Deep Sea Embers

Leading a small group of heavily armed defenders, Agatha left the advancing stronghold established by the church troops. They passed through several temporary fences made of simple fortifications and shooting positions, and then passed through an intersection illuminated by gas lamps. Finally reaching the deepest part of a branch corridor.

The gas lamp embedded in the wall made a slight hissing sound. The ancient duct system had an unstable air supply, making the light appear a bit flickering and dim. Under the not very bright light, a dark and thick alloy could be seen. The door is standing quietly at the end of the corridor.

The sound of her cane and heels tapping on the ground echoed hollowly in the corridor, and Agatha came to the door. Perhaps because too much time had passed, the seal of this door had actually gone wrong. Between the two gates, A narrow gap can be seen in the middle, and the lead block originally sealed on the door seems to have suffered an unknown impact, with obvious signs of stretching and tearing in the middle.

On the nameplate on the side of the gate, you can see the steel seal left by Frost City Hall.

This is what the exploration team discovered deep underground. It was the strange gate located in the center of the Second Waterway that she and Archon Winston mentioned.

The town hall sealed off the place, but the consul himself knew nothing about the door's existence - the information related to this door has been lost, and it may date back to the chaotic era just after the Queen's era, the turbulent situation Let this door and the secret behind it disappear from everyone's memory.

Could there be a lair behind this where the Annihilation cultists are hiding? Or is it the mystery left to the world by the Frost Queen Leigh Nora?

Agatha stretched out her hand and gently touched the rough and thick alloy door panel. The touch from her fingertips seemed a little dull and numb for some reason, only the coldness was particularly clear.

"Do you want to open this door?" A guard in black stepped forward and asked, "The permission from the consul has been issued..."

"Mr. Winston did give permission, but this kind of door that has been sealed in the dark for many years cannot be opened hastily." Agatha shook her head slightly. "There may be dangerous things sealed behind it - I will go to the other side to check first." Let’s talk about the situation.”

The nearby guards immediately understood the commander's intention and backed away.

Agatha raised her head, looked at the crack between the two door panels, and then stretched out her hand forward.

Nothing happened and she frowned in confusion.

A guard in black looked over curiously: "What's the problem?"

"...No, no problem." Agatha shook her head, and then concentrated again.

A gust of wind finally blew up in the open space, and her figure turned into a gray mist in the wind. The gray wind circled twice in front of the gate, and then got into the narrow gap.

"Stay on guard and wait for the gatekeeper to come back."

The captain of the black guard confirmed that Agatha had passed through the gate, breathed a sigh of relief, and began to order the team members to set up security positions in the corridor.

On the other side, the gray whirlwind passed through the gap in the door and entered a dark space. The wind hovered for a moment, and Agatha's figure condensed out of it.

The gatekeeper turned back and glanced at the door where he came from, then lowered his head to confirm the situation on his body, and frowned subconsciously.

Why... the magical arts that I have become accustomed to on weekdays feel a bit unfamiliar when used today? Even the body's own response speed seems a bit slower?

After a moment of confusion, Agatha shook her head and temporarily returned her attention to the business at hand.

She looked around, and the lantern around her waist emitted dim yellow light, dispelling the lingering darkness here. There seemed to be many things lurking in the shadows in all directions, but when she looked intently, the darkness became quiet again. .

A damp and dark passage, with solid soil and metallic stones everywhere. In the dim light of the lantern, you can see the beams, pillars and pillars used to support the passage, as well as scattered on the ground. Some debris next to a nearby pile of rocks.

Agatha frowned, she judged that the scene here did not look like part of the second waterway - the normal sewer corridor was not this structure, the space behind the gate... looked more like

It is a mine tunnel that has been abandoned for a long time.

Mine tunnel?

Agatha raised her head and looked thoughtfully at the damp, dark rock ceiling above. Her gaze seemed to penetrate through the thick rocks and soil, all the way up to the layers of passages and shafts. , machinery and ramps.

Boiling Gold Mine.

This second waterway is located in the center of the city-state. Its underground branches crisscross from the surroundings of the Boiling Gold Mine. A considerable part of the sewers are even part of the drainage system of the mines in the Queen's Era, and the places closest to the mines in these passages... There might indeed be only one door between them.

