Deep Sea Embers

It fell silent in the guard's cabin, and a strange silence seemed to fill the air like solidification - the old guard even had some kind of illusion, feeling that even the altar arranged on the desk, the candlelight, the incense smoke and the faint fragrance in the air The spiritual power also stagnated for a short time.

Illusion?

The old man raised his head in confusion and saw the flames of the candlestick dancing in his field of vision, but it seemed that they started beating the moment he raised his head.

He stared at the pale flame for a long time, then slowly shook his head, put his eyes back on the letter paper in front of him, and read the words on it with a strange mood that he had never experienced in his life.

But after reading only a few lines, he ignored the feeling of disobedience and embarrassment in his heart—the content of the letter began to make him realize the seriousness of the matter.

There are warnings that the city-state is being eroded and penetrated by the power of the deep sea, evidence of large-scale activities of Annihilation Cults, speculation that the Holy Lord of the Deep has invaded the real world, and... warnings about Dagger Island.

The old guard stared at the lines of text in the letter in his hand, and suddenly felt that the disturbing atmosphere that had spread in the city-state recently had finally been explained.

He didn't know whether he should believe this "report" from some nameless being, but one thing was beyond doubt - the gatekeeper and the cathedral must be notified immediately!

Agatha bent down and carefully looked at the sleeping Sen'jin lady on the sofa - the latter was still sleeping soundly, unaware that a large number of guards had gathered in the room at this time, even occasionally in her sleep. He also made vague and uneasy grunts.

She was also able to talk in her sleep, which showed that her mind was not damaged during the "attack" and that the uninvited guests who entered the house before had no malicious intent.

Agatha's eyes swept over Garoni. This Miss Senjin's body can almost be described as burly - most Senjin people are like this. They are born with well-developed bodies and skin as tough as stone. ——After a simple inspection, the young gatekeeper found that the muscles on the other party's body would tighten from time to time, and coupled with the vague and uneasy sleep talk he just heard...it seemed that the dream of this Sen'jin lady was not stable.

"No trauma, no signs of mental pollution, no signs of struggle. It appears to be just an ordinary fall asleep - but unable to be awakened." A priest wearing a gray coat stood aside and reported to Agatha the current situation. "Considering that there are no signs of damage to the door lock and there are signs of use in the kitchen, it is initially determined that the intruder was invited into the house."

"...Maybe it's an acquaintance, or maybe it's a guest who has gained trust," Agatha whispered softly, "How is the situation on the second floor?"

"A large number of samples have been collected, and a death note was found. The person who left the note should be the source of the... abnormal substances in the room," the priest nodded. "In addition, based on other clues found in the house, it is inferred that The person who left the record should be called 'Brown Scott,' a folklorist."

"Folklorist?" Agatha frowned, "Have you done any background research?"

"I have sent someone to the nearest resident management office to file the application, but there has been no response yet."

"You guys take care of this lady here first," Agatha nodded, "I'll go to the second floor to check on the situation."

"Yes, Sir Gatekeeper."

In the study on the second floor, the guards had completed preliminary documentation and sample collection at the scene. When Agatha arrived, her men were trying to remove the dried "mud" hanging from the bookshelf. Clear out to move the large collection of books in the room.

In places where extraordinary loss of control has occurred, the books left at the scene are very likely to be contaminated by extraordinary forces. Transferring and sealing these books for research is a necessary process - even if doing so may "destroy the scene".

Agatha's eyes fell on the dry gray-black mud.

These things... reminded her of the samples collected in Cemetery No. 3, those... strange substances suspected of being "elements".

She also saw the "dying note" mentioned by the pastor before - it was placed in the most conspicuous place on the desk.

The first time she saw the record, Agatha judged that the manuscript had been processed by someone. There were obvious signs of cleaning on the surface, and the cleaning was very meticulous.

This didn't seem like something an intruder with bad intentions would do, but like a "professional" who was investigating the incident for the same legitimate purpose as himself. It reminded me of the woman who was sleeping soundly on the first floor, Agatha. I already have some preliminary guesses in my mind.

