Embers of Embers

Chapter 286 Regrouping
Lorenzo slowly opened his eyes, his gray-blue eyes seemed a little hollow at the moment. He leaned on the wardrobe on one side, holding an unburned cigarette in his mouth.
He didn't speak, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.
Hercule didn't speak, he didn't dare to break the silence, looking at Lorenzo who was lost, he looked like a dead person at this moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Lorenzo's stiff body finally moved slightly. He tried to sit up for a few moments, and then blew out the cigarette butt to the side.
The time in the Memory Palace seemed long, but in fact only less than a few minutes passed. The self-inflicted scars on the body had begun to heal themselves in this short period of time.
Lorenzo raised his hand blankly, looking at the bloody palm, his vision was a little confused, as if he was still holding a nail sword and wearing iron armor at this moment, and his ears were filled with the roar of the demon.
Suddenly all the lost emotions seemed to return to this body, and there was a little sadness on the cold face.
He began to understand what 047 said. No matter who Lorenzo Holmes was, just as 047 said at that time, he was very regretful.
"Those demon hunters who are sleeping now will one day cry bitterly. They will think that they have been cursed and cannot die with us here..."
He whispered.
Lorenzo regretted very much, regretting why he didn't die with them and why he didn't die on the night of Holy Advent. After all, his anger towards the demon now was probably just out of the guilt he felt at that time.
Although the time in the Demon Hunting Order was always accompanied by danger and killing, for Lorenzo's not-so-short life, most of the warmth he felt came from that bad time, but now All this turned into nothingness.
His friends were all dead, and the old order was also annihilated in history. All the stories came to an end that night, and Lorenzo was a ghost who survived by luck, wandering the world in despair.
This is not luck, but a curse. He is the only mourner, suffering the only sadness, and can never find a place to go back to.
He was sad and angry. His friend died because of the demon, so he wanted to destroy all the demons. All these mistakes stemmed from the greed of human nature, so he wanted to eradicate everyone's attempt on the taboo.
Because of this, Lorenzo began to chase death and danger, pouring all his anger into this evil, longing for the same glorious death.
"Are you ok?"
Hercule's voice sounded, and he asked tremblingly.
It was obvious that Hercule had mastered most of the secrets about this city, but his vision of the deep human heart was still beyond his reach.
He didn't understand why Lorenzo became like this, but he could vaguely feel the same emotion.
Lorenzo gave him an ugly smile, that's how he is, he looks like he's about to fall, but he always gets up in embarrassment.
"Although... although it's a bit unpleasant, I did get some useful information." Lorenzo said.
In the forgotten gate, Lorenzo received memories of the outbreak of Advent Night.
Before Lorenzo thought about the past carefully, every time he recalled the night of Holy Advent, he would always vaguely remember the outline of an event, like a disguise, deceiving himself, but this time the memory was extremely clear, but the problem Followed closely.
In the memory of defending the kingdom of heaven, Lorenzo did not see himself or the so-called 042.
It's like this. From the beginning to the end, Lorenzo never discovered the existence named 042. Throughout the whole process, he observed everything from the perspective of 047...or from his own perspective, he himself is 047, He's been through it all firsthand.
Although I really don't want to admit it, it is a fact. That memory belongs to 047. I somehow got that memory, or in other words, the two are the other way around.
As the mystery becomes clearer, more and more secrets are revealed before Lorenzo's eyes. Just as he had vaguely felt, the world is far more complicated and weird than he thought. Nowadays, everything humans do is just Maintaining that fragile balance.
Seeming to be much more awake, Lorenzo slowly stood up. He looked into another room. Looking out of the window, the hazy rain was still covering the whole of Old Dunling.
Although he has spent a long time in Old Dunling, Lorenzo still finds it difficult to adapt to the rainy season in Old Dunling. It usually stays underground for several weeks, and the sound of dripping is like an irritable drum beating on the ground. Above the human mind.
"I need a new set of clothes," Lorenzo said.
