Gun of Ashes

Just as Merlin said, a few minutes later Lorenzo found himself inside a cage of steel.

It was more of a heavily guarded interrogation room than a cage, with an electrified iron fence between Lorenzo and Merlin. From the scent of blood lingering in the air, it was clear this was no pleasant place.

The two remained in a strange silence until Arthur arrived, reuniting the three of them. However, this time Lorenzo was bound to an iron bed, and as the mechanism was pulled, the entire bed slowly folded so Lorenzo could sit up.

”So why are you so nervous, Merlin?”

Lorenzo asked slowly, feeling somewhat annoyed by the series of events.

”You’ll know soon enough, Mr. Holmes.”

Merlin nodded to Arthur as a signal, and both sat across from Lorenzo, looking as if honesty would be met with leniency, resistance with severity.

”Well then...”

”Mr. Holmes, can you describe your experience inside the Armor of Original Sin? Specifically and in detail.”

Merlin asked bluntly, seemingly knowing something, directly addressing the issue’s core.

”The experience in the armor? I went in and fell unconscious.”

Lorenzo didn’t elaborate much; this involved Watson, the mysterious Pseudo Holy Grail, and no one knew if the Purification Mechanism would use him as a guinea pig after learning this.

”Please recall carefully, you are currently the only case, having fallen unconscious without losing control, this is a highly unusual case.”

Merlin said again.

”...”

Lorenzo remained silent.

He was absolutely wary of Watson, who was akin to a Pseudo Holy Grail, something utterly untrustworthy.

Lorenzo was still hesitating whether to divulge the crucial intelligence of the ”Gap,” finding it particularly tricky for the first time.

”Then let’s change the topic.”

Seeing Lorenzo maintain his silence, Merlin surprisingly didn’t press further, instead questioning Lorenzo from another angle.

”Are you familiar with Alchemy?”

”Alchemy?”

Lorenzo couldn’t quite understand why this guy brought it up. If anything in this world was the most profound art, it would surely be alchemy.

A power beyond mortal reach, it’s said to connect with gods and demons.

Seeing Lorenzo’s hesitation, Merlin continued.

”Alchemy... It can be seen as the precursor to modern chemistry. In its birth era, human productivity wasn’t nearly as strong as it is now. Even casting an iron sword was an incredibly difficult task, so alchemy originally could be considered a metallurgy technique.”

Merlin said with a touch of mystery.

”Understand a material, decompose a material, and then reforge it... Transforming base metals into precious metals, ascending from the mundane to the superior.”

”This technology evolved over time, forming the foundation of mysticism. Many strange and bizarre things are more or less related to it.”

Merlin shifted the topic and asked.

”Do you know why alchemy gradually disappeared from the world?”

”Disappeared?”

It was as if something clicked in Lorenzo’s mind. Although there had been signs, everything now became clear—the once-dominant mysterious art was silently fading away.

”Yes, the Purification Mechanism is also undergoing modernization. Technologies related to alchemy are slowly being replaced by new technology. Though not as efficient as alchemy, in today’s industrial production, they are enough to support the operation of the entire Purification Mechanism.”

Merlin said slowly, as the last alchemist of Old Dunling, he seemed particularly calm, with a look of indifference.

”Do you understand how alchemy continued?”

The alchemist continued to explain.

”Modern scholars love to share knowledge, unite and build institutions. But alchemists are the opposite; each alchemist pursues the pinnacle of alchemy, that deepest essence, the Philosopher’s Stone, or the Universal Medicine, these are all intangible metonyms for what they truly seek—a ’spiritual ascension.’”

”But in the world built by alchemy, it’s a balanced scale. There must be enough cost to achieve the other extreme behind the scale, that spiritual ascension, and it adheres to the conservation of energy.”

”Meaning it’s limited...”

Lorenzo replied instinctively.

”That’s right, only a very few alchemists can reach that ultimate, which is why each alchemist is in a competitive relationship.”

Merlin confirmed Lorenzo’s answer.

”It’s forbidden knowledge, much like the corruption by demons. It amplifies your inner greed, your desperate desire, driving you mad! You’d sacrifice everything to pursue them!”

”Every alchemist is a foe to one another!”

His words grew more fervent and angry. Lorenzo watched Merlin’s hollow gaze and suddenly felt an indescribable fear—a fear of that uncanny mystery, a fear of the abhorrently empty void in Merlin’s eyes, as if he was merely a shell.

”Calm down, Merlin.”

Arthur timely reminded from the side.

Merlin paused for a moment, seemingly not realizing his own loss of composure. After swallowing, his voice regained composure.

”I’m sorry, I haven’t discussed these matters for a long time. It’s a bit unsettling. Alchemy is like that; it harbors immense power, but it can also awaken primal greed in humans—a greed for knowledge, an unyielding greed for possession.”