Gun of Ashes

”We’ll be staying here for two days, and Erin will be doing the same. From what I know about her, she’s very cunning. We only have one chance to capture her, and if we fail, we will lose her trail. At that point, we’ll have no choice but to follow the band directly to Gaulunaro in two days.”

Lorenzo nodded, his previously slumped body sitting upright, and asked.

”It seems you already have a plan?”

”Indeed, this is also a way for us to understand each other. After all, I haven’t seen your skills firsthand, Mr. Holmo, have I?”

Hebdo looked into Lorenzo’s gray-blue eyes as he spoke.

The two briefly locked eyes, and Hebdo continued to explain the plan.

”The plan is simple. Although the Viking countries have secretly issued a warrant for Erin, this is Ingwig’s territory. We, from the Viking countries, can’t operate here directly, which will make her let her guard down. What you need to do is get to the location and capture her.”

”Sounds simple,” Lorenzo said.

”But also difficult. She’s a shrewd woman who can fool everyone into circles. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have escaped the Viking countries.”

”Do you have a photo?”

”No, I know it’s hard to believe, but that’s something we discovered later. This woman hides her identity well; every time her appearance is different, leaving no traceable images. It’s even said that the name Erin Adler might be fake.”

Hebdo’s expression became serious.

”Sometimes I feel like she’s a person who doesn’t even exist.”

”Is that so...”

Lorenzo found the situation intriguing.

He stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the magnificent port.

A sea of ships covered the water, countless people moving between them, speaking different languages, showing different appearances... For an instant, Lorenzo felt this place was like the Lower City District, a mix of all kinds, yet maintaining a tacit order.

No one truly knows how many secrets are hidden here.

Looking at the distant buildings, Lorenzo started to form a crude plan based on the map in Hebdo’s hand.

”I say, Hebdo, for this operation to stay hidden, it means that except for those at the very top, no one knows our specific identities, right?”

”Yes.”

Hebdo replied, reminding Lorenzo that for this operation, he even shaved his beloved beard. Frankly, Lorenzo thought he looked quite good like this, the clean shave making him look a few years younger.

”Then if we cause a commotion here, I suppose those mounted police will arrest us indiscriminately, maybe even open fire on us, don’t you think? After all, in their eyes, we’re not Imperial Envoys but a bunch of rebels and traitors.”

”Rebels and traitors? I like that. Pretty much, the authorities here have no clue about this, as the enemy likely has spies among us too. No one is trustworthy.”

”Is that so... Then I’ll need to adjust my approach.”

Saying so, Lorenzo took off his clothes and opened the wardrobe beside him. As expected, the wardrobe was pre-arranged full of clothing, including the costume Lorenzo needed.

”We’re not some rescue team now but a group of desperate smugglers. Because of an operation, there’s a traitor among us, and that traitor is hiding in the Blue Whale Hotel with the goods... How do you like this plot?”

Lorenzo donned a neatly tailored black suit, carrying an air of inexplicable nobility. He also grabbed a dress and tossed it to Eve.

”Red Falcon, can you drive a carriage?”

Red Falcon slightly tilted his head, nodding modestly. He could handle such tasks, often driving a carriage for thrilling chases during his time in the Lower City District.

”Hebdo, can you fight?”

”If I die, I’ll certainly be drinking in the Heroic Spirit Hall.”

Hebdo smiled at Lorenzo, his muscles even more robust than Lorenzo’s, resembling a human-shaped grizzly bear.

Lorenzo found it reassuring to have companions. If he were alone, not only would he need to chase Erin, he might also end up brawling with any bystanders caught in the chaos.

”Let’s start the operation. We are pressed for time—tonight we begin.”

Lorenzo opened the guitar case, which shimmered with a chilling glint. A series of lethal weapons were strapped inside.

...

Blue Whale Hotel.

Slowly, the woman woke up from the bed; she disliked the feeling of being hungover. Each time she woke from such a state, her head throbbed, as if someone had hammered her.

But she had to admit, being hungover had its perks. During those hazy moments, she forgot all pain, like a numbed corpse.

A whimpering sound echoed, and Erin looked to one side.

”Ah? Sorry, feeling awful, huh? Really sorry, this time I slept a bit long.”

Erin kept apologizing, while in the corner, a woman was tied tightly, fear evident in her bloodied eyes.

Rising from the bed, wearing loose undergarments, the light lightly traced her graceful curves through the fabric.

Erin picked up the gun from the cabinet, then pressed the barrel against the woman’s forehead. Pulling the trigger would mean the woman’s tragic death before Erin’s eyes.

She wasn’t concerned about the gunshot drawing attention, for this was the Blue Whale Hotel. Here, not only shooting and killing a woman but even with more deaths, by just calling the front desk, there would be attendants soon knocking at her door to clean up the bodies.

Indeed, the Blue Whale Hotel is part of a huge criminal network. As Ingwig’s busiest trading port, even smuggling a tiny fraction amounts to an enormous fortune, tempting anyone.

The official response from Ingwig to this is largely indifferent, attempting a method similar to Old Dunling, creating a separate Lower City District for dumping waste. Unfortunately, the traffic at Reindona Port is too heavy, and various factors resulted in the city blending with the Lower City District, becoming another strange yet functionally port city.

In the terrified gaze of the woman, Erin mirrored a somewhat dazed expression, but then she smiled, sheathing the gun, and kissed the woman’s forehead, whispering softly.

”Don’t worry, I won’t kill you; you have greater uses.”

Erin took a cigarette, dragging the bound woman out of the room, stepping over shattered glass and walls marked with bullet holes; the living room was chaotic as if a fight just occurred there.

”How much am I worth over in Gaulunaro now?”

Walking, Erin asked, then self-depreciatively shook her head, knowing the woman couldn’t answer; she was gagged, only making meaningless noises.

”Well then, why don’t you get some rest now? Of course, I’m not sure if you will wake.”

Erin took out a vial from the woman’s bag, seemingly containing a sedative; with the injection, the woman’s struggle weakened, finally falling into deep slumber. Erin then donned the attendant’s uniform, stowing her under the cart, before heading to the corridor.

Behind her, the door sign read B523. In the deserted corridor, Erin only walked a few steps before stopping, looking at another door marked B524.

”Home, sweet home!”

Her voice was cheerful, seemingly addressing the woman asleep under the cart.