Embers of Embers

Chapter 326 Beginning
"Soldiers! Advance! Soldiers! The enemy's fortress is right there! Capture them!"
Old Cole seemed to be tired from running, and stood panting. Then he waved his hand and pointed to the empty space on the grass. At his order, the patients who were running with him started dancing towards there. He stood up, but his face had a stern temperament, as if there were really enemies there.
"Dig quickly! Gavin! You deserter, dig quickly!"
After commanding the group of patients, Old Cole shouted to Gavin who kept digging in the ground. Gavin remained silent and dug the trench in his imagination.
The soil and grass were uncovered, and there were some bugs in them. Gavin's fingernails were full of dirt. As he dug desperately, there were some scratches on his fingers, but the nurses had no intention of stopping him.
Every time Gavin was stopped from doing this, the seemingly calm patient would suddenly become crazy and extremely aggressive. Since he could not hurt himself much by digging like this, the nurses simply stopped stopping him and allowed him to be happy.
"You're not being rude, you won't be able to get married."
He is obviously wearing the same hospital clothes, but when Sir Dren walks, you always feel that he is gorgeously dressed. Maybe this is the function of etiquette. Among these patients, he behaves the most elegantly and feels that he is a gentleman.
And now the gentleman was watching Eve grabbing William tightly and trying to pull the old guy up from the grass who had been chewing grass.
"Vulgar."
Delen looked at Eve with disgust, turned around, and scanned every patient in the activity area with disgust.
In his opinion, these patients were vulgar savages with no sense of propriety, justice and shame.
He rolled up the non-existent sleeves, picked up the empty cane, and walked steadily around the place. He came to William who was chewing grass and stretched out his hand gracefully.
"Need help, sir."
What greeted him was a slap with dirt, and Delen was knocked over directly.
William was finally pulled up by Eve. The old man said that he was an alchemist. His obvious symptom was that he wanted to take a bite of everything he saw, as if it was some kind of secret medicine that he had been pursuing.
He was also one of the people who had difficulty communicating. He rarely took the initiative to say anything. After being pulled up by Eve, he just sat on the grass and stared blankly at the gap he had just chewed out.
Her long hair is flowing and she sits cross-legged.
William seemed to be in a trance, and after a while he muttered something, like some kind of spell.
Eve didn't care, this old guy was always fussy... No, the guys in the entire critical area were fussy. After all, they were patients, incurable patients.
Nurses would regularly inject these guys with sedatives, but long-term and frequent injections destroyed their little sanity. Eve had heard those nurses talk about it privately.
These patients were quite lively at first, but as they lived here, their already broken will became more and more withered, until just like those patients sitting on the bench, their eyes were dull, like walking bodies. Like a corpse.
These "friends" of Eve cannot escape this fate. She doesn't know what they have experienced and why they have become like this. She only knows that this is a slow death, bit by bit, returning to chaos.
Thinking of this makes her feel a little sad. After all, she has been quite speculative with her friends these days.
But suddenly these patients stopped moving and looked in another direction with some vigilance. This was not a sign of reason, but a biological instinct.
The nurse pushed a wheelchair through the stagnant water. There was a young boy sitting in the wheelchair.
Eve has met him many times, and she also knows that boy is special... In fact, she is not sure, but she can vaguely feel that that boy is just like herself, a rational person, but because of some special reasons, he stays behind. Here it is, but what makes me curious about it is what these patients say about it.
"This savage thug."
The elegant Delen said this, glanced at the boy with disgust, and left here directly.
"How did he get recruited into the army? Is the war now so critical that child soldiers are needed?"
Old Cole made such a comment, a little confused, but his poor mind could no longer support him to continue thinking, and he lowered his head and continued to scold Gavin who was digging trenches.
Gavin didn't react much, he just looked at the boy from time to time. Sometimes his hand covered with dirt seemed to want to be raised to salute, but every time he was interrupted by Old Cole.
William didn't react at all. After Eve stopped him from chewing grass, he sat cross-legged, seemingly in a daze.
It was a young boy, who looked a few years younger than Eve. His hair was soft blond, and his cheeks were a bit sickly fair. He sat dignifiedly in a wheelchair, staring straight into the void in front of him. Deflected.
From this point of view, he was just like those sluggish patients, but Eve had seen that there was some clarity and sanity in those empty eyes, but he was too lazy to show it.
