Embers of Embers

Chapter 738 The End of the Future
Walking on the street, Lorenzo hummed a strange tune and glanced back and forth between the cities.
Old Dunling is also changing. After the previous war in the city, many buildings were destroyed. Although they were subsequently rebuilt, many people were still homeless. They gathered in various temporary settlements to spend time together. This is a somewhat difficult birthday for God.
Many scaffoldings and broken walls can be seen on the streets, but citizens seem to be used to all this, living and moving forward on the ruins.
Lorenzo could clearly feel the vitality of the city, which was trying to revive from decay, like weeds growing tenaciously from the gaps between the bricks and stones.
"Ah...because who is here?"
Lorenzo tried to recall the battle, but due to the influence of antimemetics, his memory became riddled with holes. For a while, he actually couldn't remember the name of the powerful enemy.
But soon Lorenzo no longer bothered with these things, everything had turned into dust, and looking back became meaningless.
He walked leisurely and walked through familiar roads. Lorenzo was not in a hurry to go home. He wanted to see more of the city. Although he was a little tired and his knees were aching, he still stubbornly used crutches. , moving forward step by step.
Looking up, you can see the iron whales swimming among the clouds. Their surfaces are covered with a thick layer of frost, like giant whales breaking through the ice, raising waves of water and turning into snow dust all over the sky. fall.
Looking down, you can see the broken Dunling Tower. This towering tower is also gradually healing, and this time, it will take on new responsibilities.
The darkness is exiled, and the curse of knowledge no longer exists. This time the Dunling Project will be restarted, with Nicholas in charge. A new Dunling will be built on the ruins, and the roaring thunder will replace the blazing steam.
Lorenzo can't wait to see that day, and he will be amazed.
The knowledge stored underground in the Platinum Palace will also be gradually used, but it will be supervised by the builders of the country, and this knowledge will be gradually released to steadily advance the process of the times to avoid chaos and disputes caused by the explosive growth of technology.
Thinking of this knowledge, Lorenzo couldn't help but look to the north. On that distant frozen land, there were some people who could be considered friends.
Lorenzo estimated that the demons wandering in the Silent Sea will also usher in true peace. After that, the threat of the Silent Sea will be greatly reduced, and the channel to the end of the world will be opened up again.
And then...the end of the world.
Lorenzo tried hard to recall that mysterious land, with its numerous black obelisks, as if they had come from eternity.
The first thing he thought of was the epidemic doctor. With the road to sublimation cut off, this pursuer of truth may be heading for real death, along with the secret keeper. However, Lorenzo felt that because of the special nature of the shelter, he said Maybe the epidemic doctor can survive for a while, after all, forgetting is gradual.
The Unspeakable One has had too profound an influence on the world, and has "distorted" the world's "normal". Now as it is exiled, the world is gradually being "corrected". This will take a long time, and it will also give those who The demons that remain in the world must survive for a long time.
Just like Lorenzo.
The secret blood in the body has not completely decayed. They will be annihilated little by little as time goes by. Just like the world's memory of darkness, time will cover up everything. Whether it is a nightmare or a carnival, it will turn into something as time goes by. A land of loess.
Lorenzo had been worried about this before, but he soon felt relieved.
No one knows what he has forgotten, just as he does not know when he will completely forget it. All he can do is accept it calmly and start a new life.
"But I think... I will try my best to remember you until everything is gone."
Lorenzo said to the cold wind, and the words were picked up and carried to the distance.
He stopped walking, and the exhaustion of his body became clearer. With the usual amount of exercise, Lorenzo wouldn't even sweat, but now he couldn't breathe.
"Are mortals so cowardly?"
Lorenzo sighed with emotion, but he didn't think it was too bad. Because he was so cowardly, every beautiful thing seemed precious to him.
What do you do after God’s birthday?
Lorenzo has a divergent mind and likes to think about random things during walks.
Soon, Lorenzo thought of what to do. He took a vacation and enjoyed life. When spring came, he would exercise and start rehabilitation. Although he could not become as powerful as a demon hunter, he would at least be as powerful as an ordinary person. almost.
I vaguely remember the conversation with Seleu one day, the founders of the country are planning to form a new fleet after the war is settled, to explore the end of the world and retrieve the sealed history and knowledge.
Lorenzo is ready to sign up for that fleet. As a former demon hunter and explorer of the end of the world, he feels that he is qualified to join this fleet. As for the dangers, he doesn’t have to worry too much. The only thing that needs to be paid attention to is Antimemetic.
