Chapter 530
The Fool and the God of Wine
Although Sherlock looked nervous, seeming more guilty than ever, Eivass didn’t let him off the hook.
Or rather, Eivass wasn’t about to pass up a rare opportunity to tease Sherlock.
He pretended to be unconcerned and asked Haibasha, “What’s wrong with The Fool’s Eulogy Grimoire? I heard it’s quite a decent grimoire.”
“It’s indeed decent, or rather, excellent,” Haibasha nodded. “In my era, seekers who walked the Path of Wisdom aspired to the Fool’s inheritance. However, not everyone could adapt to it.
“One needs to be at least Fourth Tier on the Path of Wisdom, and simultaneously Third Tier on the Path of Authority with adaptiveness for the Transcendent Path, to master ‘The Fool’s Eulogy.’
“The creator of this book was the Fool, Dionysus, a half-mad dragon. He transformed into an elf, clad in a fox fur, wearing a flower crown, with a cheerful disposition and charming appearance. He mastered the art of winemaking, and was also skilled with various musical instruments and singing.
“Influenced by his personal charm, he had numerous female believers who followed him on his travels and revelries. They got drunk, danced, and sang with him. He was generous and gentle to his friends, but highly aggressive towards those who questioned or persecuted him.
“In essence, the Fool was an unrestrained dragon. He always walked the earth drunk, criticizing everything he saw, even the Cardinals and Popes of that era… and the monarchs, wise men, prophets, and shamans of the mortal realm were also among his criticisms.
“He called these revered figures ‘the wise,’ singing praises for them, but in reality, he was subtly ridiculing their foolishness, arrogance, and greed; he called ordinary people ‘fools,’ singing songs of sympathy for them and helping them solve various difficulties. It could be said that he was the earliest Bard.
“The era of the Beast Lords had not yet ended, and the rule of Supreme Heaven still persisted. The earth was filled with violence, darkness, and sin, and the Fool was like a light, unifying people and re-establishing a new order for harmonious coexistence between humans and gods—the Apostles were called Apostles, not subordinate gods… starting from him.
“The Fool stripped the divine halos from the Apostles and denied the divine status of the Heavenly Envoys, making them no longer gods. Lest people look up at the sky and see gods in all the stars…”
Here, Haibasha paused.
“…And his followers and believers wrote The Fool’s Eulogy Grimoire to commemorate his story.”
“He sounds like an admirable person,” Sherlock finally felt at ease.
Although the book involved the Transcendent Path, it didn’t seem to be a bad thing. At least he wouldn’t be subtly mocked by a fox.
Rather, the Fool Dionysus was undoubtedly an eccentric hero.
But he had a question: “Why didn’t such a person become an Apostle?”
He noticed that Haibasha referred to the Fool with “he” instead of “Her.”
If the Fool had become a Heavenly Envoy by now, he should be respectfully addressed as “XX” Heavenly Envoy… but even if he had just sublimated into an Apostle, he would be considered a subordinate god and should be addressed respectfully as Her.
“The Fool certainly had the opportunity to become an Apostle or a Heavenly Envoy… even Hengwo was once his follower.
“When he died, he was first invited by the Great Philosophers and the Twin Mirrors. Then he was invited by the Ring Heavenly Envoy and the Song Heavenly Envoy, but he refused them all himself. He had the chance to become a Heavenly Envoy of the Transcendent Path and the Path of Beauty, but he refused again—he himself rejected eternity. He was also the only one to refuse sublimation, and thus people still call him the Fool.
“Because he did not wish to obey anyone, even the supreme Nine Pillar Gods; he also did not want to become a Heavenly Envoy, becoming one of those unrestrained, heretical gods whom he had criticized.”
Haibasha replied, “The last thing in his life was to challenge the Beast Lord in the form of a dragon.
“Naturally, he was completely torn apart and devoured. But the Beast Lord kept his most delicious heart as a precious collection.
“Later, this heart was stolen by the Fool’s friend, who later became the Feast Master. The Feast Master ate his heart and allowed Dionysus to resurrect within himself. Together, they sublimated into the dancing partners of Hengwo.
