, then Lorenzo has now transcended its heavy and solid outer shell, and now he is in the delicate and fragile core.
"It's just ahead, but you have to go there by yourself."
Kestrel suddenly stopped and pointed to the elevator at the end and said to Lorenzo.
"This is Arthur's invitation to you, and the place you are going to is the Round Table Room. Without an invitation, we high-ranking knights cannot arrive."
"Are your internal class divisions so serious?"
Lorenzo felt a little unhappy. It seemed that the knight commander was the one who really held the power, and the others were just tools.
But Kestrel shook his head and said to Lorenzo.
"You who come from the Demon Hunting Order should know that ordinary people cannot resist the erosion of demons, right? The purification agency is also composed of most mortals. They have no resistance to demons, and only a handful of them can be specialized. Only talents can have a certain degree of resistance to the erosion of demons, and our specific classification relies on this resistance to a certain extent."
Kestrel has no dissatisfaction with this system.
"Sometimes this class divide saves us."
"For example, there are places that are only open to knight commanders, but there are erosions inside that you can't resist?"
Lorenzo thought of all the things in the Demon Hunting Order.
"Yeah, so there is no dissatisfaction. The bigger the gear, the more pressure it has to bear, isn't it?"
After sending Lorenzo into the elevator, the steel gate slowly lowered. Lorenzo finally saw the kestrel's smile, and then darkness enveloped him. In the dim light, he could only feel the slight shaking and the lifting of the cable. .
After about tens of seconds, the elevator gate opened, and it felt like stepping into a new world.
Tens of seconds ago, Lorenzo felt that he was in a machine. There were suppressed steel and rumbling sounds everywhere, and the air was filled with an unbearable smell of rust.
But now this place is like a luxurious palace, with bright red carpets underfoot, exquisitely crafted vases on both sides of the corridor, and flowers blooming on them.
Portraits are placed on both sides of the corridor. Each person's face is different, but Lorenzo can clearly feel the advancement of history from the decoration in the painting.
First there were armors and swords, then cloaks and muskets. It seemed that the characters in the painting were great men who had appeared in history, and only in this way could they be hung in this secret place, but Lorenzo could not recognize anyone.
After walking past with some appreciation, Lorenzo pushed open the final door.
A huge round table is placed in the middle, with mottled sword marks on it. Beyond this are chairs placed around it, and in the outer circle are erected bookshelves. The smell of staleness pours out from the books on them. fills the entire space.
Lorenzo was slightly tired. It was already dark when he left. He wasted a lot of time along the way. In order to ensure their sincerity, those people took off all their weapons and did not even give Lorenzo their pocket watches. Renzo stayed behind, so much so that he didn't even know what time it was.
The purification agency really gave Lorenzo face. After all, the real danger to Lorenzo is himself. If they really want to ensure safety, they should use the so-called electric spear gun and thermite rifle to keep a close eye on him, and keep a close eye on him. The so-called Geiger counter is strapped to his body. Once the index is abnormal, it will start pouring firepower.
Of course, there is another possibility. The one who leads Lorenzo is not the kestrel, but the mysterious Lancelot...the one wearing the armor of original sin.
Pulling up a chair, Lorenzo sat down unceremoniously and looked at the other end of the round table. In the dim light, Arthur slowly put down the book in his hand and looked at the guest who was not welcomed by him.
"Don't talk yet, let me think."
Arthur said first, and then took out a revolver. Judging from the caliber and this distance, Lorenzo's head could be easily beaten into a bloody mist.
He seemed to be thinking about something difficult. He picked up the gun and put it down several times. Several times the gun was pointed at Lorenzo, but he finally put it down helplessly.
Lorenzo could clearly feel the actual murderous intent in his eyes, but in order to fight against the demon, he was still somewhat helpless.
After struggling like this for a long time, Arthur seemed to have given up, he said.
"You'd better talk to him directly, otherwise I'm afraid I'll really kill him with one shot."
Arthur never concealed his disgust for Lorenzo, and at this moment another man slowly walked out from behind the bookshelf. He was wearing a gray robe, and his exposed skin was covered with obscure words. Lorenzo's eyes He couldn't help but become nervous because he had seen something similar to it.
It was something he had seen in the Demon Hunting Order, when those people called it alchemy.
The man in gray robe sat down on the other side of Arthur, and then lifted his hood. He had a young and handsome face, but it was full of morbid death. His hair was completely white, and it was scattered randomly after the hood was lifted. Down.
This is a very strange man. Lorenzo can feel his old age, but he is also so young. He is obviously full of the smell of death, but he is indeed still alive.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lorenzo Holmes."
He said, his voice was hoarse and did not match his handsome appearance that year ago.
"You are……"
Lorenzo became serious and his eyes were solemn, and then the man in gray robe spoke slowly.
"I am the current head of the Pump of Perpetual Motion. I should be considered the last alchemist in Old Dunling. My real name is already full of filth because of past rituals, so don't mention it again, but you can call me by my code name."
"Merlin."
The hoarse voice slowly narrated, and he looked at Lorenzo with kind eyes. They are the same people, remnants of the old era.
　By the way, no one noticed the plot in the previous chapter?
　
(End of this chapter)