The nurse pushed him into a corner and left, leaving him alone. No patient around him dared to disturb him. This place was like a circle of docile lambs, and the boy was an evil tiger that strayed into it. He did not show any The intention is just that he is not hungry at the moment.
Of course, he was not the only one in the sheepfold, there was also the restless Eve.
"You want to associate with thugs? This is too detrimental to your family's honor!" Deren said angrily.
"You also want to join the army? But my army has no precedent of accepting female soldiers." Old Cole said strange words.
Gavin seemed to want to say something, but every time he was about to speak, he was stepped down by Old Cole, and he could only keep digging trenches.
William meditated as before.
Eve had an embarrassing smile on her face. For a few days, she felt like she was in kindergarten, leading a group of mentally retarded children, although some of these children could be her grandfather.
But Eve is a normal person, and she needs to communicate with normal people. Regardless of the advice of these patients, Eve sneaked directly towards the boy.
The boy realized Eve's arrival, and his eyes slowly turned to her.
Only at such a close distance did Eve see the boy's appearance clearly. He looked like a seriously ill patient. There were obvious pinholes on his exposed wrists, and he looked like he had undergone frequent injections.
Overall, he looked malnourished and very thin.
"You... it should be normal here, right?"
Possibly because she had been hanging out with mentally ill people for a long time, Eve pointed at her head and asked the boy. She tilted her head like a dull penguin.
The boy looked at her and frowned slightly, as if he was looking at a fool. But not long after, he spoke, as if he hadn't communicated with anyone for a long time, and his voice sounded a little weird.
"Eve Phoenix?"
He asked with some uncertainty, and Eve felt a little strange. She didn't expect this boy to know her.
"you know me?"
After being affirmed, the boy smiled and said nothing.
"then who are you?"
Eve was curious about the boy's identity and asked.
Hearing the boys hesitate, but looking down at his pinhole-covered wrist, he sighed, as if giving up something, and then showed a slightly sick smile.
"Ovis."
He said his name and seemed to accept everything now.
"My name is Ovis Victoria."
……
The air in the carriage was hot and dull, and the dim yellow light above the head swayed slightly as the iron snake advanced. The blurry light cut out the two shadows below, and they stared at each other quietly like evil ghosts.
This is a specially modified iron snake, but unlike those mounted iron snakes responsible for combat and suppression, this heavy iron snake is used to transport prisoners. Of course, the so-called prisoners are not the kind of prisoners that people are familiar with. But an abnormal person related to demons.
Logically speaking, the prisoner in front of Arthur should be tied up with two strong guards holding guns against his head at all times, but Arthur knew that these would be of little use to him.
The purification agency currently does not have the ability to contain him. The only one who can contain him is his own, Lorenzo Holmes's own will.
Lorenzo sat at the other end with gloomy eyes. He seemed to have changed and became more gloomy, like a machine, without the slightest feeling.
In the past, Arthur could still feel that kind of two-dimensional temperament from Lorenzo, but now the psychosis has disappeared, and Lorenzo is like a calm monster in front of him.
Human beings are social animals, and even a solitary man like Lorenzo is no exception. Countless threads entangle his fate with the fate of others and bind him.
At this moment, it was not that the purge agency had taken him in, but that he voluntarily walked into this trap in order to be wary of Moriarty's next actions.
Lorenzo was very passive. He fell into the New Order's plan from the beginning. He didn't know what the New Order would do next, but what Lorenzo knew was that he would make those people pay the price.
In this script that has been ordered for a long time, Lorenzo wants to find an opportunity to make a comeback.
"Your next destination is Black Mountain Hospital, which is under the control of our purification agency. As for the spiritual research institution, they will investigate the pseudo-Holy Grail in your body."
Arthur said slowly, because of the order from Queen Victoria, the purge agency had turned against Lorenzo. He was very embarrassed and very painful.
"Where is the new order?"
During the long silence, Lorenzo finally spoke, his voice low.
The New Order finally forced himself into a trap, and Lorenzo didn't think they would let him go so easily.
"Cooperation, in fact, all this still depends on your cooperation. We have decided to join forces to study the pseudo-Holy Grail in your body. Of course, it is mainly led by the purification agency, and the new religious order cannot interfere too much."
As if to reassure Lorenzo, Arthur said so.
But Lorenzo was not too happy. He knew very well that the new order must be planning something. The current surrender of power was just the beginning of another bigger conspiracy.
"Then who will intervene in all this?" asked Lorenzo.
