Embers of Embers

Chapter 211 City of Miracles
Probably, this is what the so-called feng shui turns around.
Hundreds of years ago, when the evangelical church was at its most glorious, Feilengcui was a place that everyone was fascinated by, a dream city in everyone's heart.
Some people say that there are devout priests everywhere, and prayers are kept day and night. Some people say that countless kingdoms support the church. The gate to heaven is guarded tightly by the Templar Knights.
Countless people say, countless stories, countless desires and greed, it is like the incarnation of God in the world, it seems that as long as you get there, it will satisfy all your wishes.
Lorenzo didn't quite understand people's extreme longing for a certain place, but when he really came to Old Dunling, he understood a lot.
Everyone has certain obsessions, but those obsessions are often difficult to achieve in the end. No matter how hard you try, you will only struggle on the edge of failure.
That was truly despairing, powerless despair.
But no one can accept this. They need a goal of hope. Hundreds of years ago, it was Feilengcui, but now it is Old Dunling. They yearn for this miraculous city, as if in this miracle, they can find the fulfillment of their persistence. The path of thought.
Thinking of this, Lorenzo couldn't help but laugh. After all, he was also a stowaway. Time had passed so long that he could hardly remember how long he had been cruising on the sea. The sun, the wind and the rain, maybe It was so tragic that the memory was already a little blurry.
He once thought he would die at sea. The great Captain Holmes was buried in the belly of a fish before he even started his plundering career.
But maybe because he is also an obsessed person, Lorenzo survived after all. When he woke up, he was soaking in the shallow sea water, with the old Dunling close in front of him.
"I don't know if those stowaways will despair after seeing the real old Dunling."
Press looked at the gray silhouette of the old Dunling. There was steam technology here that was beyond the understanding of the world. Unbelievable giants were swimming in the sky. The mist was filled as if it were another world.
There is indeed a miracle in Old Dunling, but that miracle is not available to everyone. Press is also the one who came for that miracle, but in the end he can only be a small police detective. Ideals have become cheap, and now they are just retirement and retirement.
This is a ruthless city, it will wear away all your reason and enthusiasm, and finally lose yourself in the complicated gears.
Those stowaways were like pilgrims. They came through all kinds of means and saw only the dazzling miracles, but not the numerous bones beneath the bustling city.
"Aren't you going to go home and sleep?" Lorenzo asked.
"Do you think I would trust someone like you to handle the case alone?" Price said.
Lorenzo looked at the dark circles under Pryce's eyes.
"To be honest, you should trust people more."
"Just you?" Pres said as if he had just heard a joke.
"Okay, Mr. Holmes, I have to admit that you can indeed be called... gifted in some aspects." Press, "But I'd better forget about trusting you. This feels like letting a criminal go free." Let’s go, he said he would definitely come back after breakfast.”
Lorenzo frowned, thought for a moment, and replied seriously, "Such a thing sounds like something I can do."
"Are you coming back?"
"What if?"
The two walked out of Su Yalan Hall while chatting. Due to insufficient police force, they did not have any carriages to use this time. It seemed that they could only move forward on two legs.
"On a cargo ship from Feilengcui, the stowaways hid in the container. They were well hidden. If it hadn't been for the visit of the mission, which heightened their vigilance, they might have just gotten away with it," Press said. .
"You couldn't catch them?"
"They were very agile and escaped from the dock under the cover of night. The mounted police chased them all the way, but in the end there was no trace... Actually, this case is not important. This kind of illegal immigration happens every day. We found one case, maybe it's Ten cases escaped our notice.”
Lorenzo compared the numbers in his mind and became completely confused.
"Aren't you anxious about the influx of so much people?"
Hearing this, Pres looked at Lorenzo with some disdain, "So do you still remember where you were on the first day you came to Old Dunling?"
where?
This brought back Lorenzo's memories. He once thought that all the demons were dead and that he came to Old Dunling just to retire, so he left all his past and memories behind. After his life became stable, he I rarely think about that anymore.
