Gun of Ashes

Chapter 1399: Chapter 1: A Peaceful Life

The morning sunlight poured down, illuminating the figure on the bed. He took quite a while before slowly rising to meet the sunlight.

Lorenzo rubbed his drowsy eyes and let out a big yawn.

Everything was as usual, nothing changed. He got up, put on the slippers by the bed. Old Dunling welcomed the long-awaited winter, but the first snow was yet to fall.

Since that downpour, Old Dunling’s temperature had continuously dropped. Lorenzo was soon frozen awake by the indoor chill, instinctively wrapping his pajamas tighter.

Technically, Old Dunling should have started supplying heating. The heating pipes throughout the rooms should have hot liquid flowing through, bringing warmth to people. But with the Mechanical Institute destroyed, the underground world was in chaos, and such provisions had been delayed for a long time without signs of recovery.

The aftermath of the rainstorm still raged on. Everything seemed to have reverted to many years ago, to a time when technology was not advanced. Some people felt nostalgic, while others struggled to adapt.

“Ah… it’s so cold.”

Lorenzo complained, walking to the fireplace to add wood to the flickering flames inside. He pushed the sofa over, basking in the warm glow of the fire, sinking into the soft comfort. He began to ponder whether he should just sleep here in the living room tonight, as it seemed much warmer than his room.

A leisurely day with no demons, no troublesome people or affairs, only the slightly unpleasant environment.

Lorenzo felt a bit dizzy, contemplating whether to nap here again. But street noise echoed, and with daylight, more people were out on the streets. Despite the bleakness, life had to go on.

Due to the war in Old Dunling, most of the Iron Serpent lines were under repair, so unfortunate citizens had to wake up early and walk to work. Moreover, because of the war’s extensive impact, even with Anti-Meme handling, rumors still spread throughout Old Dunling.

Various sayings were everywhere, some so bizarre that Lorenzo thought they could only happen in novels.

The council was eager to appease the public, but with winter’s arrival, more issues emerged simultaneously.

Winter in Old Dunling was already accident-prone; after the war, the freezing cold brought more problems. Steam pipes ruptured daily, or worse issues arose. Old Dunling seemed like a dying giant, striving for survival.

Lorenzo was too lazy to think about these things; such matters were better left to the Cleaners. He didn’t need to worry so much.

Through the ice-covered glass, one could see people holding signs, condemning the authorities’ conspiracies, shouting for their right to know… such incidents were countless.

Lorenzo remembered something, got up, walked to the door, opened it, and brought in today’s newspaper.

A news headline occupied the front page; the damage Old Dunling suffered couldn’t be concealed from the truly alert. Although Nation-Builders were intervening between countries, their power ultimately couldn’t decide everything. The long-prepared world war had finally begun.

Perhaps a few days ago, Gaulunaro and Ingwig had their first clash in the White Tide Strait. The specific casualties were uncertain, but seemingly not too severe, merely mutual probing. Viking armies lingered at sea, not daring to join the fray.

The war had begun, yet countries maintained their last line, avoiding full-scale warfare. Citizens were anxious, anticipating the Queen to declare Ingwig in a wartime state…

Lorenzo, appearing slightly weary, tossed the newspaper aside, uninterested in the subsequent content.

This world was like a giant chessboard, with several players moving their pieces. Moreover, Lorenzo didn’t need to care about such matters; there were more troublesome things awaiting him.

“Unspeakable…”

Lorenzo murmured softly.

His other hand caressed the injured arm; the bandages were removed, yet the scars remained like dense tree patterns or exposed blood vessels.

His fingertips gently traced, feeling the uneven texture and slight pain.

Lorenzo waved his arm, pretending to wield a sword, but soon felt the pain surging through his arm as if it would shatter in the next moment.

He could barely wield a sword, but compared to his peak, it was still somewhat lacking, and this was the gift of Anti-Meme.

After all, Lorenzo was also an Ascended One, with the blazing Secret Blood coursing through him. Amid the spread of Wangchuan, he couldn’t avoid its effects, but contrasting his premonition of being half-dead from an explosion, his current injuries seemed extremely fortunate.

A leisurely day.

Although just awakened, Lorenzo already felt somewhat bored, but thinking carefully, he realized he truly had nothing to do.

Roger Cruz and Adren Levien, these two enormous threats had been resolved. What remained were the sins hidden beneath the Well of Ascension and Lawrence out of sight.

Lorenzo initially thought he would promptly deliver a sword stroke to Lawrence and then throw his corpse beneath the Well of Ascension, blasting him and that monster to pieces.

But the reality was, now Lorenzo seemed unable to do anything.

Whether aimed at the Well of Ascension or Lawrence, any actions required temporary suspension. Currently, the Purification Mechanism was severely damaged, making it difficult to organize effective power in a short time. Moreover, if any actions were truly intended, these two targets were abroad, beyond Ingwig’s control.