Deep Sea Embers

The old caretaker of the cemetery didn't like this kind of snowy day - not only because the cold weather would make his already overburdened joints ache, but also because this kind of snowy day would always remind him of

Something from long ago.

Some not-so-good things.

For example, the rebellion fifty years ago, the freeze disaster thirty years ago, the collapse of Nancheng District seventeen years ago... There is nothing good about such a heavy snowfall.

The old man rubbed his hands and looked back at the cemetery, which was also covered with snow.

The cemetery path was blurred by snow, and only footprints on the white ground outlined the route to the morgue and the caretaker's cabin. The gas lamps had been extinguished, and dark light poles stood on the snow like dead tree trunks. It's quite lonely going up there.

Several steam cars were parked in the open space in the cemetery, completely covered with snow. The guards in black were laboriously clearing the snow from the cars and trying to clear a path in the snow for the cars. The accessible road came - it looked quite miserable.

They need to finish the job before the snow freezes solid and the roads become more difficult to clear.

After a lot of effort, the guards finally cleared away the snow and started the steam core of the car. The two dark gray steam cars drove out of the cemetery and soon disappeared on the road leading to the block. On the road.

A howling wind blew nearby, and gray smoke came in the wind. Agatha's figure came out of the wind and smoke. The young gatekeeper came to the old gatekeeper: "Half of the people today We will withdraw, leaving only two teams to help you guard the cemetery."

"They can all evacuate, and I can have some peace and quiet." The old guard raised his eyelids and glanced at the gatekeeper. "It's a waste to have so many people here."

“It’s not a waste of manpower – and you don’t have to worry about me not having enough people.”

The old guard watched the two cars leave, shook his head, and prepared to return to the cemetery.

Because I had many contacts with this unspeakable guest, and had fallen into a state of madness under the influence of incense, I had established a certain connection with him!

But just when he was about to turn around, he suddenly saw a familiar little figure appearing at the end of the path out of the corner of his eye.

"Grandpa Guard, I'm here again!" Annie happily greeted the old guard.

Annie blinked, with a smile on her face, then reached into her small bag, took out a package of something and handed it to the old man in front of her.

"What is it?"

"Biscuits again?" The old guard raised his eyebrows.

"It's ginger tea powder. I made it with my mother, and it also contains herbs that can dispel colds and warm the stomach!" Annie said proudly, and stuffed the thing into the old man's hands without any explanation. "You always guard the cemetery alone. It’s snowing again now, it must be very cold at night, right?”

"You still go out in this kind of weather and come to this kind of place!" The old guard glared and said in a very gentle tone, "You will make the family worried."

Let the young gatekeepers and guardians handle it.

The experienced old guard instantly realized what was happening - it was this "visitor".

"...Staying at home like your friends is better than running to the cemetery in heavy snow and road closures," the old man said in a cold tone, "The cemetery is not open today because there is too much snow inside. You go home."

The old guard stared quietly into the child's eyes. For a brief moment or two, he even regretted that he should not have made the promise to the child three years ago that "your father will come back here." In the final analysis, my heart at that time... was still a little softer.

However, the girl didn't seem to hear her. She just glanced behind the old man and then raised her face expectantly: "My dad..."

"I told my mother that I would go back soon today," Annie smiled, her face a little red from the cold. "School is on holiday. I was going to play with my friends, but they didn't want to go out, so I came. Looking for you!”

Anne seemed to be calmed down by the old man's sudden gentle tone. She was startled for a moment before calmly nodding: "Remember... I remember.

"

"I still have time to worry about you," the old guard muttered, and then he mentioned it inadvertently, "You sent an elite brigade out in the middle of the night yesterday. Did something happen in the city?"

After being silent for an unknown amount of time, the old man finally opened his mouth: "...Perhaps, one day in the future, he can hear news from me."

The old man looked at the things in his hands.

Annie was stunned for a moment, but she was not disappointed. She pursed her lips and said, "Then... I'll ask again when the weather gets better... He will always come, right?"

"...Are there any innocent citizens injured?" Agatha seemed to know what the old man was worried about. "But judging from the team's reports, there are more than one weird clues over there. I may have to go and see for myself. Condition."

