Deep Sea Embers Chapter 403: The truth of exhaustion
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Leading a small group of heavily armed guards, Agatha left the advancing stronghold established by the church troops. They passed through several temporary fences made of improvised fortifications and shooting positions, and passed through a fence illuminated by gas lamps. At the intersection, it finally reached the deepest part of a branch corridor.
The gas lamp inlaid on the wall made a slight hissing sound, and the gas supply from the ancient piping system was unstable, making the light appear to be flickering and dim, and under the less bright light, one could see a dark and The thick alloy gate is standing quietly at the end of the corridor.
The sound of the cane and heels hitting the ground echoed hollowly in the corridor, and Agatha came to the door—perhaps because too much time had passed, the seal of the door had actually gone wrong, and the two A narrow gap can be seen between the gates, and the lead blocks that were originally sealed on the gates seem to have been subjected to unknown impacts, and obvious signs of stretching and tearing can be seen in the middle.
On the nameplate on the side of the gate, you can see the steel seal left by the Frost City Hall.
This is what the exploration team found deep underground. It is the strange gate located in the center of the second waterway that she and Consul Winston mentioned.
The City Hall sealed off the place, but the Consul himself knew nothing about the existence of this door—the information related to this door has been lost, and it may be traced back to the chaotic era that just ended the Queen's Era, The turbulent situation made this door and the secret behind it disappear from everyone's memory.
Could this be the lair where the Oblivion Cultists hide? Or the mystery left to the world by the Frost Queen Leigh Nora?
Agatha stretched out her hand and lightly touched the rough and heavy alloy door panel. The tactile sensation from her fingertips seemed dull and numb for some reason, but the coldness was exceptionally clear.
"Do you want to open this door?" A black-clothed guard stepped forward and asked, "The consul's permission has been issued..."
"Mr. Winston has indeed given permission, but this kind of door that has been sealed in the dark for many years cannot be opened rashly," Agatha shook her head lightly, "There may be something dangerous sealed behind it—let me first Go to the opposite side to check the situation."
The nearby guards immediately understood the officer's intention and stepped back.
Agatha raised her head, looked at the crack between the two door panels, and stretched out her hand forward.
Nothing happened, she frowned suspiciously.
A black-clothed guard looked over curiously: "Is there something wrong?"
"...No, there's no problem." Agatha shook her head, then focused again.
A gust of wind finally blew up in the open space, and her figure turned into a gray mist in the wind. The gray wind circled twice in front of the gate, and then penetrated into the narrow gap.
"Stay alert and wait for the gatekeeper to return."
The captain of the black-clothed guard confirmed that Agatha had passed through the gate, heaved a sigh of relief, and began to order the team members to set up guard positions in the corridor.
On the other side, the whirlwind of gray and white passed through the gap in the door and entered a dim space. After the wind circled for a moment, Agatha's figure condensed from it.
The gatekeeper turned his head, glanced at the gate when he came, then lowered his head to confirm his situation, and subconsciously frowned.
Why... the magic technique that I have been used to on weekdays feels a bit jerky when I use it today? Even the body's own response speed seems a bit slower?
After a moment of confusion, Agatha shook her head, temporarily returning her attention to the business in front of her.
She looked around, the lantern at her waist emitted a dim yellow light, dispelling the lingering darkness here, and there seemed to be many things that were about to move in the shadows in all directions, but when she looked intently, there was another thing in the darkness. All quiet down.
A damp and dark passageway, you can still see green soil and stones with metallic luster everywhere, and in the dim light of the lantern, you can even see the beams and pillars used to support the passageway, And some debris scattered around the nearby stone pile.
Agatha frowned, she judged that the scene here does not look like a part of the second waterway - the normal sewer corridor is not this structure, the space behind this gate... looks more like
It is a mine road that has been abandoned for a long time.
Mine tunnel?
Agatha raised her head and looked thoughtfully at the damp and dark rocky ceiling above, but her eyes seemed to penetrate the thick rock and soil, straight up to the layers of Passages, shafts, machinery and ramps.
Boiling Gold Mine.
