Deep Sea Embers

After two consecutive days of snowfall, the short clear weather seemed to dispel the haze over the city-state, and the frost woke up as usual—snow plows and snow melting equipment began to clear the snow on the main road, and the old high-pressure gas supply Once again, plumbing and electrical systems were tested, and factories and public transport were running again.

All kinds of sounds of carriages, horses and machines gradually flourished with the sunrise.

However, under the surface of gradually waking up, a strange and tense atmosphere gradually spread in the city—even ordinary people in the city finally noticed the change in the atmosphere.

At first, it was the news from the newspapers. The emergency announcement by the city hall made those who are more sensitive to the news feel uneasy, and then there were various rumors from the coastal neighborhoods. Then, all kinds of true and false news spread in the streets and alleys.

The recent frequent mobilization of the city-state's security management, the guard troops gathered around several cemeteries, and the horrifying news from certain neighborhoods - mixed with the rumors about the "return of the dead" that have been spreading in the city since a month ago. Strange stories, all these disturbing things seem to come together suddenly and start to spread quietly in the city.

The city-states on the boundless sea are like crowded pigeon coops. There is an ocean between the cities, but people know each other very close. Nothing is more difficult than passing news between city-states. It is easier to pass messages within the city-state.

But even so, life must go on, the news of uneasiness is only spread in the streets and alleys, and the citizens still go out and work as usual, at most talking about the current situation in the city when they squeeze into the bus or meet in the tavern. Weird atmosphere - a little pressure is not enough to disturb the operation of a city-state.

In the final analysis, people living in this world have long been accustomed to the haze of life. For them, some weird and weird things happen in the city is the norm. A part of the world - a city that is still peaceful after dark is not normal for them.

At the junction of Cemetery No. 4 and Oak Street, a tavern named "Golden Flute" is gradually becoming lively.

Most of the citizens who go to work in the factory from the block in the early morning will pass by this crossing. As a cheap tavern for the public, "Golden Flute" is the best place for everyone to stop before going to work. The coffee and simple breakfast are the best to satisfy your hunger and drive away the cold, and chatting with people here during breakfast can be regarded as a little pastime before the start of a busy day's work.

The hostesses of the tavern were busy shuttling among several round tables. The clerk was receiving the guests behind the bar. Warm yellow lights were shining from the roof, dispelling the winter chill. A middle-aged man with a thin face and yellow hair was sitting at the bar. On a chair not far behind, he casually flipped through the newspaper in his hand while watching the situation in the store from the corner of his eye.

The shop is a bit noisy, with occasional crude jokes or outrageous swear words mixed in - most of the people who come to eat here are not so-called "upper class citizens", more people are from the lower city to go to work in the industrial belt Ordinary people, they gather here, take advantage of the breakfast time to discuss what happened in the lower city or the factory area, or judge the recent changes in the city-state.

Most of their opinions are superficial and boring, and no one pays attention to these people's opinions on the city.

As long as they don't fight in the store, everything is fine.

The middle-aged manager with withered hair turned the newspaper to the next page and yawned boredly.

Then, he felt that the surroundings seemed to be a little quieter-then, something seemed to block the light from above.

The store manager raised his head and saw a burly figure standing in front of him.

The other party was wearing a pitch-black windbreaker reminiscent of nightfall. The high stand-up collar blocked most of his face, and his wide-brimmed top hat was pressed down like a dark cloud, blocking all prying eyes from the outside world. Among them, all that can be seen are layers of bandages.

The majestic sight is hidden in the shadow of the lowered top hat.

A sense of coercion that is hard to ignore just from the visual point of view came. The middle-aged store manager with withered yellow hair felt his heart suffocate almost instantly, and panic appeared in his eyes involuntarily. His first reaction was to throw the other party He mistook him for a clergyman of the Death Sect—because those pious priests like this kind of "bandage dress" that is a little too much for ordinary people, but then he realized that the man in black was not wearing a bandage. The triangular mark of the church, and did not carry the special cane that the guards were equipped with as standard.

After a moment of panic, the middle-aged store manager forced himself to calm down. He saw three people behind this burly figure, namely a young lady with the same amazing height, an old man with a benign face, and an old man with a benign face. The blond woman with a noble and mysterious temperament wearing a veil couldn't help but have a sudden change in her mind.

It's a "guest" who came here specially for him. Judging by his attire, he is definitely not a good person. The faint and heavy aura can even make him breathless...Is it the secret sheriff of the central city? Or someone sent by other forces in Lenglie Sea? Why did they come to find themselves? Threatening, wooing, or... asking for something?

He put the newspaper aside, stood up calmly, and looked up at the man in black in front of him: "Who are you looking for?"

"Mr. Nemo Wilkins," Duncan noticed the panic and tension in the eyes of the middle-aged man in front of him. Obviously this was forced by his own aura, but this was intentional - he was observing the other party's reaction, which Being able to reveal the most real emotional changes of the other party will help to judge whether a person has been affected by cognitive interference or memory modification, "Is this your name?"

"Everyone here knows my name," Nemo Wilkins nodded, and at the same time waved lightly to the clerk not far away, "Who are you here to see me? But I'm just an honest A good businessman..."

"It's often foggy at sea recently, and the wind is very cold," Duncan said slowly, and at the same time reached out his hand to take out the map of the city-state prepared by Tirian himself in his arms, "We need a glass of good wine to warm our stomachs—it is best to Warm the hearts of the dead."

The moment he heard the words "the sea is often foggy and the wind is very cold", Nemo's breathing changed slightly, and then his eyes fell on the city-state map.

This "store manager" hides all emotions and changes in eyes very well. In fact, apart from the momentary changes in breathing and heartbeat, there is nothing unusual about him from the outside, but it is such a small reaction , still did not escape Fan Na's eyes.

"Looks like it's him." Fan Na said softly.

Duncan nodded slightly, and put away the folded map: "Is there a place on the second floor?"

"The upstairs is full," Nemo shook his head, "come with me."

With that said, he walked out from the counter and led several uninvited guests to a door next to the stairs.

The tavern was still noisy, and even if someone noticed the movement at the counter, no one paid much attention to what happened.

Duncan and his party followed behind Manager Nemo. They passed through the slightly short wooden door and entered a passage that seemed to lead to the warehouse behind the shop, but they entered another door in the middle of the passage, and walked along the A sloping ramp went down for a long distance - they didn't stop in front of a dark wooden door until they felt that they were far away from the tavern on the surface.

"This place is really deep." Morris couldn't help grunting.

"It doesn't hurt to be cautious, people related to the Fog Fleet are not welcome in this city," Nemo Wilkins said as he walked towards the door, "Enemies are everywhere—even if half a century has passed .”

"How did you dig such a place under the noses of the city-state authorities?" Fan Na's focus is different from others. As a judge, she is more concerned about a "grey middleman" hiding in the city-state "To dig such a long tunnel under a tavern, how do you transport the stones and soil out? How do you hide the movement during the excavation?"

Nemo Wilkins turned his head slightly, glanced at the extraordinarily tall white-haired lady, and said with a smile in his tone, "It's very simple - no need to dig, this is already part of the Frost Underground Waterway."

As soon as the words fell, the dark door was also opened, and with the creaking sound, the light of the gas lamp reflected in the eyes of Duncan and his party.

Appearing at the same time, there is also the faint sound of running water coming from nowhere.

Duncan looked past the door, and saw an extraordinarily wide "hall" on the opposite side, which seemed to be the intersection of ancient sewers. In the distance, he could see a corridor extending into the dark depths, with tables, chairs, The bed and shelves are placed in the corner of the hall, and it looks habitable.

Even a lot of people can be stationed.