Deep Sea Embers

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In the damp and cold Second Waterway Corridor, the gatekeeper is walking towards the darker depths.

The black clothes representing the defenders of the city-state were already in tatters, and the combat canes made with special technology were scarred. The pain and fatigue seemed to have become some kind of distant hallucination, and all that came to my ears were the hollow echoes deep underground.

The blood seems to be running out, but the heart is still beating. Death is so close. It seems that you can feel the coldness of the world of the dead while breathing. In this dark and lonely corridor, there are no comrades anymore, and it has been a long time since. See the enemy.

But there is still something accompanying Agatha on her way forward. At the end of her journey to death, there is a flame that is not very bright but has some warmth.

Agatha held her left hand on her chest, carefully protecting the cluster of "fire" that was beating out of thin air. The faint green of the flames illuminated her chin and a short section of the surrounding corridor. She felt , and even enjoyed the little warmth that this little fire brought to her - because she could feel that the road ahead was getting colder.

Or maybe it was her own body that was cold.

"I have crossed the intersection in the upper city and am approaching the branch corridor around the Boiling Gold Mine..." Agatha said softly to the flames. She raised her head and glanced at a nameplate on the wall in front of her. On the mottled ancient nameplate, the urban streets corresponding to the sewers are written - this can help her determine her current location, "There are almost no enemies on this road, but the road is getting harder and harder to walk. There is a... The suffocating coldness is slowing me down."

A majestic and deep voice sounded directly from the bottom of her heart: "Perhaps those cultists have given up using their minions to delay your steps... They are focusing their energy on the last moments."

"How's the situation outside?"

"A heavy fog has arisen, covering the entire city-state. The city-state guards are maintaining order and urging residents to go home. Guard teams can already be seen at some intersections - they carry lanterns for night patrols, because the thick fog is blocking the power of the sun. "The majestic voice in Agatha's heart said, "Around the city-state, there is also fog on the sea, and the coverage may extend to hundreds of nautical miles."

"...Those heretics have taken action," Agatha said softly, "Maybe my actions stimulated them and made them take action in advance..."

"You don't seem to be doing well."

"I may be a little seriously injured," Agatha continued walking forward. She felt her breathing was a little heavy, but her mind was clearer than ever. "But don't worry about me, I'm ready to die." Be prepared - I will send your fire to their lair, no matter what."

"I would rather see you complete this mission alive, Agatha - although you are the messenger of the God of Death, there is no need to be so anxious to report to Bartok. By the way, when I say this, I suddenly feel a little curious , for you priests of the God of Death, is death... considered a demotion or a promotion? "

Agatha was startled for a moment and twitched her lips: "Your sense of humor really surprises me - I'm sorry, I really can't answer this question. I'm afraid none of the death priests throughout the ages have thought about this matter. If there is a chance later, If so... I will think about it carefully.

"Okay, I hope you find the answer."

The voice in her mind fell silent for the time being, and Agatha breathed a sigh of relief—I don't know if it was an illusion, but she suddenly felt that her breathing was not as difficult and tired as before, and even her steps became slightly easier.

She glanced at the fire held in her left hand, carefully protected it, and walked through another intersection.

Water overflowed from a nearby drainage channel, forming a small pool of water on the ground. The water was as calm as a mirror, in which the dim waterway dome was reflected.

Agatha stepped through the water, and the calm water surface rippled with layers of waves - in the suddenly broken reflection, there was reflected a figure wearing a black trench coat, wrapped with ritual bandages, and holding a tin cane in his hand.

The figure walked towards the direction Agatha came from, and in this brief moment, they passed each other head on.

Agatha suddenly stopped and looked at the place she had just walked past with some confusion.

Where she was, she saw a small patch of water, and there were still layers of ripples on the water disturbed by the footsteps.

In the turbulent and broken water, the reflection of that moment could no longer be seen, but Agatha always felt that she had seen something just now.

It was a figure that looked like her own, but not quite like it - the figure was dressed in tattered black clothes and was covered in scars. It looked as if it had experienced battle after battle, but its direction of travel was different. It is the depth of the second waterway.

That was exactly the place he had just left.

