Deep Sea Embers

As the fleet sails further north, the surrounding temperature becomes colder, as if "cold" has become a certain "attribute" of the entire sea ahead. No matter how strong the flames or how many clothes to keep out the cold, they can only Slightly delaying the invasion of cold, but not really bringing warmth to people.

In this cold and endless night, the ships of the Church of the Deep Sea delivered the last batch of documents to the Firebringer's church ark. They sailed out of the night and docked next to the Firebringer's Ark for several hours. Then he returned to the depths of the night and stood on the tall tower of the church Ark, looking at the blurring silhouettes on the sea in the distance. The distant whistle still echoed in the night sky, eventually dissolving in the wind.

This may be the last time we see other people in the civilized world." The tall Sen'jin pope turned his head and said to the priestess standing beside him, "After this, the temple will stay in the north. One Ark is the Archives, and the Archives is the Ark. "

'We are all ready for this,' the priestess said calmly, 'We will stop in that eternal ice and watch the last burst of fire after the night, until the end of this long night - very soon It is an honor to follow you here, Your Majesty. "

Frame was silent for a moment and then spoke softly: "Yes, I'm honored too."

At the end of his field of vision, very far in front of the Ark Fleet, a blurry white silhouette was quietly appearing on the sea. It was the frozen sea located in the extreme north of the Cold Sea, the coldest place in the world, where all living things Frozen there, reaching eternity in the ice - there is the destination of the fire bearer.

At the same time, in the Frost City-State, Tirian was standing on the high balcony of the Government Affairs Hall, quietly gazing at the countless lights and rows of rooftops in the distant blocks.

The sun fragments have left this city-state. Many days ago, the tugboat took the huge luminous geometry to a place where it was needed more. Now the whole city is being lit up by artificial lights, bright street lights and thousands of homes. The lights of the houses converge into rivers at night, outlining every outline of the city, continuing the order and tranquility of the civilized world.

People seem to have gradually adapted to this long night. The new period curfew system has been implemented smoothly. After the initial tension and chaos, factories and markets have now resumed orderly implementation. Residents have reduced the number of times they leave their homes. But within the time allowed, everyone still maintained their daily life as much as possible. There were also rats in the gutter who launched several sabotage activities against the city, but they were subdued by the guards and the security forces in a blink of an eye. .

Now, the "Sunshine Fleet" dragging sun fragments is cruising on the vast sea between city-states. The huge cargo ship formations traveling with the Sunshine Fleet are traveling in the night, and 60 to 70% of bulk logistics transportation between city-states has been restored. The periodic arrival of "sunshine" has also greatly reduced the pressure on various cities when facing darkness. Although distortions and mutation events are increasing everywhere, at least the guardians now have a chance to breathe again -

They are facing more severe challenges than before, but at least they are no longer in the endless darkness of despair.

Sometimes, Tirian even feels that all this can be carried out for a long time - a new balance has been established, civilization has shown amazing adaptability in this long night, people are now used to this long night, the city-state union , time curfew system,

The new vigil order and the cruising sunshine seem to be enough to keep the whole world going like this, even if it is not eternal, it can last for a long, long time.

But whenever he thinks like this, he will soon wake up suddenly and realize that all this is just an illusion brought to him by the short-term peace, or even the illusion brought by this night.

The world is slipping towards its end, faster than anyone can imagine.

Because he knew the "rot" of the gods, the slow, inexorable disintegration that was taking place in the foundations of the world, and he knew a lot because of his father's influence.

Just what will other people think? Do the governors of other city-states, church administrators, guards and peace officers, and ordinary people living in the city also have the illusion of peace, and have accidentally fallen into the illusory peace?

"Maybe it's not a bad thing." Tirian whispered to himself.

Aiden's voice came from the side: "Huh? What's not a bad thing?"

"It's nothing, just talking to myself," Tirian looked away from the lights of the distant block and turned to glance at Aiden's shining bald head, "Where did we just talk?"

'Regarding the production adjustments of several factories in Xiacheng District,' Aiden confirmed, quickly reacted and continued, 'The coordinating committee believes that the current oil production capacity is slightly insufficient. Although the problem is not serious at present, it will become more serious over time. , the gap will become serious

I understand. I have read the report at noon today and told the coordinating committee that the city hall will give a reply before tomorrow morning." Tirian waved his hand, "What else is there? "

"Um" Aiden hesitated for a moment and said with a slight hesitation in his tone, "Also, there was something reported from the melting pot -

strange things. "

"Some strange things?" Tirian frowned slightly dissatisfied, "Don't be so hesitant, have you ever reported like this?

