Ashes Of Deep Sea-Chapter 361 - 365 The Child Who Shared Secrets
Chapter 361: Chapter 365: The Child Who Shared Secrets
Chapter 361: Chapter 365: The Child Who Shared Secrets
New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.
Agatha knew that Bishop Ivan’s life had almost reached its end many years ago—underneath those tightly wrapped bandages, there was hardly any flesh and blood left. What kept him standing here was nothing but a miracle bestowed by Bartok, apart from one tenacious spirit.
Few people knew what had really happened to the bishop’s body. Even as a gatekeeper, Agatha only knew about an “accident” that had occurred many, many years ago. Bishop Ivan never discussed the true circumstances of that “accident” with anyone, including in her presence.
Naturally, Agatha would not actively probe this secret.
Bishop Ivan’s thoughts were clearly very heavy. He remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, “We are facing a crisis.”
“Yes, Bishop Ivan,” Agatha nodded, “I will do everything in my power to uncover the truth and destroy the conspiracies of those heretics.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Bishop Ivan shook his head, “the ‘truth’ of this crisis may have already exceeded our comprehension and imagination, Agatha. The activities of those heretics might be part of this crisis, but they are certainly not the whole of it. I have a feeling…”
Agatha frowned slightly, “A feeling?”
“A familiar aura, just like fifty years ago… before the chaos erupted, the entire city was permeated with an atmosphere very similar to today,” Bishop Ivan said slowly. “A seemingly normal City-State, yet everywhere there are strange and inexplicable details, as if we suddenly live in a dreamscape, where the terrifying edges are barely glimpsed in passing. The pitiful human mind refuses to comprehend it all, causing us to fail to see the reality that lies so close… Do you feel it? As if… the distortion is right before us, but we remain with our eyes closed.”
“I don’t understand…” Agatha hesitated, “Do you mean cognitive interference? Has this interference affected our judgement?”
Bishop Ivan did not answer her, but after several seconds of silence, he suddenly brought up a seemingly unrelated topic, “Agatha, have I ever talked to you about ‘the last of the Queen’s Guard’ from fifty years ago? Have I mentioned the ‘second waterway’ deep within the City-State?”
“The second waterway?” Agatha was taken aback, and with that, some information surfaced in her mind. “I know a little about that. It was part of the massive underground facility built by the Frost Queen for the City-State. But with the end of the queen’s era, this unfinished facility was also abandoned. Nowadays, due to severe collapses and the enormous fiscal pressure, it has been left deserted—most people don’t even know of its existence.”
“Yes, abandoned. Only gatekeepers like you or old antiques like myself are still aware of it,” Bishop Ivan said, shaking his head.
“What’s the story with ‘the last of the Queen’s Guard’?” Agatha asked. “Why do you suddenly bring this up?”
“The last of the Queen’s Guard,” Bishop Ivan’s voice was deep as he seemed to fall into a memory, “were the troops who still refused to surrender after the rebels breached the Queen’s palace, and who made their last stand relying on the City-State’s underground facilities.” He continued, “Their last stronghold was the entrance to the second waterway—after that, they blew up all the connecting shafts and were buried alive beneath the ground. I bring this up today… because I suddenly remembered an old rumor.”
Agatha’s expression immediately turned serious, “A rumor?”
“It was said… when the shafts were destroyed, the soldiers attacking underground suddenly heard strange noises coming from deep below. In the completely collapsed depths, the final cries of the Queen’s Guard suddenly rang out, as if they were launching an attack towards something,” Bishop Ivan recounted slowly. “For a long time afterwards, people reported hearing sounds of shouting and charges from deep underground. Gradually, rumors spread that ‘the last of the Queen’s Guard’ had become a twisted legion in the depths, battling in the darkness every day, with raging anger boiling within them, awaiting the moment the most fragile order established by the betrayers came to be, so that they could emerge from the depths and settle the old scores…”
Agatha’s expression grew somber, “The most fragile moment of the new order… Earlier, you said we are facing a crisis beyond comprehension, one with an atmosphere similar to fifty years ago. Could this be that most fragile moment? Will this legendary ‘Queen’s Guard’ emerge from the ground? Do you believe this legend is true?”
“I do not believe in the legend—the Queen’s Guard was completely annihilated, I witnessed it myself. Even if…” Bishop Ivan paused, as if he had thought of something, but then shook his head, “even if there were a few survivors who managed to hold on temporarily in the second waterway, they would not have survived to this day. The few descendants who remain cannot shake the rule of the City-State, even with the crisis we face today.”
