Chapter 113
Vice President Boka
Eivass found it hard to contain himself just thinking about Sherlock Hermes and James Moriarty, the original arch-enemies, both faking their deaths on the same day.
But Eivass keenly perceived a blind spot here.
The reason Lawyer York could directly confirm Sherlock’s death was simple — he was the one who did it himself. He gave Sherlock a sleeping potion, then detonated enough explosives he had prepared at the time the effects of the drug would take hold. He also received news of Sherlock’s death at a reasonable time.
Considering this, the fundamental reason he could confirm Sherlock’s death… was actually because Lawyer York genuinely wished for it to be so.
Although Advisor York held a relatively high position within the Lloyd Society, his current circumstances were quite dire. He absolutely could not expose himself in this case, yet he had to personally kill Sherlock.
As long as the bomb didn’t kill Sherlock this time, whether he went to finish him off or not, it would easily expose him. Therefore, he did not want to hear any news of Sherlock’s survival — and so he would subconsciously use the information he gathered to confirm his already decided viewpoint. This was also a preparation he made in advance to persuade other high-ranking officials.
From this perspective, could the Lloyd Society’s confirmation of Professor Moriarty’s death… indicate their involvement in the matter itself?
After all, divination could be disrupted and might not always be accurate. Furthermore, too low an energy level would prevent accurate divination of high-ranking individuals. Since the Lloyd Society could invite a Prophet to perform divination for them, they would surely know these limitations.
If they could confirm the death without confirming the corpse… it could only mean they were involved in the incident. For example, they might have dispatched someone to assassinate the Professor, after which that person brought back news of the latter’s death, and perhaps even evidence confirming his death. Precisely because of this, they would confirm this fact after a single divination and feel at ease.
Another possibility was that they did not actually need Professor Moriarty to be truly dead.
The Lloyd Society only needed Professor Moriarty to be socially dead for a time. This would prevent Professor Moriarty from returning to Glass Island temporarily, creating a time lag for their plan.
Regardless of which possibility, the likelihood of the Professor faking his death to escape was not small. Moreover, both these possibilities shared a commonality — that the Lloyd Society harbored no goodwill towards Eivass whatsoever.
It was their desperate need to utilize Eivass that led them to summon him here in advance and inform him of Professor Moriarty’s death. This was to deny Eivass time to confirm and think, and at the same time, to put pressure on him.
Eivass narrowed his eyes slightly, a plan forming in his mind.
He decided to go on the offensive, aiming to seize the initiative.
So he stopped hiding and suddenly spoke, “Lawyer York, you seem to be in a hurry.”
The moment Eivass said this, York’s expression changed slightly.
He tilted his head slightly to the left, resting his chin on the fingertips of his raised left hand. His right hand tapped rhythmically on the armrest with three fingers, as if playing an air piano.
Gazing at Lawyer York, Eivass slowly spoke, probing him, “You don’t seem to be mourning the death of my father.”
“That’s because…”
“Because his death is more in line with your interests. Whether he truly died unfortunately, went missing, or it’s just a lie I cannot verify that temporarily deceives me.
“But in any case, the fact that you informed me of this information in advance, rather than approaching me after I saw the newspaper myself, or even after encountering difficulties in reality, indicates you are in a hurry. Because obviously, the latter would make it easier for me to believe you and thus easier to recruit me.”
It is said that adding flowers to a bouquet is not as good as sending charcoal in the snow.
“The Lloyd Society is a collective of merchants. If a group of merchants would abandon the lowest-risk, highest-profit option to choose to activate me prematurely, can I then understand that your current predicament is not as stable as you are currently portraying?”
Eivass half-closed his eyes, as if slightly sleepy.
He spoke slowly, his voice low and clear, like a whisper when telling a story to a child, “From the scene of Sherlock’s funeral, you brought me directly to the Lloyd Society headquarters without letting me go home; made me ride in such a shaky elevator; unobtrusively displayed your photos with so many important figures; used the Devourer Demon to threaten me; pointlessly mentioned your ability to monitor ‘Noble Red’; announced the death of my father…
“You are constantly putting pressure on me, wanting me to agree to something here? Why don’t you state it first, perhaps I will agree readily.”
