The rainy season in Old Dunling is over, and this gloomy city has a rare welcome of clear skies, with a little dew on the green fields, reflecting the brilliance of the sky.

Eve paused briefly to take in the unbelievable beauty.

She had hardly left the old Dunling since she was a child, and she had the impression that the sky seemed to be gray all the time, with a light rain falling from time to time.

Although the location of Phoenix Manor is located in the suburbs of Old Dunling, after so many years of expansion, most of the fringe area of Old Dunling has been swallowed up by this growing city, and the blue clear sky of Phoenix Manor has also turned the same gray over the years.

Eve held the freshly dried white sheet in her hand, stunned for a long time, and only woke up when she heard someone else's call, and trotted down with it in her arms.

Countless stands were erected above the green field, on which were hung washed and disinfected sheets and quilt covers, and some hospital gowns, which fluttered in the wind like dancing flags.

This is Merlin's castle, and after the Black Mountain Hospital incident, in order to relieve the pressure of containment, Merlin generously contributed this ancient castle that was about to be abandoned, and temporarily became a hospital for some patients.

As the chief technical officer of the Perpetual Motion Pump, Merlin is still an alchemist at heart, probably with a different philosophy and mortal, he is not interested in ordinary wealth, and when he is divided into this land, he also treats it as a warehouse, rarely returns, and even if there is a place to use it, most of the time it is like a temporary residence.

Lorenzo and Kestrel had woken up in the castle a few months earlier for a modest holiday, and now it has a new guest.

Doctors walk through the castle, nurses push wheelchairs, patients scream from time to time, the stale air is covered with the smell of disinfectant water, and Eve walks through it and sees a group of people cleaning, sweeping a thick layer of dust in the corners.

Because Merlin used it as a warehouse, the castle's personnel were kept to a minimum, and when the doctors from the Black Mountain Hospital moved in, they even thought it was abandoned.

After the incident, when Arthur was still unconscious, Eve suddenly remembered what Arthur had said to her at the end.

Merlin knew about her past, so while Arthur was still in a coma and being treated, Eve applied to come here, and after being tested for erosion, she became one of the nurses.

In fact, Eve didn't expect that she would get in so smoothly, in her eyes this is a mysterious organization, everyone in the organization is a demon who grinds his teeth and sucks blood, but it may be because of the revolutionary friendship that has slashed demons together, these people are unexpectedly good to her.

Eve became a member of this temporary hospital for some reason, and she ran back and forth here for almost half a month.

In the meantime, she also tried to find Merlin, whose office was set up on top of a tower in the castle, and Eve had heard others call it a museum, and it was unclear why.

As the chief technical officer of the perpetual motion pump, Merlin has been busy for half a month, and he has not had time to talk to Eve about these things carefully, dragging it back and forth, and finally this conversation is scheduled for today.

After putting away the washed sheets, Eve walked to the top of the tower called the museum.

Everything that he has been obsessed with is about to be answered, but at this moment, Eve's heart is not excited and happy, but calm.

Eve has always been a sharp and intelligent child, and after going through so much, she actually has a vague guess about the nightmare that keeps echoing, and her own weirdness, but she is not sure about all this.

It can be said that she did not come this time to get an answer, but to have someone confirm her guess, but she suddenly panicked, although all this has long been history, but the thought of the truth is true, Eve is still a little difficult to accept.

It seemed like a long road, but in a few thoughts Eve was done, she was silent for a while, and knocked on the door.

......

Pushing open the somewhat heavy gate, the rotten air blows in the face, as the only part of the castle "Merlin's private area", which has not been cleaned by the nurses, and few people come here except for Merlin to work.

The bright light fell on Eve's face, and she couldn't take her eyes away.

The entire dome of the museum is made of transparent glass, and a few months ago it was dusty and dirty, but after that storm, it was all washed away, and the light shrouded it in a divine appearance.

The interior of the museum is filled with some strange things, more warehouses than museums, and there is a mess of things everywhere.

The wheels were placed on one side of the corner, the nautical chart was hung on one side of the wall, a coin was placed in a box, and an old flintlock pistol.

There are so many strange things that Eve can't even see, and she even has some difficulty judging why Merlin is here with so many things.

"Eve?"

Suddenly, a voice remembered, and under the shrouded light, Merlin raised his head, and then Eve noticed that there was still a person sitting in this pile of clutter.

All kinds of papers piled up, and Merlin cleared a clearing in the mess so that he could work on it.

He had never been a constant sunbreaker, and for most of the year, Merlin was like a mouse, snuggling in the dark.

Now that he appeared in the sunlight, his pale and sickly face as if he was about to die, Eve was faintly afraid that this strange alchemist would fall in the next second.

"I know what you're going to do, he told me about this when I was communicating with Arthur a few days ago. ”

"Is he awake?"

Hearing about Arthur, Eve asked.

