In the dome office of the Archon of Frost City, Tirian was standing in front of the mirror, carefully arranging the medals and ribbons on his chest.

The one-eyed face was still stern, even a little scary, but the brand new consul uniform and the shining medals transformed this sternness into a trustworthy majesty to a certain extent - at this moment, the city needed a dignified consul.

Tirian exhaled softly and turned to look at the other side of the dome office.

Two undead sailors were hanging the new city-state flag on the wall. Next to the flag, a line of powerful words was still engraved on the gate as it was half a century ago:

〖Let as many people as possible survive〗

Tirian 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 some time before the official event started, and he could use this time to recall and organize the procedures to be followed later, or calm down his emotions.

The complex lens group on the table started to move on its own. The surface of the crystal ball in the center of the lens group glowed slightly. Lucrecia's figure emerged from the faint light and looked Tirian up and down.

"This dress suits you very well," said the "sea witch" in a black dress, "and it matches the eye mask very well."

Tirian tugged at the buttons near his collar and glanced at his sister in the crystal ball: "Are you here just to tease me?"

"I'm complimenting you with all my heart," Lucrecia said seriously. "You haven't taken such good care of your image in many years. The rough and deliberately intimidating pirate look doesn't suit you at all."

"I may have to keep this image for a long time, until a more suitable archon appears, or my father has other arrangements," Tirian paused, "sooner or later, I will miss those free and unrestrained days."

"At least not today," Lucrecia said with a smile on her face. "So, you are about to be sworn in as the governor of a city-state. How does it feel? I heard that you will also take a car tour to show yourself to the citizens."

"The purpose of the parade is to reassure people and make them believe that order has been re-established and that there are still people at the top of the city-state who are responsible. Although I don't like this part very much, it is necessary," Tirian said. "As for the feeling of becoming an archon..."

He paused for a moment, shook his head and continued, "I don't feel anything, because the handover and team building of the Government Affairs Office have already been completed, and I have been busy as the Archon until now. Today's so-called 'swearing-in' ceremony is just a 'procedure' for the public."

"Really? I wish you a smooth process, brother," Lucrecia laughed, and suddenly called him by the name they had used in their childhood many, many years ago. Then she paused for a moment, and said seriously, "How are you preparing for what my father asked you to do?"

"I have drafted several secret letters to send to other city-states, but the specific details still need to be worked out. We need to convey a warning and make them aware of the seriousness of the situation, while also avoiding ambiguity and unnecessary or overreactions from other city-states. Frankly speaking, this kind of paperwork is much more difficult than taking a fleet to fight against the Children of the Deep Sea or other pirates."

"If you ask me, you should explain the situation clearly and seriously. After all, those who can become consuls are all smart people, and at least they should have enough smart people under them. They know how to deal with it. You are just reminding them, not teaching them how to establish an 'early warning mechanism' like a nanny," Lucrecia said casually. "I am ready to contact the Explorers' Association - ha, I wonder how they will react then."

"This is a warning to the entire civilized world from the Lost Homeland Fleet," Tirian said with emotion, "The last time something like this happened was a century ago."

"...Yes, when father first discovered the border collapse phenomenon in the 'Inner Territory'," Lucrecia said faintly, "I still remember the church bells ringing at that time, and newspapers in every city-state were discussing the warning from the great adventurer Duncan Abnomer."

"So many years have passed, and he once again gazed at the 'border' of this world. History seemed to have returned to the starting point. Perhaps in a sense, the Lost Homeland had never been lost. Its century in the subspace was just a voyage to a broader dimension that we cannot yet understand. Now it is back, bringing the glory of a new route, just like the words left by the mad poet Pullman, 'They could once go straight in one direction, until they went around the back of the world and returned to the human world at an amazing angle'..."

Tirian recited this absurd poem in history softly and slowly stood up from behind his desk. The sound of a band could be heard faintly outside the dome office, and footsteps could be heard from the corridor. The time had come for the city to meet its new governor.

"Come on, bro—and don't forget my spirit lens."

"Don't worry, I'll remember this time."

※※※

The chilly wind blew through the sparse trees beside the road, through the dark carved fences, through the silent tombstones and the empty charnel platforms on both sides of the path, and finally dissipated deep into the cemetery.

Two figures were walking slowly along the path in the cemetery.

A figure was particularly tall and burly, wearing a pure black coat and a wide-brimmed black hat. The skin outside his clothes was wrapped with layers of bandages, which was intimidating to look at.

The other was wearing a simple black nun's dress, with her eyes covered and her long brown hair loose.

"I thought you would be present at the inauguration of Archon Tirian, even in this incarnation," Agatha whispered as she walked slowly forward with the Duncan. "It will not be difficult to arrange a suitable place for you."

"If I don't show up, he's in good shape. If I really show up, he might get nervous," Duncan said. "When the motorcade passes by here, I can 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. As far as I can remember, this place was full of coffins."

"During this special period, we had to temporarily change the process of sending the dead. The bodies during this period must be sent to the incinerator as soon as possible. The silent monks will comfort and bid farewell to them directly beside the furnace. The cemetery seems to have become quieter."

Duncan hummed, then suddenly stopped when he was almost at the end of the trail.

The simple caretaker's cottage appeared before him—and there was a special guest in front of the cottage.

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 large broom that was almost as tall as herself, and trying hard to sweep the snow in front of the house.

"Is that Annie?" Duncan asked softly, turning his head slightly.

"It was her - except for the first few days of martial law, she would come here every day during the school break at noon," Agatha said softly, "The guard here is no longer here, and the new guard has not been arranged yet. The cemetery is temporarily managed by the nearest church. Her being here... doesn't hurt, so the church tacitly allowed her to come and go as she pleases."

"Does this also involve your tacit consent?"

"……Um."

The girl sweeping the 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 that appeared not far away in surprise. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she threw the broom in her hand aside and ran over happily.

"Sister Gatekeeper! And Uncle Duncan!"

Anne happily greeted the two acquaintances in front of her, but she seemed to suddenly remember something right after she finished shouting. She quickly stood up again and looked at Agatha: "Mom said to call the gatekeeper, or the archbishop..."

"It doesn't matter, just call me whatever you like," Agatha laughed and reached out to touch 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 hands are too cold, come in and warm yourself by the fire - I've made herbal tea!"

Agatha subconsciously wanted to decline, but when she saw Duncan already walking towards the cottage, she was stunned for a moment in surprise and had no choice but to follow him.

In the neat and simple caretaker's hut, the fire was burning brightly, the firewood crackling in the hearth, and steam was rising from the samovar next to it, with the fresh and bitter aroma of herbs.

Anne poured two cups of hot tea and stuffed the warm cups into Duncan and Agatha's hands. "This is for the patrolling church guards. They will be here soon. If you don't want to drink it, it will be good for warming your hands."

The girl seemed to realize only now that the "gatekeeper sister" in front of her was already a corpse.

Agatha didn't care. She said thank you and held the cup that was gradually getting hot in her hand.

"Is it warmer?" asked Anne again.

It was cold, the whole world was cold, the teacup was cold, and so was 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 puzzledly.

"I think this is a good 'place' to stay," Duncan said to Agatha after retracting his gaze around the room. "After all, if it is only used to 'place' an avatar, the house on Oak Street seems a bit wasted."

Agatha was stunned for a moment, then gradually came to her senses, with a look of surprise on her face: "You... could it be..."

"The Lost Homeland will continue its voyage, and my avatar that remains in the city also needs a place to stay," Duncan said calmly, "You don't have to worry about new guards. This will save you a lot of effort."