Chapter 502: Call me before leaving... What the hell?
For the "fake Agatha" who was born from the mirror image, her life was split into two distinct parts——
A part of it is warm, bright, and fulfilling, full of all her love, hate, and attachment to the world, but in essence it is just a lie fabricated and fed into her own mind;
The other part lasted only three days, full of stress, exhaustion, pain, and the final relief of dying, but that was the only memory that truly belonged to her.
But now, the deceased has returned to the world, and the counterfeit has a chance to continue. The problem before her is - the former is very attached to her, but she is doomed to not get it. After a long time, all the regrets will eventually change.
She becomes resentful, the latter is real but thin, and her pale and short life is not enough for her to survive as a complete "person".
Captain Duncan gave her a reminder before this destined to be difficult disagreement, and after thinking for a long time, she came to a conclusion: leave the frost.
The dark and cold deep sea was terrifying, but the "dive" process itself made her discover for the first time that there was another possibility of "life", just like the captain described to her in the submersible -
"We are groping forward in an endless darkness. Civilization itself is just a delicate and fragile sampan. The light illuminates the surroundings of the sampan. We use the crude wisdom of mortals to try to understand the glimpses that emerge in the darkness.
Guess what the world looks like...
"Most people can only huddle in a safe corner of the sampan throughout their lives, but there is always someone who is responsible for holding the light on the bow of the ship and looking into the distance. This is a road destined to move forward forever, because of the 'unknown'
This is a one-way concept, so... maybe I can give it a try."
Agatha said calmly in the mirror. The black clothes on her body that represented the identity of the gatekeeper had quietly changed at some point, turning into a set of clothes that looked like a sea adventurer-somewhat like Ma.
She was dressed in Lisa's outfit, but there were still some traces of the Church of Death. She raised her hand and took off the hat that symbolized the priest, letting her long hair fall down, and the bandages that wrapped her body slowly faded away.
.
She raised her head and looked at Duncan with a smile.
"Fake things have no real past, but I can have a real future. Let those precious memories lie quietly in the past, so that at least when I recall them in the future, they will still be bright and warm, not
As for being stained with a dirty color by the weaknesses of human nature.
"Ms. Martha designed this outfit for me. What do you think?"
Duncan looked at Agatha in the mirror, and after a long time he nodded seriously: "It's very suitable."
"Do you think I need to change my name?" Agatha said again, "If I plan to embark on a new path from now on, shouldn't I make some changes starting with my name?"
Duncan was silent for a long time this time, but after thinking for a long time, he still shook his head: "No, I think it's fine if you still call me Agatha."
"Why?"
"Because I'm used to being called, so it's inconvenient to change my name," Duncan replied casually, "Anyway, I can tell 'you' apart, and 'you' can also tell each other apart."
Agatha in the mirror took a deep look at Duncan: "...This doesn't seem to be your real answer, but it's enough to convince me. I happen to like this name too - just think of it as a reminder of my 'past'.
Let’s take one last moment to commemorate it.”
Duncan nodded: "Well, it's good that you think so."
"Have you already arranged things in the city-state?" Agatha asked again, "Do you really plan to be a 'cemetery guard' in Hanshuang from now on?"
Duncan raised his eyebrows: "What's wrong with this position?"
"There's nothing wrong with that...it's just weird to think that 'Captain Duncan', who is like a shadow of subspace in the eyes of many people, would guard a cemetery in a city-state," Agatha said frankly to herself in the mirror
thought, "But as long as you are willing, this is of course a good thing - I am afraid that no place will be safer than that cemetery in the future."
"I think it's very good. I also run an antique shop in Puland. Maintaining activities in a civilized society can adjust your mentality very well," Duncan smiled, "not to mention maintaining an incarnation in the city-state.
Life also requires expenses, and being a guard in a cemetery can at least provide you with some income..."
Duncan stopped suddenly.
He slowly raised his head, looked at the "gatekeeper" in the mirror, and asked with great solemnity: "Will the cathedral pay me as the 'new gatekeeper' a salary?"
Agatha didn't react until this moment: "You still need salary?!"
"You don't pay wages?!"
"Ah, of course it is paid under normal circumstances. The salary of the cemetery guard is directly paid by the cathedral..." Agatha said with a strange expression, "But it is not normal for a subspace shadow to come to the cemetery to be a guard.
, I strongly suggest that you go to the cathedral and talk to the other Agatha about this matter seriously, because based on my understanding of 'myself', if you don't take the initiative to mention it, she will never think of it - or in other words, dare not think of it.
this matter."
Duncan: "...Is it so outrageous?"
