Anne didn't know what was going on. She just had time to see two strangers standing at the entrance of the cemetery, but the old guard's slightly hunched body blocked her view. The old man's slightly nervous voice reached her ears: "Child, don't look over there."

The little girl was a little nervous: "Grandpa Guard, what's wrong?"

"Don't move, don't talk, it's okay." The old man said softly, while his eyes still stayed on the burly figure. He placed one hand at his side to block Anne's somewhat uneasy sight, and the other hand was pressed on his chest - there was an amulet there, which could be used to trigger the alarm of the entire cemetery if necessary.

The burly figure walked towards this side.

All the old man's muscles tensed up.

"Good morning," a deep voice came from under the thick bandages, as if carrying an echo from the grave, "This should be my first official 'visit'."

There was clear language communication and the attitude was friendly - just like the previous contacts, this unspeakable "visitor" showed a friendly attitude.

But the old guard didn't dare to relax his muscles at all. He had thought that this visitor would come again sooner or later, and had also thought about the circumstances under which he would communicate with the other party. However, he never expected that the other party would come to the gate of the cemetery so openly, stand opposite and greet him. He didn't know whether Anne behind him would be affected by this visitor, so he could only stand between the two as much as possible, thinking quickly about the next response.

Duncan saw the old man's nervousness.

He looked even more nervous than when they first met - was it because of the child he was protecting?

"Relax," Duncan said, with a hint of laughter in his tone, "I have no hostility - and I won't hurt the kid behind you."

"I know you are friendly, but your presence alone may affect ordinary people," the old guard said carefully, trying his best not to offend the visitor in front of him. "This child has not received any training in the supernatural."

"Oh, then she is safe," Duncan said. "You should understand what she can't see."

The old guard was silent for a moment. He knew what the other party meant. He also knew that as an ordinary person, Anne would not be affected by some extraordinary power like himself. However, he still did not relax. He just asked cautiously: "What do you want to do this time?"

"Isn't that priestess here?" Duncan glanced curiously in the direction of the cemetery. "I have something important to tell her."

"She has just left," said the old guard, with increased caution at the mention of Agatha. "What do you want with her?"

Then he paused, and added: "I can contact her at any time - the cemetery keeper is also a clergyman and can directly contact the cathedral and the gatekeeper."

"Ah, that's good, I can save some trouble," Duncan said, raising his hand to search his pocket - this action made the cemetery guard in front of him visibly nervous, he smiled and shook his head, "Don't be nervous, if I really have bad intentions, I don't need to raise my hand."

As he finished speaking, he had already taken out a sealed letter from his windbreaker pocket and handed it to the old man in front of him.

"Pass this to the 'gatekeeper' named Agatha, or you can pass it directly to your cathedral," Duncan said casually, "It's a message anyway, just deliver it."

A... letter? It was actually a letter? !

The old guard looked at what the other party took out in astonishment, and reacted only after he took it subconsciously. He blinked in confusion, never expecting that an unknown visitor would come to the cemetery in person just to give him a letter.

He turned the envelope over and looked at it again.

On the back of the envelope, one could actually see the mark and number of a small local printing house - this wasn't even some "ritual secret letter" condensed by some supernatural power; it was bought from a newsstand at a crossroads, or maybe even bought while passing by this morning.

The old man raised his head, his slightly cloudy and yellow eyes showing obvious doubts and inquiries.

"It's a small contribution to the safety of the city-state," Duncan smiled, but his friendly expression was completely blocked by the bandage. Then he looked past the old guard and looked at the little girl hiding behind the old man. "Did you get scared?"

"No," Annie shook her head and carefully looked through the old man's fingers at the tall and burly figure opposite her. "I'm very brave."

"I have a niece who is also very brave," Duncan said, looking at the old man, "This child is..."

"He just wanted to visit the cemetery. He is an ordinary person who has nothing to do with the church," the old man said immediately. After realizing that Anne was really not affected, he relaxed a little. "I was trying to persuade the child to go back. The weather is too bad today."

