Embers of Embers

Chapter 273 Dunling Tower
The rainstorms became more and more violent, as if they were long-simmering revenge, they fell from the sky and washed away the sins of the city.
Obviously, the rainy season is extremely fierce this time. The pale thunder snakes are marching in the rolling dark clouds. Every time they appear, they bring dazzling light to this gray world. Then these lights drive away those giant steel whales. The giant beasts that never dive descended one after another. Human beings' current strength was not enough to fight against such a terrifying thunderstorm.
There seems to be a demon making a mocking sound behind the dark clouds, unleashing natural disasters wantonly.
The flash of thunder was like the flashlight, reflecting the distortion of the city, and in the center of it all, the sharp spiers were still pointing straight at the sky, lonely but indestructible.
Hercule stood at the outlet of the sewer. The rushing water gushes out from the channel beside him and pours into the Thames River below. Because of the heavy rain, the water has almost reached the shore.
"It's so magnificent, that tower is not often seen."
Hercule was enjoying the thunderstorm. He was in the dark sewer, looking up at the towering tower.
“I don’t remember a building like this in Old Dunling.”
Lorenzo held on to the damp wall and then sat down slowly. Maybe he really needed to rest for a while. He looked at the solitary spire outside. It was so huge that its height was far higher than that in the old Dunlin. All buildings seem to communicate with the heaven.
"Because it is usually covered by exhaust gas. The thick fog not only covers the sky, but also covers the tall buildings. Usually the upper part of the tower is covered by cumulus clouds. Only in this bad weather When the strong wind dissipates the smoke, it can be truly revealed."
Hercule then asked, obviously knowing a lot.
"Do you know its name?"
Lorenzo shook his head, his confused mind had no extra energy to think about anything else.
As if to arouse Lorenzo's interest, Hercule paused for a moment and then continued.
"Dunling Tower."
Lorenzo raised his head slightly, with confusion in his eyes.
"That's right, it's called Dun Ling Pagoda, Dun Ling Pagoda and Old Dun Ling. It's very interesting, isn't it?"
Hercule said and sat down against the damp wall, side by side with Lorenzo, holding the big furry rat in his arms.
"Lorenzo, we are now in a city of innovation. The things born in this city have changed the whole world. Similarly, those things are also changing the city itself."
"You seem to know a lot."
Lorenzo became slightly more interested and put aside the damn mystery of his identity for the moment.
"Yes, these are secrets in the royal archives, but you also know how controlling I am, and I will not allow those secrets to remain outside of my knowledge."
He pointed at his head as he spoke, to which Lorenzo just smiled reluctantly.
"You haven't been executed yet, so you are really lucky."
"It's not that serious. This is an abandoned project. Maybe the current people in power don't remember such a thing."
Hercule explained this to Lorenzo as he spoke.
The rainwater surged in the channel in front of them, dragging leaves and debris into the Thames. The two of them were like big rats huddled in the shadows, talking about the things under the glory.
"Don't you wonder about the name of this city? Old Dunling, old Dunling, so where is the new Dunling?"
Hercule looked at the spire surrounded by thunder behind the rain curtain.
"This plan was proposed at the end of the Glorious War, almost a few decades ago. Now those involved are either dead or about to die, and are gradually forgotten by the world... There are many such situations, those with fantastic ideas Guys can always come up with something novel, but for various reasons they cannot be realized and can only be locked in an iron cabinet and collect dust.
Generally speaking, it was a great revolution after the steam engine. Although the power of steam changed the world, those scholars at the forefront have also realized the shortcomings of the steam engine and they need more powerful power.
Like... electricity. "
Hercule stared at the Dunling Tower in the distance. The thundering dark clouds became thicker and thicker, as if they were falling iron curtains. They were slowly approaching the ground until they crushed everything they touched.
"They divided a new urban area in old Dunling, an experimental urban area that is not recorded on the map, and named it Dunling. They plan to initially try to supply electricity there, and after the experiment is successful, it will be spread to the entire Old Dunling, at that time the old Dunling was reborn and became a new city called Dunling.
