The old cemetery keeper didn't like the days when it snowed all the time - not only because the cold weather would make his already overworked joints ache, but also because the snow always reminded him of
Something that happened a long time ago.
Something not so good.
For example, the rebellion fifty years ago, the frost disaster thirty years ago, and the collapse of the southern city seventeen years ago... When it snows so heavily, nothing good can happen.
The old man rubbed his hands and looked back at the cemetery which was also covered with snow.
The snow blurred the boundaries of the cemetery path. On the white ground, only footprints outlined the route to the morgue and the guardhouse. The gas lamps were off, and the black lamp poles stood on the snow like dead tree trunks, looking quite lonely.
Several steam trains were parked in an open space in the cemetery, completely covered with snow. The guards in black were struggling to clear the snow off the trains and trying to clear a path in the snow for the vehicles to pass - they looked quite embarrassed.
They have to do the job before the snow freezes and becomes more difficult to clear.
After a lot of effort, the guards finally cleared the snow and started the steam core of the car. Two dark gray steam cars drove out of the cemetery and soon disappeared on the road leading to the block.
A whistling wind blew nearby, and gray smoke suddenly appeared in the wind. Agatha walked out of the wind and smoke. The young gatekeeper came to the old guard and said, "Half of the people will withdraw today, leaving only two teams to help you guard the cemetery."
"It's fine if they all leave. I can have some peace and quiet," the old guard raised his eyelids and glanced at the gatekeeper. "It's a waste to keep so many people here."
"This is not a waste of manpower—you don't have to worry about me not having enough manpower."
The old guard watched the two cars leave, shook his head, and prepared to return to the cemetery.
Because I have come into contact with this unspeakable guest many times and have fallen into a state of madness under the influence of incense, I have established a certain connection with the other party!
But just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly saw a familiar little figure appear at the end of the path out of the corner of his eye.
"Grandpa Guard, I'm here again!" Annie greeted the old guard happily.
Annie blinked, a smile appeared on her face, then she reached into her small bag, took out a package and handed it to the old man in front of her.
"What is it?"
"Biscuits again?" The old guard raised his eyebrows.
"It's ginger tea powder. I made it with my mother. I also added herbs to dispel cold and warm the stomach!" Annie said proudly, and stuffed the thing into the old man's hand without saying anything. "You always guard the cemetery alone, and now it's snowing. It must be very cold at night, right?"
"You're still going out in this weather, and you're running to a place like this!" The old guard glared at him and said in a very gentle tone, "You'll make your family worry."
Let the young gatekeepers and guardians take care of it.
The experienced old guard realized what had happened in an instant - it was this "visitor".
"… It's better to stay at home like your friends than to run to the cemetery in the snowy weather," the old man said coldly, "The cemetery is closed today. There is too much snow inside. You should go home."
The old guard stared into the child's eyes quietly. For a second or two, he even felt a little regretful. He regretted that he shouldn't have promised the child three years ago that "your father will come back here". In the final analysis, his heart at that time... was still a little soft.
However, the girl seemed not to hear him. She just leaned over to look behind the old man, then raised her face expectantly: "My father..."
"I told my mom that I'll be back soon today," Annie smiled, her face red from the cold, "School is out, I wanted to hang out with my friends, but they didn't want to go out, so I came to see you!"
Annie seemed to be stunned by the old man's sudden gentle tone. She was stunned for a moment before she nodded calmly: "Remember... remember.
"
"I still have so much free time to worry about you," the old guard muttered, and then mentioned casually, "You sent out an elite brigade late last night. Did something happen in the city?"
After being silent for an unknown amount of time, the old man finally opened his mouth: "... Perhaps, one day in the future, he will be able to hear from me."
The old man looked at what he had in his hands.
Anne was stunned for a moment, but she was not very disappointed. She pursed her lips and said, "Then... I'll come and ask again when the weather is better... He will come eventually, right?"
“…Are there any innocent citizens injured?” Agatha seemed to know what the old man was worried about. “But judging from the team’s report, there are more than one strange clue over there. I may have to go and check the situation myself.”
