Embers of Embers

Chapter 258 Fully Armed Sword Dancer
The largest and most rigorous experimental site in the Perpetual Pump is a huge cage called the workshop.
Lorenzo and Merlin were in it at the moment, but their thoughts never stopped here. The roar of machinery continued, the protective armor was folded and reinforced layer by layer, and the lifting platform rose and fell. It seemed that they had already prepared the experiment.
Everyone was very excited. Although Merlin was the only one who was an alchemist, as scientific researchers, their desire to explore knowledge was no worse than Merlin's. They were working hard to explore the frontiers of human cognition and to understand the world. Understand from simple and cold iron tools to complex and efficient machinery.
But at this moment, the two of them were in completely different moods from everyone else, fear, awe and confusion.
Merlin seemed to have lost his mind. He sat on Black Angel's shoulder, his eyes empty and dull, but his thoughts were moving rapidly, piecing together broken clues one after another in an attempt to restore the shattered mirror.
After a long time, even others were a little confused about what Merlin was doing. After all, he should be presiding over the launch of the experiment, not sitting on the shoulders of the Black Angel, as if he was whispering something with Lorenzo.
He thought of something. Merlin moved closer to the visor. After a brief moment of panic, he thought of something even more frightening.
"Lorenzo, one more question."
He spoke softly, fearing that someone would hear this terrible secret.
"In your opinion, as demon hunters, do demons die naturally like humans?"
"Natural...death?"
Lorenzo's inner pressure is not much less than that of Merlin at the moment. He thought he knew enough about the Gospel Church, but now it seems that this huge organization that has been passed down for a long time, even if it is old and dying, it hides far more secrets. All imaginations.
"Yes, natural death. Even if there are no symptoms or external influences, human beings' organs will continue to weaken and age as they grow older. They are like gears on a machine, slowly rusting to death until the machine stops. Can't start either."
Merlin had a terrible suspicion, and he couldn't help but ask.
"Because you demon hunters carry secret blood, the powerful forbidden blood will strengthen your bodies. And because of that weird power, your physiques are far beyond those of ordinary people. You can even approach demons, so you are as scary as demons." vitality. You can usually live a long time and postpone the failure of this organ for a long time."
"But there is a problem. Although we have been fighting monsters for so long, we never seem to find a monster that died of natural causes...
In other words, demons will also die naturally, just because the fighting between us is rarely observed... So let's go back to the Stasis Temple. "
Merlin couldn't help but look at the gap on the visor, the delicate patterns were looming on the armor.
"Lorenzo, have you ever thought about how long this 'Temple of Stasis' has existed? How many years? Decades? Or hundreds of years?
Demon, what exactly is it? "
……
Gray steam overflowed from the gaps in the armor, and the iron feathers fell to the ground, like thousands of hanging sword blades. The Black Angel half-knelt like a stone sculpture, and the armor wrapped in it cracked open, exposing Lorenzo. Thick, blood-like liquid dripped between them.
He took a sip of water and then lit a cigarette. He looked at the bright dome above and wondered what he was thinking. The electrode wires on his back were wrapped with flesh and blood and connected to the inside of the armor. Lorenzo's connection with the Black Angel was not broken yet. Come on, this is just the intermission of the experiment.
The staff walked back and forth nearby, casting a surprised look at Lorenzo. They never thought that anyone could control this monster armor, let alone that it was so stable, and the bright green light brought a peaceful atmosphere. , ordinary people would already have symptoms after driving armor for such a long time, but Lorenzo acted as if nothing happened, as if he was born for this.
No one can answer Merlin's last question. Lorenzo can't do it, and he doesn't know that there are more unsolved mysteries and "truths" that have not yet been touched in this world.
He looked around casually. After being exposed to these secrets in a short period of time, he felt strangely tired. If possible, Lorenzo would like to have a good sleep. He didn't know how long it had been since he entered this place. It might have been a day. passed.
The staff didn't know what Lorenzo was thinking. They were just doing their jobs, pulling in cables and fuel and injecting it into the Black Angel's body.
During the initial startup, Merlin was not optimistic about the results of the experiment. For safety reasons, the Black Angel was activated at the minimum. But now for the experiment, he needed to ensure that it had a certain ability to move.
