Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 458 - Chapter 458 Chapter 459 The Person in the Mirror

Chapter 458: Chapter 459: The Person in the Mirror Chapter 458: Chapter 459: The Person in the Mirror Sherry left with Agou, who still seemed a bit uneasy, and Fenna and Morris also departed, leaving the captain’s quarters quiet, with only Duncan, Alice, and the dozing pigeon remaining.

Alice was wiping down the room’s furnishings and windows, while Duncan sat behind the desk, lost in deep thought.

The squeaky creaking sound came from the desk, as the goat’s head slowly turned towards Duncan, “Are you still thinking about the God of Wisdom Rahm?”

“It’s not just the God of Wisdom–it’s the gods,” Duncan leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful, “The gods… what kind of connection do they really have with this world?”

“Who knows? The scriptures of each sect depict them as the shapers and protectors of the worldly order, but many heretics believe the opposite. They claim that it’s the gods who have twisted the world and even stolen the credit for Creation. Morris saw a novel interpretation in that ‘Book of Desecration,’ where the ‘Forgotten Kings’ mentioned seem to be today’s deities… Perhaps all these views are wrong, or maybe they all contain a portion of truth…”

The goat’s head droned on and eventually shook its head again.

“But if you ask for my opinion, my take is… they don’t seem to be of much use, neither making this world any better nor bringing about any terrible events.”

“However, for most ordinary people in this world, the protection of the gods is real,” Duncan said casually, “This protection has allowed most mortals to survive.”

“Yes, to live–a way of maintaining the status quo,” said the goat’s head slowly, “Just like the state of Frost over the past fifty years, before the balance was broken, no one knew how many shadows of disaster had accumulated under that balance, but at least everyone was still alive.”

Duncan neither agreed nor disagreed with the goat’s head’s evaluation; he just thought for another moment before speaking reflectively, “Whenever Agou thinks, he enters the sight of Rahm, and there have been many notable cases of ‘divine favor’ in history. The individuals involved were all suddenly observed in their daily lives, establishing a connection with the four gods… So could it be that the four gods have established a sort of ‘surveillance’ or ‘scanning’ system over the beings of this world? They confirm the status of the real world by sensing certain specific nodes… Does this perhaps indicate that their interference and perception of the present world are actually indirect and limited?”

“…Those of the Orthodox Sect wouldn’t like your way of describing it, it sounds like studying some kind of machine, showing no reverence at all to the deities.”

“Reverence is the furthest distance from ‘understanding.’ I don’t want to revere them; I just want to understand them,” Duncan said lightly, “After all, we have already handled their mess twice.”

…

Footsteps resonated in the long corridor of the ancient cathedral, the rhythmic echo tapping into the sedimentary time within the building.

Agatha, in her black dress, proceeded towards the depths of the sanctuary, not accompanied by any attendants, only her own shadow escorting her still animate but lifeless body. In the niches lining the hallway, the interplay of gas lamp and candlelight was reflected, casting dim and unsteady shadows on the ground.

Not until she returned to her own room and closed the door did the Archbishop and Gatekeeper, who had maintained composure and steadiness along the way, seem to suddenly relax. She leaned back against the door and sighed deeply.

She no longer needed to breathe, but a “sigh” was a reflection of humanity. She still accustomed herself to using this as a “sign” of letting go.

After all, she didn’t want to seem… too much like a corpse.

The order of the cathedral was restored, and the small chapels around the City-State were gradually getting back on track. Tension throughout the city persisted, but with the intervention of the Mist Fleet, the chaos–especially regarding public safety–was quickly suppressed.

On the other hand, although the distribution of supplies and the handling of the aftermath of the disaster remained a mess, and the severe shortage of personnel still plagued every department, once the Mist Fleet entered the city, they “miraculously” found a large number of professionals capable of administrative management or knowledgeable about the grassroots operations of the City-State from every nook and cranny, placing them in the city hall. According to feedback from the city hall, those “recommended” by the Mist Fleet were getting to grips with and taking over the departments’ work at an astonishing rate. Probably only a few more days of familiarization, and the problem of personnel shortages would be greatly alleviated.

Meanwhile, the preparatory work for public opinion for the Mist Fleet’s entry into the city and the personal propaganda targeting General Tirian Abnormal continued to forge ahead. The reorganization and restructuring of the remnants of the City-State’s navy and the Mist Fleet had also commenced.

