Prologue: A long reunion [Thanks to the leader of Qiqiu]
Year 922 of the Inverg calendar.
Emerald green.
The heavy bells rang, melodious and deep, as if they were the remnants of ancient history. You can feel the solemn heaviness just by listening to it.
The setting sun loomed behind the clouds, turning most of the sky into a crimson curtain. The boys were sitting on the bank of the Tiber River, with all this reflected in the calm water, as if they were in the sky.
This is perhaps the most pious moment in this city. The whole world is covered by a red curtain, and everything seems so solemn. The low voice of prayer echoes in this magnificent city, accompanied by the constant ringing of bells, just like in
A moment of silence at the end of today.
Two somewhat lonely figures sat quietly on the shore. This was one of the few times during the day when they could go out. However, even though they were going out, they were still within the scope of supervision.
The priests in white robes stood far away, but their position and distance were well controlled. They formed a circle, tightly surrounding the boys, and kept an appropriate distance so that they were always in sight.
The blond boy raised his head and looked at the priests with some boredom.
"They've been watching me."
"To be precise, it's us."
The boy sitting next to him responded. He scanned the surrounding area. In fact, there were many boys like them here. They all wore the same robes and were scattered everywhere. Their white clothes shone in the sun.
Holy, but also like a group of prisoners under supervision, but what binds them is not the law, but divine authority.
"It's so annoying, they..."
The blond boy shook his head and then asked.
"Where did you get your number?"
"042."
The boy beside him responded.
"Do you really seem to accept the rules they set?" Seeing 042 accepting his identity so calmly, he seemed a little shocked.
"Otherwise? They gave us food and a place to live... I think it's okay." 042 replied, "And don't you just want to show off yourself? You clearly know my number."
Indeed, each boy's number was printed on their robes. From the time they came here and were accepted by the evangelical church, they lost their names and were replaced only by cold numbers.
"You are just a restless lamb. If the priest knows that you secretly use your 'name' again, you will be imprisoned again." 042 warned.
Priests often describe them like this, they are the lambs of God, and priests are shepherds. Lambs don’t need names, they just need piety and obedience. But there are always restless guys among the lambs, they are eager to jump out.
That besieging fence.
The boy in front of him is such a restless lamb. He has become worse and worse since he was "baptized". Every child saw strange and bizarre things in that mysterious baptism, some of which were so complicated that even the boy himself
I don't know how to describe it either.
But they did get something from that mysterious baptism. Some got knowledge, some got psychedelic dreams, and some, just like him, got names.
"047 You need to calm down, I don't want anything to happen to you."
042 frowned and advised.
He and 047 are very good friends. Before they were accepted by the Evangelical Church, they used to ride together on the streets of Feilengcui. Although they received a lot of beatings and several meals, for these beggars,
, on the contrary, I lived a free and happy life.
After being accepted by the evangelical church, everything was reversed. They were trained and taught, and were provided with food and shelter, but they lost a bit of freedom. Even looking at the sun had to be under the supervision of the priests.
"No, no, no, people always need something." 047 said.
"for example?"
"For example, the name, 042, you have always been like this, a bit too cowardly." 047 hugged 042's shoulders and said mysteriously.
"Sometimes, people need to make mistakes and do some taboo things. Anyway, it is just a small evil, and God will not care about it."
"Is that why you're so persistent?"
042 I don’t understand. As long as you obey it honestly, why do you do those unnecessary things?
"No name is still a beast, 042."
He continued.
"But I am different. I have a name. I am no longer a beast. I hope you can be the same."
042 still looked indifferent and answered calmly.
"Look, maybe one day, I will change under your influence..."
The two looked at each other slightly, and then laughed, looking a little reluctant and a little sad.
"This may be the last time we see each other. The priests said that the ceremony is about to be held. Only a few of us will survive."
042 also imitated 047's appearance. Their arms were intertwined and they were holding each other's shoulders. Their shadows were slender in the sunlight.
