Chapter 1097
Return to the Reynard Fox Bookstore
Although the merger of Avalon and Star Antinomy was not yet complete and many people were unaware of the impending establishment of the new Hrasal Empire, Isabel had already very decisively handed over her authority to Yulia.
There was no hint of reluctance—rather, she was eager.
Even though Isabel had accompanied Eivass to the Church during their wedding, that trip had merely followed a prescribed route… Only by doing so could they ensure they arrived at the ceremony venue at the most opportune time.
In fact, it was precisely because of that wedding procession that Isabel became even more curious about the Church.
Before Isabel came of age, she had never even left Glass Island. The first time she ever left Glass Island was for her coronation ceremony after her grandmother’s passing. Even just circling Avalon once had greatly excited her… She recounted it to Eivass for a long, long time after returning.
Eivass had listened patiently then.
It wasn’t just a matter of accompanying Isabel… but because Isabel was so endearing at that time. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she chattered on, tugging at Eivass’s arm and shaking her body, making it impossible to look away.
It was then that Eivass made up his mind—if he ever had the chance in the future, he would definitely take Isabel to the most beautiful places.
This trip to the Church was a good opportunity.
Although this time they would likely have limited free time due to the descent of the Blood Heavenly Envoy, there was no need to pursue the ritualistic sense of “the first trip must be the best one.”
Doing so would likely lead to self-imposed restrictions due to the thought, “this time isn’t perfect enough,” making it difficult to reach a state of perfection and needlessly missing many opportunities.
The essence of life was companionship; one more time was always better than one less.
After all, as long as they were together, every time was the best time.
As for the other accompanying traveler, Sherlock, he also had something to ask Haibasha, so he was coming for a legitimate reason.
This journey did not involve a ship again; the Church had sent a warship to pick them up.
Eivass had gradually become accustomed to this kind of “important person” treatment, no longer feeling as uneasy and worried as he had at the beginning, wondering if he was wasting someone else’s time. Now he had figured it out… Rather than engaging in pleasantries with those elves who possessed the spirit of devotion, it was better to give them an opportunity for “devotion.”
And he only needed to do what he should do—guard this world, improve people’s lives, and fight against all the great enemies that were detrimental to this world… whether they were fallen gods or ambitious individuals.
No one had asked Eivass to do these things. But as one of the strongest individuals in the Material Realm, he was essentially at the pinnacle of the world.
If he didn’t do it, who else could he entrust it to?
He had always believed in one saying—when the sky falls, the taller ones bear it; the shorter ones have no need to worry about the sky.
And Eivass was currently the tallest in the Material Realm, so he was the one to bear it.
When the warship reached the Church’s port, Isabel’s slightly pointed ears twitched.
She had already heard the goblins’ hawking from the distant wind:
“The most comprehensive travel guide, detailing suggestions, rules, and specialties for each level of the Church! Essential for first-time visitors to the Church, fair prices!”
“Authentic handmade elf clothing, full range of sizes! Buy one to wear when visiting the Church, or buy a few new sets as gifts when you leave!”
“High-quality motion sickness pills and sleeping pills, produced by Quicksilver Workshop, instant effect!”
“They’re selling clothes… so many…”
Isabel immediately became interested, her eyes fixed in that direction, wanting to see the Church’s specialties.
“…It’s exactly the same as before.”
Eivass also heard the familiar hawking and chuckled softly.
He felt a sense of nostalgia too—
It had been over three months since he first arrived at the Church, and he was now preparing to ascend to the Sixth Tier… Yet the Church remained as it was yesterday, with no changes.
“Then let’s go, let’s take a look.”
Eivass led Isabel towards the shop selling clothes.
He knew, of course, that the prices at the port were outrageously high. Much like the shops at high-speed rail stations or airports in his past life…
But that kind of thing didn’t matter. Neither he nor Isabel were the kind of people who needed to worry about money.
He looked back at Sherlock and said with a smile, “Do you want me to buy you a gift too, Sherlock? Consider it a celebration of your Ascension.”
Sherlock glanced at Eivass and casually replied, “Anything is fine.”
But in reality, he paid no attention to what Eivass was saying—his brain was overloaded.
“Ah, don’t bother counting, it’s all yours anyway!”
Eivass put his arm around Sherlock’s shoulder and said with the voice of a scrupulous roommate, “Don’t calculate anymore, come on, let’s go online.” “The data is all yours anyway, and you won’t be coming to the Church many times—quickly see what you want to buy! My treat, I’ll buy you this whole street if you want it!”
Isabel on the side couldn’t stop laughing, while Sherlock sighed helplessly and allocated some processing power, “Alright, alright… Thank you in advance, to prevent me from forgetting later…”
They browsed for a long time, and by the time they reached Madam Haibasha’s coffee shop—or rather, the bookstore “The Reynard Fox’s Lie”—it was almost evening.
Haibasha had already known they were coming.
This elf girl, small and appearing only seven or eight years old, had been waiting for a long time.
She was somewhat surprised when she first saw Sherlock—she was surprised that she couldn’t see through Sherlock’s realm: “This child… has he already reached the Fifth Tier so quickly…”
“How about that, fast, right?”
Eivass said proudly of Sherlock.
“Indeed,” Haibasha nodded, “but I’m actually more surprised that even though he’s reached the Fifth Tier, you could still drag him out…”
Despite her youthful appearance, her demeanor was calm and mature. Like a teacher, or an elder.
“It’s actually not that easy to drag him out…”
Eivass also shook his head, “It’s only because he has something to ask you; otherwise, he might not have come.”
Sherlock, however, sighed, “Where would I find the time to relax…”
The reason it wasn’t easy to drag him out… was precisely because he was feeling anxious.
And why was he anxious?
It was because Eivass had advanced too quickly…
It was at the end of May that Sherlock finally completed his Ascension, reaching the Fifth Tier.
—A year ago, this had even been Sherlock’s ultimate goal in this life.
As a result, both “Fox” and “Lulu,” who were considered his juniors during their Ascension Rituals and knew nothing back then, had now become “seniors” who had reached the Fifth Tier before him and were touching the Sixth Tier.
Even with the boost of the Transcendence Tide… to go from a mortal to the peak of the world in less than a year, was there really something wrong with this?
Now, the world believed Eivass to be a natural prodigy with a spirit of devotion, who must have reached the Third Tier before coming of age to be sent to study at the Church. But only a very few people knew that Eivass had officially embarked on the path of the extraordinary only in mid-November of last year.
It was now the beginning of June, meaning Eivass, at most, had been an extraordinary for less than six months—in fact, even saying he reached the Fifth Tier in a year was a conservative estimate; strictly speaking, Eivass had taken less than half a year.
The more someone understood the extraordinary world, the more they would find this matter astonishingly absurd.
Sherlock was naturally one of them.
Just as he had learned from his brother’s reprimand as a child and realized he was not the smartest person in Avalon, becoming humble, diligent, and studious thereafter; with Sherlock’s proud and competitive personality, reaching the Fifth Tier at this age would have made him walk on air—he was only twenty-nine years old this year, not even thirty. The level of genius was astonishing not just in Avalon, but throughout the entire world.
…But when he thought about Eivass, who was ten years younger than him, achieving such an incredible feat, then he had nothing to be proud of.
Thus, Sherlock immediately calmed down.
(End of Chapter)
