The night was deep, and the fluttering snow had continued until the latter half of the night without stopping. Although the snow wasn't heavy, it still gently and silently covered the entire city—the not-too-thick layer of snow was like a pale bandage, wrapping the city's numerous scars after the disaster, concealing everything that hadn't had time to heal.

Destroyed buildings, bloodstains that couldn't be cleaned up in time, wrecked steam walkers, barricades waiting to be dismantled, and the dried-up "sludge" accumulated in almost every corner of the city, which would take an unknown amount of time to clean up.

The Mirror intrusion had subsided, but the "byproducts" of this anomalous disaster remained in the city in the form of solid matter.

The Church had taken over the operation of the city after nightfall according to procedure.

Guards carrying lanterns vigilantly watched the streets under the night sky, alert to every dark corner that couldn't be fully illuminated by the gas streetlights and any strange sounds that reached their ears.

The scent of burning incense drifted in the air, and the soft murmurs of the night watch priests carried a reassuring power.

"Tonight seems very peaceful..." A black-clad guard stared at the shadows on the street and muttered to his companion beside him after a long while, "I thought there would still be a fierce battle tonight."

"Everyone thought so," another black-clad female guard with long, flowing hair said softly. Several strips of scripture cloth filled with prayers were fixed to the lantern hanging at her waist with sealing wax, indicating that she was the leader of this squad, "After all, we just experienced such a serious supernatural disaster, and so many clerics sacrificed themselves... Logically speaking, the city-state's defenses would be at their lowest point tonight."

"The other night watch squads don't seem to have reported anything—not even a whistle all night."

"...In any case, stay on your guard. We can't relax for a moment before the sun rises."

"Yes, Captain."

The female black-clad guard, known as the captain, nodded slightly and looked at another squad busy not far away.

An exquisite brass censer was suspended by a thin chain, and ethereal smoke emanated from the censer. A silent monk was blessing the streets with incense, softly chanting the prayers of the God of Death, while several accompanying low-ranking clerics carefully collected samples of the black sludge on the nearby walls, lampposts, and ground with scrapers and glass bottles.

The "sludge" had completely lost its activity after drying out and would no longer appear in a terrifying, distorted form. When the scraper cut through its surface, the texture was like some kind of semi-dry, yet finely structured... "paint."

"How much of this 'sludge' do you think there is in the city now?"

She couldn't help but turn her head and mutter to her subordinate beside her.

"Who knows—it's said that what's on the surface is just a small amount. The sewers and subways are the worst-hit areas, and there are several sewage treatment plants. Those places are almost filled with this sludge. The city hall is in chaos right now, and I don't know how long it will take to clean it up."

"Cleaning up the sludge... at least that's the easiest trouble we have to face," the female captain sighed softly and looked up at the end of the street, "Frost is facing more than just this strange sludge now."

The black-clad guard next to her subconsciously raised his head and looked in the direction his captain was looking.

That was the port area on the edge of the city-state, brightly lit and with faint sounds coming from it.

"Yes, it's not just sludge..." the black-clad guard muttered, his tone strange with a hint of tension, "An entire Sea Fog Fleet is still surrounding the city."

...

Eastern port area, brightly lit, bustling with activity.

As the only port that had consistently resisted the monster invasion and continued to operate throughout the entire defense battle, East Port remained busy even after the battle ended.

All the docks and construction machinery were being used, and all the staff who still had the strength were working overtime. Several docks that had been slightly damaged in the daytime battle were also temporarily repaired as quickly as possible for the ships in better condition to dock for repairs.

For many people in the city, the battle was over, and tonight was the time for them to recover their spirits and heal their wounds. But for the Frost Navy and the port logistics units, the battle was still ongoing—a large number of ships were severely damaged and urgently needed repair, a large number of wounded needed treatment, and more than these things, they had an even more troublesome and complex situation to face:

The Sea Fog Fleet, their temporary allies today, their deep nightmare for the past fifty years.

The largest and strongest ship, the "Ghost Ship" that countless Frost people had used to scare children in the past fifty years, was now docked next to the largest dock in East Port.

