Chapter 223
It’s only natural for a convoy to encounter another convoy.
The first person to appear beside Eivass was a stranger he had never seen before. Although his face was unclear, judging by his figure, it should be a young lady.
She was wearing a white knee-length robe, white boots, and white silk gloves. Her all-white attire seemed to emit a dim radiance in the pitch-black space.
Eivass estimated that she was only slightly taller than Yulia, but shorter than Isabel—about 1.6 meters tall. After appearing, she let out a soft exclamation, seemingly puzzled by her location.
“Hello, beautiful lady.” Eivass placed his right hand on his chest and, raising his voice, adopted a slightly exaggerated tone with a touch of flamboyant flair. “You can call me ‘Fox.’ I am a priest from the Path of Devotion.”
Now that Eivass was becoming more famous, he needed to differentiate the identity of “Fox” from that of Eivass. Those who needed to know that “Fox is Eivass” already knew. As for others, it was best not to reveal it if possible.
It wasn’t that he was worried about being killed offline for doing something unethical during his advancement ritual—it wasn’t that easy to kill Eivass anymore. Not only was Eivass’s own strength growing, but the people around him were also gradually becoming stronger.
Moreover, if anyone dared to confront Eivass directly, the most likely outcome would be assimilation into a partner. Eivass wouldn’t easily let go of such proactive individuals.
What could ordinary people possibly need? Wealth? Status? Strength? Respect? Friendship? Care? Eivass might not be able to offer love, but he could basically provide everything else. Whatever you want, I can give it—even if you are a villain, there is Miss Alistair, a wicked woman, who can recruit you.
What he truly worried about was the damage to his image. If too many people knew that “Fox” was Eivass, his actions in the Dream Realm would be restricted. This was because he represented not only himself but also Avalon and Moriarty. Just like public figures always have to watch their words and actions on public platforms, Eivass, despite some people like Meg not caring, still valued his reputation greatly. Therefore, he strived to keep the image of “Fox” separate from his own… even if it might not be effective, the attitude had to be there.
“…Ah, hello.” Contrary to the first impression given by her petite appearance, the other party’s voice was warm and mature, like that of a loving mother. “Mr. Fox. You can call me ‘Pure White.’ I am representing the Path of Authority in this competition.”
“As expected, just as your first impression suggested.” ‘Fox’ pinched his throat, producing a voice like a noble young master, but in a somewhat greasy tone, “In this dark night, you shine like a beacon of light.”
“You don’t recognize me?” Pure White asked, somewhat surprised.
“…?” Hearing this, Eivass was taken aback because he could discern genuine surprise in her voice. Upon hearing her words, he specifically recalled. The result was that he had indeed never heard the name “Pure White.”
“…Hmm,” he couldn’t maintain his affected tone for much longer and became considerably more serious for a moment. “No, I haven’t. To be honest, I only recently embarked on the path of the Extraordinary. I might not understand some things, so please bear with me.”
“You’ve only recently embarked on the path of the Extraordinary, yet you’ve already ranked first…” Although Eivass couldn’t see her expression, he could feel Pure White’s teasing.
At that moment, three more people appeared in quick succession. To Eivass’s surprise, none of them were acquaintances either—and all three were quite tall. If nothing was unexpected, at least two of them should be elves here. …What’s going on? Did I queue up incorrectly this time? That shouldn’t be the case; we queued for the dungeon in the same place, so we should have been grouped together… Eivass was momentarily confused.
Seeing Eivass in the first spot, they were all surprised for a moment. However, they quickly introduced themselves… judging by their tones, they all seemed to be rare normal humans. The youngest and tallest among them was codenamed “Topaz.” Eivass knew that Topaz was the name of a gemstone, generally referring to precious imperial topaz which is expensive. He stood at least 2.3 meters tall with a sturdy build. He wore exquisite elven silver armor and sat up straight, giving off the impression of an honest, simple-minded chap. If “Knight” had grown up a bit more, he might have turned out like this… but what surprised Eivass the most was that the person was actually of the Path of Love. If he were of the Path of Authority, it would have been very normal…
Another was a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties, codenamed “Wisteria.” Her height didn’t suggest she was an elf, and her voice was gentle… like a remarkably kind classmate’s mother coming to offer fruit when visiting a friend’s house. She was an Extraordinary from the Path of Balance.
The last one was an elderly elf, codenamed “Quicks.” Eivass knew that Quicks was a term in Alchemy or Ritual Studies, meaning mercury. Clearly, his first path should be Transcendence or Balance. Elves, unburdened by professional constraints, could possess multiple different Paths. However, even so, elves had to participate in separate advancement rituals when each of their Paths reached a level-up. That Quicks was now participating in the ritual as an Extraordinary from the Path of Twilight was not surprising to Eivass. It was perfectly natural for an elder to embark on the Path of Twilight. As people age and their bodies develop more ailments, they always begin to fear death. Few could face the end of their lifespan with equanimity… let alone elves with their exceptionally long lifespans. The longer the lifespan, the longer the period of senescence. This meant a longer period of suffering from aging. Perhaps they initially disdained the Twilight Path, but after prolonged suffering, they naturally compromised.
However, when everyone had introduced themselves and the casual chat began, Eivass started to feel uneasy. —Because there was almost no interaction or probing among the four people. Or rather, all four of them were curious and took turns chatting with “Fox.” Eivass immediately realized something: he might have run into a convoy.