Probably because he stopped suddenly, the voice of his subordinates came from behind: "Gatekeeper? What happened?"

"That pool of water..." Agatha turned around and pointed not far away, "Was it there just now? Did you see any strange sight inside?"

"Water?" The subordinate looked back with a confused expression, "It was there just now...but I didn't see anything strange."

Agatha didn't speak, but suddenly fell silent, staring at the still shaking water for a long time. After a long time, her eyes gradually became more serious and thoughtful.

"Did you see something?" The subordinate couldn't help but feel worried.

Agatha was silent for another moment, then shook her head gently: "Don't worry, everything is fine, everything... is fine."

The subordinate was obviously still a little confused, but in the face of the solemn expression of his superior, he restrained his excessive curiosity and promptly changed the subject: "What did you find on the other side of the door just now? I feel like your expression always changed after you came back. It’s very serious…”

The chaotic thoughts in her heart quickly gathered together. Agatha raised her head and looked in the direction she came from - the gate leading to the abandoned mine tunnel had disappeared on the other side of the intersection, but she still clearly remembered that she was there. A discovery in a dark mine tunnel.

She did not explore that mine tunnel for too long. Instead, after confirming her findings, she returned to the Second Waterway and hurriedly led the team back to the stronghold. Out of the necessary caution, she arrived He has yet to reveal to his subordinates what he found behind that door.

Even now, she didn't know how to explain that too shocking and bizarre... "conjecture" to the black-clad guards in front of her.

After a brief hesitation, she turned around and continued walking towards the stronghold.

After walking for a while, she suddenly whispered as if talking to herself: "What does Hanshuang... do to survive?"

"What do you do to survive?" The subordinate was slightly startled, unable to react for a moment. After a few seconds, he hesitated and said, "You mean... the city-state's source of income? The gold business?"

"Boiling gold is the blood of frost, and the mine is the heart of the city..." Agatha whispered to herself, saying words that confused the guards in black, "None of us seemed to have thought about it. There will be times when this heart stops beating..."

Another guard in black couldn't help but stepped forward, with a hint of nervousness on his face: "You..."

Agatha raised her hand slightly, interrupting her subordinate.

"Don't think about it so much. Nothing is certain yet. I did see something on the other side of that door, but whether I can reveal it to you specifically requires discussion with the archbishop."

She had calmed down from her previous uneasiness.

Maybe I was too nervous. It was just an abandoned mine tunnel that had been exhausted. For an ancient mine that had been mined for many years, it was not surprising that one or two mine tunnels had dried up. The city-state city hall's subsequent decision to block the mine was very surprising. It could be something else - some kind of contamination that once existed but has now receded is the most likely scenario.

Jumping to conclusions is a taboo in investigations.

Agatha shook her head, but she couldn't help but recall the moment she saw in the pool of water in her mind.

The one walking in the opposite direction to himself in the reflection, the blood-stained one..."myself".

Agatha closed her eyes slightly, and the knuckles holding the cane were slightly white from the exertion, but after a moment, she opened her eyes again and looked forward, and her expression had returned to calm.

I still have a lot to do.

In silence, Agatha led the team of defenders back to the stronghold at the underground crossroads. As soon as she returned here, she noticed that the surrounding atmosphere seemed a little strange.

A slightly nervous atmosphere enveloped the stronghold. A priest who looked like he had just come down from the shaft was nervously talking to the head of the stronghold's defense about something. Several steam walkers that had set out to clear the bypass were called back in advance. , seems to be preparing to take the elevator back to the surface.

Agatha quickly stepped forward, and before she could ask, the black-clothed guard commander in charge of the stronghold here quickly spoke: "Your Excellency, gatekeeper, there is a situation on the surface."

Agatha frowned: "What's going on?"

"Fog, a very large and strange thick fog, has enveloped the entire city-state and the surrounding sea areas. You can't even see the sun in the sky," the commander reported quickly. "There are also evil things appearing in the library and archives. Although they were The scholars on duty suppressed it in time, but panic and chaos were spreading in the city - the archbishop sent people down, please go back immediately! "\u003c!--over--\u003e