Duncan changed into a more comfortable position, leaning back on the sofa. He looked through the gaps between the criss-crossing bandages on his face, looking at the priestess in front of him with a half-smile.

"Now that you know my identity, what do you think?" He said with a smile, "From the perspective of the Church of Death - you should report this matter immediately."

Agatha opened her mouth but could not utter a word for a long time. After half a minute, she smiled bitterly and spread her hands: "You put me in a very embarrassing position..."

"But you really should report everything that happened here to the church immediately," Duncan stopped smiling and finally became serious. "Prande was the first, and Frost was the second. Those cultists did cause a lot of trouble in the past years, but troubles of this scale have never appeared so frequently. And don't forget, in addition to the two city-states that almost suffered a catastrophic disaster, the sun above our heads - Anomaly 001, has also recently undergone disturbing changes."

Agatha immediately got rid of her embarrassment. At Duncan's reminder, her expression gradually became serious: "...You mean, these events are all related?"

"I don't know - don't be so surprised, I'm not an omniscient being," Duncan said casually, "but I have a habit. When various low-probability events occur one after another, I tend to think that they are a 'precursor' of a larger system gradually going wrong. Although the actions of the cultists in the two city-states seem to be unrelated, have you ever thought about why they have been able to succeed in the recent period? There have been so many large-scale heretical sacrifices in history, how many of them have successfully caused any trouble?"

Agatha fell into deep thought, and her expression gradually became solemn.

"Report everything," Duncan said softly, "Don't miss any clues - let smart people think about it carefully."

"I understand. I will report it truthfully," Agatha nodded solemnly, then "looked" at Duncan and said, "All of it" as if to emphasize.

"I'm looking forward to the reaction of the Church of Death," Duncan exhaled softly, as if he had let go of a worry. "It's not good to keep dragging it out."

Afterwards, the living room fell into silence for a while, as if everyone was lost in their own thoughts (except Alice). After an unknown amount of time, Agatha suddenly spoke to break the silence: "I should go back."

"Wait a little longer?" Duncan said, "In the current situation, if you go out, you will have countless headaches. You won't have many opportunities to hide away in peace here."

"That's why I have to go back as soon as possible," Agatha shook her head. "The city-state has countless problems to solve right now. Not only the church, but the city hall is also in a mess. If I stay away, there will be no one to take charge of the situation."

"A mess..." Duncan repeated thoughtfully, and then suddenly asked a question, "Do you think that with the remaining organizational strength and manpower of Frostbite, you can really restore order in the entire city in a short period of time?"

Agatha was stunned for a moment, seemingly not understanding Duncan's intention of asking this question suddenly, but after a brief silence she nodded: "...I will do my best."

“‘Do the best you can’ — but a lot of times, doing the best you can doesn’t solve the problem.”

"…What do you mean?"

"I just suddenly have a very bold suggestion," Duncan laughed, his eyes falling on Agatha, "an outsider's suggestion."

※※※

When Agatha left 44 Oak Street, the sky had gradually darkened. The power of the sun was gradually fading from the real world, but the light snow was still fluttering in the sky - fine snowflakes fell from the dark chaos, passing through the dim light of the gas street lamps, and gradually covered the deserted streets.

The night patrol troops of the guards passed by the distant intersection. The clattering footsteps of the steam walkers occasionally broke the silence of the street. The ringing of the bells that marked the alternation between day and night was floating in the distance. The sound of the organ from the small church on the corner was carried in the evening breeze.

The scarred city-state licked its wounds in the night.

The cold wind blew through the streets, blowing Agatha's hair and skirt. She stretched out her hand on the snowy street and tilted her head slightly: "It's still snowing."

Vanna, who had sent her out, turned her eyes away curiously: "Can't you see the snowflakes?"

"I can't see it - but I can feel it," Agatha said softly, "I now have a lot more things in my field of vision, but also a lot less things. It takes a long time to get used to it."

She slowly withdrew her hand, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face: "But the good news is that I can no longer feel the cold wind. No matter how thick the clothes are or how many fires are lit, I still feel that the world is... just as cold."

