Gun of Ashes

"One more hour."

Bola sat in the chair looking at the time on the pocket watch, his expression serious.

This is an abandoned platform outside Old Dunling, but in the past few days' construction, it has taken shape as a temporary base.

According to the plan, Bola would take the train to a small town named Ende. Based on Lancelot's information, the mysterious Holy Coffin was stored there, and whatever was there, he had to conquer it...at least hold out until Lancelot arrived to retrieve the Holy Coffin.

In order to avoid alerting anyone, this operation was divided into two batches, with Bola leading a large armed force here in advance, and the Radiant Train would arrive in an hour.

Originally, Bola was preparing to go directly, but now with Galahad down, without the Knight Commander, their odds were somewhat shaky. Because of this, the Perpetual Motion Pump dispatched a secret weapon to them, and the Radiant Train was transporting that item.

"Are you ready?"

Looking beside him, that huge machine stood silently in the darkness, the massive steel sketching a fierce appearance, only the sharp light moved across it.

It was a heavy crane, and in the darkness behind it were carriages reinforced with heavy armor. According to the plan, the Radiant Train carried the weapon from the Borhams Military Factory, and would finally stop here. This heavy crane would replace the carriages, the passengers would continue their journey, and the carriage carrying the weapon would be linked here, then go directly to the mysterious Ende Town.

Slowly getting up, Bola's injuries hadn't fully healed due to time constraints. He tried to walk a couple of steps, feeling quite good, except the noise was a bit loud.

At this moment, his lower body was covered with a layer of transmission structure, the power rods connected to the joints of the legs, then copper tubes extended to the small steam pack at the waist, and every so often, faint mist released from it.

This is the masterpiece from the Perpetual Motion Pump. They call it exoskeleton armor, but due to technical issues, it cannot be used in actual combat. It's like a useless vase, but this thing is no problem for helping a person with walking difficulties run.

He looked down at the shiny metal, the precision gears underneath it rotating, interlocking, and operating, with a structure so intricate it surpassed imagination.

Honestly, Bola's mechanical knowledge was mediocre, but even so, he could still see the precision of this mechanical device. However, let alone figuring out the principle, he didn't even know the source of this mechanical power. If it weren't for the steam occasionally spitting out from the pipes on both sides of the thighs, Bola would truly believe the thing achieved what is called perpetual motion.

So sometimes, he really wants to cut open those lunatics' brains to see what exactly the structure is.

"What's the current situation?"

Watching Blue Jade walking in from the other side, Bola asked.

"Fully equipped, the soldiers are ready, after meeting with Red Falcon, our firepower could even win a local war."

Blue Jade wore a tight black suit, with a round-topped iron helmet equipped with a lighting lamp, but because they were indoors, the lamp was off. Outside, she wore a warm cloak that looked light but, in fact, was lined with a high-strength lightweight metal mesh which acted as a layer of protection upon strong impact.

"That's how the people from the Mechanical Institute are, the Perpetual Motion Pump pursues more forbidden technology, while they chase lethal firepower. Each task always ends as a weapon test for these two research institutions."

Bola felt uncomfortable thinking about this, as most of the weapons in his hands were experimental, and before the end, you'd never know whether this weapon would kill the enemy or explode in your hand...just like that damned Armor of Original Sin.

"So what did they add this time?"

"I'm not sure, but that item should be quite special, since it was directly shipped from the Borhams Military Factory."

Blue Jade once had the fortune to visit there, and merely mentioning the name made her feel hot.

Borhams Military Factory, the largest military manufacturing center in Ingwig, during the Radiant War, it melted mountains of metal every day, sending hundreds of trains out with deadly weapons. It's said the scale of the steam furnaces there is second only to the Mechanical Institute, and it's considered the industrial center of Ingwig.

Bola contemplated, then took out a piece of paper and began to write.

"What are you writing? Your will?"

"Sort of. The place we're going is extremely dangerous, there's a chance we might die in there, and my position is so special, I have to hand over the work."

"You really love your work, huh."