"I've accepted the things. You should go home immediately and try not to go out for the next two days."
"Okay, let's go home then," the old man exhaled and ordered them to leave, "while the weather is still..."
"I'm just asking." The old guard shrugged.
But this is something outside the cemetery, and it is not something that I, a retired "gravekeeper", should be concerned about.
Agatha looked at the old man: "Are you still concerned about things outside the cemetery?"
The situation on Fireplace Street was probably not as indifferent as his attitude showed at the moment - it was definitely not just a battle between extraordinary people. An elite team of defenders went to investigate, but in the end the gatekeeper had to go there to deal with it personally. This was no small matter.
The old guard's eyebrows twitched noticeably, and his tone became more serious: "Fireplace Street?"
"… Something happened on Hearth Street. A high-level supernatural being broke out in a fight. It was quite noisy. The patrolling guards rushed over but came up empty-handed," Agatha said slowly. "Now we can only confirm that one of the two parties in the fight was a cultist of Annihilation. They died miserably, and one of them died in a strange way that did not match any known supernatural power."
The old guard said nothing, just nodded slightly, but the look in his eyes became serious.
Agatha is a young gatekeeper, but no matter how young he is, his identity as a "gatekeeper" is obtained through training and difficult tests. As the highest representative of the church in the city-state, his actions themselves indicate the severity and urgency of the situation.
He raised his head and stopped speaking abruptly.
An exceptionally tall and burly figure appeared near the cemetery gate at some point, and was looking over here. The figure was wearing a long, dark trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and his face was wrapped in bandages. All the details of his body were hidden in the clothes, hat, and bandages.
But the old guard's entire attention was focused on the tall and burly figure - he stared at that direction, his eyeballs seemed to be anchored by an invisible force and difficult to move. Slight noises began to buzz in his mind, and slight tremors and shifts began to appear at the edge of his vision, which were obvious signs that his mind was suffering from severe mental pollution and interference.
But it was only a preliminary and mostly harmless contact, so the old guard was not nearly incapacitated as he had been before.
Today he changed into a thick black coat and black long boots, and a black woolen hat on his head. He seemed to be melting in this snow-covered city.
"Don't look here, kid."
There was another person next to the burly figure. This was a petite lady wearing an elegant dark purple dress, with blonde hair like a waterfall, a soft hat on her head, and a veil on her face. Her features were clear, but she exuded an elegant and mysterious temperament.
Then, his expression turned cold and hard again.
He was still able to move - so he reached out and pulled Anne behind him.
A little boy in a thick coat was walking towards the cemetery with some difficulty.
He doesn't need this - the potion supplies the church sends to the cemetery wardens are ten times more effective than this thing. His seemingly flimsy guard's hut is actually covered with protective spells and special materials. Not to mention resisting the cold wind, even if the cemetery really gets out of control, this hut can withstand external impacts like a steel fortress.
"… The city is not safe recently," the old guard said seriously. He thought of what Agatha had just mentioned to him and the extraordinary incident that happened on Fireplace Street last night. "Go back and tell your mother to go out less in the near future. If you find anything wrong, ask for help from the nearest church or sheriff. Anne, this is a serious matter. Do you remember it?"
A seventeen-year-old child should have understood this a long time ago.
The old guard stopped what he was doing immediately. He looked at the big figure approaching that way, but his expression seemed lifeless. At this moment, the big figure also saw the old man standing at the gate of the cemetery - he stopped by the roadside, raised his face, waved his arms happily, and then continued to walk towards the old man with one deep step and one shallow step.
"Thank you," he accepted Anne's gift. Perhaps because he hadn't smiled for a long time, the curve of his mouth was a little stiff. "This is very useful to me."
Finally, he walked to the ruts left by the two steam trains that had left. His steps began to become a little nervous, so he bent down and patted the snowflakes on the hem of his clothes and trousers. He came to the gate of the cemetery and looked at the old man in front of him with a serious and even angry face.