Embers of Embers

Chapter 548 Exhausted
The sea of ​​silence, the mysterious sea of ​​silence, the sea of ​​silence for those who have no return.
The sources of all secrets are overlapped here, waiting for those who come later to take out these dusty stories again.
Even Lorenzo was feeling a little hard to calm down at the moment. For such a strange and unpredictable sea area, he had thought about how he would face it.
Loaded with gunpowder and lacquer and antimony, whatever is in the sea will be unleashed with absolute firepower?Or is it about being ambitious and full of motivation, reaching the deepest place all the way?He had thought about all this, and not only was he not afraid, but he was eager to try it.
But what Lorenzo didn't expect was that everything happened so quickly, which directly broke all his conjectures, leaving people with no time to prepare. In this way, he was exposed to the darkness without preparation.
"We have entered the sea of ​​silence."
Lorenzo held the door and said seriously again.
Shrike and Notar were calm at first, but cracks appeared on their calm faces, and low emotions surged, trying to overflow along the cracks, exposing their fragile souls.
"Is it erosion that's affecting us? It's causing us to be delusional and not even aware of it."
The shrike finally calmed down, and his chaotic consciousness became a little clearer again, welcoming the bad news.
He blamed himself a little. Shrike was a returnee from the Silent Sea. He had already gone deep into the Silent Sea once. He should have been vigilant, but he was completely unaware of this.
Notar's mood was a little worse. He slowly retreated and leaned to the side, trying his best not to fall down.
"Sea of ​​Silence, we probably won't be able to get out." Notar said with some despair.
Notar didn't know how to fight monsters, but as the captain of the Morning Glory Advance, he knew the situation of the armored ship at his feet.
Successive battles have greatly increased the wear and tear of the Chenhui Advance, and the strongest weapon, Ascalon, is also in a state of being unable to fire. The original sin armor it carries, of which the third generation armor is severely damaged, even the driver, Lan Jade, is also seriously injured. Seriously injured, it is unclear whether he can participate in the next battle.
Now they have to face the unknown sea of ​​silence in this state... To be honest, if it were Notar before, he would think this is not too bad, because they have Floki as their navigator, but now It was clear to everyone that Floki had gone mad and had become a foolish lunatic.
"We can get out, Notar."
Lorenzo came over. He lifted Notar up and asked him to stand properly.
"How to go? The erosion affects the equipment's observations, not to mention these thick cumulus clouds."
Notal looked out the window. The world was gray and depressing.
It has dawned long ago, but the clouds are too thick and gloomy. They block most of the light and blur the boundaries between night and day. Together with the ubiquitous erosion, they build this The collective illusion leads them into a trap.
"Then we should stop and wait for death?" Lorenzo asked, "All we can do now is move forward, Notar, instead of dying at sea so decadently, it would be better to burn the last bit of paint and move forward, right? ?”
Notar didn't respond, he took a few deep breaths, rubbed his eyes vigorously, his eyes were like Shrike, the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, full of exhaustion, but he forced himself to cheer up.
"Sorry, lost my temper."
Facing a desperate situation, not everyone has the strength to support themselves. Notal stood up straight, took the helm again, and marched in this gray and black world.
"Go to Floki, I need him to wake up." Lorenzo asked Shrike, "Where is he now?"
"He was imprisoned by us, but how can we make him wake up? Just like we did to William?" Shrike said.
"Well, causing Floki to be corroded again may awaken his mind. Of course, he will definitely die. Don't tell Garen this. Their behavior is unpredictable."
Lorenzo ordered, then looked at Seleu.
"You stay here and make sure that nothing goes wrong with Notal. If he is infected, you know what to do."
Seleu nodded. She got into the state easily. Seleu was not surprised by this cold decision. She even felt that Lorenzo was right. In such a desperate situation, only an expert like Lorenzo could Get them out alive.