Blue Jade raised an eyebrow. Unlike the diligent Bola, she was initially quite unwilling to take the job.

Blue Jade was born in a coastal town, her father passed away early, and after her mother remarried, her stepfather was a drunkard who kept hoping Blue Jade would grow up soon, so that his good-looking stepdaughter could marry into a wealthy family and bring back enough dowry to support his retirement.

Truthfully, that wasn't a happy memory, it was even said to be crushing. The drunken stepfather looked at the increasingly grown-up Blue Jade with a different look, so to escape this damned fate, Blue Jade hid in a freight train one day. She didn't know where it would take her, but she just hoped to be as far away from that nightmare of a place as possible.

She survived for several days on the bread she brought on board and the condensation water from the copper pipes until the car door opened again, and she found herself in that dreamlike city. For Blue Jade, who lived in a remote small town, everything here was so marvelous, like a place from legend.

Massive airships roamed above the sky, steam trams and automobiles sped along flat roads. Compared to this perfect city, she seemed so out of place, lifting her head to read the station's board, deciphering the words with her limited knowledge.

Welcome to Old Dunling.

"But if I can, I still hope to survive. After all, I'm still young, and I have good plans for my retirement."

Bola said while writing. There was still some time before the Radiant Train came into the station, allowing him to chat a bit.

"For example?"

"Like buying an island in the ocean, living with the sunrise and sunset, or chartering a boat to sail around the world...Or going to the East. I'm still very curious about that mysterious country."

That country is named Jiuxia. Ever since its stunning appearance a dozen years ago, it seems the world has forgotten it. If nobody deliberately mentions it, hardly anyone remembers that such a mysterious country exists in the East.

"If it weren't for the Demon, I might have become a sailor. How about you, Blue Jade? I remember you kept trying to slack off, hoping Arthur would fire you. You seem to dislike this job quite a bit."

Blue Jade rolled her eyes at Bola and sat beside him with heavy gear. She wasn't wearing a mask, but the round-topped iron helmet covered most of her face. Despite this, one could still see a glimpse of her astonishing beauty from the revealed corner.

"Yeah, fighting with those twisted and hateful things every day, only you maniacs would enjoy it!"

Blue Jade cursed angrily.

"I only have one wish, to find a rich man, then marry him. Try to figure out how to kill him within five years, and live happily ever after with the money."

Men are unreliable. From her early-dead father, damned stepfather, to all those past guests, Blue Jade could see that.

Blue Jade struggled in Old Dunling for many years, and as she grew older, she became more and more alluring. Someone discovered her, turning her into a theater actress.

Many didn't care about this new girl, only thinking she was lucky to have a good appearance. But the girl's actions surpassed everyone's expectations.

This was a girl driven by purpose, her status in the theater climbed steadily, using the skills honed from years of mingling in Old Dunling, all the enemies trying to block her were eliminated. Her fame grew, every day her door was covered with admirers' flowers.

But this wasn't Blue Jade's end. No one is reliable; only oneself is. She began attending balls, getting those with power drunk one by one, stealing scandals, and exchanging them for wealth.

It was like rolling a snowball; Blue Jade's influence grew larger and larger. Under the threat of scandals, even the high-tier nobles became her pawns. They called her the underground queen until one day she tried to get a man code-named Arthur drunk.

In front of Blue Jade were only two paths: rot in jail for the rest of her life or join the Purification Mechanism. Arthur needed a skillful female Knight.

So, Blue Jade entered the den of thieves, and remained until now.

"Sounds terrifying, why are men so unreliable?"

"Do you think Galahad is reliable?" Blue Jade scoffed, "The pure Knight, the youngest Knight Commander, then he nearly killed you and Bluebird. If it weren't for Nikola, before he completely lost his power, he could slaughter Lower City District clean."

"So reliable is only oneself, Bola."

Blue Jade spoke, and at that moment, the melodious whistle sounded, the train's headlights like an approaching meteor from the dark, bringing steam and cold wind, along with a thousand troops inside the carriages.