Embers of Embers

Chapter 19 One Sixth
"Finally I can take a break."
Eve said weakly, she had been dancing with Lorenzo since the beginning, and she finally had a chance to take a break when switching tracks.
So far, the lurking of the two was quite successful. No one noticed their abnormality, and no one talked to them. Instead, they looked at them with curious eyes, which made Eve a little flustered.
"Don't worry, they're just curious."
Lorenzo's words were perfectly timed.
"This kind of dance is so secretive that I don't know how many times it has been held. Even if the guests are wearing masks, there will be a familiar feeling among the guests. Now that we are here, they must want to know where we come from."
"Want to talk?"
"It's not necessary. The more you talk, the easier it will be to reveal your secret."
Lorenzo's acting ability is really strong. Looking at his casual look, it feels like he has participated in it many times.
His gray-blue eyes were patrolling back and forth. In fact, he was also very disturbed, but he didn't tell Eve that the feeling was rising when he saw the stained glass window. It was originally a building in the church, but now it appeared in the In this weird underground, it seems that behind the glass is the gate to hell.
"Eve, have you seen the guard?" Lorenzo said suddenly.
"Guards?" The girl looked around. Everything was bathed in a sea of ​​joy, and there were no guards anywhere.
"Yes, we came all the way and there were no guards except at the very beginning."
Lorenzo's expression was unusually dignified. Sitting in his seat, everything seemed normal, just like an ordinary ball, but he suddenly noticed something. The attendants were walking through the crowd, and they were holding trays with Coins and gold.
The transaction has already begun, or it has started since the two of them entered here. Lorenzo originally thought there would be some formal speech here, and then he came out in a flash surrounded by a group of beautiful women, but now the goods being traded are just Like drinks, they are placed on trays and passed around the crowd.
Hell, then Saab most likely won't show up.
Everything tonight was a perfect script. Lorenzo had thought of everything, but he didn't think of it.
Just when Lorenzo was worried, an attendant came over with butcher coins and gold and silver jewelry on the tray. Lorenzo pretended to be familiar and was about to take out the last few butcher coins and send them away. When the attendant was waiting, the attendant spoke.
"Sir, you are invited."
The attendant wore a mask and his voice was cold, which made Lorenzo feel a little uneasy in this situation.
"invite me?"
Lorenzo asked again, and the attendant stepped aside.On the high platform behind him, a man wearing a bull mask was waving to Lorenzo.
"Eve, prepare your weapons, we should be exposed."
Lorenzo stood up and whispered to Eve during the process.
The girl's expression suddenly softened a bit, her hand gently resting on her thigh, with only a thin dress between the cold weapon and her.
"What are you going to do?"
The girl also asked him in a low voice, and Lorenzo picked up his pocket watch. It was 1 o'clock in the morning.
"Go to the appointment, there is no way to escape."
As he spoke, Lorenzo took Eve's hand and strode forward.
……
This is the highest point of the hall, just under the stained glass. When Lorenzo looked underground, he remembered that there were many people on the high platform. When he arrived, except for the man who waved to him, there was only one standing tall. Distant attendant.
It was obviously a passionate and joyful dance, but there was a large area of ​​deserted space here.
"Welcome my new friend."
The man greeted him with open hands, and his body was so strong that it matched his mask very well, which reminded Lorenzo of the Shrike's mask.
"It looks like I've been exposed, and I'd like to know how you found me, Mr. Sabo."
Lorenzo sat opposite Sabo with Eve. He said all this directly without any concealment, still looking calm.
There is no need to hide it, that would be ridiculous, in fact, Sabo can kill them directly instead of inviting them.
Sabo smiled slightly, he was the master here and everything was under his control.
"From the time you got on the bus, sir. You know that the business here is not open to the public. Usually it will be closed to the outside world when there are enough customers. Even if you bring new guests, you need old customers to apply to me, but in a place like this... who would How about telling it out?"
Everyone wears a mask and dances lightly on the dance floor.
"This is the Kingdom of Heaven, but people are greedy, and no one will share this place with others. So the number of guests will only decrease, but not more, let alone your butcher coins."
The shrike coin was turned over on the table, and finally the shrike side was facing up. Sabo looked at Lorenzo, his eyes seemed to be shining under the bull's mask.