A mysterious third party, at least he doesn't seem to be an enemy - is he the same group of people who were fighting against the Annihilation cultists in the alley outside?

If so...then the power of this "third party" should be paid close attention to.

With all kinds of conjectures and inferences swirling in her mind, Agatha's eyes slowly scanned the words on the "Death Note". As those words soaked with determination, courage and consciousness came into view, the gatekeeper His eyes gradually became heavy and serious.

The owner who left the record... actually retained a clear consciousness and memory.

After a brief pause, Agatha took a deep breath. She solemnly placed the death note back on the desk. Then she picked up the cane she carried with her in one hand and slowly moved the tin cane across the floor. .

The sound of friction between metal and wood was heard, and a pale flame burned at the end of the stick, leaving an equally pale luminous trace on the floor. As the flame and luminous traces extended, the scraping sound of the cane on the floor began. It changed - it became low and slow, as if a thick barrier had been built invisibly, isolating the surrounding space bit by bit.

Soon, Agatha outlined a triangular area large enough for an adult to stand, and painted the runes of Bartok, the god of death, within the triangular area. Then she stepped into the center of the triangle and held her cane in one hand. Putting it beside him, the other hand reached towards his eye socket.

A vivid eyeball jumped out of its socket and landed in the palm of her hand.

In just an instant, the surroundings became quiet, and all sounds from the real dimension were isolated from the triangle by invisible barriers. Then, countless whispers emerged in the silence, as if there were thousands of invisible voices. Peepers were gathering outside the triangle, chattering something to the gatekeeper.

Agatha raised her hand, palm up, and scanned the surroundings with her eyes.

Everything in the room, including the busy guards, the dust flying in the air, and the hands of the clock on the wall, all fell into stillness like solidified amber, and in the stillness, they quickly faded away and fell into darkness, a strange feeling. The pale glow diffused in from the window, passing through the wooden boards blocking the window, reflecting the room's shadows.

In this strange and pale stagnant time and space, only Agatha in the middle of the triangle still maintains the appearance and color of a living person. She closes her eyes tightly and only holds her eyeballs with her left hand, looking around calmly. "I want to talk to the dead here."

The countless irritating whispers around her suddenly weakened a lot, and Agatha turned her left hand to look at the desk not far away.

It was the last place where folklorist Brown Scott, who left a "dying note", worked. Theoretically, if a soul really once resided here, some of its afterglow should still be lingering here.

Even if the "mud" that can be seen everywhere in the room shows that the person in this room was most likely just a "monster" condensed by extraordinary power, that "monster" obviously once had humanity in it. Regarding this, Aga Shah was convinced after reading the record.

However, she found nothing at the empty desk.

There was no afterglow of soul, no projection formed by obsession, and not even a flash of light representing the remnants of spirituality. There was only a table that had lost its color, with black matter piled up on the table, and thin smoke rising from the matter.

Agatha's eyeballs swayed slowly in her hands.

The gatekeeper is thinking.

Is it because the death time has been too long and the afterglow of the soul has dissipated? Or is it because the person who stayed in this room was just a "fake", so he didn't actually have real humanity, but just simulated memories and people.

grid? Or...that soul has passed through Bartok's gate and entered its resting place?

The last conjecture is particularly impossible - after all, judging from the current situation of the room, even if the soul of "Brown Scott" once stayed here, it has been severely contaminated, and the contaminated soul... There's no way to get through that door.

But where did the soul go?

The low whispers around him started again, and they were even more noisy and annoying than before.

The shadows in the spiritual world are beginning to become restless, and they do not like the sudden intrusion of uninvited guests - even if they are powerful gatekeepers, it is best not to stay in this depth for too long.

Thinking of this, Agatha raised her cane and paused twice on the floor.

The tin cane made a loud noise like thunder when it hit the ground.

"Agatha, the gatekeeper of the earthly world, wants to speak with the gatekeeper of the world of the dead."