She walked slowly forward along the mine tunnel, with more and more doubts rising in her heart.

This is just a mine tunnel, and it doesn't even look like it has been completely swallowed up and distorted by darkness, because boiling gold is a kind of sacred metal. The trace amounts of boiling gold contained in rocks and soil are enough to resist erosion like lights and steam. —Why is such a mine tunnel solemnly blocked by such a gate?

It is sealed underground, and even the governors of this generation do not know its existence - if it is really the first generation of city hall after the end of the Queen's era that issued the blocking order, then what is so special about this place that it needs to be Are they so nervous?

And this mine tunnel has obviously been abandoned...Why is this? It is clearly not polluted. There are no monsters, no illusions, and no... boiling gold.

Agatha suddenly stopped and glanced at the excavation layers below the ramps on both sides of the mine. She finally gradually realized the source of the sense of disobedience she had always felt.

No boiling gold here.

In the top floor of the City Hall, the former Queen's Palace, in the dome office, Winston, the consul with a stout body and wearing a blue coat, slowly fiddled with the delicate machinery in his hands.

The brass mechanical model made a slight clicking sound in his hands. The gears and connecting rods rotated. Every meshing and rotation carried a precise and cold beauty.

The creation of wisdom, the crystallization of engineering, the achievement of civilization - the rotating gears are the medals and ribbons of mortal civilization.

Winston placed the mechanical model in front of him and nonchalantly wiped a piece of oil near the base of the model with the decorative ribbon outside his clothes. After wiping it clean, he nodded lightly, with a look of satisfaction and admiration on his face as if he were appreciating a work of art.

"Boiling gold is the blood of frost, and mining machinery is the heart that pumps blood..."

As if talking to himself or to the delicate little machine in front of him, Winston muttered softly while fiddling with the tiny brass gears with his fingers.

"Fifty years...are like a dream come true..."

He stood up slowly and walked towards the window sill.

Outside the wide glass window, there is a thick fog that fills the whole city. In the rising fog, all the buildings and roads have blurred outlines and boundaries, as if they are melting into the city-state. Even the towering tall building opposite the open space The church also turned into a hazy shadow in the fog, while the tall towers and spiers looked like suffocating and dying giants in the fog.

Winston stared calmly at the fog outside the window. He could hear the sound of alarm bells coming from across the square, and he could also hear the sounds of the City Hall Guards and Sheriff's troops gathering and dispatching in the square.

Such a thick and strange fog will certainly arouse the alarm of the city hall. Even without the need for an order from himself as a consul, the city-state's guard force will take action according to the predetermined procedures - however, maintaining order in the thick fog may be the only thing that matters next. An easy part.

Winston stood in front of the window for a while, then turned around and came not far away.

A small round table was placed near the window sill. Wisps of mist seeped through the cracks of the window and floated around the round table. In the smoke-like mist, he saw two things placed on the table.

One is a stack of yellowed and brittle documents, the other is a beautifully crafted revolver.

The document is written and produced in a classical format, with exquisite and intricate printed lace visible on the edge of the fine paper, giving it the unique elegance of the Queen's era.

"Boiling Gold Mine Depletion Warning", "

Investigation report on abnormal mine passages", "Analysis of inspection results of well samples"·····

Most of the documents were read and signed between 1840 and 1845.

The reviewer is signed by Leigh Nora.

The revolver is the personal collection of Archon Winston. The classic style from twelve years ago is still strong and reliable even today. The handle and bolt are well maintained and shiny. It seems that it can serve for another twelve years. years—or more.

Winston's eyes passed over the papers and finally fell on the revolver.

He reached out and picked up the heavy steel, feeling its cold touch. He opened and checked the gun's bullet nest, and then pushed the bullet nest back into place.

He slowly raised his right hand, placing the barrel of the gun that had been carefully maintained by its owner against his temple.

After a few seconds, the gun was lowered.

"This is a good posture. Let's use this posture from now on." Winston said softly, then checked the safety of the gun and placed the revolver properly in the holster on his waist.

Rapid footsteps came from the corridor.

"Your Majesty the Consul, the dense fog in the city is getting worse and worse..."

"I know, I'll come."