Embers of Embers

Chapter 97 The Underworld
Old Dunling seems particularly cold in winter. The rising steam condenses into dew on the surface of the metal, and turns into frost at low temperatures to cover it. People wear heavy clothes. Under the light at night, a faint white air follows. Breaths rise and fall.
In the cold, there was never-before-seen heat beneath the surface. The heavy gate slowly opened, and then the water of the Thames poured in from the rusty tunnel, passed through several layers of filters, and finally arrived at the Tens of meters deep underground, a huge amount of water is poured into the hot boiler, and then the machine rotates, and the gas with heat rushes in the pipe.
It was a cobweb-like system densely covered in the ground. As the blazing energy flowed through the path, it was finally poured into the inverted deep well.
The dark bottom turned deep red, containing the power of technology. The next moment, steam with a temperature of over a hundred degrees spewed out, spreading along the pre-set pipes towards the entire surface of Old Dunling. After a few minutes, the high-temperature steam filled the air. On the streets of Old Dunling.
This is a miracle of mankind. Everyone who sees it can't help but kneel down and pray, because it is a huge monster that only appears in myths.
The Furnace Pillar System is currently the largest steam engine system in human history. It was built underground in the old Dunling and supplies energy to the entire old Dunling. After decades of continuous expansion, it is like a steel tree rooted in the old Dunling. , the rhizome continues to expand to all directions, and few people know its specific full picture.
Nicholas still looked depressed, but this time his expression was more serious. There was a smell of rust in the air. With the sound of his footsteps, the lights above his head dimmed and flickered.
Stepping into the elevator, after entering the password, the rusty steel slowly closed, the cable dragged, and he fell deeper into the darkness.
There are many secrets hidden underground in Old Dunling. It not only has the complex furnace pillars, but also the subway system that runs through the entire Old Dunling. But what people don't know is that deeper than all this, It is the highest scientific research institution of Inverg, where the eternal pump is located.
Keep going down, down.
Suddenly light shone in the blurry darkness, the elevator door opened, and a new scene appeared in front of Nicholas' eyes. Scholars in white paced back and forth in front of their instruments, and from time to time, lightning flashed across the tall dome. , hitting the insulating barrier and sparking dazzling sparks.
There is a python biting its own tail, entangled in the solidity of steel, and turning into a symbol of infinity.
That is the symbol of the Perpetual Pump. It was established by the first President of the Perpetual Pump. The highest goal pursued is also very simple. Just like the symbol and its name, the never-ending pump is called Eternal. The miraculous creation of motivation.
Thinking of this, Nicholas had a self-deprecating smile on his face. Everyone here knew that something like a perpetual motion machine could not exist. Even if it existed, it would only exist in so-called myths. But even so, they still wanted to Try to use science to create so-called miracles.
"Is something here?"
Looking at the staff at the side, they knew exactly what Nicholas wanted, and replied.
"It has been sent here by the Mechanical Institute and is on standby at the No. [-] Experimental Site."
The Perpetual Pump is essentially wrapped in a system of furnace pillars. At their feet is the combustion chamber that burns day and night. Hundreds of tons of coal will be fed into it from the channels, and the boiler will release the power of steam. To command that mechanical behemoth to serve him.
Above the head of the Perpetual Pump is the old Dunling Mechanical Institute. They are under the jurisdiction of the Perpetual Pump. There is a huge industrial area on the surface in the name of the Mechanical Institute, in which automated factories are running wildly, and all of this Priority is given to serving the eternal pump under it. It can even be said that the Mechanical Institute exists to disguise this place.
The gate of the passage slowly opened, accompanied by a rumbling sound, as if it was as heavy as a world being pushed open.
Nikolai did not enter Experimental Site No. [-] directly. With the help of the staff, he put on a heavy protective suit and relied only on the lens in front of him to observe the outside world. There was an electric sound in his ears. This protective suit The built-in communicator is connected to the channel.
"I'm ready to go in."
Nikolai's voice echoed in the isolated protective suit.
After a while a voice sounded in his ears.
"You can enter."
Then he stepped into it.
Huge high-strength glass sealed off the entire experimental site. Controllers were on the highest command platform. In the corners, soldiers held rifles to guard against possible accidents.
The protagonist of this experiment is at the front of Nikolai, lying quietly on the steel operating table. There are also a group of people wearing the same protective clothing as Nikolai standing around.
"How's it going?"
"We just opened his chest... to be precise, we opened a small slit."
The sound rang directly inside the protective suit. Nicholas could not see the man's face clearly. He and he were both covered by the protective suit. They could only rely on the nameplates on their chests to determine each other's identities.
"Maxwell, what do you mean?"
"You'll see clearly when you look at it. Witchers are really weird."
Maxwell moved away from the operating table so that Nicholas could observe him up close.
It was a corpse that could no longer be identified as human-shaped. Flesh and holy silver were mixed together. It was like a deformed ball of steel and flesh mixed together, carrying the power of hatred and chaos.
That was Ed. The body was recovered on the battlefield by the scavengers of the purge agency after the End Town operation, and then sent to the Perpetual Pump for study.
The power of the demon hunters can be seen in Lorenzo's violent power. In essence, they are also a group of demons. Therefore, the Perpetual Pump spent a few days transforming the No. [-] Experimental Site in order to prevent the contamination of the demon hunters. spread, and this group of scholars could only wear heavy protective clothing in order not to be affected.
"This is a strange metal. We cut off a small piece for chemical analysis. The results are not out yet, but at present we can confirm that this metal called holy silver has a suppressive power against demons."
The vessel rose with the machine, and you could clearly see that the demon's flesh and blood became inert under the metal of the holy silver. After the contact was removed, it was like encountering strong acid, and the flesh and blood was twisting and rotting.
Maxwell continued.
"According to the information from Shrike and others, the demon hunter named Lorenzo once explained the metal of holy silver in this way. He said that it was a blessed metal. During the smelting, dying saints would jump into it. In the furnace, it becomes one with the metal, giving it divine properties.”
The production process is full of mythology. Even if you listen to the narration, you can still think of that scene. In the boiling liquid metal, the old saint walked into it muttering the holy prayer.
"Do you believe this? Maxwell, the so-called blessing of faith?"
Nicholas dismissed this.
"The easiest way to disguise a technology is to deify it. Pedant people will stick to the sacred teachings, but they have not thought that the original teachings were also told through the mouth."
Seeing the violent reaction in the vessel, Nicholas only had rational joy in his eyes.
"There is no god, everything can be explained by formulas. If it can't be done, it's just that we haven't understood the essence of this knowledge."
Nicholas pulled down the joystick on the side, and the vessel slowly sank.
"I think we have a new goal. Based on these samples, we will try to reproduce the holy silver. This thing will be more deadly to demons than fire."
New tasks were assigned, and the sound was transmitted directly to the command room, where a special clerk recorded all the conversations in the experiment.
With repeated orders, new experimental sequences were added to the queue.
Then Nicholas moved his gaze to the operating table and looked at the broken body with solemnity and unstoppable curiosity.
"Then now tell me about the peculiarities of the Witcher."
(End of this chapter)