Gun of Ashes

A look of shock crossed his face; he hadn’t expected that after so long, this figure, almost confined to history, would reappear.

"This one can be considered my deputy, Zuo Tang, and this is Shao Liangxi, Shao Liangye, and as for that person at the back... you can just call him Mr. Cai."

Zuo Tang quickly grasped how to interact with Lorenzo within minutes, starting with a casual introduction without any serious prologue, as if they were not at the Broken Dome but on the streets of Old Dunling, complaining about the awful weather with cheap cigarettes hanging from their lips.

"Oh, oh, oh, hello, hello, and hello to you too."

Lorenzo nodded cooperatively, greeting them.

"Then... let’s get straight to the point," Lorenzo shifted from a grinning demeanor to a serious one, looking like an expert, "I’ve already coordinated with various parts of the Purification Mechanism. The excavated Holy Silver has been melted and recast. A sanctuary will be erected beside the Furnace Pillar, protecting key personnel and information, continuing to command operations after Old Dunling’s fall."

"Everything is progressing smoothly at the moment; the Mechanical Institute is working non-stop day and night, and all we need to do is wait for time to pass."

Lorenzo laid out his plan; before the attack, he wanted to be fully prepared. The Death Row plan would be their hope for a counterattack after defeat.

"But that doesn’t mean everything will proceed as we expect. I think you should all know by now, two terrifying monsters are wandering this world; fortunately, they are not on good terms... but that doesn’t mean we can relax."

Zuo Tang and the others listened intently. No matter how unreliable Lorenzo could be, he was an expert, and his opinion was crucial.

"Before the completion of the Death Row plan, if they were to reach a conclusion, or rather even if they don’t, as soon as one of them has spare energy and targets us, Old Dunling might just be wiped out."

Lorenzo recalled those two terrifying creatures.

"Adren Levien would be manageable; he’s on the brink of losing control but at least hasn’t lost it yet. If he descends upon Old Dunling, at most, he would eradicate us insiders. But if it’s the uncontrolled Roger Cruz, he would turn Old Dunling into Hell, another Night of the Holy Arrival.

All citizens would become demons, and the corruption would quickly spread outward via the developed transport system.

Therefore, the main target should be Roger Cruz, though the other guy isn’t any better, at least from a disaster standpoint, he’s not as horrible."

Lorenzo paused, then continued speaking.

"Of course, another reason for targeting Roger Cruz is that Adren is still hunting him. Before Adren loses control, we somewhat share the same camp, and our conflicts are not irreconcilable."

"So what we need to do now is continue with your Death Row plan and wait?" Zuo Tang shook his head, "I hate waiting; it’s unsettling."

"There’s nothing we can do; our enemies have long-distance movement capabilities, not to mention intangibility. All we can do is wait, but not just wait."

Lorenzo’s planning was meticulous, benefiting from the countless nights of hard work.

"Arthur, Merlin, have the messages been sent?"

Arthur responded to Lorenzo’s inquiry.

"I think you’re crazy," he sighed, recalling his own crazy choices, which made him feel awful. "It’s been sent."

"That’s good." Lorenzo gave them a thumbs up.

"What messages?"

Zuo Tang asked, seemingly unaware of certain things.

"I’m not sure if you’re aware, but before the restart and the appearance of these monsters, we actually had several formidable foes.

They include the mysterious new Pope with unclear purpose and identity, along with his new Order, and remnants of the old Order, Dean Lawrence."

Remembering his former "mentor," even as carefree as Lorenzo was, his expression turned serious. As a "mortal," the pressure Lawrence imposed was no less than that from the two monsters.

Lorenzo was clear about Lawrence’s intentions, yet he vaguely felt unease, as if this fanatical believer would not proceed as expected.

"But he’s no longer a dean now; he should be called the Orthodox Pope. He created an army using Secret Blood and plans to win an apocalyptic war."

"Setting aside previous conflicts, our three opposing factions are essentially on the same side. Unfortunately, due to geographic distance and conflicting ideologies, we cannot fully trust and unite with one another.

So I slightly modified and gave them information regarding the World’s End, to let them see the world’s truth."

As soon as Lorenzo finished speaking, the surrounding breaths grew heavier. The people from Jiuxia were unclear about the implications, while those from the Purification Mechanism had already appeared ready to rise up and fight.

Several Knight Commanders were the first to lose their composure. They exchanged glances, reaching a mutual decision, and finally, Gawain spoke out.

"Do you know what you’ve done?"

Gawain couldn’t understand Lorenzo’s actions. Both parties were formidable foes, and this move could undoubtedly trigger unknown possibilities.

"Of course I understand, Knight Commander. In the past, I might have thought I was crazy too, but now we have no choice," Lorenzo said. "I understand your concerns, but the issue is, there’s a storm brewing from which no one can escape. Without resolving it, we will have no future, let alone the right to worry.

No matter our stance, our fates are tied together, and no one can stay uninvolved."

Lorenzo showed a sly smile, like a cunning fox.

"But I’m not stupid, Knight Commander; what you can think of, I can think of too. Informing them about all this isn’t just about letting them know who the enemy is or what the truth is. More importantly, there’s a significant chance that Roger and Adren will notice and discover this information.

This means that their potential targets would not just be Old Dunling, but also the new Pope and Lawrence."

"What we lack most right now is time. Nobody knows when the restart will erupt. Dispersed targets will buy us a lot of time, and under the pressure of these formidable enemies, we might even unite to some extent."

"What if we are unfortunate enough to be Roger’s primary target?" Gawain asked again.

"Then we’ll just be out of luck."

Lorenzo shrugged, expressing helplessness, his nonchalant attitude infuriating everyone.

"This was never a balanced war from the start. We need to gather all our strength, exhaust every ounce of energy, and rely on a little... luck."

Luck, a wonderful thing, for some protected by it, it’s even possible to win a kingdom with a coin.

Lorenzo indulged in this fantasy but immediately shifted his tone.

"But we can’t depend entirely on this metaphysical stuff. We need some variables to increase our odds."

Lorenzo looked passionately at Zuo Tang, these mysterious eastern foreigners.

He raised his voice.

"So our long-awaited guests, did you bring any ’gifts’? Not ones that can overturn the tide of war, but enough to give us a slight edge."

A small advantage adds to our bargaining chips, improving our survival odds. Just a hint of hope might turn the tide in our favor.

"Like this thing here."

Lorenzo said as he reached into his coat and took out a black cube, placing it quietly on the round table.

Hold your breath.

It was so black, like an abyss, devouring everyone’s gaze, drawing them into its depths.

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