As the fleet sailed further north, the temperature around it became colder and colder, as if "cold" had become a certain "attribute" of the entire sea area ahead, no matter how strong the flames and how many warm clothes were, they could only slightly delay the cold invasion, but could not really bring warmth to people.

In the cold, endless night, the ships of the Deep Sea Church delivered the last of the documents to the Ark of the Flame Bearers, who sailed out of the darkness and docked beside the Flame Bearers for several hours before returning to the depths of the night.

Standing on the tall tower of the church ark, Frem looked out at the blurring silhouettes on the distant sea, the distant whistle still echoing in the night sky, finally dissolving into the wind.

"This may be the last time we will see the rest of the civilized world," said the tall Senjin pope, turning his head to the priestess standing beside him, "after that, the temple will stay in the north—the Ark is the Archive, and the Archive is the Ark." ”

"We are all ready for this," said the priestess with a calm gaze, "and we will stop in that eternal ice and watch for the last of the fires after the night until the end of this long night...... It's an honor to follow you here, Your Majesty. ”

Frem was silent for a moment and spoke softly, "Yes, I'm honored too. ”

At the end of his vision, far ahead of the Ark fleet, a vague white silhouette was quietly appearing on the surface of the sea.

It is the frozen sea in the far north of the cold sea, the coldest place in the world, where everything freezes and lasts forever in the ice – where the fire bearers rest.

At the same time, in the Frost City-State, Tirion was standing on the high balcony of the government hall, quietly staring at the countless lights and rows of rooftops in the distant block.

The shards of the sun had left the city-state, and many days before the towboat had taken the great luminous geometry to where it was needed more, and now the whole city was being lit up by man-made lights, the bright street lamps and the lights of thousands of homes converging into a river in the night, outlining every outline of the city, continuing the order and tranquility of the civilized world.

People seem to have gotten used to the long night.

The new curfew was well enforced, the factories and markets were back in order after the initial tension and chaos, the residents had left their homes less often, but everyone was still doing their daily life as much as possible within the time frame allowed, and there were several times when rats in the gutter had vandalized the city, only to be subdued in an instant by the combined efforts of the guards and the sheriff's forces.

Now, the "Sunshine Fleet" dragging the fragments of the sun is cruising on the vast sea between the city-states, and the huge cargo ship formations traveling with the Sunshine Fleet are coming and going in the night, which has restored sixty or seventy percent of the bulk logistics transportation between the city-states, and the periodic arrival of the "sunshine" has also greatly reduced the pressure on various cities in the face of night, although the distortion and mutation events are increasing everywhere, but at least the guardians now have a chance to breathe-

They are facing tougher challenges than ever, but at least they are no longer in the endless darkness of despair.

Sometimes, Tirion even felt that it could go on for a long time - a new balance had been established, civilization had shown amazing adaptability in the long night, and people were now accustomed to the long night, the city-state complex, the curfew system, the new vigil order, the cruising sun...... These things seem to be enough to keep the whole world going on like this, if not for eternity, for a long, long time.

But whenever he thought about it, he would soon wake up and realize that it was all just an illusion of a brief peace, or even an illusion of the night.

The world is slipping towards the end, and it is slipping faster than anyone could have imagined.

Because he knew the "rot" of the gods, the slow and unstoppable disintegration that was taking place in the cornerstones of the world, he knew a lot because of his father's influence.

It's just that...... What would others think? The consuls of the other city-states, the administrators of the church, the guards and magistrates, and the ordinary people living in the cities...... Do they also have the illusion of tranquility, and have accidentally sunk into the illusory tranquility of the peace?

“…… Probably not a bad thing either. Tirion muttered softly to herself.

Aiden's voice came from the side: "Huh? What's not a bad thing? ”

"It's nothing, just talking to myself," Tirion withdrew his gaze from the lights of the distant block and turned his head to look at Aiden's shiny bald head, "Where did we just go?" ”

"Regarding the production adjustment of several factories in the lower city," Aiden was stunned for a moment, quickly reacted and continued, "The coordinating committee believes that there is a slight shortage of oil production capacity at present, and although it is not a big problem at present, the shortage will become serious and ...... over time."