She leaned in the corner, where she could see the movements of the entire command room. If anyone wanted to enter the command room, Seliu would be able to spot him immediately.
His hand retracted into his sleeve, and the cuff bulged, hiding a loaded pistol.
"Shrike, take me to Floki."
Lorenzo's expression was very serious. After realizing that he had entered the Sea of ​​Silence, he completely gave up all the bad words and contempt. He was more vigilant than ever before, as if he was experiencing some kind of invisible war.
Seeing Lorenzo who was so dedicated, Shrike wiped his eyes. It was hard to imagine that this somewhat vigorous and resolute guy was the same guy who carried a harpoon into the sea before to catch fish.
Lorenzo had to be vigilant, this was the Sea of ​​Silence, and according to Shrike's memories, everything here was full of danger, and there was no way back for them.
"what is that?"
Walking on the deck, Lorenzo's pace slowed down a bit, and many things he had never seen appeared in his sight. It seemed that they were placed on the deck when he was unconscious.
The soldiers and crew members moved in a hurry. They speeded up repairs on the Morning Glory Advance, cleaning up the shells and debris embedded in the hull, as well as the corpses piled up in the corridors... Notal was right, their current situation was very bad, the big Some of the people who were still able to move were used here, and the rest were basically lying in the medical room, waiting for treatment by the ship's doctor.
"The ship-mounted pendant, we are trying to use it to lift the Ascalon's gun barrel and let it fire again."
Shrike glanced at the hanging tower, which was as huge as a mast. It was responsible for moving some large cargo from the dock into the ship. The original sin armors relied on it to board the iron-clad ship.
The heavy mechanical arm now hangs above Ascalon, and the steel cable slowly hangs down and rests on the barrel.
"Has the bracket been crushed?"
Lorenzo glanced at the messy scene. Ascalon itself was not seriously damaged, but the gun carriage supporting it was broken.
"Yes, we are going to lift it up. At least the angle of the muzzle will no longer face the sea, and it will become something like a fixed artillery." Shrike didn't know much about this aspect. These are all handed over to the ship. Technician solves it.
"I have long felt that this thing is unreliable. This kind of intensity of bombardment cannot be supported by these things alone."
In my memory, Ascalon always moved with armed trains because of its huge weight. Only a solid foundation could support their firing. In the design of the Perpetual Pump, the Dawn Advance also had a certain degree of However, no one expected that the Chenhui Advance would encounter so many battles along the way.
In the eyes of the Eternal Pump, Lorenzo and others would only use Ascalon if they went deep into the Sea of ​​Silence. As a result, they had already fired countless times on the way here, and now no one knows what will happen next. encounter something.
The two walked past the tall pendant, with crew members climbing up and down on it. The huge winch slowly rotated, dragging the steel cable. This pendant not only has the ability to transport cargo, it will also be responsible for rescue when necessary. The Original Sin Armor sank into the sea - before the Original Sin Armor completely sank into the deep sea.
There are also fixed cables scattered all over the deck. These are not only to stabilize the Original Sin Armor, but also their lifeline. Once they fall into the sea, the Original Sin Armor needs to hold on to these cables and come back, otherwise their own weight will drag them away little by little. Into the deep depths of the sea.
"You need to rest, Shrike, you're going to collapse like this."
Lorenzo said to Shrike.
"I know, I'm fine." Shrike said this, but his tired eyes revealed his current situation.
"But what's wrong with you? Are you also afraid of the Silent Sea? It's rare to be so serious." Shrike asked.
"I'm not afraid of the Silent Sea. In the final analysis, it's just an 'unknown' to be discovered. We've explored many 'unknowns' now, haven't we?" Lorenzo pushed open the downward hatch and let in Shrike led the way.
"I just...I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of the death of others, Shrike."
Lorenzo's voice came from behind. Shrike couldn't see Lorenzo's face. He must have an interesting expression now.
"Oh, are you worried about me? Afraid that a few of us will die here?" Shrike said with a smile.
