Deep Sea Embers

Agatha took out the report letter - it looked like it was written on the most common letter paper, with an envelope produced by a small local factory in Hanshuang, and even the ink was obviously ordinary. It was given to her from Cemetery No. 3. To be honest, if she hadn't known that the old guard would not make such a joke with her, Agatha would never have believed that this thing came from an indescribable superior supernatural being. .

She couldn't even sense any supernatural power from this letter - but after doing a few simple tests, she had confirmed that this thing was indeed made by the superior supernatural hand.

There was a sound of clothes rubbing together in the dark coffin, and the thick coffin lid finally opened slowly. Accompanied by a strange smell of incense, a mummy-like body wrapped in bandages slowly stood up from inside.

This is Ivan, the bishop of the Frost City State - he lost his complete body due to an accident many years ago, but Bartok's power has allowed his life to continue to this day. Most of the time, he has to stay in The casket in the Meditation Temple is only seen in the public eye when major sacraments are celebrated, but even so, he is still the most popular and trusted bishop in the history of Frost.

The bishop's achievements and profound knowledge in the supernatural realm are beyond doubt.

He sat up in the coffin and took the report letter from Agatha. His only left eye exposed outside the bandage stared at the letter for a long time, and he was silent for a long time.

Agatha couldn't help but break the silence: You...

The well-informed and knowledgeable archbishop said in a muffled voice: I will take my time.

Agatha waited for a while and then asked: Have you recovered?

...are you sure this is it? Bishop Ivan raised his head, with confusion in his slightly yellow eyes, have you ever...

It does look ordinary - but when I tried to observe the words on the letter through the perspective of the spiritual world, I lost my memory for fifteen minutes on the spot. Agatha knew what the bishop wanted to say, and she nodded with a serious expression. Nodding, it is entangled with power that is unimaginable to mortals. This simple appearance...maybe just the unique taste of the visitor.

Bishop Ivan was silent for a moment, seeming to be slowing down, and then slowly spoke: The content mentioned in this letter... is disturbing. You have already seen the "Petrel", and if what is said in the letter is true, , the Haiyan is just the beginning, and even the loss of control on Dagger Island is just the beginning... Whether it is the pollution caused by the cultists in the city or the elements, whether it is the return of the Haiyan or the anomalies on Dagger Island , everything points to the deep sea, to the abyss plan half a century ago.

I have issued a warning to the city hall and applied for access to the secret files that have been sealed for half a century. I will also go to the church library later. In addition, I have arranged for personnel to step up the search throughout the city to arrest those who have been hiding. "Cultists," Agatha said, "but this is not enough. We at least need to confirm what is happening on Dagger Island - the larger source of pollution seems to be on that island."

Bishop Ivan thought for a moment and sighed softly: If everything points to the Qianyuan plan... the sea fog fleet appearing near Hanshuang at this moment seems to be explainable.

Do you think this was all part of the Frost Queen's plan? Agatha frowned. Was it because of what orders she left to Vice Admiral Steel that the Sea Mist Fleet appeared today?

I'm not sure. Bishop Ivan shook his head, and then suddenly looked up into Agatha's eyes. Agatha, in your opinion, what is the image of the Frost Queen? :

Agatha hesitated for a moment and said while thinking: A once great ruler was infected and bewitched by the power in the deep sea after a short glorious reign, and fell into a dangerous mad king. Because of her Determined to act her own way, Hanshuang established a connection with the horrors in the deep sea. Even after half a century, her terrible plan still needs to be completely sealed and prohibited from being known to any ordinary people - her life is both tragic and dangerous.

A very standard answer - as a young generation, and with enough access to some materials from half a century ago, your overall conclusion is spot on. Bishop Ivan clicked.

You nodded, but then the conversation changed, but you hadn't really experienced that.

Agatha didn't speak, just looked at the archbishop in front of her quietly.

I experienced it - that year, I was twenty-six years old, and I was an ordinary bishop in a small church in the Docklands. You know? That small church was right next to the test site of the Qianyuan Project. I even gave some The soldiers and officers held a blessing ceremony. Later I learned that those soldiers and officers came to the church to receive the blessing because they wanted to come into contact with the submersible.

