Gun of Ashes

”The missions have arrived.”

Salicardo gazed towards the end of the night; everything was so obvious, the beam of light piercing through the darkness, advancing all the way to Old Dunling’s docks.

Shermans also glanced out at the night through the window, his eyes full of sorrow.

”The leader is someone called Anthony Russo; do you recognize him?” Salicardo asked, getting the list of the mission was not difficult for him, after all, he was a distinguished Duke, and might have to attend the welcoming banquet in a few days.

”It’s him...”

Upon hearing the name, Shermans’ eyes changed slightly, with a hint of fear and melancholy.

”It seems he left quite an impression on you.” Noticing Shermans’ change, Salicardo paid attention.

After the night of Lawrence’s attack, a new world unfolded before Salicardo. The cleaners had erased his memory of that night, yet he recalled it all again in his subsequent nightmares.

Old Dunling stands on the eve of a storm, various forces are caught within this cold steel city, and at this moment, the group formed by Salicardo and Shermans remains hidden in the darkness. Salicardo is well aware that if exposed, they would surely face the reckoning of that mysterious mechanism; they strive to hide and watch the situation unfold.

”He’s a traitor, Anthony betrayed us, betrayed the sacred Cardinals, and turned to the new Pope instead.”

Shermans slowly spoke.

”Anthony was originally one of our people, even though he was not prominent within the Holy Hall Knights, in reality, with our assistance, he secretly controlled a substantial amount of power.”

Salicardo listened quietly, not speaking.

”After the Night of the Holy Arrival, the Evangelical Church was greatly wounded, and the old Pope was injured in that incident, with not much time left. After his death, we needed to elect a new Pope, but at that time, the situation within Seven Hills was chaotic beyond compare.”

Unlike other exiles, Shermans was very old; all these years of experiences had ravaged his will—power and desire were no longer his expectation. Just like a stubborn old man, what he does now is merely for the sake of some uninteresting resentment.

”Perhaps this is humanity’s ruinous nature; even the fear of faith and darkness can hardly curb its unrestrained greed. Originally, there were two strong candidates for the next Pope, one was Cardinal Miguel, and the other was Cardinal Medici,” Shermans said.

”The one managing wealth, the Medici?”

”Lorenzo de’ Medici, the great Lorenzo, who once led Florence into the Golden Era but declared its end due to his twilight years.”

Mentioning this great figure, Shermans couldn’t help but feel awe.

”When I was young, he was already a noble Cardinal. I once thought he would become Pope, but he didn’t; what he did was more frightening than I imagined.” Shermans reminisced about that now-distant era,

”Cardinal Medici didn’t become Pope, but he covertly supported several Cardinals to ascend to Papal positions,” Shermans explained to Salicardo, ”Being Pope requires detachment from the secular, which would inevitably weaken one’s control over it. Meanwhile, the Medici Clan’s foundation lies in finance.”

”The Pope became a puppet of Cardinal Medici, simultaneously ruling over faith and the secular, an unprecedented scenario in church history.”

Although unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Evangelical Church, Salicardo sensed the horror in Shermans’ words. He was somewhat bewildered.

”Was there no opposition?”

”Of course there was,” Shermans laughed, ”But when you oppose, the Medici family can easily bankrupt your family, without shedding a drop of blood, supporting others to replace your position. At that time, the entire Florence belonged to him. The supported Pope wanted to rebel, but was quietly confined by him, with external claims that the Pope was bewitched by a demon.”

”He ultimately committed suicide in his bedroom; Cardinal Medici held a grand funeral for him, immediately followed by the appointment of the next puppet. Only then did we realize he had completely taken control, and he did it very well.”

Shermans gazed out the window at the steel city, where the steam engine was born, factories roared in operation, thoroughly defeating faith.

”Initially, one major reason we weren’t wary of the steam engine was Cardinal Medici, though your steel torrent is intimidating. Under his leadership, Florence too entered the Golden Era. He was a cold tyrant, defeating enemies with gold, then plundering all their assets; wealth continuously poured into the church, even former opponents gradually turned to him.”

”But people inevitably age...”

Shermans sighed, Cardinal Medici’s legendary life came to an end there.

”He grew old, Cardinal Medici seemed tired. In his later years, he continuously relinquished power, and with his exit, the Golden Era closed. Without him, we realized his importance.”

”In his early life, he possessed gold and fame; the entire Florence under his rule, managing faith and the secular. Yet in his later years, he laid down all his weapons, turning to support those artists; he was kind and approachable, every artist sang praises of his kindness and selflessness.”

Listening to this, Salicardo laughed; although he had never met this legendary Cardinal, he sincerely admired him.