Chapter 196
The Bond Between a Scriptwriter and an Actor
Hesitation means desire, and desire means obtaining!
Eivass had no intention of letting Minister Dross live much longer, so he immediately sprang into action.
Although Minister Dross had offended Meg… he had, after all, surrendered himself and had not been directly hanged.
While the Arbitration Hall had contingency plans specifically for punishing crimes committed by knights and ministers—ranging from stripping official posts to revoking titles, to disgracing them publicly with trials—there was a complete process. One could not declare someone guilty in the morning and then, without any investigation or trial, take them out and chop off their heads by noon.
The foundation of authority rests on law.
Law, which governs “rules,” is a more stable cornerstone than the power to govern people.
Otherwise, every change in leadership could cause fluctuations in the power of supernaturals nationwide.
Conversely, having a complete process also meant that the process could take a long time. This period would be used by the Inspection Department to investigate other ministers and secretaries in the Ministry of Trade, to find those connected to Minister Dross, and then to follow the clues to the person behind it all.
And during this process, it was best for Dross to be alive, as he could then expose the other party and provide valuable human testimony.
However, this also gave those ministers who were friendly with him time to destroy evidence. The inspectors were not entirely clean either, and there were certainly eyes planted within.
Eivass worried that the more information Minister Dross sold, the more valuable he would become. It was possible that some “high-ranking” excellencies might spare him for “greater benefits.” He might even genuinely help Avalon—in fact, this was not impossible.
Because he was not truly loyal to Star Antinomy and genuinely wished to defect, Dross was simply selfish. In other words, if Avalon could offer him more benefits, he would just as readily return to Avalon.
Although he was not a merchant, this Trade Minister was more like a merchant than any merchant.
—But what about Lily’s revenge then? Convince Lily to put the greater good first and let go of her hatred?
Eivass scoffed.
It was disgusting just to think about it.
After Eivass and Lily discussed it, they found they only had two options.
Either they could deploy “Miss Alistair” and repeat the old trick of assassinating him. As a prisoner, most of Minister Dross’s supernatural powers would be sealed, and a swift battle might allow them to kill him.
But the biggest problem here was that Eivass didn’t know if the Inspection Bureau would strengthen their guard. After all, Minister Dross was different from Lloyd—they could “keep” Lloyd for his lifetime, they didn’t need him to die, and his disappearance was more convenient for them to exploit.
But Old Dross was different; he had a family.
Lloyd’s siblings were all killed by Eivass, and he left no descendants. So Lloyd’s disappearance wouldn’t be questioned by anyone; that was his own evil deed.
But Dross was from a founding family. Not only was his status noble, but he also had many relatives. Moreover, Dross had maintained a good public image, had many friends, and his family members respected and loved him.
—Either you bring him out for trial and hang him directly, so the family can distance themselves from him; or you exile him or place him under house arrest. But if you hide him away, without a trial or allowing anyone to see him, and don’t even reveal if he’s alive… what does that mean? Are we changing family heads or not?
It was not just the Dross Family that would be dissatisfied; other knight families might also feel uneasy.
However, if someone sneaked in and killed Minister Dross, that would not be acceptable either.
It would first diminish the power of authority and then reduce the credibility of the Inspection Bureau. At the same time, it would also cast doubt on whether the suddenly disappeared Lloyd was also dead. This would reduce the reliability of the information obtained from “Lloyd.”
So, assassinating Dross secretly was simple, but the subsequent repercussions were troublesome.
Fortunately, they had a second option.
That was to force Minister Dross to make a mistake.
As long as he provided enough of an excuse, or said something wrong, it would become reasonable to skip the process and try him directly.
This was actually not difficult, or rather, it was simpler.
That was for Eivass to impersonate a member of the Noble Red Society and attack the Inspection Bureau to rescue him.
Dross was unsure if he would survive, and as a spy for Star Antinomy, he had contacts who could pick him up. So as long as Eivass broke in, Dross would flee with him.
