The winch rotates, the steel cable tightens, and the metal "iron cage" keeps making creaking noises as it runs downwards. Darkness permeates the outside of the iron cage, and there are dim gas lamps embedded on the side walls of the shaft. , dispelling the darkness deep in the mine, bringing a limited and necessary sense of peace of mind.
Agatha stood on the edge of the elevator, looking through the guardrail at the shaft that continued to extend downward. The night-like black cloth covered her eyes and covered most of her expression changes. It's almost impossible to guess what she is thinking right now.
"It's so deep here..." A voice suddenly broke the calm in the elevator. Alice stood nervously behind Duncan, looking up at the gas lights rising from both sides of the shaft and saying with a little fear, "I feel like we are almost falling through the city and into the sea..."
"Continuous descent will bring about this illusion," Morris's voice came from the corner of the iron cage. The old scholar was curiously observing the internal structure of this large elevator while saying without looking back. "In fact, we should only have descended two to three hundred meters now."
"Oh -" Alice said in a long voice. She didn't know if she could understand how deep the concept of "two to three hundred meters" was. Anyway, the face of the doll showed an expression of "this sounds really awesome".
Duncan didn't pay attention to the conversation between Alice and Morris. He stepped forward and came to Agatha, who was standing silently on the edge of the car. He turned his head and glanced at the "gatekeeper": "Look I went up there with a lot of worries.”
"... I just couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts after going down the well," Agatha was silent for two seconds and spoke in a complicated tone, "It is said that... the 'other me' was standing in this position at the time, leading the exploration team. The members entered the depths of the boiling gold mine through this shaft..."
Her voice was hoarse, with a hint of hesitation.
"'She' seemed to have realized the truth about herself at that time. According to the details described by several guards who went down the well together at that time, she had a strange decisive attitude at that time, but no one knew why... …”
"If that 'fake' really restored most of your thoughts and memories, then it is not unimaginable that she can detect her true situation," Duncan said lightly, "Even a replica can have tenacity. of will and noble heart.”
Agatha didn't speak for a while, seeming to be immersed in complicated and heavy thoughts. After a long time, she suddenly broke the silence: "I was just thinking... what on earth was she thinking and reminiscing about at that time?" What...has she ever been afraid or regretted? She has my memory, but only has a few days of real life. For all this...will she be resentful?"
Duncan turned his head and stared at Agatha quietly.
After watching for a moment, he slowly spoke: "If it were you, would you be resentful or regret your decision?"
"Won't."
"Obviously, neither can she."
"But..." Agatha continued, "But... I think I will still have some regrets. When I die in the dark, I will think of the city-state under the sun and the familiar people and things in the city. , if I were a clone, I would still regret that I couldn’t cross Bartok’s gate, because I don’t know if I have a soul, I...”
She stopped, took a breath, and seemed to have a hint of sadness in her tone: "Yes, if it were me, I would feel sorry."
Duncan looked at her. After a long time, he looked back and turned to look at the rising darkness and the lights in the darkness: "So, she will too."
Agatha was silent for a moment, as if talking to herself, or asking softly: "What will we see down there..."
"I don't know either, that's why we need to come down to confirm the situation." Duncan said, looking back at several figures in the car - Alice, Maurice, and the one standing in the middle of the elevator with his arms folded and his eyes closed. Vanna, who was resting, had no one else here except the three of them, plus Agatha and himself.
"You didn't bring any of your subordinates and just called us. Is it out of caution?"
"I don't know what will happen next. It may be the pollution left by the ancient gods, or it may be the 'truth' that will spread. In an unknown situation, bringing ordinary guards and priests will only increase the uncontrollability," Agatha said calmly, "You and your followers are obviously not afraid of this."
Duncan just smiled and said nothing.
At this moment, the descending speed of the car began to slow down rapidly. Accompanied by the creaking sound of the automatic mechanism and the final clang of the "iron cage" hitting the bottom, the elevator finally reached the bottom of the mine.
"We're here." Agatha raised her head, glanced at the situation outside, opened the fence door first and walked out, subconsciously reminding the people behind her as she walked, "Be careful, only preliminary cleaning has been done here - emergency The disposal personnel evacuated a few hours ago, and what we are going to next is the true 'unknown deep darkness'."
As she said that, she suddenly stopped again, turned around and said to Duncan with some embarrassment: "Of course, these reminders may be a bit redundant for you..."
Duncan waved his hand to show that he didn't care, and at the same time took a look at the situation deep in the alleyway - there were only a few gas lamps emitting dim light in the darkness, making the alleyway in front of him increasingly shadowy, with suspicious accumulations everywhere. It can be seen that there is an unsettling and eerie atmosphere lingering, and this is really not a reassuring scene.
"Nina shouldn't have been allowed to return to the ship so early," he said casually, "It's such a dark place, it would be just right for her to come here."