Hercule was startled, then asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I can't disappear for too long, or they will think that I have escaped... I will not escape."
As Lorenzo said, the chinchilla happened to pass by his feet, and his bloody hand touched it hard.
Poirot obviously did not expect Lorenzo's sudden action, and then the clean fur was wiped by Lorenzo like a rag, and the big mouse made a slight cry angrily.
Lorenzo did not look at the barking Poirot, which seemed like a trick to a small animal.
After a while, Hercule had everything ready for him. Lorenzo put on a set of dark gray clothes, carried weapons hidden under his coat, and wore a black felt hat, which cast a shadow to block the On his face, he could only faintly feel the ghost-like gaze under the shadow.
In an instant, he was fully armed again. Compared with the embarrassed look just now, he was two completely different people.
"So you won't die suddenly in a certain alley, right?"
Looking at Lorenzo who opened the door, Hercule couldn't help but ask.
Lorenzo held up a black umbrella, he seemed out of tune with this world, like a god of death who came into the world.
"Who knows? We all die anyway, right? But...if I really die at the end of an alley, that's fine."
Lorenzo seemed hesitant, but still said.
"Thank you for your help, Hercule. Maybe I will trouble you again in a while. I hope your bad rats can be fully prepared."
"Aid is not charity," Hercule said.
In fact, he is somewhat similar to Lorenzo. Lorenzo pursues destruction, while Hercule pursues secrets. No matter what secrets they are, as long as they are hidden unknowns, they can satisfy his desire. Pathological needs.
"I know... actually knowing those damn secrets is not a good thing. Of course, people like you can't listen to my advice. If you listen to me and give up on exploring those secrets, then you won't be you. , Hercule.”
said Lorenzo, who understood Hercule's thoughts as well as he understood himself.
Advice is of no use to people like them. This thing is like a curse. Even if you give up, it will find you again on a thunderstorm night.
He turned around and left, raised his hand and waved it, as if saying goodbye to Hercule. The blurred past gradually became clear, and the pain and anger became a little stronger, as if there was an invisible hammer blow. Using the sword's edge, the gaps and cracks were healed again.
The heavy rain fell, like a curtain, isolating everyone holding an umbrella, and the splashing rain soaked the corners of Lorenzo's clothes.
As the rain fell, the steamy city became clearer. The towering Dunling Tower was just behind the numerous buildings. Lorenzo could see countless black cables crossing the city. , they are entangled on a certain iron tower, like a woven bird's nest.
In fact, most of them are telephone lines, covering the city like a spider web. These can be regarded as the legacy of the Dunling Project, and it is this legacy that has lifted the city out of mediocrity and turned it into a place that everyone is chasing. .
The chill crawled up the back of Lorenzo's neck along with the moisture, which also made him sober.
The mounted police were wearing raincoats and patrolling in the heavy rain. After the war airship landed, the patrol force on the ground was strengthened a lot, and the maintenance team was also marching together. Although the development of the old Dunling has been approaching perfection, it faces difficulties. With such a continuous rainy season, it is inevitable that problems will arise throughout the city.
Now that I have been completely exposed to the new church, they will never let go of myself, the bearer of the false Holy Grail... In fact, Lorenzo himself does not know what the false Holy Grail is, after experiencing these memory confusions In the end, he wasn't even sure whether Watson really existed.
There were really too many secrets and doubts about that night, and even after so many years, the aftermath is still disturbing the world.
But what Lorenzo is more curious about than these is what the new religious group will do to target him next. This is the old Dunling. Although the purification agency is also wary of him, at least he is still in the same camp as them. Whatever the reason, they would not watch Lorenzo himself being captured by the new Order.
So... a raid?
Lorenzo suddenly stopped and stood on the street, looking around casually. For a moment, the whole rain curtain seemed to be filled with murderous intent.
The biggest advantage of demon hunters is their excellent individual combat capabilities. Before awakening the secret blood, they are no different from ordinary people. If those demon hunters come out to hunt him, Lorenzo will not have much chance of survival.
