Frost, the southern harbor, deep underground, in a classified facility, unrelated personnel have been evacuated from the scene, and Agatha and Tirion await Duncan's arrival.

Behind them was the colossal machine, secretly built by the former town hall – the oval pressurized chamber was held firmly between the beams by steel cables, and the light shone from the ceiling onto the metal shell of the submersible, giving it a cold, silent glow.

Silence enveloped the hall, and after a slightly nervous wait lasted for a moment, Agatha suddenly raised her head, and her ethereal, hoarse voice like a revenant soul broke the silence: "He's coming." ”

As she spoke, she opened her hands into the air, and a blazing green flame rose from the scars and cracks all over her body, as if embracing a round of the sun, and in front of Agatha, a dark green flame suddenly burst into the air, and then condensed into a rotating flame door, and the skeletal form of Ay flew out of the door first, and then a burly figure in a black coat and wrapped in bandages walked out of the door.

Tirion bowed to the figure and took a half-step back, "Father." ”

Agatha put away her hands, and at the same time restrained the flames on her body, and lowered her head slightly in a prayerful gesture with her hands clasped in front of her chest: "I'm sorry, I still need you to come in person." ”

"It's okay, this avatar has nothing to do anyway, and it's more efficient to come and see it in person than to sit on the report," Duncan waved his hand past Tiriam and Agatha, his eyes already on the massive machine behind them, "?????? Is that it? ”

"Yes," Agatha nodded slightly, "Archon Winston's legacy—perhaps the work of other previous consuls as well. According to the current inspection conclusions, the submersible is nearing completion and is in good condition. ”

Duncan let out a soft "um", but did not continue to speak, he just stood there quietly, as if staring at a frozen history, and did not say a word for a long time.

The dusty history also watched him, and the ambition and lonely quest that today no longer knew were condensed in time, and in the staggered light, in this almost dusty hall, all the fears and courage of mortals were cast in this cold steel.

Duncan could almost hear the obsession and roar cast in the steel.

He took a few steps forward to the edge of the guardrail, reaching out to touch the cold, hard shell of the submersible, deep in his own lifeless shell?????? There seemed to be a faint throbbing, and then, the sensation was fleeting.

But the fleeting feeling still gave Duncan a sense of familiarity, and he recalled, finding the source of that familiarity:

It was when he first stepped on the surface of Poland and stood in front of Nina as "Uncle Duncan", and Nina came running with a smile on her face and opened her hands to him; It was when he found the silver brooch on the Lost and heard the name "Lucrecia" from the mouths of others - at that time, the nostalgia and memories of the end welled up from the bottom of his heart, as if a little bit of humanity remained in a shell to the end, but never completely dissipated.

Duncan withdrew his arm, lowered his head and looked thoughtfully at his palm, as if looking at the former owner of this body, and after a long time, he spoke softly: "Ah, you know about this?? ....

Tirien's voice came from the side, "Father? What do you say? ”

"Nothing," Duncan turned, "will this submersible work now?" ”

"This ??????" There was a hint of embarrassment in Tirian's tone, "We carefully checked the state of the facilities and submersibles here, the main structure of the submersible itself is intact, but there are two problems, the first is that the original technicians of this facility seem to have all been sacrificed, and the materials and equipment left in the external hall are seriously damaged. The problem is fairly easy to solve, some of the "old guys" of the Sea Mist Fleet should be able to handle this thing - after all, it is built on the blueprint left by the Frost Queen, and the second problem is more troublesome??????"

Tirion paused for a moment, and then continued: "According to the preliminary inspection, we found that this submersible is very different from the one used back then, it does not actually rely on the surface air pump, but uses the built-in oxygen cylinder to supply oxygen, but we only found the location of the oxygen cylinder, but we did not find the corresponding cylinder - perhaps this part has not been made yet, which is why Ms. Agatha said just now that it is "nearing completion". It may take a long time to temporarily build an oxygen supply system for this submersible. ”

Duncan turned his head and glanced at Tirion quietly. Tirien was a little nervous: "Father? ”

"I don't need to breathe," Duncan looked into Tyrion's eyes, "Is there still a problem?" Tyrion: "....??"

The new Frost Archon was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly reacted, and an embarrassed look suddenly appeared on his face, and then he nodded hurriedly: "Ah, then there is no problem?????.