The towering bow of the ship stood tall in the night sky, and the deck turrets and bridge structures revealed ghost-like silhouettes in the wind and snow. Lights from the shore shone on the armored belt, reflecting a pale light reminiscent of bones. And on the side of that steel behemoth, towards the edge of the Frost's ship's side, a wide cloth banner fluttered in the wind, with roughly written words that looked like temporary graffiti—

"Sea Fog Venture Capital Co. Temporary Visiting Inspection Ship Stationed in Frost."

Even the Frost soldiers who had seen big storms had never seen such a scene—anyone who walked past the dock at this time had to stare at those rough characters for a long time and desperately resist the urge to slap themselves a few times to wake up.

"Captain," First Mate Aiden walked across the deck, coming to Tirean, who was standing on the edge of the deck, looking down, "The banner has been hung up. As you said, we're trying to look as friendly as possible."

Tirean hummed in response, but then pointed to the soldiers and workers below on the dock who were stopping near the Sea Fog Ship from time to time, watching nervously, "But I think they still seem pretty nervous?"

"I don't know what's going on. Maybe the Frost people of this age are just a little jumpy," Aiden scratched his bald head. "Should I tell my men to go down and drive away all the onlookers nearby?"

"...No need," Tirean thought for a moment and shook his head. "Father's instructions are not to have any more conflicts with the city-state. In this tense moment, it's better not to stimulate these jumpy Frost people."

Aiden shrugged, "Okay, since it's the old captain's order."

"How is everyone's condition?" Tirean suddenly asked after a moment of silence. "I mean, the second batch of sailors."

"...Ah, after half a century, we've returned to this familiar place once again," Aiden sighed softly, saying with emotion, "It's not true that the ship is completely calm—basically, every cabin is discussing this docking, discussing the matter of dealing with the Frost Navy again. Even the first batch of sailors has been affected and is discussing it with them.

"Some are looking forward to it, some are resistant, but more are confused, because everyone has never imagined what this day would be like before, but... everyone will support your decision, they are waiting for your order."

Tirean didn't speak for a moment, but the scene he had seen on the bridge before seemed to float in his mind again.

The Queen's second order after half a century—"Protect Frost."

Was that really true? Was that the power left by the Queen, or just a hallucination?

That didn't seem to matter anymore.

The Queen had ordered the Sea Fog Fleet to stay away from Frost Island, and now, he was leading the fleet back here. Perhaps... the Queen's order back then was really for this day.

"In any case, we've come here," Tirean breathed a soft sigh, the gas exhaled from his mouth and nose condensing into white mist in the cold night, "The commander here wants to entertain 'comrades-in-arms'. Good, I really should say hello to them."

"Shall I accompany you?"

"Yes, and bring a few more well-mannered guys—tell them in advance, this time, we're not here to fight."

"Okay," Aiden nodded, then couldn't help but ask, "Um, any other requirements for the accompanying personnel?"

Tirean thought for a moment: "...People with relatively complete faces, limbs connected to the torso, who don't drop 'parts' when they walk—just use your standards. As long as the clothes can block most of the holes."

"Okay, Captain."

...

Inside the port defense office, Chief Defense Commander Lister was making one last adjustment to his uniform and medals.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen big scenes, but even as a well-trained professional soldier, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the "scene" he was about to face.

Not because the scene was too big, but because it was unprecedented.

He was about to meet the leader of the Sea Fog Fleet—after fifty years of confrontation and animosity, the fleet that had "defected" from the city-state back then had returned.

Many places in the city-state were still in chaos, and the disappearance of the governor was causing the city hall a headache, but even in such a chaotic situation, he still arranged this special reception.

Because he knew that Frost could no longer withstand any further damage. No matter what the officials and advisors in the city hall thought, he had to stabilize that terrifying Ghost Fleet—if, just if, they were to reconcile with that "Great Pirate", now was probably the only opportunity.

Fastening the last button, Lister breathed a soft sigh.

Then he lowered his head, picked up the new badge representing his rank of general from the table, and calmly stared at every line on it.

"...A field promotion... Well, someone has to step up."

He raised his head, looked in the mirror, and carefully pinned the badge on his clothes.

(Book recommendation time~ Recommend a new Xianxia novel by Tai Yi Sheng Shui, *Dao Ying*. The future we pursue is just a shadow of the past under the stars. Yuan Yang Hai, a miserable, all-lacking cultivator with two lifetimes of souls, suddenly opened his eyes...)

(End of Chapter)