Chapter 24 Advice from an Outsider

Duncan shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning back against the sofa. His gaze passed through the gaps in the bandages crisscrossing his face, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at the priestess before him.

"Now that you know my identity, what are your thoughts?" he said with a smile. "From the perspective of the Church of the Dead—you should report this immediately."

Agatha opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time. After a full half-minute, she spread her hands with a wry smile. "You've put me in a very awkward position…"

"But you really should report everything that happened here to the church immediately," Duncan said, his smile fading, his tone finally becoming serious. "Pland was the first, Frost was the second—those cultists have caused a lot of trouble in the past, but trouble on this scale has never appeared so densely. And don't forget, besides the fact that two city-states nearly faced complete destruction, the sun above our heads—Anomaly 001—has also shown disturbing changes recently."

Agatha immediately broke free from her awkwardness. Prompted by 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 some omniscient, omnipotent being," Duncan said casually. "But I have a habit: when various low-probability events happen one after another, I tend to think of them as 'precursors' of a larger system gradually developing problems. The things the cultists in the two city-states did may seem unrelated, but have you considered why they were all able to succeed recently? So many large-scale heretical sacrifices have been performed throughout history, but how many have succeeded in making a splash?"

Agatha fell into thought, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

"Report everything," Duncan said softly. "Don't let go of any clues—let the clever minds think it over carefully."

"I understand, I will report everything truthfully," Agatha nodded solemnly, then "looked" at Duncan as if to emphasize. "Everything."

"I look forward to the reaction of the Church of the Dead," Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, as if relieved of a burden. "Dragging it on isn't good either."

After that, the living room fell into a moment of silence, as if everyone was lost in their own thoughts (except Alice). After who knows how long, Agatha suddenly broke the silence: "I should go back."

"Not staying a little longer?" Duncan said. "Given the current situation, you'll have countless headaches as soon as you go out. There aren't many opportunities to hide away here."

"That's precisely why I have to go back as soon as possible," Agatha shook her head. "The city-state has countless problems that need to be solved. It's not just the church, the city hall is also in a mess—if I hide away any longer, there will really be no one to take charge."

"A mess, huh…" Duncan repeated thoughtfully, then suddenly asked a question. "Do you think you can really restore order to the entire city in a short period of time with Frost's remaining organization and manpower?"

Agatha paused, seemingly not understanding Duncan's intention in asking this, but after a brief silence, she nodded. "...I will do my best."

"'Do my best'—but many times, doing your best doesn't solve the problem."

"...What do you mean?"

"I just suddenly have a very bold suggestion," Duncan smiled, his gaze falling on Agatha. "An outsider's suggestion."

…

When Agatha left 44 Oak Street, the sky was gradually darkening, the sun's power was gradually receding from the real world, and small snowflakes were still fluttering in the sky—fine, floating snowflakes fell from the dark chaos, passing through the dim yellow halo cast by the gas streetlights, gradually covering the cold and desolate streets.

The Guardians' night patrol passed by the intersection in the distance, the clanking footsteps of the steam walkers occasionally breaking the silence of the street. The chimes of day and night were drifting in the distance, and the sound of an organ from the small church on the corner could be heard in the evening breeze.

The scarred city-state licked its wounds in the night.

The cold wind blew through the streets, stirring Agatha's hair and the corners of her skirt. She reached out her hand on the snowy street, tilting her head slightly. "It's still snowing."

Vanna, who saw her off, turned her gaze curiously. "You can't see the snowflakes?"

"I can't see them—but I can feel them," Agatha said softly. "There are many more things in my field of vision now, but also many fewer. It will take a long time to get used to it."

She slowly retracted her hand, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. "But the good news is that I can no longer feel the chill of the cold wind, because no matter how thick the clothes I wear, no matter how many stoves I light, I feel that this world is... just as cold."

"...Sorry, I find it hard to imagine that feeling."

