Duncan shifted into a more comfortable position and leaned back on the back of the couch, his gaze smiling through the gaps between the bandages on his face.

"Now that you know who I am, how do you feel," he said with a smile, "from the point of view of the Church of the Dead - you should report this immediately." ”

Agatha opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time, and after another half a minute, she smiled wryly and spread her hands: "You put me in a very awkward position......"

"But you really should report everything that happened here to the church right away," Duncan put away his smile and his tone finally became serious, "Plant is the first, Frost is the second—those cultists have had their fair share of trouble over the years, but never before has trouble of this magnitude been so dense, and don't forget, in addition to the near-destruction of the two city-states, the sun above us, Vision 001, has also seen a disturbing change recently. ”

Agatha immediately got rid of the embarrassment, and under Duncan's reminder, her expression gradually became serious: "...... You mean, there is a connection between these events? ”

"I don't know—don't be so surprised, I'm not omniscient," Duncan said casually, "but I have a habit of thinking of all sorts of small probability events as a 'precursor' to a much larger system that is starting to fail." Although the cultists in the two city-states seem to be unrelated, have you ever considered why they have been able to succeed in the near future? There have been so many large-scale heretical sacrifices in history, and how many have succeeded in making a move? ”

Agatha fell into deep thought, her expression becoming solemn.

"Report it, all," Duncan said softly, "don't let any clues go—let the minds of smart people think about it." ”

"I see, I'll report it as it is," Agatha nodded solemnly, and then said with a specific emphasis on "looking" at Duncan, "all." ”

"I'm looking forward to the reaction of the Church of Death," Duncan exhaled softly, as if to let go of a preoccupation, "it's not good to drag it all the time." ”

Then there was a moment of silence in the living room, as if everyone was in their own thoughts (except Alice), and it was not long before Agatha suddenly broke the silence: "I should go back." ”

"Won't you wait a minute?" Duncan said, "In this situation, you have a lot of headaches when you go out, and there aren't many opportunities to hide here." ”

"That's why I have to go back as soon as possible," Agatha shook her head, "the city-state has a myriad of problems to solve, and not only the church, but also the town hall is in shambles—if I keep quiet, there really will be no one to preside over the situation." ”

"Is it a mess...... Duncan repeated thoughtfully, then suddenly asked a question, "Do you think that with Frost's remaining organization and manpower, you can really restore order to the entire city in a short period of time?" ”

Agatha was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't understand Duncan's intention to ask suddenly, but after a short silence, she still nodded: "...... I will do my best. ”

"'Do what you can' – but a lot of times, doing what you can doesn't solve the problem."

“…… What do you mean? ”

"I just suddenly had a very bold suggestion," Duncan laughed, his gaze falling on Agatha, "layman's advice. ”

……

By the time Agatha left 44 Oak Street, the light had dimmed, the power of the sun was fading from the real world, and light snow was still fluttering across the sky—fine fluttering snowflakes falling from the darkness and chaos through the dim glow of the gas street lamps to gradually blanket the deserted streets.

The night patrol of the Guardians walked past the distant intersections, the footsteps of the steam walkers occasionally breaking the silence of the streets, the bells of the night and day were wafting in the distance, and the evening breeze came the sound of the organ of the corner church.

The scarred city-state licks its wounds in the night.

The cold wind swept through the streets, curling Agatha's hair and skirt, and she stretched out her hand in the snowy streets, tilting her head slightly: "It's still snowing." ”

Vanna, who sent her out the door, turned her gaze curiously: "You can't see snowflakes?" ”

"I can't see—but I can feel it," Agatha whispered, "and I have a lot more and less in my field of vision, and it's going to take a long time to get used to." ”

She slowly withdrew her hand, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "But the good news is that I can no longer feel the cold of the cold wind now, because no matter how thick the clothes I wear and how many fires I light up, I feel the world ...... Just as cold. ”

“…… Sorry, it's hard for me to imagine that feeling. ”