Aiden quickly coughed twice, adjusted his posture and expression, and said, "One department reported that they have not had any homework assignments for a while. The person in charge of the department felt that things were a bit strange."

Tirian's brows furrowed even more. He suddenly felt a little uneasy and felt that some information was slipping away from his mind: "There is a department? What does 'there is a department' mean? What department is it?"

'I don't know. The content on the report is a bit confusing. It was sent to my office, but I couldn't find out who sent it. Many of the words on it were unclear.

Aiden explained. The more he explained, the more confused his expression became. His voice slowed down little by little. In the end, it was like a jammed machine doll, squeezing out almost every word:

: Just remember that he is in charge

Aiden stopped and stood there quietly, looking at Tirian with a somewhat blank expression.

After another two or three seconds, he trembled visibly as if he suddenly woke up, and then said in a smooth and natural manner as usual: "The production capacity of the Boiling Gold Mine has returned to the level before nightfall. Now there is excess ore. Being shipped, they will be delivered as ordered the next time the Sunshine Fleet comes through

Tirian seemed not to be listening to the reports about the boiling gold mine at all. The moment Aiden spoke again, he stared at him, his eyes even a little scary, so that Aiden hesitated mid-sentence. He stopped and looked uneasy in the face of the heavy and inexplicable pressure: "Well, what's wrong with what I said?"

"Aiden," Tirian was still staring at the subordinate who had followed him for a century, and his tone was particularly solemn, "Do you still remember what you were reporting just now?"

Aiden checked the certificate and looked at Tirian cautiously: "The production capacity of the Efei gold mine, the production adjustments of several factories in Xiacheng District, the early warning of insufficient oil from the Coordinating Committee? Earlier we were talking about the departure of the Firebringer fleet. Things in the North"

He paused hesitantly, because Tirian's expression was obviously even worse.

"The Melting Pot," Tirian said with a solemn expression, "Do you remember the report sent to you by a department in the Melting Pot?"

Aiden's eyes were blank: "—What report?"

Tirian did not speak. He just raised his head and looked at the edge of the upper city and in the direction of a certain cemetery.

A swirling wind passed through the night, swept through the streets, and blew into the depths of the cemetery. The wind carried gray smoke and dust, and the appearance of Agatha was condensed from the smoke.

Today she changed out of the long black dress that represented the bishop, and put on the light armor and combat coat she wore when she was a gatekeeper.

The wounds on her cheeks and arms that were open like broken dolls were dancing with a faint green fire. She hurried here from the Cathedral of Death in the uptown area, but as soon as she entered the cemetery, the anxious death What the priest saw was something she didn't expect.

The tall, bandaged cemetery guard "Duncan" was standing on the path next to the morgue, helping a trembling figure climb out of a nearby coffin. The figure was obviously a corpse not long ago. The corpse - his neck was bent at a weird angle, and his head was pulled on one shoulder. He climbed down the platform stiffly and slowly, and his joints made disturbing clicking sounds from time to time.

The tall and burly gravekeeper "Duncan", who looked gloomy and scary, helped the corpse climb down the platform and warned in a very calm tone: "Yes, some headaches are normal. It might be fine if you go back. The neck needs to be fixed. Insert it." A wooden stand or a fire tong will do. Just stay in a good mood and treat yourself as if you went out and drank too much and got lost for a night. Your family will not complain - they will welcome you back calmly. There will be many people like you anyway. "

While he was talking, the sound of the coffin lid opening was heard from another mortuary platform nearby. A white-haired old man sat up from inside and looked around blankly: "Why am I sleeping here? I feel chest tightness."

"Wait a minute, I'll help you come down." Duncan immediately walked over there, "Don't come down by yourself. If you break your leg, you may not be able to heal and breathe. Chest tightness is normal. You've been holding it in for a long time, right? Keep it up." Breathe, take a deep breath - one by one"

Duncan stopped suddenly, turned his head, and looked at the gatekeeper lady who was standing on the path a little blankly.

"Oh, you're here." He greeted calmly.

Mr. Duncan," Agatha stared at the scene dumbfounded, "what are you doing? "

"It seems that your cognition has not been completely corrected," Duncan said calmly, and then turned back to his "work", "As you can see, I am sending my temporary 'guests' back. "