Chapter 1442: Story

Lorenzo leaned against the window, propping his head with his hand, and his gaze drifted outside, admiring the monotonous and repetitive scenery.

The pitch-black night and the relentless snowstorm completely obscured the stars. Apart from a chaotic darkness and the faint reflection of his own cheek in the window, he saw nothing else.

Retracting his gaze, everything inside the carriage was also familiar. This was the same train Lorenzo took when he first went to the Reindona port to fulfill a commission from the Viking nations.

The interior of the carriage was quite luxurious. Accompanied by the swaying of the carriage, the bottles in the cabinet lightly clinked against each other, producing a series of crisp sounds.

Lorenzo sighed helplessly; everything now was very similar to when he went to Gaulunaro.

He continued to look and saw several familiar figures already seated on the lined-up sofas. Exhausted from the journey, they leaned against each other and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Lorenzo, finding it quite boring, began to appreciate their sleeping postures.

Bola crossed his arms, dropped his head, and leaned against the wall, truly one of the few serious ones among them. Even when sleeping, he appeared very solemn. Beside him was Red Falcon, who cared nothing for appearances, half-lying on the sofa, shoes removed, legs flung over the long sofa’s armrest, with half a foot dangling in the air, swaying with the carriage.

That hardly counted as a comfortable sleeping posture, and Lorenzo guessed that when Red Falcon awoke, he’d certainly have a sore back.

In another corner was Shao Liangye. Due to Red Falcon’s lousy sleeping posture, there wasn’t much space left on the long sofa for him. So, he settled in a corner of the carriage, piled up several cushions, and sat down, not forgetting to hug his weapon even in his sleep.

These were all the members in this carriage. As for the others, they were in different carriages, preparing for something unknown. As for the accompanying ladies, out of gentlemanly principles, Lorenzo and the others ceded the only sleeping berths to them, and they were probably sound asleep now.

Ah… Lorenzo also wanted to lie in bed and sleep comfortably, rather than stay here listening to Red Falcon’s snoring, wasting away the long night.

After Watson brought news of disaster, the vacation abruptly ended. Everyone sprang into action, striving to move out in the shortest amount of time. Then, on the night following the gathering, roughly ten hours ago, they assembled completely.

Everything was rushed, so rushed that Lorenzo didn’t even have time to tidy up his office.

“So… did I lock the door?”

Since getting on the train, Lorenzo had been pondering this damned thing.

Although there wasn’t anything valuable in the office, just thinking about it being possibly visited by a thief made Lorenzo uncomfortable. Not to mention there was a stash of deadly weapons at home. Given Old Dunling’s current dire situation, even Lorenzo knew better than to cause trouble for Suyalan Hall.

The hurried matters didn’t stop there. Orders were hastily given, resources mobilized quickly, and even the farewells seemed rushed.

Personnel able to participate in the warfare were urgently gathered, while those who couldn’t join became the ones bidding farewell… perhaps somewhat like family.

Fortunately, Lorenzo didn’t have many friends, so the farewells didn’t occupy much time. Besides, most of his friends were heading into battle alongside him.

Before leaving, Heracles came to see Lorenzo. He even brought a freshly mixed drink. Looking at the glass bottle’s mysterious, sticky, vibrantly colored unknown liquid, Lorenzo immediately guessed what it was.

“Destiny… potion?” Lorenzo asked unpleasantly.

“Of course! This time, it’s my unique secret mix!”

Heracles was overjoyed.

“I say, when is it not your unique secret mix?” Lorenzo questioned, “This is beyond a unique secret mix! Can you recreate the exact same drink again? You have no idea what you’re mixing, do you?”

Hearing this, Heracles beamed with joy and said to Lorenzo.

“That’s why it’s called ‘Destiny’—each glass is unique and unrepeatable, a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

“No, no, no,” Lorenzo shook his head repeatedly, “I’ve had enough of these cursed ‘once-in-a-lifetime experiences’ from you.”

“Come on! Come on! If you die out there, you’ll never get to taste it again!”

Under this peculiar “blessing,” Lorenzo and Heracles reached a consensus. Though he didn’t drink the strange concoction in Heracles’ presence, Lorenzo still brought it along.

Looking down, in the pocket beside him, sat the bottle of the secret Destiny mix.

Just looking at the color made Lorenzo uneasy. Seriously contemplating, if he were to actually die, going out with a drink like this seemed fitting.

So, before he bites it, he decided to stay away from it. Accidentally breaking it in battle would be even better.

With that thought, Lorenzo felt his suppressed emotions lighten a bit. He reached into his chest, pulled out a brand-new pack of cigarettes.

Inside were Lorenzo’s homemade cigarettes. He rummaged through, pulled out one marked with a black line, looked at it, then stuffed it back, choosing another one to put in his mouth instead.

Lighting up, inhaling, exhaling…

Lorenzo seldom smoked anymore, let alone smoked cigarettes containing Wind Tobacco.