Embers of Embers

Chapter 297
It's a new day, a new job, a new life. The old Dunling still looks familiar. Thin raindrops keep falling, and I don't know when it will stop.
Lorenzo got on the carriage, and it was only then that Lorenzo discovered that the old guy Oscar was actually a bit strong. It might have been hidden by the loose clothes. This guy was actually big and round.
Three people barely squeezed into the narrow space. Lorenzo sat next to the car door with one hand on the armrest.
"So you have to go there in person, it may be dangerous." Oscar asked.
Lorenzo's reaction was very strange. Oscar never expected that Lorenzo would be so interested in Shermans, and Lorenzo didn't seem to want to explain anything. He kept silent after getting in the car.
"After I leave, keep the carriage moving, preferably as long as possible."
Lorenzo said suddenly, and then he pushed the car door open a gap, as if he would jump out in the next second.
At this time, the carriage had already entered the lush street. Although it was still raining, colorful umbrellas and carriages filled the street, like a surging river. Get rid of those surveillances, although it is not clear whether they are still watching you, but it never hurts to be careful.
Half of his body was already leaning out, like a cheetah waiting for an opportunity, but just before Lorenzo was about to jump out, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Seleucid, who was sitting in the innermost position.
"He is not a good person. You can only believe half of what he says."
This was said to Seleu. The little girl didn't understand why Lorenzo suddenly said this, while Oscar on the side smiled awkwardly.
This can be regarded as an extraordinary period, otherwise Lorenzo would not let Oscar go so easily. Before she could ask anything, Lorenzo dodged out while crossing another carriage.
He tried his best to keep his head down, walking under countless umbrella flowers, and then walked into the winding alley, trying to get rid of those potential pursuers.
……
Old Dunling, suburbs.
Shermans sat on a chair, breathing in the fresh air after the rain, slightly cool mixed with the fragrance of grass, and the soil was full of life.
He had never liked Inervig. As a devout believer, his only home was the Seven Hills. But it was rare that after the rain, Shermans was captured by this cool and quiet feeling. It was rare for him. I found a comfortable place in a foreign country.
Although this place also belongs to Old Dunling, because it is a remote suburb, there is no steel, steam, or noisy machinery. Everything here is just like a hundred years ago, without the slightest sense of "modernity."
The sky is no longer oppressive, golden light shines behind the silver-gray clouds, and the bright green grass spreads to the end of the sight. If Shermans were not too old, he would like to ride on a horse and run wildly on it.
"Ah...it feels really good."
He breathed hard, the life of exile, and the negotiations with the purification agency... too many things were destroying his will and putting pressure on him. Now in this remote place, he finally found some peace.
After initial cooperation with the purge agency, Shermans was transferred here. In order to show mutual sincerity, Shermans cooperated with the purge agency, and the purge agency also allowed him to bring his own guards. , except for a small number of monitors, all the forces here are exiles.
"Sir Shermans..."
The attendant came from the side and put a coat on Shermans.
The cold in Old Dunling was so deep that it remained so even at the spring dawn.
"Jage...your legs look much better."
Shermans glanced at him. During the previous collection of information on "Revelation", Yager and Lorenzo fought in the Rat's Nest. He, an ordinary person, had no resistance to the demon hunter and was defeated by Lorenzo. A sword slashed his ankle. If Duke Salicardo's carriage hadn't saved him, he might have died by Lorenzo's sword.
"It's not bad, but with this weather, it still hurts from time to time."
Yager was leaning on crutches and looked a little embarrassed.
This is a small manor that has not been inhabited for a long time. After a short period of tidying up, it became Shermans’ current residence. It is far away from the chaotic whirlpool of old Dunling and is under the surveillance of the purification agency. Moreover, Shermans I quite like it here.
"I really didn't expect that a foreign land would be like this. It's your first time coming to Yingerweg, right?" Shermans asked.
Before the schism and the exile, Jager was his attendant. After the coronation of the new pope, a lot of things happened. The opposing cardinals Shermans lost miserably and could take away very little from the emerald. Pitiful.
Jager is very loyal to Shermans, and he is one of the few people willing to leave with Shermans, so he is deeply trusted by Shermans.
"Yes, it's completely different from what I imagined."
"Is that better or worse?"
"I...I don't know how to describe it. It seems that all the good and bad have been intensified. This place is advanced and vibrant, but the sky is like an iron curtain, heavy and cold, and all the suffering and joy are magnified." Yager explain.
"Yes, but this is also what people pursue. Greater greed corresponds to greater suffering. They say that the owner of this manor is like this. The times are progressing, and the wealth that clings to these lands will only be lost bit by bit. Abandoned, so he sold this place and went to Old Dunling with his money and desires."
Shermans moved forward on the soft grass, leaving shallow footprints. His speed was very slow so that Younger, who was carrying a cane, could keep up with him.
"But it looks like he failed, otherwise he would have been back here."
Shermans said with some regret.
No one is willing to leave his hometown, or never come back after leaving, and the same is true for him. Miguel once said this about him. Shermans is the least ambitious among the cardinals. He just wants to stay in that sacred place. He stayed in the church until his death. It would be better if he could be buried with all the popes of the past generations.
Shermans rarely refuted this, and he never made his thoughts explicit.
After all, the so-called cardinals are just believers who hold power, so what is wrong with being a believer who is pious to death?
He couldn't figure it out, and he didn't understand why power was so tempting that Miguel was still trying to fight against the new pope to this day.
They are all people with different reasons, but they happen to have the same enemy that unites them.