"Oh, don't worry about it, it doesn't really bother me," Agatha smiled, slowly clenching her fist. As she gathered her strength, some faint green flames gradually appeared in the crisscrossing "scars" all over her body. The flames flowed through her body, like blood. "This way, it will be a little better."

Vanna was silent for a few seconds. "If the captain knew you were using the flames he gave you for warmth, his expression would probably be very interesting."

"What kind of person is he?" Agatha asked with curiosity, putting away the power of the flames. "Is he usually... very strict or scary?" "What do you think? You've already been in contact with him twice."

"I feel that all the information deviates from the truth. He is much more peaceful and friendly than I imagined, but... perhaps I should use 'He' to refer to him. I don't know if I should measure an existence like Him by mortal standards. I know He was once a human, but the sub-space... you know what I mean."

Vanna thought for a few seconds, then shook her head gently. "Actually, I haven't followed him for very long, so I probably can't give you a very clear answer, but I can tell you that I also had similar concerns to you—and the final result was that the Storm Cathedral made the decision to have me, an inquisitor, board the *Stranded Ship*. Just like Captain Duncan chose to believe that a 'fake' could have humanity, we also believe... or rather, are willing to believe, in Captain Duncan's humanity, after all..."

She suddenly stopped, raised her head and looked up at the snow-filled sky, and after a moment, she said softly as if to herself, "After all, this world is too cold. If even we ourselves no longer believe in hope, then there will really only be cold winds on this endless sea."

Agatha did not speak for a moment.

Vanna then suddenly asked after a few seconds of silence, "What do you think of the captain's suggestion?"

Agatha fell into thought for a while before speaking with a complicated expression, "Letting the Sea Mist Fleet into the city... to be honest, I don't even know if this will restore order to the city-state or bring even greater chaos—you've lived in this city for a while, and you should also be very clear about what the Sea Mist Fleet means to most Frost people…"

"To most Planders, the *Stranded Ship* is also terrifying—but believe me, after a terrifying disaster, people's 'acceptance' can really reach an exaggerated level. From a group perspective, the desire for a stable life will outweigh many concerns."

"The desire for a stable life, huh…"

Agatha said softly, feeling the cold of the snowy night through her lifeless body. For some reason, she thought of something else.

Fifty years ago, when the great uprising broke out, it also seemed to be snowing.

"I will carefully discuss this matter with the city hall officials," she said to Vanna, as if she had made up her mind. "And from a personal point of view, I will support it."

"We all hope everything goes well," Vanna said.

"Yes, we all hope everything goes well."

Agatha repeated, then waved her hand and walked towards the steam car with the church emblem parked on the street.

But after taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped again.

"Is there anything else?" Vanna asked curiously.

"Some... personal questions, I hope it doesn't seem too offensive," Agatha turned her head, her expression seeming a little strange, hesitating as she asked, "Did you... really jump off a cliff, kill your offspring, and then return safely?"

Vanna was stunned for a moment, her eyes becoming strange. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I don't know, but the question just popped into my head," Agatha seemed a little embarrassed. "I feel like I heard rumors about this somewhere... Sorry, if this question makes you uncomfortable, I…"

"It's nothing, it did happen," Vanna relaxed her expression and waved her hand with a smile. "But the real situation is different from the rumors—I actually accidentally slipped and fell off the edge of a cliff while taking a walk. When I landed, I happened to crush a Deep Sea Contamination that had been washed ashore for some reason. It wasn't a real 'offspring,' let alone a kill. I don't know why it was spread like this."

Agatha opened her mouth slightly—although she was blindfolded, her expression still conveyed a "dumbfounded" look.

"Then... are you okay?" the gatekeeper asked subconsciously.

"Actually, I fell pretty badly," Vanna smiled embarrassedly, then patted her chest, making a strong gesture. "But luckily, I was an athlete, so I just went home, drank some hot water, and rested for two days."

Agatha: "…?"

The gatekeeper was greatly shocked.

Vanna was a little puzzled. "Why do you have that expression?"

"...Your Pland athletes are fearsome."