In the dark coffin, the old bishop, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, finally told the secret he had kept hidden for half a century, and after that, there was a long silence.

Agatha's voice broke the silence: "But it is obvious that this matter is not over."

The old bishop did not speak, so Agatha asked again: "In your opinion... the frequent anomalies in the city-state and the shadow of Dagger Island... are they also part of the Frost Queen's calculations?"

"The queen is not a god. She may have predicted that there would be rebels to stop her 'crazy' behavior, but she could not have predicted what would happen here half a century later." Bishop Ivan shook his head. He was still recalling the details of the past, but perhaps because it was too long ago, many details were actually blurred in his mind. "I can't remember what the queen said to me that night. During the sending-off ceremony, she seemed to be talking to me the whole time, but you know, the ceremony requires high concentration, and you have to inhale incense in advance. I... I really can't remember what she said to me."

He paused for a moment, and spread his hands helplessly: "Under normal circumstances, there would be no 'dead' lying on the platform to communicate with the priests conducting the ceremony about their experience of the ceremony."

Agatha remained silent. After thinking for a while, she suddenly spoke: "Can you tell me more about what happened back then? Before the Abyss Project was completely ended...what else did you see in that church?"

"...As far as I can remember, it snowed heavily that day, just like this year. Moreover, for a long period of time, the snowfall of varying sizes almost never stopped. The accumulated snow often covered the streets around the chapel, making it difficult to see the boundaries of the roads. As a result, many more people fell down," Bishop Ivan recalled quietly. His slow and dull voice seemed to lead people's imagination directly to that cold winter half a century ago. "People who fell down often came to the church to seek help - because the neighborhood clinics were already full at the time.

"At that time, the Abyss Project had already caused a lot of uneasiness in the city. It was not a taboo topic like it is today. Although the core part was confidential, most people knew about the existence of such a 'sea exploration' plan. So people who came to the church often told me about the 'strange things' in their eyes..."

"Strange?" Agatha couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, strange things. Some people said they saw lights appear in houses that had been uninhabited for a long time. Some people said their familiar neighbors suddenly changed their appearance when they went out one day. Some people said they saw the gate of the cemetery open late at night, and people who were buried during the day walked out of the cemetery at night. These were all terrifying and bizarre stories, both during the day and at night. Since the most evil thing in the city-state at that time was the Abyss Project, people attributed all these abnormal phenomena to the Abyss Project, and then... they began to attribute them to the Frost Queen."

"The people buried in the cemetery walked out openly," Agatha frowned as she listened to the old bishop's story, as if she was thinking about the present moment, "and lights appeared in uninhabited houses. This... this sounds..."

"It sounds a lot like the fake corpse in Cemetery No. 3 and the room you saw at 42 Hearth Street, right?" the old bishop said slowly. "But the difference is that you saw tangible evidence and even collected evidence that was suspected to be the 'Element', while back then there were only rumors in the city-state - every day someone came to tell me that they had encountered some strange things, but the guards went out everywhere, but all came up empty-handed."

"All in vain?" asked Agatha.

"Yes, of course we have to send people to investigate when we receive reports from residents. Even half a century ago, we had these rigorous procedures. I sent many people to investigate those horror stories. The cathedral gatekeeper at that time even conducted an investigation in person like you, but we found nothing. Apart from the nervous citizens, everything in the city-state was actually normal - but in contrast, the test site of the Abyss Project was gradually completely blocked off, and all the terrible things happened in the blockade area.

"As for what happened there... you must have seen it in the archives - the constant appearance of replica submersibles, the unregistered strangers, and the explorers who died in the deep sea."

Agatha was silent for a moment, her mind racing. For some reason, she felt that she sensed something inconsistent in the old bishop's story, something... wrong that no one had noticed for half a century.