"It's easy to slip when it snows," Duncan nodded, then looked at the little girl and asked casually, "What's your name? How old are you this year?"

The old guard's heart tightened, and he wanted to remind Annie, who had never come into contact with supernatural powers, not to speak. After all, revealing one's name to a superior supernatural being of unknown origin was a very dangerous act.

But he was a step too slow.

"My name is Anne," the girl said without any defensiveness, "Anne Barberi, and I'm twelve years old!"

The cemetery gate was suddenly shrouded in silence.

Duncan quietly looked at the little girl who was sticking her head out from behind the old guard, staring at her eyes and the facial features that vaguely resembled Captain Cristo Barberi.

He just asked casually, but he didn't expect... that things would be so coincidental.

The sound of stepping on snow came from the side. Alice looked at the little girl who called herself "Annie Barbery" in surprise, then turned to look at Duncan: "Ah, I remember the last name Barbery, isn't it..."

Duncan slowly bent down, so that his eyes would be level with the girl's, and tried to speak in a gentler tone: "Is your last name Barberi?"

Anne seemed a little nervous because of the sudden change in the atmosphere. She shrank behind the old guard and said, "Yes, yes."

"Captain Cristo Barberi, what is your relationship with him?"

"He is... my father." Annie said in a low voice, then subconsciously grabbed the old guard's clothes and looked up at the old man, as if wanting to ask for help.

However, the old man did not react. He just looked astonished, as if he had thought of something. He looked at Duncan with an incredible expression, and at the same time looked at the young woman with a veil and blonde shawl with doubt.

"You are Captain Crystal's daughter - you and your mother live on Fireplace Street?" Duncan looked at the little girl in front of him and asked again.

Annie nodded hurriedly, then seemed to react: "You... know my dad?"

"…I have met you, although we are not very familiar with each other," Duncan said softly, "He asked me to visit you and your mother. I haven't had the chance to look for you yet, but I didn't expect to meet you here."

Anne's eyes widened in surprise.

The same thing happened to the old guard standing by.

"My father..." Annie opened her mouth, but couldn't think of what to say for a long time. After trying hard to organize her words for a long time, she asked carefully, "He is really dead...right?"

Duncan nodded slightly.

"Then...will he be sent here again?" Annie asked hurriedly. "The adults said that the souls of those who believe in the god of death will return to Bartok's cemetery after death, and then be led to the gate. The caretaker told me that this cemetery is..."

As Annie was speaking, her voice suddenly became softer.

In fact, she had stopped believing what the old man had told her a long time ago.

She is twelve years old this year.

Duncan suddenly reached out and rubbed Anne's head. A few snowflakes that had not yet melted fell from the thick woolen hat and mixed with the accumulated snow.

"Captain Christo was a remarkable man, a very remarkable man - he is now in Bartok's country, where he is resting well."

Anne looked up and blinked.

She still couldn't quite comprehend what Duncan meant by this - she didn't even understand the existence of this tall, burly figure in front of her.

But the cemetery guard next to her suddenly reacted.

The old man suddenly pressed Anne's shoulders to stop the child from talking. Then he raised his head and looked directly into Duncan's eyes: "What you said... is it true?"

"...I think so," Duncan thought for a moment. He didn't know what the so-called door of the God of Death Bartok was, nor did he know what humans would experience after death. But in front of a child, he knew what he should say - this was also what he sincerely hoped for. "I personally sent him away."

The old guard's pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly concealed the change in his expression.

"It's almost time for me to leave," Duncan said. He looked at Anne, who was still a little confused, and then at the cemetery guard. "Although I still have a lot to say, I have a lot of things to do. Let's meet again when there is a chance.

"Also, don't forget the letter."

The old guard blinked, and before he could say anything, he saw a flash of green flame before his eyes and disappear.