"The entire Sea Mist Fleet can't find a few who can breathe, but you yourself are entangled in this issue, it seems that the recent events have really made you dizzy," Duncan shook his head, "Okay, since there is no problem, let's hurry up and prepare, get this submersible ready in the shortest possible time, this is the one thing I am most concerned about in Frost." ”

Tirion straightened up instantly, and even though he hadn't heard a command from his father for a century, he reflexively tensed his muscles: "Yes! Father! ”

Then, Tirien departed - to complete his father's orders as soon as possible.

Duncan turned around and looked at the scuba for a moment what seemed to him the strange-looking diving equipment, and then noticed that Agatha was still standing in place, and looked ?????? There are some expressions that want to speak and stop.

Duncan turned his head, his gaze swept over Agatha and her shadow on the ground next to him, and then he nodded: You can speak, now we are the only ones here, what is the situation? Which of you will speak first? ”

Agatha was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly reacted: "You?????? Already found? ”

"There are two shadows in the fire, and although one of them tries to hide it, the flame on your body comes from me, and this concealment seems to me to be somewhat ?????? Clumsy," Duncan turned back, his gaze a little gentle, "I found out when I first came here, but you didn't want to say it, so I didn't ask." ”

"I just don't think General Tirion should know about this for now." Agatha said as she slowly walked two steps to the side.

Her shadow remained where it was.

In the next second, the shadow left on the ground suddenly shook, and then, a vague and illusory shadow that could vaguely see the former gatekeeper's costume stood up from the shadow, and bent slightly towards Duncan, and a hoarse voice almost identical to Agatha's voice sounded: "Nice to meet you, Duncan?????? Captain. ”

"This is supposed to be the first time I've seen you," Duncan looked at the vague and flickering phantom with a hint of surprise, and looked curiously for a few seconds before he suddenly looked up at Agatha not far away, "Has she always been so vague?" ”

"When you're in the mirror, it's clear, but there's no mirror here," Agatha immediately explained, "and, according to our tests, she's also blurry when she's nervous, and the more nervous she gets, the more blurry it gets???

??? She's a little nervous in front of you. ”

“?????? It's amazing," Duncan felt more and more incredulous, and he looked at the apparition, and even though he had just discovered the other's presence, he couldn't help but be amazed at the moment, "I thought you had dissipated into the darkness—Agatha read the memories that remained of your dissipation. ”

"I did dissipate for a while, but eventually came back into this world," said the hazy shadow, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain the process, and when I realized my existence again, I was already a reflection in the mirror??? ...”

Agatha on the side then spoke: "We suspect that this has something to do with the "key", but there is no evidence. ”

"Keys?"

"The brass key," Agatha nodded, "and according to her's vague impression, she reappeared in the world when I got the brass key—perhaps that key not only has the power to store information, but also preserves memories, personalities, and even souls to a certain extent, and when the conditions are right, the preserved memories and souls can be "reshaped" in some form??????"

Duncan listened quietly, and did not speak immediately.

Frost Queen Lei? The key Nora had left behind was now on the Lost Country, in the hands of his "Body", and out of an abundance of caution, he had not yet attempted to use it on Alice, and now it seemed ?????? This caution may be correct!

Agatha touches the key, so the "fake Agatha", who also held the key, returns to this world, so what if the key is used on Alice? What will happen?

The key?????? Will there be a preserved Frost Queen Bud? Nora's memory, or even the soul?

Successive Frost Archons have been constantly influenced by the Brass Key in their contact with it, passively learning the truth about the Abyss Project, passively taking over the "inheritance" of the Frost Queen, and even interfering with themselves by the Queen's will, all along, this "influence" has only been simply and crudely interpreted as "the Frost Queen's curse", and now what happened to Agatha?????? Makes Duncan realize the possibility behind the key.

Considering that Alice and the Frost Queen look exactly the same, this possibility points in a more disturbing direction - the doll is the container, and the key stores the soul, and the two become one, the Frost Queen.

Duncan was silent, and sighed softly in his heart.

He understood why Agatha hadn't brought it up in front of Tirien. But then he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Alice as a doll, with a brass key that "stores souls?????? Is it really the means by which the Frost Queen is resurrected? Will things be so simple?