"I see, I've read the report at noon today, and told the Coordinating Committee that the town hall will give an answer by tomorrow morning," Tirion waved his hand, "what else?" ”

"Uh......" Aiden hesitated for a moment, and said with a slight hesitation in his tone, "Also, there's a report from the melting pot that is a bit ...... Strange things. ”

"Something strange?" Tirion frowned slightly dissatisfied, "Don't be so rambling, you did this to report?" ”

Aiden quickly coughed dryly, adjusted his posture and expression, and said: "There is a department report, they have not had an assignment for a while, and the head of the department feels ...... Things are a little weird. ”

Tirien's brow furrowed even more, and he suddenly felt a little uneasy, feeling that something was slipping through his head: "...... Have a department? What does it mean to 'have a department'? What exactly is the department? ”

"I don't know, there was some confusion on the report, it was sent to my office, but I can't find out who sent it, and a lot of the text on it is not legible......"

Aiden explained, the more he explained, the more confused his expression became, his voice slowed down a little bit, and in the end, it was like a stuck puppet, almost squeezing out word by word: "...... Just remember...... They...... Charge...... Incineration ......"

Aiden stopped, standing still, looking at Tirion with a somewhat dazed expression.

After another two or three seconds, he visibly trembled as if he had suddenly woken up, and then said with a normal and smooth expression: "...... The capacity of the boiling gold mine has been restored to the level before 'nightfall', and now the excess ore is being loaded onto the ship, and the next time the Sunshine Fleet crosses, they will be delivered on order......"

Tirion didn't seem to be listening to these reports about the boiling gold mine at all, and the moment Aiden spoke again, he stared at the other party deadly, and the look was even a little terrifying, so that Aiden hesitated to stop in the middle of speaking, and showed an uneasy look in the face of heavy and inexplicable pressure: "Uh...... What's wrong with what I'm talking about? ”

"Aiden," Tirion still stared at the subordinate in front of him who had followed him for a century, and his tone was extremely solemn, "Do you remember what you were reporting on?" ”

Aiden was stunned and looked at Tirion cautiously, "Uh...... The production capacity of the boiling gold mine, the production adjustment of several factories in the lower city, the early warning of the oil shortage by the coordinating committee? Earlier we were talking about the Flamebearer fleet going to the north......"

He hesitated to pause, as Tyrion's expression was clearly even more off.

"The Melting Pot," Tirien's face grimaced, "do you remember the report sent to you by a certain department of the Melting Pot?" ”

Aiden's eyes were blank: "...... What report? ”

Tirion didn't speak, he just looked up, looked at the edge of the city, and looked at ...... The direction of a certain cemetery.

A swirling wind swept through the night, through the streets, into the depths of the cemetery, and the wind carried the gray smoke and dust out of which the form of Agatha was condensed.

She had changed out of the long black dress that represented the bishop today, put back on the light armor and combat coat she had worn as a gatekeeper, and the faint green light of fire danced in the cracked wounds on her cheeks and arms like broken dolls, and she hurried here from the Cathedral of the Dead in Uptown, but as soon as she entered the cemetery, the anxious priest of death saw a scene she had not expected.

The tall, bandaged cemetery keeper "Duncan" was standing on the path next to the morgue, helping a trembling figure out of a nearby coffin, apparently a corpse not long ago—his neck bent at an odd angle, his head dangling over one shoulder, and he was a little stiff and sluggish as he crawled off the platform, his joints making unsettling clicks.

Tall and burly, the grave keeper "Duncan" who looked gloomy and terrifying climbed down the platform with the corpse in his voice, and said in a very calm tone: "...... Yes, it's normal to have some headaches, maybe just go back...... The neck needs to be fixed, and a wooden shelf or tongs can be inserted. Keep in a good mood, just go out and drink too much and get lost overnight, your family won't complain - they will welcome you back calmly, and there will be no shortage of people like you anyway. ”

As he spoke, the sound of the coffin lid opening came from another morgue platform next to him, and a gray-haired old man sat up from it and looked around a little blankly: "Why did I sleep here?" I felt tightness in my chest......"

"Wait a minute, I'll help you down," Duncan immediately walked over again, "don't come down on your own, you may not be able to heal if you break your leg...... Breathing, chest tightness is normal, you have been holding it for a long time...... yes, keep breathing, inhale deeply—"

Duncan stopped abruptly, turned his head, and looked at the janitor lady who was standing a little sluggishly on the path.

"Oh, you're here." He greeted calmly.

“…… Mr. Duncan," Agatha watched dumbfounded, "what are you doing?" ”

"It seems that your perception has not been completely revised," Duncan said lightly, and then turned back to his "work", "As you can see, I am sending my temporary 'residents' back. ”

(End of chapter)