Chapter 514
0 Data Pack: “The Disaster of Tree and Amber”
Eivass pondered further, recalling the information Sherlock had provided.
Sherlock’s intel was crucial—it resolved many of Eivass’s doubts, such as how his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, and grandfather Jacob knew each other, and how his adoptive father and Bishop Mathers became close friends.
Bishop Mathers was undoubtedly a pivotal figure, central to the events.
He knew Jacob and Yeats. He took Jacob’s son, Giulio Alexander, as a student. Eivass’s parents’ deaths were also directly linked to his sudden departure at the time—an event suspected to be manipulated by Professor Moriarty, who was a long-time friend of Bishop Mathers.
His biological sister had adopted a girl who was the reincarnation of Viviane, and Viviane was closely associated with Jacob. Jacob was suspected to be involved with the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and Professor Moriarty had recounted the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s hidden past to Isabel.
After the original “Cruel Autumn” incident, he attempted to restore the Holy Sword and was controlled by the Phantom Demon sealed within it, directly leading to the “Shadow of Avalon” incident… and the Shadow of Avalon Ritual was connected to Viviane and Jacob.
—Now, Eivass finally understood that even his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, was involved with the Golden Dawn.
Upon adding “Anastasia” to the equation, it became clear that Moriarty had a connection to the Rose Cross from the very beginning. And Noble Red was a subordinate organization of the Rose Cross… This also explained why the Rose Cross was aware of the “Divine Entity.”
Yes, they shared a commonality. All the related organizations of the aforementioned individuals knew of the existence of the “Divine Entity.”
And apart from them, everyone else seemed to be unaware.
The “Divine Entity” appeared to be a fragment of the Ring Heavenly Envoy summoned by Jacob, which initially appeared in Eagle Cape Village. After leaving Jacob with a peculiar prophecy, it vanished without a trace.
Not many should know about this incident… Yet, during the Ascension Ritual, Professor Moriarty inexplicably stated that Eivass might be the Divine Entity.
Meanwhile, Eivass’s older sister, Freya, as Professor Moriarty’s biological daughter, bore the curse of forgetting. But Professor Moriarty’s memories, seemingly, had not vanished—
As the head of Moriarty’s household, the Professor frequently attended meetings in the Round Table Hall. It was possible he saw Freya’s portrait in the corridors leading to the Royal Palace at any time. After all these years, it was impossible for him to be completely certain about it.
Moreover, the “deeds” on that portrait seemed to have been provided by Professor Moriarty himself.
Did he travel to the Eternal Holy Kingdom to find his daughter Freya?
What did his adoptive father’s previous mention of “little key” refer to? If he was a “key” manufactured, then which door was Eivass supposed to open?
Thinking this, Eivass’s mind, stuck in a rut, began to ache.
The vague past was gradually becoming clear.
All this information connected… yet the clues were tangled together.
Eivass clearly felt that one more piece of the puzzle would make everything completely clear—but it was just one step away. That step concerned “motive.”
—Based on the current known situation, there exists an organization called “Golden Dawn.” It is directly related to Eivass’s birth, the destruction of Avalon, the Shadow of Avalon, the Ouroboros Ring, the transformation of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and Professor Moriarty’s eventual transformation into a BOSS.
This organization was completely hidden within the game… At least, Eivass had no impression of it whatsoever. However, it seemed that the plots of several game versions were directly related to it.
Either someone from this organization set up a conspiracy, or a chain reaction occurred after someone from this organization died. The “Divine Entity,” whose name appeared uniformly for the first time in the Material Realm, seemed to be a product of the Golden Dawn.
The most critical point was that Eivass vaguely remembered the name “Anna Kingsford”… This meant she had most likely entered the instance, but perhaps not under that name at the time.
And having entered an instance meant she had stood on the players’ opposing side.
She could potentially be Eivass’s enemy.
—Yet he knew nothing about this person.
Accustomed to having an information advantage, Eivass felt the pressure for the first time.
Eivass made up his mind.
Isabel’s father, “Yunus,” was in The Fifth Ring, and Eivass’s sister, Freya, was also in The Fifth Ring. If the Professor was still in the Eternal Holy Kingdom, he might be there as well.
… All he could do now was to go and ask his sister for information.
Eivass had already resolved the plot of the game’s 0 version in advance.
And the 0 version’s data pack was “The Disaster of Tree and Amber”—this represented two forms of elven death.
The Eternal Holy Kingdom was a nation with a strong religious atmosphere and the largest gathering place for priests who worshipped the Candlemaster. Theoretically, there should be no illness or suffering here.
But that was not the case.
Elves had two incurable diseases.
The first was called “Petrify Sickness.”
It began with the skin gradually turning into bark, followed by increasing lethargy. Soon, they would “take root,” becoming a half-human, half-tree, immobile semi-Phantom Demon. Their conscious time would decrease, and they would eventually fall into a peaceful slumber and awaken from the Dream Realm as a Phantom Demon of the Path of Devotion.
Because it was not a “disease” in the strict sense, it could not be treated by the Illuminate Spell. It was more like a leap in life form.
From elves, a long-lived race with a lifespan of a thousand years, they transformed into more long-lived treants, moving towards the life form of the “Giant Tree,” an apostle of the Candlemaster.
