Gun of Ashes

The train thundered as it arrived, sweeping across the pale earth.

The icy cold wind brought sharp snowflakes as they fell, and Selyu wrapped her clothes tightly, her gaze complex as she looked at the Demon Hunter beside her.

Lorenzo glanced at the time one last time; everything was still in time.

Breathing lightly, the Secret Blood was proliferating inside, healing those wounds.

Perhaps the recent brutality was too cruel; Selyu could still recall that terrifying scene to this day. She ignored Lorenzo, and Lorenzo didn’t bother her either. In the cold wind, the two remained silent.

The gaze turned to the distance, where snow flew heavily, and the boundless white snow covered everything, like an ocean of white.

Now was the coldest time in the Northern Ingwig; the low-temperature wind rushed in, accumulated snowflakes covering the train’s surface with frost crystals.

Based on the time calculation, the train had already traveled tens of kilometers away from Old Dunling. Tall trees were covered in white snow here; human presence was scarce, and the only living creatures active here were the natural predators.

”Come, Selyu.”

Lorenzo said, seemingly signaling Selyu to come closer to him, but before she could react, Lorenzo directly picked her up. The bloodstains on his body had frozen, carrying a faint fishy smell.

”It is coming.”

The voice echoed in her ear, followed by a longer whistle sound emerging from the snow curtain, like the low moan of a giant whale.

A train? Another train?

Selyu thought to herself, and then the turbulent snow curtain turned a deep gray.

BOOM—!

Pitch-black steel broke through the heavy snow curtain, the heavy machinery mechanical engagement rotating, scattered steam integrating into the snow curtain around, like slender white threads, seemingly a monster in a story bursting out of a confined book.

The path it traversed was covered with snow, stirring up snow waves several people high.

It was a pitch-black train, different from ordinary trains, larger overall, completely covered in black metal, like a serpent roaming the earth.

This reminded Lorenzo of the Radiant, the armed train modified by the Purification Mechanism. The train suddenly appearing in front of him was similar to it, but responsible mainly for transporting goods.

”The route under our feet is just a decoy.”

Lorenzo explained to Selyu.

”It won’t reach the true ’north’; it will stop at a newly built town tens of kilometers away, and that train will take us to the actual north.”

This is the real transportation route.

”Dean Lawrence has allied with the Exiled People. The best way to avoid their pursuit is to have no plan. Clearly, they couldn’t keep up with my idea, otherwise, just now waiting for me wouldn’t have been just those few pests.”

”So your hijacking was spur-of-the-moment?”

”…At least it indeed disrupted their plans.”

Lorenzo did not directly answer Selyu’s words.

Of course, the most important point Lorenzo didn’t mention was Dean Lawrence’s bizarre [Gap] traversal; in a crowd, the effect would reach its maximum.

This is also why Lorenzo suddenly wanted to leave with Selyu, to shake off everyone else. He must stay away from crowded places.

Then Dean Lawrence would not be able to use other people as jump boards to invade. When within a few kilometers, only Lorenzo and Selyu would be present, he’d have only two options: either directly erode Selyu or find a way to deal with Lorenzo first.

Selyu seemed to understand somewhat, nodding her head.

”So... what’s next?”

”Change trains.”

Lorenzo said.

”Change trains?”

Selyu was clearly confused, but before she could ask the question, Lorenzo picked her up at her waist and then launched out like a cannonball.

At first, it was a fleeting image, followed by the howling wind ringing in her ears.

Selyu instinctively grabbed Lorenzo tightly, her peripheral vision catching the rapidly approaching ground.

In the next second, both of them plunged directly into the snow, stirring up a flurry of snow; Lorenzo didn’t have time to stop, as he went into a full sprint upon landing, his superhuman physical capabilities fully manifesting themselves, speedily moving.

At this time, Selyu understood what the so-called train change was all about; this Demon Hunter was indeed straightforward in certain aspects.

But then a strange feeling arose...

She actually found it quite amusing, as if riding a somewhat mystical pony, happily running through the snow. The only difference was, this mystical pony could bite off a person’s head.

But Lorenzo obviously wouldn’t understand what the girl was thinking.

The Demon Hunter raced all the way and chose to act at the closest intersection with the trains, which might seem incredible to ordinary people but was still within operational limits for a Demon Hunter. He leaped with all his strength while swinging his weapon, the sharp Folding Blade wedging into the gap of the train’s body. With this leverage, Lorenzo flipped onto the train, finally landing at the junction of two cars.

”Alright.”

Lorenzo said as he put Selyu down. The girl cautiously stood on the steel, careful not to accidentally fall off.

”Damn it! What’s the matter?”

Just as the girl was staring at the constantly passing sleepers beneath her feet, Lorenzo cursed. This Demon Hunter appeared very irritable.

The key was inserted into the door lock, but possibly due to the low temperature, the internal structure was frozen. Lorenzo hammered it several times before the door slowly opened.

Outside, the cold wind shivered, inside warm like spring.

”Rest first, the journey is still long.”

Lorenzo closed the iron door, blocking all the cold outside.

Selyu then looked around the car, noticing strangely that it resembled a warehouse, its corners piled with goods.

In Selyu’s imagination, a train related to important resources should have very tight security, yet now it had been easily hitchhiked by Lorenzo, and inside there was no one to guard.

Apart from the faint sound of the engine, it seemed only Selyu and Lorenzo were here. For some reason, she felt it was like a coffin, a coffin speeding along the tracks.

And while the girl was still in doubt, Lorenzo threw over some bread to her.

”Eat more, being full will give you strength to work hard for me, right!”

Lorenzo, contrary to before, suddenly flashed a cheerful smile now, making Selyu somewhat uncomfortable.

”Bread?”

Selyu was a bit puzzled but soon Lorenzo also tossed her a blanket.

The girl held the blanket, looking bewildered.

”And a blanket?”

”Maybe they also think the north is a bit cold.”

Lorenzo casually brushed off the comment, appearing strange, as if something was about to happen since earlier.

Selyu didn’t ask further seeing he was reluctant to talk; she sat in a corner, wrapped herself with the blanket, and listened to the deep sounds, quietly waiting for the conclusion to arrive.

The train quietly moved forward amidst the howling wind and snow, diverging its track from the previous train, continuing north. Countless shadows followed closely behind, emitting faint barking sounds, all the way to the journey’s end.