There are still decaying leaves from the previous autumn on the stone steps, and new sprouts can't wait to emerge from the remaining snow. Ed carefully avoided the bud and came to the funeral scene——
Looking at the sea cliff.
There is a faint chill in the air, and the rouge-colored sun has gradually sunk beneath the canopy of ancient brown trees, but seabirds are still circling in the lonely sky.
Arthur lay on a pile of stones and firewood, his fiery red hair gently swirling in the sad sea breeze, and his skin looked cold and pale in the dusk.
The leading lady wore a black veil and her appearance could not be seen clearly. She stepped forward and placed the blue-purple dried flowers in Arthur's arms. Other agents wearing metal beak masks also presented the dried flowers in their hands.
In a moment, Arthur's arms were covered with a sea of dim flowers.
Ed presented the flowers in his hand, watched the flames ignite, surrounded Arthur's body, and murmured:
"Goodbye, friend..."
Arthur's figure gradually faded in the flames, turning into blurred dotted lines and mottled dust, flying into the sky with the rising heat...
"May his soul rest in the embrace of the Holy Spirit forever." Everyone murmured in silence.
…
Until the flames and the crowd disappeared around him. The air had the bitter taste of salty sea water, and Ed was stunned as he looked at the blue night sky that was gradually dimming like fragments of lapis lazuli.
"...Ed." Mr. Eaton's deep and experienced voice came from beside him.
"finished?"
Eaton nodded slightly, as if he understood the implication of Ed's words, and took out a cheap yellow corncob pipe from the inner pocket of his dark gray coat.
I saw him patiently kneading the tobacco into the bowl and filling it, lighting it with a match with a "click" sound, extinguishing the match, taking a slow and even sip, and exhaled a long and thin smoke like snow mist:
"I think it's time to bring this case to a close. Floyd's death has broken the entire chain of clues. The County Council is pushing hard to close the case and return to normal order. Floyd Carriage Rental Company will It will be reorganized and Doyle Underground Railroad will receive a compensation package to cover victims' losses and restart operations."
"Why did you kill Floyd on the spot, just to avenge Arthur?"
Although it was Miss Quinn who stabbed Floyd's throat with the butterfly-wing folding knife, Ed knew that this was Mr. Eaton's instruction.
Floyd is nothing but white gloves. The case appeared to be a commercial dispute between the Floyd Carriage Leasing Company and the Doyle Underground Railway Company, but it actually involved a power struggle between the Auckland family and the Royal Society in Silvermist City.
But what really puzzles Ed is that Arthur's sacrifice has already caused dissatisfaction with the Royal Society. Why would Mr. Eaton kill Floyd again to anger the Auckland family and offend two factions at the same time?
"Freud is too arrogant. He forgets that he is only close to power, not power itself." Eaton smiled meaningfully, "The Bureau only serves the highest will, not a certain faction."
Power itself... Ed lowered his head thoughtfully. He suddenly understood why he met Miss Catalina Oakland on that rainy night——
In this incident, whether the Bureau of Investigation chooses to cooperate with the Auckland family behind Floyd, or it enforces the law impartially to force Floyd to confess his background and hand over the evidence to the Royal Society, it will lead to further escalation of the conflict.
By then, Silvermist City will become a secret battlefield between the Horse Bandit Party and the Snitch Party, and the urban area will become the most dangerous place. So it is not difficult to understand why the Oakland family made arrangements in advance and braved the rainy night to relocate family members.
And Mr. Eaton's killing of Floyd was tantamount to cutting off the fuse.
The current outcome seems acceptable to both parties: the Royal Society has suffered some property losses and lost a key member, the Auckland family has lost a right-hand man, and both sides have no reason to escalate the conflict.
Perhaps this is the best ending for Silvermist City.
Or maybe, this is what Arthur wants to see...
The flames of tobacco flashed by, and Eaton looked at the night sky, his eyes even darker and more vicissitudes than the night sky:
"I have witnessed darkness, madness, and unspeakable corruption, but they are not as terrifying as the human heart."
After saying this, Mr. Eaton stood up and put on his black deerstalker hat:
"Okay kid, this old bone like me has to go back and rest early. You can stay as long as you want..."
After that, Eaton stood up and left, leaving Ed alone sitting in the night...
[That is a scary old guy. I advise you to stay as far away from him as possible. 】
On the dark blue soil stained by the moonlight, the extremely pale white handwritten flame text seen in the dream ignited again.
Ed raised his head slightly, letting the night wind blow his short hair:
"Thanks for your help, Matrix. I think I can trust you, for now."
[You seem to have suddenly become polite, my good sir. 】
"How long will we continue to get along?"
[A long time, I guess. 】
"Then do you want a formal name?"
[Of course, you can, why not use the first female name that comes to mind as your code name. 】
"Ah, what? Are you still a woman?!" Ed looked a little surprised.
This time the other party did not answer with words, but drew a huge burning middle finger on the lawn with pale white flames...
The first female name that comes to mind? Ed subconsciously recalled the customer's signature on the work order: Mary Boone.
"What about the name Mary?"
[It’s too cliché, I refuse. 】
Quite picky...
Ed closed his eyes and thought about other names he had heard.
He thought of Arthur's desk, with a record poster taped above it.
The slender girl in the painting was full of charm, and her pair of purple eyes made Ed feel familiar, but he couldn't remember why.
The cursive stage name written in the lower right corner was twisting and turning in his mind, ready to be called out——
"Sylvie, how about this name?"
…
The bright sun at noon passed through the industrial dust and fell on the window sill, giving it a sparkling luster, giving people the illusion of summer.
Snap.
The one-eyed spider fell from the ceiling back into Ed's hand, its brass parts shining brightly.
The current limit range is about 50 meters, Ed roughly estimated. The further away he gets, the weaker the bond between him and the one-eyed spider becomes, until it is completely disconnected.
Since his mental strength is still relatively weak, it will be difficult for Ed himself to make precise body movements when controlling the one-eyed spider, and he can only stay in place "in a daze".
At the same time, Ed was also pleasantly surprised to find that his memory and body coordination had been significantly enhanced, and even his explosive strength was no longer what it used to be.
[The lowest level Extraordinary can probably only do this. If you want to go further, you must increase your crystal level. 】
Sylvie's pale white flame characters appeared on the mirror.
Crystal level? Arthur didn't seem to mention it.
[Theoretically, there are 10 energy levels in personality crystals. In older times, due to religious reasons, extraordinary people were once divided into levels according to the ten-ring ranks of the church, also known as the 'Apostle Sequence' or 'Apostle's Ring'. 】
So how do I become a higher-level Extraordinary?
[When the power of an extraordinary person grows close to its limit, the crystallization of personality will enter a period of transformation. During the transformation stage, with the help of external stimulation, the crystallization can complete the energy level transition...or some unpredictable consequences may occur due to failure. 】
Unpredictable consequences... Ed savored the wording.
So should I consider going further? In other words, how about just hanging around at this level?
Sylvie ignored him and continued:
[Your situation is somewhat special: Strictly speaking, you are not an Extraordinary in the true sense. You just simulated the personality crystallization of other Extraordinary people through the Keeper program, thereby acquiring some characteristics and abilities. If you want to become a more advanced Beyonder, you only need to upgrade the program code. 】
Knock knock knock——
"Ed." Mr. Eaton's voice sounded outside the door, and the flame text disappeared immediately.
"Oh, it's Mr. Eaton, just in time..."
Ed quickly put away the one-eyed spider and opened the door.
"I came to say goodbye to you."
"I came to say goodbye to you."
The two said in unison.
