Gun of Ashes

There is also the fact that jump-on-board fighting requires a sufficiently close distance. With the current state of the Morning Glow Advance, rashly approaching the enemy, even if Lorenzo sinks all enemy ships, the Morning Glow Advance will most likely be on the brink of sinking as well.

Lorenzo was unsure about the condition of the Black Angel. When controlling the Black Angel in the [Gap], he didn’t need to worry about his own safety and engaged the Black Angel in extremely brutal combat. The pain that spread during disengagement led Lorenzo to contemplate the damage to the Black Angel.

”We now need to preserve the state of the Morning Glow Advance as much as possible; it cannot sustain any more damage,” Lorenzo said.

If the Morning Glow Advance continues to suffer damage like this, there’s no need to proceed to the Silent Sea; might as well head back home... no, that’s still uncertain. News from Ice Bay has probably spread by now, and if captured by the Vikings, who knows what might happen.

”Because there is something more important coming up, right?” Selyu suddenly said, ”Far more important than trade with the Vikings, more important than the current battle.”

These words made Lorenzo frantically flustered; he looked over in panic but met a pair of rational eyes.

Selyu gnawed on the jerky, chewing the tough food with force, her small face puffing up. She looked like an unlucky child laborer, just climbing out of a mine pit for lunch, working hard for a living.

”Can you use this thing?” Lorenzo pointed to the aluminothermic rifle behind him and asked.

”You taught me how to shoot; this thing just needs an extra ignition step, not much difference. I learn quickly.” Selyu swallowed the food with effort, wiped her mouth, smudging the dirt on her face even more.

”So I was just a decoy, a ruse for the action. I guess according to your original plan, after you kidnapped Froki in Ice Bay, I would be sent off on a cargo ship, bidding you farewell?”

Selyu analyzed rationally. She understood Lorenzo’s actions well; such a thing was not hard to guess. She should have realized it when this guy boarded the ship with the Armor of Original Sin. This voyage was far from simple.

”No need to explain; I get it, I get it. It’s some damn regulation, right? To be honest, if the plan had gone smoothly, I would have obediently followed the cargo ship,” Selyu said. ”Everyone needs to understand their place. Your place is at the frontline of the battlefield, and my place is at the rear, bickering with others, securing funds for you.”

”You... have a clear self-awareness.”

Lorenzo held back for a long time and could only say this one sentence.

”Otherwise, what do you think I would do?”

Selyu stopped as if adjusting her emotions, then spoke with a pleading tone.

”Don’t leave me alone?”

Her voice was moving, but Selyu’s calm face showed no fluctuations. This sentence was completely for Lorenzo.

”How could that be possible? I am a Duke, not a child throwing a tantrum. If you tell me to leave, I would do so without hesitation,” Selyu asked. ”Anyway, staying here limits your performance, doesn’t it?”

”Ah this...”

This time Lorenzo really didn’t know what to say. He had fantasized about Selyu’s reaction, but seeing it now, he felt utterly ridiculous.

”But there’s no way around it, is there? I probably can’t leave now, right? To avoid causing you trouble, I can only work hard to protect myself.”

Selyu confessed and then lifted her collar to reveal the chain armor made of Pine Iron. This was equipment specifically provided for this mission by the Perpetual Motion Pump. Although chain armor is somewhat outdated, it could still be somewhat effective against the claws and fangs of demons.

As those technicians put it, if you imagine the fangs and claws as foul-smelling swords, it makes more sense, doesn’t it?

”It makes no damn sense!”

Lorenzo cursed inwardly. These people were truly pragmatists. Whatever worked, they’d use. If bricks could effectively blunt demons, they would undoubtedly fill the Morning Glow Advance with tons of bricks.

Judging by the slightly wrinkled look of the chain armor, Selyu evidently didn’t find one that fit, so she put one on with difficulty. Now, she was armed to the teeth in every sense.

Lorenzo let out a long sigh. This was indeed an intersection of eras, making his feelings somewhat complex at the moment.

As for Selyu...

Lorenzo could sense the change in her aura, becoming more ancient and sharper, like a well-dressed girl suddenly tearing off her lace dress to reveal silver armor.

Years of a peaceful life hadn’t made Selyu forget her troubled past. Her dark childhood rendered certain principles foundational, usually well-hidden but surfacing fiercely when needed to cut down intruding enemies.

Killing, arson, corpse disposal... that diligent old butler could never have imagined just how proficient Selyu was at these.

”I thought you’d neglect these skills, given you don’t need to fight now as a Duke.”

Lorenzo and Selyu walked one after the other. They encountered few crew members along the way, making the journey seem rather deserted.

”On the contrary, since becoming a Duke, I’ve been more rigorous with my training,” Selyu shared dark stories unknown to Lorenzo. ”I looked through Ingwig’s noble family records; many important family figures died from assassinations or similar events. In such emergencies, you can only rely on yourself.”

Some people feel safe with wealth; others feel safe hiding in fortresses. Selyu needed to hold something, whether a dagger or a stone, anything that could serve as a weapon would suffice. As long as she had a weapon, she felt safe.

”By the way, what if something else happens? Like the family declines, this skill set should be enough to make it in the Lower City District, right?” Selyu added, ”Just kidding. I wouldn’t linger in the Lower City District... I’ve secretly built an account in a bank, accumulating money siphoned from Stuart’s household.”

”Is that cooking the books?”

”Probably not; officially, it’s all my assets.”

Lorenzo’s expression froze, his steps became awkward. He glanced back at Selyu, seeing her innocent look, calmly fiddling with the dagger Lorenzo had made, spinning it a few times before the sharp spike shot out from the spine of the blade, making it an unfathomable concealed weapon.

Truly... I’m really sorry, everyone in the Stuart family; your Duke has turned out like this, and I am to blame!

Lorenzo felt a rush of grief and couldn’t help but envision the old butler’s face.

Nonetheless, Selyu was indeed rational; she easily accepted all this. No, precisely because she was so rational, she made the most correct choices.

But Lorenzo never anticipated that it would develop like this. This attack was too sudden, beyond anyone’s imagination. For a moment, Lorenzo didn’t know what to do next.

The best decision is to find an island to dock at, leave the injured there, and let the remaining crew continue toward the Silent Sea. That’s when Lorenzo planned to leave Selyu behind, but he worried about what might happen after leaving. What if Plague Doctor’s Iron Armor ship discovered them?

The more he thought about it, the more troublesome it became, but at least they hadn’t entered the Silent Sea yet, and there were still options available.

Suddenly, Lorenzo stopped. Selyu, behind him, bumped directly into him, almost falling due to the many items she was carrying.

”What’s wrong?” Selyu asked.

Lorenzo stood in place, looking towards the open cabin door nearby. It appeared to be a crew member’s quarters, with bedding and personal items scattered around due to the battle’s tremors.

What caught Lorenzo’s attention was the clock on the wall, with its hands spinning backward erratically.

”Residual erosion affects, the Geiger Counter has been going off non-stop,” Selyu said.

”No... something isn’t right.”

Lorenzo said this, realizing something. He suddenly turned back and rushed to the damaged corridor, directly bypassing the soldiers, gripping the distorted edge, and leaned half his body out of the cabin.

He felt the cool sensation sweeping over him, saw the scarred body of the Morning Glow Advance, and the gray, cloudy sky.

The sea reflected the lead-gray clouds, and the scarred Iron Whale swam amidst it.