"Maybe she was frightened by something in the dark, and a sneeze of several thousand degrees blew up the entire mine tunnel." Morris couldn't help but muttered, "I don't recommend that you take Nina with you in the mine." Any activity in a dark and small space - she is still young and easily startled."
Duncan shrugged: "Children have to grow up. She is about to graduate from high school."
The expression on Morris's face was a little stiff for a moment, and the corner of his mouth trembled several times before he thought about his words and spoke: "Captain, under normal circumstances, children who graduate from high school will choose to celebrate their adulthood with a party or a trip instead of Exploring in a mine that has been eroded by ancient gods is a 'graduation ceremony'..."
Duncan laughed happily, then seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned around and asked Vanna again: "How did you spend your seventeenth coming of age ceremony?"
He just asked casually, hoping to use it as a reference for Nina or Shirley when they celebrate their coming-of-age ceremony one day.
Fanna, on the other hand, did not expect that the focus of the topic would suddenly fall on herself. The beautiful young warrior was stunned for a moment, and a little embarrassment quickly appeared on her face. Then she stepped forward and muttered in a low voice: "...I am preparing for the make-up exam for the postponed school year. …”
Duncan: "..."
The atmosphere seemed a bit awkward. Duncan could only spread his hands helplessly, but Agatha, who was walking in front, suddenly turned around and seemed to be casting an incredible "eye".
"What's wrong?" Duncan asked casually.
"... No matter how many times I watch it, I feel that the way you get along with your followers is really amazing. You who have regained your humanity are completely opposite to the legendary you in the past century - I think I It’s somewhat understandable why Captain Lawrence and his men on the White Oak were such an interesting group of people.”
Duncan didn't react at all to the first few words of the other party, but his expression immediately became subtle when he heard the following words. As soon as Agatha finished speaking, he spoke: "Again, although all members of the White Oak are considered my subordinates, , but I’m really not familiar with them…”
Agatha nodded: "Yes, you are not familiar with them - you have emphasized that before."
Duncan didn't hear any serious attitude from the other party's tone, so he could only sigh helplessly: "How was it resolved in the end? I mean Lawrence's 'list of goods'."
"Hanshuang needs supplies now, and we will never break the contract - since the goods have arrived, of course the next step is to pay the bill," Agatha said, but shook her head, "But I can only pay part of it."
"oh?"
"The most critical 'cargo', Anomaly 077, is out of control and cannot be delivered," Agatha explained. "The contract requires the White Oak to deliver the sealed 'sailor' to the Frost Relic Hall, not a A living mummy...
"But then again, the mummy seemed to be hoping to be 'delivered'. When he heard that he was included in the list of goods delivered to Hanshuang, he almost cried with joy - unfortunately, We don’t know how to deal with an anomaly that has been out of control for a long time and cannot be sealed again. It is better to leave it to you to handle it yourself."
"An abnormality that has been out of control for a long time..."
Duncan muttered subconsciously and turned to look beside him.
Alice also turned around and found the captain looking at her. A happy look appeared on Miss Doll's face immediately: "Hehe..."
Duncan sighed: "Well, I do have some experience."
Agatha also looked at Alice subconsciously, with a somewhat complicated expression on her face.
To this day, she has learned the true identity of this "Ms. Doll" from Duncan, and as a native Frost person, she certainly knows that it is unusual for "Anomaly 099" to be so arrogant in Frost City. What a special thing.
She had countless questions to ask, and strong curiosity and unreasonable anxiety were restless in her already cooled chest - but facing Captain Duncan who seemed to care little about everything, she never found a chance to speak.
"I think……"
Agatha seemed to have finally made up her mind and she broke the silence. However, just when she was about to ask some questions about Alice, a sudden feeling of heart palpitations made her stop suddenly.
Almost at the same time, everyone in the team stopped.
Agatha turned her head and looked into the deepest part of this deep and long alleyway. Covered by thick black cloth, her vision that had been sublimated in the flames was shaking, trembling, and distorting, as if there were invisible winds. Blowing directly in front of her, there were countless chaotic sounds mixed in the invisible wind, impacting her perception.
She felt that her mind was being disturbed, and there was some kind of huge existence deep in the alleyway... No, strictly speaking, it should be the reverberation left by some huge existence, which was resonating with her reason, and she couldn't "see" it clearly. What was there, but she could feel... a faint echo in the overwhelming reverberation.
The faint echo was calling her softly.
"What...is there over there?"
The blind Priestess asked. She subconsciously reached out her hand, as if she wanted to stabilize her somewhat shaky body.
A slightly wider hand, but with clearly feminine lines stretched out from the side - Vanna reached out to help Agatha, and looked up at the huge darkness at the end of the alley.
"It seems to be a hole," Vanna whispered, with a little nervousness in her tone, "a huge... hole."
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(End of chapter)
