After two consecutive days of snowfall, the briefly clear weather seemed to dispel the haze lingering over the city-state, and the frost woke up again as usual - snow removal trucks and snow melting equipment began to clear the snow on the main roads, and the old high-pressure air supply
Pipelines and electrical systems once again stood the test, and factories and public transportation systems began to function again.
The sounds of various carriages, horses, and machines gradually grew louder as the sun rose.
However, under the surface of this gradual awakening, a strange and tense atmosphere is gradually spreading in the city - even ordinary people in the city finally noticed this change in the atmosphere.
At first, it came from newspapers. The urgent control notice issued by the city hall made those who were more sensitive to the news smell the uneasy atmosphere. Then came various rumors from the coastal neighborhoods. News about the appearance of the sea fog fleet near the city-state.
It spread like wildfire, and soon after, all kinds of true and false news spread in the streets and alleys.
The recent frequent mobilizations of the city-state's security guards, the gathering of guard troops around several cemeteries, and the horrifying news coming from certain neighborhoods - combined with the news about the "return of the dead" that began to spread in the city a month ago
Bizarre stories, all these disturbing things seemed to suddenly come together and began to spread quietly in the city.
The city-states on the boundless sea are like crowded pigeonholes. There is a vast ocean between the cities, but people are close to each other. Nothing is more difficult than conveying news between city-states, and naturally there is nothing more difficult than conveying news between city-states.
It is easier to pass messages within the city-state.
But even so, life still has to go by. Uneasy news only spreads in the streets and alleys. Citizens still go out and work as usual. At most, they talk about the current situation in the city when they squeeze into the bus or meet in a pub.
Weird atmosphere - a little pressure is not enough to disturb the operation of a city-state.
In the final analysis, people living in this world have long been accustomed to the haze of life. For them, some bizarre things happening in the city are normal. The sabotage activities of cultists and the occasional night monsters are all part of daily life.
A part of the world - a city that can still be peaceful and peaceful after dark is abnormal for them.
At the junction of Cemetery No. 4 and Oak Street, a tavern named "Golden Flute" is gradually becoming lively.
Most citizens who go to the factory from the neighborhood to work in the early morning will pass by this intersection. As a cheap pub open to the public, "Golden Flute" is the best place for everyone to stop before going to work - it not only provides drinks, but also decent snacks.
The coffee and simple breakfast are the best to satisfy your hunger and ward off the cold. Chatting with people here during breakfast can also be regarded as a little distraction before the start of a stressful and busy day of work.
The waiters in the tavern were busy shuttling between several round tables, and the clerk was receiving guests behind the bar. The warm yellow light shone from the roof, dispelling the winter chill. A middle-aged man with a slender face and yellow hair was sitting at the bar.
Sitting on a chair not far behind, he was casually flipping through the newspaper in his hand while paying attention to the situation in the store from the corner of his eye.
The restaurant seemed a bit noisy, with occasional crude jokes or unbridled swear words mixed in. Most of the people who came to dine here were not the so-called "upper-class citizens", and more people went to work in the industrial belt from the downtown area.
Ordinary people gather here to discuss what happened in the lower city or factory area during breakfast, or to judge the recent changes in the city-state.
Most of their opinions are superficial and boring, and no one pays attention to these people's opinions on the city.
As long as they don't fight in the store, everything will be fine.
The middle-aged store manager with blond hair turned the newspaper to the next page and yawned out of boredom.
Then, he felt that the surroundings seemed a little quieter - and then, something seemed to block the light coming from above.
The store manager raised his head and saw a burly figure standing in front of him.
The other party was wearing a pitch-black windbreaker that reminded people of nightfall. The high stand-up collar blocked most of his face, and the wide-brimmed hat was pressed down like a dark cloud, blocking all prying eyes from the outside world. And there was only a gap between the clothes.
, all that can be seen are layers of bandages.
The majestic sight is hidden in the shadow of the low-pitched top hat.
A sense of coercion that was hard to ignore just from the perspective of sight came towards him. The middle-aged store manager with withered hair felt his heart suffocate almost instantly. Panic appeared in his eyes involuntarily. His first reaction was to put the other person in front of him.