"I've collected the things. You go home quickly and try not to go out for the next two days."

"Okay, let's go home," the old man breathed out, and gave the eviction order, "While the sky is still there..."

"I'll just ask." The old guard shrugged.

But this is something outside the cemetery, and it is not what I, the second-line "gravekeeper", should pay attention to.

Agatha looked at the old man: "Are you still concerned about things outside the cemetery?"

The situation that happened on Hearth Street was probably not as calm as his attitude at the moment showed - nor was it just a battle between extraordinary beings. An elite team of guards went to investigate, but in the end the gatekeeper had to go and handle it himself. This matter is not a small matter.

The old guard's eyebrows twitched visibly, and his tone became more serious: "Fireplace Avenue?"

"...There is something going on on Hearth Street. A fight broke out between high-level transcendent beings. There was a lot of commotion. The patrolling guards rushed over but missed," Agatha said slowly. "Now we can only determine the two sides fighting. One of them was the Annihilation Cult - they died miserably, and one of them died in a strange way, which is not consistent with any known supernatural power."

The old guard said nothing, just nodded slightly, but the look in his eyes became serious.

Agatha is a young gatekeeper, but no matter how young he is, his status as a "gatekeeper" was obtained through training and difficult tests. As the highest spokesperson of the church in the city-state, his actions themselves indicate the seriousness and urgency of the situation. slow.

He raised his head and stopped abruptly in the second half of his sentence.

An extraordinarily tall and burly figure appeared near the cemetery gate at some point, raising his head and looking here - this figure was wearing a long windbreaker and a wide-brimmed hat, his face was covered with bandages, and his whole body was covered with bandages. All details from top to bottom are hidden in the coat and bandages.

But almost all of the old guard's attention was focused on this tall and burly figure - he stared in that direction, his eyeballs seemed to be anchored by an invisible force and it was difficult to move, and slight noises began to make noises in his mind. Subtle jitters and shifts began to appear at the edge of the field of vision, which was obviously a sign that the mind was being severely polluted and disturbed.

But this was only a preliminary and mostly harmless contact, so the old guard was not nearly incapacitated as before.

Today he put on a thick black coat, long black boots, and a black woolen hat on his head. His whole person seemed to melt into this snow-covered city.

"Kid, don't look here."

There was another person next to the burly figure. This was a petite lady wearing a dark purple luxurious dress. She had blond hair like a waterfall. She wore a soft hat and a veil on her face. Her appearance was unmistakable, but she exuded a kind of elegance. And mysterious temperament.

Then, his expression became cold again.

He was still able to move - so he reached out and pulled Annie behind him.

A little boy wearing a thick coat was walking towards the cemetery with some difficulty.

He doesn't need this - the potion supplies issued by the church to the cemetery guards are ten times more effective than this thing. His seemingly thin guard's hut is actually full of protective spells and special materials, not to mention it can withstand the cold wind. , even if the cemetery does get out of control, this cabin can withstand external impacts like a steel fortress.

"...It's not safe in the city recently," the old guard said seriously. He thought of what Agatha had just mentioned to him and the extraordinary incident that happened on Hearth Street last night. "Go back and tell your mother that you should go out less often in the near future." , if you find something wrong, go to the nearest church or the Sheriff for help - Anne, this is a very serious matter, do you remember?"

A seventeen-year-old child should have understood this by now.

The old guard immediately stopped moving. He watched the big figure approaching that way, but the expression on his face seemed to be lifeless. At this moment, the big figure also saw the old man standing at the gate of the cemetery - you. He stopped on the side of the road, raised his face, waved his arms cheerfully, and then continued walking towards the old man.

"Thank you," he accepted Annie's gift. Perhaps it was too long since he had smiled, and the curve of his mouth was a little stiff. "This is very useful to me."

Finally, he walked to the ruts left by the two steam cars when they left. His steps became a little nervous. Then he bent down and patted the snowflakes on the hem of his clothes and trousers. He came to the entrance of the cemetery and smiled. Looking at the old man with a serious and even angry face in front of him.