Chapter Twenty-One: A Tin of Chocolate

The nickname "City of Fog" first originated in the early twentieth century. Back then, most residents of Donlon relied on coal as their main household fuel. This not only contributed to the city's prosperity and the majestic sight of countless chimneys, but also produced a great deal of smoke. Because of Donlon's particular climate, the smoke would linger, enveloping the city in a famous haze known far and wide, eventually called the DonLon Fog.

As a result, Lily would sometimes hear adults refer to Donlon as "The Smoke," and thus the city became known as the "City of Fog."

Although that was a story from the previous century, even in the twenty-first century, Donlon's weather remained mostly shrouded in gray. Adults called it smog, and told Lily she should wear a mask when going out.

So, on the rare occasions when Lily traveled by train along this railway, all she saw of the Thames was a river cloaked in gray—no different from its present appearance under the shroud of Mist 2.4.

“Come on, Stephenson, have you been reading so much history that you’ve gotten lost among the black baboons?” Dunn teased.

Aidan didn’t respond, silently continuing forward, alert to the sounds around them.

Camille couldn’t help but let out a sputtering laugh—not on purpose, but simply unable to hold it in. Lily’s lips twitched as well, but she quickly composed herself. A lady must maintain her composure, after all.

Stephenson flushed but didn’t retort. In truth, he really had neglected his own country’s history, having read much about foreign lands and little about his own. Suddenly, he stopped, staring intently at a patch beneath the bridge for several seconds, then called out to the group, who hadn’t noticed his actions.

“There’s something odd around three o’clock, under the bridge. I think I see something strange,” Stephenson ventured, attempting to describe what he saw.

“Three o’clock, three o’clock… Let me take a look.” Dunn mumbled as he peered from the bridge railing in the direction Stephenson indicated, but found nothing.

Aidan also observed for a while, but saw nothing either, giving Stephenson a puzzled look.

“There! Right there!” Stephenson insisted, pointing frantically at an area that, to Aidan and Dunn, contained nothing but air and faint mist.

Aidan shook his head—he truly saw nothing.

“Stephenson, can you try to describe what you’re seeing?” Lily had quietly activated her gloves’ enhanced perception, but still saw nothing unusual, so she turned to Stephenson.

“Well…” Stephenson hesitated, then adjusted his words: “It’s just that… there are very subtle ripples, like the surface of water, and the color of that area changes rhythmically. It’s shifting even now.”

“It does seem that way,” Sandro concluded, her dynamic vision confirming the observation.

After a brief silence, Lily decided not to dwell on the strange patch—they had a search-and-rescue mission to complete, and disturbing the area might have unforeseen consequences.

“Let’s leave it for now,” Lily said, shaking her head and leading the team onward.

At last, the small group crossed the railway bridge and arrived at Embankment Station, where they quickly replenished their water and energy.

There was a small incident: Dunn found a can of chocolate balls at the station, perfectly packaged, and was overjoyed—until he opened it to find the chocolate had dried into powder, completely inedible. It was an instant shift from elation to despair.

“Sigh…” Dunn sighed for the third time since they’d left the station.

“It’s just a can of chocolate,” Camille remarked helplessly.

But Dunn didn’t reply. Was it really just about chocolate? Was it ever that simple?

Another sigh.

Even Aidan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He rummaged through his backpack, found a candy, and handed it to Dunn.

“What flavor?” Dunn asked, unwrapping it as he spoke.

“Durian,” Aidan replied without looking back.

…

Staring at the unwrapped sweet, Dunn hesitated, then steeled himself and popped it into his mouth—his expression twisted instantly. Who on earth invented durian-flavored fruit candy? I must have words with them!

“All right, all right,” Lily cut in. “Once we reach Piccadilly Circus, we’ll split up for a thorough search. Remember, it’s not just strangers we need to be wary of—there are also animals, especially indoors.”

Since John’s patrol team would expand their search outward from the railway stations, Lily’s group would do the same, moving swiftly and quietly to find any trace left by John’s team, or anything else of note.

“Oh! How could I have forgotten?” Lily suddenly remembered something and turned to Aidan on the right. “Aidan, when Camille and I returned to the station, I noticed something: the layers of dust…”

“There were no traces of people passing through, right?” Dunn interrupted before Lily could finish.

“You noticed too! When did you realize? What’s your take on it?”

“First, John never mentioned anything about accelerated time decay within Donlon. Camille can confirm that,” Dunn replied. “Second, if this started before John’s team set out, and if they took this route, then Waterloo Station should’ve shown some evidence of their passage. But I checked carefully—there was none.”

“Third, the further we get from the orphanage, the more pronounced the marks of time’s passage. Just look at the buildings—the ones around us now are far more ruined than those near the orphanage,” Dunn concluded.

Aidan nodded in agreement; he’d thought the same.

“You’re right, it’s exactly like that…” Sandro recalled the state of the buildings along their path and realized Dunn’s words rang true. Why hadn’t she noticed before?

Stephenson nodded as well; he was convinced Dunn’s assessment was on target.

“But what if I told you,” Lily said quietly, “that this phenomenon of time erosion formed this desolation in less than a week?”

Her words hung in the air as the team processed their unsettling implications.