Chapter 1 The Depths of the Mine

The deepest tunnels of the Frostwind Mines had been exhausted decades ago. The city-state's lifeblood might very well be some kind of twisted result. Deep beneath the Gilded Vein mines lay a gate left behind by the original city hall. The current city hall and councilors might also be participants in, and guardians of, this secret.

Even the well-trained, disciplined Guardians who frequently dealt with various dangerous and bizarre entities couldn't help but fall into silence and astonishment upon hearing this news.

And beyond the astonishment, they understood why this operation was classified, and why the Gatekeeper waited until everyone was underground to reveal the details.

Such news, even without considering the threat posed by the supernatural phenomena behind it, was enough to ignite a storm in the city-state, considering the truth of the "depleted mines" itself!

"We cannot yet be certain if all the mines were exhausted decades ago, nor can we be certain what exactly has been transported out of this mine since the depletion – the only certainty is that if all of this truly stems from some kind of 'contamination', and if the current anomalies in the city-state are related to this contamination, then we are now standing at the origin and the deepest point of that contamination."

Agatha's gaze swept across her subordinates, her tone as calm and steady as ever.

"I believe everyone is aware of the situation on the surface. I also know that you have wondered why we are deploying the most elite squad here, to investigate some mine tunnels, at such a critical juncture. I share your concerns for our comrades fighting the fog and the monsters, and for the battles raging on the surrounding seas.

"However, we are also on the battlefield right now. Investigating the situation in this mine is the best way to help our comrades elsewhere, to find the source of the crisis at its root, and it's more effective than endlessly expending our strength against the monsters in the fog.

"That's all. Any questions?"

She looked around and saw the usual calm and determined expressions on her subordinates' faces. She nodded slightly.

"Good. Then let's begin the operation. Our target is the deepest mining level. Observe the dark environment along the way, and constantly check the condition of ventilation and lighting equipment. Everyone received a set of mine rescue gear on the way down. Now, put on your masks and open the external circulation valves – you all remember how to use them, right? In case of emergency, rotate the valve clockwise to the internal circulation and pull the rescue device's pin, while quickly retreating to the main tunnel, prioritizing your own survival."

The Guardians, priests, and sisters immediately followed orders, placing breathing masks over their mouths and noses, checking the condition of the connecting tubes and circulation valves, and securing the special underground lanterns to the buckles on their chests to avoid hindering movement.

Agatha, however, did not wear a mask. As a Gatekeeper of the God of Death, her constitution was already different from ordinary humans, especially in terms of "breathing". Ordinary toxic gases and suffocating environments would not affect her actions.

Just as her subordinates were preparing to depart, a faint hissing sound suddenly reached Agatha's ears.

At first, she thought it was the sound of her subordinates' circulation valves as they breathed through their masks, but she quickly realized that the hissing was coming from farther away – beyond the group, in the shadows beyond the reach of the lights.

"Attention!" Agatha reacted instantly, issuing a warning. The next moment, several other Guardian warriors also noticed the sound of escaping gas coming from the darkness. Several beams of light shone in that direction simultaneously.

In the hazy glow of light and mist, Agatha saw a figure emerge from the dark corner – a figure wearing a thick black coat, a gas mask, and seemingly carrying a firearm.

The figure was lying among a pile of debris, breathing heavily. The hissing sound came from their gas mask.

Why was there suddenly someone here? The Guardians had checked the entire transfer point earlier. There was no way they could have missed such an obvious figure!

Questions flashed through Agatha's mind, but she acted without hesitation, striding towards the seemingly dying figure, with the Guardians close behind her.

"...It's a soldier of the city-state," one of the Guardians instantly identified the fallen soldier's equipment. "A member of the Councilor's personal guard."

Agatha quickly scanned the soldier. She saw that the person's black coat was covered by a metal chest plate, and the power conduits connecting the chest plate and arm guards were broken. The military-grade breathing mask obscured almost the entire face, and only the figure suggested this was a male soldier. His fatal wound was near his chest, and seemed to have severely damaged internal organs.