"Woke up, nothing serious...... But you, you want to know the reason for your anomaly...... I've got to think about what to say to you. ”

Merlin rubbed his temples, he didn't like the job, explaining the filthy things to the little girl, which in his opinion might affect the little girl's innocence...... Although he said that this little girl slashed demons, and was even more fierce than these professionals.

Looking at the girl sitting across from him, Merlin sighed secretly.

Should I say that she is Arthur's daughter? or ...... The nature of the Rangers.

"In general, you, Eve Phoenix, were dead long before you were born. ”

After the silence, Merlin began it all with this somewhat startling remark.

"You...... Say what?"

Eve was a little confused and didn't understand what he was talking about.

"Don't worry, I'll explain it all for you...... Actually, that's what Arthur meant, he told me that he thought about it for a long time, and he suddenly realized that he might be wrong. ”

Merlin continued.

"Perhaps you already have the ability to protect yourself, and all this he has done is just a restriction on you, but you must know that the more we come into contact with demons, the closer we are to the darkness, until we are consumed by them.

Arthur's protection of you is only to hope that you can stay away from it, but these events have also become a part of the 'curse'. ”

"So what?" asked Eve.

She had heard Lorenzo explain this part of the darkness and, accordingly, understood everything Merlin was saying now.

"So he gave up protecting you, instead of being so powerless to protect, it is better for you to hold a sword and protect yourself, after all, Arthur can't protect you forever, it is for this reason that he chooses to tell you everything, and then you make the decision. ”

Merlin said as he picked up his glass of water and took a sip to moisten his throat, this place was so bright, hot and dry, he began to miss the somewhat cold underground facilities.

"Actually, you were confronted with demons long before you were born. ”

Merlin talks about the past.

"That was a long time ago, when your mother was attacked by a demon in an accident and she was pregnant with you.

You also know the characteristics of demons, physical injuries, as long as they are not too serious fatal injuries, with our ability, most of them can be cured, but the erosion that directly acts on the spirit, we are helpless, we can't ...... To be precise, there is nothing you can do. ”

Merlin observed Eve's expression, noticing the changes in her mood.

"We healed your mother and tested for erosion, but unfortunately, you were close to birth at the time, which means that there was another fully mature but ignorant consciousness in your mother, and I could detect her, but not how much you were eroded. ”

"The human will is very peculiar, like a plastic mass of soil, which can be kneaded into different shapes by us in the acquired training, swords, shields, firearms......

One of the reasons why we are able to resist erosion is that we have a relatively complete understanding and can naturally fight against the darkness, but for an ignorant child who has not yet been born in this world, she cannot distinguish all this, she cannot understand light and darkness, and she does not know what demons are...... She may not even have the concept of 'me' yet.

The child's will is like a mass of dirt that has not yet been plasticized, and she will be easily affected by erosion and molded into the form of a demon. ”

Merlin was silent for a moment, then asked.

"You know what that means, don't you? ”

Eve remained silent, the nightmare of her memory coming back to her memory, a monster crawling out of its flesh, a sticky sound and a woman's wail, its teeth and claws ripping its fragile body to shreds.

Under Merlin's narration, the vague memories suddenly became clear, the darkness was swept away, and in fear, she saw the monster clearly.

It was a young and ignorant face, she was innocent, but her hands were stained with blood...... It was herself, Eve Phoenix.

Eve's body couldn't help but tremble.

"At the time, it was certain that you had been eroded, but the extent of the erosion was unknown, but from the records of our purification agency, young children were extremely susceptible to erosion, let alone a child like you, who had not yet been born.

You're close to birth and can't have an abortion, but we still have some risky surgeries that can solve all this, but it's against your parents, who have already lost a lot of children and don't want to lose your last one.

So another plan was proposed. ”

"What's it!"

Eve's voice was a little agitated, her pupils constricted, and fine sweat ran down her neck.

"Project Ranger, an intensive experiment, but it's very risky, and your father is a subject. Part of this enhancement is to increase your resistance to erosion, and we were planning to do a Ranger program on you, so that you are not yet born, you are resistant to erosion, which may save you.

But even if you experiment on someone with professional training, they will die from some unstable complications, not to mention that you are still in a fetal state at the time.

But your mother accepts all this, and the main subject is her, and the experimental agents will be delivered to the fetus through the weakening of the mother's body.

But all this was just what we expected, no one knew what would happen when it was actually implemented, and it could even be said that everyone was doing all this with an experimental attitude, and no one thought it would work...... Unless a miracle happens. ”

Merlin paused, sat up straight, and set aside some of the papers he was still working on.

"But I survived, and now I'm sitting alive in front of you. Eve whispered.

"Yes, a miracle happened, the human will triumphed. ”

A stiff smile appeared on Merlin's indifferent face, and then he stood up and walked towards Eve.

"Your mother survived the experiment and gave you a safe birth, and you are the first, born Ranger in human history. ”

"That's incredible, I was a little skeptical of reality at the time, I didn't expect humans to really be able to do all this, you are very healthy as a newborn, but unfortunately, your mother, as the mother of the subject, was very traumatized, and she was often tormented by some complications until she left. ”

Merlin walked up to Eve and gently took her hand, causing her to stand up as well.