"Oh, don't worry, it's not bothering me that much," Agatha smiled, slowly clenching her fists, and with the convergence of strength, a faint green flame gradually appeared in her body-covered and criss-crossed "scars", and the flames flowed through her like blood, "In this case, it will be better." ”

Vanna was silent for a few seconds: "If the captain knew that you used the flame he gave him to keep warm, his expression would probably be wonderful." ”

"What kind of man is he?" Agatha put away the power of the flames and suddenly asked curiously, "He usually ...... Will it be harsh or scary? ”

"How do you feel? You've been in contact with him twice. ”

"I feel that all the information is wrong with the truth, he is far more peaceful and friendly than I thought, but ...... Perhaps I should be called 'Him' more, and I don't know if I should measure a being like Him by the standards of mortals. I know He was a human being, but subspace ...... You know what I mean. ”

Vanna pondered for a few seconds and shook her head slightly, "Actually, I haven't been following him for long, and I probably can't give you a clear answer, but I can tell you that I had similar concerns as you—and the end result was that the Storm Cathedral made the decision to arrange for me, the Inquisitor, to ride the Lost Land." Just as Captain Duncan chose to believe that a 'fake' would be human, so do we...... Or rather, willing to believe that Captain Duncan's humanity, after all, ......"

She stopped suddenly, looked up at the snowy sky, and after a moment whispered as if talking to herself: "After all, this world is too cold, and if even we no longer believe in hope, then there will really be only cold wind and steep in this endless sea." ”

Agatha didn't speak for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Vanna suddenly asked, "What do you think of the captain's suggestion?" ”

Agatha pondered for a moment before speaking with a complicated expression: "Let the Sea Mist Fleet enter the city...... To be honest, I don't even know if this will restore order to the city-state or bring more chaos - you've lived in the city for a while, and you should know what the Sea Mist Fleet means to most of the Frostmen......"

"For most of the Planters, the loss of their homeland is also terrifying – but believe me, after a terrible catastrophe, people's 'receptivity' can really reach a very exaggerated level, and from a group perspective, the yearning for a stable life will overwhelm many concerns."

"Do you yearn for a stable life......

Agatha whispered, feeling the cold of this snowy night through her lifeless shell, but for some reason she thought of something else.

Fifty years ago, when that great uprising broke out, it seemed to be snowing.

"I'll discuss this carefully with the officials at City Hall," she said, as if she had made up her mind, turning to Vanna, "and personally, I'm going to support it." ”

"We all want everything to be well." Vanna said.

"Yes, we all want everything to be well."

Agatha repeated, then she waved her hand and walked towards the steam cart with the church emblem hanging from the street that was parked in the street.

But as soon as she took a few steps, she suddenly stopped again.

"Anything else?" Vanna asked curiously.

"Some...... Personal question, I hope it doesn't seem too offensive," Agatha asked, turning her head with a somewhat odd expression, hesitantly, "You...... Did you really ever jump off a cliff, kill your offspring, and then return safely? ”

Vanna was stunned for an instant, and her eyes became weird: "Why do you suddenly ask this?" ”

"I don't know, but it's just that the question pops into my head," Agatha looked a little embarrassed, "and it feels like when you've heard rumors about it...... I'm sorry if this is bothering you, I'm ......."

"Nothing has happened," Vana smiled and waved her hand, "but the truth is not what is rumored - I was actually walking in the air, falling off the edge of a cliff, and when I landed, I just killed a deep-sea pollutant that had somehow washed ashore, not a real 'heir', let alone a killing, and I don't know why it was spread like this." ”

Agatha's mouth widened slightly—although blindfolded, her expression still revealed a "stunned" look.

"That'...... Are you okay? The young janitor subconsciously spoke.

"Actually, the fall was quite bad," Vana smiled embarrassedly, then patted her chest again and made a strong pose, "but fortunately, I'm a sports student, so I can go home and drink hot water and lie down for two days." ”

Agatha: "......? ”

Miss Gatekeeper was shocked.

Vanna was a little puzzled: "Why do you have such an expression?" ”

“…… You sports students in Praand are intimidating. ”