Chapter 1 A Visit

Annie didn't know what was happening. She had only caught a glimpse of two strangers standing at the entrance to the cemetery before the old caretaker's slightly hunched figure blocked her view. The old man's somewhat nervous voice reached her ears, "Child, don't look over there."

The little girl was a bit nervous. "Grandpa Caretaker, what's wrong?"

"Don't move, don't speak, it's nothing," the old man said softly, his eyes still fixed on the burly figure. One hand was by his side, blocking Annie's restless gaze, while the other pressed against his chest—where a talisman was hidden, which could be used to trigger the cemetery's alarm in case of emergency.

The burly figure was walking towards them.

Every muscle in the old man's body tensed up.

"Good morning," a deep voice came from beneath the thick bandages, echoing as if from a tomb. "This should be my first formal 'house call'."

It was clear verbal communication, and the attitude was friendly—as in previous encounters, this unspeakable "visitor" displayed a friendly stance.

But the old caretaker's muscles didn't dare relax at all. He had thought about this visitor's next visit sooner or later, and had also considered how he would communicate with the visitor in different circumstances. He never expected the visitor to come to the cemetery gate so openly, standing opposite him and greeting him. He didn't know if Annie behind him would be affected by this visitor, so he could only try to stand between them, quickly thinking about how to respond next.

Duncan fully noticed the old man's tension.

*You look even more nervous than the first time we met—is it because you're protecting the child behind you?*

The old caretaker stared blankly at the thing the visitor took out. He subconsciously accepted it before realizing what it was. He blinked in confusion, never expecting that an unspeakable visitor would physically descend upon the cemetery just to give him a letter.

A… letter? It was actually a letter?!

Seeming to sense the sudden change in atmosphere, Annie appeared a bit nervous. She shrank back behind the old caretaker, "Yes, yes."

"Ah, that's good, saves me some trouble," Duncan said, reaching into his pocket—an action that visibly startled the cemetery caretaker. Seeing this, he smiled and shook his head. "Don't be nervous. If I really had bad intentions, I wouldn't need to raise my hand."

But the cemetery caretaker beside him suddenly reacted.

Duncan quietly looked at the little girl who was peeking out from behind the old caretaker, gazing at her eyes and the faint resemblance to Captain Bartokto in her brow.

"It's easy to slip on snowy days," Duncan nodded, then casually asked the little girl, "What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name is Annie," the girl said without much wariness, "Annie Ba-Duncan, and I'm seventeen years old!"

"Captain Bartokto Ba-Qiuying, what is your relationship with him?"

Duncan slowly bent down, bringing his gaze level with the girl, trying to make his tone as gentle as possible, "Your surname is Ba-Duncan?"

Annie's voice suddenly became louder as she spoke.

"He's… my father," Annie said softly, then subconsciously grabbed the old caretaker's clothes, looking up at the old man as if seeking help.

Duncan suddenly reached out and ruffled Annie's hair—a few snowflakes that hadn't melted fell from the thick woolen hat, mingling with the accumulated snow.

The old caretaker's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly concealed the change in expression.

"Pass this on to the 'Gatekeeper' named Agatha, or directly to your cathedral," Duncan said casually. "It's just a message, as long as the message is delivered."

He just asked a casual question, but never expected… things would be so coincidental.

But he was a step too late.

The old man suddenly held Annie's shoulder, stopping the child from continuing to speak. Then he raised his head and looked directly into Duncan's eyes, "Is what you're saying… the truth?"

"Just wanted to visit the cemetery, someone who has nothing to do with the church," the old man said immediately. After realizing that Annie hadn't really been affected, he relaxed a bit. "He's persuading the child to go back, the weather is too bad today."

"Making a small contribution to the safety of the city-state," Duncan smiled, but his friendly expression was completely hidden by the bandages. Then his gaze passed over the old caretaker and looked at the little girl hiding behind the old man. "Did I scare you?"

