Chapter 1040
Everything is within calculation
—The Fifteenth Rebellion.
Whether it was the number in front or the verb behind… in any other country, it would have been earth-shattering news that would have caused countless people to panic. And intuitively, it felt like these two words should not be put together at all.
But only in Iris, it felt so appropriate.
Not only was there no sense of incongruity, but it even sounded a little funny.
“—Not bad.
To Eivass’s words, the old man known as the ‘Duke of Ice Heart’ simply smiled with relief and calmly admitted, “You guessed correctly, Eivass.”
Not only was Eivass’s guess to his liking… but even the address “Grandfather” sounded so pleasant. The old man, who was usually stern and cold, giving off an aloof and unapproachable aura, now showed a bit of paternal kindness like a normal elderly person.
“Eh, Father…?”
Annie, standing beside him, opened her eyes wide in disbelief, “Why… why are we doing that, that kind of thing?”
Her emerald-like pupils were different from Eivass’s deep blue ones.
As a young lady who had studied in Avalon, she was significantly different from other Iris people—she even hesitated to speak the word “rebellion.” For the Iris people, who dared to curse the parliament on the street, this could even be considered timid.
“The current Iris is nearing its limit.”
The old man stated bluntly, “If things continue like this, our country will become a laughingstock of the international community. To this day, there are not many means left that can be effective.”
“This…”
Annie and Arsen were struck speechless.
Sherlock, on the other hand, let out a chuckle.
His laughter was light and suppressed, but the room was extremely quiet except for the crackling of the fireplace, making it sound exceptionally clear.
The Old Duke did not look back at Sherlock. Instead, he shifted his gaze from Annie to Eivass, his tone softening slightly, “Besides… there’s not much time left, right?”
“…Time?”
Annie repeated softly.
“Indeed.”
Eivass nodded lightly, “The age of chaos is approaching… the Fallen Heavenly Envoy will not be the last Heavenly Envoy to descend, nor will the Transcendent Path be the only unlocked path.”
“…How did you know?”
Arsen couldn’t help but ask his expensive father-in-law.
“Hmph,” the old man simply snorted, “It’s common sense to think about it… If only the Transcendent Path were to be liberated, the Hourglass would have already made a move against the Transcendent ones. It would not allow any one path to tower over the others… this goes against the Principle of Balance.
“But now, the Hourglass’s angels are silent, showing no reaction. I knew this would not be the end.
“At the very least… there would have to be a descent of Heavenly Envoys from the nine paths. Even if the Heavenly Envoys of the Path of Beauty and the Path of Love do not descend upon Iris, making it like Star Antinomy before… even if they descend elsewhere, the current balanced situation between Iris’s two factions will still be broken. Won’t that also lead to chaos? Remember to use your brain before you speak, Arsen!”
The Old Duke reprimanded his son-in-law, Arsen.
Obviously, he did not expect Annie to make any correct, crucial choices, but he had considerable expectations for Arsen’s talent. It was precisely because of this that when Annie asked the same question, the old man did not scold her at all, but as soon as Arsen asked a question that should not have been asked, the old man would immediately strike him down.
Eivass, however, praised, “I didn’t expect you to see this even without fully understanding the situation in the Dream Realm…”
“Hmph… it’s nothing.”
The old man closed his eyes slightly, “When you get older, you’ll know that in the end, everything in this world is just between people.
“Even those high above, the immortal gods, their essence is just special ‘people’… Whether it’s Heavenly Envoys or Pillar Gods, they are attracted by the essence of the Origin River and bound by the rules of the Paths. Predicting the intentions of these superiors who can determine the course of history is actually simpler than predicting mortal emperors… because the former have clear behavioral logic, while mortals themselves don’t even know what they want, their brains are always chaotic.
“—Am I correct, Your Majesty the Pope.”
“Indeed.”
Eivass interlaced his fingers on his knees, crossed his legs, and leaned back on the sofa in a rather unrestrained posture.