In the warm light, the two of them seemed to be about to dance.

"That's why Arthur sometimes acts like a psychopath, because you're his last warmth, and without you, he's really nothing, and maybe he'll become a monster like Lorenzo after that. ”

At the mention of Lorenzo, Merlin couldn't help but sigh.

"The guy who has nothing is really scary, he has nothing to lose, so there is nothing to fear. ”

Looking at the girl's stiff expression again, perhaps she hadn't noticed herself, tears were already covering her cheeks, vague memories became clear, everything had become so cruel.

"It looks like it's going to take a while for you to understand this, but ...... Please do me a favor first. ”

Merlin patted her, and woke Eve from this long grief, and the girl nodded stiffly, she couldn't say anything anymore, knowing everything she longed for, but the whole person seemed to be lost and depressed.

Death is really long, her mother left a long time ago, but today Eve feels that she is really dead, and this long death has come to an end, and she is gone.

"But your birth inspired a lot of people, at that time there was an incident called 'Red News' within us, and we were hit hard internally, and everyone lost the hope of continuing to forge ahead, and looked decadent, and it was also for this reason that your birth was not optimistic, after all, everyone was very pessimistic at that time. ”

Merlin seemed to be rummaging through the clutter for something, and the old dust was rising one after another.

"But you survived, it's a miracle, you were crying at the time, but that cry made everyone a lot more uplifted, such a child is trying to survive, what is this frustration?"

"I was touched a little bit at the time, so I've been building this place ever since. ”

Merlin picked up a container, which was filled with formalin solution.

"I was thinking, how long have humans been in this world, at least a few thousand years, but we only have vague records of the last thousand years, and the history before that has faded into memory, and no one remembers it anymore.

I'm wondering if one day humans will disappear, and if they do, it's nothing, and people will die and humans will die, but even if they die, I think they should stay behind.

As long as there is something that represents humanity, even if we are all dead, we can still live in the carrier of the record...... Just like you. ”

Merlin laboriously lifted the container over.

"Me?"

"Yes, you are a continuation of your mother, and as long as you are alive, she will live in your memory, and she will not really die, will she?"

Merlin motioned for Eve to take the container.

"Look here, this is everything I've built that best represents 'human'. ”

He spread his hand and looked around the messy museum like a lord, and Eve also held the container and followed Merlin's words and looked around.

"You don't understand it, do you? Others don't understand it either, but if anyone does, then there's a problem. ”

Merlin said as he walked over to the clutter and introduced Eve.

"This stack of papers represents the carrying of human information, we do not die with the knowledge in our minds, but record it and pass it on across the barriers of time, this wheel means that we shorten the distance of the world, this code is a proof that human beings bind their desires, so that we are distinguished from the beasts that follow instinct.

This one...... And this ......"

Merlin introduces Eve to the exhibits in this strange museum, where all human cognition exists, and a hazy but majestic phantom slowly rises within Eve's cognition.

"And, of course, this. ”

Merlin said, gesturing to the container in Eve's hand.

"What is this?"

"Your placenta. ”

"Huh?"

Eve's grief was cut short by Merlin's words, and she almost threw the thing down with a shaky hand, but finally steadied herself, lowered her head and gently wiped the dusty surface, beneath which was a twisted white mass of flesh wafting in the formalin.

"I've got your placenta, but it's not a perverted fetish, I just think there's a need for something in this museum to prove the will of man...... This is one of the wills. ”

"What?"

"Sacrifice, a mother's sacrifice for her child. ”

Merlin said softly as he walked over to the gate and watched it all from the gate.

"But that's not enough, everything here is still not enough to represent everything about humanity, after all, humans are very complex beings, and some of the things we have are too empty for me to find the right thing to represent them. ”

"For example?"

"For example, those things that belong to human beings, because we are human beings, we have created one word after another to recognize everything in this world, but some things are nothing, like the soul, it is disordered, it is difficult to grasp, it is beyond our control...... It's hard to find a counterpart to this kind of thing. ”

Merlin smiled, looking at the beauty of the sun, the grandeur of the human pile.

"You know, Eve, although you were born, no one can think that you have survived, your life is only temporary, and you may die in the rest of the years due to the backlash of the Ranger drugs.

But you survived and grew up. ”

"Thank you for coming, Eve, and now my work is complete. ”

Eve looked at Merlin with some blankness, maybe these alchemists were inherently insane, and the smile on Merlin's face began to twist, like a fanatical believer.

"Yes, Eve Phoenix! You represent human stubbornness, human persistence, human stupidity, but under this inferiority, you have done what only humans can do. ”

"What is it?"

"Miracles. ”

The dying fetus stubbornly survived, and she was holding her placenta in her arms, standing in an exhibition hall built by a madman, becoming part of the work.

Through the past and future of mankind, a miracle that belongs only to mankind is piled up.

The long night is over, and the sun is blazing.