The new Governor had not yet formally held the inauguration ceremony–but the city had already fallen under his control at an astonishing speed.

This was a development the Frost authorities could only envisage in a nightmare, but for Frost now… this was all good news.

Agatha could finally relax a little.

Corpses don’t tire, but her spirit still needed to catch its breath.

After leaning against the door for a few minutes, Agatha shook her head and slowly moved to her dressing table, sitting down to rest.

Her reflection was cast in the mirror of the dressing table.

The sensation of being watched caused Agatha to suddenly lift her head.

There was no one else in the room, and she didn’t sense any foreign presence.

Yet the feeling of being watched was no illusion.

The blind priestess lifted her head, attentively perceiving any fluctuation around her, feeling the flow of the air. Her “gaze” slowly swept across her surroundings and over the mirror on the dressing table.

Lifeless furnishings in her field of vision presented various blurry and dim outlines, exuding an icy coldness like that of a grave.

However, in the next instant, the feeling of being watched disappeared.

The figure in the mirror shifted its gaze.

Agatha, standing in front of the dressing table, suddenly stopped. She seemed to sense something, and after a short hesitation, she slowly raised her arm and reached out towards the mirror in front of her.

The cold, solid touch came to her, a lifeless glass pane.

The figure in the mirror hesitated, and after what felt like an eternity, she too lifted her arm and extended her fingers.

The feeling of touch suddenly came through, with just a hint of warmth.

In the next instant, new light and shadow emerged in Agatha’s chaotic, dark vision–a glowing, hazy outline surfaced abruptly on the dead mirror surface.

They stood facing each other in silence through the mirror, and the room fell into temporary quietness.

After a long time, Agatha in front of the mirror finally broke the silence, “Are you there?”

Her voice carried a hint of hesitation.

“Yes,” a voice seemed to penetrate directly into her mind, “I’m here.”

“When… did you appear?”

“The key,” the voice in Agatha’s mind said calmly, “I’ve been here since you acquired that key.”

Agatha didn’t speak for a moment.

This feeling was… eerie because she could distinctly sense that the voice in her mind was her own voice; she could even feel the slight emotions that voice conveyed as it spoke. Yet, she was acutely aware that she was conversing with another entity–it was not an illusion in her mind, not a split personality born from a schizophrenic psyche, not some form of “appendage” to herself.

Incredible.

“Incredible,” the Agatha in the mirror said, “suppose you could say, it somewhat resembles schizophrenia? But it’s clearly not…”

“Even the most skilled psychiatrist would likely be at a loss with this enigma.”

“Don’t bother the psychiatrists in the City-State with this–they’ve got enough trouble as it is.”

Agatha suddenly lifted her hand and rubbed her brow.

This sensation of conversing with “another self” was unprecedented, and as they talked… she couldn’t shake off the delusion of not being able to discern which one was the “real me,” although there was no actual cognitive confusion. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but stop to organize her thoughts.

After a moment, she lifted her head and “looked” at herself in the mirror.

“That key… did it preserve your soul? And then, using it as a medium, sent you to my…”

She hesitated here, seemingly unsure how to describe her current state.

That shadow before her… was it inside her mind, within her perception, or… merely a psychological projection?

“I don’t know,” the voice in her head said, “I don’t know if I have a soul or the details of the process, let alone how that key achieved all this–my consciousness has been in chaos for a long time, and I’ve only become lucid in the past couple of days.”

Then, the voice hesitated before continuing a few seconds later, “Now it seems that the key must possess the power to store and transfer memories, but probably only the Frost Queen herself would know all its secrets.”

“The Frost Queen…” Agatha murmured as if talking to herself, “Looks like it’s necessary to inform the captain…”

“…But theoretically, we should report to the Death Temple headquarters first,” the Agatha in the mirror reminded.

The Agatha in front of the mirror was slightly taken aback, her expression changed, and she spoke hesitantly, “It does seem… indeed. However, the Death Temple is currently cruising at the far end of the civilized regions and might not have time to pay attention to such a ‘private affair.'”

She paused, then looked up at the mirror.

“What do you think?”

The Agatha in the mirror pondered for a moment.

Thoughts and memories slowly flowed between them, cognition and emotions reflecting off both sides of the mirror.

A faint green fire emerged in the eyes of the Agatha in the mirror.

“I think we should tell the captain too–about the mirror, he clearly has extensive experience.”