At that point, he could be killed directly—killing a high-ranking traitor to prevent them from taking a large amount of classified information would be a very reasonable excuse.
Coincidentally.
The Prince died today, and the powerful figures were all gathered at the Silver and Tin Hall. This was the perfect time to cause trouble.
Eivass and Lily would first enter a secret chamber, then have Shadow Demon escort Lily out through the ventilation shaft. They would then charge in from the main entrance, attempting to rescue him—and Eivass would then use the power of the Butterfly to blow him up.
Everyone knew that Eivass and Lily were in the secret chamber. So whoever charged in from the outside would definitely not be them. With this alibi, things would be easier afterward.
This was the preliminary plan that Eivass and Lily had discussed.
After bidding farewell to Isabel, they went to find the Grand Guardian, who had just concluded a meeting.
Eivass boldly asked where Minister Dross was specifically being held, using the excuse—
“…You want to see him?”
Grand Guardian frowned deeply: “What is there to see about him?”
Lord George clearly did not want Eivass to associate with someone like the Trade Minister.
Although the Grand Guardian was the most likely person to spare the Trade Minister, he also detested the Trade Minister the most emotionally.
“It’s very simple,” Eivass replied, “because Lily’s former surname was Dross.”
“He is your…?”
“Biological father.”
Lily clasped her hands together, her expression dim: “He is dying, and I want to see him one last time.”
As a supernatural of the Path Adaptation, Lily was very talented at disguise and lies.
However, her demeanor was a lie, but her words were not.
This was a method of deception specifically taught by Eivass to Elias for the Grand Guardian.
The Grand Guardian could easily discern others’ lies… but in Eivass’s experience, this was not a good thing.
Because considering how much sincerity was in someone’s words was actually a necessary process. Information was hidden within words, and even the speaker themselves might not be aware of their true intentions hidden behind their speech. Why they said this, why they said this first and not something else—over-reliance on the ability to discern lies would lead one to abandon this kind of thought and careful consideration.
After all, the truth could also be deceptive.
The Grand Guardian could sense the sincerity in Lily’s words.
As a father himself, he also felt a great deal of empathy.
Of course, this empathy was also designed by Eivass.
For Lord Grand Guardian, this was the best entry point.
The Grand Guardian loved his children very much, David also respected him. And he had no illegitimate children, so he could not truly understand the feelings of other knights who were approached by illegitimate children. Instead, he would subconsciously equate Lily with David.
He would not refuse such a reasonable request.
—After all, someone from the Dross Family could request to see the Trade Minister. Although Lily was an illegitimate child… so what if she was an illegitimate child? She carried Dross’s blood, so should she not be considered a Dross just because she was illegitimate?
It was only asking her to be the first to see him; it was no big deal.
That was what George thought.
But as the Grand Guardian, and as an elder to Eivass and Lily, he had to remind them: “You can go see him, but do not believe anything he says.
“That scoundrel is full of lies. He can lie with a straight face for anything, as long as it benefits him. If he knows Miss Lily is his biological daughter, he will very likely put on a pitiful act, portraying himself as a victim or an innocent.
“But do not forget, Miss Lily, it was he who abandoned you and your mother—I hope you understand that your current life is not thanks to any benefit from Dross, but is thanks to the Moriarty family.
“Including the Professor, and especially Eivass. He has been very good to you; do not disappoint him.”
This man, who was like the most traditional knight, stood tall and straight.
He spoke his mind frankly and without hesitation. His voice was deep and steady, giving a strong sense of security, and within it, one could clearly perceive his kindness and rationality.
His words were convincing without any embellishment.
This dashing and forthright demeanor made Eivass somewhat envious. His straightforward kindness, and the care and education of an elder, also made Eivass feel compelled to respect him.
—Rest assured, good uncle.
With me here, you will not die so tragically and desperately…
Eivass thought to himself.
“I know,”
Lily said softly. She looked at Eivass, her gray pupils filled with respect and gratitude: “I am very grateful to Young Master Eivass… he changed my destiny. He possesses a pure heart of justice, extremely high moral standards, and selfless and sincere love for others without reservation.”