But despite this, Merlin did not remove the red restraint. Lorenzo performed well, but Merlin always felt that there was a hidden risk.
"Lorenzo, I will read through those alchemy notes about this."
Merlin's voice sounded from the communicator on the side, but Lorenzo did not look at it, but looked at the lifting platform high up, where Merlin was preparing for subsequent experiments.
"Do you think there will be clues there?"
"Naturally, demons have a long lifespan, or their flesh and blood has extremely strong vitality. If our guess is true, this should be found in some notes. After all, this property is consistent with the Philosopher's Stone, which can make people immortal. Too similar.”
"Sage's Stone?"
"The Philosopher's Stone, the Philosopher's Stone, or some elixir of immortality. This kind of thing is a pronoun in alchemy. It represents the real miraculous power. You can exchange it for god-like power, or you can get it. A life that never dies... At least when I was young, many alchemists I met pursued immortality."
Merlin recalled the events of his youth, with a hint of nostalgia in his words.
"My teacher was not dead at that time, and alchemists were not as rare as they are now. We sometimes exchanged materials with other alchemists, and exchanged a little bit of technology when necessary, but it was more about plundering each other's knowledge. , I learned my swordsmanship at that time, and killed many alchemists who were pursuing immortality."
"At that time, the hit rate and lethality of firearms were not very stable, and sword blades were still very reliable at that time. One of the reasons why alchemists desire immortality is to possess knowledge forever. Greed is abominable, but in the end we also did it It took a toll.”
Lorenzo was silent for a while, and then asked slowly.
"So Merlin, how long have you lived?"
Thanks to the fierceness of the Glorious War, the long evolutionary history of firearms was accelerated during the war, and they developed abnormally into what they are today in less than a century. But Lorenzo knew very well how far back that era was when firearms were still in their infancy.
"Don't worry about this. I'm not a demon or a monster. I'm just a person protected by alchemy. I just live slightly longer than ordinary people."
Merlin answered directly. From his appearance, he looked young, but in fact, he had lived for a long time. It was as if time had fixed his body at a certain time in the distant past, so he remained like this. Live until now.
"Where are those visitors from Feileng Cui? How did Arthur talk to them?"
When talking about this, Lorenzo couldn't help but ask, "The Evangelical Church is far deeper than what appears on the surface. I sometimes feel that even if we capture the Seven Hills one day, we will not be able to recover those secrets."
"Indeed, and Arthur is also having a hard time now. I haven't seen him for many days, but judging from the rumors, that Anthony is very difficult."
Merlin said, and then said again.
"Get ready, Lorenzo, the test is about to begin."
Hearing what Merlin said, Lorenzo realized that the staff had already left the workshop. The heavy gate fell heavily, sealing it off from the outside world. Lorenzo got back into the cockpit full of flesh and blood. , to be honest, every time you enter Black Angel Lorenzo, you need to endure a certain amount of psychological pressure. This feeling is like jumping into the mouth of a monster.
The cracked armor closed one by one, and the visor also closed one by one to completely wrap Lorenzo. Then amidst the roar of the steam engine, the half-kneeling Black Angel slowly stood up, and the iron feathers buzzed with the vibration. .
The large Geiger counter came online. At the same time, a heavy rain fell from above, washing away the remaining pollution in the workshop. The guide rails slowly dragged the machine under the pattering rain, and then threw a dark steel object at Lorenzo. in front of you.
"Then...what is it? Merlin."
Lorenzo had never seen such a machine, but judging from the arrangement, this was the target of his experiment.
"The third generation Original Sin Armor... to be precise, it is a degraded version of the second generation. Well, in fact, the current Original Sin Armor is basically a continuously degraded version of the first generation. We ordinary people cannot resist that kind of terrible erosion, so we have to keep cutting it. The proportion of demon flesh and blood in the machine.
If the demon flesh and blood is regarded as a kind of composite material, its application in machinery is quite good, with strong toughness and resilience. Therefore, we built it on this basis. The third generation armor can be mass-produced on a large scale, and its driving standards are It has also been lowered a lot, and the price paid for this is in terms of combat effectiveness, which is far inferior to previous generations. "
While Merlin was explaining to Lorenzo, on the other side of the workshop, the Original Sin Armor also slowly stood up. Because the proportion of demon flesh and blood was weakened and reinforced by more mechanical structures, it was stronger than the Black Angel. It's a bit bigger and seems more bulky and sturdy.
