Chapter 1 Frost, Southern Port, Secret Facility Deep Underground

Frost, southern port, within a secret facility deep underground. All non-essential personnel had been evacuated, and Agatha and Tyrian waited together for Duncan's arrival.

Behind them stood the massive machine secretly built by the former City Hall—an egg-shaped pressure chamber held securely between the beams by steel cables. Light spilled from the ceiling, illuminating the submersible's metal shell, giving it a cold and silent glow.

Silence enveloped the hall, and after a moment of slightly tense waiting, Agatha suddenly raised her head, her soul-like, ethereal voice breaking the silence: "He's here."

As the words fell, she opened her hands to the air. Blazing green flames rose from the cracks of her scars, her posture like embracing a sun. In front of Agatha, a ghostly green fire suddenly flared, then coalesced into a rotating gate of flame. The skeletal form of Aiy first flew out, followed by a burly figure in a black coat, covered in bandages.

Tyrian bowed to the figure, stepping aside slightly: "Father."

Agatha lowered her hands, extinguishing the flames. With her hands clasped in a prayer-like pose before her chest, she bowed her head slightly: "I apologize for requiring you to come in person."

"It's nothing. This avatar has nothing else to do anyway, and seeing the site in person is more efficient than listening to a report," Duncan waved his hand, stepping past Tyrian and Agatha, his gaze already on the massive machine behind them. "That's it, then?"

"Yes," Agatha nodded gently. "Councilor Winston's legacy—perhaps embodying the efforts of other former councilors as well. According to current inspections, this submersible is near completion and in good condition."

Duncan hummed softly but said nothing more. He simply stood there, as if gazing at a piece of solidified history, remaining silent for a long time.

That sealed history also gazed back at him. Within the passage of time were ambitions and solitary explorations now lost to the ages. Under the intersecting lights, within this hall nearly buried by dust, all of mortal's fear and courage were forged into this cold steel.

Duncan could almost hear the obsession and roar cast within the steel.

He took a few steps forward, reaching the edge of the railing, and stretched out his hand to touch the cold, hard shell of the submersible. Deep within his life-forsaken body… a faint throb seemed to arise, but then the feeling vanished in an instant.

But that fleeting feeling still stirred a sense of familiarity in Duncan. He recalled it, finding the source of that familiarity:

It was when he first set foot on the surface of Pland, standing before Nina as "Uncle Duncan," and Nina ran towards him with a beaming smile, opening her arms to him. It was when he found the silver brooch on the *Lost Country*, and heard the name "Lucretia" from others—at that time, faint affection and memories surged from the bottom of his heart, like the last vestiges of humanity remaining in a husk, yet never completely dissipating.

Duncan withdrew his arm, looking thoughtfully at his palm as if gazing at the former owner of this body. After a long while, he spoke softly: "Ah, you know about this..."

Tyrian's voice came from the side: "Father? What did you say?"

"Nothing," Duncan turned around. "Is this submersible usable now?"

"This..." Tyrian's tone revealed a hint of difficulty. "We carefully inspected the facilities and the condition of the submersible. The main structure of the submersible itself is intact, but there are two problems. First, it seems all the original technical personnel at this facility have perished, and the data and equipment in the outer hall are severely damaged. This...problem is relatively easy to solve. Some of the 'old timers' in the Seabourne Fleet should be able to handle this thing—after all, it was built based on the blueprints left by the Frost Queen. The second problem is more troublesome..."

Tyrian paused slightly, organizing his words before continuing: "According to preliminary inspections, we found that this submersible is very different from the ones used in the past. It doesn't rely on surface air pumps, but instead uses built-in oxygen tanks. However, we only found the location for installing the oxygen tanks, but not the corresponding tanks themselves—perhaps that part hasn't been manufactured yet, which is why Ms. Agatha said it was 'near completion.' If we want to temporarily manufacture an oxygen supply system that fits this submersible, it may take a considerable amount of time."

Duncan turned his head, quietly looking at Tyrian. Tyrian was a little nervous: "Father?"

"I don't need to breathe," Duncan looked into Tyrian's eyes. "Are there any other problems now?"

Tyrian paused.