…Hey, hey, hey, don’t overact. This bit wasn’t in the script I wrote for you.
Eivass was a little nervous, wondering if the Grand Guardian would see through this as a lie.
Because he was actually a little guilty—he didn’t think he was that righteous, nor did he feel his moral standards were that high. In Eivass’s view, Avalon was simply too corrupt. What he did was merely what an ordinary person should do.
Could a liar who started with falsehoods, used truth to lie, and could even skillfully use one lie to embellish another be a good person?
To his surprise, the Grand Guardian nodded in agreement: “Indeed.
“Eivass is, in my opinion, the most devout, righteous, compassionate, wise, and determined young man I have ever met. Therefore, Her Majesty the Queen…”
He paused here for a moment.
Then he changed his tune: “Oh, Her Majesty also praised him highly. She told us to have our children learn from him more.”
Eivass couldn’t hold back halfway through hearing this.
Although he knew he was maintaining his persona quite well, about half of it was faked.
Because he knew what kind of person he was, he always felt that the Grand Guardian was being sarcastic towards him… Although he knew the Grand Guardian was genuinely praising him, that made him feel even worse.
—Can you wait until I’ve actually done something great before praising me?
What about Lily? What about Lily? Change the subject and save me?
Fortunately, the Grand Guardian did not continue to praise Eivass profusely.
He reached for the Avalon’s Eye on his chest and said, “I’ll check if he’s awake yet. He’s still sealed in the secret chamber. There’s no light or sound in the secret chamber. Many people, after being locked up, first do is sleep.
“Most of them can’t sleep at first, but once they fall asleep, a lot of time can pass. Therefore, the real punishment only begins after they wake up and can’t sleep…”
He paused halfway through his sentence. His expression suddenly turned solemn.
“Thank you, Eivass,”
The Grand Guardian said suddenly, then pulled out his Gryphon Flute and blew a note, after which he said, “Thank you very much…”
“…?”
Eivass tilted his head in confusion.
The Grand Guardian’s words made him and Lily freeze for a moment: “There are people from the Noble Red Society here, quite a few of them… they are attacking the Inspection Bureau, presumably to rescue him—they are about to be overwhelmed. I’ve already seen inspectors fall.
“If you hadn’t mentioned this to me, they would all die here. The Capital Inspection Bureau massacred, and the prisoner abducted… this would be a major incident.”
Something like this happened?
Did Dross not want to live? Was he so sure he could escape?
How did he contact the Noble Red Society? How did they know he was here?
Many doubts arose in Eivass’s mind—but he knew the most crucial thing was that his opportunity had arrived.
“I’ll go too, please take me,”
Eivass replied immediately: “I have obtained the ability to mass-disperse curses and heal groups from the Butterfly, and I can certainly help.”
This was the truth.
The Grand Guardian nodded without asking further questions, and then quickly took Eivass to a window on the second floor.
His Gryphon had already landed by the window. The Grand Guardian lifted Eivass’s wheelchair with one hand, throwing him and the wheelchair directly off the second-floor balcony.
The Gryphon lightly caught Eivass’s wheelchair.
Eivass added: “It’s best to bring Lily too!”
The Grand Guardian nodded, grabbed Lily by the collar, whispered “Excuse me,” and then carried her onto the Gryphon’s back.
With everyone in place, the air around the Gryphon began to ripple. The figures of the three began to blur, like looking at people through the smoke rising from a barbecue.
The wind was not a resistance to the Gryphon, but their partner—
The Gryphon’s claws plucked silent strings, and the air parted like an automatic door. If ordinary people breaking the sound barrier were like smashing through transparent doors with their bodies, then the Gryphon simply walked through as these doors automatically opened to the sides.
They did not create a sonic boom, but vanished from their original spot in an instant with a gust of wind.
A four-thousand-word chapter, capable of being combined into one, but this is only the first chapter! (Arms crossed)
There will be a second chapter later!