"That is to say, although the Abyss Project caused panic among the people, in fact, all abnormal events were concentrated in the test site, and the city-state was actually operating normally. Although everyone was under great psychological pressure, the city's operation was also difficult due to the queen's extreme decrees, and people kept reporting abnormal events, but from the perspective of supernatural power, the "pollution" from the deep sea has never spread beyond the blockade line of that year?"

"...at least that's how I remember it," the old bishop nodded gently, but then changed the subject, "Of course, even so, I'm not defending the Frost Queen back then. Even if everything in the city-state was normal, her Abyss Plan had already stretched the Frost Queen's economy and everyone's nerves to the critical point. Even if the Abyss Plan was really under her control and never got out of control, that rebellion... uprising was bound to happen."

Agatha seemed not to notice what the old bishop said at the end. She just thought about it silently for a while, then shook her head: "Let's focus on the present, Bishop Ivan. I want to know what you think about the current situation in the city and the letter of complaint in my hand."

"You found traces of the Annihilation Cultists in the city, and there is evidence that they were behind it. This is actually a good thing. When supernatural pollution occurs, the most terrifying thing is not finding the enemy, but not finding the enemy."

Bishop Ivan spoke slowly and raised the letter in his hand.

"This is also mentioned in the report letter you brought. It is suspected that the Annihilation Cultists in Frost City communicated with the power of the deep sea through some secret rituals, causing deep sea pollution to directly overflow into the city-state. So we should find a way to find the place where those cultists held the rituals."

Agatha stared at the old bishop's eye that was exposed outside the bandage: "Do you think... the 'visitor' who wrote this letter of complaint can be trusted?"

"At least, there is evidence that everything mentioned in the report is true. Even the parts that cannot be verified for the time being are logically valid," Bishop Ivan nodded. "Of course, I cannot say whether the person who wrote the letter can be trusted. The emotions and perspectives of the higher transcendents are different from those of ordinary people, so we can never get along with them with human emotional logic.

“I can only say that when they temporarily show neutrality or friendliness, we can cooperate with them or even take the initiative to cooperate with them. But when they suddenly find this boring and are ready to turn hostile, we don’t have to be confused or surprised. We must know that the only superior transcendents in this world that we can truly trust and be loyal to are the Four Gods. Everything else is neither an enemy nor an ally.”

The old bishop's words contained the wisdom of more than half a century. Even though they were of equal status, Agatha bowed her head slightly in respect.

"Next time the visitor appears, I will try to take the initiative to contact him and see his current attitude."

"That's best." Bishop Ivan nodded.

Agatha thought about it and looked at the letter currently in the old bishop's hand.

"So now, there is only one last piece of the puzzle left."

Following her gaze, Bishop Ivan's eyes also fell on the last part of the letter of complaint.

The content of the entire letter was easy to understand, but the last part was the only part that was difficult for either the cemetery keeper who initially received the letter, or Agatha and Bishop Ivan now, to comprehend its profound meaning.

The two spokesmen who represented the highest will of the church in the city-state came together, and the three eyes exposed under the bandages stared at the end of the letter.

The unnameable mysterious visitor left a puzzle in His secret letter.

"...What does this string of numbers mean?" Bishop Ivan asked hesitantly.

Agatha slowly shook her head: "I don't understand it either."

"…Perhaps we can ask a fortuneteller to deduce it, or ask experts in mathematics and mysticism to calculate it together - it may be a secret number that points to the future of the city-state."

“That makes sense.”

※※※

At 44 Oak Street, right next to Fireplace Street on the edge of the upper city, Duncan stood at the narrow window at the end of the second-floor corridor, looking at the gradually falling night.

After a long while, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Vanna who was in a daze beside him: "Do you think they have transferred the money now?"

Vanna woke up from her distraction, looking confused: "Ah...ah?"

"Go to the bank for me tomorrow and see if they have transferred the money," Duncan said seriously. "I left an anonymous account number in the report letter. It is used to receive the reward money for reporting."

Vanna: “…Ah?”