Gun of Ashes

The journey this time is quite different from the one to Gaulunaro. Back then, Lorenzo traveled on a cruise ship designed for leisure, teeming with entertainment facilities, smoked meats, and fine wine. But now, the Morning Glow Advance has none of those. Its warehouses are filled with steel and gunpowder, and worse still, those slumbering Armors.

Unlike the previous relaxation and joy, an unnamed oppression covers every corner of the ship. Most people aren’t clear about the purpose of this voyage, but perhaps due to the storm, their spirits have all sunk.

Moving along the swaying corridor, Lorenzo carried food and beer taken from the galley. His conversation with Bola successfully made Lorenzo miss mealtime, but luckily, the cooks had kept plenty for them.

”What are you doing here?”

Lorenzo halted his steps; he saw a familiar girl standing on one side of the corridor, looking at the sea outside the porthole.

Dark clouds and torrential rain swallowed the night. The only light source left was the flashing lightning. It surged violently, illuminating the sky and sea. The rainwater on the glass slightly distorted the world; in the warped light, everything lost its original shape.

”Watching the storm.”

Selyu gazed directly at the core of the lightning, engulfed and agitated by the storm, rising on the other side of the sea.

”What’s so interesting about that?”

Lorenzo walked over and leaned against the porthole too, looking closely.

Nothing unusual, just an ordinary sea storm. If anything seemed strange, it was its intensity, which made the ocean swell continuously.

”Aren’t you going to rest?”

Lorenzo asked. It wasn’t very late, but life’s so monotonous at sea that people usually return to their rooms early if there’s nothing to do.

”No, I feel a bit uncomfortable and wanted to take a stroll.” Selyu withdrew her gaze.

”Low pressure? That’s a normal reaction.”

Lorenzo said as he picked up a beer bottle and handed it to Selyu. Selyu didn’t hesitate, reaching out to grab it, but just as she was about to touch it, Lorenzo retracted his hand and took back the bottle.

”Not a good idea to drink in this situation. If you stumble into the sea, no one can save you.”

Lorenzo said this but bit open the bottle cap himself and took a sip.

”Aren’t you afraid of falling overboard?”

”I’m a Demon Hunter. Alcohol doesn’t affect me much.”

Through the Secret Blood alteration, Demon Hunters have a strong metabolism. The effects of alcohol are insignificant, mainly as this ability counters toxins. Most toxins have only minor effects on Demon Hunters.

”Very strange.”

Selyu seemed quite puzzled.

”What is it?”

”People drink to get tipsy, but you can’t get drunk. Why do you drink?”

Due to her indifferent nature, Selyu rarely interacted with the outside world. Besides her work at the Stuart House, she almost never saw strangers, spending most of her time locked in the study, reading books.

Thus, Selyu’s thoughts were often intriguing, becoming peculiar in ways others might not consider.

”Hmm... I don’t know.”

Lorenzo thought for a moment, but the usually quick-witted him didn’t know what to say in rebuttal.

”Sigh... Is your room this way?”

Selyu sighed, pointing at the adjacent cabin door. No one knows who designed the Morning Glow Advance, but the living quarters felt like a maze, with rooms lacking obvious numbering.

”Oh oh oh, please come in.”

Lorenzo said and quickly opened his cabin door.

As a military vessel, the Morning Glow Advance had no claim to comfort. During the cruise, Lorenzo’s room had sunlit parlors, soft beds, and a bathroom, but here there’s nothing. There’s only a cramped room with an iron bed covered by a simple mattress, and it’s a bunk bed too.

The living conditions on a cargo ship were much better, but considering safety, Lorenzo decided to have Selyu join him on this Ironclad ship. After all, if unexpected incidents occurred, the cargo ship couldn’t offer much resistance.

”Looks okay, much better than I expected.”

Selyu glanced at Lorenzo’s room. Since one of the bunk beds was empty, Lorenzo had dumped his messy stuff on the lower bunk. Amidst a pile of items sat a clear spot for someone to sit. Selyu could imagine how hard Lorenzo worked to clear this area.

”What did you expect?”

Lorenzo felt a little embarrassed.

”Probably mushrooms growing everywhere. It’s so damp on the ship; they could thrive.”

Selyu moved a chair over, sitting by the side. Lorenzo followed, sitting in the empty space on the lower bunk.

”So, is there something you wanted?”

Lorenzo asked. To him, Selyu obviously wasn’t out for a stroll due to discomfort. She was there to see him, seemingly waiting at the door for quite some time.

”What else could it be, the Stuart House’s trade routes.”

Selyu said as she picked up her handbag. It hung behind her, and in the dim and shaking light, Lorenzo hadn’t noticed it.

”This is our upcoming voyage. Though the civil war in the Viking countries has ended, the regions are still autonomously governed by the Lords.”

Selyu spread out a Nautical Chart, but it differed somewhat from Bola’s. The most noticeable difference was that it didn’t record the Silent Sea’s existence, leaving it a blank void.