Frost, in the domed office of the city-state governor, Tirian was standing in front of the mirror, carefully arranging the medals and ribbons on his chest.
The one-eyed face is still cold and even a little scary, but the brand-new consul uniforms and the shining medals have transformed this coldness into a trustworthy majesty to a certain extent - at this moment, the city is
A majestic governor is needed.
Tirian breathed out softly and turned to look at the other side of the dome office.
Two undead sailors are hanging the new city-state flag on the wall, and next to the flag, a line of powerful words is still engraved next to the gate as it was half a century ago:
"Let as many people as possible survive"
Ti Rui looked at the words quietly, and after a long time he nodded slightly and walked towards the large desk not far away - there was still a short period of time before the official event started, so he could still take advantage of this time to reminisce.
, organize the process to be followed later, or calm down the mood.
The complex lens group placed on the table started to rotate on its own, and the surface of the crystal ball in the center of the lens group glowed slightly. Lucretia's figure emerged from the dim light, looking Tirian up and down.
"This outfit suits you very well," said the "Sea Witch" in a black dress. "It matches the eye patch very well."
Tirian tugged on the button near the collar and glanced sideways at his sister in the crystal ball: "Are you here specifically to tease me?"
"I'm complimenting you from the bottom of my heart," Lucretia said with a serious face, "You haven't maintained your image so seriously in many years - the pirate's rough and deliberately frightening appearance is actually not suitable for you at all.
"
"I may have to maintain this image for a long time in the future, until a more suitable consul appears, or my father has other arrangements," Tirian paused after saying this, "Sooner or later, I will miss those free and easy people.
of the day.”
"At least it's not today," Lucretia said with a smile on her lips, "How about you, you are about to be sworn in as the consul of a city-state. How does it feel? I heard that you will also take a car tour in the future to show yourself to
citizens?"
"The tour part is to calm people's hearts and make people believe that order has been re-established and that there are still people at the top of the city-state who are taking responsibility. Although I don't like this part very much, it is necessary," Tirian said, "As for becoming a consul
a feeling of……"
He stopped, shook his head after a moment and continued: "I don't feel anything, because the work handover and team building in the Government Affairs Department have already been carried out. I have been busy as a consul until now. Today's so-called 'swearing-in' ceremony
, it’s just a ‘process’ facing the public.”
"Really? Then I wish you a smooth process, brother," Lucretia laughed, suddenly using the name they used when they were children many, many years ago, and then she paused briefly, her expression
Seriously, "How are you preparing for what father ordered?"
"I have drafted several secret letters to be sent to other city-states, but the specific details still need to be worked out - to convey a warning, to make them aware of the seriousness of the situation, and to avoid ambiguity and avoid other city-states from being redundant or excessive.
Frankly speaking, this kind of paperwork is much more difficult than leading a fleet to fight against the Children of the Deep Sea or other pirates."
"If you want me to tell you, you should make the matter clear. To be more serious, those who can become consuls are all smart people. At least they should have enough smart people under them. They know how to deal with it. You just give them
Just a reminder, I'm not teaching them how to set up an 'early warning mechanism' like a nanny," Lucretia said casually, "I'm already preparing to contact the Explorers Association - ha, I don't know what they will have then.
reaction."
"From the Homeless Fleet, a warning to the entire civilized world," Tirian said with emotion in his tone, "The last time something like this happened was a century ago."
"...Yes, when my father first discovered that the border collapse phenomenon occurred in the 'inner territory'," Lucretia said quietly, "I still remember the bells ringing in the church at that time, and the newspapers in every city-state
Everyone is discussing the warning from the great adventurer Duncan Abnormar."
"After so many years, he once again looked at the 'border' of this world, and history seemed to have returned to its original point - perhaps in a sense, the Homeless Ship had never strayed, and its century in subspace was just
Some kind of voyage in a wider dimension that we cannot yet understand, and now it is back, with the glory of a new route, just like the sentence left by the mad poet Pullman, 'They could go straight in one direction,
Until you go around the back of the world and return to the world at an amazing angle'..."
Tirian softly recited this absurd poem that is famous in history, and slowly stood up from behind his desk. The sound of the band could be heard faintly outside the dome office, and the footsteps came from the direction of the corridor - time is up, it's time
It's time for the city to meet its new governor.
"Come on, brother - and don't forget my spiritual lens."