“Thus, the Feast Master is a dragon with a dual soul; he is the Feast Master on one hand, and the God of Wine on the other.”
“…How ironic.”
Sherlock took a deep breath, his feelings complex. “The Fool, who strived his entire life to negate the ‘deification of gods,’ even actively refused eternity, but in the end, he was respected by people as the God of Wine…”
“Indeed. If the Fool had chosen to sublimate through the Transcendent Path, he could at least have become a great Heavenly Envoy comparable to a Fallen Heavenly Envoy,” Haibasha also sighed somewhat. “His followers at the time were still celebrating and speculating about what honored title he would possess after sublimating into a Heavenly Envoy. Wine Heavenly Envoy, Rebel Heavenly Envoy, Mad Heavenly Envoy… As it turned out, none of his followers truly understood him.”
At this point, Haibasha’s gaze dimmed slightly, and her voice softened.
Sherlock suddenly felt something was amiss.
—Previously, it could be said that Haibasha was learned and knowledgeable, knowing many secrets before the opening of the “Forbidden Fruit” era. But her perspective on this matter seemed a bit off…
If the Fool had not ultimately sublimated into a Heavenly Envoy… then how did the discussion about his honored title get out?
“…You weren’t, one of them, were you?”
Sherlock was greatly surprised.
Although he already knew from Eivass that she was a reincarnated Apostle…
But this little girl, who looked shorter than the counter, was actually from the same era as the Pillar God Hengwo?!
For a moment, the absurd sense of a mythical era descending before his eyes made Sherlock feel a strong sense of unreality.
—So the stories Haibasha had told before were not stories she had learned or heard, but stories she had personally experienced!
“Yes. I was one of the authors of this book back then,” Haibasha said calmly. “That’s why I said this book is absolutely out of print—only I have its inheritance. I never hid this; you’re the first person to be recognized by this book… I’d be disappointed if you couldn’t tell.”
“After all, although the Fool was called the Fool, he wasn’t an idiot. On the contrary, he was truly intelligent.”
She looked at Lily with a complex expression. “And coincidentally… this grimoire of yours was also written by me.
“‘A Full Moon is the Egg of a Monster’—this is the initial starting point of the Full Moon Ritual for nurturing powerful beings, and it also symbolizes the Birth of the Child of the Moon. In a sense, this book is an inheritance of Hengwo.”
“…Hengwo?!”
Lily was greatly surprised.
Even as calm as she was, she was shocked by this fact.
But Haibasha just smiled. “Don’t get too excited… Although this is Hengwo’s inheritance, it’s only a part that she abandoned. When sublimating into a Pillar God, one has to cut off parts from oneself that are unnecessary and contradictory to the divine self. The Child of the Moon is the ferocity that was cut out by her.
“She expelled the art of nurturing monsters itself from her body using the art of nurturing monsters… It’s like putting a safe’s key inside the safe. I thought it was a pity, so I kept it.”
“…Then what’s the use of this book?”
Lily felt a little uneasy. “Will I get pregnant if I learn it?”
“…Huh?”
Haibasha was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. “How could you think that?
“Well… However, if you consider children as an ‘extension of the self,’ this understanding isn’t entirely wrong. The inheritor of this grimoire must be a twisted person, then have monster blood, and possess adaptiveness for love and adaptation.
“Initial study of this grimoire can cause your self and your path to completely split, becoming two different personalities. With further cultivation, you can segment the self of different paths… For you, the you of the Path of Adaptation and the you of the Path of Love would split into two people.”
“—Just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Sherlock murmured.
That was a novel popular in Avalon a few years ago, called ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’ It described a madman who constantly switched between good and evil personalities… One side was a wealthy, kind, and gentle alchemist of the Path of Balance; the other was a merciless, insane, and homicidal demon scholar.
Later, the book was inexplicably banned—Sherlock had thought it was because the depiction of the demon scholar was too profound and caused distress to minors.
…Now, it seemed, perhaps it was because the book inadvertently fit an extinct inheritance, and thus the author might have been considered “obscurely describing lost mystical arts.”
(End of Chapter)
