Chapter 1151
Do Not Trust the Silver Crown Dragon
Sherlock watched Eivass, who was lost in thought, his eyes flickering with unease. He knew his words were too shocking. To accuse a Pillar God of corruption, especially as an Extraordinary of the Path of Authority, was akin to a minor official shouting, “The Emperor has rebelled!”
Furthermore, the Silver Crown Dragon was the protector and founder of Avalon. Without the Silver Crown Dragon, Avalonian people would still be raised as livestock by the giants. Statues of the Silver Crown Dragon were everywhere, and people respected it more than any other Pillar God. Even though the Silver Crown Dragon had not performed any miracles, doubting it was an act of disloyalty.
“What do you think, Eivass?” Sherlock asked softly. He glanced at Isabel and added, “What do you both think?”
Eivass looked up at Sherlock, his understanding of that statement deepening. It was as Professor Moriarty had said, “Knowledge is poisonous.” Once you knew something, you could no longer think from the perspective of not knowing it. In this sense, the information had become a seductive worm that infiltrated the mind during learning and mastery, draining more energy and self in every thought to perfect itself. Sherlock’s learning process of “The Ten Sacred Numbers Theory” was proof of this.
Once he became aware of the Void, he couldn’t help but start thinking about what might be related to it. Once he realized that the Gate of Truth was locked behind the Void, he had to start doubting his own path, and then other Pillar Gods. Aspects of daily life that previously seemed normal now appeared abnormal. It was as if every mortal on the street had the potential to become a child of the Void, and every god above intended to destroy the world. Every event he experienced seemed to be part of a grander design and calculation. Any idea he had might have already been altered by his Path and the Origin River. When he encountered a strange person, he wouldn’t consider how their past life shaped their personality to lead them to their current state; nor would he contemplate whether their living environment was problematic—their family, school, nation, or race—making them so deformed. Instead, he would immediately begin performing Path calculations to see if they added up to ten.
The entire world seemed distorted, and only those who had received the same amount of information could understand him. To others, he was just a madman worrying about nothing, constantly saying unfathomable, inexplicable, and incomprehensible things, yet unable to articulate what he knew.
However, Eivass understood him. Eivass slowly nodded, “I believe you.” Or rather, it was precisely because Eivass could see the future that he knew Sherlock’s analysis and reasoning were correct. Or, at least, this perspective offered a plausible explanation.
“In that case,” Isabel quickly replied, “I believe you too.” Even as the Queen of Avalon, even as Lancelot’s descendant—after Eivass declared his belief, Isabel chose to trust him. This was not a perfunctory response but a heartfelt conviction. Since “truth” itself harbored unfathomable dangers, there was no need to delve into every root cause to seek a single answer; it was enough that the knowledge could help them. Right now, their priority was to guard against the Silver Crown Dragon. This wasn’t a difficult task, and preparing in advance wouldn’t hurt, especially since the Calamity Demon Dragon could descend into the Material Realm at any moment. There was only one problem…
“Eivass,” Isabel said with some concern, “Will Avalon be alright? I mean… the Avalon region now.” Although the Avalon Kingdom had been incorporated into the new Hrasal Empire, Isabel still worried about the people who had once followed her. If possible, she wanted to resolve the dangers and hidden threats for them in advance.
Eivass shook his head solemnly, “It’s hard to say.” It was truly difficult to say. Unlike the Ouroboros Ring ritual, which had clear conditions, he wasn’t sure exactly how the Calamity Demon Dragon would descend or at what specific time. He only knew that three items were needed to bring the Calamity Demon Dragon to the Material Realm, one of which was the “Blade of All Separation” he already held. The other two items, however, were unknown. He could only hold onto this ritual knife tightly to delay the event as much as possible. This was because Eivass couldn’t stay in Avalon forever; he had to go abroad to handle the Ouroboros Ring ritual and seize Heavenly Envoy Fragments. Another reason was that the descent of the Calamity Demon Dragon involved a human vessel. The descent, or rather, the “jailbreak” process, was very hidden, unlike the significant celestial phenomena of the Ouroboros Ring. Before the Calamity Demon Dragon caused trouble, Eivass couldn’t even realize if it had already descended.
Eivass had originally wondered why the Silver Crown Dragon remained silent when the Calamity Demon Dragon descended. Now, with Sherlock’s analysis, the final piece of logic had fallen into place. It meant that the Silver Crown Dragon was already corrupted, or at least beginning to be, as it couldn’t suppress the Calamity Demon Dragon. It was struggling to save itself. Eivass even realized another secret in this context—the secret revealed by the three paintings in the ascension ritual that had escaped from the painted world. All three were related to the corruption of the Twilight Seed!