"Did you know, sir, that one Butcher Coin can be exchanged for three Golden Lion Coins, which is enough for a family in Xiacheng District to survive for several months, and it will not depreciate with the rise and fall of prices. As long as you take it to the exchange point, You can definitely get money in exchange.”
Sabo said quietly.
"The lower city is a garbage dump. In order to protect the butcher coins, the poor will hide them in their most intimate places, and they have to rub them gently with their hands all the time to ensure their existence. This is their life."
"But look at your butcher's coin. It's as new as if it was taken out of the mint just now. Only that noble shrike owns this new coin."
All kinds of details exposed Lorenzo, and he nodded slightly.However, seeing that there was no need to hide anything, Lorenzo immediately took out the silver revolver and pointed it at Sabo. This was a dangerous move, but the attendant not far away didn't seem to see it.
"Then I guess you recognize this gun."
"Of course I recognize Shrike's gun."
Sabo didn't seem to be surprised by the appearance of this gun. He didn't even have any fluctuations. He picked up the wine glass on the side and poured the blood-like wine into it.
"It's called the Death Knell because the Shrike said the sound when it fired sounded like the bells of the dead."
The bells rang, the bullets were fired, and the dead slept forever under the earth.
Lorenzo looked at the ghosts and gods carved on the bullet nest. The ghosts counterattacked the gods' territory, and then burned to ashes in a fire.
"I just wanted to ask a few questions. There is no need to bleed."
"But when you come with a weapon you're ready to bleed, aren't you?"
The two looked at each other for a while, with the same emotion in their eyes, like hunters meeting each other on a narrow road, they both knew what would happen next.
It was just a simple conversation, but the weird pressure strangled Eve's throat. From the moment she sat down, she couldn't say anything, couldn't even move, even when Lorenzo opened her She didn't make any resistance when the skirt picked up the gun named Death Knell.
This happy dance was not broken by Lorenzo's drawing of the gun, but both of them clearly felt the undercurrent in it.
"How about finding a compromise?"
Lorenzo suddenly put down his gun, gave up his tough attitude, and wore a confident smile under his brass mask.
"You seem to be very aware of the current situation." Sabo looked at the man in front of him, and he suddenly became slightly interested.
"Yeah, so what if I kill you, I definitely won't be able to leave here alive. What you do here is a shady business. You not only have to protect yourself, but you also have to satisfy those customers. After all, they are guests here. Take off the They are the leaders of all important positions in the old Dunling, and your life is their stain, and if they join hands, you will definitely die."
Lorenzo looked at the resplendent hall, and couldn't imagine how much money Sabo had bet here.
"As long as you give the order, a group of guards will come out and lead the guests to evacuate. Then this place will become a bunker. No one can escape, and no one can come in."
Just like the hot spring pass in the tunnel, if a person is guarding the outside with a blunderbuss, even if there is an army hidden in the underground palace, it will be difficult to leave. But similarly, as long as Sabo guards the tunnel, no one can break through it.
"You won't resist Shrike, but that's just not resisting. As long as you remain silent, I can't dig out anything."
"Then what are you going to do sir?"
"How about taking a gamble?" Speaking of betting, Lorenzo's eyes suddenly lit up.
"bet?"
"Yeah, only in the game, we are evenly matched, and the goddess of luck will not favor any side. There is no bloodshed, no conflict, and harmony is not enough."
"Hmm... interesting."
Sabo was a little surprised, but he did as he was told.He clapped his hands, and the attendant came with a gorgeous box. The box was opened, and there were all kinds of poker dice.
"Which one do you want to play?"
As Sabo said, he shuffled the cards. The queen and king rolled back and forth in his hands, and finally spread them flat on the table, like thousands of horses unfolding.
Lorenzo shook his head and picked up the revolver again, only this time he opened the magazine and pulled the bullets out of the magazine.
"Actually, I'm not very good at playing cards. I prefer pure...luck to those mathematical calculations."
Five bullets were placed horizontally and vertically on the table, and the masks of the three were reflected on the brass shell casings. The bullet nests were spun vigorously, making a rattling sound.
Lorenzo's voice was very soft, following the familiar words in his memory, and then said.
"One-in-six chance."
(End of this chapter)