Please pull the trigger for this world one more time.

Ten years later, Tianhe Port.

The sky was overcast, and the clouds hung low.

In a cemetery on the northern outskirts of Tianhe Port, a family is holding their final burial ceremony.

Many people attended the funeral, and the white mourning clothes formed a continuous expanse, the last color left by the deceased in the Guangwu Empire.

A solid wood coffin, painted pure black, is slowly being lowered into the pit.

A man and a woman, dressed in dark blue coarse cloth robes, stood before the tomb. The man's face was deeply wrinkled, and he held a thick book with a dark blue cover in his hands. The other woman was a young girl with short, fluffy hair—it was Han Dafu.

Their blue cloth robes were old but very clean, so much so that some parts had started to turn white.

After the coffin was placed in place, a very small boy walked out from the crowd. He was wearing white mourning clothes and a red pom-pom on his white cloth hat.

The little boy held a flower basket filled with some kind of blue-purple petals. He walked step by step toward the two people dressed in blue robes. Because of his height, the little boy had to tilt his head back and hold the flower basket high above his head.

After Han Dafu took the flower basket, the little boy ran back to the crowd with a "plop plop".

A fair hand gently reached into the flower basket, scooped out a handful of petals, and with a gentle flick of the wrist, scattered the petals onto the coffin in the pit.

The delicate petals drifted slowly through the air for some reason, eventually settling evenly on the surface of the black coffin in the sight of those around them.

The man then opened the book in his hand and came to a specific page.

"Hail Salia,"

Today, a soul will depart for rest.

We are grateful to you for all his thoughts, ideas, experiences, observations, knowledge, insights, and desires.

May Your grace descend upon this place at this very moment…

The man's voice was deep and steady; his volume wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear him clearly.

This "requiem" was quite long, and as the man spoke at a somewhat slow pace, the girl scattered flower petals in her hands at a specific frequency.

The flower petals in the girl's hand are those of "Night Maiden Fragrance," which originated in the far west of the mainland. However, it is now cultivated all over the mainland, with the only difference being the yield and quality.

People in Guangwu are more accustomed to calling this flower "blue rose".

The man and woman worked together very well, and it seemed they had handled quite a few funerals like this before.

As the man finished reciting the last line of his requiem, the girl just managed to scatter the last handful of flower petals from her hand.

The crowd began to line up and take turns picking up shovels and filling the pit with soil. The elderly and children who could not lift the shovels used their hands to scoop up a handful of soil and scatter it into the pit.

After filling with soil, compact it.

Later, stonemasons will pave the outside of the grave with marble and erect a tombstone, but that work is not part of the funeral.

As the funeral ended, the white foliage in the cemetery began to rapidly thin.

A group of more than a dozen people, led by a middle-aged woman, did not leave immediately. She took the little boy who had delivered the flower basket earlier and walked towards the two people dressed in blue robes.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "Thank you both for being willing to officiate at my late husband's funeral. He... wasn't exactly a follower of the goddess, but the funeral parlors in the city are all booked up lately."

As she spoke, she took a tray from the person behind her, lifted the white cloth covering it, and revealed that it was filled with gleaming silver coins. "Last time you cured my son's illness but only accepted one silver coin. Please don't look down on these valuables. I only ask that they be used to purchase some items for the palace and add a few new robes."

The man simply reached out and took a few silver coins from the tray, saying, "Whether you are a follower of the goddess or not, as long as you find us, we have an obligation to guide the souls of the dead to rest in peace."

The silver dollars taken were for sustenance so that she could continue serving the goddess. The remaining dollars, if Madam Chen wished, could be given to those who needed them more.

"But at least let us pay for the flower baskets..."

"Night Maiden Fragrance is a gift from the goddess; there is no price to speak of, and we don't charge you." Han Dafu, standing beside her, spoke up, his voice clear yet slightly hoarse, to refuse Madam Chen's offer.

"May I be a flower for all eternity, and a green leaf in my lifetime."

Without waiting for a response, the man and the girl drew two circles in front of their chests with their right hands, performed a unique greeting of the Temple of the Night, and then left without looking back.

After leaving the cemetery, the two walked in silence for a while. Then the man looked at the girl, who was half a step behind him, and asked, "Are you going out again tonight?"

"Yes, let's go back to the palace first, and then set off."

……

into the night.

The port area of ​​Tianhe Port is brightly lit and bustling with people.

As the largest coastal port of the Guangwu Empire, ships come and go here even at night.

Garrison soldiers in grey uniforms were standing on the dock maintaining order, and one of the sergeants was directing porters to unload cargo.

At that moment, a figure wearing a large cloak emerged from the shadows and walked straight toward the sergeant.

The sergeant caught a glimpse of someone walking towards him in the distance and instinctively turned his head to take a look.

The next moment, the sergeant quickly touched the top button on his collar to make sure it was fastened, then adjusted his cap and straightened his uniform.

When the cloaked figure approached, the sergeant gave a crisp and powerful Guangwu salute first, "Good evening, Han Jiaonu, how have you been?"

After returning the greeting with the unique courtesy of the Night God Temple, Han Dafu handed a paper package to the sergeant in front of him, "Sergeant Qian, this is medicine for your father's cough. This amount of medicine should be enough for him to recover."

The sergeant quickly accepted the paper package with both hands. "Thank you so much. I should have gone to the hall to get it myself. It's really too much trouble for you. The port area is quite far from the hall."

Han Dafu shook his head, indicating that it was alright. "Sergeant Qian, you're too kind. It's peak season at the docks right now, and you're very busy with official duties, but your father's illness can't be delayed because of this."

