Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Ash looked at the words printed on the typewriter and realized that this typewriter was indeed a famous item in film history.

"Casel, what were you thinking about while you were typing?"

“No, no, I suddenly had the urge to take Alex skiing?” Cassell gave his answer, then pressed Ash for an answer. “That was the temptation of the typewriter, wasn’t it?”

"Yes, Kassel. Do you know about the snow-covered mountain villa?"

The "locked room mystery" is a common trope in detective fiction, also known as the "isolated island mystery." As a writer, Casey was naturally very familiar with this.

A secluded mountain village may become unable to contact the outside world due to various special circumstances, and at the same time, all sorts of strange things will happen among the people isolated in the village.

"If I take Alex skiing, will we be caught in a snowstorm and die?"

After seeing the line, "If you only work and don't play, even clever Jack will become stupid," Ash knew exactly where the typewriter came from. After all, The Shining, created by horror master Stephen King and cinematic god Kubrick, is a landmark in film history.

“No, Cassel, it’s worse than that, you’ll sacrifice your own daughter.”

## Chapter Thirteen: The Weak with Insufficient Strength

In 1980, to escape his professional frustrations, Jack Torrance decided to take over a luxurious mountain hotel. It was a secluded, eerie place, said to have been run by a previous manager who had inexplicably lost his mind, brutally murdering his entire family before committing suicide. But Jack didn't care; he just wanted a quiet place to focus on his writing.

Ash recounts the origin of the typewriter, which is part of the plot of The Shining.

"After that, his wife killed her husband and left with the children. That's the end of the story. Kassel, think carefully, who gave you this typewriter?"

Kassel tried to recall everything about the typewriter, but could only shake his head and say, "I can't remember. I only remember someone trying to sell me this typewriter that once belonged to a writer."

"So am I being targeted now? Where should I go to exorcise the demon, or find a wizard to perform a ritual for me?"

"No, Cassel, you're alright. Remember the ball of light I pressed on your hand just now?"

"Was that your spell? Is that all?"

"Of course... impossible. What I just placed on your hand was a soul on the verge of disappearing. This soul negated your part, using you as a medium to deceive the typewriter's owner."

Ash then explained the connection to Cassel. The typewriter was a medium; the person behind it used it to modify and collect the souls they needed, and as long as the typewriter existed, it would always be found again.

This thing is like a source and medium of infection; as long as you possess it, you will be targeted unless you find the next victim who meets its requirements and hand it over to him.

Upon hearing this request, Kassel shook his head and firmly stated, "No, we cannot hurt others anymore."

Martha then said to Ash, "There must be other ways, right?"

"Lord Ash, stop teasing them," the Fire Keeper said, revealing Ash's wicked sense of humor.

Ever since Ash arrived at Firelink Shrine, she has been constantly provoking everyone's nerves, including but not limited to pretending not to see the Fire Keeper, stealing Andre's hammer, showing Orbeck a scroll but not giving it to him, kicking Patches off the tower first, and so on.

"Alright, alright, there is another way. Give me the typewriter, and I'll handle it."

After learning that Ash had a solution, Cassell was no longer in a sickly state; he seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline and wanted to see what Ash would come up with.

Ash asked Cassel to clear a space in the house, and then took out a flagless rifle from her four-dimensional backpack.

Fortunately, the ceiling height in Kassel's house was high enough that the nearly four-meter-long flag gun did not pierce through the roof.

Ash held the banner spear and waved it outwards. From the horizontal bar that held the banner, a beautiful banner composed of golden light fluttered down to the middle of the spear. If you looked closely, you could also see the emblem of the Lothric Dragon Knights in the center of the banner.

Then Ash slammed the flagpole down at her feet, and the fluttering flag unfurled completely with Ash's movement, scattering starlight like rain, eventually forming many phantom knights that surrounded the crowd.

[Lothric Standard: A remnant of the flagpole once used to aloft the Lothric emblem. The flag, once looked up to by knights, is now adorned with a sharp point, allowing it to be used as a spear. Combat Art: The Lothric Standard, as in the past, when alofted and waved, creates a phantom image of the flag fluttering. Those gathered beneath the flag gain increased attack power. Combat Art: Dragon Knight: As one of the pillars of Lothric's knighthood, Dragon Knights rely on their superior mobility to rapidly support various battlefields. They respond whenever someone waves the standard in a summons.]

