Take a Trip?

Nina was stunned for a moment, and then she understood what was going on.

Thinking back to the whole incident, and recalling her and Shirley's actions before and after the appearance of that strange object that looked like "living steel," she thought it was normal for these Knowledge Keepers to be wary—any event involving paranormal intrusion had to include everyone and everything that might be contaminated in the screening range to the greatest extent possible. This was the Guardians' iron rule.

When she was on the ship, Vanna often mentioned her daily work as an Inquisitor, including many of the Guardians' rules, and according to Uncle Duncan's usual saying—it was these strict, almost harsh "rules" that ensured the survival of the city-states in this Deep Sea Embers era, and ensured that most ordinary people could still live relatively stable lives in this dangerous world.

So she nodded, and inconspicuously tugged at Shirley's arm next to her, to prevent the latter from suddenly blurting out any vulgar language, and then looked at the Knowledge Keeper in front of her: "Okay... but if we don't go back, our family will worry."

"It's just to confirm whether you have suffered mental contamination or subconscious suggestion," the Knowledge Keeper seemed relieved, and patiently explained, "This is a necessary screening and protection process. If there is no contamination, you will be allowed to leave soon."

Then he paused and added, "After you come to the academy, you must first register your basic information, and someone will contact your family. Don't worry about that."

"Oh, then let's go," Nina smiled and turned to look at Shirley. "No problem, right?"

"What problem could there be?" Shirley muttered. "I'm kind of looking forward to it..."

Nina heard a sense of schadenfreude in the other party's tone. She knew what this guy was expecting, but she didn't say much. Instead, she turned her attention to the "mass" that had almost stopped moving, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know what this is?"

"An anomalous entity that has invaded the real world, but the specific situation cannot be disclosed," the Knowledge Keeper said in an official tone. "If it is confirmed after evaluation that it can be made public, the academy will announce it to the outside world."

"Oh..." Nina drawled, turned around, and prepared to leave with the Guardians, but before leaving, she couldn't help but stop and look back at the oddly shaped "mass."

The latter had gradually become still, and even the last twitching and trembling had stopped. On the completely solidified iron-gray skin, a rock-like texture was slowly spreading.

...

99 Crown Street, inside the "Mystery Mansion" with towering spires and lush gardens, Duncan and Lucretia were chatting about many things that had happened in Frost during the previous period. Morris was curiously interacting with the clockwork doll Luni not far away, seemingly interested in the latter's driving method, while Vanna was not in the living room—it was her daytime prayer time, and Lucretia had specially prepared a "prayer room" for this devout storm saint.

"...When I left, order had been restored in Frost, but it will take a lot of work to clean up the pollution left by those 'Elements'," Duncan said to Lucretia about the situation in the north. "It is said that Tyrian's overtime schedule has been arranged until next quarter..."

"After being a pirate in the Frigid Sea for half a century, now he finally has to make up for the debts owed during his lazy period," Lucretia said with emotion. "By the way, have you ever been to the frozen sea area further north of Frost?"

"Not really," Duncan shook his head. "I've only heard that there are endless ice plains there, and the solid ice extends all the way to the dense fog at the border. I am indeed a little curious about it, but what happened in Light Breeze Port is more concerning to me."

"It is said that in the frozen sea area north of Frost, some ice layers even contain relics left by explorers from the Dark Ages and the Old City-States. Some people have tried to walk through those ice layers to explore the dense fog, but were eventually swallowed by the sudden arrival of extreme cold... In comparison, I think the warm southern sea area is more suitable as a breakthrough point for challenging the 'border'..."

"If I have the opportunity, I would really like to see that border... Don't worry, I know the danger of that dense fog, but I'm just curious..."

"Anyway, don't rashly break into that dense fog again."

The reunited "father and daughter" chatted idly, talking about what had happened recently, about the many incredible phenomena on the boundless sea, and about the dense fog at the border and those dangerous areas far away from the civilized world.

Their topics could not always continue, and Lucretia was not a good conversationalist, but incredibly, they had been talking like this for a long time.

But suddenly, Duncan stopped.

He seemed to "hear" something, frowned slightly, and after a brief moment of concentration, he turned his gaze to a certain direction outside the window.

Lucretia immediately noticed her father's strangeness: "What happened?"

"Nina is calling me," Duncan turned his head with a strange expression and glanced at Lucretia. "...How do I get to the Block Academy?"

"Block Academy?" Lucretia was stunned for a moment. "What are you going to the Block Academy for?"

"To bail someone out."

Lucretia: "...?"

...

"Name?"

"Nina." Nina hesitated for a moment, and didn't say her current "surname."

