Gun of Ashes

Chapter 724: Chapter 10 Secret Keeper

This is a good time to reveal secrets, in the capital of Ingwig, within the palace of the royal family, the sunlight falls, and everything is shimmering with a golden light, even though Lorenzo is wearing ridiculous pajamas, he appears extraordinarily sacred at this moment.

Unfortunately, this brilliant light cannot warm anyone’s body; they still tremble as if devoured by a cold wind, and it cannot illuminate those dim hearts, within which lie one conspiracy after another and secrets that cannot be disclosed.

”Golden Dawn... It originated from a small group called the Rosicrucian Order, led by an alchemist named Rosen Cruz.

Initially, it had only a few members, but as the group expanded, it officially became Golden Dawn, though the reason for telling this is largely because our Victoria family’s understanding of all this is limited to Golden Dawn. As for its predecessor, the Rosicrucian Order, the records are practically nonexistent, and whether it truly existed, no one knows.”

Queen Victoria slowly spoke, unveiling the veil of the past for the two.

”Golden Dawn is the earliest alchemy group with clear records, and the Victoria family was also one of its earliest members. But with the exploration of [Truth], in those distant years, unexplained conflicts arose within Golden Dawn. Yet, the results are clear, Golden Dawn split, and alchemists no longer trusted each other, entering an era of individual struggles.”

”The Victoria family returned to their former homeland, now Ingwig, where we used alchemy to exchange for wealth and power, gradually taking root in Ingwig until becoming the rulers of Ingwig.

But everything comes at a cost; as the price of this power, we were blessed... and cursed.”

Lorenzo gazed at Queen Victoria bathed in light, a step away from the secrets of this country.

”The King’s Curse, right?”

The Queen shook her head and said to Lorenzo.

”The King’s Curse is only part of it, it’s the cost, and the blessing is everything you see now.”

”What do you mean?”

”What else could there be... In the mid-term of the Radiant War, when Old Dunling was about to fall, it was as if we were blessed by Gods, we innovated the steam engine, the furnaces never stopped, factories never halted, under the torrent of steel, we exhausted every means to win this desperate war.

Don’t you find it a coincidence? At this crucial moment, we possessed the power to reverse the situation.”

The voice remained calm, yet to Lorenzo’s ears, it resounded like thunder on a clear day.

”This... is the blessing.”

Lorenzo whispered.

At the end of the long table, the Queen nodded slightly.

”That’s right, there are no miracles, or rather, every miracle requires a price.”

”What on earth is going on?”

Lorenzo began to feel confused, he believed he understood the world enough, yet now it all seemed so bizarre and twisted, as if a divine hand was forcefully manipulating it, and normal humans were striving to adapt to this crazy world, thereby revealing its hideous and strange nature.

Arthur beside him was not much disturbed, as if he had known all of these, but upon recalling them again today, he still felt the pressure in his heart.

The pressure of the unknown, the awe of the unknown.

”After Golden Dawn split, different branches emerged, some alchemists chose to document this knowledge, establishing libraries in the scattered lands to guard the forbidden knowledge, others chose to leave.

Some alchemists, like the Victoria family, abandoned the pursuit of [Truth], stepping into the mundane world, and using alchemy gained positions beyond ordinary people, while others continued to pursue [Truth], greedily wandering this world.”

The Queen recounted the unknown past.

”And so it passed a long time, the alchemists on the earthly realm gradually perished, and the remaining alchemists were bewildered by these fragmented knowledge.

Our Victoria family was the same.”

”Then... the so-called steam engine, the so-called blessing is...”

Lorenzo asked, he vaguely guessed the answer, but as the Queen personally certified all this, Lorenzo still found it hard to believe.

”Before answering this question, Mr. Holmo, I want to ask you a question.”

The Queen stared into Lorenzo’s eyes, as if her gaze would penetrate his eyeballs, reaching his shadowy heart.

”What do you think alchemy is?”

What is alchemy?

How could Lorenzo know this, he was not an alchemist... But, if he had to say something...

”A strange power, beyond the current understanding.”

Lorenzo replied.

”Is that so? I quite like the current Merlin, for his answer fits my intentions most favorably, he said alchemy is nothing but ’science’ we haven’t understood yet.”

The Queen’s voice was like a wooden hammer, softly yet firmly striking Lorenzo’s chest, making the heart uneasy.

”So, the same power beyond existing understanding, the biggest difference between the steam engine and alchemy, is merely that it has been understood by us, allowing its principles to be explained by existing knowledge, while alchemy remains unexplainable.