He mistakenly thought he was a priest of the Death Cult - because those devout priests like this kind of "bandage dress" that is slightly excessive for ordinary people, but then he realized that the man in black was not wearing any
The triangular symbol of the church, and he did not carry the special cane that comes standard with the defenders.
After a moment of panic, the middle-aged store manager forced himself to calm down. He saw that there were three other people behind this burly figure, including a young lady with the same staggering height, an old man who looked kind-hearted, and an old man with a kind face.
The blonde woman wearing a veil, with a noble and mysterious temperament, couldn't help but have thoughts in her heart.
He was a "guest" who came specifically for him. His clothes were definitely not kind, and his faintly heavy aura could even make him breathless... Was he the secret police chief of the central city? Or someone else on the cold sea.
People sent by forces? Why do they come to me? To threaten, to win over, or... to ask for something?
He put the newspaper in his hand aside, stood up calmly, looked up at the man in black in front of him: "Who are you looking for?"
"Mr. Nemo Wilkins," Duncan noticed the panic and nervousness in the eyes of the middle-aged man in front of him. It was obviously forced by his own momentum, but this was intentional - he was observing the other person's reaction.
Being able to expose the other party's truest emotional changes will help determine whether a person has been affected by cognitive interference or memory modification. "Is this your name?"
"Everyone here knows my name," Nemo Wilkins nodded, while gently waving his hand to the clerk not far away, "Are you here to see me? But I'm just an honest guy.
A businessman who is divided..."
"It's often foggy on the sea recently, and the wind is very cold," Duncan said slowly, and at the same time he reached into his arms and took out the map of the city-state prepared by Tirian himself. "We need a glass of good wine to warm our stomachs - it's best to
It warms the hearts of the dead."
The moment he heard the words "It's often foggy on the sea and the wind is very cold", Nemo's breathing changed extremely slightly, and then his eyes fell on the city-state map.
This "store manager" hid all his emotions and changes in his eyes very well. In fact, except for the changes in his breathing and heartbeat at that moment, there was nothing strange about him from his appearance, but it was such a small reaction.
, still did not escape Vanna’s eyes.
"It seems it's him." Vanna said softly.
Duncan nodded slightly and put away the folded map: "Is there a location on the second floor?"
"The seats upstairs are full," Nemo shook his head, "come with me."
With that said, he walked out from the counter and led a few uninvited guests to a door next to the stairs.
There was still a lot of noise in the tavern. Even if someone noticed the movement at the counter, no one paid much attention to what happened.
Duncan and his party followed the store manager Nemo. They passed through the slightly short wooden door and entered a passage that seemed to lead to the warehouse behind the store. However, they entered another door in the middle of the passage and walked along the
A sloping ramp went down for a long distance - until it felt like they were far away from the tavern on the surface, they stopped in front of a dark wooden door.
"This place is really deep." Morris couldn't help but muttered.
"There is no harm in being cautious. People related to the Sea Mist Fleet are not welcome in this city," Nemo Wilkins said as he walked towards the door. "Enemies are everywhere - even if half a century has passed.
.”
"How did you dig out such a place under the nose of the city-state authorities?" Fanna's focus is different from others. As a judge, she is more concerned about a "grey middleman" hiding in the city-state.
Tips: "If you want to dig such a long tunnel under a tavern, how do you transport the stones and soil out? How do you hide the movement during the excavation?"
Nemo Wilkins turned his head slightly, glanced at the extraordinarily tall white-haired lady, and said with a smile: "It's very simple - there is no need to dig, this is part of the frost underground waterway."
After the words fell, the dark door was also opened. With a creaking sound, the glow of the gas lamp came into the eyes of Duncan and his party.
Also appearing together was the faint sound of running water coming from nowhere.
Duncan looked beyond the door and saw an extraordinarily wide "hall" on the opposite side. It seemed to be the intersection of ancient sewers. In the distance, there were corridors extending into the darkness, and there were tables and chairs.
The bed and shelves are placed in the corner of the hall, which actually looks habitable.