Gun of Ashes

There was nothing unusual about the bull’s head; the strange part was what was hanging on the horns.

”Do you usually hang socks on this thing?”

Red Falcon pointed at the socks hanging from the bull’s horns. He could hardly imagine the kind of bravado Lorenzo must have had to hang them there when taking off his socks. Lorenzo, however, maintained a blank expression and remained silent.

The good news was that he finally found his missing socks; the bad news was that this situation was really not very good, giving him a feeling of being publicly humiliated.

”I say, what are you all here for anyway...”

Lorenzo asked, but no one cared about what he was saying. Red Falcon continued to comment on the interior environment of the office, with a very annoying demeanor.

”This living condition of yours... Are you planning to rot in here?”

Red Falcon picked up a bottle; it had a shallow layer of liquor in it, with countless cigarette butts and accumulated ash floating on top. There were many such bottles, lined up in the corner.

”You really haven’t cleaned up your place, have you?”

Eve also spoke up, initially planning to find a spot clear of clutter to settle down. However, after taking a few steps, she gave up torturing herself and casually stepped on the messy clutter.

”Don’t you guys have work?”

Lorenzo couldn’t help but scream.

”Huh? It’s a day off today. We’re here to see you off, um, no, it should be called a farewell party!”

Eve thought for a moment and said.

”Huh?”

Lorenzo couldn’t understand what she was saying. What send-off? What farewell party? What were these people up to?

Before Lorenzo could ask more questions, a carriage stopped at the office door. The carriage swayed slightly, as if something was happening inside. The next moment, the door swung open, and Heracles was thrown out. Following him was a plump chinchilla, which seemed to have had quite a decent diet while confined.

The man and the rodent lay on the ground. After a brief moment of silence, possibly smelling fresh air, they scrambled to their feet.

”Freedom!”

Heracles shouted, and then, panting heavily, crawled into the office. Who knew what he had been through? He looked as if he had escaped after a calamity. Seeing the bottle in Red Falcon’s hand, without even checking what was inside, he grabbed it and gulped it down.

Under everyone’s shocked gaze, Heracles let out an unwilling ”Ugh”!

”If you’re gonna puke, do it outside!”

Lorenzo flipped over the couch, grabbing Heracles by the throat with one hand and holding the bottle tightly with the other to prevent him from throwing up. With the strength typical of a Demon Hunter, Lorenzo dragged Heracles and tossed him out of the office. The door was ajar, and the sounds of retching continued outside.

”So... what’s going on?”

Lorenzo looked at these unexpected guests. The once quiet life of the office shattered like glass. This chaotic mess left Lorenzo extremely uncomfortable.

Since Mrs. Van Rudd left, he was used to living alone. On days without work, no one typically disturbed him. Lorenzo would simply sit idly on the sofa, staring out the window, wasting away his life.

But today was like a bomb had been thrown in, flipping his whole world upside down.

”Heracles didn’t have much research value anymore, so Black Mountain Hospital decided to discharge him. But they couldn’t just leave him by the road, so they sent him to you.”

Blue Jade stepped down from the carriage, and without expression, she said to Lorenzo.

”Huh?”

Lorenzo looked utterly baffled.

”And then there’s the detailed mission briefing, which will be explained by Bola.” Blue Jade glanced inside the office, not spotting Bola’s presence, ”Looks like he hasn’t arrived yet.”

Finishing her sentence, Blue Jade walked in. She rarely showed emotion, but faced with this cluttered interior, she couldn’t help sharing the same look as Red Falcon. After much effort, she found a spot to sit down.

”Mr. Holmes, I suggest you pay a bit more attention to your personal life...”

”Alright! Alright! I got it!”

Lorenzo interrupted Blue Jade’s words abruptly. He now felt like a mouse with its nest being overturned.

”I feel like my stomach is crying; what did I drink?”

Heracles finished vomiting, came in weakly, and his throat burned with pain. Just as he wanted to say something, his stomach heaved again, and he ran outside to lean against the wall and puke again.

It was like a damned symphony—the sound of Heracles vomiting, Polo’s chirping, Red Falcon’s comments, and Blue Jade’s slightly disdainful gaze...

”Eve!”

Lorenzo suddenly remembered the root of all this chaos and turned around to shout.

”What?”

Eve was startled by Lorenzo’s yell, stopping her activity. Stepping on a chair, she was trying to take down a Winchester hanging on the wall.

”You better explain what’s actually going on here?”

Lorenzo looked at her with a resigned expression, which made Eve panic, so she obediently sat down and started explaining these strange events.

”Didn’t you know? You’re assigned to the fleet heading to the Viking nations. This is a big expedition, longer than Gaulunaro. You might spend months at sea.”

Eve explained. She only got this news last night. The Purification Mechanism placed great importance on this mission, with many people assigned to the fleet.

”I heard you’re going to represent Ingwig to engage in military exchanges with the Viking nations, and you’ll be taking the Armor of Original Sin with you.”

Listening to Eve, Lorenzo fell silent. Clearly, what Eve knew was false, or perhaps a smokescreen. The real purpose of this journey was the World’s End, but only a select few knew this information, like...

Lorenzo glanced at Blue Jade beside him. This indifferent woman rarely appeared around Lorenzo, and if she did, it likely meant she was following orders. Knowing what Lorenzo was thinking, Blue Jade said.

”For this mission, Bola and I will be accompanying you to assist... mostly you and Bola. I’m just tagging along.”

The two discussed matters only they understood.

”So, what are you all doing here?”

Lorenzo looked at Eve, curious why these bunch showed up at the same time.

”We made a bet.”

Eve suddenly said, followed by another voice continuing her thought.

”We bet on whether you would clean up your room, and how messy it would become.”

Selyu pushed open the door, glanced around the room, and wore a very expected expression.

”Of course, the main reason is you’ll be away for at least a few months. We’re afraid that by the time we return, your poor office would really become a rat’s nest.”

In Lorenzo’s shocked gaze, Selyu walked right in, casually found a place to sit.

Lorenzo’s mind was a mess, turning into a mush.

”So why have you come too?”

It was the first time Lorenzo felt the office was getting crowded, as if it never welcomed so many guests at once.

”Discussing the upcoming trip with my guards, any issues with that?”

Selyu said with an air of reason.

”Huh?”

Lorenzo was stunned. The escalation of events today was too fast for him to process.

”This trip to the Viking countries doesn’t involve just the Purification Mechanism personnel, but also the Stuart family,” Blue Jade chimed in, ”The Stuart family will engage in trade cooperation with the Viking countries.”

Lorenzo recalled this. Selyu mentioned it to him. At this moment, he felt entangled in conspiracy, terribly so. He should have kicked these folks out the moment Eve opened the door.

”So?”

Lorenzo questioned.

”Yes, so.”

Selyu responded. The two communicated in words others couldn’t understand.

The rotten, moist, and messy office found rare liveliness, though this liveliness was too much, making the owner uncomfortable.