Chapter 1 The Flickering Fire

The ghostly green spirit fire swept across the entire factory building like a floating shadow in a matter of seconds. This disturbance, originating from an upper-level extraordinary power, was like a gust of wind, lifting the curtain that covered “reality.” The truth beneath those curtains was then revealed to Shirley and Duncan.

Ashes, everywhere were ashes, humanoid ashes, shapeless ashes, charred walls, melted roofs, the twisted and brittle shells of machines licked by flames piled together with molten objects that were almost unrecognizable.

The entire factory area resembled a fiery purgatory that had only recently cooled down. The fire had gone out, but the power to melt everything seemed to linger in the air.

Shirley stood blankly in the center of this burned-out ruin, her eyes somewhat lost. Agou, on the other hand, silently came to the girl's side, gently supporting her body with his bony back. Soon, the ghostly green spirit fire faded away, and everything in the factory returned to normal.

Duncan looked at his hands with some regret—after all, this was just a "first pass" body and could not compare with his main body. The spirit fire that could be mobilized was also very limited. When releasing flames over a wide area, it could only be maintained for such a short time. But even such a short "reappearance" was enough to reveal crucial truths.

"So there really was a fire... I knew I didn't misremember..." Shirley murmured to herself, "I've been looking for it for eleven years, so it was here..."

"But this fire has been erased," Agou said in a low voice. "Some kind of power has woven a layer of veil in the real world, filtering out all traces related to 'fire'... That veil can even block the sight of the abyssal demons..."

"Is it a fragment of the sun? Or the guy who brought the sun fragment to the city-state in the first place?" Duncan frowned. Immediately afterward, he suddenly noticed that Shirley had been acting unusually silent since just now, so he couldn't help but cast his gaze over. "What do you think about this..."

"This place isn't quite the same as the fire scene in my memory," Shirley shook her head before Duncan could finish speaking. Her gaze slowly swept across the facilities in the factory, recalling the details presented here during the brief moment the veil was lifted, and also recalling the scene of the fire in her memory, recalling the various details of the building and the surrounding environment when "she" took Nina to escape from the fire, finally confirming that her judgment was wrong. "It's not here."

"Ah?" Agou was stunned for a moment. "The big fire in your memory...wasn't here?"

"The discrepancies in the details are too great," Shirley said in a deep voice, while slowly stepping towards the outside of the factory building. Her gaze passed through the collapsed gate, looking at the desolate and dilapidated street. "Or, more broadly speaking, the scenery of the entire Eighth District… doesn't seem quite right."

Agou subconsciously exchanged a glance with Duncan, lowering her voice and asking, "What do you think is going on?"

"How would I know? I'm just a dog," Duncan shook his head. "Besides, I was even less sober than you eleven years ago."

Shirley heard Duncan and Agou's conversation behind him, and he turned his head slightly: "Is this factory the only suspicious location?"

"Maybe... I guess..." Agou said uncertainly, "Anyway, according to what I've heard, this factory was the center of the chaos eleven years ago."

Shirley remained noncommittal. In the following two hours, he and Agou, as well as the abyssal hound, inspected all the areas of the abandoned factory that could still be entered.

Strangely, apart from the layer of "veil" covering reality, they found no traces left by any extraordinary power or extraordinary items.

"This isn't quite right..." After completing the rough inspection of the last building, Duncan finally spoke his doubts. "The 'veil' that covers the fire scene must be the work of extraordinary power, but we've searched the entire factory area and haven't found the 'source' of the veil... This is unreasonable."

"Does there have to be a source?" Duncan's tone was somewhat curious.

Shirley was also very curious in his heart, but he didn't show it. He just maintained his stern face, while silently waiting for Duncan to explain—anyone would probably be surprised that the only extraordinary expert on the scene was actually a dog…

Duncan himself didn't think too much. As an abyssal demon, many pieces of knowledge in the extraordinary field were common sense to him. He casually explained: "Covering up the traces of the fire is obviously a continuous power. This power must have a source to be maintained until now, and just… after ‘Shirley’ Mr’s flames faded away, the veil closed again, which also shows that there is something behind this veil supporting it… It may be a powerful anomaly, or it may be a powerful extraordinary person. Anyway, whatever it is, it must exist somewhere in the city-state…”

As he spoke, the abyssal hound raised his head, his empty eye sockets scanning the distant streets, and the more distant urban areas.

"We didn't find the source of the veil within the factory area, which means that the thing supporting the veil is projecting power here from a distance, or... the scale of this veil is simply beyond imagination, and we have only lifted a small corner of it so far. If it's the second situation..."

Duncan said, suddenly lowering his voice with some solemnity: "If it's the second situation, then this matter may not be easy to handle. Ordinary 'anomalies' can't possibly have such a large coverage area! This is probably an anomaly, an unknown anomaly..."

"The sun fragment certainly counts as a special 'anomaly.' After all, according to those cultists, the fragment is the corpse of a sun god," Agou suddenly said, "This may be the sun fragment's means of hiding itself."

"...A higher-level anomaly with a tendency to think? To prevent being controlled, it actively created a veil to erase traces of its existence and hid somewhere behind the veil?" Duncan said thoughtfully,

"It can't be ruled out. If it really is the remains of a god's corpse, it's possible that it will have the ability to think after waking up."

Agou pinched her chin, thinking very seriously, and then suddenly seemed to have thought of something again, and looked at Duncan in surprise: "So Duncan, you're so knowledgeable? You clearly don't even know how to read..."

"I am an abyssal demon! A shadow derived from the flesh and blood of the Abyssal Saint Lord! These knowledge are imprinted in my memory from birth, okay?" Duncan shook his chains impatiently, "And speaking of not knowing how to read... how dare you say that to me?!"

Shirley watched Agou and his abyssal hound interact with great interest. This strange combination had many secrets, which aroused his strong interest. But before he could ask any questions, Agou seemed to suddenly remember something, and looked up at the sky with some difficulty. Seeing the sun slowly approaching the highest point in the sky, she immediately cried out in surprise: "Oh no! It's noon!"

Shirley raised his eyebrows: "Do you have other arrangements?"

"I..." Agou said hesitantly, "I have to go home before noon!"

Shirley stared at the girl quietly: "Didn't you say that your parents are no longer around? Who will scold you for coming home late?"

"It's not scolding... I have an appointment with someone else!" Agou quickly waved her hands, seemingly because she had gone through the exploration in the factory together, and she was a little bolder in front of Shirley, "I... shall we continue next time?"

Shirley glanced at the abyssal hound next to him, who immediately shrank his neck: "You decide, if you want to continue exploring, I and Agou..."

"No need," Shirley shook his head. "Continuing to explore here won't yield anything. We'll talk about it when we find new clues. Since you have other things to do, then go ahead."

Agou immediately showed a look of surprise, as if she had not expected that the big shot would let her leave so readily, but she didn't dare to run away directly, so she cautiously confirmed again: "Then... Duncan and I will leave first? If you want to find us in the future..."

Shirley just showed a smile, looking at her kindly: "We are destined to meet again."

He watched Agou and Duncan with a calm smile, and in his vision, a little green spark was quietly burning on the jet-black chain connecting the abyssal hound.

This was the result of his deepening understanding of the "spirit fire" after unexpectedly establishing contact with Vanna last time, and it was a small attempt.

This imprint was actively released by him, and was stronger than the bit of flame left on Vanna—but gentle and harmless. Agou suddenly felt a chill—clearly the big shot's smile was so calm, but she felt a little shiver.

But she finally controlled her expression and said goodbye with the most polite attitude possible, before quickly leaving with Duncan.