Agatha checked the secret compartment where the Queen's profile was hidden, and found that it was exactly as her subordinates had reported - a place where people secretly commemorated the Frost Queen, and there was no trace of any supernatural power left.
She looked at what had been found: plaster casts, commemorative coins, manuals.
Fifty years ago, this would have been worth a noose.
But those horrific years that made everyone nervous have passed. Today, the Frost authorities have to consider the long-term stability of the city-state and their own image of justice. It is impossible for them to make a big fuss over the secret commemorative activities of the people - now such harmless commemorative activities are usually only warned and fined at most.
And even warnings and fines were matters for the sheriff to consider—secular political laws, not the responsibility of the cathedral.
"This is not something we should be involved in," Agatha shook her head. "We should sort out this part of the situation and notify the law enforcement authorities, and let them take charge of the follow-up work. However, we need to take these souvenirs back and check them, just in case... there is something hidden in them."
"yes."
After briefly arranging some follow-up finishing work on the scene, Agatha stood up from the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief.
There were too many things to deal with and she couldn't delay here any longer.
"Remember to follow up on the investigation at the sewage treatment center and monitor the pipeline system in this area." She gave her subordinates her final instructions and then walked out of the room.
Outside the house was a narrow corridor with an old staircase extending forward under the dim light. Two other families nearby quietly opened their doors and watched what was happening here. A few pairs of slightly panicked eyes looked out through the cracks in the doors.
Agatha waved at those eyes.
"Go home, pack your things, and wait for instructions. This place needs to be evacuated temporarily. Don't worry,
We will sort out the problem here as soon as possible, and you can go home soon after."
After saying this, Agatha didn't care about the subsequent reactions of the residents, and walked down the stairs towards the exit on the first floor.
She didn't use Grey Wind to hurry, even though she usually liked to do that - but today her mind was in a mess, with so many things tangled in her mind that she felt she needed to sort out her thoughts, and walking slowly would help her think.
At the same time, she also wanted to sense the remaining aura in the entire building to see if she could observe any "element" pollution remaining in other places.
As she was lost in thought, she walked along the old stairs to the exit and came to the open space outside the residential building.
The stale and musty smell suddenly dissipated, and the fresh and cold air lifted Agatha's spirits. It even gave her a momentary illusion - as if she had walked out of a dark and damp dungeon and into the sunlight.
The crowd gathered outside the residential building had dispersed, leaving only a few curious passers-by who stopped and pointed from a safe distance. After Agatha appeared, those passers-by quickly left.
No, there are still people staying here.
Agatha frowned. She saw a young woman wearing a veil, with long golden hair and a large bag in her arms, still standing in the open space in front of the residential building, looking like she was in a daze.
"This place is blocked, please do not stay," Agatha walked forward and reminded in a serious tone, "Are you a resident here?"
The veiled blonde woman seemed startled and suddenly woke up. She turned her head to look at Agatha and pointed at herself in confusion: "Are you talking to me?"
"Of course, who else is here?" Agatha frowned. For some reason, she was always a little concerned about the stranger in front of her. Although she was sure that she didn't know him, she always felt that the outline of his eyebrows and eyes seemed a little familiar, as if she had seen him not long ago. "Are you a resident here?"
“Ah, no, no,” Alice waved her hand quickly, pointing to the distance, “I live over there, it’s quite far away—what happened here? I heard someone died?”
"The Guardians are handling this matter." Agatha said.
He said this, but at the same time he was a little confused - the reaction of the blonde woman opposite was a little strange, didn't she recognize him as the gatekeeper of the city-state
Alice didn't notice any change in the eyes of the woman in black clothes and bandages in front of her - she just thought her outfit was really interesting.
Very similar to what the Captain looks like now.
But the captain had instructed us not to comment on other people's appearance casually or to tell too much about ourselves to strangers - the former was impolite and the latter was not cautious enough.
Alice couldn't quite spell the two words yet, but she felt that the Captain must be right.
It's time to say goodbye.
So she waved to Agatha and said cheerfully, "Then I'll go first! Thank you for answering my question!"