The silence suddenly enveloped the front of the cemetery gate.

He still couldn't understand what Duncan's words meant—he didn't even understand what kind of being this tall and burly figure was.

As he finished speaking, he took out a sealed letter from his coat pocket and handed it to the old man.

"...I believe so," Duncan thought for a moment. "I don't know what's going on with Death Chris's gate, and I don't know what happens to humans after death, but in front of a child, I know what I should say—and that's what I sincerely hope for, 'he personally sent me away.'"

"Also, don't forget this letter."

"You're Captain Bartokto's daughter—you and your mother live on Hearth Street?" Duncan looked at the little girl and asked again.

Duncan nodded gently.

The old caretaker next to him did the same.

"…I've met him, though not too well," Duncan said softly. "He asked me to visit you and your mother. I haven't had time to find you yet, but I didn't expect to meet you here."

Annie nodded calmly, then seemed to realize something. "You… know my father?"

Actually, since a long time ago, he no longer doubted the words the old man had told him.

"Is that priestess not here?"

Duncan looked curiously in the direction of the cemetery. "I have some important things to tell her."

But the old man didn't react much. He just looked astonished, as if he had thought of something, looking at Duncan with an incredulous expression, while also looking at the young woman with the veil and golden hair with suspicion.

Annie raised her head and blinked.

The old caretaker was silent for a moment. He knew what the visitor meant, and also knew that Annie, as an ordinary person, probably wouldn't be affected by certain extraordinary powers like himself. But he still didn't relax, just cautiously asked, "What do you want to do here?"

The marking and number of a local small printing factory could be seen on the back of the envelope—this wasn't even a "ritual secret letter" condensed by some extraordinary power. It was bought from a kiosk at the intersection, maybe even casually bought this morning when passing by.

"She just left," the old caretaker said, becoming increasingly cautious as the visitor mentioned Agatha. "What do you need her for?"

"Oh, then she's very safe," Duncan said. "She can't see it, you should understand."

"No," Annie shook her head, carefully looking at the tall, burly figure opposite her through the gaps in the old man's fingers. "I'm very brave."

"I know you are friendly, but your very existence may affect ordinary people," the old caretaker said cautiously, trying to make his words not offend the visitor. "This child has not been trained in the supernatural."

The old caretaker blinked, and before he could speak, he only saw a flash of faint green flame in front of him.

The old caretaker's heart tightened. He wanted to remind Annie, who had never been exposed to supernatural powers, not to speak. After all, revealing one's name to an upper-level supernatural being with a clear history was quite dangerous—

"Relax," Duncan said with a smile in his voice. "I don't have any hostility—and I won't hurt the child behind you."

Then he paused, and added, "I can contact her at any time—the cemetery caretaker is also a clergyman, and can directly contact the cathedral and the gatekeeper."

"I have a niece, she's also very brave," Duncan said, looking at the old man. "This child is..."

The sound of footsteps crunching on snow came from the side. Alice looked at the little girl who claimed to be "Annie Ba-Duncan" with some surprise, then turned her head to look at Duncan. "Ah, I remember the surname Ba-Duncan, isn't this..."

The old man raised his head, his slightly cloudy and yellowing eyes showing obvious doubt and inquiry.

He glanced at the envelope again.

"My father..." Annie opened her mouth, but couldn't think of what to say for a long time. After struggling to organize her words for a long time, she asked carefully, "He's really not dead… is he?"

"Captain Bartokto is a remarkable person, very remarkable—he should be in a realm now, resting well there."

"I should be leaving too," Duncan said. He looked at Annie, who was still a bit confused, and then looked at the cemetery caretaker. "Although there are a lot of things I want to say, I still have a lot of things to do. Maybe we'll meet again."

"Then… then will he be sent here?" Annie asked calmly again. "The adults say that people who believe in the God of Death, their souls will return to Chris's cemetery after death, and then be led to that gate. Grandpa Caretaker told me that this cemetery is…"