[—All feasts must end. After feasting on the blood of fools and the flesh of guests, the banquet will be complete, and the guests will depart contentedly. Then, the banquet master will be perfect once more, ascending to the position of Heavenly Envoy. The banquet they long for will be held again, perhaps in the Dream Realm, perhaps in the future.]
The first painting, “The Banquet is Complete.” This was the eternal banquet yearned for by the Path of Love. It was love, and it was twilight. It was creation, and it was error. The secret it revealed, that the guests died “because of the banquet,” referred to outsiders. That is, the Void. The guests did not die from “slaughter,” nor did they perish by “judgment.” Instead, they were fixed in an endless banquet by the “feast”! Until the “banquet” they longed for was held again… perhaps in the Dream Realm, perhaps in the future.
[—Rebellion is the first blade of the helpless, and a curse will be the last. History will eventually cycle, once, twice, thrice… No one can escape the curse of the Eternal Ring. The king shall die by the blade, and he who kills by the blade shall become king. This may be a paradox, but it may also be a cycle. Who knows? Let alone all living beings, even the gods are merely blood-drinking beasts, feeding on each other…]
The second painting, “The Ring of Rebellion.” This was the conflict between Power and Wisdom, speaking of the ascension of the Great Philosopher and the Supreme Heaven, narrating the beginning and end of the Path of Power, and the silence and betrayal of the Path of Wisdom. “History will eventually cycle”—this referred to the repeating history of the Ring Heavenly Envoy. The curse of the Eternal Ring also pointed to the paradox and cycle of the Samsara Heavenly Envoy. “Even the gods are merely blood-drinking beasts, feeding on each other…” revealed the birth and succession of gods. What knowledge was implied here? Eivass couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.
“Rebellion is the first blade of the helpless, and a curse will be the last…” If the “curse of the Eternal Ring” was the “last blade of the helpless,” didn’t that mean the Ring Heavenly Envoy was the innocent one? Rebellion was his first blade… Who did he rebel against? … The Void?
And the third painting…
[—The sun will eventually set, and fate will have its return. All meetings will eventually end in separation, but after separation, there will be a reunion. Under the intense sun, freedom is impossible. But if the starlight is bright enough, perhaps heaven and earth can be split before dawn. Then, you will know where the new path leads.]
This corresponded to the Sacred Number of Stars. “My Sacred Number is 11, the number that belongs to us.” Just as the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s prophecy stated. Stars represented humanity. Just like in Eivass’s Book of Law, the “Stars” card was missing from the beginning. Because Eivass himself was the stars—he had to split heaven and earth before dawn. The story it described was the eternal conflict between Eivass and the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
In chronological order, the first painting told of [Love] and [Twilight] being corrupted, surviving in the eternal feast. The second painting spoke of “Wisdom and Power being corrupted by the curse of infinite cycles,” implying that the Paths of [Wisdom] and [Authority] would be the next to suffer. The third painting spoke of Eivass and the Ring Heavenly Envoy—regarding [Devotion] and [Transcendence]. Considering this was the New Moon Ritual prepared by the Candlemaster, a “most cruel ritual presided over by the most compassionate Pillar God,” it meant this was the secret the Candlemaster wanted to tell Eivass. Because “knowledge is poisonous,” Eivass couldn’t know the truth before experiencing those events, to avoid self-fulfilling prophecy. And now was roughly the time for the truth to be revealed.
“Even the gods are merely blood-drinking beasts, feeding on each other…” Eivass chewed on the Candlemaster’s prophecy, lost in thought. Did this mean the Crown Lord would be eaten by the Calamity Demon Dragon? That would be a huge problem, everyone. As everyone knew—the Path of Authority currently had no Heavenly Envoy. Before Eivass knew there was a problem with the Silver Crown Dragon, he didn’t realize anything was wrong. After all, the Path of Authority was the most “bureaucratic” path; it was only natural to want one’s authority consolidated. But once he realized the Silver Crown Dragon might have been corrupted long ago… this behavior immediately became suspicious. A Pillar God not appointing a Heavenly Envoy meant they felt they didn’t need a replacement. But the Hourglass really didn’t need one—it was the load-bearing wall. If the load-bearing wall had problems, everyone would be finished. But the Path of Authority? It was already sick, so why didn’t it seek medicine? Unless it knew… if it had medicine, it might die. The Silver Crown Dragon killing the Bear Heavenly Envoy meant it had completed itself. What had it completed? What did the Bear Heavenly Envoy’s last words to the Silver Crown Dragon mean before he died?