But after calming down, he met the darkness again. Lorenzo discovered that the demon was not dead, and that the Night of Advent was just one of countless conspiracies, and his mission was not over yet.
"I remember...Downtown?" Lorenzo said.
As a foreigner, he had no formal documents and could not enter the outer city at all, let alone the inner areas of Old Dunling. At that time, he was almost as embarrassed as a dead man. The only place that accepted him was Xiacheng District, where he Met a shrike.
"Yes, the Lower City area is really messy there, but we have to admit that thanks to its existence, all the garbage is gathered in one place." Press replied, "The vast majority of stowaways end up in the Lower City area. City, that kind of ghost place, they can't last long at all.
Of course, some people can climb out of it, but waiting for them is also a mechanical life... This city is not beautiful, at least that beauty only belongs to a small number of people. "
Lorenzo heard this and said viciously, "The evil class gap!"
Price rolled his eyes at Lorenzo, a little confused as to what was going on with the detective.
"On the contrary, Lorenzo, I envy your life."
Lorenzo was a little confused. He stopped and looked at Pres.
"You envy me?"
It's amazing that some people actually envy this kind of desperate life.
Pres nodded seriously.
"How wonderful!"
Lorenzo was a little at a loss. He was so virtuous and capable that one day he would be envied by others... This feeling was very strange.
Just listen to the detective continue talking, his voice is actually a little lonely.
"Look, you are an external detective. You work when you want to work and rest when you want. You never seem to worry about money... I am so envious of you. Lorenzo, you live a happy life every day. I’m so happy, I’m the kind of person who wants to have fun even if I don’t have any, it’s like I don’t have any worries.”
Lorenzo was stunned by what he said. After a long pause, he took out the cigarette from his arms. This was the one Kestrel bought for him, but it was Joey who paid the bill.
The hand that lit the cigarette trembled slightly, like some kind of life-saving medicine, Lorenzo took a big puff.
But in the end, he didn't say anything or refute. He wouldn't show off to Pres how colorful his life was. After all, he couldn't imagine the happiness in Lorenzo's life.
He drove weird mechas, bombed wherever he went, and even flirted with the Duke...if the situation on the train could be called flirting.
He is also related to the mysterious department of the old Dun Ling. He himself is also a peerless hunk. He is simply the king of urban soldiers!
So cool!
But Lorenzo wouldn't say that almost everyone he knew was dead, and he had to fight with those monsters every day. The reason why he lived a happy life was because of this horrible situation, and he would be really depressed if he didn't have some fun. crazy.
Similarly, he won't worry about getting a wife and having children, buying a house, etc. After all, as a demon hunter, Lorenzo doesn't think he can have that kind of life.
Demon hunters will not enjoy their old age in peace. Demon hunters will only die in the battlefield. This ghost thing is like a curse.
Soon Lorenzo finished smoking a cigarette. The brief silence made Pres feel a little uncomfortable, but it soon came.
The iron snake came from the end of the street, breathing steam like a panting beast.
It finally stopped slowly in front of the two of them. At this time, Pres noticed that there was a stop sign erected here. He had been talking to Lorenzo just now and didn't notice it at all.
Although steam technology continues to rise, with the research of the eternal pump, electricity has gradually been connected to this steel city. They seem to want to use old Dunling as a testing ground to see how much glory electricity can bring. .
Steam trams are one of its products, running on rails on the ground and connecting the entire city.
"Let's go, we have no choice but to go like this without a carriage. You can also take a nap on the road." Lorenzo said.
Price took a look inside the car and saw that there were still a few empty seats.
The two boarded the Iron Snake, and then it slowly started to move, taking them to where they needed to go.
The Thames runs through the entire Inverg Island, and the entrance to the sea is the Port of Rendona. There are a large number of ships from foreign countries parked there, which is the core of trade. However, there are still many ships that will not stop there. They will After passing customs, continue along the Thames to Old Dunling.