"Have the people from the purge agency not left yet?" Shermans suddenly asked softly.
Yager pretended that nothing happened and answered in a low voice.
"They only left a few people, saying they were helping us contact the headquarters, but it was another kind of surveillance, but they did give us full freedom...at least on the surface."
"You can't completely trust the purification mechanism." Shermans tightened his coat and continued to move forward.
"We still don't know what kind of promises Fei Lengcui's mission brings. Maybe tomorrow the purification agency will hand over us to the new pope because of greater interests."
The old man had a sullen face. Although he was a devout believer, it didn't mean that he only had those beliefs in his mind.
The Evangelical Church is a complex organization that unites mankind with so-called gods. Some are sincere believers, while others are puppets of power. Everyone has their own little thoughts and is not vigilant. Shermans is not like this. Easily become a Cardinal.
"They would do this?" Yager couldn't believe it.
"Don't underestimate the power of interests. If it weren't for these, how could the Knights Templar rebel, and how could Anthony be our enemy? Although it's not clear what the new pope promised them, it did impress them. For this reason They regard us as heretics and are still hunting us down after all this time.”
"I just hope Miguel won't let me down."
Shermans sighed, and he turned his head to look at Yager, his cloudy eyes a little sad.
Although Yager was a little slow, his premonition long ago had already told him the true situation, and he asked hesitantly.
"Actually... we were abandoned, right?"
This is a kind of doubt. For all the doubts at the moment, Yager can't help but ask it. They obviously hide it well, but they cooperate with the purification agency. This is too sudden and too abnormal.
"What Miguel needs is an army that can counterattack the Seven Hills, not an old believer who is about to die. We have long been of no use to him."
Shermans knew his position very well. In fact, he didn't want to do it at that time, but he had no choice but to do so.
The new pope will not let him go. Miguel next to him is his only hope. This is an issue that is difficult to choose, just like a person who is about to drown, even if the thorns will prick him and his hands will be full of blood. , he will still hold it firmly.
"And the only use of the old guy is trial and error. This is why we are talking about cooperation with the purification agency. This is just a test. Even if we die, it will have no impact on Miguel's plan."
Yager's face turned ugly. This was information that he was not allowed to know. Once it was revealed, they might be divided internally before the purge agency could take action, but Shermans still said it.
Yager suddenly felt that being trusted was not a good thing. If he had not been told this, he might be immersed in the ecstasy of hope now instead of this sudden worry.
"What should we do?" Yager asked.
"What should we do? Just maintain the status quo."
Shermans didn't seem to care about any of this. He looked to the other side, which was the racecourse. There were several white horses enjoying the green grass. Looking at his expression, it seemed as if he wanted to gallop.
"You...is this really okay?"
Yager could never understand that Shermans would accept all this so easily. Miguel was using his life as a test.
"What else can I do?"
The old man laughed like a ghost, and for a moment Yager was a little unclear about the old man's intentions.
"We were Yin Erweg's enemies decades or hundreds of years ago. The Evangelical Church threatened all countries with the force of the Demon Hunting Order. They are all eager to get rid of our shackles. Now Yin Erweg It did, and the Purgatory stepped into our sights... Do you think they'll actually help us?
In the final analysis, they are only helping us to fight against the new pope. They will not destroy the Evangelical Church, but will only plunge it into chaos forever, without the possibility of threatening him. "
Shermans lived so long that he was a man of the same era as Cardinal Medici and witnessed the end of that great golden age.
Although he is only a devout believer, Shermans also understands the so-called strategies and conspiracy.
"No one will really help us, except Miguel... Although he just wants to be the pope, at least his purpose is somewhat the same as mine. We are on the same road. Who else can we trust besides him? "
Shermans' tone suddenly became fierce, and his old body was filled with anger.
Yager didn't know what to say for a moment. The wind after the rain became colder, making him tremble uncontrollably.
"Alas, this may be the way it is in life. I no longer seek to obtain anything better, I only hope to die in peace."
The old man suddenly became weak again. Under his old face, his pupils were deeply sunken.
He reached into his arms and took out a finely crafted flintlock gun.
It's like a handicraft. The brown-red wood is outlined with patterns in gold, and the brass-colored barrel is engraved with holy words. It seems to have been baptized by time. Although Shermans took good care of it, it is more or less At least you can still see the broken flaws.
The old man's eyes were full of nostalgia, and he stroked it gently, as if he could recall the glory of the golden age from it.
"Actually, I am also a stubborn old man. I have always refused new things. Obviously those new pistols are better than this, but I just couldn't bear to let it go, so I gave up on it, along with my past."
The hit rate is not high, and reloading is troublesome. As a weapon, it is regarded as a ridiculous work of art and placed on the exhibition stand. But a long time ago, it was also the master of the battlefield. Shermans used it to execute a man. Another heretic.
But now he is old, and because of old age, his dry hands are shaking when he changes ammunition, and this weapon, like it, has been eliminated by the times.
Shermans took a deep look at the horses that were still grazing, then slowly turned his head and walked towards the manor. This time he was not waiting for Yager, who was struggling with his cane. Try to keep up with him.
The whistle of the train came from the distance. The railway covered every part of Inverg's territory, like a spider web wrapped around the earth. Thick steam overflowed from the rotating machinery. The man stood on the top of the train and looked at Jae Ying. The manor at the end of the green meadow.
There was still water vapor in the air, and it hit Lorenzo's face. The cold feeling made him energetic. Then he jumped down, and the wind lifted his coat, revealing the gun and gun underneath. sword.
(End of this chapter)