Gun of Ashes

The city is slowly awakening, the Iron Serpent rushes through the accumulated water, splashing water up to half a person’s height, as if even this gloomy rainy season needs a break; the sky unusually refrains from raining, although the dark clouds still hang high, obscuring all the light.

The Iron Serpent stops at the intersection, and as the doors open, Lorenzo is shoved off by the crowded throng, staggering before he finds his footing among the flow of people.

As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Old Dunling is extremely developed compared to the entire world. The steam engine spreads from here, continuously expanding outward. Although over years of transformation, it has significantly changed Ingwig and surrounding countries, elsewhere, excluding Old Dunling, still isn’t as advanced.

For many outsiders, riding the Iron Serpent would be a very novel experience; in their hometowns, there are also trains and steam engines, yet city transport still primarily depends on horse carriages. This roaring steel serpent moving over the ground seems very peculiar in their eyes.

When Lorenzo took it for the first time, he felt similarly, clutching the handle tightly, fearing that at any second this strange thing under his feet would explode.

Perhaps due to the rain stopping, pedestrians gradually increased on the streets, the nearby sewers making a gushing sound as if an uncountable number of rats were racing.

This is the other side of Old Dunling, the South City District which Lorenzo rarely visits. Even when he comes here, he constantly looks at road signs. After walking for who knows how long, he finally finds his destination.

It was a bookstore located at the street corner, the door slightly ajar, allowing a glimpse of the mountain of books piled inside. However, for some reason, there were very few customers, almost no one visits. Even when there are guests, they inexplicably pull their hat brims tight, seemingly not wanting people to see their faces, looking rather sneaky.

Lorenzo felt a bit puzzled, and as he prepared to step into the bookstore, he clearly sensed the gazes from the surrounding pedestrians.

Not malicious gazes, Lorenzo could feel, they were more of curiosity and bewilderment.

As if there was something peculiar about Lorenzo entering the bookstore...

Lorenzo didn’t pay much attention; after all, as a Demon Hunter, he’s not afraid of demons, so how could he fear the gazes of pedestrians?

Pushing the door open, Lorenzo entered boldly, and then he felt it.

Countless astonished gazes fell upon Lorenzo, as customers inside the bookstore glanced at him sideways, making Lorenzo feel a chill.

Wha... what’s going on?

Lorenzo swallowed hard, feeling increasingly uneasy, but he didn’t sense any crisis, although his hand had already moved to the handle of the Folding Blade, ready for action at any moment.

A customer approached, wearing a hat indoors and keeping his head down, holding a black bag which bulged with unknown contents.

The customer’s pace quickened, bolting away after leaving the bookstore, dashing into a small alleyway at the corner.

”This...”

Lorenzo was a bit at a loss, and then he heard the extremely faint voice.

”Boss, these, these, and these.”

Another customer stood at the counter, cradling several books. The boss understood the customer’s intention, quickly checking out and handing the customer a black bag for the books.

The actions were smooth without any delay, and the customer, having gathered his purchases, vanished from Lorenzo’s sight in an instant, just like the previous customer.

This sort of situation was frequent in the bookstore; it was eerily quiet here, with no one speaking unless necessary, transactions conducted with one hand for money and the other for goods. If Lorenzo weren’t aware of the store’s background, he’d almost think they were dealing in hallucinogens.

Though now there’s little difference, the whole atmosphere resembles the clandestine meetings of spies during wartime.

”I say... what are you doing here?”

Lorenzo couldn’t take it anymore, walking to the counter to confront the spirited old fellow.

”Lorenzo?”

The boss hadn’t expected to welcome such a unique customer.

Oscar Wilde, a not-so-popular writer and also a member of Nordro. In theory, with Nordro’s financial power, Oscar had no need to continue writing to earn money, but this guy not only kept writing but also opened a small bookstore.

”Just normal business, what’s wrong?”

Oscar was completely unaware of how peculiar his bookstore was. Lorenzo was just about to ask further when a customer approached, placing several books on the counter.

The book covers were simple, but those titles startled Lorenzo.

”Difference Engine and Old Dunling,” ”Hawk Under the Night,” ”Secrets of Victoria,” ”About the Daily Life of Oscar Wilde”...

As technology progressed, culture and thought were changing. Once traditional serious literature was no longer favored by the young, instead, people began to love simple fantasy writing, similar to how commoners once yearned for the legendary lives of knights, leading such texts to be called knight novels.

Yet just like the clash of new and old eras, at the inception of the steam engine, some perceived it as the power of demons, imprisoning human souls in steel, rejecting these technologies. Similarly, these knight novels have been around for a while, but still haven’t gained traditional recognition.