"Yes, I hope we can all survive. Dean Lawrence said that he is very optimistic about me and that I have a good chance of becoming the best."
047 said, he respected the old man very much. He was the mentor of all children and the mentor of the so-called demon hunter in the future. He was wearing a sacred red robe and had an extraordinary status.
"so good."
Rejoice.
"042!"
a priest shouted.
I don't know when another group of people appeared in the shadow of the building. They gathered around an old man. He also wore a red robe similar to that of Dean Lawrence. The bright red robe seemed to be made of blood, and his expression was not angry.
Self-prestigious, with a solemn solemnity.
047 Just looking at the old man from a distance, he felt an inexplicable pressure, and he asked in a low voice.
"Who is that?"
"This is what I want to tell you today." 042 still looked a little hesitant, as if he didn't know how to speak.
"I was...chosen."
"Selected?"
"Yes," he said, "they said I was not qualified and I would be assigned to another place."
"That's where he is?" 047 pointed at the old man, but his movement was quickly stopped by 042. That was a cardinal with a high status and a powerful cardinal. Any disrespect would be charged with blasphemy, and then
Being hanged, 042 has seen too many such things.
"who is he?"
"Lorenzo...Lorenzo Medici."
042 responded quietly.
047's expression was slightly startled. Although he had never seen this person before, he knew a lot about his identity.
The Medici family, several popes in history have come from this family, and now it is the largest plutocratic family in the entire Holy Evangelical Papal State. Apart from the banking industry, it is involved in other industries and controls huge wealth.
Successive generations of popes have served and managed the flow of wealth throughout the evangelical church. Under the operation of this terrible family, the wealth has snowballed, lending money to one small country after another, burning contracts, and exchanging land.
The old man in front of him is the most outstanding Medici in the past, Lorenzo Medici. When he was young, the power of the Medici family reached its peak under his leadership. For a time, his power was greater than that of the Pope.
Even bigger, he is the true ruler of the entire Feileng Cui.
But even such a person will grow old. He was standing not far away. Except for the bright red robe, he looked like an ordinary old man.
"042!"
The priests shouted impatiently and walked towards them at the same time.
"Looks like I'm leaving, 047."
Looking at his old friend, 042 said with some reluctance.
"As long as we survive, we will meet again. He doesn't seem sad. He knows that going to the old man's place is better than staying here. "But, you know I hate this number."
The pace of departure stopped slightly, and 042 turned back. The devout lamb finally became restless, and he whispered goodbye.
"Well...goodbye, Mr. Holmes, we will see you again.
…
Slowly opening his eyes, what he saw was not a strange ceiling, but large swaths of sunlight, which shone on the man's face through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
"ah……"
Lorenzo let out a strange groan, then adjusted his position on the sofa, found a more comfortable angle, and lay down again.
I hugged the blanket hard, everything was warm and very comfortable.
However, it seemed that someone didn't want to make him comfortable and deliberately made loud noises, but it seemed that it still couldn't wake Lorenzo up, so the person couldn't bear it and came over, lifted up the blanket, and yelled.
"Stop lying down! Lorenzo! If you lie down any longer, you will rot!"
The kestrel screamed ghostly, and Lorenzo, who was lifted up by him, also screamed ghostly with him, like two crowing roosters, crowing.
Lorenzo was knocked to the ground. He lay completely flat on the carpet, as if sleepiness was still tormenting him, and his eyes were bleary.
But Kestrel seemed like he couldn't stand this guy anymore, so he dragged him up hard, but no matter how hard Kestrel tried, the great detective's rotten look remained unmoved, no matter how hard you hit him with swords, guns and sticks.
It has no effect.
In the end, Kestrel sweated profusely and sat down on the sofa where Lorenzo had been sitting. He looked angrily at Lorenzo on the ground. The great detective was twisting and turning like a plump cock.
Caterpillar.