This second waterway is located in the center of the city-state. Its underground branch roads cross the surroundings of the Boiling Gold Mine. A considerable part of the sewers were even part of the drainage system of the mine in the Queen's Era, and the closest part of these passages to the mine... ...and indeed there may be only one door across.
She walked slowly along the mine tunnel, and at the same time, more and more doubts kept appearing in her heart.
This is just a mine tunnel, and it doesn't even seem to be completely swallowed and distorted by the darkness, because boiling gold is a kind of holy metal, and the trace amount of boiling gold contained in rocks and soil is enough to be like lights and steam Resist erosion——Why is such a mine road blocked by such a gate?
It is blocked underground, and even the consuls of this generation don’t know its existence—if the first generation of city hall after the end of the Queen’s Era really issued a blockade order, then what’s so special about it? , to make them so nervous?
And this mine has obviously been abandoned...why? It is obviously not polluted, there are no monsters, no illusions, and no... boiled gold.
Agatha stopped suddenly, her eyes swept over the excavation layers below the ramps on both sides of the mine, and she finally gradually realized the source of the sense of disobedience she had always felt.
No boiling gold here.
City Hall, once the top floor of the Queen's Palace, in the dome office, the chubby Consul Winston in a blue coat slowly fiddled with the delicate machinery in his hand.
The mechanical model made of brass made a slight clicking sound in his hands, the gears and connecting rods were turning, and every meshing and rotation carried a precise and cold beauty.
The creation of wisdom, the crystallization of engineering, the fruit of civilization - the rotating gears are the medals and ribbons of mortal civilization.
Winston put the mechanical model in front of him, and used the decorative ribbon on the outside of his clothes to wipe off a piece of oil near the base of the model without hesitation. Satisfied and praised.
"Boiling gold is the blood of frost, and mining machinery is the heart that pumps blood..."
As if talking to himself, or speaking to the delicate little machine in front of him, Winston muttered softly as he fingered the tiny brass gears.
"Fifty years... It's like a dream..."
He slowly got up and walked towards the window sill.
Outside the wide glass windows, there is a dense fog that fills the whole city. The fog rises and winds, and all the buildings and roads blur their outlines and boundaries, as if they are about to melt into this city-state. The majestic and tall church has also become a hazy shadow in the mist, while those tall towers and spiers are like giants suffocating and dying in the mist.
Winston stared at the fog outside the window with a calm expression. He could hear the alarm bells from across the square, and he could also hear the sounds of the city hall guards and the sheriff's troops gathering and dispatching in the square.
Such a big and weird fog, of course, will cause the city hall to be alert, even without the order of the consul, the guards of the city-state will act first according to the predetermined procedures-but maintaining order in the dense fog, perhaps just The next easiest part.
Winston stood by the window for a while, then turned around and came not far away.
A small round table was placed near the window sill. Wisps of mist seeped through the window and floated around the round table. In the smoke-like mist, he saw two things placed on the table.
The same is a stack of yellowed and brittle documents, and the other is a beautifully crafted revolver.
The document is written and produced in a classical format, with exquisite and intricate printed lace visible on the edges of the fine paper, with the unique elegant atmosphere of the Queen's era.
"Boiling Gold Mine Depletion Warning", "
Investigation Report on Abnormal Mine Roads", "Analysis of Inspection Results of Well Samples"...
Most documents have been read and signed between 1840 and 1845.
Reviewer signature is Ray Nora.
The revolver is the personal collection of Consul Winston~IndoMTL.com~It was a classic style twelve years ago, and it is still solid and reliable even today. Looks like another twelve years of service - or maybe more.
Winston glanced over the papers and finally fell on the revolver.
He reached out and picked up the heavy steel, feeling its icy touch, he opened it to check the gun's bullet nest, and snapped the bullet back to its original position.
The right hand is slowly raised, and the barrel of the gun, which has been carefully maintained by the owner, rests on the temple.
Seconds later, the gun was lowered.
"This posture is good, let's use this posture in the future." Winston said softly, then checked the safety of the trigger, and put the revolver properly in the holster around his waist.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the corridor.
"Your Excellency, the dense fog in the city is getting worse..."
"I know, I'll come."