Duncan changed into a more comfortable position and leaned back on the back of the sofa. He looked through the gaps between the criss-crossed bandages on his face and looked at the Priestess in front of him with a half-smile.
"Now that you know my identity, how do you feel about it," he said with a smile. "From the perspective of the Death Church - you should report this matter immediately."
Agatha opened her mouth and was speechless for a long time. After another half a minute, she smiled bitterly and spread her hands: "You put me in a very embarrassing position..."
"But you really should report everything that happened here to the church immediately," Duncan put away his smile and his tone finally became serious, "Plande is the first one, and Frost is the second one - those cultists are here We have indeed found a lot of trouble in the past years, but troubles of this scale have never appeared so intensively. And don’t forget, in addition to the two city-states that almost suffered annihilation, the sun above our heads - a vision 001, there have also been disturbing changes recently.”
Agatha immediately got rid of her embarrassment. Under Duncan's reminder, her expression gradually became serious: "...you mean, these events are all connected?"
"I don't know - don't be so surprised, I'm not an omniscient and omnipotent being," Duncan said casually, "but I have a habit. When various low-probability events happen one after another, I tend to think that they are a bigger problem. It's a 'precursor' that the huge system is gradually going into trouble. Although the things the cultists in the two city-states do seem to be unrelated, have you ever considered why they have both succeeded in the near future? The largest scale in history There are so many heretical sacrifices, how many of them have succeeded in creating a stir?"
Agatha fell into deep thought, her expression gradually becoming serious.
"Report it, all of it," Duncan said softly. "Don't miss any clues - let the smart minds think about it."
"I understand, I will report it truthfully," Agatha nodded solemnly, then looked at Duncan with emphasis and said, "Everything."
"I'm looking forward to the reaction of the Church of Death," Duncan exhaled softly, as if letting go of something on his mind, "It's not good to put it off forever."
Afterwards, the living room fell into silence for a while, and everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts (except Alice). After an unknown amount of time, Agatha suddenly broke the silence: "I should go back. .”
"Not for a while?" Duncan said, "In this situation, you will have countless things to worry about when you go out. There are not many opportunities to hide and be quiet here."
"That's why I have to go back as soon as possible." Agatha shook her head. "There are countless problems that need to be solved in the city-state now. Not only the church, but the situation in the city hall is also a mess - if I continue to hide in peace, there will be no way. Someone can take charge of the situation.”
"Is it a mess..." Duncan repeated thoughtfully, and then suddenly asked a question, "Do you think that with Hanshuang's remaining organizational power and manpower, you can really restore the entire city in a short time? In order?"
Agatha was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't understand the purpose of Duncan's sudden question, but after a brief silence, she nodded: "...I will do my best."
"'Do the best you can' — but often, doing the best you can doesn't solve the problem."
"……what do you mean?"
"I just suddenly had a very bold suggestion," Duncan laughed, his eyes falling on Agatha, "A layman's suggestion."
…
When Agatha left 44 Oak Street, the sky was gradually dimming, the power of the sun was gradually fading away from the real world, and the light snow was still fluttering in the sky - finely fluttering snowflakes fell from the dark chaos, passing through The dim yellow halo cast by gas street lamps gradually covered the deserted streets.
The night watch troops of the guards walked through the distant intersection, the clattering footsteps of the steam walkers occasionally broke the silence on the street, the sound of day and night bells was floating in the distance, and the sound of the organ of the street corner chapel was heard in the evening wind.
The scarred city-state is licking its wounds in the night.
The cold wind passed through the streets and rolled up Agatha's hair and skirt. She stretched out her hand on the street where light snow was falling, and tilted her head slightly: "It's still snowing."
Fanna, who sent her out, turned her gaze curiously: "Can't you see the snowflakes?"
"Can't see it - but I can feel it," Agatha said softly. "There are many more things in my field of vision now, but there are also many less things. This takes a long time to adapt."
She slowly withdrew her hand, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "But the good news is that now I can no longer feel the cold wind, because no matter how thick the clothes I wear or how many fires I light, I They all feel that this world is... just as cold."
"...I'm sorry, it's hard for me to imagine this feeling."
