Gun of Ashes-Chapter 495 - 95 Casual Chat_2
Mrs. Van Rudd spoke words that Lorenzo couldn’t understand, then quickly went to the kitchen to pack something aromatic and took a coat from the rack, seemingly ready to go out, as the visitor was evidently there to pick her up.
Lorenzo thought about who that might be.
"So you always wanted a daughter?"
Mrs. Van Rudd shook her head, "I still have some ethics, Selyu at that age is more like a granddaughter to me."
She left, leaving Lorenzo alone at 121A Cork Street, with Hig nowhere to be seen, making the small house suddenly feel emptier.
Lorenzo sat in the living room for a little while before quickly returning to his bedroom.
The idle talk was over; he forcefully pulled out a box from under his bed.
Upon opening it, inside were various weapons and ammunition, including several Holy Silver Folding Blades produced by the Purification Mechanism, along with spare blades.
After the battle with Lawrence, all of Lorenzo’s Holy Silver weapons were basically destroyed; these items can combat Demons, and even fight Demon Hunters.
Given the current circumstances, Lorenzo was very likely to engage in battle with the new Order, thus he must be fully prepared.
The shotgun was set aside, with arrow-like bullets, Dragon Breath Bullets, and Solid Bullets... all sorts of different bullet heads and ammunition arranged neatly, along with a sealed container filled with metallic liquid.
That was mercury, which Lorenzo had casually taken from the Perpetual Motion Pump.
The Purification Mechanism, in its battles against Demons, developed many interesting weapons. They suggested that from another perspective, Demons were immensely powerful flesh creatures, though terrifyingly absurd, yet to a certain extent confined to existing biology.
For example, poisoning won’t kill a Demon, but can limit their strength during combat; electrical currents can paralyze their strong muscles... In essence, based on human understanding of the world, the Purification Mechanism has created bizarre weapons to combat Demons.
These things can restrain Demons, let alone Demon Hunters.
Next came another item.
At the deepest part of the box, there were several similarly sealed jars, but what was inside was not mercury-like silver metallic liquid, instead pure black.
Lorenzo picked it up and gazed at the pitch-black liquid.
A few years ago, the Purification Mechanism discovered this flammable and explosive liquid in the north, and after years of secretive development, the current product was refined from massive black crude oil to yield this liquid that seemed to swallow all light. Its official term was lacquered antimony.
This was a powerful new energy source; just a small amount could produce multiple times the heat that crude oil of the same mass could.
Its manufacturing process was classified, known only to Merlin, yet Lorenzo was sure this eerie substance wasn’t achieved through modern technology; it was a product of Alchemy, but unlike previous Alchemy, it was produced on a large scale.
Lorenzo could sense and smell danger from this black liquid; anything that gave Lorenzo a sense of foreboding was definitely not good.
During battles with fully armed Sword Dancers, this energy source was used; only such energy allowed for smaller storage space, or else the Armor of Original Sin would be more cumbersome.
After Lorenzo’s persistence, Merlin finally explained to him, and even provided these samples.
At that time, Lorenzo was a bit skeptical; this was an energy source capable of altering the world’s balance, yet Merlin handed it over so easily. In later talks with the new Order, Lorenzo understood Merlin’s intentions.
Was it the shared madness of Alchemists at work? Upon realizing Lorenzo could infiltrate the Static Holy Temple as the Black Angel, entering that eerie Ghost state, Merlin’s view of Lorenzo changed.
Lorenzo might uncover more forgotten forbidden knowledge, which was an irresistible temptation for Merlin as an Alchemist. If there was someone within the Purification Mechanism who least wanted Lorenzo dead, it was definitely Merlin. This was why he gave Lorenzo the lacquered antimony.
The old fox already knew of the new Order’s goal, knew Lorenzo might confront them, and at that time, no one could predict what the situation would turn into; even the Purification Mechanism might become his enemy, and this ominous substance was given to him for self-preservation.
Though scarce, if these few jars of lacquered antimony were ignited, they could blow up half a block, yet using them like that would be wasteful.
As much as Lorenzo didn’t like Lawrence, that bastard was indeed a good Dean; the skills taught to Lorenzo allowed him to kill Lawrence.
Lorenzo wasn’t clear on what kind of training the new Order’s Demon Hunters received, but being cautious never hurt.
He carefully placed the weapon materials aside, planning to modify them later. With the shotgun’s fragile material, carrying Mercury Weapons was feasible, but if carrying lacquered antimony, Lorenzo might blow up his gun, taking himself with it just from firing.
Lorenzo needed to thoroughly consider how to handle this troublesome item.
Great Mr. Holmes would not fall; he would just lie down to rest, thinking of a stronger counterattack.
He pushed all the books to the floor, barely clearing some space, then carefully placed these items that might blow the house sky-high the next second.
Amidst the work, his peripheral vision caught something; it was a necklace, adorned with a slightly larger emblem.
Lorenzo extended his hand and picked up the item.
It was a crossed spiral of blades forming a delicate shield, the Stuart family crest.
This was handed to him by Arthur after the Divine Birthday, supposedly a small gift from Selyu. Regardless, Arthur said nothing at the time, just handed it over, and being annoyed by him, Lorenzo thought if one day he was hunted by the Purification Mechanism, old Arthur would be delighted.
Lorenzo played with it in his hand before lowering his head to put it on; after all, it was a gift from a little girl, so it deserved some attention.
Then Lorenzo seemed to remember something, walked to the bed, drew the curtains to block the outside view. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Although the atmosphere was hazy, who could be sure there wasn’t someone keenly watching him?
Lorenzo understood Bola’s intention; he knew the Purification Mechanism couldn’t perfectly monitor Lorenzo, and they would eventually be detected by the keen detective. Better to clarify beforehand, so Lorenzo won’t kill when he acts.
"So what on earth is going on?"
Lorenzo picked up a piece of wooden debris, remnants of Winchester, with surfaces burnt gray-black, gently touching it, sensing the embossed marks.
The poem 047 eternally sang, one of the few things that guy left him.
After a brief reminiscence, Lorenzo stowed the fragmented remnants aside. As a weapon, such an ending wasn’t bad for it; not covered in dust or abandoned due to poor performance, but fought till the end of its life.
Lorenzo organized the weapons before placing them in a nearby corner, this time not hiding them under the bed but simply covering them with a blanket, close enough so he could roll over and grab them.
Composing himself, Lorenzo lay back on the bed, gazing at the ceiling plastered with posters, never removed over the years, creating a thick layer.
Some sticky notes were placed up there, allowing Lorenzo to immediately note his tasks upon waking. He checked thoroughly, spotting some unresolved matters.
Regarding the Memory Palace doors, except the one pushed open, all others remain tightly shut, leaving Lorenzo uncertain about opening them. The new Order hasn’t acted yet, only locked in a stalemate with the Purification Mechanism.
The situation teetered on a precarious balance, potentially erupting into war any second, yet everyone was restraining themselves beforehand.
Contemplating, Lorenzo closed his eyes. He felt like he was falling, descending into a vortex that began turning slowly years ago, even before the Night of the Holy Arrival. Countless hands maneuvered in the shadows, unknown in purpose.
