Embers of Embers

Chapter 13
"Can I keep this short?"
Looking at the gun pointed at him, Lorenzo might have been pointed at by Shrike too many times, but Lorenzo was getting used to it.
"That train can only stay for 15 minutes. It has to leave after unloading. I have to go with it, otherwise the guards will catch me sooner or later."
Lorenzo had made all the preparations before coming here, exactly.
It stands to reason that Lorenzo's coming here in person is extremely risky, but for his own purpose, he must confirm Eve's identity with his own eyes, and now it seems that everything is worth it.
"Isn't that better? As long as I escort you to Su Yalan Hall, the police chief will believe everything I say."
Lorenzo was the source of the commotion that day, and the detective was as ruthless as a veteran.
"Isn't that boring?"
Lorenzo didn't care about this. He was a very cautious person. When he got here, he was fully prepared.
"I'm a detective, Miss Eve. Isn't it more to your liking to solve a highly involved case than to investigate a suspect who doesn't know the truth?"
Staring closely at the detective's pupils, Eve was thinking. She thought a lot. From the moment she met Lorenzo, this detective had a sense of calmness in control of everything, which was scary but trustworthy.
"I'll give you five minutes, detective."
Eve said as she put away the gun, looked to the other side, and started pacing on the spot. Seeing how she cooperated with Lorenzo Yile, she put down the ladder and pretended to build branches.
From a distance, the princess of the Phoenix family was admiring the scenery on the Golden Road. The only thing that caught her eye was the extra landscaper at work beside her.
"Eve Phoenix, you are born into a noble family. As long as your father agrees, you will become the next distinguished Phoenix Duchess. Not to mention Suaran Hall, even the Royal Guards are not worthy of you, but you secretly become A police detective.”
Pruning the branches, Lorenzo began to tell based on the image of Eve in his mind.
"Are you doing it for your father? Or is it the honor of the Phoenix family... Also, your family's deeds have been throughout the Glorious War. The Hall of Honor in the Platinum Palace is filled with portraits of your ancestors. You are listening to their legends. When you grow up, you also aspire to be them, right?”
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Eve's expression was a little displeased, and she also found out that Lorenzo was annoying. His eyes were too sharp, so sharp that he could easily see through a person, and everything was transparent under his eyes.
Everyone is made up of fragments with labels. When they are spliced ​​together, a person's life can be formed from the deflected peripheral vision.
Lorenzo continued.
"I think we can work together, Miss Eve."
"The Glorious War is over. After we drove the Gaul Naluo people back to the White Tide Strait forever, there is no battlefield where you can achieve the same feats as your ancestors. Your only way out is Su Alan Hall, but now Su Alan The office also gave you a long vacation."
The gold of fallen leaves is reflected in the gray-blue pupils.
"Your career is coming to an end before it even started, and I can bring you a turnaround, as long as we cooperate."
Eve looked directly at him with cold eyes, her white finger always pressed on the trigger.
"How can I trust you?"
"How is this?"
As she spoke, Eve's face lit up bright red.
The lost necklace is in Lorenzo's hand, shining through the sunlight. Only now can we see the perfection of the gem carving. The hard surface has been shaved into dozens of edges and mirrors, as magnificent as a kaleidoscope. Only in the sunlight will it show its brilliance, but under the haze of the old Dunling, this day will never come.
"The train is leaving. If you think this gift is worthy of your trust in me, then I think we can start working together."
Slowly walking down the ladder, Lorenzo handed the ruby ​​​​to Eve along with a letter, hiding his merit and fame, and left without looking back.
Staring blankly at the ruby ​​in her hand, Eve didn't realize anything for a while. After the ecstasy of regaining the lost stone, she tried to find Lorenzo, but when she looked back, she could only see the train gradually receding in the thick steam. .
It's not like he left nothing behind, including the letter.
After looking around, Eve carefully put on the precious necklace after making sure that no one was there, and then inserted the letter into the ribbon on her thigh. Dagger.
Who knows what this girl is thinking.
……
Old Dunling, Xiacheng District.
Under the stone castle is a space larger than anyone imagined. Before it was occupied by the Shrike, it was originally a war castle managed by a certain earl. The huge underground space stored supplies and weapons.
At that time, it was the most difficult period of the Glorious War. The fleet of the Gallic Narro conquered the port of Rendona. They were only one step away from Old Dunling, the capital of Inverg, but between the two, This castle whose name has been forgotten has become the last hurdle, firmly stuck on the attack route of the Gallo Nalot.
