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 a new city-state flag on the wall. Next to the flag, a line of powerful words was still engraved on the door 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 to the large desk not far away. There was still some time before the official event began, and he could use this time to recall and sort out the procedures to be followed later, or calm down his emotions. The complex lens group on the table started to operate automatically, and the surface of the crystal ball in the center of the lens group glowed slightly.
Lucrecia's figure emerged from the dim light and looked Tirian up and down. "This dress suits you very well." said the "sea witch" in a black dress.
"It matches the eye patch very well." Tirian pulled the button near Jie's collar and glanced at his sister in the crystal ball: "Are you here to tease me?"
"I'm complimenting you with all my heart," Lucrecia said seriously. "It's been a long time since you took such good care of your image. 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-drinking sons."
"At least not today." Lucrecia smiled. How about being sworn in as the governor of a city-state? How does it feel? I heard that you will be parading in a car to show yourself to the citizens
The purpose of the tour is to reassure people 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. Tire 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 of work and team building in the Government Affairs Office has already been carried out, and I have been busy as the governor until now. Today's so-called Fuzhe inauguration ceremony is just a process for the public."
"Yeah?"
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, make them aware of the seriousness of the situation, avoid ambiguity, and prevent other city-states from having unnecessary or excessive reactions. To be honest, 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 matter 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."
"From the Lost Homeland Fleet, a warning to the entire Wenmeng world."
Tirian said with emotion, "The last time something like this happened was a century ago."
"Yes, when father first discovered the border collapse phenomenon appeared in the 'Inner Realm'."
Lucrecia spoke softly, “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.”
"After so many years, he once again gazed at the 'border' of the 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 wider dimension that we could not yet understand. Now it has returned, bringing the glory of a new route, just like the words left by the mad poet Pullman.
They could have gone 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 famous in history softly and slowly stood up from behind his desk. The sound of the band could be heard faintly outside the dome office, and the sound of footsteps came 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 morgues on both sides of the path, and finally dissipated in the depths of the cemetery. Two figures were slowly walking along the path in the cemetery. One of the figures was particularly tall and burly, wearing a pure black coat and a wide-brimmed black hat. His skin outside the clothes was covered with layers of scars, which was intimidating to look at.
The other was wearing a simple black nun's dress, with her eyes covered and her long hair loose.
I thought you would be present at the inauguration of Archon Tirian, even in this incarnation. Agatha walked slowly forward with Dunbei, whispering, "It will not be difficult to find 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 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, and the silent monks will comfort and bid farewell to them directly beside the furnace, and the cemetery seems to have become quieter.
Duncan hummed, and then when he was about to reach the end of the path, he suddenly stopped. The simple caretaker's cottage appeared in front of him. There was a special guest in front of the cottage, a twelve-year-old girl, wearing a thick white winter coat and a furry hat, like a tightly wrapped snowball.
He was busy in front of the caretaker's hut, holding a large broom that was almost as tall as himself, trying to clear the snow in front of the house.
"Is that Annie?"
Duncan tilted his head slightly and asked softly.
"It's her. Except for the first few days of martial law, she comes here every day during the school break at noon." Agatha said softly.
"The caretaker here is no longer here, and the new caretaker has not been arranged yet. The cemetery is temporarily managed by the nearest church. There is no harm in her being here, so the church tacitly allows her to come and go as she pleases."
"With your consent?"
"Um... "
The girl who was sweeping the snow in front of the hut finally noticed the movement in the direction of the path. She turned her head and looked at the two figures that appeared not far away in surprise. After a few seconds of being stunned, she threw the broom aside and ran over happily, "Sister Gatekeeper, and Uncle Duncan."
Anne happily greeted the two familiar faces in front of her, but just after she finished shouting, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and quickly stood up again and looked at Agatha: "Mom said to call the gatekeeper, or the archbishop..."
"It's okay, 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, then she grabbed Agatha's hand and pointed to the cottage not far away with her other hand.
"Your hands are too cold. Come in and warm yourself by the fire. I've made some herbal tea."
Agatha subconsciously wanted to decline, but she saw Duncan already walking towards the hut. She was a little surprised and stunned for a moment, but could only follow him. In the neat and simple caretaker's hut, the fire was burning brightly, and the firewood was crackling in the hearth. The samovar next to it was steaming, and the heat was filled with the bitter fragrance of herbs. Anne poured two cups of hot tea and stuffed the warm cups into Duncan and Agatha's hands: "This is for the church guards on patrol. They will be here soon. If you don't want to drink it, it will warm 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 and just said thank you.
In his hand he held the cup which was gradually getting hot.
"Is it warmer?" Anne asked again. It was cold. The whole world was cold. The teacup was cold and the fire was cold. Agatha smiled gently. "Much warmer."
Then she noticed Duncan looking around from time to time.
"What are you looking at?" she asked him puzzledly.
“I think this is a good place to settle.”
Duncan stopped looking around the room and said to Arusha, "After all, a house like that on Wood Street would be a bit of a waste if it were only used to house an avatar."
Agatha was stunned for a moment, then gradually came to her senses, with a look of surprise on her face: "You... Could it be that..."
"The Lost Homeland is going to continue its voyage, and my avatar that remains in the city also needs a place to stay."
Duncan said calmly, "Don't worry about new guards. This will save you a lot of effort!"