"Yes, yes, yes, what Teacher Han said is right. Anyway, thank you so much."

After delivering the medicine to the soldiers, Han Dafu left the dock area and walked to a dark corner where no one noticed her.

The next moment, she vanished in a flash.

……

Tianhe Port Central District is the most prosperous area of ​​Tianhe Port and a residential area for the wealthy.

There are three main streets leading from the port area to the central area of ​​Tianhe Port, and these three streets are the most prosperous commercial streets in Tianhe Port.

At that moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared, bathed in the bright moonlight, on the rooftops along the street.

Han Dafu ignored the bustling traffic beneath his feet and instead pulled out a silver-white mask from his pocket—the mask had a strange design, half crying and half laughing.

After putting on the mask, Han Dafu took out a string of bells from his pocket and tied them around his waist. He then put the large hood back on his head, and Han Dafu's figure disappeared into a black shadow.

Under the pale blue moonlight, a petite black figure appeared and disappeared on the rooftop. She had left the bustling commercial street and seemed to be in a hurry as she left.

It was quite a distance from the three commercial streets to the city center, but Han Dafu arrived in less than the time it takes to eat a bowl of rice.

Unlike the bustling commercial streets, the central area is exceptionally quiet. Tall houses with blue tiles are everywhere, and each house is separated by a high courtyard wall, forming isolated courtyards.

Bathed in moonlight, Han Dafu ran across the rooftops of these blue-tiled houses, the bells at his waist ringing crisply as he ran.

It was like the gospel of God resounding throughout the world.

The ringtone carried far; in the quiet city center, it could be heard almost across the street.

Arriving at a courtyard, Han Dafu squatted down on the eaves and waited quietly.

A scholarly man was reading in his study when he heard the bell abruptly stop on the roof of his house. He nodded to the page standing beside him.

"Yes, sir."

The pageboy left quickly, and not long after, a man who looked like a steward followed the pageboy to Han Dafu's side.

The butler forcefully tossed a small cloth bag into the air, and Han Dafu reached out and caught it firmly in his hand with a "snap".

"The reward from Lord Liu is a token of gratitude to the righteous man on the beam; may he perform many good deeds on behalf of our Lord Liu!"

Wearing a mask, Han Dafu bowed to the butler below and then disappeared into the night.

After visiting four courtyards in succession, Han Dafu stopped, having already collected four small cloth bags.

Han Dafu moved swiftly, arriving at a rooftop where no one was paying attention. She untied the bell from her waist and put it back in her bosom, then opened four cloth bags.

Each one contained gleaming silver coins, ranging from a minimum of twelve or thirteen to a maximum of over twenty.

Han Dafu carefully put the cloth bag away and headed south out of the central area.

……

Tianhe Port, south of the city.

Han Dafu appeared at the entrance of an alleyway with seven huge stone slabs standing on it—this place was called "Seven Stones," which included the next six blocks and was considered a slum.

Han Dafu stepped over the drunkard lying on the roadside and walked into the dark alley...

Inside a somewhat dilapidated house.

A woman with a slightly sallow complexion sat down in front of her house to wash clothes after putting her child to sleep.

These clothes belong to other people, and she needs to wash them quickly tonight so they can dry before noon tomorrow and she can get her wages on time in the afternoon.

If it gets too late, there won't be any money left to buy rice, and the mother and daughter will go hungry.

As for the man in the family, he died last year after falling into the water at sea. This kind of thing is not uncommon in Tianhe Port, especially among people on whaling ships.

After all, deep-sea whaling is the pillar industry of Tianhe Port, ever since it was just a small fishing village.

Sweat streamed down the woman's forehead and into her eyes, forcing her to stop what she was doing and rub her eyes.

My eyes stung from the irritation, and a few drops of water trickled down my cheeks, mixing with sweat and finally dripping onto the ground.

The woman worked until midnight. She rubbed her sore shoulders and back and returned to the house. She saw her child fast asleep, and there were several gleaming silver coins on the table.

……

As night deepened, Han Dafu finally arrived at a somewhat dilapidated courtyard. It was not far from the riverbank and was located at the very edge of the other end of "Seven Stones".

At this point, the two largest cloth bags in her hands were empty.

Han Dafu walked to the courtyard gate, took off her mask and put it in her arms, then pushed open the creaking gate.

A girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old peeked out from the only house in the yard, her face showing a look of surprise.

Han Dafu gestured for her to be quiet.

The girl gently closed the door and ran into the yard.

"Sister Dafu, why are you here at this hour?" The girl deliberately lowered her voice, but she couldn't hide the excitement in her tone.

Han Dafu smiled and nodded. "I came to check on things before I left... Where are Orange, Sister Zao'er, and Brother Chen Xing?"

"Chen Xing is very tired from working in the factory. He has to study some textbooks when he gets back, so he's already asleep." At this point, Ju Zi suddenly became a little embarrassed. "Zao'er has been staying at the brothel for the past few days. She's also... quite busy at night."

Han Dafu nodded slightly, then she took one of Ju Zi's hands and gently placed a cloth bag in Ju Zi's palm.

Ju Zi looked at the unexpected cloth bag and was a little flustered. "Sister Da Fu, what's this...?"

"Here you go! I usually give it to Sister Zao'er during the day, but since she's not here and Brother Chen Xing is asleep, you can take it." Han Dafu released his grip on Ju Zi's hand. "I'm leaving."

Ju Zi wanted to say something more, but Han Dafu disappeared into the night right before her eyes.