Embers of Embers

Chapter 587
"Edron... Levien?"
The light on the electronic eye flickered on and off, and the secret keeper's voice seemed a little confused. After a while, he seemed to wake up from his long sleep, and asked in disbelief.
"Pope? Patriarch?"
This is a vocabulary that existed in the old times. After such a long time, these things have become too far away for the Keeper of Secrets. Now that he mentions them again, he only feels strange.
"Ah."
Edron responded. He observed the flesh and blood body covered with metal. He had heard about this great existence from the words of past popes before, so now that he saw him with his own eyes, Edron was not surprised by this weird posture. Accident.
With his eyes wandering here and there, Edron looked up at this magnificent building. The well walls were covered with densely packed containers, but most of them had become empty. A red warning light also lit up below, like Scarlet eyes.
The Keeper is still silent. In his estimation, the outside world has been completely destroyed in reincarnations again and again. There may still be humans alive, but they must have become primitive and barbaric, like wild beasts.
Fragile, backward, ignorant, tortured under the oppression of darkness, dying slowly.
Perhaps he has lived for so long that the Keeper of Secrets has almost forgotten that he is a human being as fragile as them. Faced with all this misery, he only feels numb in his heart and stubbornly sticks to his duties and continues. Meaningless continuation.
"The Pope...that is to say, the Church?"
The secret keeper murmured, and he suddenly heard the words of the visitors from hundreds of years ago, those visitors who were chattering like monkeys.
He looked at Adren in front of him. He was wrapped in a heavy coat, covered with frost and snow, but from under the coat he could see the exquisite and gorgeous skirt, and the slender sword blade full of patterns was inserted into the sword bag... ...If there is nothing wrong with the Keeper's electronic eyes, this seems to be a forbidden alloy.
What surprised the secret keeper the most was Edron's eyes, with blazing white fireworks burning in them, just like the enemy of mankind for countless centuries.
A buzzing noise rang out from the chest of the secret keeper, probably due to excessive emotional ups and downs, and the mechanical pump accelerated the blood supply.
Approximately how many years ago.
The secret keeper once again experienced the so-called "excitement".
"I have obeyed the instructions of successive popes and carried out God's decree. We have once again strengthened the protection under the Well of Sublimation. The cast holy silver has completely sealed the cage, leaving only a wellhead for observation. Targeting the demon's things The expedition is also proceeding in an orderly manner. All the demon hunting sects have been dispatched, led by the 'angels', to defeat the demons that are ravaging the countries, and the regained land has been reclaimed and cultivated.
During this period, we also contacted the nation-builders again. Based on the alchemy they obtained, we strengthened the weapons and equipment of the demon hunters, and also developed the Silver Bolt. Through 'sublimation', a new generation The Witcher will be more controllable.
Although this is bound to deepen ties with the Unspeakable, judging from the situation in the entire world, such deterioration is acceptable. "
Adren probably expected to communicate with "gods" many times on the road, so he seemed to have these words in his heart. He reported all this to the secret keeper in a calm and steady tone.
The various indicator lights on the Keeper's body are constantly on. To use his own adjective, he is now like a circle of holiday lights wrapped around his body.
Adren waited for the secret keeper's reply. After a while, the secret keeper spoke slowly.
"Let me calm down first..."
The electronic eyes moved back and forth, and the Keeper walked to Edron's side. He hesitated to speak, and a metal arm rested on his shoulder. Edlon's expression changed slightly. It seemed that the contact with God made him feel a little... nervous.
This awkward silence lasted for a long time, and the secret keeper said dryly.
"Are you...interested in seeing the super-pressure fluid cold cutting blade?"
The Keeper of Secrets raised his hips as he spoke.
Adren's expression was still as cold as iron, and he did not make any response. In his opinion, these actions of God seemed a bit... strange, but when he thought about it, it was true that the other party was a so-called god after all, and it was difficult to reason with common sense. It's better not to do unnecessary things, just fulfill the duties of the popes of all generations.
The Keeper took a deep breath...at least he felt that the loud sound of the air pump was considered a deep breath for him.
"So, there are still humans surviving in the outside world, right?"
The Keeper's words seemed a little hasty, he was in a panic, like a child about to open a birthday present.
"Ah."
"how many people?"
"I'm not sure. The evangelical church doesn't involve statistics on the population of various countries."
"Countries?"
"Yes, many countries are secretly controlled by those who built them. From their words, they seem to be carrying your will."
"Where are those monsters?"
"Are you referring to the demons? We have recaptured most of the land from them. The Eastern Expedition is still going on and will continue until they are driven out. At the same time, we are also following the oracles and carrying out information dissemination. Erase, we burned all information related to demons and tightly held these secrets within the Demon Hunting Order."
The conversation is over.
The secret keeper slowly lowered his head, and then staggered back. He felt that his legs were a little weak and he was a little unable to stand. But in fact, the secret keeper knew very well that he was using a metal prosthetic leg, and he could pull it with all his strength. Kick the concrete.
