Agatha held the small flame in her hand and took another step, walking deeper into the second waterway.
In fact, she has lost her sense of time, and even her perception of everything around her has become blurred. She can no longer remember exactly how long she has been trekking in this damp and cold place, or how many monsters she has solved.
, and how many wounds were added in the process - for a certain period of time, she even forgot her own name and why she appeared in this sewer.
But when the green flame jumped in the palm of her hand, she would always find her own reason and firmly remember the only and ultimate mission - to bring the fire and send the fire to the lairs of the heretics.
The cold wind blew from the dark corridor ahead, and the wind seemed to be carrying layers of whispers and roars. Agatha's body swayed. She sensed the presence of malice in the wind, and carefully held the flame in her hand.
The ground is hidden in the inner layer of the tattered black clothes.
She had to hide it so that those heretics wouldn't notice it. She raised her head and looked into the darkness, seeing countless shadows of irregular shapes undulating in the wind. The gas lamps on the corridor walls had dimmed until only fireflies remained.
Tiny fire-like shimmers and filthy black mud seeped out bit by bit from the surrounding roofs and pipe grates, squirming, gathering, forming, and making a sickening murmur.
Agatha lifted up the cane that was covered in scars like her own. For some reason, she felt that she was full of strength again, and the annoying tiredness had quietly disappeared.
She slammed her cane on the ground, staring intently at the blasphemous and filthy things surging in the darkness. The tip of the cane hit the ground, making a roar like a bell——
"Dong——"
The elevator creaked and the car sank precariously into the depths of the mine. The guard warrior who was on guard at the edge of the elevator car suddenly raised his head and said to his comrades beside him in confusion:
"Did you hear anything just now?"
"It seemed like a bang," another guard said in surprise, then subconsciously turned his head and glanced at the gatekeeper standing in the middle of the car.
"Like...just like..."
Just as His Excellency the Gatekeeper struck with his staff before the purification of heretics began.
The sound of "death knell" - he wanted to say this, but didn't say it.
Because the gatekeeper is here, she is concentrating with her eyes closed.
As if she heard the conversation of her subordinates, Agatha opened her eyes. She glanced around, silently came to the edge of the car surrounded by guardrails, and looked down.
"Gatekeeper," the guard who spoke before came over and said hesitantly,
"There seemed to be some noise coming from below just now. Could it be that someone else is also operating in the mine?"
"We are the only ones here," Agatha said without looking back.
"Don't worry about the sound just now."
The men temporarily retreated, but Agatha was still looking at the boundless and hazy darkness below.
This is the Boiling Gold Mine, the largest vertical passage leading to the lower excavation area, and even deep inside the mountain, fog... is still everywhere.
Of course, it is impossible for normal fog to permeate such a place, but these strange fogs are obviously the result of extraordinary powers. They penetrate everywhere as if they are conscious, and when the lights are dim,
Going deep into the underground area, the mist fills up as if it appears out of thin air.
The mine elevator creaked and kept descending in this hazy fog, and occasionally dim light groups could be seen moving upwards - those were gas lamps and electric lights set in the shaft. They looked so weak that
When viewed through the mist, it was as small as the glow of a firefly.
But no matter what, the equipment in the mine is obviously still functioning - the ventilation system, power pipelines, lighting systems, lifting devices... are all operating normally.
Of course, you have to be extra careful when using machinery and equipment at this time. Agatha decided to use this elevator only after sending a priest to check the condition of the elevator - a safer option is to use the steps and ramps in the emergency passage.
Go down the well, but that would take too much time and energy.
"I hope this thing doesn't break when we go up there," a young Guardian warrior muttered.
"The freight car and track that crashed out of control on the hillside were impressive."
"Can't you say something nice at this time?" Another older guard suddenly frowned.
"Everyone is on the lift - if you are really nervous, you can just jump off. There will definitely be no malfunction during the free fall."
"No, no, no, I just said casually. This thing looks very solid and stable at first glance. There will definitely be no problems..."
At this time, another nun with short ear-length hair heard the conversation between the two soldiers, walked over and said:
"But I heard that there is a female judge in the distant city-state of Purander. She can jump directly from the cliff to the stone beach to kill the 'heirs.' She will definitely be fine if she jumps from here..."