He did not correct the issue of “former Pope,” but instead nodded slightly, “Your understanding of the Gods is very accurate. Pillar Gods are beings with only one compatibility, while Heavenly Envoys have several more. But they also have demands…”
“Anything with demands can be exploited,” the old man continued slowly. “Anything with expectations can be predicted.”
“Precisely so.”
Eivass nodded, “Predicting the future is too difficult. Even the best astrologers and prophets may have their predicted futures change. If you believe too much in such things, it will harm yourself; but as long as you know the purpose of the Pillar Gods, you will know the direction of the future.”
This was like nobles and officials in the mortal world.
Of course, they couldn’t know the future, but they could know the King’s personal inclinations and the interests of the officials in the court. Knowing the directional tendencies of these “powerful individuals” was equivalent to indirectly knowing the future.
“So… Father means we need to seize power in Iris?”
Annie frowned slightly, still unable to understand why, “Will Iris get better if we govern it?”
“Of course not,” the old man said calmly. “Those problems are all there, and it won’t help whether it’s someone else.”
“Then…”
“—But we can eliminate the things that cause the problems.”
The old man’s words were ice-cold. “For example, the Child of the Moon.”
Arsen suddenly understood, “I get it, so… the family is cooperating with the Eagle Eye organization!”
He was once a member of the Eagle Eye organization.
According to the Eagle Eye organization’s rule that “exiting the organization without permission is considered betrayal,” he should have already been executed by the “Discipline Enforcers” within the Eagle Eye organization—they were assassins specializing in pursuit, one-on-one combat, and anti-stealth abilities, specifically tasked with executing assassins. They were capable of killing Fifth Tier individuals in one-on-one combat even when they were only Fourth Tier and were an important component of the Eagle Eye organization’s cohesive force.
Only when people realize that “rules” can be enforced will people trust and abide by “rules.”
It was precisely because Duke Vendome pulled some strings back then that he was able to stay alive.
And now, it was likely precisely because of Duke Vendome’s permission… that he was able to obtain the “Blade of Universal Separation”!
Thinking of this, Arsen looked at Sherlock, who was slowly drinking tea.
He suddenly understood why Sherlock was not afraid.
—As early as when Sherlock sent that letter, the Old Duke had already understood everything. The old man’s intelligence far exceeded Arsen’s prediction, to the point where the secret codes that Arsen had previously thought the old man might not know or understand were likely deciphered before they were even sent.
It was only natural… even if Duke Vendome himself couldn’t understand it, the Duke’s Mansion had other capable individuals. They might not be able to crack the secrets of the Third Rebellion, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t understand the hidden messages in a letter.
However, because Sherlock saved the old man some face and did not choose to tear them apart and directly ask for help… the Old Duke also chose to give Sherlock some face and decided to let him go. That was why he was able to get the dagger he had wanted for a long time afterward—it was only after the Old Duke felt that “the time was right” that he finally gave it to him!
Thinking of this, a hint of fear appeared in Arsen’s eyes.
He only now realized why the process of obtaining this dagger had been so smooth, and even when he entered the dream, no one had pursued him… it was precisely because of the Old Duke’s permission.
The Old Duke wanted to let Sherlock go, but since Sherlock had already sent that letter, letting him go directly would have seemed as if he were afraid of Sherlock. He needed an excuse, so sending Arsen to find Sherlock in the Dream Realm was a suitable arrangement.
On the other hand, his not stopping Arsen from plunging into the dangerous Dream Realm was also a punishment for his “betrayal of the family” and “reckless actions”!
His attempt to release an important prisoner confined by the family was undoubtedly a form of betrayal to the family; and when he was preparing to enter the Dream Realm, he had not investigated how to enter dreams from someone else’s dream nor did he know any specific information about the Dream Realm, which was arrogance and recklessness.
Everything was within the old man’s calculation!