But now he just... just feels a little weak.
Adren looked at the secret keeper who was leaning aside. He said nothing, and there was no expression on his metal face. It was difficult for Adren to understand his emotions and he asked with some awe.
"Are you dissatisfied? I also think we are too slow. According to the wishes of the first pope, all this should be completed about 100 years in advance."
Edron blamed himself that in order to optimize the powers, the Demon Hunting Order spent too many years to dig out the powers belonging to the angels from death after death, and to systematize these mysterious powers. culturalized cognition.
"No...I just, I just feel a little ashamed."
The secret keeper's words were stuttering, maybe because he hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time, or maybe it was due to other reasons.
He looked at Adren. This young pope was wearing a silver crown, and the dim light was reflected by it, making the secret keeper almost unable to open his eyes.
The Keeper remembered that his heart had been removed many years ago, and a complex mechanical pump now supplied him with blood, but for some reason, a heartbeat that he had not heard for many years rang in his ears.
Plop, plop...
"I thought we lost."
The Keeper murmured to himself.
"I have never been a brave person. I dare not step out of this shelter to meet real death, nor do I dare to put everything human on the gambling table. All I can do is fulfill my duties, survive here, and tell later these stories.”
He thought of those monkey-like saints many years ago. The Keeper still remembered the way these guys threw themselves on him, bursting with snot and tears.
"I'm a coward..."
I remember that the Keeper of Secrets was standing here at that time, watching the departure of those saints. In fact, he wanted to laugh at these guys at that time. Humanity was already heading for destruction. Even if those guys got the knowledge, they would have almost nothing after leaving. There is hope.
At that time, even the secret keepers chose to live in pessimism. What could these monkey-like humans do?
"I'm just like a monkey."
The Keeper of Secrets spoke words that Edlen could not understand. After a while, the Keeper of Secrets stood up straight again, straightened his back, and re-melted some things that had been broken.
"You are an ascendant, right? I saw the fireworks, and you have also embarked on the road to ascension. This is not a good thing."
"Sorry, you can only kill the devil by becoming a devil."
Edron responded firmly. He was familiar with the Gospels and Revelation, and knew the cause and effect of all this.
The Keeper smiled. He stepped forward suddenly, hugged Adren's face with his hands, put their foreheads together, and looked into each other's eyes.
"Yes, only by turning into a demon can you kill the demon."
The electronic eyes stared closely at Adren's eyes, and the secret keeper's voice sounded in his ears.
"You can do that, right? It's the ability to invade my consciousness."
"You mean Might Gabriel?"
"What? What a weird name."
"It's a gift from God, and we name these abilities after angels."
"Ah... I should have known better not to give you those religious knowledge, but these are not important."
The secret keeper shouted sonorously and forcefully.
"Invade my consciousness and read my memory. There is everything you need to know."
……
"That's it, I told Edlon all the truth."
The old man thought for a while and continued.
"His reaction was very calm. I guess he had suspicions a long time ago. Otherwise, according to those monkeys, Adren would have kowtowed and knelt down when he saw me."
The past stories unfolded before his eyes. Lorenzo looked at his palm from time to time. There were scars burned by the holy silver. Under the scars was the secret blood flowing. Now Lorenzo finally found the so-called origin.
"I let him calm down for a while. I also calmed down for a while and woke up a few other old guys who were not dead. With Adren's information, we learned about the survival of the humans outside, and they endured it with tenacity. The dark age ushered in a silvery dawn.
For this reason, we made a decision together and prepared to use all resources to restart for the last time. "
The old man said as he looked at the other iron coffins surrounding the disk. The shimmer on them was no longer there, leaving only the old gray color.
"We guys are too old and have stayed here for too long. We have long been integrated with this shelter and it is difficult to step out again. For this reason, I woke up Roger Cruz from his long sleep and ordered him to assist Edron Levien reboots.
The two of them left again with the knowledge and truth in the shelter. Edron returned to his legion and continued the Eastern March to regain the land of human existence from the hands of demons. Roger Cruz tried to reunite the people lost over the years. He founded a group called the Rosicrucian Order of the founders of the country, and incidentally used the history of the asylum's restart as the background of the group.
The world calls these people with advanced knowledge alchemists. Later, the group grew larger and evolved into a group called the Golden Dawn. "
The old man's tone changed from excited to disappointed, and Lorenzo could clearly feel this change.
“It was a great time, everything was positive, and for a moment I thought maybe humanity could win this battle.
The Golden Dawn, led by Roger Cruz, possesses advanced knowledge and technology, but the current infrastructure is not enough to support the reproduction of past technology. For this reason, they split, and a group of people returned to the shelter and used Some of the remaining equipment in the sanctuary are used for research, and some people are roaming the land, spreading basic science among the countries, hoping to complete all this in a few generations.
Most of its members were the nation-builders who had been reunited, so the entire world rose up under the divisions of the Golden Dawn.
But one day, something changed everything. "
The old man stopped talking. He didn't want to think about it.
"What difference?"
