Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 364: Chapter 368: Chance Encounter and Reunion Chapter 364: Chapter 368: Chance Encounter and Reunion Agatha checked the hidden compartment where the side portrait of the queen was concealed, and it was just as her subordinates had reported—merely a place for covert tributes to the Frost Queen, with no traces of residual Transcendent power.

She looked at the items that had been found during the search: a plaster statue, commemorative coins, a manual.

Fifty years ago, this would have merited a noose.

But those tense and terrifying years were behind them, and the current Frost authorities had to consider the long-term stability of the City-State and their public image of fairness. They couldn’t make a big fuss over some secret tributes by the people—now, such harmless acts of remembrance would usually only result in a warning, or at most, a fine.

Moreover, even if there were warnings and fines, those were matters for the police to consider—not the church’s responsibility.

“This is not our concern,” Agatha shook her head, “organize this information and notify the security authorities to take over the follow-up work. However, we should take these mementos back for inspection, just in case there’s something hidden in them.”

“Yes.”

After arranging some minor site clean-up tasks, Agatha stood up from the sofa and exhaled softly.

There was too much to deal with; she couldn’t afford to delay here any longer.

“Remember to keep up with the investigation at the wastewater treatment center, and monitor the pipeline system in this area,” she instructed her subordinate one last time, then she stepped out of the room.

Outside was the narrow corridor, with the old staircase extending forward under the dim light. Next door, two other households quietly opened their doors to pay attention to the commotion, several pairs of slightly panicked eyes peering out from the door cracks.

Agatha waved a hand at those pairs of eyes.

“Go back inside, get your belongings ready, and wait for the instructions. We need to evacuate this area temporarily—rest assured, we will resolve the situation here as quickly as possible, and you’ll be able to return home soon.”

After she dropped this message, Agatha didn’t wait to see the residents’ reactions; she proceeded down the stairs toward the building’s exit.

She didn’t use Grey Wind to hasten her journey, even though she typically enjoyed doing so—but today, her mind was in disarray, with a jumble of matters entangled in her thoughts. She felt she needed to sort them out, and a slow walk helped her think.

At the same time, she wanted to sense the remnants of aura in the building to see if she could detect any residual Prime Element pollution elsewhere.

Engrossed in thought, she walked down the old staircase to the exit, stepping out onto the open space outside the residential building.

The musty smell dissipated all at once, and the fresh, crisp air invigorated Agatha’s spirits. It even gave her a momentary illusion—as if she had emerged from a dark, damp dungeon into the sunlight.

The crowd that had gathered outside the residential building had dispersed, leaving only a few curious onlookers who lingered at a safe distance, pointing and discussing. However, when Agatha appeared, those onlookers quickly left as well.

No, someone was still there.

Agatha frowned as she saw a young woman wearing a veil, with golden hair and holding a big bag, standing on the open ground in front of the residential building, appearing to be in a daze.

“This area is sealed off, please do not linger,” Agatha approached, her tone slightly stern, “Are you a resident here?”

The veiled, blonde-haired woman seemed startled, jerking awake. She turned to glance at Agatha, pointing to herself with confusion, “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be speaking to?” Agatha frowned. For some reason, she was particularly concerned about this stranger, even though she was sure she didn’t know her. Yet, something about the contours of her face seemed familiar, as if she had just seen her recently, “Are you a resident here?”

“Oh, no, no,” Alice quickly waved her hand, pointing in the distance, “I live over there, quite a ways away—what happened here? I heard someone died?”

“The guardians are handling the matter,” Agatha answered offhandedly, while also feeling a bit puzzled—the blonde-haired woman opposite had a strange reaction. Had she not recognized her as the gatekeeper of the City-State?

Alice didn’t notice any change in the black-clad, bandage-bound woman’s gaze—she just found the attire rather interesting.

It was very similar to the captain’s current look.

But the captain had instructed not to casually judge others’ appearances, nor to talk too much about oneself to strangers—the former wasn’t polite, the latter wasn’t cautious.

Alice still couldn’t spell those two words, but she believed the captain must be right.

The time to part had come.

So she waved at Agatha, with a cheerful tone, “Then I’ll be going now! Thank you for answering my question!”