The new Frost Councilor was stunned for a moment before suddenly reacting, an embarrassed expression immediately appearing on his face. Then, he hastily nodded: "Ah, then there are no problems at all..."

"The entire Seabourne Fleet can't find many people who breathe, and yet you're hung up on this issue. It seems recent events have really made you scatterbrained," Duncan shook his head. "Alright, if there are no problems, go prepare quickly. Get this submersible ready in the shortest amount of time. This is one of the things I care about most in Frost."

Tyrian instantly stood up straight. Even though it had been a century since he had heard an order from his father, he still reflexively tensed his muscles: "Yes, Father!"

Afterward, Tyrian left—to complete his father's orders as soon as possible.

Duncan turned around and observed the strange-looking submersible for a while, then noticed that Agatha was still standing in place, and she seemed… hesitant.

Duncan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Agatha and the shadow beside her on the ground. Then he nodded: "You can speak now. It's just us here—tell me, what's the situation? Which of you will speak first?"

Agatha was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "You… already noticed?"

"There are two shadows in the firelight. Although one of them is trying to hide, the flames on you originate from me, so this concealment seems a bit… clumsy in my eyes," Duncan turned around, his gaze carrying a hint of gentleness. "I noticed it as soon as I arrived, but you didn't want to say anything, so I didn't ask."

"I just didn't think General Tyrian should know about this yet," Agatha said, slowly taking two steps to the side.

Her shadow remained in place.

The next second, the shadow on the ground suddenly flickered. Then, a blurry, illusory figure, vaguely resembling the former gatekeeper's attire, stood up from the shadow and bowed slightly to Duncan. A raspy voice almost identical to Agatha's sounded: "It's a pleasure to see you, Duncan… Captain."

"This should be the first time I've seen you," Duncan looked at the blurry, flickering figure with a hint of surprise, curiously examining it for a few seconds before suddenly looking up at Agatha not far away. "Is she always this blurry?"

"She's very clear in the mirror, but there are no mirrors here," Agatha immediately explained. "Also, according to our tests, 'she' becomes blurry when she feels nervous—the more nervous, the blurrier she gets. Right now… she's a bit nervous in front of you."

“…Amazing,” Duncan felt even more incredible. He looked at the phantom, and even though he had noticed the other party's existence earlier, he couldn't help but be surprised now. "I thought you had dissipated into the darkness—that Agatha read the memories you left behind when you dissipated."

"I did dissipate once, but eventually returned to this world," the hazy shadow said. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain this process. When I became aware of my existence again, I was already a reflection in the mirror..."

Agatha then interjected: "We suspect this is related to the 'key,' but there's no evidence."

"Key?"

"The brass key," Agatha nodded. "According to 'her' vague impression, 'she' reappeared in this world when I obtained the brass key—perhaps that key not only has the power to store information but can also preserve memories, personalities, and even souls to some extent. When the conditions are right, the preserved memories and souls can be 'reconstructed' in some form..."

Duncan listened quietly, not speaking immediately.

The key left by the Frost Queen, Lei Nora, is now on the *Lost Country*, in his "main body's" hands. Out of caution, he hasn't tried to use the key on Alice yet, and now it seems… that caution may be correct!

Agatha touched the key, and so the "counterfeit Agatha," who had also once held the key, returned to this world. What would happen if the key were used on Alice?

Does the key… hold the memories, or even the soul, of the Frost Queen, Lei Nora?

Successive Frost Councilors have been constantly influenced by the brass key as they came into contact with it. They passively learned the truth of the Abyssal Plan, passively inherited the "legacy" of the Frost Queen, and were even interfered with by the Queen's will. All along, this "influence" had been simply and crudely explained as "the Frost Queen's curse," but now, what was happening to Agatha… made Duncan realize the possibilities behind the key.

Recalling Alice's identical appearance to the Frost Queen, this possibility pointed in an even more unsettling direction—the doll is a vessel, and the key stores the soul. The two combined are the Frost Queen.

Duncan remained silent, sighing softly in his heart.

He understood why Agatha hadn't mentioned this to Tyrian. But then he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Alice as a doll, and the brass key that "can store souls"… are these truly the means by which the Frost Queen is resurrected? Could things be that simple?