His strength was based on fighting against demons, not demon hunters. Those techniques against demons had lost their effect for a while, not to mention that demon hunters still had those weird and unpredictable powers.
But will they do so?
It is indeed possible to catch yourself in this way, but you are not a soft persimmon.
Lorenzo has lived in Old Dunling for so long and is far more familiar with the environment than they are. As long as Lorenzo does not lose his combat capability immediately, he can escape in this complicated city.
Large Geiger counters are scattered throughout the old Dunlin. Under the Peeper system, the demon hunters burning the secret blood are simply dazzling lights in the night. Lorenzo only needs to do his best to awaken the secret blood, and the rest is up to the snake in the atrium. How long will it take to send the troops of the purification agency into the battlefield?
No... the purification agency cannot be trusted absolutely, at least for now.
Human beings are so stubborn, Lorenzo will not pin his hopes on anyone.
Suddenly, a black horse passed by him, and the horse's hooves stepped heavily on the stagnant water, causing water to splash and wet Lorenzo's trousers.
The carriage stopped next to Lorenzo, and then the door opened, and a familiar face appeared in front of Lorenzo.
"Are you relaxing?"
Shrike looked at Lorenzo who seemed to be wandering around and asked with some confusion.
"Shrike?"
Lorenzo never expected to see this guy in this situation. It was raining so hard. This was not a coincidence. He was looking for him.
"Yes, it's me. You didn't have any hallucinations."
Shrike seemed to be teasing him, and then motioned for him to get in the car.
Lorenzo hesitated at first, but he still walked up, there is no need to worry too much, Lorenzo still has confidence in himself.
"You look like you're in good shape."
Shrike looked at Lorenzo from bottom to top. He still remembered Lorenzo's lost look when he left the meeting. He thought that this lunatic might be depressed for a while, but he never expected that he would change again when they met again. Back to that full of motivation.
"You're not in the lower city. Why is it so troublesome that you need to show up?" Lorenzo asked.
In fact, it can be seen that Shrike is the person with the most power among these high-ranking knights, and he is also the most trustworthy. If his mental resistance was not up to standard, he might have become a member of the Knight Commander long ago, but think of it With the third-generation armor developed by Merlin, perhaps this mental resistance will no longer be a constraint limiting him in the near future.
"Consider it...a part-time job?"
Shrike said with some uncertainty. He didn't know how to explain this. Anyway, he was used to the way of employing people in purification agencies. He would send people there wherever there was a shortage of people.
"Thanks to the damn rainy season in Old Dunling, the river in the lower city area has overflowed, the roads are as muddy as swamps, and most of those weird illegal buildings have collapsed under the heavy rain. There is now chaos there. A bunch.”
Thinking about that scene makes people happy. For Shrike, this is indeed something to be happy about. Although he is the manager of Lower City, he hates this place. Different strangers cause different troubles every day.
"Those guys have no time to cause trouble. They are like drowned dogs, looking for shelter from the rain. They should be quiet until this heavy rain is over."
"So you were ordered to come to me? And you seem to have been looking for me for a long time." Lorenzo asked directly.
Shrike looked like "you still know" and then said.
"Don't you still know your own position? Now you have become a pawn in the game between the purification agency and the Evangelical Church. Well, you may not like this term, but there is nothing you can do about it. Everyone is a pawn, that Father Anthony. It's a pawn, Arthur is also a pawn, and everyone is controlled by a higher-level chess player."
Perhaps it was the coldness of the rainy day, Shrike couldn't help but tightened his collar.He hates rainy days.
"Of course, you can be considered that precious property now, but we don't know yet what your value is. But, as long as it's valuable."
Shrike said with some concern.
"You didn't return to 121A Cork Street. We thought you had escaped from Old Dunling, or worse, were rounded up by witchers, but you seem to be fine now, and those bad things haven't happened yet."
Shrike wanted to say something more, but Lorenzo seemed to have suddenly remembered something and interrupted.
he asked with some suspicion.
"Shrike, do you remember the first time we met?"
(End of this chapter)