Thinking of this, he was a little anxious, and he didn't know whether the epidemic doctor was dead or alive, or whether he could hold on until they arrived.
In fact, Lorenzo didn't care much about the life and death of the Epidemic Doctor. He mainly wanted to tell the good news that Darkness was exiled and let him enter a true sleep. If possible, he would tell the Epidemic Doctor again by the way. , The Death of Lawrence.
Lawrence didn't have much contact with the world, and he didn't have many friends. If he really wanted to have one, Lorenzo racked his brains and could only think of the epidemic doctor.
But...it's finally over.
Every time he thought about this, Lorenzo had an illusive feeling, as if all this was fake and just an extremely real dream.
But if you really want to choose a way to die, drowning in a sweet dream like this is not bad.
In this way, Lorenzo was wandering around the streets while thinking wildly. From time to time, he would sit on a bench to rest, eat a few bites of cake, or turn into an alley to play with the stray cats. I don’t know who kind-hearted people built them for them. With the nest, these little guys also have a place to shelter from wind and rain in winter.
He was like a retired old man, wandering aimlessly until dusk.
Standing in front of the office door, the signboard on the side had long been rusty due to lack of maintenance. There was a faint light in the room, and people were moving around. Lorenzo stopped for a long time, then mustered up the courage to leave. Got in.
Opening the door, warmth and aroma hit your face.
"Yo! Good morning, everyone!"
Lorenzo waved with a strange greeting.
The guests who had already arrived turned their heads and responded with different eyes and expressions.
"It's already night!"
Eve leaned aside and shouted to Lorenzo.
"Looks like you're in good spirits!"
This is Xi Liangxi. He and Shao Liangye were sitting together, holding a wine glass in their hands. The color of the liquid in it was complicated. Lorenzo guessed it was "following fate".
"You're not missing."
It was Hercule who said this. This guy poked his head out of the kitchen. In the corner were piles of drinks brought from the tavern. There was also a big mouse nesting there tremblingly, as if he was afraid of being discovered by someone. look.
There were bursts of powerful snoring in the room, and Lorenzo followed the sound. An old guy was sleeping on the sofa by the fireplace. He smelled of alcohol, and he didn't know how long he had been in a coma.
"What's wrong with him?" Lorenzo asked.
"I don't know, it was brought back by Seliu. It seems like he has been hungover all night and hasn't woken up yet." Eve replied.
This is indeed something Oscar can do. He will always have a hangover for various reasons, including dozens of strange anniversaries.
"It's really early, everyone."
Leaving Oscar aside, Lorenzo looked at the others. Lorenzo was a little surprised. There were more and earlier visitors than he expected. He thought they would arrive only after dark, but now the living room became crowded.
"What's wrong? You look confused."
Eve came over and waved to Lorenzo, calling him back from his thoughts.
"No...it's nothing. I always thought the office was quite big, but it turns out it's not much bigger at all."
Lorenzo glanced around the living room.
"Maybe you have too many friends." Eve patted Lorenzo.
"What about the rest?"
Lorenzo asked, a few familiar faces still missing.
"Shrike and Kestrel should still be working overtime and will arrive later. Robin has gone home to spend time with his family. Blue Jade and the others have their own friends... As for Seleu, she came back not long ago and should be sleeping upstairs. , it seems that the Duke’s work is also very tiring.”
Speaking of this, Eve sighed. As Arthur's daughter, she will also become a duke in the future.
"What? Are you afraid of trouble? You didn't have this attitude before." Lorenzo teased.
"Ah... I used to think that only by becoming a duke can I get rid of the shackles of others and become free. But when you become a duke, you do have freedom, but you will also have greater constraints."
Eve thought for a while and blessed her heartily.
"I hope Arthur can live a few more years, preferably a few more decades."
Lorenzo had a complicated expression. It was obviously a good blessing, but when it came out of Eve's mouth, it felt a little wrong, and he couldn't say anything to refute it.
Walking indoors and up the stairs, Lorenzo opened the door. In the dim room, he could hear gentle breathing. When he walked to the bed, he saw a small figure nestled in the corner of the bed.
Lorenzo paused for a while, instead of waking Seleu up, he walked to the table, sat on a chair, looked out of the window from time to time, wrote in his diary from time to time, or looked at the sleeping Seleu .
There was a burst of noise downstairs, and it didn't take much to think about it. It was the kestrel coming. Since returning from Feilengcui, the kestrel has become more... active.