Scholars built the towering Dunling Tower, and countless cables were wrapped around the building to transmit the power. However, in the end, due to the loss of power transmission, some technical difficulties, and the factors of the times, the experiment ultimately failed. , the Dunling Project was locked in an iron cabinet, and the tall tower was also covered by dark clouds, and no one knew about it. "
Hercule's words were full of regret. He had seen those dusty documents with his own eyes, and he could read the ambitions from decades ago in the blurred handwriting.
"At that time, the steam engine was already a mature and powerful technology, and electricity was just a speculation about the future direction. Everyone was afraid of failure, and the electricity technology was immature. Rather than betting on it, it was better to push it all away. On the steam engine... the result was not bad, the Glorious War was won, and the technology of the steam engine pushed Yin Erweg to the top of the Western world.
But...but I always feel that those people haven't given up yet, haven't given up on electricity. "
"what happened?"
Lorenzo was very interested in the city's past and asked.
"It's very simple. The Dunling Plan failed, but the urban area covered by electricity has not been wiped out, and electricity is working hard to expand little by little. Although it has been so long, it still has not conquered the city, but it has also changed. It has to be seen everywhere, right?
This is why Old Dunlin is so fascinating. This city is like a microcosm of the entire Western world, and you can feel the transformation in it. "
There was a cold wind pouring into the sewer, and it was so cold that even Hercule couldn't stand it.
"That's the end of the review, Lorenzo, now your problem is the first."
Hercule stood up as he spoke, and motioned to Lorenzo to get up and follow him.
"Where are we going?"
"A safe place."
Hercule looked back at Lorenzo.
"Didn't you say that? Those people from the mission will not give up. Maybe they are looking for you all over the city with knives in hand?"
"Is there a safe place in this sewer?"
Lorenzo was a little skeptical. He knew that the terrain here was complicated, but it was just complicated, and safety was definitely not considered.
"Did you know there are two types of rats?"
Hercule laughed.
"One is wild rats, which usually hang out in dirty sewers."
As he said this, he lifted Poirot up. Maybe the food was really good. The big rat was a bit bigger than the last time Lorenzo saw it.
"One is domesticated like Poirot, and domesticated mice live in fine little dens."
……
After walking along the sewer for a long time and passing through a series of complicated corridors, Hercule pushed open a secret door with difficulty, climbed several flights of stairs, and then a warm living room appeared in front of Lorenzo.
Rather than being bad rats, Lorenzo thinks they are more like termites, digging the ground full of holes, countless roads correspond to countless doors, like a maze, maybe only guys like Hercule Can remember the route clearly.
"One of the Rat King's safe houses."
Hercule said as he put Poirot down. The little guy ran happily around the room, but because the place was not big, he bumped into bumps along the way.
"There are prepared clothes in the closet. Please change out of the wet clothes."
Hercule then said to Lorenzo, this guy is really doused.
Lorenzo nodded and then opened the closet on the side, but the contents inside made his facial expression a little complicated.
Different uniforms were hung up neatly, ranging from workers' clothes to doctors' clothes. Lorenzo even suspected that Hercule had some strange habits.
"That's just to deal with emergencies. For example, if this place is exposed, we can put on maintenance workers' clothes and escape. After all, this is the best way to integrate into the environment."
Perhaps aware of Lorenzo's look, Hercule explained promptly.
Without saying anything, Lorenzo took out an ordinary gray shirt and put it on. Hercule brought a blanket from another room and handed it to Lorenzo. The two sat face to face on the sofa. Poirot also While bumping around in the cabin, Lorenzo looked out the window.
Lorenzo didn't know where he was, but he could still see the towering Dunling Tower from here. The heavy rain and oppressive dark clouds made it difficult to distinguish between day and night.
The rainy season in Old Dunling is like this. It may be God's catharsis to mortals, like the end of the world.
However, although it is violent, the mature and complete sewer system under Jiudunling will not cause any serious natural disasters.
"So, where should we start talking about your problem?"
Hercule looked at Lorenzo on the other side. There was no lighting in the room, and he could only rely on the suppressed light to see Lorenzo's face clearly.