"Hello, Mr. Holmes."
There was a voice coming from the other side, and Lorenzo was not familiar with this voice.
"He is Night Owl, currently the test pilot of the third generation Original Sin Armor Sword Dancer." Merlin explained.
He had some impression of Lorenzo, the codename of Night Owl, but then he asked.
"Test driver? This is also an experimental weapon?"
"Yes, you just happened to succeed. I just wanted to test how big the gap is between the third-generation Sword Dancer and the first-generation Black Angel."
Merlin was very careful about his experiments.
"Then what am I going to do? Beat him up?"
Lorenzo asked. This was his first time using the Original Sin Armor to fight. He didn't know what would happen.
"Of course, it's best to hit it hard. The third-generation armor is not very valuable anyway. If the test results are good, we can start mass production on a small scale at any time."
"Wouldn't I kill him?"
"What do you think the thick armor at the core of the third-generation armor is used for?"
Merlin replied to Lorenzo, and then said to Night Owl.
"Don't be polite to Mr. Holmes. He is a demon hunter. Even without the protection of the original sin armor, he can withstand more beatings than you. Try to kill him with all your strength. I need the detailed data difference between the two generations of armor. .”
"Okay." Ye Xiao replied briefly.
The Black Angel was wary of the Sword Dancer on the other side of the workshop. This was Lorenzo's first battle. He even learned how to raise his hands with the Original Sin Armor a few ten minutes ago.
The order was issued and the battle suddenly started. Lorenzo was fully prepared. It stands to reason that a first-generation armor would not lose to a third-generation armor that had deteriorated several times. However, the sword dancer did not rush to attack, but stood still and followed. A several-meter-long sword blade popped out from his elbow, and the other hand grabbed an armored gun. At the same time, the heavy armor fell down to protect his fatal parts.
Lorenzo was startled. He pressed the buttons and operating levers fiercely, but no new weapons popped up on the Black Angel. Only the dense feather blades obeyed Lorenzo's orders.
"Merlin what's going on!"
Lorenzo screamed. As he screamed, he clearly saw that behind the sword dancer there was a weapon rack like a weapon master. Although it was not equipped with as many weapons as a weapon master, it carried several heavy pieces. The external armor seems to have completely given up its mobility.
"I only realized this when developing the third generation of armor. We have been stuck in a research and development misunderstanding. Although the first generation of armor is powerful, its driving requirements are too demanding, and its own advantages are only its resilience and mobility. , but our own advantage does not lie in this.”
Merlin reflected on himself. Sometimes when he gets a new technology, he can't help but rely on other outstanding people for its research and development, such as the Demon Hunting Order. From the beginning, the Original Sin Armor was positioned like a demon hunter. , has strong single combat capability.
"Our biggest advantage is our terrible industrial base and strong production system. Rather than increasing the proportion of demon flesh and blood to enhance resilience, it is better to add more plates and pursue mobility, but it is better to be equipped with powerful firepower. After all, The mechanical institute can make a lot of these steel objects in a day."
"Lorenzo, this is a victory for productivity."
Merlin said this, and at the same time the sword dancer pulled the trigger mercilessly, the blazing dragon's breath rushed towards his face with half-melted molten iron, Lorenzo instinctively controlled the black angel in an emergency, and the steel feather tore apart In response to the surging fireworks, red molten iron clung to them, but then there was a howling wind.
The cold steel blade cut through the burning sea of ​​fire, and the sword dancer burst into view in an instant.
"You said it has poor maneuverability?"
Lorenzo couldn't help shouting.
"Yeah, so in order to make up for this, we added a lot of external things." Merlin replied with a smile. He liked seeing Lorenzo deflated.
The fully armed sword dancer pulled up the several-meter-long sword light, and on his back, the rough propulsion system gave it powerful power in the most primitive way. Although it could only travel in a straight line, it was enough. .
This is a dreamy armor. A group of lunatics added a few things here and there, and based on the design idea of ​​"insufficient performance, make up for it with peripherals", this experimental weapon was born.
(End of this chapter)