"How is it possible? We all know what we are doing and are willing to bear such a price." Lorenzo looked at the shrike's back nonchalantly. "Now that this is the case, do we still need to care about this?"
"But...some people are different. She doesn't know these things at all, and she was involved inexplicably. According to the original plan, we should part ways in Bingbing Bay."
Lorenzo's voice deepened.
"I'm not afraid of so-called war and death. In my life, these things can be seen everywhere, and they are no longer scary things. What I am more afraid of is a destroyed life."
"Life?"
The Shrike didn't understand, but then he remembered what Arthur said, Lorenzo was bound by something warm, and he couldn't break free.
"I once had these things, but on Advent they were burned to ashes. I thought I would never have them again, but as you can see, I have them again."
Shrike vaguely heard the chuckle coming from behind, and then the sound became suppressed and twisted into something that even Shrike could not identify.
"I've lost once, but I won't lose a second time, Shrike."
There was a vague chill coming from behind. It was so cold, as if there were countless steel needles piercing my back, causing a faint pain.
Unknowingly, Shrike felt that Lorenzo was no longer following behind him, but a strange monster exuding blood and anger.
He didn't dare to look back and take a peek at this abhorrent and deformed existence.
"So you were really prepared for a bloody battle from the beginning?"
Shrike felt a chill in his heart.
"Almost, to be precise, it doesn't matter even if we all die here. In short, someone must bring something out to make our death more meaningful. It is best to end this damn reincarnation and drive out all the monsters."
This time Lorenzo wasn't joking, he was serious.
"That sounds so tragic."
"I thought you were used to this."
Lorenzo changed his words and said slowly.
"But then I decided it wasn't necessary."
"What kind?" asked Shrike.
"There is no need for that kind of bloody battle situation. There is no need for many people to die. They are just meaningless sacrifices."
Shrike couldn't understand Lorenzo's words. He didn't know whether it was because he was confused or because Lorenzo didn't want to express his thoughts. He asked.
"What do you want to say, Lorenzo?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
Lorenzo ended the topic, and the two chatted without saying a word, until Shrike's figure shook a little, and he almost fell down, but fortunately, Lorenzo helped him in time.
"Ah...it seems like I really should take a break."
Shrike covered his head. He needed to take a break and get a good sleep.
But in this situation, Shrike didn't think he could fall asleep. He was afraid of what would happen when he fell asleep, something irreversible. If he hadn't been there at that time, he would have regretted it to death.
"Yeah, no matter how hard you persist, you're only making yourself more vulnerable, not to mention me, you don't think I'll do worse than you, do you?" Lorenzo asked.
"yes……"
The two stopped on the side road.
"Floki also has Garen and his lieutenants, who are being held in the cargo bay below."
Shrike pointed to the downward stairs ahead, he and Lorenzo said goodbye, Lorenzo walked down, and Shrike walked to the other end of the corridor.
This road leads to the crew's living floor, where the rooms of Shrike, Lorenzo and others are located. He remembers that Lan Jade has come out of the medical room and she was placed back in her room. He doesn't know what her condition is. Shrike was wondering whether to visit her first and share the current information with her.
"Go and rest, and leave the rest to me."
Lorenzo pushed the shrike towards his room. The shrike said nothing more. He watched Lorenzo leave, and then he moved forward slowly, his steps shaking a little.
His vision became more and more blurred and confusing, and the picture in front of him had countless double images.
Due to erosion and exhaustion, coupled with these damning news, Shrike felt that his body had become heavier than ever before, and he gradually became unable to support his body.
Some regret, he would have asked Lorenzo to take him back to his room. Shrike felt that nothing serious was wrong with him. He was just too tired and needed to sleep for a while, just a short while.
He opened the door to his room and fell onto the cold bed. His consciousness continued to sink into the depths of darkness.
In a daze, Shrike heard the sound of the ocean tide, from the depths of his memory.
(End of this chapter)