Chapter 1 Agatha's Unease

Agatha produced the letter—a missive that appeared to be written on the most common stationery, enclosed in an envelope produced by a local factory in Frost, with ink that was clearly ordinary. It had been delivered to her from the Number Three Cemetery. Frankly, if she hadn't known that the old caretaker wouldn't play such a joke on her, Agatha would never have believed that this thing came from an unspeakable, higher-order transcendent being.

She couldn't even sense any extraordinary power from the letter—but after conducting a few simple tests, she had confirmed that it was indeed from that higher-order entity.

A rustling of clothes came from the dark coffin. The heavy lid finally creaked open, accompanied by a peculiar incense scent. A mummy-like figure wrapped in bandages slowly rose from within.

This was Ivan, the Bishop of Frost—many years ago, he had lost his complete form in an accident. But Bartok's great power had allowed his life to continue to this day. Most of the time, he had to stay in the "Spirit Coffin" of the Meditation Sanctuary, only appearing in public during major sacred events. But even so, he was still the most popular and trusted bishop in Frost's history.

The bishop's achievements and vast knowledge in the transcendent realm were undeniable.

He sat up in the coffin, took the "letter" Agatha handed him, and stared at it for a long time with his only left eye exposed outside the bandages, remaining silent for a long time.

Agatha couldn't help but break the silence, "You..."

The knowledgeable and erudite Archbishop opened his mouth with a muffled voice, "I need a moment."

Agatha waited for a while, then asked, "Have you recovered?"

"...Are you sure this is it?" Bishop Ivan raised his head, a slightly yellowed eye filled with confusion, "Did you..."

"It looks ordinary—but when I tried to observe the words on the letter through the spirit world's perspective, I immediately lost fifteen minutes of memory," Agatha knew what the bishop wanted to say, she nodded with a serious expression, "It's entwined with power unimaginable to mortals. This simple appearance...perhaps it's just the unique taste of that visitor."

Bishop Ivan was silent for a moment, seemingly still recovering, before slowly saying, "The content mentioned in this letter...is disturbing. You've already seen the *Seahawk*, and if what's written on the letter is true, then the *Seahawk* is just the beginning, even the loss of control on Dagger Island is just the beginning... Whether it's the cultists in the city or the pollution caused by the *Origin*, whether it's the return of the *Seahawk* or the anomalies on Dagger Island, everything points to the deep sea, points to the Submerged Abyss Project half a century ago."

"I've already issued a warning to City Hall and applied to review those secret files sealed for half a century. Afterwards, I'll go to the church library. I've also arranged for people to strengthen the search throughout the city to capture those hidden cultists," Agatha said, "But that's not enough. We at least need to confirm what's happening on Dagger Island now—the larger source of pollution seems to be on that island."

Bishop Ivan thought for a moment, then sighed softly, "If everything points to the Submerged Abyss Project...the Sea Fog Fleet that's currently appearing near Frost seems to be explainable as well."

"...Do you think all of this was part of the Frost Queen's plan back then?" Agatha frowned, "Is it because she left some orders for that *Iron Vice Admiral* that the Sea Fog Fleet is appearing today?"

"I'm not sure," Bishop Ivan shook his head, then suddenly looked up at Agatha's eyes, "Agatha, in your perception, what kind of image does the Frost Queen have?"

Agatha hesitated for a moment, thinking as she spoke, "A once great ruler, who, after a brief period of glorious rule, was corrupted and bewitched by the power of the deep sea, falling into a dangerous *Mad King*. Because of her willfulness, Frost established contact with the horrors of the deep sea. Her terrifying plan, even after half a century, still needs to be completely sealed and forbidden from being known by any ordinary person—her life is both tragic and dangerous."

"A very standard answer—as a younger generation with sufficient authority to access some of the materials from half a century ago, your summary is quite accurate," Bishop Ivan nodded, but then changed his tone, "But you didn't truly experience any of it."

Agatha didn't speak, just quietly looked at the Archbishop before her.

"I experienced it—that year, I was twenty-six years old and still an ordinary bishop in a small church in the dock district. Do you know? That small church was right next to the test site for the Submerged Abyss Project. I even performed blessing rituals for some soldiers and officers. Later, I learned that those soldiers and officers came to the church to receive blessings because they were going to come into contact with *submersibles*."