Arthur seemed a little hesitant for a while, but after looking at Lorenzo, a guy who was extremely harmful to society, he finally spoke up.
"Queen Victoria."
……
Queen Victoria.
That was the ruler who stood at the top of Yin Erweg's countless powers, but unlike many rulers, she rarely appeared in the public eye, as did the entire Victorian royal family. She was extremely mysterious, and the only one who knew about her was her. Living in the platinum palace protected by soldiers, no one knows the rest.
The people are all familiar with the existence of the Queen, but their understanding of her is almost zero. If you ask a random person, he can't even remember which term the current Queen is. Only the distinguished name "Queen Victoria" is constantly mentioned. echoing in my mind.
"The Queen...it was the Queen who made these decisions, otherwise our purification agency would not have chosen to forcibly take you in." Arthur said.
"In other words, it is not the new order but the Queen who is leading all of this, right?"
There was a little light in Lorenzo's gloomy eyes. After so many years in the old Dunling, he was now aware of the doubts hidden under the gray fog.
"The New Order has made a deal with the Queen, a deal that will put us at risk against you."
"What agreement?"
"This is a royal secret, Lorenzo, and you have no right to know it yet."
Arthur stopped saying anything more and just sighed tiredly.
"But we have expressed our kindness as much as possible, Lorenzo, otherwise the new order will be happy to take over your containment... You have to be careful about them, they carry the toxin called Cantrera, Anthony initially said to me I suggest that if you use this on you, if it is a low dose, it will not kill the witcher, it will only make you very weak."
Lorenzo was slightly touched when he heard this. He experienced the power of Cantrera firsthand, which was a poison originated from the Borgia family and was later used by the Evangelical Church.
Lorenzo suddenly laughed. He looked at Arthur and said mockingly.
"Arthur, I always thought you were a tough guy, an iron-fisted dictator, but I didn't expect you to be so smooth."
The meaning behind Arthur's words just now was very clear. He didn't need to say this to Lorenzo at all, but he still said it. This was to warn Lorenzo that the new order carries power that can check and balance him. If Arthur's previous The behavior still makes sense, but now Lorenzo and the purge agency are at odds.
Arthur wants to control himself and please himself at the same time, which is really ridiculous.
But the guy in front of him said nonchalantly.
"I'm different from you Lorenzo. You only have one person. You can hate and kill happily. You have nothing to worry about because you only have one person. You can't lose anything no matter what."
Arthur stared at him, his expression serious.
"But I am different. My decision-making affects the lives of many people. I have to be responsible for them and strive for the best interests of everyone.
This is not tact at all, just the cunningness of old guys. "
"Are you betting on me?"
"Only a desperado would put all his chips on one person."
Lorenzo took a deep look at Arthur. Although the New Order was cooperating with the Purge Agency at the moment, Arthur knew very well that the cooperation between the two organizations was only temporary. After all, they were opposites that could not be shared. It was clear that the cooperation had just begun. , but Arthur has already begun to prepare how to fight against this ally.
"You don't believe in the New Order either? Do you want to take advantage of me?"
"There are no absolute allies, only absolute interests, and when interests diverge, we become enemies," Arthur's voice was slow and deep, like a lesson from his father's generation, "Aren't we the same? Luo Renzo, I thought our cooperation would be great, to explore the origin of the monster together, but in the end...forget it, there is nothing to say."
Iron Snake slowly stopped. They had arrived at the destination of their trip. The car door opened and cold, damp air rushed in.
As soon as Lorenzo got out of the car, he was surrounded by guards. They had received the order in advance and knew exactly what kind of patient they were welcoming. Strange weapons were held in their hands. It seemed that Lorenzo would be attacked if he resisted even a little. .
"Be polite to Mr. Holmes."
Arthur also stepped out of the carriage, side by side with Lorenzo.
"You want to come with me?" Lorenzo asked.
"There are just some things that need to be dealt with here."
Arthur raised his head and looked at the huge iron gate. It seemed that no one was maintaining it at all. It was covered with rust and vines, followed by a continuous black silhouette. There were lights on it, but it looked like The monster's glowing eyes.
"here we go."
Lorenzo said softly, but Arthur didn't hear clearly, and asked Lorenzo who was looking aside.
"What did you say?"
The demon hunter smiled at him, and in a daze he seemed to have turned back into the harmonious Erque detective, but unfortunately Lorenzo did not change back, and he said with a cold and vicious voice.
"The game begins, Arthur."
(End of this chapter)