The veiled, blonde-haired woman thus left, looking joyous, but Agatha, watching her receding figure, only felt a sense of strangeness.

What on earth is this person here for?

She had been living in the City-State for over twenty years, yet she had never encountered someone like this—a being who exuded a vague, simple, and joyous aura, who spoke without any hint of caution, and whose smile was completely free of any shadows.

Agatha furrowed her brow, then abruptly froze, as if only after the other party had left did she notice certain peculiarities about the interaction.

“No breathing or heartbeat…?!”

The young guard suddenly looked up in the direction of the departing blonde and instinctively wanted to follow, but as she was about to take a step, the urgent sound of footsteps suddenly interrupted her motion.

A black-clad guard ran over, holding intelligence in his hands, his expression looking quite distressed.

“What happened?” Agatha frowned and asked sternly before he could speak, all while muttering to herself—this was already chaotic enough; let there not be any more trouble.

“An urgent ‘express message’ from Cemetery Three,” the black-clad guard stood upright, speaking quickly, “clues about a ‘mystery visitor,’ the original copy is here.”

Agatha’s breath clearly paused for a moment, then she snatched the paper from his hands and rapidly scanned the words after giving it a quick shake.

The young guard fell silent, standing frozen in place as if petrified, making no move for a long time.

The black-clad guard looked at his immediate superior with some concern, and after a few seconds, he couldn’t help but speak up, “Guardian, this matter…”

Agatha slowly turned her head, looking into her subordinate’s eyes, “What would your reaction be if someone suddenly told you that a being similar to an ancient god has come to the City-State in physical form, and that Their method of traversing the mortal world is to rent a two-story house with a terrace at the citizen help center?”

“…I would find the nearest church for psychological counseling, or consult a well-known psychiatrist,” the black-clad guard replied earnestly.

“You’re right, but unfortunately, I am already the spokesperson for the highest-level church in the City-State, and psychiatrists can’t resolve the issue of an ancient god’s arrival,” Agatha sighed and slowly folded the paper, “Every matter is important, and every matter’s priority should be placed at the forefront…sigh.”

She lifted her head, looking toward the location mentioned in the intelligence—Oak Street.

It was precisely the direction in which the strange blonde, who had neither breathing nor heartbeat, had left.

…

Nina ran excitedly around the entire house and then dived into the kitchen, exploring the kitchenware that was clearly much better than the ones at home.

Sherry and Eli Dog strolled around the living room and dining area on the first floor, feigning a “house inspection,” occasionally stopping to give their opinions on the surrounding decor.

The two had been cooped up on Homeloss for so long that they were bursting with excitement.

Ai Yi landed on a nearby dining table, completely buried in a huge pile of fries—today was the day it indulged in food.

Duncan sat on the living room sofa, watching this scene with a smile—although all his smiles were hidden behind thick bandages, Fenna, standing next to him, strangely felt as if Captain Duncan, at that moment, had the eyes of a kindly old father.

Fenna quickly shook her head, casting aside such absurd thoughts, and turned to the two girls (and the dog) scurrying around the house.

“There is an empty room upstairs for you two; have you checked it out?”

“We did, we did!” Nina jogged over, nodding vigorously, “It’s great, even bigger than my room back home!”

“This place is really nice,” Sherry also ran over, her face beaming with an especially bright smile, “If I’d known you guys had settled so comfortably in the City-State, I would have come over days ago—the ship is so boring! There’s nothing to do every day…”
Duncan slowly turned his head, “I had enough homework for you to do for three hours every day—how could you have nothing to do?”

Sherry immediately realized her mistake and shrank back.

“Did you do it for her?” Duncan slightly lowered his head, looking at Eli Dog trying to hide in the shadows.

Eli Dog’s head seemed to be retracting into his neck, “I… I did it to practice more, not to disappoint your hard work in teaching…”
Duncan laughed out loud—it was a pleasant sound.

“Relax, I brought you all over for fun, not specifically to criticize you,” he waved his hand and looked up at the wall clock, “Eli should be back soon, and there’s at least an hour before dinner. Sherry… go catch up on your homework, starting from page sixteen of your vocabulary book.”

Sherry’s wailing, a sound Fenna and Morris had not heard in a long time, echoed in their ears.