Lorenzo, on the other hand, was like a confused child, all the previous arrogance and anger disappeared.
"The Memory Palace... I want to learn that... I guess I must still remember something, but I just forgot it, just like I don't remember that I am 047... It must be hidden deep in my memory."
Lorenzo's words were hesitant. He firmly believed that he was 042, but during the conversation, he was still hesitant in the face of the indefensible evidence.
"Rather than that, let's talk about yourself first."
Hercule tried to help Lorenzo. Lorenzo told him a lot in the sewers before, but some of the more secret parts were hidden by Lorenzo. He must go to the Demon Hunting Order, such as the False Holy Grail. In Hercule's eyes, Lorenzo was a patient with a split personality at this moment.
"You said you split into a 047 personality... To be precise, that 047 personality split out of you, your personality named 042, and then 047 died. You thought you were normal, until now. "
Hercule struggled to understand the connection, and then burst into admiration.
"Your state is a bit like me when I was shipwrecked, but I didn't have a split personality, but became what I am now."
He then started chattering.
"Lorenzo, sometimes I'm just like you, a little confused about myself."
Lorenzo moved his eyes back from the window. He was not sure why Hercule said that.
“I’ve read a lot of books that are still stored in the palace of my mind, and some of them are really interesting and they talk about ourselves.
the meaning of being alive. "
"So what's the answer?" Lorenzo asked.
"Pointless."
Hercule spread his hands, expressing his helplessness.
"You can tell from between the lines that he is a pessimistic and negative but extremely intelligent guy. He said that everything is meaningless and everyone is dying. Hercule died one second, and then the next second Hercule came to life, then died again.
We are trapped in a weird cycle until we can no longer survive. "
Hercule laughed helplessly.
"It does make some sense. He also said that the world will eventually perish, losing all light and heat and turning into a cold thing.
The only meaningful thing is to find a comfortable night, a moment that you think is interesting, and end your life in a relaxed way. "
"Is that author still alive?"
"I don't know, who knows?"
Hercule snuggled up comfortably, and Poirot was crazy enough and jumped into his arms deftly.
"But I just concluded one thing. People should not think about these strange philosophies. This will only trap ourselves. Then come back to me.
Thinking about it Lorenzo, do you think it is possible for a human to have such a memory? "
Hercule said seriously.
"Such a power is beyond the 'normal' we know. It is an 'abnormality.' Sometimes I wonder if there is such a possibility."
"What is possible?"
"The real Hercule is dead."
Hercule still had that familiar expression, without any fluctuation, as if what he just said was just an extremely ordinary sentence.
"That's right, the former Hercule didn't have such a good memory, but the current Hercule has established the glory in the shadows with such power."
He suppressed his smile and said seriously.
"Perhaps the real me died at sea long ago. The Hercule you know now is just a monster that has occupied this body. It has a terrible memory, but it remembers too many things. This memory called Hercule overlapped, and I thought I had lived until now."
The voice had a strange power, turning into a whisper of terror in this thunderstorm, but many Hercules relaxed their seriousness and smiled again.
"You see, just like this, serious Hercule has just died, and now the smiling Hercule comes to life.
Every transformation of human beings can be regarded as a death and rebirth, and so are you. Lorenzo, maybe Feilengcui's 047 died, so the old Dunling's 042 came to life. "
“It doesn’t matter who I am or where I come from, it’s what I do that matters, right?”
Lorenzo said slowly, he knows this truth well, yes, it doesn't matter who he is, whether it is 042 or 047, what matters is what he wants to do, but...but...
"But you always want to know the truth, don't you? 047 obviously left an important trace in your life, so important that you can't even accept that it's just a split personality... What a beautiful memory it was, but now it's just a fake Yes, everything between you and him is fake, just your imagination, even saying that you...
You, 042, everything you think you think is false. How can you accept such a result? "
Hercule looked at the sad Lorenzo, and then said easily.
"You have the body of 047, but you think you are 042... Let's talk about him."
"Who?"
"Another self, or...047."
(End of this chapter)