Gun of Ashes

Chapter 1032 - 58: Return to Ordinary Life (Part 2)

"Hey, Bola, does your family know what you do for a living?"

"Huh?"

Bola didn’t expect the conversation to take this turn.

"I’m curious. How do you explain this kind of work to your family? Do you lie? But once you tell a lie, you need more lies to cover it. Hasn’t your family noticed anything?"

Blue Jade asked with great curiosity.

"Why do you want to ask about this?" Bola said.

"I’m just really curious."

Blue Jade explained, looking slightly troubled.

"As for myself... I no longer need to explain to anyone. It’s the same for Red Falcon. You know Joey’s family has been part of the Purification Mechanism for generations, just like Phoenix’s family. As for Bluebird, his family is simple. Basically, he explains that he’s a priest with the army, often traveling to dangerous places to pray for the soldiers."

"Sounds really chaotic." Bola was hearing this for the first time and found it odd. "Setting aside everything else, does anyone actually believe Bluebird’s nonsense?"

"At least he certainly looks more the part of a devout priest than that guy over there."

Blue Jade pointed at Lorenzo not far away. He was standing on the railing, holding a harpoon tied with rope, eagerly watching the choppy sea.

"Oh, our priest looks like he’s going hunting in the sea."

Even Blue Jade at this moment felt admiration for Lorenzo’s self-entertainment spirit; a guy like that could survive strongly no matter where he’s thrown.

"I recall the regulations saying that each of us operates under a code name, and our past is supposed to be confidential, right?"

Bola remembered the rules at this moment.

"Are there such regulations?"

Blue Jade leaned on the freshly cleaned bulkhead, the sun blazing, evaporating the water stains in no time.

"Just chat to pass the time, Bola. Who knows how long we’ll be here."

Bola thought for a moment, laid down the bucket and mop, and leaned into the slightly cool shade.

"Actually, my situation is quite similar to Joey’s. My family has also been part of the Purification Mechanism for a long time. In every generation, one or two unlucky souls are dragged into it," Bola pointed at himself, "I’m this generation’s unlucky soul."

"But what’s special is, regarding the existence of the Purification Mechanism, only the core members of the family can know—probably just the head of the family, members currently serving, and those who have served in the Purification Mechanism. That means most of the family doesn’t know what we’re doing.

Over a long time, this has also become a tacit rule. No one brings up these matters, and even if someone curious asks, our response is that it’s a confidential organization, so we can’t say anything."

"Sounds pretty dull." Blue Jade found it somewhat tedious.

"What do you think it would be?" Bola asked.

"Probably... your family seeing through your lies, forcing you to tell more lies, running around like a headless chicken, trying to cover each lie with another one."

For once, Blue Jade showed her casual side—though her expression remained indifferent, it felt significantly warmer now.

"I’m beginning to wonder if you’ve ever read the pamphlets the Cleaners distribute." Bola said.

"Pamphlets?"

Blue Jade had some impression but couldn’t recall the details. She vaguely remembered they had nothing to do with her and didn’t pay much attention.

"Yeah, they frequently distribute booklets about identity information, detailing various professions, professional knowledge, and Q&A. If you memorize some of it, you can take on a new identity."

"Is that so? Well, I must’ve overlooked it. Besides the Purification Mechanism, I have nowhere else to go anyway."

Blue Jade and Red Falcon were somewhat alike. They had no place to return to, easily adapting to such a bizarre life within the Purification Mechanism.

However, they were drastically different in personality. Red Falcon was always optimistic and claimed, if it weren’t for the Purification Mechanism, he’d probably have died in some filthy pit. Each day he enjoys now is stolen from the Death God.

Living with the mindset of ’each day is a bonus,’ Red Falcon surprisingly did quite well.

Blue Jade, on the other hand, was at the opposite extreme. Perhaps haunted by past experiences, she always seemed gloomy, staying silent aside.

Having worked with Blue Jade for so long, the times when she’s talkative are very rare. The most recent memory Bola had was on that train of death, when they were mutually confiding final wishes, preparing to head into danger.

Then...

Bola thought, looking to the side, only to hear Lorenzo cheering as he jumped into the water with the harpoon, creating a beautiful splash.

Is this guy the happiest by far?

"Sometimes I think about the future, Bola, our ultimate fate."

Blue Jade suddenly said, staring into Bola’s eyes without a hint of emotion.

"The future?"

"If the Demons are all killed, what will become of the Purification Mechanism, the Demon Hunting Order, and all those things and matters that arose because of Demons in the end?" Blue Jade pondered, "Once the forest has no prey, the Hunter also loses its purpose."

"I haven’t thought that far ahead, but I’ve heard the Purification Mechanism does have such a contingency plan."

Bola sensed Blue Jade’s distress, unsure why she’d pose such a question.

"Don’t be too surprised; the Purification Mechanism comes up with all sorts of contingencies. They even have a ’Literary Assassin’ plan."

"What’s that?"

The name made Blue Jade feel inexplicably puzzled.

"It’s basically some retirees who turn their experiences in the Purification Mechanism into fictional novels and publish them. Though the risk is low, the Purification Mechanism still has an appropriate response," Bola paused for dramatic effect, "our elite team would go burn his manuscript then drag him into Black Mountain Hospital until he forgets about it."

"As for the future you mentioned, its plan is called ’Return to the Ordinary.’"

"Return to the Ordinary?"

"Exactly, once the Demons are exterminated and our mission is finally accomplished, it’s time to disband," Bola said with a smile, "Put down the endless fighting and get a taste of a normal life. It sounds pretty good; just don’t know if we’ll ever see it."

"Sounds quite difficult."

Blue Jade thought of her biological father. Though her body flowed with his blood, she also felt similarly troubled.

Return to the Ordinary.

It’s something many might yearn for, but for Blue Jade, it felt utterly foreign. She’s different from Red Falcon, who can always adapt and survive. Sometimes Blue Jade couldn’t adapt to these; she couldn’t imagine a life without her hunting rifle.

Unknowingly, Blue Jade had already become part of this gigantic machine known as the Purification Mechanism, and an ordinary life seemed too distant for her.

"Sometimes I’m scared..."

Blue Jade’s voice fell as the waves easily drowned her words.

Bola didn’t hear her; he was captivated by a Fish People jumping out of the sea.

Lorenzo leapt out of the water holding a big fish, looking ridiculously absurd. The fish tail flapped hard, landing a slap on his face, causing him to slip with a yell. Lorenzo rolled on the deck clutching the fish, knocking over a few unlucky passers-by, finally coming to a halt by a dismantled scaffold.

"We’ve arrived!"

At this moment, Notar also stepped out, shouting loudly on the deck.

He pointed to the sea ahead of the Morning Glow Advance, floating ice everywhere, accompanied by a chilly breeze.

"We have reached the waters of the Viking nations!"