One of his arms was broken, while the other clutched a rifle tightly.

Perhaps stimulated by the sudden appearance of light, the soldier in the breathing mask suddenly twitched as Agatha approached, seemingly trying to raise his head.

The surrounding Guardians were instantly startled, instinctively raising their weapons. Agatha, however, waved her hand, stepped forward, and leaned down slightly.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Councilor's guard... Martin... Blythe... Sergeant..."

"Sergeant Blythe, why are you here?"

"Councilor... Winston..."

The guard, who identified himself as Sergeant Blythe, rasped, his voice from behind the breathing mask increasingly labored. He mentioned the Councilor's name and struggled to raise his arm, seemingly trying to point somewhere.

"Mr. Winston... entered a chamber... We need... support..."

He couldn't finish. The arm suddenly lost its strength, and the last sound from the breathing mask was a quickly fading hiss.

He died. The next moment, as his life force departed, Agatha saw a viscous black sludge seeping from his wounds and beneath his mask. The body rapidly disintegrated as if melting, accompanied by a chilling, viscous, squelching sound.

"A counterfeit!"

The surrounding Guardians reacted instantly, quickly retreating. The accompanying priest stepped forward and threw a prepared mixture of powder at the collapsing corpse, then hurled a ball of pale fire at the body.

With a bang, pale flames erupted, consuming the counterfeit corpse in the blink of an eye. After a swift and brief burst of fire, only a pile of dried, unmoving black sludge remained on the ground, along with lingering heat in the air.

Agatha watched the scene with a calm expression. From the moment the figure had appeared, she had suspected that it was a copy emerging from the fog. Now, she thoughtfully turned her head to look in the direction the late "Sergeant Blythe" had pointed before his death.

"In that direction..." she murmured softly.

"Gatekeeper, that was just a lure from a counterfeit," the priest beside her said, stepping forward to warn her. "It could be a trap set by the enemy."

"But it doesn't seem to know it's a counterfeit," Agatha replied, gently shaking her head. "Remember the intelligence we gathered earlier? There seem to be three types of these 'counterfeits': one type is muddled and attacks all living beings; another seems to be controlled and destroys the city in an organized manner; and the third type seems to retain the memories and emotions of the original, even unaware that it's a fake..."

The priest paused, his tone hesitant. "You mean..."

Agatha's expression seemed complex for a moment, but no one noticed her hesitation. After a brief pause, she said calmly, "This 'counterfeit' was copied recently. It may retain memories from only a few hours ago, or even less. Furthermore, since we entered the mine, the messages from the City Hall have been relayed by the secretary. Councilor Winston seems to be missing."

The priest quickly understood Agatha's meaning.

"'Counterfeits' are fakes, but their memories are real," he said quickly. "Councilor Winston may have indeed come here with a squad of soldiers not long ago, and a Sergeant Martin Blythe died in the tunnels – this fog copied the recently deceased Sergeant and his memories!"

"Perhaps that is the truth."

Agatha nodded slightly, then turned towards the tunnel illuminated by the dim lights.

No one knew the situation deep in the mining level, but Councilor Winston clearly possessed some truth that others did not know. Now, with the entire city plunged into anomalies, he had led a squad of soldiers into the depths of this mine. Undoubtedly, the biggest clue might lie in that direction.

"Thank you for the directions."

Agatha turned and solemnly nodded towards the pile of dried sludge that no longer resembled a human being, then waved to her surrounding subordinates.

"Follow me – we're going to find the Councilor!"

At the same time, on the boundless ocean shrouded by a chaotic and dim sky, the twin-hulled ghost ship sailed like the wind across the waves, weaving through countless real and illusory ship shadows.

Lawrence stood at the bow of the White Oak, looking down at the surging sea below.

Between the layers of undulating waves, he could already see the reflection of the distant city-state.