Chapter 1 Leading

Leading a small squad of fully armed guardians, Agatha left the forward base established by the Church forces. They passed through several fences temporarily constructed from simple fortifications and shooting positions, then through an intersection illuminated by gas lamps, finally reaching the deepest part of a branching corridor.

The gas lamps embedded in the walls emitted a faint hiss. The ancient piping system supplied gas erratically, making the light flicker dimly. In the dim light, a dark and heavy alloy door stood quietly at the end of the corridor.

The sound of cane and heel striking the ground echoed hollowly in the corridor. Agatha arrived in front of the door—perhaps because too much time had passed, the door's seal had actually failed. A narrow gap could be seen between the two gates, and the lead block originally sealed on the door seemed to have been subjected to an unknown impact, with obvious signs of stretching and tearing in the middle.

On the plaque on one side of the door, the steel stamp left by the Frost Municipal Hall could be seen.

This was the discovery of the exploration team in the depths of the underground, the strange door located in the central area of the Second Aqueduct that she mentioned to Governor Winston.

The Municipal Hall sealed off this place, but the Governor himself knew nothing about the existence of this door—the information related to this door had been lost. It could perhaps be traced back to the chaotic era just after the end of the Queen's reign, when the turbulent situation caused this door and the secrets behind it to disappear from everyone's memory.

Could this be the lair where those Annihilation cultists were hiding? Or a mystery left to the world by Queen of Frost, Lei Nuo'la?

Agatha reached out and gently touched the rough and heavy alloy door panel. The tactile sensation transmitted from her fingertips felt somewhat dull and numb for some reason, only the icy coldness was particularly clear.

"Should we open this door?" a black-clad guard stepped forward and asked, "The Governor's permission has been granted..."

"Mr. Winston did issue permission, but this kind of door that has been sealed in the darkness for many years cannot be opened rashly," Agatha shook her head gently, "There may be something dangerous sealed behind it—I'll go check the situation on the other side first."

The nearby guardians immediately understood their commander's intention and stepped back.

Agatha raised her head and looked at the crack between the two door panels, then reached out her hand.

Nothing happened. She frowned in confusion.

A black-clad guard looked over curiously, "Is there a problem?"

"...No, there's no problem." Agatha shook her head, then refocused her attention.

A gust of wind finally stirred in the open space, and her figure transformed into a gray-white mist in the wind. The gray wind swirled twice in front of the door, then drilled into the narrow gap.

"Stay on guard. Wait for the Gatekeeper to return."

The captain of the black-clad guards confirmed that Agatha had passed through the door, breathed a sigh of relief, and began to order his men to set up guard positions in the corridor.

On the other side, the gray-white whirlwind passed through the door's gap and entered a dimly lit space. The wind swirled for a moment, and Agatha's figure condensed out of it.

The Gatekeeper turned her head, glanced at the door she had come through, and then looked down to check her own condition, frowning subconsciously.

Why... does the divine art that she was usually used to feel a little rusty today? Even the response speed of her own body seemed a bit slow?

After a moment of confusion, Agatha shook her head and temporarily turned her attention back to the matter at hand.

She looked around, the lantern at her waist emitting a dim yellow light, dispelling the darkness that permeated the area. In the shadows all around, many things seemed to be lurking, but when she looked intently, those dark places became quiet again.

A damp and gloomy tunnel, with traces of muddy soil and metallic-lustered rocks everywhere. In the lantern's dim light, the beams and pillars used to support the tunnel, as well as some debris scattered near the rock piles, could be seen more clearly.

Agatha frowned. She judged that the scene here did not seem to be part of the Second Aqueduct—the normal sewer corridors were not this structure. The space behind this door... looked more like

A long-abandoned mine tunnel.

A mine tunnel?

Agatha raised her head, looking thoughtfully at the damp, dark rock ceiling above, her gaze seeming to penetrate the thick rocks and soil, reaching all the way up to the layers of tunnels, shafts, machinery, and ramps.

Boiling Gold Mine.

This Second Aqueduct was located in the center of the city-state, and its underground branches crisscrossed around the Boiling Gold Mine. A considerable portion of the sewers were even part of the mine's drainage system from the Queen's era, and the closest place in these tunnels to the mine... could indeed be only a door away.