“…I’m sorry, it’s hard for me to imagine how it feels.”

"Oh, don't worry about it. Actually, it doesn't bother me that much." Agatha smiled and slowly clenched her fists. As her strength gathered, some faint green flames gradually emerged from the crisscrossing "scars" all over her body. The flames flowed in her body like blood. "This way, it will be better."

Vanna was silent for a few seconds: "If the captain knew that you used the fire he gave you to keep warm, his expression would probably be very interesting."

"What kind of person is he?" Agatha put away the power of the flame and suddenly asked curiously, "Is he usually... strict or scary?"

"How do you feel? You've already had contact with him twice."

"I feel that all the information is inconsistent with the truth. He is much more peaceful and friendly than I thought, but... maybe I should call him 'Him'. I don't know whether I should measure a being like Him by mortal standards. I know He was once a human, but the warp... you know what I mean."

Vanna thought for a few seconds and shook her head gently: "In fact, I haven't followed him for a long time, so I probably can't give you a very clear answer, but I can tell you that I have had similar concerns as you - and the final result is that the Cathedral of Storms decided to arrange for me, an inquisitor, to board the Lost Homeland. Just like Captain Duncan chose to believe that a 'fake' would have humanity, we also believe... or are willing to believe, in Captain Duncan's humanity, after all..."

She suddenly stopped, looked up at the snow-covered sky, and after a moment she said softly as if talking to herself: "After all, this world is too cold. If we no longer believe in hope, then there will only be the chill of the wind on this vast ocean."

Agatha said nothing for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Vanna suddenly asked, "What do you think of the captain's suggestion?"

Agatha fell into deep thought, and after a while she spoke with a complicated expression: "Let the Sea Mist Fleet enter the city... To be honest, I don't even know whether this will restore order to the city-state or bring greater chaos - you have lived in this city for a while, and you should know very well what the Sea Mist Fleet means to most Frost people..."

"For most Pland people, the Lost Homeland is also terrifying - but believe me, after a terrible disaster, people's 'ability to accept' will really reach an exaggerated level. From a group perspective, the yearning for a stable life will overwhelm many concerns."

"The longing for a stable life..."

Agatha said softly, feeling the chill of the snowy night through the lifeless body. For some reason, she thought of another thing.

Fifty years ago, when the great uprising broke out, it seemed to be snowing too.

"I will discuss this matter carefully with the officials at the city hall," she said to Vanna, as if she had made up her mind, "and from a personal perspective, I will support this matter."

"We all hope everything will be alright," Vanna said.

"Yes, we all hope that everything will be alright."

Agatha repeated, then she waved her hand and walked towards the steam car with the church emblem hanging on it that was parked on the street.

But after taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

"Is there anything else?" Vanna asked curiously.

"Some...personal questions. I hope I am not being too offensive." Agatha turned her head and asked hesitantly with a strange expression, "Did you...really jump off a cliff, kill your offspring, and return safely?"

Fanna was stunned for a moment, her eyes became strange: "Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"I don't know, but this question suddenly popped up in my mind," Agatha seemed a little embarrassed. "It seems like I have heard rumors about this at some point... I'm sorry if this question makes you uncomfortable, I..."

"It's nothing, it really happened," Vanna said with a relaxed expression, smiling and waving her hands, "but the real situation is different from the rumor - I was actually taking a walk and accidentally stepped on air, and fell off the edge of the cliff. When I landed, I just happened to crush a deep-sea pollutant that was washed ashore for some reason. It wasn't a real 'offspring', let alone a beheading. I don't know why it was spread like this."

Agatha opened her mouth slightly - although she was blindfolded, her expression still revealed a "stunned" look.

"So...are you okay?" the gatekeeper asked subconsciously.

"It was a pretty bad fall," Vanna smiled sheepishly, then patted her chest and made a strong gesture, "But luckily I'm a sports student, I went home and drank some hot water and lay down for two days and I'll be fine."

Agatha: “……?”

The gatekeeper lady was shocked.

Vanna was a little confused: "Why do you look like that?"

"...You athletes from Plande are intimidating."