Lorenzo didn't mean to let the old man go, he asked.
"About the Unspeakable."
said the old man.
"After centuries of research by the Demon Hunter Order, they have gained a great understanding of the Unspeakable. It can be said that the power of the Demon Hunters comes from the Unspeakable. For this reason, Edron also Realized that disaster was coming."
"The population has reached its peak, and the Unspeakable will awaken from its long sleep."
Lorenzo said that this is an unsolved problem, and it is also the problem that Lorenzo is facing now.
"Edren doesn't want to succumb to such a threat. He has finally created such a beautiful era, how can he bear to destroy it like this? For this reason, he has assembled a large number of elite demon hunters. They are all Ascended and can sneak into Fight the Unspeakable beneath the Well of Ascension.
The same is true for Roger. With the collaboration of the alchemists and nation builders, the civilization of the entire world is accelerating. Although these are not worth mentioning compared with the glory of the old mankind, they are also the struggle we have restarted countless times. , the most promising one. "
The old man still regrets and regrets his own powerlessness.
"I can't do anything. I have lived too long. Not only my body has been optimized." Even my memory is like this. My life is so broken that I can't even remember what my wife looks like... maybe I also have no wife and no memory of anything except my duties.
I could only watch as they stepped into the Well of Ascension. "
"and then?"
"Then they failed, they felt the madness of the Unspeakable, and fell into despair beneath its whispers.
Edron and Roger were both affected, their connection with the Unspeakable deepened, and because of this penetration, their level of ascension deepened. "
"Became a spirit of nothingness, just like me."
Watson, who had been silent all this time, said at this moment that she seemed to understand the origins of the Watchers, and also understood how angry and irritable Edron was at the Well of Ascension.
"Pretty much, Roger left disheartened, we could never find a trace of him, and Edlen came up with the 'Watcher Plan.'
After returning from the Well of Ascension, Edron realized that he was being watched by the Unspeakable. He would become a 'channel', changing from a guardian to a perpetrator. He did not hesitate and made a series of instructions. .
Edron sealed Power Gabriel, and the relevant information was burned. The only recorded book, the Book of Revelation, was corroded and shrouded due to its connection with the Unspeakable, making it difficult to read.
The road to sublimation was cut off.
The other Ascendants who participated in the Well of Ascension operation were summoned by Edron. Edron knew that they were also contaminated and had the possibility of becoming 'channels'.
To this end, he caused these sublimated people to lose themselves, completely lose the meaning of autonomy, and become one tool after another.
Adren then used this extraordinary power to build layers of defense circles around the sanctuary, and 'reduced the dimensionality' of his illusory self, absorbing demons and death row prisoners, plus the flesh and blood they shaped out of thin air. , created a huge demon named Leviathan, and its [Gap] became the station of the Watchers.
Leviathan wanders on the edge of the sanctuary, hunting any living creature that tries to get close, thus cutting off the possibility of knowing the path to sublimation from within the sanctuary. The watchers who have lost themselves follow the orders and chase any potential threats. In this way, a nearly perfect fence encloses human cognition and isolates the unspeakable. "
The old man recounted this dark and cruel ritual, feeling pained by his own incompetence.
"The Watcher system is of great importance. It requires an immortal and rational manager. For this reason, Edron put himself into a long sleep. While extending his life, he also avoided being further eroded by the Unspeakable. Only when he encountered He will only be awakened when there is a problem that the Watchers cannot handle.
Before falling into a long sleep, Adren gave one last instruction. "
"what?"
"Chasing Roger Cruz. He is also a returnee from the Well of Ascension. He also has the possibility of becoming a 'passage'."
The old man talked about the tragedy of the past, but his mood gradually became much more relaxed. This may be because someone finally communicated with him, or it may be because the pressure was released. He continued to talk.
"The two of them are very good friends and thought they could save the world together, but it turned out like this.
No one has seen Roger Cruz since the Well of Ascension. His last recorded action was a report from the Nation Builders, who were under orders from Roger to launch operations when the population reached the cordon. The war caused the population to decline.
Just like that, there was no Ascendant, no knowledge from the Sanctuary, nothing, everything seemed to have returned to a long time ago. "
Lorenzo and Watson both remained silent. In the old man's statement, one after another unsolved mysteries in the past were answered.
“In the end…it’s me in the end, Roger and Edlen, they both made their choices, and it’s time for me to make a choice too.
Unfortunately, I am neither a warrior nor a scholar. I am just a pathetic recorder, and more importantly, I am a coward." The old man laughed, "But there are always things that even a coward can do. Bar. "
"What did you do?" Lorenzo asked.
The old man patted the sturdy iron coffin and said.
"I asked those old guys who are still alive to do one last 'optimization' for me, so I can live until now and wait for your arrival."
A group of fragile, old, but still stubbornly surviving brain tissue.
"I want to live."
The secret keeper said softly.
"Stay alive by whatever means."
"I will become a monument of flesh and blood to commemorate the glory of mankind."
"Old glory."
(End of this chapter)