Just as Ash was waving his flagpole to summon the knights, the surveillance network at 177A Brick Street issued a warning. Archmage Daniel Drum instantly located the position and was about to send his apprentice to investigate when a portal with orange flames opened next to him.

The mage, the librarian, and the mage king, who rarely ventured out of the library, stepped out of the portal.

“Master Daniel, the Ancient One asked me to tell you that this fluctuation is her friend, and you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

After Wang finished speaking, he opened another portal and left. Daniel looked at the environment on the other side of the portal and thought to himself, "The title of librarian is indeed well-deserved."

Since the Ancient One wouldn't let him interfere, Daniel lay back in his rocking chair, enjoying his leisure time.

Inside the Kassel house, as the phantom formed by the points of light became more and more real, the three Lothric Knights finally appeared in the Kassel house.

Three knights teleported over: one carrying the Lothric Knight's Greatsword, one a sword and shield knight, and one a spear and shield knight.

When the three knights saw Ash and the Fire Keeper, they raised their right-hand weapons, held them upright in front of their chests, and bowed to them.

Kassel watched all this, and his curiosity got the better of him. He tried to touch the armor on the Lothric Knight to see if it was real. However, the sword-and-shield knight blocked his way with his shield.

"Take that typewriter to the Initial Furnace and burn it," Ash ordered the knights.

The spear-shield knight swung his spear, piercing the typewriter with a single thrust, hanging the typewriter on the spearhead, and then hoisting the spear onto his shoulder.

Afterwards, the knights gathered under the banner, bowed to Ash and the Fire Keeper once more, and then departed.

Even after Ash lowered the banner, Kassel was still reminiscing about the dashing armor of the Lothric Knights.

"Could I have a set of that armor?" Cassell looked at Ash expectantly, trying to trick Ash into giving him a set.

“Sorry, Cassel, you’re really too weak. You can’t even wield their weapons, let alone put on that armor.”

“I can give it a try. I work out; in fact, I’m all muscle.” Cassel raised his arm, bulging his not-so-large biceps, trying to show off his ‘strength’.

Ash sighed and reluctantly pulled out a dagger.

"This is the least demanding weapon I have. See if you can wield it."

Cassell took the dagger Ash handed him and tried to swing it as Ash had instructed. But he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move it.

Kassel was still trying to justify himself: "You must have used some kind of magic to bind this dagger, otherwise how could I pick it up but not be able to swing it?"

"In fact, anyone can pick up this dagger; you just haven't met the requirements to use it."

All weapons in the Dark Souls world have attribute requirements. Although you can equip them, it's difficult to deal damage if you don't meet the minimum requirements. In reality, you can pick up the weapon, but you can't use it.

"If we were to express the requirements numerically, the power requirement for using this dagger is five, and your power..."

Ash squeezed Cassel's arm to assess his strength.

"Perhaps, not even one."

## Chapter Fourteen: Mimicry = Invisibility = Hehehe

Kassel gave up completely. Ash repeatedly emphasized that he realized he might be weak, but the assessment that he had no strength at all made Kassel truly realize 'I am weak.'

"Are there any firearms that ordinary people can use, like those that can harm vampires, werewolves, or evil spirits?" Cassel was still unwilling to give up.

"It seems there really is one, wait a minute." Ash recalled his friendly exchange with the Ancient One. He remembered the bizarre weapons he, Orbeck, Andre, and others created at Firelink Shrine.

After searching for a while, Ash pulled out a strange gun with double barrels covered in brass inscriptions, two huge metal auxiliary wheels on the grip, and a length of nearly forty centimeters.

Upon seeing the strange gun with its metal auxiliary wheel, Kassel, being a writer, immediately recognized the weapon.

"This is a spring-loaded gun!" Cassel exclaimed in surprise.

The wheel gun in this world was created by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. It has more than 20 mechanical parts, and these parts require a high degree of precision.

But the one Ash pulled out wasn't. It was a weapon Ash conceived, designed by Orbeck, and forged by Andrei. Of course, Ash didn't specify that the prototype was from the Church Pistol in Yharnam; she simply named it the Church Pistol as a tribute to that bygone era.