Agatha was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, “The legend of ‘the last Queen’s Guard’ might be false, but the existence of a vast uncontrolled area beneath the Frost City-State is true. You’re not worried about the Queen’s Guard that disappeared fifty years ago, but rather something else that’s hiding in the second waterway?”
“We have been searching the entire city for a long time, and while we’ve captured many heretics, most of them are minor players who lack sophisticated hiding skills—based on their abilities, it’s impossible for them to create so many ‘counterfeits’ and ‘Prime Element contaminations’, let alone provoke disturbance on Dagger Island,” Bishop Ivan nodded. “It now seems that the ones we’ve captured are more scattered soldiers who’ve ‘leaked’ from a larger nest. Most areas of the City-State have been searched more than once. If there’s any place left unchecked… I’m afraid it can only be the depths underground.”
Agatha pondered for a moment before speaking uncertainly, “But the records indicate that most areas of the second waterway are seriously collapsed, isolated into dead-end tunnels. Plus, with toxic contamination and extensive dark zones, it’s essentially uninhabitable down there—heretics are living people too. Apart from a few who are on the verge of transforming themselves into Profound Demons, most heretics still require normal human living conditions… How could they possibly hide in such a place?”
“We should at least look,” Bishop Ivan said slowly. “Start the search from the collapsed areas around the boiling gold mine shafts.”
Agatha thought for a moment and then gently nodded her head. “That would require the cooperation of City Hall—protective equipment, underground machinery, professional engineering personnel. The cathedral doesn’t have these types of resources.”
“I’ll handle the negotiations,” Bishop Ivan nodded, “List whatever manpower and equipment you need, and I can get them for you.”
“Good. I’ll give you the list before noon,” Agatha said, not mincing words, “Also, before the personnel and materials arrive, I want to have another ‘chat’ with those captured Heretics to see if they can spill any useful information…”
…
The darkness of night receded, and the sky gradually brightened as anomaly 001 began rising from the edge of the City-State. The brilliant sun slowly climbed the sky, and the dual Rune Circles swept over the towering spires and rooftops. The sunlight brought warmth, dispelling the cold built up through the night.
At the gate of the third graveyard, the heavy, carved iron fence doors creaked open, the gates brushing snow off the ground and leaving behind two arc-shaped trails that resembled unfurled wings. Dressed in an old coat, the elderly watchman stood before the open gate of the cemetery, taking a deep breath and looking up at the now clear sky.
The sky had cleared, but for some reason, the bright morning could not quell the restlessness in his heart. Watching in the direction of the city streets, he could vaguely hear the sound of horses and carriages, blurred and noisy just like the unsettled wind from the night before.
Even the clear sky at this moment seemed unreal.
He muttered a few complaints under his breath, and then his gaze shifted towards the slope in front of the graveyard.
The wrinkles on the old man’s face relaxed for a moment, but the next second, they twisted again, along with his deeply furrowed brows.
He saw a small figure appearing on the slope, struggling yet vigorously making its way towards him—after noticing the old man’s gaze, the figure even deliberately stopped and waved happily in his direction.
The old watchman’s face turned stern.
He waited for the figure to approach and only spoke in a displeased tone after Annie had begun to pat snowflakes off her trousers and boots. “You’re here again—yesterday was quiet for once, and I thought you’d finally stay at home properly. And now you’re back?”
“I wanted to come yesterday, too,” Annie stuck out her tongue, “but Mom said there was too much snow on the road, and we had to wait for the snow plow to clear the main road before I could go out…”
After speaking, she didn’t wait for the old man to say anything but already expertly handed over a small package. “Cookies!”
“…I eat cookies every day now,” the old man glanced at what was being offered to him, his eyelid twitched, but he still reached out to take it, “Give my thanks to Lady Belloni.”
Annie’s smile widened happily.
“Anything else?” The old watchman glanced at the girl in front of him. “The graveyard isn’t open for visits today.”
“It’s nothing, just wanted to chat with you,” Annie said cheerfully, “You know what? We’ve had some new guests staying at our house recently. Can you guess who?”
A twelve-year-old child was indeed not good at keeping secrets in her heart.
“I’m not interested,” the old watchman felt inexplicably annoyed and waved his hand impatiently. “The house belongs to your family. You can rent it to anyone you want. What does that have to do with me?”
“It’s the tall uncle wrapped in many bandages and wearing black clothes!” Annie disregarded the old man’s response, her smile becoming ever more radiant, her tone carrying an inexplicable pride, “It’s that one from last time at the graveyard gate… Are you alright, Grandpa Watchman?”
(Thank you to the Silver Moe from World Hall~)