Bishop Ivan spoke slowly, his voice was low, as if a tributary was trickling from the river of memories. Things that were long ago and could not be told to ordinary people were narrated bit by bit from under the overlapping bandages. out.

After the rebel army captured the palace, most of the information about the Qianyuan Project was sealed. Coupled with the panic effect caused by the sea cliff collapse incident that occurred at the beheading site, the relevant information about the Qianyuan Project was destroyed for seven weeks. Seventy-eight, so even if you are a gatekeeper with authority, the information you have access to is actually only the most superficial part of it - if I tell you now, in fact, the night before the Frost Queen launched an attack on the city-state guard She once came to that small church and asked me to hold a funeral ceremony for her... What would you think?

Agatha's eyes suddenly widened.

She was called the 'Mad King' - indeed, her behavior in the last few months was nothing short of 'crazy', really, pushing the project forward even though the whole project was completely out of control and people were missing, dying and going crazy every day. , even closed the palace, locked up the ministers who were still willing to speak in the end, ordered the military police to block the port, and arrested those who wanted to escape the frost. With these actions first, the rebel army behind would follow naturally. She was destined not to be in the presence of her queen. Good death in the position...

But even so, I don’t think she is actually ‘crazy’ at all, but...she is very sane, even...

Bishop Ivan stopped suddenly, as if recalling those long-ago events overwhelmed his mind. He might also be looking for the right words to describe the weirdness he felt back then. After a few seconds, he finally Continued: Even, like the only sober person in the entire city-state.

Agatha leaned forward unconsciously: Why do you say that?

She walked into the church without any entourage, her eyes were clear, as if she had already understood her destiny. She came to Bartok's icon, lit incense for herself, and then came over and patted me on the shoulder. like this.

Bishop Ivan raised his arm, as if recreating the scene half a century ago.

She patted me and said: 'Wake up, you are the only one in the whole city who still has your eyes open - come and do something for me, I am going to die.

Agatha felt that her breathing was suddenly not smooth, as if her breathing was suspended while she was half asleep and half awake. Then the next moment, she couldn't help but put her hand on her forehead. She felt her heart pounding. She didn't know what to do. What kind of reaction? After a few seconds of silence, I can only ask my most direct confusion: You are the only one in the city who still has your eyes open... What does this sentence mean?

I haven’t fully figured it out yet. Bishop Ivan sighed, his voice low and muffled under the bandage, and she asked me to wake up - but I stayed awake, and after that, she didn’t say anything to me. Explaining anything, just telling me to follow orders... She lay on the morgue like a dead person, and then... I held a funeral ceremony for her.

How do living people hold a funeral ceremony? Agatha stared in disbelief. Is your ritual... really completed?

Of course, a living person cannot hold a funeral ceremony - I just completed the entire process according to her instructions. Of course, nothing happened after the ceremony. Bishop Ivan shook his head. I think the ceremony is meaningless, but Hanshuang The Queen seemed to have achieved her goal. She left just like that. Before leaving, she told me something...

one thing?

She asked me not to tell anyone what happened that night, otherwise the rebels would definitely kill me. When she said these words, it was not long before the first city-state guard attacked the arsenal.

There are a full twenty-four hours.

Agatha fell silent, and after an unknown amount of time, she finally spoke in a low voice: You never told me this...

I never told anyone, Bishop Ivan said lightly, I was just a young bishop at that time.

But you later became the bishop of the city-state, and no one can judge you for your involvement back then. This secret...

I plan to take this secret to my grave, why should I tell it? Bishop Ivan raised his head and stared quietly at Agatha's eyes with his cloudy and yellow left eye. I knew that this matter was not trivial - the Queen had already known about the actions of the rebels and even accepted her own death happily. This fact can shock Many people... But apart from its own shock, it has no meaning. The Qianyuan Project will still be blocked. The stable order of the city-state is the most important thing to the vast majority of citizens. No one will care about a person who has already What did the executed queen think and do in the end, and there was a more important reason...

Bishop Ivan paused for a moment and breathed out softly.

A more important reason - the Qianyuan Project is over, the Queen's Era is over, everything has settled, at least...that's what I have been thinking for the past fifty years.