It was like fruit falling from a tree, eaten by animals, and the seeds carried to various parts of the world. They would eventually sprout again and grow into new trees.
In Yunus’s storyline, an elven maiden named “Anastasia” died from Petrify Sickness.
The other was influenced by the power of the “Amber Heavenly Envoy,” called “Amberpetrification.” Their long lifespans made some elves increasingly yearn for eternity and tranquility.
When elves stood still for too long, their bodies would gradually solidify—compared to Petrify Sickness, this was a more widespread disease.
In the Eternal Holy Kingdom, there was a special, though not officially denied, faith… a faith in the Amber Heavenly Envoy, based on the elves’ long lifespans and their intensified fear of death under such longevity.
They called upon elves to maintain inner peace and live a solitary life undisturbed by anyone.
In the high rings of the Eternal Holy Kingdom, many elves had parts of their bodies solidified like jewels. This was because elves already had a tendency towards stillness.
This was also why Master Janis chose to travel the world.
Her own mentor, during a prolonged period of seclusion, had achieved complete mental tranquility, transforming into a jeweled sculpture and stepping into eternity.
Therefore, she detested Extraordinarys of the Twilight Path… To avoid becoming stagnant and solidified, she had to keep moving.
These two “diseases” originated from the callings of the elves’ bloodline and souls.
The main storyline background of the 0 version was actually quite simple—the Eternal Pope of this generation had long contracted Petrify Sickness.
However, her power completely suppressed the manifestation of the Petrify Sickness, so only a few people knew this secret. The Eternal Saintess, who was supposed to inherit her position, was suddenly discovered to have “Amberpetrification” just before her succession.
The phenomenon of “Amberpetrification,” a trait associated with the Amber Heavenly Envoy, appearing on the Eternal Saintess of the Eternal Holy Kingdom was undoubtedly a scandal—akin to a royal heir in other countries showing signs of venereal disease.
But because the symptoms were not obvious and the “Amberpetrification” site was hidden… and because this disease, though incurable by active means, could alleviate or even reverse with changes in mindset.
Thus, the Cardinal Office was in intense internal conflict over whether to revoke the title of Saintess and elect a new one, but due to the bad habits of long-lived beings, a prolonged delay began.
Later, this matter was somehow leaked, directly leading to fierce conflict between two elven ideologies.
Some believed the Pope was dead, others believed the Pope was imprisoned by the Cardinal Office. Some believed a new Pope had been born but not yet crowned, while others believed the Pure White Saintess was not a true Pope. Some even believed they had been abandoned by the Candlemaster… The opposing ideologies, suppressed for thousands of years, finally erupted.
The conflicts between other races who had immigrated from other countries and the local elves and half-elves, which had been accumulating, were gradually brought to the forefront.
Some elves disliked short-lived races, considering them too noisy and having a much higher crime rate compared to elves; some elves believed discrimination was wrong; some elves, with a gentle attitude towards short-lived races, disliked interacting with these cute but short-lived little beings to avoid sadness.
Some elves wished to cure Petrify Sickness, while others believed it was a blessing from the Giant Tree; some elves craved tranquility, while others detested the existence of the “Amber Cult.”
Some elves had experienced the Giant Era, while others were born after the Avalon Era, and still others were born after the Sundering Wars. Fundamentally, the age gap between these elves could reach a thousand years, with many “outdated thinkers” who hadn’t been out for hundreds of years, and the world changed faster than their lifespans. This directly led to a huge generation gap within the elven society.
Coupled with a lack of job opportunities, discrimination against half-elves and wild elves, internal conflicts among those who worshipped similar faiths like Amber and the Amber Heavenly Envoy… and the mischief of Goblins who took advantage of the chaos, further complicating matters.
Eventually, the situation spiraled out of control and became entangled, evolving into a struggle between different races and beliefs… At this time, the Pope’s Petrify Sickness worsened, leading to complete slumber and loss of control over the Eternal Holy Kingdom.
These conflicts had actually existed from the beginning, never truly resolved, but merely suppressed by the Eternal Pope. Now, with the highest ruler out of contact, they all erupted at once.
Several Cardinals, after inquiring with the Candlemaster and the Giant Tree, received no clear orders—for some reason, these great beings chose to observe the situation.
And the Cardinals each had their own ideas for solving the problems, which led to stronger conflicts. Ultimately, the dispute spread outwards, resulting in the secession of the middle rings.
This created numerous “roadblocks” in the once connected Holy Kingdom. Those above could not descend, and those below could not ascend.
Although no large-scale armed conflict broke out… in the end, it was just a step away.
During “Cruel Autumn,” the Holy Kingdom was unable to provide support due to internal strife.
And now, the Holy Kingdom remained peaceful, indicating that “The Disaster of Tree and Amber” had not yet occurred.
—This matter has nothing to do with the Golden Dawn, right?
Eivass thought to himself.
At this moment.
The cruise ship heading to the Eternal Holy Kingdom arrived punctually at 2:30 PM.
Chapter updated, meow~
I’ve been waking up later and later recently, sacrificing my friend’s new book to reset my sleep schedule! (Praying)
(This chapter is finished)
