Gun of Ashes

But it was probably someone he knew. If it were a thief, Lorenzo would actually be happier. In his view, being visited by a thief could be considered a pleasant surprise in life. Of course, this thief probably didn’t realize they had already fallen into a den of thieves.

”Tch, why is it you?”

Lorenzo walked downstairs and looked at the person. She was clearing his dirty clothes off the sofa, casually tossing them aside, and then sitting down herself.

”Just happened to be passing by and thought I’d check on you. You don’t have fixed business hours, do you?”

Eve looked over Lorenzo’s terrible living conditions.

”Ah... I feel like you’re a fungus slowly growing beneath damp, dark soil.”

”Thanks for the compliment.”

Lorenzo didn’t expect it to be Eve. He rummaged through his messy kitchen and found he could only offer two unopened bottles of beer and some leftover pizza from yesterday to treat her.

”Want some?”

Lorenzo said as he sat across from Eve, taking a gulp and biting into the cold pizza.

”No, no.”

Eve quickly shook her head. She had thought Demon Hunters could adapt to harsh environments but didn’t think this ability would make them end up like this.

”You... won’t get sick to your stomach?”

Eve asked, feeling uncomfortable just watching him eat like that so early in the morning.

”Do you think a Demon Hunter would get an upset stomach?”

Lorenzo scoffed in response.

”Alright then...”

Eve responded helplessly, but Lorenzo unexpectedly answered her.

”Actually, yes. But I’m not entirely sure why. Probably eat too many strange things and you’ll get diarrhea... but these are more than enough.”

Lorenzo grabbed a napkin, wiped his mouth, and then tossed it aside into the pile of trash, where he didn’t know when he’d find it again.

”So, what brings the esteemed Miss Eve Phoenix here? Business? My fees are quite high, you know.”

Lorenzo suddenly became serious.

”I recall from the last job you earned quite a bit. Can’t you tidy up this place?”

Eve caught a whiff of a sour stench in the air, reminding her of the sewers in the Lower City District.

”I can’t help it. My various ventures all go into investments.”

”Investments? In what?”

Eve was surprised, never imagining Lorenzo had an economic mind. She thought he’d spend frivolously, then scurry off to find work.

Lorenzo pondered.

”In the future.”

”The future?”

”Yes, the future,” Lorenzo was too lazy to explain further, and asked, ”So, is there something you need, Eve?”

”I told you, I just happened to pass by. Isn’t this normal? Passing by a friend’s house, having some time, I just thought I’d stop by.”

As she spoke, Eve didn’t bother with formalities, put her legs up on the sofa, and instantly transformed from a noble member into Lorenzo’s buddy from the Lower City District. It looked as if in another second, she’d be saying to Lorenzo, ”Hey bro, I’ve been annoyed by Bola for ages, why don’t we take him out and become the boss ourselves?”

”No, no, no. I feel passing by is secondary, the main thing is to disturb.”

Eve’s kind words left Lorenzo feeling uneasy.

Eve was too lazy to keep explaining and directly got to the point.

”Has something happened recently with the Purification Mechanism?”

”Why?”

”Lately, the vibe isn’t right. It’s so oppressive, everyone feels like they’re about to die,” Eve said worriedly, ”especially Arthur. He seems... complex. I haven’t seen him this lively in a long time, yet there’s a hidden dread of death in his eyes.”

”So you came here just to ask about that?”

Lorenzo hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

”You’ve been regularized, right, Eve?”

Eve nodded, hugging her legs, squatting on the sofa.

”Yes, thanks to you, I’m probably the best-resumed rookie... involved in the assassination of the Orthodox Pope, and blew up the whole Maruri port by the way. I might just become a war hero in wartime.”

”Being a hero isn’t that easy, and since you’ve been regularized, you should be aware of the Purification Mechanism’s regulations, right?”

Lorenzo’s tone was stern, as if reprimanding Eve.

Eve could guess what Lorenzo was about to say and fell silent.

”Different ranks know different information and bear different responsibilities,” Lorenzo said. ”Eve, this is a war, a war of no quarter, and what a soldier must do is obey orders. I know your concerns, but firstly, you are a soldier, and you need to abide by these.”

”I... I understand.”

Eve sighed softly, speaking lowly, probably having anticipated this. Lorenzo’s reaction was within her expectations.

This guy in front of her may be a bit crazy, living a chaotic mess, but when it comes to demons, Lorenzo is indeed a very reliable expert.

”Actually, I’ve been too naive, experiencing this firsthand shows it’s not that easy, many people will die, and many will suffer.”

”But at least you’re much stronger than when I first met you.”

Lorenzo recalled the past, that incredibly unexpected coincidence. Sometimes Lorenzo felt it was fate’s trick. He had lived in Old Dunling for so long without touching this dark side, but ever since that day, it was like a ball began, and everything stepped into madness.

”Back then, you’d tremble, be scared facing a demon. Without me, you’d have died in that dark tunnel, but now you can not only slice a demon a few times, but even pull the knife out and wipe it off without changing your expression.”

Lorenzo encouraged her.

”That’s a good sign, Eve. No one is born a Demon Hunter, everyone starts as an ordinary person, as an apprentice, slowly becoming strong. If you want to know these things, then strive to climb higher. If you can inherit the name ’Arthur,’ all secrets will no longer be secrets to you.”

”But there’ll always be secrets I don’t know.” Eve said.

Lorenzo paused for a moment, then said.

”Then keep climbing, climb to the very top, until there’s no one above you anymore.”

”Just hearing it sounds exhausting, I’ll forget it.”

Eve rummaged through her bag, this guy looked like it was his day off, showing no urgency to work.

”Here’s your telegram; I got it from a courier on my way in.”

Eve said, handing the envelope to Lorenzo.

This was an era of highly developed information exchange. In the past, people needed horse-drawn carriages traveling day and night and word of mouth to carry a story from one place to another, but now it was different. Railways spanned human territories, and telephone lines sprawled like dense forests between cities.

However, the fastest information exchange method was still the telegraph, managed by telegraph offices in various regions, transmitting information to the recipient like sending a letter. But because of the slow development of electricity and its limited applicability, telegrams were a very expensive means of communication that ordinary people rarely used.

”Hmm? Who would send me something like this?”

Lorenzo was a bit puzzled. Telegrams were used only in very urgent situations; generally, people preferred to send letters, assuming the distance between them was far enough.

”Your friend?” Eve suggested.

”Do you think I have any friends outside of Old Dunling?”

Lorenzo said blandly. Hearing his words, Eve suddenly felt a bit sorry for Lorenzo.

”How pathetic...”

”What are you saying?”

”Nothing.”

Eve wisely shut her mouth.

Lorenzo opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.

It was interesting. Telegrams charged by the character, so everyone tried to make their messages as brief as possible, but this paper was full of words. However, none of this caught Lorenzo’s attention. What really made him pause was the name at the bottom.

Watson.