"Oh, don't worry about it. In fact, it doesn't bother me that much," Agatha smiled, slowly clenching her fists, and as her strength gathered, the "scars" that crisscrossed her body gradually began to appear. Some green flames emerged, and the flames flowed in her body like blood. "This way, it will be better."
Fanna was silent for a few seconds: "If the captain knew that you used the flame he gave you to keep warm, his expression would probably be very wonderful."
"What kind of person is he?" Agatha put away the power of the flame and suddenly asked curiously, "Is he usually... very severe or scary?"
"How do you feel? You have been in contact with him twice."
"I feel that all the information is deviated from the truth. He is far more peaceful and friendly than I thought, but... maybe I should call him 'him'. I don't know if I should measure a person like him according to mortal standards. He exists like that. I know he was a human, but the Warp... you know what I mean."
Fanna thought for a few seconds and shook her head slightly: "Actually, I haven't followed him for a long time, and I probably can't give you a clear answer, but I can tell you that I have had similar worries as you - and in the end As a result, the Cathedral of Storms made the decision to arrange for me, the Inquisitor, to board the Lost Home. Just like Captain Duncan chose to believe that a 'fake' would have humanity, we also believe...or, in other words, are willing to believe that Captain Duncan Human nature, after all..."
She suddenly stopped, raised her head and looked up at the snowy sky. After a moment, she whispered as if talking to herself: "After all, this world is too cold. If we no longer believe in hope, then what will happen to us?" The only thing left on the vast expanse of sea is the cold wind."
Agatha didn't speak for a moment.
Fanna suddenly asked after a few seconds of silence: "What do you think of the captain's suggestion?"
Agatha was lost in thought for a while before speaking with a complicated expression: "Let the Sea Mist Fleet enter the city... To be honest, I don't even know whether this will restore order to the city-state, or whether it will bring greater chaos. ——You have lived in this city for a while, and you should also know very well what the Sea Mist Fleet means to most Frost people..."
"For most Plander people, the Lost Home is also terrifying - but believe me, after a horrific catastrophe, people's 'acceptance' will really reach an exaggerated level. From a group perspective, the desire for a stable life will override many concerns.”
"Are you yearning for a stable life..."
Agatha said softly, feeling the coldness of the snowy night across the lifeless body, but for some reason, she thought of another thing.
Fifty years ago, when the great uprising broke out, it seemed to be snowing too.
"I will discuss this matter carefully with the officials of the city hall," she seemed to have made up her mind, turning to Vanna and said, "and from a personal point of view, I will support this matter."
"We all hope everything goes well," Vanna said.
"Yeah, we all hope everything is okay."
Agatha repeated, then she waved her hand and walked towards the steam car parked on the street with the church emblem hanging on it.
But after taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped again.
"Is there anything else?" Fanna asked curiously.
"Some... personal questions, I hope it's not too offensive," Agatha turned her head, her expression seemed a little strange, and asked hesitantly, "Have you... really ever jumped off a cliff and killed your heir? Returned safely?"
Fanna was stunned for a moment, her eyes became strange: "Why do you ask this suddenly?"
"I don't know, but this question suddenly popped up in my mind," Agatha looked a little embarrassed, "I feel like I heard rumors about this sometime... Sorry, if this question makes you uncomfortable, I……"
"It's true that nothing like this happened," Fanna relaxed her expression and waved her hands with a smile, "But the real situation is different from the rumors - I actually accidentally stepped on the air while walking and fell from the edge of the cliff. It fell, and when it hit the ground, it happened to kill a deep-sea pollutant that was washed ashore for some reason. It was not a real 'child', let alone a beheading, and I don't know why it was spread like this."
Agatha opened her mouth slightly - even though she was blindfolded, her expression still showed a "dumbfounded" look.
"Then...are you okay?" the gatekeeper said subconsciously.
"Actually, the fall was quite miserable," Fanna smiled sheepishly, then patted her chest and made a strong posture, "But fortunately, I am a sports student, so I went home and drank hot water and lay down for two days. God will be fine."
Agatha: "...?"
The janitor lady was greatly shocked.
Fanna was a little confused: "Why do you have such an expression?"
"...You Puland sports students are terrifying."