The cargo ship from Feilengcui was found to be strange at the old Dunling Wharf. Now the two of them had to go to the wharf to inspect the scene.
Pres seemed really tired and fell asleep leaning on the back of the chair. Lorenzo sat next to him and picked up the newspaper on the chair bag.
Usually the time on the Iron Snake is very boring, so in order for passengers to pass the time, they thoughtfully provide newspapers.
Lorenzo read the newspaper, not wanting to keep his mind occupied.
The Vikings ended their civil war, and the pirates are now under the command of a guy named Ragnar. On paper, they are happy that the war is over, but in reality, no one wants to see this war go down. The Vikings The territory of the country is poor in resources, and now the land in the western world has been divided up. In the eyes of those Vikings, if they want to develop, they must either trade with money or plunder.
Leiber is also constantly rising. During the War of Glory, they have maintained neutrality and developed in secret. Now they have built a trade network along the Rhine River. At present, relying on the abundant land resources, industrial development has gradually caught up. Inervig, there are people who are worried about this.
As for Gaulnaro, the hatred between the two countries is still there, and there are undercurrents surging under the surface of peace. Although there are no conflicts on the mainland, there are constant small disputes in the colonies outside Yingerweg.
The rest is the news about some small countries. Although they are independent countries, they are actually secretly controlled by various big countries. Today one is protesting against that, and tomorrow that one will attack that one. It is basically like this. Small frictions continue, but the big wars are There has been no rise.
Nowadays, the Holy Evangelical Papal State, which was once the most powerful, is the most harmless. The Knights Templar have lagged behind the times. People have picked up guns and cannons, but they still wear heavy armor, just like mourning the once glorious ceremony. .
Everyone misses that era of faith, but no one wants it to come back. The power of the Pope at that time was overwhelming, but now he is just a mascot of faith.
The world is pretty much like this, teetering on the edge between bad and terrible.
Turning to the next page, there are some news in old Dunling, such as the gas explosion in Beicheng District. The successive explosions destroyed the entire street. Fortunately, not many people were injured, but the building was severely damaged and has been blocked.
Wait a minute!
The hand that was about to turn the page suddenly stopped. Lorenzo looked at the words "gas explosion" carefully. Could this be another purification agency doing something?
Continuing to look down, there were some news about the visit of the envoys. The last one caught Lorenzo's attention.
A mission from the Holy Evangelical Papal State will visit in the near future.
Although he has been away from there for seven years, every time he sees news about it, it always arouses Lorenzo's memories and vigilance.
What the newspaper wrote was extremely arrogant. In the opinion of the writer, the evangelical church was finally willing to give up their arrogance and welcome the arrival of steam technology, but it was too late to embrace it now.
All countries have developed a certain level of industry, but they are far behind in this world game.
No... not necessarily. If the Evangelical Church can get back the "Book of Revelation" and complete the demon hunter militarization project, they can still regain their status as masters, but the price will be an extremely terrible war.
Lorenzo looked serious, he was very aware of the difference between ordinary people and demon hunters.
"Wake up, Price."
After some more time, before arriving at the pier, Lorenzo pushed Press to wake him up.
The detective looked extremely uncomfortable, but his condition was much better than before. Sure enough, he still had to sleep, but he still didn't trust Lorenzo to handle the case alone. It was not that he was afraid that the detective would die, but that he would cause more trouble. Big trouble.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to be as energetic as possible, and then looked at Lorenzo.
"Reached?"
"It's here now."
The Iron Snake suddenly stopped. This was its terminal station, and the passengers got off one after another.
Price said sadly, "I really want to go home and sleep."
"move!"
Lorenzo urged.
Stepping off the Iron Snake, a strong fishy smell spreads, countless people are walking around on the pier, and steamships pass by with billowing smoke on the Thames River, like a road of fog.
(End of this chapter)