It may be the reason for returning from a desperate situation, or it may be that retirement is approaching. In short, Kestrel is now very grateful every day, full of energy, and noisy to the point that even Lorenzo will feel bored.
When I came to see Lorenzo before, I heard from Kestrel that he had already declared with Arthur and was just waiting for the matters here to be settled. After the work was handed over, he officially retired. It is said that he still has a considerable salary every month. issued.
As for what he will do after retirement, Lorenzo doesn't have to guess. At that time, Lorenzo even joked with Kestrel.
"If you do well, it's not impossible for you to be the dean!"
Kestrel directly said "Thank you to the great Lorenzo Holmes" and many other words of praise. It is not clear what Kestrel went through. His vocabulary of praise was so large that Lorenzo was once nausea.
But soon Kestrel realized something else.
"So, do I work for you?"
"Yeah, hurry up and call the boss."
Lorenzo had a hard time describing Kestrel's expression at that time. It was very complicated, very interesting, and it looked like he had finally retired and ended up working another job. The boss was a little annoying.
A slight sound interrupted Lorenzo's memories. He looked at the bed and saw Seleu slowly waking up and rubbing his eyes vigorously.
"Good morning."
Lorenzo said.
"Ah...good morning, good morning."
She might have been really sleepy and kept muttering, but Seleu soon realized the situation in front of her.
"How long have I slept?"
Seliu asked, looking at the dark night sky outside the window.
"I don't know, it should have been a while."
Lorenzo stood up and held out his hand.
"Let's go, everyone is here."
Seliu didn't hesitate, stretched out his hand, and the two held it together.
……
"Happy Birthday to God! Everyone!"
Walking down the stairs, Kestrel's cheers could be heard endlessly. This guy took off his shirt and stood on the table, holding a wine glass in one hand and shaking his clothes with the other. He cheered and danced strangely at the same time.
Below is Sagaraki swaying with him. She is very good at joining in this kind of crazy joy.
"Is this the birthday of God in the Western world? How interesting!"
She said excitedly to Shao Liangye while going crazy with Kestrel.
Shao Liangye sat with the others with a dark look on his face. Even as a foreigner, he knew that this was definitely not the case on God's birthday. It was just Kestrel acting like a drunkard.
Eve suppressed a smile. She knew very well that if she didn't stop it, the God's Birthday would become strange in the eyes of these Jiuxia people, but she couldn't help but want to see what this would turn into in the end. .
Amid cheers, Kestrel jumped off the table and vigorously shook the drunken Oscar, asking him to join in the singing and dancing.
"This guy is not ordinary happy."
Lorenzo walked to the living room and said to Shrike.
"Yeah, seeing him like this, I also want to retire... Are you so happy?"
Shrike watched as Kestrel picked up Oscar and spun him vigorously. He was not sure whether Oscar's old waist could handle it.
After another period of madness, Kestrel finally got tired and leaned against Oscar like a mountain of meat.
"Ah...it's such a good life."
Lorenzo said softly, although these guys made a mess in the living room, Lorenzo was not disgusted, but rather missed it, missing the messy look of the house before.
Sitting in his seat, leaning against the warm fireplace, Lorenzo felt the peace and tranquility with a slight smile.
"What's the matter?" Sai Liu leaned against him and asked, "You look like a grandpa."
"Grandpa?"
"Yes, did the old man who was basking in the sun in the afternoon think of something?"
Lorenzo was silent for a few seconds, thought seriously, and then said easily.
"I'm happy, Seleu, I'm very happy."
He looked at Seliu, then at his friends in the room, and smiled.
"I think I was really blessed by luck, and my only wish was really fulfilled."
Midnight was approaching and the new year was approaching. Everyone got up and picked up their wine glasses. Even the drunk guys were stood up and prepared to celebrate this moment.
"Happy Birthday to God, Mr. Lorenzo Holmes."
Everyone cheered.
Lorenzo also raised his glass and took a deep breath. The old year was coming to an end. Too many things had happened this year, so much that it gave him a headache when he thought about it.
He was filled with emotions and increasingly melancholy, but Lorenzo felt that this should not be a reason to stay, even if it was the end.
"To the future."
He raised his glass and ended with these words.
The midnight bell rang, and the distant sound hovered over the city, bringing people's laughter and laughter together into the endless sky.
　There will be a chapter ending tomorrow which will be posted together with the closing remarks.
　
(End of this chapter)