"Don't worry, I'll remember it this time."
…
The cold wind blew through the sparse trees beside the road, through the dark carved fence, through the silent tombstones and the empty morgues on both sides of the path, and finally gradually dissipated deep in the cemetery.
Two figures were walking slowly along the path in the cemetery.
A figure was exceptionally tall and burly, wearing a pure black coat and an equally pure black wide-brimmed hat. The skin outside the clothes was covered with layers of bandages, which made him look intimidating.
The other person was wearing a simple black dress like a nun, with her eyes covered and her long brown hair hanging down.
"I thought you would attend the inauguration ceremony of Archon Tirian, even in this incarnation," Agatha walked slowly forward with Duncan and whispered, "I will arrange a suitable position for you.
It’s not difficult.”
"If I don't show up, he's in good condition. If I do show up, he might become nervous," Duncan said. "After that, the motorcade passes by here, and I just say hello to him from a distance."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the rather deserted cemetery path and the empty morgues on both sides of the path.
"...I really miss this place. In my memory, this place used to be full of coffins."
"During special periods, we have to temporarily change the process of sending souls. During this period, the corpses must be sent to the incinerator as soon as possible. The Silent Monk directly comforts and bids them farewell by the furnace, so the cemetery seems quieter."
Duncan hummed, and then suddenly stopped when he was about to reach the end of the path.
The simple caretaker's hut appeared in front of him - there was a special guest in front of the hut.
The twelve-year-old girl, wearing a thick white winter coat and a furry hat, was busy in front of the caretaker's hut like a tightly wrapped snowball, holding a big tree that was almost as tall as herself.
Broom, trying hard to clear the snow in front of the house.
"Is that Anne?" Duncan asked softly, tilting his head slightly.
"It's her - except for the first few days of martial law, she would come here every day during the school break," Agatha said softly. "The guard here is no longer here, and the new guard has not been arranged yet. The cemetery is temporarily
The nearest church is in charge, so it wouldn’t hurt to have her here... so the church tacitly allows her to come and go here as she pleases."
"Do you also have your tacit approval?"
"……Um."
The girl clearing snow in front of the cabin finally noticed movement in the direction of the trail.
She turned her head and looked at the two figures who appeared not far away in surprise. She was stunned for a few seconds and then threw the broom aside and ran over happily.
"Sister Gatekeeper! And Uncle Duncan!"
Anne happily greeted the two acquaintances in front of her, but as soon as she finished shouting, she seemed to suddenly remember something. She quickly stood up straight again and looked at Agatha: "Mom said, call the gatekeeper, or the archbishop...
"
"It doesn't matter, just call it whatever you like," Agatha laughed, reaching out and pressing Anne's hat, "Are you cold?"
"It's not cold," Anne shook her head, and then she grabbed Agatha's hand and pointed to the hut not far away with her other hand. "Your hand is too cold. Come in and warm yourself by the fire - I
And made herbal tea!”
Agatha subconsciously wanted to refuse, but when she saw Duncan walking towards the hut, she was stunned for a moment and had no choice but to follow him.
In the neat and simple caretaker's hut, the fire is blazing, the firewood is crackling in the hearth, and the samovar next to it is steaming, and the heat is filled with the fragrance and bitterness of herbs.
Anne poured two cups of hot tea and put the warm cups into the hands of Duncan and Agatha: "This is for the patrolling church guards. They will be here soon. If you... don't drink,
It’s good to warm your hands.”
It seemed that the girl only realized belatedly that the "gatekeeper sister" in front of her was already a corpse.
Agatha didn't pay attention. She said thank you and held the cup that was gradually getting hot.
"Is it warmer?" Anne asked again.
It's cold, the whole world is cold, the tea cup is cold, and so is the fire.
Agatha smiled gently: "It's much warmer."
Then, she noticed Duncan looking around from time to time.
"What are you looking at?" she asked doubtfully.
"I think this is a good place to 'place'," Duncan retracted his gaze from looking around the room and said to Agatha, "After all, if it is only used to 'place' an incarnation, the house on Oak Street seems a bit...
wasted."
Agatha was stunned for a moment, then she gradually came to her senses, a look of surprise appeared on her face: "You...could it be..."
"The Lost Home will continue its voyage, and my incarnation in the city also needs a place to stay," Duncan said calmly, "You don't have to worry about new guards. This can save you a lot of time."