Bishop Ivan spoke slowly, his voice low and gentle, as if a tributary were trickling out of the river of memories. Those distant things that could not be told to ordinary people were slowly narrated from beneath those overlapping bandages.

"After the rebels stormed the palace, most of the information about the Submerged Abyss Project was sealed. In addition, the panic caused by the sea cliff collapse at the subsequent execution site led to the destruction of most of the information about the Submerged Abyss Project. So even you, a *Gatekeeper* with the authority, can only access the most superficial parts of it—if I were to tell you now that the Frost Queen came to that small church the night before the City Guard rebelled and asked me to perform a sending-off ritual for her...what would you think?"

Agatha's eyes widened suddenly.

"She was called the *Mad King*—indeed, her actions in the last few months were no different from *madness*. She continued to push the project forward even when the entire plan was completely out of control, people were disappearing, dying, and going crazy every day. She even closed the palace, imprisoned the ministers who were still willing to speak out, and ordered the military police to seal off the port, arresting those who wanted to escape Frost. With these actions, the subsequent rebellion was a natural occurrence. She was destined to not end well in her position as queen..."

"Yet even so, I believe that she was not actually *mad*...She was very clear-headed, even..."

Bishop Ivan suddenly stopped, as if recalling those distant events had overwhelmed his mind, or perhaps he was searching for the right words to describe the strangeness he had felt back then. After a full few seconds, he continued, "Even, it was as if she was the only one in the entire city-state who was still awake."

Agatha leaned forward unconsciously, "Why do you say that?"

"She walked into the church without any attendants, her eyes clear, as if she had already seen her fate. She came to Bartok's statue herself, lit incense for herself, and then came over and patted me on the shoulder—just like this."

Bishop Ivan raised his arm, as if recreating the scene from half a century ago.

"She patted me and said, 'Wake up, you're the only one in the city who still has your eyes open—come help me do something, I'm about to die.'"

Agatha felt her breathing suddenly become difficult, like a sleep apnea in a half-dreaming state. Then, in the next moment, she couldn't help but reach out and support her forehead, feeling her heart pounding. She didn't know how to react. After a few seconds of silence, she could only ask her most direct question, "You're the only one in the city who still has your eyes open...what does that mean?"

"I still haven't completely figured it out," Bishop Ivan sighed, his voice muffled under the bandages, "She told me to wake up—but I've always been awake. And after that, she didn't explain anything to me, just told me to act according to orders...She lay on the mortuary table, like a dead person, and then...I performed a sending-off ritual for her."

"How can you perform a sending-off ritual for a living person?" Agatha stared in disbelief, "Did that ritual of yours...really complete?"

"Of course, you can't perform a sending-off ritual for a living person—I just followed her instructions and completed the entire process. Naturally, nothing happened after the ritual," Bishop Ivan shook his head, "I believe the ritual was meaningless, but the Frost Queen seemed to have achieved her own purpose. She left just like that, entrusting me with one thing before leaving..."

"One thing?"

"She told me not to reveal what happened that night, otherwise the rebels would definitely take my life. When she said this, there were still twenty-four hours before the first City Guard attacked the armory."

Agatha fell silent. After who knows how long, she finally spoke softly, "You've never told me these things..."

"I haven't told anyone," Bishop Ivan said lightly, "Back then, I was just a small bishop."

"But you later became the Bishop of the City-State. No one can judge you for the *entanglement* back then. This secret..."

"I intended to take this secret to the grave. Why would I say it?" Bishop Ivan raised his head, his muddy, yellowish left eye quietly watching Agatha's eyes, "I know this matter is extraordinary—the Queen already knew about the rebels' actions, and even accepted her own death with pleasure. This fact can shock many people...But besides its inherent shocking nature, it has no meaning. The Submerged Abyss Project will still be sealed. The stable order of the city-state is the most important thing for the vast majority of citizens. No one cares about what a Queen who has already been executed was thinking and doing at the end. And there's another more important reason..."

Bishop Ivan paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"A more important reason—the Submerged Abyss Project is over, the Queen's era is over, everything has settled, at least...that's what I've been thinking for the past fifty years."