Eivass, Isabel, and Sherlock had queued for the “two-for-three” dungeon in the same place. According to the rules of the advancement ritual, they were ranked based on strength and relative distance, so they would most likely be grouped together and likely in their own home instance. That is, the three of them would enter first, and once enough people gathered, others would fill in from other places. With himself included, five people had entered, yet Isabel and Sherlock hadn’t. That could only mean this wasn’t their home instance. Because a party with superior overall strength had taken the home instance—Eivass’s group had only three people, while the other had four. And at least two of them were elves. —Could it be that I’ve queued into the Church’s instance? Where are Sherlock and Isabel? I hope they can still get in. Eivass was somewhat worried. If Sherlock were alone, it would be fine… But what would Isabel do if she were alone? Fortunately, no more people joined on the Church’s side. They chatted for about an hour, their topics completely different—and seemingly unrelated to their respective Paths. Pure White engaged Eivass in theological discussions, while the elder kept subtly inquiring about Eivass’s education and background. Wisteria remained relatively silent, merely smiling and watching them chat. The only one who seemed normal was Topaz, the righteous youth with the aura of a knight—he perfectly fit his identity as someone from the Path of Love, politely and sincerely seeking Eivass’s advice on matters of emotion, as Eivass appeared to be quite knowledgeable in that area. Although Eivass had never been in love, he was very willing to share his experiences. By the end, it was basically Eivass and Topaz chatting across the distance—Topaz looked as if he wished he could sit next to Eivass. And “Pure White” next to Eivass had shrunk inside the giant chair, looking as if she were about to slide off. It could only be said that it was a great pity that the Path of Love was “banned” this time. Otherwise, Eivass would have gained another teammate. It was rare to encounter such a seemingly normal Extraordinary of the Path of Love—perhaps it was precisely because they had no profession that they were not bound.
Just as Topaz was enthusiastically consulting Eivass on an emotional problem with the preamble “I have a friend,” a flash of blue light flickered, and Sherlock descended into the next seat. He wore his signature detective attire, completely without any attempt at concealment. However, he was clearly confused and bewildered by his arrival location—he looked around before finding Eivass’s seat. Seeing Eivass in the first spot, Sherlock was also stunned. But he was smart enough not to ask Eivass, nor did he even exchange a glance. He calmly and collectedly opened his mouth, “Good evening, everyone. I am ‘The Detective.’ This ritual seems to be of the Path of Wisdom… I will share my wisdom with all of you.”
“Mr. Sherlock Holmes, isn’t it?” Wisteria suddenly said.
“It is I,” Sherlock replied in a deep voice. He was clearly accustomed to having his identity revealed at the start; rather, Sherlock had never hidden it at all—the identity of “Famous Detective Sherlock” lent more credibility to his words. After all, he never engaged in any shady schemes; his actions were always aboveboard, with nothing to hide. He wouldn’t lie and deceive others like that “sly fox,” Sherlock thought.
Immediately after, Isabel appeared in the next seat. She was also clearly not expecting this situation. Isabel first looked around in a panic, and upon meeting the eyes of “Fox,” who was separated from her by only one empty seat to her right, she felt a little more at ease. “I am… Lulu.” Her voice trembled slightly, but she quickly calmed down. “I am from the Path of Beauty…”
[—I hope I’m not late, children] A hoary voice came from the statue in the center, interrupting Isabel’s introduction.
*You’re not late at all.* Eivass’s brow twitched as he thought.
[I will preside over this ritual. I am an Apostle of the Great Philosopher, Merlin.]
[For certain special reasons, this ritual is an Absent Seat Ritual. During this Full Moon Ritual, everyone has rejected the Path Adaptation, so there are no Adapters participating in this Full Moon Ritual—in other words, you are all assembled.]
“…Huh? Wait, I still…” Isabel said softly, a little surprised and a little wronged. This was because she had only just announced her codename and hadn’t heard anyone else’s introduction—in other words, she didn’t know anyone here. But her voice was quiet—Merlin was, in a sense, an ancestor of Avalon. Isabel was very polite, so she didn’t dare to interrupt Merlin loudly, allowing Merlin’s rumbling voice to easily drown out her own.
The next moment, the dark world suddenly brightened. However, just then, “Fox” suddenly spoke up, “Wait a moment, Your Excellency Merlin. Mr. Detective and Miss Lulu haven’t heard the introductions from others yet—I think such a ritual isn’t fair, is it?”
Instantly, the bright world turned dark again, as if it had just been flashed.
“…Ah, I’m old. My memory isn’t what it used to be…” Interrupted by “Fox,” Merlin showed no anger. The ancient and friendly voice emanated from the statue of the old wizard. “Then continue, and let me hear it too… How about it?”
Eivass narrowed his eyes slightly and clicked his tongue impolitely. *Was Merlin doing that on purpose? What is this old man trying to do?*
Update complete, meow~
My rhinitis has gotten worse… This morning I sneezed more than ten times upon waking up. Fesotril isn’t very effective anymore. I used over forty tissues this morning, started coughing continuously, and even coughed up something like stomach fluid occasionally… Did I eat too much? Damn, it feels so uncomfortable… (rolls around)