The veiled blonde woman just left like that, looking very happy, but Agatha felt strange as she watched her leaving back.
What on earth is this person here for
She had lived in this city-state for more than 20 years, but had never met such a person - he exuded an indescribable, simple and happy aura, his tone when speaking was not guarded, and his smile was not gloomy.
Agatha frowned, and then suddenly froze. It seemed that she didn't notice something strange until the other person left.
"No breathing or heartbeat...?!"
The young gatekeeper suddenly raised her head and looked in the direction where the blonde woman left, subconsciously wanting to chase her, but just as she was about to take a step, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly interrupted her movement.
A guard in black ran over, holding a piece of intelligence in his hand, looking quite anxious.
"What happened?" Agatha frowned and asked seriously without waiting for the other party to speak. At the same time, she couldn't help but mutter in her heart - this is already chaotic enough, let's not let anything else happen.
"An urgent message has been received from Cemetery No. 3," the black-clad guard stood up straight and spoke quickly, "There is a clue to the mysterious visitor. The original document is here."
Agatha's breathing paused for a moment, then she snatched the letter from the other person's hand, shook it twice, and her eyes quickly scanned the words.
The young gatekeeper fell silent, and stood there motionless as if frozen, for a long time.
The black-clad guard looked at his immediate superior with some concern. After a few seconds, he could not help but speak: "... Gatekeeper, this matter..."
Agatha slowly turned her head and looked into her subordinates' eyes. "If someone suddenly told you that a being similar to an ancient god had descended upon the city-state in person, and that the way to travel in the mortal world was to rent a two-story house with a terrace at the Citizen Help Center... what would your reaction be?"
"... ..I will seek psychological counseling at the nearest church, or consult a more famous psychiatrist." The black-clad guard said honestly.
"You're right, but unfortunately I'm already the spokesperson for the highest-level church in the city-state, and psychiatrists can't solve the problem of the ancient gods coming," Agatha sighed and slowly put away the letter paper, "Everything is important, and everything must be prioritized... ...Alas."
She raised her head and looked at the place mentioned in the intelligence—Oak Street.
It was exactly the direction where the strange blonde woman who had no breathing or heartbeat had left.
Nina excitedly ran around the house, then went into the kitchen to study the kitchen utensils that were obviously much better than those in Pland's home.
Shirley and Agou strolled around the living room and dining room on the first floor, pretending to "inspect" the place, and occasionally stopped to comment on the surrounding furnishings.
The two of them had been on the Lost Homeland for so long that they were already feeling suffocated.
Ai landed on the dining table not far away, with his whole body buried in a pile of French fries - today was his day to feast.
Duncan sat on the sofa in the living room, watching the scene with a smile on his face - although all his smiles were blocked by thick bandages,
Vanna beside him inexplicably had a feeling... At this moment, Captain Duncan's eyes looked like a kind old father.
Vanna quickly shook her head, put aside the somewhat outrageous association, and looked at the two girls (and the dog) running around in the house.
"There is an empty room upstairs that is reserved for you. Did you go and see it just now?"
"Let me take a look!" Nina came over and nodded. "It's great. It's even bigger than my room in Plande!"
"This place is really nice," Shirley also ran over, with a particularly bright smile on her face, "If I had known that you guys were settling in so well in the city-state, I would have come here two days ago - it's so boring on a boat! There's nothing to do every day...
Duncan turned his head slowly. "I give you enough homework every day for three hours to finish - why do you have nothing to do?"
Shirley immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing and instantly shrank her neck.
"Did you write it for her?" Duncan lowered his head slightly again and looked at Agou who was trying hard to hide himself in the shadows.
Ah Gou's head almost shrank into his neck: "I... I just want to practice more for myself, so as not to let down your hard work in teaching me..."
Duncan laughed--he laughed out loud, with a good deal of pleasure.
"Relax, I just brought you here to play, not to criticize you," he waved his hand and looked up at the wall clock, "Alice should be back soon, and there is at least an hour before dinner. Shirley, go and catch up on your homework, start from page 16 of the vocabulary book."
Shirley's screams rang in Vanna and Morris' ears after a long time.