She walked slowly forward along the mine tunnel, while increasingly more doubts arose in her mind.

This was just a mine tunnel, and it didn't even seem to have been completely swallowed and twisted by darkness, because Boiling Gold was a sacred metal. The trace amounts of Boiling Gold contained in the rocks and soil were enough to resist erosion like lights and steam—why would such a mine tunnel be sealed off so solemnly with such a door?

It was sealed underground, and even the current Governor didn't know of its existence—if it was really the first generation of the Municipal Hall after the end of the Queen's era that issued the sealing order, then what was so special about this place that made them so nervous?

And this mine tunnel was obviously abandoned... why was that? It was not polluted here, there were no monsters, no illusions, and no... Boiling Gold.

Agatha suddenly stopped, her gaze sweeping over the excavated layers below the slopes on both sides of the mine tunnel. She finally gradually realized the source of the incongruity she had always felt.

There was no Boiling Gold here.

In the Municipal Hall, on the top floor of the former Queen's Palace, in the domed office, Governor Winston, a portly man in a blue coat, slowly fiddled with an exquisite machine in his hand.

The brass mechanical model made a slight clicking sound in his hand. The gears and connecting rods rotated, each meshing and rotation carrying a precise and cold beauty.

Creations of wisdom, the crystallization of engineering, the achievements of civilization—the rotating gears were the medals and sashes of mortal civilization.

Winston placed the mechanical model in front of him, carelessly wiping a grease stain near the base of the model with the decorative sash on his coat. After wiping it clean, he nodded gently, his face filled with satisfaction and praise like admiring a work of art.

"Boiling Gold is the blood of Frost, mining machinery is the heart that pumps the blood..."

As if talking to himself, or as if saying it to the exquisite little machine in front of him, Winston murmured softly while fiddling with the tiny brass gears with his fingers.

"Fifty years... truly like a dream bubble..."

He slowly got up and strolled to the window sill.

Outside the wide glass window was a dense fog that permeated the entire city. In the rising and swirling mist, all the buildings and roads blurred their outlines and boundaries, as if they were about to melt into this city-state. Even the towering church across the open space had become a hazy shadow in the mist, and those towering spires and pinnacles seemed to be suffocating and dying giants in the mist.

Winston watched the fog outside the window with a calm expression. He could hear the sirens coming from across the plaza, and he could also hear the sounds of the Municipal Hall guards and constabulary forces gathering and being deployed in the plaza.

Such a large and strange fog would naturally arouse the Municipal Hall's vigilance. Even without his order as Governor, the city-state's defense forces would act according to predetermined procedures—however, maintaining order in the thick fog was perhaps only the easiest part of what was to come.

Winston stood in front of the window for a while, then turned and walked to a place not far away.

A small round table was placed near the window sill, and wisps of mist seeped through the window seams, floating around the round table. In the smoke-like mist, he saw two things placed on the table.

One was a stack of documents that had yellowed and become brittle. The other was an exquisitely crafted revolver.

The documents were written and produced in the classic format, with delicate and complex floral borders visible on the edges of the high-quality paper, carrying the unique elegant atmosphere of the Queen's era.

"Boiling Gold Mine Depletion Warning," "

Investigation Report on Abnormal Mine Tunnels," "Analysis of Test Results of Out-of-Well Samples"·····

The signing dates of most of the reviewed documents were between 1840 and 1845.

The signatory was Lei Nuo'la.

The revolver was Governor Winston's personal collection, a classic model from twelve years ago. Even now, it was still sturdy and reliable. The well-maintained handle and receiver were shiny and oiled, and it looked like it could serve for another twelve years—or even longer.

Winston's gaze swept over the documents, finally landing on the revolver.

He reached out and picked up the heavy steel, feeling its cold touch. He opened and inspected the gun's cylinder, then pushed the cylinder back into place with a snap.

His right hand slowly raised, the barrel, once meticulously maintained by its owner, pressed against his temple.

A few seconds later, the gun was lowered.

"This is a good pose. I'll use this pose later." Winston said softly, then checked the gun's safety and put the revolver neatly into his waist holster.

Rapid footsteps came from the corridor.

"Your Excellency Governor, the fog in the city is getting worse and worse..."

"I know, I'm coming."