The registrar on the other side of the table didn't pay much attention to this. He just continued to record routinely: "Age?"

"17 years old."

"Occupation?"

"Still in high school..."

"Are you a local of Light Breeze Port?"

"I'm from Prland, traveling to Light Breeze Port, temporarily staying at... a relative's house."

The registrar recorded these basic details one by one. Hearing the girl's honest answers, he smiled and looked up, comforting her in a gentle tone: "Don't be nervous, miss. It's just a routine registration. You haven't done anything wrong. You just accidentally got caught up in a paranormal event. This registration is for your protection—don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Nina said very obediently, then looked at the registrar across from her with some embarrassment. "Just don't be afraid later."

"Me? Why should I be afraid?" The registrar was stunned for a moment, waved his hand with a wry smile, and just felt that this was a young girl who was new to the world and was talking nonsense out of nervousness. He didn't take it to heart. "Hey, it would be nice if your companion was as well-mannered as you."

Nina was stunned, and listened carefully to the movement in the next room. Sure enough, she heard some *vulgar language* that was very characteristic of Shirley.

But it didn't sound like a rant, but just some self-releasing swear words, similar to adding some words with a high mother content when talking to people—in Shirley's own words, those were all "modal particles."

So Nina relaxed a little and smiled with an embarrassed expression: "This is already a relatively restrained situation for her."

"It's okay. We've seen all kinds of people in this position, especially those who have been in contact with paranormal powers. It's normal for them to be mentally unstable or even smash things randomly. We're used to it," the registrar waved his hand dismissively. "It's just a little surprising, she clearly looks like such a well-behaved girl..."

Nina recalled Shirley in front of Uncle Duncan, and thought that this registrar's first impression was actually not wrong from a certain point of view...

After a while, she asked curiously, "When can we go back?"

The registrar, wearing a True Knowledge Academy clergy robe, turned his head and glanced at the incense burner and the quietly burning candle on the table next to him.

"You have to wait until the incense burns out and the candle goes out naturally. If all the catalysts don't react, then you can leave."

"Oh," Nina nodded, then was quiet for a few minutes before asking, "What about the 'thing' that appeared in the market before? Has it been caught?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you," the registrar shook his head, then reminded, "I suggest you don't continue to pay attention to it, and try to avoid remembering it, because some 'foreign objects' that invade the real world will have a parasitic effect in the minds of witnesses. Although we haven't found you and your companion to be contaminated by this, frequent memories and excessive curiosity may still lead to bad influences."

"Oh." Nina nodded again, and then finally fell silent, seemingly patiently waiting for the moment when the incense was burned out and the "examination" was over.

The young registrar sitting across from her breathed a slight sigh of relief, tidying up the form he had just recorded, and using the adjustment of his sitting posture to pull his hand out of a secret compartment under the table.

There was a small device in his hand that looked like a pocket watch.

Using the cover of the table, he pressed the lid of the device. After the "watch cover" opened softly, what was revealed below was not hands and a dial, but a mercury-like surface—that layer of "mercury" undulated slightly, as if it were alive.

He carefully tilted that layer of "mercury" towards the girl across the table, carefully observing the changes on the silver-white liquid surface.

This girl named Nina seemed to be of sound mind, spoke clearly, and was even well-mannered, but this could not dispel the concerns of a professional clergy—because in many cases, people who have suffered mental pollution can also maintain this "clear-headed" appearance in a short period of time. If they are not carefully investigated, it is easy to cause the pollution to leak out secretly.

According to the report of the field team, this girl and her companion had taken the initiative to approach the patrolling Knowledge Keepers a few seconds before the "invading object" appeared, and there were many unreasonable actions during the incident. These anomalies undoubtedly needed to be carefully checked.

However, the mercury liquid surface did not reflect any abnormal shadows.

The "registrar" frowned, and moved the device closer to his eyes, carefully examining the subtle changes in the liquid surface undulations.

Suddenly, he seemed to really see something from that slightly rippling mercury liquid surface—

Those were wisps of golden light.

That was the gathering flame.

That was some kind of mysterious and vast power, ancient and lost knowledge, eternal and great light and heat, the world's...

A roar sounded in his mind, and storm-like knowledge was impacting the boundary of reason. The desire for truth seemed to grab his mind. The mortal soul yearned for the gravity of the sun. He suddenly widened his eyes, staring at the impending—

A hand suddenly stretched out from the side and blocked his eyes.

"Don't look around if you have nothing to do," a low and majestic voice came into his ears. "You guys from the True Knowledge Academy all have this problem?"

(Give up fantasy, confirmed positive... But don't worry everyone, I feel okay, I won't stop updating.)

(End of this chapter)