"The string of numbers you wrote at the end of the report almost drove a room full of cryptographers and mathematicians crazy. Later, when you transferred money to your bank account, the cathedral even set up a secret operations team to pay attention to changes in the spiritual world.
——When you deal with ordinary people as a 'subspace shadow', please consider the outlook of most normal humans."
Duncan's mouth trembled and he rubbed his forehead: "...Okay, I understand."
Agatha seemed relieved, and then asked curiously: "Now that the frost situation has been decided, what are your plans next?"
"I am going to return to the central sea and follow some of the archaeological information provided by Morris to check out the ancient ruins and strange sea areas that interest me along the route. If possible, I will get close to or even enter some of the things that are classified as 'anomalies'
Area, explore as much as possible and learn about the world." Duncan had obviously already planned, and immediately talked about his exploration plan with great interest, "In the process, continue to maintain contact with the civilized world, and take a look at major churches.
How do you react to my 'warning'? If they are interested, I don't mind dealing with those mysterious church arks again..."
"Sounds like a desirable adventure," Agatha said with pleasure and expectation in her voice. "It's full of risks, but it's worth it. It seems like my decision was right... So shall we set off now?"
Or do I need to make some more preparations?”
"Don't worry, we have to make arrangements for the White Oak first, and we have to tell Tirian anyway," Duncan laughed. "He should have returned to the dome office by now, and I'll just go and have a chat with him."
call'."
"Understood, then I won't disturb you." Agatha lowered her head, and her figure gradually disappeared from the mirror.
At the same time, in the dome office of the Frost Administration Hall, Tirian had sent away the last department representative - he changed out of the gorgeous but uncomfortable coat used for attending ceremonies and put on his daily clothes again.
He was wearing a good attire, sitting behind his desk and heaving a sigh of relief.
Next, he will take a short break to prepare for the rest of the day's work.
Managing a city is far more difficult than managing a fleet, especially a city full of messes. Even on the day when he was sworn in, he had no chance to interrupt his work. This morning's schedule was "squeezed in" between his normal work schedule.
"When he goes in, he has to deal with all the delayed matters in the afternoon and evening.
What's more, he has to deal with more than just Frost City-State matters.
The huge "industry" that Haiwu Fleet has operated in the past fifty years, the complex and subtle connections between himself and other city-states, the balance of power in Leng Liehai, and the relationship with his "family"... all of these combined, in fact,
Nor is it any easier than the work of a consul.
Tirian let out a long sigh, opened a locked drawer next to his desk, and took out a lot of files and information - there were files related to the Sea Mist Fleet, some shared information from the Brilliant Star, and some from other sources.
Private letters from the city-state.
The rest time means that he can temporarily put aside his work as a consul and do a bunch of other tasks that are as difficult as being a consul.
Tirian glanced at the pile of things and couldn't help but raise his hand and scratch his hair.
For some reason, the smooth head of first mate Aiden suddenly appeared in his mind.
The terrifying association that suddenly emerged in his mind made the new consul couldn't help but feel a chill, and he suddenly stopped grabbing his hair.
"Aiden shaved it by himself, Aiden shaved it by himself... He has regretted it for a century..."
Tirian muttered softly, as if to divert himself from the pressure he felt when facing the pile of things in front of him, and at this moment, a slight crackling sound suddenly came from nearby, suddenly interrupting his soliloquy.
.
After subconsciously trembling in his heart, he quickly calmed down and looked up at the mirror on the nearby wall with a calm face.
He is used to it...
Duncan's figure appeared in the mirror.
"Son, I came to say hello - is everything going well?"
"Everything goes well, father," Tirian stood up and carefully met his father's gaze, but his heart was much more relaxed than usual, "What are your orders?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I'm ready to leave..."
Duncan stopped suddenly.
Tirian looked at his father in the mirror with confusion, but saw that the other man was staring at... the table next to him, with a particularly strange expression.
There was shock in that expression.
This shock made Tirian's heart tighten, and he hurriedly followed his father's gaze, but what he saw was just a piece of paper that fell out of the pile of documents just now, which was sent by Lucretia from the Brilliant Star.
my own.
It is an "academic shared material".
Duncan's extremely serious voice came from the mirror: "Tirion, what is that? Get it closer and show me!"
"Ah...ok," Tirian agreed hurriedly, picked up the piece of paper and walked to the mirror, showing the image on the paper to his father, "Is there any problem with this?"
"...Where did this pattern come from?"
"It's from Lucretia," Tirian replied immediately, with a nervous and guilty tone, "I didn't tell you before, but she was actually studying something that fell from the sky during this period..."
Duncan did not speak, but just stared at the piece of paper. After a long time, he broke the silence with a soft voice as if talking to himself in a dream: "...the moon?"