The artillery fire covered here for three days, the entire surface was lifted by gunpowder and shrapnel, the air was filled with sulfur, and charred corpses were everywhere.
The castle still held on, even if it was riddled with holes, even if the water in the moat was evaporated by the gunfire.
The Gallicans thought they had conquered this place and then pushed forward. At this time, countless soldiers mixed with steam machines rushed out of the castle. This was a surprise attack. Although they were at a disadvantage, they were miraculously repulsed. killed the enemy.
A few days after the counterattack, the Mechanical Institute improved the steam engine, and the second industrial revolution emerged in the flames of war. It was a behemoth far beyond ordinary people's imagination. It was also during this revolution that Inverg started the counterattack in the Glorious War. .
The glorious war that lasted for hundreds of years ended with Yin Erweg's victory. Everyone celebrated, but only this ruined castle was forgotten. After several changes in the following days, it finally fell into the hands of Shrike. , it used to be extremely glorious... although it is not bad now.
paradise.
People in the lower city generally call this place this way. This paradise is worthy of its name, and even nobles from the inner city will arrive late at night to enjoy themselves.
This is the place where dreams come true, just like the door to the last hope in life. Everyone is trying to pry open this door with their last wealth and bathe in the holy light.
There were still many people chasing dreams tonight. They exchanged all their last wealth for chips and pushed them onto the gambling table. The successive small wins had already made their blood boil, and the stimulants in the air made him not hesitate at all.
This kind of scene is played out at every gambling table. The wealth increases exponentially. In the end, money is just a line of numbers.
No gambler wants to stop. People like them value gambling luck. As long as you win, you will keep winning. Even the slightest intention of retreating will make your gambling luck leave. You cannot retreat. You will lose the moment you retreat. .
They yelled and piled more chips on.
"Wealth and power are always the most crazy things. In fact, they have already won back their money, but they always want to win more."
Above the casino is a hidden room, with dim glass blocking all those who try to peek inside.
"How does it feel? It's exciting, isn't it? The wealth flowing tonight alone is enough to build three war airships, not to mention the wealth accumulated every night."
Shrike's tone was full of pride. They were sitting at the top of wealth as if they were sitting in the treasury of Old Dunling.
"Your business looks better than Royal Bank's."
The guest was sitting on the sofa on one side, looking at the casino below, he didn't seem to be very interested.
"Of course, there are no taxes, it's anonymous, and everyone who comes here is just a guest, just have fun, so everyone likes me, so I can survive to this day."
Shrike is the little secretary of those big shots. Their money is kept and circulated by him. Only he can do this job, so he can only be the boss in the lower city.
"Do you want to know more about it? Look carefully, at those peaceful gaming tables, those few people don't have the arrogance of gamblers at all, they are like wooden men, mechanically shuffling and drawing cards, they are more like a group of gamblers Accountants, wealth was transferred in their hands due to winning or losing, and was completely washed away.
For them, this is not a gambling game, but a simple accounting calculation. "
"It was transferred in the form of gambling funds. Groups of armed carriages were waiting outside the castle. Currency with lions printed on it was moved in in boxes after boxes. They were sent away from Old Dunling overnight and transferred from one vault to another."
"If you lead troops and capture them now, tomorrow you will be the hero of Old Dunling, the national treasury will be filled with a lot of money, and a prestigious family will become a piece of shit..."
"Of course, if you choose to kidnap, I can finish it for you. The wealth you gain will be enough to support several generations."
The shrike provoked, encouraging the guest in front of him.It's not like no one tried to take the wealth from the Shrike. They might be able to escape from the castle, but usually their bodies would be seen floating across the Thames the next day.
"No matter what choice I make, Arthur will kill me."
The guest interrupted the shrike, but he was not moved at all.
"It's not the time to close the net yet, don't be too impatient, Shrike, I know you don't like it here, and I'm not here today just because of you."
He is a pure knight and never makes waves for it.
Seeing this, the shrike stopped and started talking.
"I know, the documents are here. Although the forensic doctors don't understand what happened, they just said that Wall's body structure is different and it is a deformity, but you and I both understand what is going on."
Shrike took out the autopsy report that Lorenzo gave him. Although Wall's body had been burned in the fire, what was in the report was enough.
"My most reliable detective is already on the trail. He's awesome."
Seemingly seeing the worry in the guest's eyes, Shrike cheered.
"The Shrike's Iron Thorn, the protagonist of the Red River Massacre, I remember him. If you hadn't interceded with Arthur, he would have been buried long ago."
"So he's the best, isn't he? Galahad."
(End of this chapter)