Gun of Ashes

Whether it’s the headquarters of the Purification Mechanism, the Perpetual Motion Pump, or the Black Mountain Hospital, they all have a clear location as their base, but Lorenzo still has no clue about this part regarding the Cleaners. They are so mysterious, existing as a backup plan for the Purification Mechanism, and also in charge of the eerie Anti-Meme.

It can be said that with the blessing of the Anti-Meme’s power, they can completely make everyone forget their existence and carry out those extremely confidential tasks.

”I don’t know, according to the rules, I can’t know either, after all, one of their purposes is to oversee us,” Arthur shook his head and said.

The arrival of the two did not attract much attention, as Lorenzo initially thought the Royal Family members would look at him, but most of them just stared at the bright dome like the dead, without any reaction.

The muscles of their bodies were atrophied, clinging to the bones, their complexion pale like patients who had lost blood, and each pair of eyes carried despair, beneath which their souls were muddy.

Such mummies were countless, seemingly lying in wheelchairs for too long, like infants in swaddling clothes, curled up within steel.

Children were still innocently playing and running, not understanding why adults always scolded them, while the adults desperately gazed at the dome, fully aware of their fate. They were human, yet forever imprisoned here by the King’s Curse.

Lorenzo’s heart suddenly cooled. Rather than saying this was the dwelling place of the Royal Family, it was more like their graveyard.

Everyone here was protected by the Anti-Meme, forgotten by the world, and unable to leave because of the King’s Curse. Perhaps from birth to death, they had never seen the outside world.

Their world was only this large, and the meaning of their lives was simply to live, nothing more.

”Let’s go, the Queen should be there.”

Arthur pointed to the end of the grassy field, where there was also a large door, its destination unknown.

Lorenzo followed him forward, but his gaze lingered on the faces of these people, unable to look away.

”Who... are you?”

Suddenly, a voice stopped Lorenzo. It was a little girl wearing a white dress. She had been chasing and playing with others but stopped when she saw Lorenzo.

Her eyes were filled with curiosity, and an undisguised joy was on her face.

”Are you... from outside?”

The girl said as she walked toward Lorenzo. On this forgotten land, there were hardly any outsiders.

”What is the outside like?”

She asked excitedly, her eyes shining. At this moment, her playmates also ran over, looking curiously at the two outsiders, Lorenzo and Arthur.

Lorenzo looked at the girl’s face, filled with a strange emotion inside.

He found it laughable; the so-called Victoria Royal Family at this moment seemed like a joke.

Though part of the Royal Family of Ingwig, they appeared like living dead imprisoned, where power and glory were meaningless to these people. They were even less free than prisoners, who at least had seen the beauty of the world.

A child stumbled and fell, breaking the silence. The girls exclaimed, eyes filled with fear, and the boy slowly climbed up, only to find a scratch on his wrist. Though the injury wasn’t serious, blood flowed continuously.

He cried out in terror.

The attendants skillfully picked up the medical kit and rushed over, tending to the child’s wound on the spot, but the child’s cries did not stop. Such cries seemed to disturb others, and the living dead lowered their heads slightly, moving their gaze from the unreachable sky to this eternal cage, and then they all began to cry.

This strange transformation made Lorenzo feel a discomfort, and Arthur patted Lorenzo at this moment.

”Don’t look, we have things to do.”

Arthur had seen such a sight before, having felt the same emotions as Lorenzo, but he could change nothing.

”Hmm...”

Lorenzo responded with difficulty, the boy’s blood covering him, staining the pure white collar blood red.

These children were all members of the Royal Family, all tormented by the King’s Curse. With age, these children would eventually become living dead in wheelchairs.

”Let go of me!”

A miserable howl echoed, and an old man struggled violently in his wheelchair. Years of confinement had completely atrophied his muscles, his limbs powerless, able only to writhe painfully, then fell from his wheelchair. He bit into a mouthful of grass, reaching out with thin hands, clawing at the ground, dragging his body towards the door.

All of this was in vain; he couldn’t leave when young, and even less so when old.

Arthur sighed powerlessly, though Owes was dead, now Arthur somewhat understood the child’s madness. Born in such despair, Owes finally escaped the cage, only to die outside. Such an end should have been his deepest desire.

Lorenzo couldn’t bear to watch anymore; he withdrew his gaze, became indifferent again, and walked with Arthur towards the end of the grass field.

The road ahead became much simpler. Walking inside this mausoleum-like building, they took an elevator descending into darkness. Even Arthur was unsure of his location.

Despite being the head of the Purification Mechanism, though he had also been to the Royal Domain, he never knew there was such a vast underground building here. The Victoria Royal Family had bypassed themselves to create these, so who made them? The Cleaners beyond their control?

Arthur couldn’t understand, and the descent lasted for nearly ten minutes. In the long silence, both felt the elevator would send them into the Abyss.

Fortunately, it eventually stopped, leading to an even darker corridor. Exiting the corridor, they met Queen Victoria.

It was a scene reminiscent of theatre, a beam of light pierced the infinite darkness, illuminating the queen in the dark. She sat at a long table, seemingly waiting for them for a long time, while all other places remained a blurry darkness.

The distance was a bit far, Lorenzo and Arthur walked a long way to reach the long table. On their way, they didn’t stray off, as Lorenzo used his Demon Hunter sight to realize this was a suspended bridge. Straying off would mean falling into the darkness, and how deep it went, he couldn’t see.

Staring intently, it seemed they were in a massive underground void, vaguely perceiving some sharp edges, mechanical structures, but more than that, Lorenzo couldn’t see.

At the same time, Lorenzo sensed a bizarre sensation, recalling his recent peeping — if he didn’t carefully think, Lorenzo struggled to remember the scene... Even though it happened just now, he quickly forgot it.

”Is this place protected by an Anti-Meme?”

Lorenzo and Arthur sat down along the edge of the long table.

”Yes, this can be considered the core of secrecy, so naturally it has various protections,” the queen nodded, affirming Lorenzo’s words.

”Mr. Holmes, your will is astoundingly strong. In fact, if it were someone else, like Arthur, he might not even notice, while those without Mental Specialization, with just a slight mental influence, would completely forget all they saw once outside,” the queen said.

Hearing the queen’s words, Arthur realized that mysterious power. He had to admit, in this respect, there was a surprising difference between him and Lorenzo.

”Then let’s skip the small talk and discuss the main topic.”

Lorenzo did not continue discussing the Anti-Meme. He straightened his posture, eyes sharp.

”Now you can state your reasons, Your Majesty.”

”Yes, I understand, but let me think where to start... Actually, I was thinking about this before you came, but perhaps affected by the Anti-Meme here, my thoughts are a mess,” the queen candidly said.

”Then let me speak whatever comes to mind first...”

The voice echoed, reverberating distantly. The space here was far larger than Lorenzo imagined, with hidden darkness concealing unknown things.

”Let’s start with... who I am,” the queen coughed, beginning her tale.

”Then, do you know of the ’Nation-Builder’?”