The two guards were silent for two seconds and said in unison:
"...Is that still a human being?!"
"I just heard..."
The soldiers are talking, which will not affect their subsequent actions, but it can dilute the tension caused by the continuous descent in the darkness - the guards are also human beings, and they also need to soothe their nerves.
Agatha turned her back to them, neither joining them nor stopping her subordinates - she just listened quietly, with a faint smile on her face at some point.
Contrary to what many people think, the usually serious and steady gatekeeper is actually always gentle and tolerant towards his subordinates.
At this moment, the sound of the steel cable tightening and the friction of the braking system sounded from all around, interrupting the communication between the defenders.
The elevator car began to slow down and gradually stopped in an open and cold place.
"This is the traffic point on the first level." Agatha looked around and saw the nearest support structure, lighting system and slightly messy mine equipment in the nearby open space - the hastily evacuated mine workers obviously
I couldn’t take everything away, and traces of the rush can be seen everywhere.
"Where's the traffic map?"
"Here," a priest immediately stepped forward and handed the traffic map he brought from the Mine Affairs Bureau to the gatekeeper.
"Our current location is Well No. 2."
Agatha took the drawings and walked down the elevator while comparing the surrounding environment with the data. At the same time, she recalled the information she obtained from the mine managers before going down the mine:
"The tunnel train leading to the excavation area has been stopped. You can only go to the excavation area on foot. Follow the red line signs. There will be a ramp leading to the mining operation surface 150 meters away."
She raised her head and checked her surroundings again.
"Check around first, set up a safe spot, and then go deeper."
The subordinates got busy, the guards went to confirm the safety of various traffic intersections, and the priests and nuns began to simply purify the open space around the elevator and arrange altars and sacred objects.
Agatha walked around casually.
She stopped in front of a transport box that had overturned on the ground before she could take it away.
The transfer box was made of iron and lined with tin compartments. The lid was not fastened and had been thrown open after it tipped over to the ground. The contents inside could be seen - some ore broken into small pieces.
Those ores have a dim metallic texture, and pale golden veins like blood vessels can be seen on the dark skin.
"It should be a sample for inspection that is prepared to be brought up with the shift changers." A middle-aged guard walked from the side and judged with great experience.
Because she wanted to explore the situation in the mine, about half of the subordinates Agatha brought this time were guards who had been performing tasks in the Boiling Gold Mine area for a long time. Although they were not professional miners, they had some experience in the situation here.
"Is it boiling gold ore..."
Agatha's expression was serious, and she fiddled with a few pieces of ore that fell on the ground with her cane. Then she bent down and picked up a piece to examine carefully.
After a moment, she handed the ore to the middle-aged guard:
"Check it out."
"It is good quality raw ore. It seems that it only needs simple crushing and preliminary screening before it can be sent to the furnace. However, I am not sure about the ore yield...it needs professionals."
Agatha frowned:
"that's all?
There is no problem?"
"I don't see the problem, it's just the ore," the guard said calmly, then became a little confused,
"Do you have any questions?"
Agatha silently picked up a piece of boiling gold ore, looked at it for a long time, and then spoke softly:
"What I am going to say next, although it is just a conjecture, is also confidential - only the personnel involved in this operation can know it, and it must be after going down the well."
The guard standing opposite her was slightly startled, but the next second, the warrior's face had a solemn and serious expression.
Surprised, but not panicked, unexpected, but not at a loss.
Because every priest who is qualified to perform tasks with the gatekeepers - whether they are guardians, nuns or priests - has been a selected person in the church. They have all sworn an oath and signed it under Bartok's gaze.
Got the contract.
Everyone is well aware of the particularity of their mission, and how strange and difficult the events that need to be handled by the gatekeepers personally will be - in these operations that go deep into the darkness, anything may be secret, and it may have been ordinary one second ago.
Things may become taboos that must be isolated from the civilized world in the next second, and even the people participating in the action may become taboos at any time.
Part of the "secret".
After all, some things even just
"Knowing" means leaving eroding cracks in the real world, even if it is only in the mind of the person concerned.
"Impression" is to leave a shadow for future loss of control.
Agatha raised her head and saw that the placement of the temporary altar and holy objects had been completed, and the safety point had been set up.
"Everyone, assemble - I have something to announce."