Chapter 1049
Alistair’s Method of Elimination
Alastair’s Method of Elimination
Looking at Eivass, Sherlock’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re actually… reasoning using logic.”
He was accustomed to Eivass directly arriving at a mysterious yet correct conclusion. But now, Eivass was seriously thinking and reasoning. Although he had hidden some knowledge to reach the correct conclusion faster than Sherlock, at least this time there was a reasoning process that others could understand.
“I can’t help it,” Eivass shrugged. “If I don’t answer according to the process, I’m afraid my thoughts will be rewritten again.”
The most terrifying form of the Box of Nothingness is when people are unaware of its existence. In such a state, it can almost be called “Fate” itself.
However, as long as someone realizes its existence, or even further understands its operating principles, it is actually quite easy to crack. In this situation, the simplest, most straightforward, and most correct approach is to answer according to the process. It’s like a high school student doing junior-level math problems. The answer might not be immediately obvious, but at least you can grasp it with a glance. There’s no need to follow the process to answer; you can directly give the solution.
And this is where the Box of Nothingness can tamper with things. When you think a problem is incredibly simple and casually give an answer, the Box of Nothingness will rewrite your subconscious, causing you to overlook a few words or numbers, leading you to give a completely wrong answer. Yet, you will firmly believe that yours is absolutely correct.
This is also why Eivass did not directly ask for help from God through prayer. Even if God provided Eivass with the correct answer, the answer in his mind would easily be rewritten. And he would firmly believe that he had known this incorrect answer from the very beginning. The current Swan King is a genuine Earthly Heavenly Envoy. He is half in the Material Realm and half in the Dream Realm, altering reality through dreams. While he doesn’t have any malice and cannot exert his theoretical maximum potential, in terms of sheer energy level, he has a higher priority than a Fallen Heavenly Envoy pulled to the surface by the Ouroboros Ring. This is also why the Box of Nothingness in the game is a “pure mechanism monster.”
However, once the correct target is logically deduced, it’s a different story. Eivass smiled confidently. “What about you, Sherlock? It looks like you’ve also deduced the answer. Tell me, why is the Box of Nothingness in Count Harlick’s possession?”
“—It’s Count Orléans,” Sherlock corrected. “Your memory has changed again.”
Eivass blinked, then looked at the data in his hand. The moment he saw the “blood supply” figures, he immediately reacted. He clicked his tongue, annoyed. “This is really troublesome…”
“I’m sure this matter is for another reason,” Sherlock said, opening the document and pointing to a few details that Eivass had overlooked. “Look here.”
“…Grander de Orléans, position: Iris Flower Security Advisor…” Eivass raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? This position is roughly equivalent to a half-step Grand level in Avalon. It should have a quarter of the Grand Guardian’s authority.”
“Not there, it’s the timing,” Sherlock said, pointing to the positional changes of the Orléans family’s direct relatives—those who were granted the surname “Orléans” regardless of blood relation, who are Children of the Moon.
“Only for all the direct relatives of this family… every change in their positions occurred after the rebellion.”
“…The timing is quite scattered, isn’t it?” Eivass frowned. “And there are promotions and demotions… it’s very balanced.”
“Exactly,” Sherlock said solemnly. “But if you divide the positions of the new regime after each Iris Flower rebellion into three stages, you’ll find that almost all demotions occur in the third stage, which is before the next ‘rebellion.’ Most promotions are concentrated in the first and second stages. And if a demotion occurs in the first stage, it will definitely be followed by a promotion to a higher position in the second stage. Other Children of the Moon families generally have this characteristic, but their demotions are more evenly spread across the three stages, mainly appearing in the second stage. As for Count Harlick, his family even had several major demotions in the first stage, indicating they always backed the wrong horse.”
“…Did you find evidence from this aspect?” Eivass couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. “It seems you’ve accepted my method of reasoning.”
Just a few hours ago, Eivass had stated his theory: he suspected that a person does not need any evidence. Because all evidence can be forged or destroyed, and even the high and mighty Gods are not infallible. However, no matter what, a person’s motives will not be wrong… No matter how convoluted their thought process, they will ultimately have to achieve their initial goal and fulfill their true purpose. Although Sherlock seemed unconvinced at the time, he was now smoothly employing it. *One’s body is honest!*
“It has nothing to do with that… I’ll use it if it’s useful,” Sherlock shook his head. “I’m a pragmatist. The Swan King’s dream is chaotic, and that Child of the Moon Count cannot precisely control the Swan King’s dream to alter reality. In this situation, unless you are as familiar with the social environment of the Children of the Moon as you are, it is difficult to obtain solid and direct evidence. But conversely – precisely because his control over the Swan King is weak, he would not dare to let the Swan King attack his own influence in dreams, because he cannot grasp the Swan King’s power level and suspects the Swan King might break free from his control. Therefore, one only needs to follow these obviously unnatural ‘rebellions’ and look for counts whose influence was not damaged and who showed signs of decline before the rebellion.”
“One only needs to accurately remember the specific timing of all rebellions – remembering the timing of the triggers and the beginning and end of the conclusion. Construct a chart in your mind, fill in all the data such as the power and position changes of the higher-ranking Children of the Moon, the profit changes of their holding companies, the discussion times, implementation times, and adjustment times of each policy. The answer will naturally and easily be obtained.” Sherlock sighed, leaning back slightly in his chair, covering his face with his hands, and mumbled, “Even if it were not me, but an Ordinary Person, it would be the same. It’s just tedious data processing, and I didn’t get any sense of intellectual pleasure from it… This is closer to what Extraordinarys on the Path of Balance are good at than the Path of Wisdom. The Box of Nothingness cannot alter confirmed numbers… and through correct data, everyone can get the correct result. I’ve only accelerated this process… Reasoning is such a simple matter, unlike magic, which can bring people dreams and miracles…”
Saying this, Sherlock pushed himself up and looked at Eivass. “Your method of reasoning is more like my past self… too bad you’re so secretive.”
“You have to let me win once,” Eivass said nonchalantly. “When you have eliminated all impossibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth… I haven’t learned nothing.”
Seeing Eivass’s reaction, Sherlock realized. “You’re… not in a hurry at all?”
“—What, do you have another way to find the Box of Nothingness?”
“Of course,” Eivass’s pupils flickered, and he smiled gently. “Besides ‘Sherlock’s Method of Elimination,’ I also have ‘Alistair’s Method of Elimination.'”
“…What is Alistair’s Method of Elimination?” Sherlock remained silent for a few seconds before cautiously asking.
“Haven’t you already guessed?” Eivass said with a chuckle, and a card appeared at his fingertips, which he idly played with.
“I used to play a game,” Eivass said slowly, “where I had to capture some targets or steal some information.”
“Is this game proper?” Sherlock quipped.
“—But sometimes, if your movements are not clean, you’ll be discovered.”
“And then?” Sherlock asked.
“Then, for the sake of secrecy, you must kill everyone,” Alistair said with a light laugh. “It’s a great… pity.”
With that, he flicked the card in his hand towards a corner of the room and said, “This is my backup plan… and also the confidence I have to solve the problem within twenty-four hours. —It’s best if it can be resolved quietly. After all, I have half a background in the Church, and it’s best not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs. But if it’s still controlled by the Box of Nothingness…”
“Then kill all suspects. As long as you kill fast enough and cleanly, no information will leak…”
“—And as long as you kill them all, one of them will be the right one.”
Alistair’s voice echoed from the corner where the card landed.
(End of this Chapter)