Eivass narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upwards, “Let me guess… have you made some mistake recently? That’s why you are so eager to recruit me, to offset your mistakes with this merit.
“Looking at your eyes, I seem to have guessed correctly.”
“…Aren’t you afraid of anything?”
Lawyer York scratched his head with some distress, but his face did not show any expression of coercion.
Eivass also said with a smile, demonstrating his value, “Actually, before I came here, I had already notified Mr. Mycroft; and before I got into the car, I specially informed Butler Oswald. You don’t want anything to happen to me here, do you, Lawyer York? This is the first point.
“Secondly, the fact that you went through such a roundabout way, spending so much effort to persuade me, telling me stories about Prince Lloyd and the backwardness of the Royal Family, indicates that I have special value. You cannot control me with simple means like coercion or temptation.
“Lastly… I guess someone is at the entrance now, it should be Vice President Boka. He should have been at the door before you started talking about my father’s death.”
“—How did you guess?”
A steady voice came from the doorway.
Pushing the door open was a middle-aged man with half black and half white hair and a small mustache. He wore a dark blue suit and had a square face. His hair was neatly styled, but he did not use any hairspray or wax.
The middle-aged merchant appeared to be a stern person. After entering, he subconsciously put his hands behind his back and slowly walked behind Lawyer York.
Eivass, however, smiled gently, reached out his left hand to grasp the air, and greeted the man who had just entered.
He said lazily, “Let’s just ask it this way for now, Mr. Boka.
“Since you’ve entered, I assume Mr. York won’t be getting his credit anymore? That’s a pity, I think he’s a good person.”
“His credit will not be lacking, because your value is far greater than we anticipated.”
Without even asking Lawyer York, Mr. Boka directly took over the conversation with Eivass.
Completely different from the always cheerful, gentle, and soft-spoken Lawyer York.
Vice President Boka’s words were more direct, more impactful, and possessed a captivating charm, “Do you want to be King, Mr. Eivass? Surpassing a ‘Prince’… and not just ‘Moriarty’.”
Eivass raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Who wouldn’t?”
“But you have such an opportunity right now. If you’re lucky enough, not just King — but ‘Emperor’.”
Boka’s voice was deep and magnetic, his words filled with allure, “This is entirely possible. You must understand, we are all merchants, and everyone has their own market and business. No one wants their established stable market to be shattered, allowing someone’s illegitimate offspring from who knows where to steal it.
“From this perspective, we are actually the preservers of Avalon’s order. Just as the Lloyd Society maintains the order of the Lloyd District.”
“…What you value is my relationship with Isabel?”
Eivass did not shy away from calling Princess Isabel by her name.
He tilted his head slightly and retorted, “Then why should I cooperate with you?”
Upon hearing this, the corners of Boka’s and York’s mouths simultaneously upturned slightly.
“Young people are spirited, it’s normal.”
York picked up the conversation, cheerfully smoothing things over, “Who hasn’t had a young time? Especially such an excellent young man like Eivass…”
“Mr. Eivass, this is a cause we have been operating for many years. Since the Lloyd Society was first founded, it has had the mission of Transcendants—from this perspective, you are the latecomer.
“The predecessors laid the groundwork for two hundred years, then a latecomer stumbled in by chance and reaped the rewards. If this latecomer chooses to hoard it all for himself, do you think he would only have to contend with the Royal Family? Don’t forget, Mr. Eivass—compared to the official powers, we are the weaker party. The weaker party does not need to fight the weaker party; we need to unite.”
While trying to persuade Eivass, Boka said more directly.
Upon hearing this, Eivass raised an eyebrow, “Did you create the Royal Curse?”
“Not entirely us.”
Boka replied, “Many people wanted to do it. Star Antinomy, Iris Flower, Round Table Hall…
“For over four hundred years. Since Lancelot I led the Knights of the Round Table to occupy Avalon Island and renamed it Glass Island, four hundred years have passed.
“I recall your mentor taught history—do you know what it means for a country to have maintained itself for four hundred years, with no breaks in succession, no civil wars or rebellions, no changes in royal power, and no shifts in customs and traditions?”
It meant decay, and it meant transformation.
