Deep Sea Embers

Duncan and Morris arrived at the building with the black door.

The building is very quiet - this is natural, after all, the sun has not risen yet, and the night in this world has never been suitable for ordinary people's activities. Most normal people have little nightlife after dark, and it is normal to go to bed early and wait for dawn.

But will the "replicas" who return from the deep sea live and rest like ordinary people?

Duncan raised his head, noticed the eye-catching button on the corner of the door frame, and reached out to press it twice.

Faintly, the sharp and urgent sound of the bell could be heard coming from the building - in this silent night, the sound of the bell was particularly loud.

"Maybe we shouldn't come to the door during the curfew," Morris touched his forehead, with a little hesitation in his tone, "Alarming the neighbors will arouse suspicion."

"But your friend probably won't be able to wait too long. It would be better if he could do it earlier," Duncan said calmly. "Don't worry about anything else. Arousing suspicion from the church or alarming the city-state authorities are all part of life. You should adapt to your mistakes. The identity of a member of the township."

Morris opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. At this time, Duncan reached out and pressed the doorbell twice.

Finally, they heard a rush of footsteps inside the building, and along with the footsteps there was the sound of something being knocked down - then the light in the living room was turned on, and the light spilled on the street through the window next to it. .

Just as Duncan was looking at him curiously, he was also looking at Duncan curiously, a burly visitor wearing a black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat. There were no facial features visible between the gaps in the clothes, only layers of bandages.

"Mr. Morris's friend, a traveling explorer, was interested in Mr. Brown Scott's research, so he dropped by for a visit," Duncan volunteered. "I hope this doesn't trouble you."

Duncan nodded clearly. At the same time, the owner of the young voice behind the door obviously hesitated for a while after hearing Morris's words, and then said firmly: "Sorry, it's too late, and the teacher is also sleeping. Can we talk about anything tomorrow morning?"

"Would you like some sweet pancakes and sausages? This is all we have now..." Garoni called to the two guests in the kitchen, with a hint of apology in her voice.

Morris frowned. The situation was different from what you expected at first. He didn't expect that three years after Brown Scott's death, the other student would still live in this house. But after a brief thought, he Then he organized his language: "We arrived too late, and we haven't found a place to live yet - besides, your teacher wrote me a letter before, and he invited me to come."

There was nothing wrong with the tone and demeanor of the female student when she answered.

As he spoke, he calmly paid attention to the reaction of the person in front of him.

As he spoke, he turned to Duncan again, lowered his voice and said slowly: "It may be this student of Brown Scott, I heard him mention it."

"About a month," Garoni didn't seem to think much, and just answered the guest's questions in a chatty manner, "He suddenly came back and said that he was very tired from traveling and wanted to take a good rest... Oh, it was just before that he Mentioned inviting Mr. Morris to the house."

"Is it Garoni?" Morris asked tentatively, "Is Mr. Brown Scott at home? I am a friend of your teacher."

Because she woke up late at night, this stone-like young lady was only wearing a loose nightgown. Her long brown hair was slightly messy and scattered behind her head. She held on to the door frame and looked at her with cautious eyes. Two uninvited guests stood at the door.

Morris and Duncan exchanged glances.

If it were a master-student relationship, of course it would be fine, but the relationship between her and the folklorist was obviously beyond the ordinary master-student relationship - Brown Scott could not give all the keys to his residence to this student, and the latter He even lived here for three years and took up the responsibility of taking care of her without hesitation after the teacher "came home". There was such closeness and mutual trust.

Relationship, it was impossible for Brown to not inform Garoni of his itinerary when he went out.

However, Garoni didn't react at all when she heard "Obsidian". She just recalled it and shook her head: "I don't know about that. He didn't tell me much when he went out... The door axis The sound of turning broke the noise of the night, the black door was closed, and the street became quiet again. The sound of metal collision and chain friction sounded in the night. The person inside the door opened the lock hanging on the inside, and the door finally opened. , in the dim light, Duncan saw a... tall and somewhat weird figure. "

"...It's been two or three years," Garoni thought for a while and said uncertainly, with a somewhat ashamed expression on her face, "I can't always remember the time accurately. The teacher often talks about me."

It seemed that everything that happened around him was taken for granted.

His muscles were visibly tense.

Entering the door, the first thing you see is a rather simple living room. The furniture in the living room looks like it has been used for ten or twenty years. One side of the living room is connected to the kitchen and dining room, and there is a road leading to the other side. There is a staircase to the second floor, and a wide door is seen under the stairs, which may lead to the basement or wine cellar.

Then he looked at Garoni who was standing at the door: "This is Mr. Duncan, I am..."

However, there was something obviously wrong with her answer itself.

That sounded like a young woman.

"Just a cup of hot water, no need to bother," Maurice waved his hand, and when Garoni came over, he asked casually, "By the way, have you always lived here?"

The voice inside the door became quiet. This "Garoni" seemed to be recalling and thinking. After a few seconds, her voice sounded again: "Then... wait a moment, I will open the door." Chain buckle.”

But apart from these striking non-human features, his face is no different from that of an abnormal young human male, and even looks a bit... delicate.

Even if the Frostmen are accustomed to "bandages", this visitor's appearance is a bit too oppressive.

This figure is almost only a few centimeters shorter than Fanna, and her height of nearly 1.8 meters is particularly eye-catching. And unlike Fanna, who is tall but still slim, this former lady standing at the door can be seen being strong all over. Powerful muscle outline - but what is more concerning is not just her height, but her rock-like gray-black skin, and the faint golden lines on the surface of the skin.

I don’t know which ship my teacher took when he went out!

Garoni met the visitor's gaze calmly, with a calm expression on her face.

"...The teacher is resting. I don't know when he will wake up, but he did mention that Mr. Morris might come to visit," Garoni said. In sharp contrast to her tall and strong figure, her voice always seemed a little soft. She hesitated, with a sense of fear-like unconfidence. When speaking, she didn't even dare to look at Duncan and Morris. She just muttered and stepped aside, "You guys come in first, it's very cold outside." ”

"Have you been away for a while?"

Morris frowned subconsciously, "When did it happen?"

Duncan and Morris looked at each other. The former was a little surprised, while the latter was thoughtful and seemed to have thought of something.

The door lock clicked, and the black door opened a crack. A vigilant eye looked outside through the crack, and at the same time a young voice came: "Who is it?"

Morris thanked him and stepped into the house with Duncan.

Duncan and Morris did not show excessive curiosity. They simply looked around and sat down in the living room under Garoni's leadership. Then the tall lady walked into the kitchen and started busy making tea and preparing food. dessert.

"When did Mr. Brown come back?" Duncan asked as if casually.

"Ah, I forgot to mention it," Maurice's voice suddenly sounded, breaking the somewhat awkward and tense atmosphere in time. He turned to Duncan, "Brown's student Garoni is a Senjin - it is true that in the northern city-state Not very common."

As he spoke, the old scholar paused and continued: "My name is Maurice Underwood. Your teacher should have mentioned it to you."

"I was very surprised when I first received his letter," Morris continued. "He hasn't contacted me for many years. The last time I heard from him many years ago was when I heard that he was going to take a bus. The ship goes out to sea...ah, it seems to be a large cruise ship called the Obsidian? "

"Well, I have been living here," Garoni nodded, "The teacher went away for a while, and he gave me the key and asked me to help him take care of this place, so I just moved here from the place I rented before. , until now. He came back recently, and I continue to live here to take care of him.”

Under the dim light of the electric lamp, there are no suspicious dark corners in this living room. Everything you see is very warm and...