The whole body and mind seemed to be undergoing some kind of torture, and the kestrel looked ferocious.
What day is this? Kestrel can't remember. In short, he has witnessed Lorenzo's transformation from a terrifying and powerful demon hunter to a social waste. He wants this person to rot.
The guy started to move, but...he still couldn't defeat the scum of this society.
The footsteps sounded slowly, and the devout believers whispered prayers. Although it was slight, it buzzed in Kestrel's head.
"Stop mumbling, robin! Come and make him move!"
Kestrel said a little crazy.
But the robin obviously didn't want to pay attention to him. He glanced at the kestrel, then at Lorenzo on the ground, continued to mutter a strange prayer, and disappeared into the stairwell.
"Then Joey! Come on! If you continue to sleep like this, Lorenzo will really become a piece of trash!"
The kestrel howled, but like the robin, Joey passing by on the other side obviously didn't want to care about these things. He looked at Lorenzo's face covered in saliva with disgust, and shook his head firmly.
"You know I have a certain amount of mysophobia."
"So! I didn't see you feeling disgusted when I was killing the monster! Or maybe you think Lorenzo is more disgusting than the monster!"
Kestrel is going crazy.
As if some kind of strange erosion, under the influence of Lorenzo, the kestrel began to go crazy in some strange direction, but Lorenzo himself didn't care, like some kind of strange human observation, these days of torment
The kestrel brought him great joy.
But now there is no fun to be found in Kestrel. Like a child who has lost his toy, the great detective is a little lost.
As if he had had enough sleep, he propped up his hand, propped his head up and looked at the snowy scene outside the floor-to-ceiling window. He stretched out his other hand and grabbed it randomly. Finally, he grabbed a plate of snacks from the low table and ate them casually.
Ignoring the wail of the kestrel behind him, he sighed quietly as if he had seen through the world of mortals.
"Life is so good..."
Mr. Lorenzo Holmes, who has lived for so many years and killed countless demons, praises the beauty of life as if he has given up on his mission.
It was as if I had traveled through some wonderful parallel world, where there were no monsters or ghost churches. These unlucky ghosts were roommates living under the same roof, and they all talked nonsense together in the cold winter.
This is so crazy.
Even Lorenzo can't believe that such a life really has happened to him. However, the only drawback is that he lives with a group of rough guys. If possible, he would like to have a few rough guys.
A female roommate.
But maybe he thought of something strange, and there was a stabbing pain in his mind, which made him wake up a little more, and it seemed that he couldn't sleep anymore. This nap ended here, Lorenzo swayed
He stood up leisurely and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Looking at the afterglow of the setting sun, the whole world was covered with a red curtain, and it seemed a bit familiar, as if Lorenzo had seen all this before at some time.
Then a strange picture flashed in my mind, it seemed to be a farewell, a long-lost farewell, and the voice whispered from the depths of my memory.
"Goodbye... Mr. Holmes, we will see you again."
There was a strange stinging pain, and Lorenzo couldn't help but cover his forehead.
This weird thing became more and more frequent. Ever since he killed Dean Lawrence, he would always dream about this weird thing. A boy said goodbye to him and said they would meet again.
Lorenzo could no longer tell whether this was a dream or a confused memory. Sometimes when he thought back carefully, he realized that his past was like broken glass, difficult to piece together.
He wouldn't have cared about this at first. Lorenzo was a monster fighting against demons and was always suffering from corrosive pollution. It was normal to have any neurological problems, but this time it was different.
Lorenzo had a strange premonition, as if some kind of prophecy was about to come true. He couldn't remember the boy's name under the red curtain, nor could he remember why he wanted to meet again.
But at this moment, the weird feeling is getting more and more intense as time goes by. It seems that he is coming and wants to meet me again...from the depths of his memory.
It was as if something terrible was about to come true.
"We will meet again..."
Lorenzo murmured in a low voice, as if talking in his sleep.