Gun of Ashes

Within the Mechanical Institute, industrial facilities worked tirelessly. By looking up, one could see molten iron pouring down like a waterfall, glowing red like the melted sun, being channeled into molds below, flowing like rivers across this black land.

The heat waves hit with intensity, so Bola handed Lorenzo a breathing apparatus. In such conditions, one must be equipped with such gear; otherwise, the fragile human respiratory tract would be instantly scorched upon inhaling the high-temperature air.

”Follow me.”

Bola’s voice sounded somewhat muffled as he gestured to Lorenzo. Countless sparks floated in the air.

Within this massive building, the sound of heavy hammers rang endlessly, so loud it was like a giant wielding a hammer, forging Godslayer weapons.

Lorenzo doesn’t come here often, let alone witness this full-force operation. Many workers were seen traversing through it, like battalions of arsonists, dressed in thick asbestos suits, with eyes hidden behind thick lenses, laboriously controlling this colossal entity.

”Whew, this place is just like the hell of lava.”

Inside the elevator, Bola yanked off the breathing apparatus, feeling stifled by it.

”This is industry... The iron knights and knight spirit of the old era are powerless before it.”

Lorenzo ignored Bola, leaning on the edge of the elevator, peering through its hollowed-out slits to see the external structure.

Just like the people within Old Dunling often mentioned, the Mechanical Institute hollowed out the underground. The elevator descended into an endless abyss. Amidst the darkness, flows of glowing light could be seen, those were iron streams flowing along the channels underground, being injected into various devices, forging steel weapons.

The sound of rushing water echoed from the end of the darkness. Lorenzo knew exactly what it was—a system devised by the Mechanical Institute to divert the Thames River for industrial cooling. The shrill of steam resounded as scorching gases swiftly grazed the elevator’s exterior, leaving a layer of cold condensation on the steel surface.

”Each time I witness these, I’m amazed to realize that this is truly the Old Dunling... Or simply ’Dunling.’”

Lorenzo slowly stated that these innumerable intricate systems constituted the entire Old Dunling, controlling this city and achieving near-divine feats with human strength.

”Yeah, most people don’t believe in the tales of hollowing out the underground, but it’s true. This is a war factory, and we have many such factories.”

Bola also leaned in. The friction sound of sliding rails arose, as several black skeletons were hoisted up, passing before them, ascending overhead.

The elevator stopped at the lowest point of the Abyss. In Lorenzo’s memory, they had just been descending along the main road of the Furnace Pillar and were now at the root of this steel tree—the Perpetual Motion Pump.

The iron doors opened, and amidst the dispersed smoke, Merlin had been waiting for a while.

”Long time no see, Mr. Holmes.”

Merlin’s face, akin to a dead man’s, attempted to smile. He didn’t indulge in pleasantries, directly stepped aside, signaling Lorenzo to follow.

”Our time is tight, so I’ll be brief... How much do you know about the progress of the Red Signal incident?”

”Not much, I only know you managed to restore sanity to some deranged individuals, but the duration of sanity is very short-lived,” Lorenzo conveyed what he knew.

”That’s about right. Remember I mentioned the frontal lobotomy? According to our long-term research at the Perpetual Motion Pump, we discovered that demon-corruption is a cognitive threat. As long as we maintain sanity, this threat relentlessly approaches. But if we interrupt our ’cognitive’ channel, we can block this threat. Similarly, the individual’s will would be imprisoned within the skull, becoming a fool driven only by instinctive reactions.”

Merlin quickly advanced. Lorenzo hadn’t seen this eccentric alchemist in a while; now, from his movements, he seemed much more active, appearing quite exhilarated by the exploration of knowledge.

”We drew several death row inmates from prison for experiments, allowing them to share a room with captured demons for extended periods. Of course, there was an iron barrier. Initially, they were very panicked, followed by an amplification of negative emotions. Ultimately, to escape this environment, they began exhibiting self-harming behaviors.”

A woman’s voice emerged beside him.

Dean Abigail joined Merlin’s team, offering additional information to Lorenzo as they walked.

”Dean Abigail? I thought you wouldn’t be here.”

Lorenzo was somewhat surprised to see Abigail, vaguely recalling that the Perpetual Motion Pump and Black Mountain Hospital seldom collaborated.

”The Red Signal incident severely hit the research power of the Purification Mechanism. To uncover the truth, I’m willing to temporarily come to this godforsaken place and cooperate with these people,” Abigail explained to Lorenzo. ”We controlled the prisoners’ self-harming, restrained them, and as we knew, prolonged exposure to the corruption environment led them to metamorphosis.”

”First, physical mutation appeared, followed immediately by mental derangement. At this point, we halted the experiment, rescued the prisoner, and conducted control and tests. He was corroded to the mid-stage of the second phase, a phase whose invasion begins to become irreversible. Although theoretically, salvation is possible, the hope is too slim.”