Ash then pulled out some huge bullets with silver tips, the tips resembling silver stakes fixed to brass casings.

Ash handed the bullets to Cassel and explained, "These are mercury bullets. Don't try to smash the bullets; the substance inside is lethal."

"Of course, this is also deadly to dark creatures. If you can hit a werewolf or a vampire, one shot can kill them."

Kassel gripped the church pistol in both hands, his hands trembling slightly, but he was still trying to steady the muzzle.

After enduring it for a while, Kassel could no longer bear it and put down the church pistol.

"Looks like I need some training. But this gun is a bit too heavy, definitely over fifteen pounds," Cassel made excuses for himself.

"But this gun doesn't require any power; it can be fired as soon as it's loaded with bullets."

Kassel put his fingers into the muzzle to estimate the caliber of the gun, and practiced loading mercury bullets repeatedly.

Finally, Cassel put down the church pistol and said with a look of utter despair, "But I'm sure I can't aim at that werewolf. Even if I fire, I don't know whether the werewolf will fly out or I'll be thrown out by the recoil of this gun."

“Or you could try looking for weapons from legendary Western cowboys, like Eastwood’s sidearm,” Ash suggested after a moment’s thought, offering a suggestion that Kassel could manage.

The West was once synonymous with insecurity and chaos, where cowboys and bounty hunters maintained small territories of peace. Legendary cowboys, in particular, could use their weapons to drive away demons and monsters.

Gradually, the cowboys' weapons also acquired this attribute, so they could still be useful even after leaving the legendary cowboy.

"The cowboys' weapons may have low damage, but they are still somewhat useful. With your current strength, you should be able to use a revolver without any problems."

Kassel memorized this information and secretly resolved to find a legendary cowboy weapon.

Ash sat on the sofa, and since finding the church pistol, he realized that his backpack was in a mess after so many years. So he talked to Cassel while tidying up his backpack.

Finally, an item that had never been used before appeared in Ash's hands.

“Caselle, try this.” Ash handed a white branch with forks to Kassel.

"Is this the unfinished Harry Potter wand? Can I use it to cast the invisibility spell?"

Kassel's ramblings actually hit the nail on the head regarding the branch.

[Tender White Branches: Still-tender white branches. They can transform and disguise themselves to blend into their surroundings. The magic wand that the Dark One first used in her youth later transformed into saplings, growing into three white trees. It is said that even now, those tender branches still hold her mischievous secrets.]

"A magic called mimicry has solidified on this branch. Crush it in an emergency, and it might save your life."

[A lost magic from the ancient golden magical kingdom of Ulasilu. It allows for transformation and disguise to blend into the environment. This is not official magic of the kingdom; it is said to have been created as a prank by a young girl in a dark forest for fun and to alleviate her loneliness.]

After Ash explained to Cassel what mimicry was, Cassel raised the tender white branch in his hand high, like Napoleon raising his sword, and shouted, "So this really can cast an invisibility spell!!!!"

Ash was still in shock at Kassel's wild idea, but gradually she came to her senses.

'Yes, isn't mimicry just about becoming invisible in your environment?'

Of all the superpowers everyone desires, invisibility ranks highest in terms of anonymity. Being invisible reduces moral obligations to the minimum, allowing us to do some... well, you know.

Gradually, Ash and Cassel lowered their heads and whispered something to each other, and between their discussions, they let out a lewd laugh.

However, the two did not notice that behind them, Martha and the Fire Keeper began to roll up their sleeves.

Bang! Bang! Two crisp and melodious sounds traveled through the fists to the two men's heads.

The two women clutched their heads and rolled around on the sofa. When they turned around, they saw Martha and the Fire Keeper conversing elegantly at the kitchen table, as if nothing had happened.

Ash gave Kassel the tender white branch he needed. Afterward, the two went together to see Kassel's collection.

Kassel is not just a writer; he's more like a big boy, possessing all the gear a boy could want. He also has the ability to get what he desires.

Just as he wanted to work with NYPD Detective Beckett on a case, he approached the mayor to get him assigned to the NYPD, teaming up with Beckett. This led to his bestselling novel, "Niki Heatwave."