Chapter 140: Barton and Dross
Barton woke up, the shock Mr. Alistair had given him still lingering in his heart. It was a kind of dashing, soul-stirring madness that he couldn’t forget even after choosing his Path Trait. The image of Alistair’s outstretched three fingers remained crystal clear in his mind.
His brain trembled, his spine tensed. Compared to the secrets revealed by the Dark Clouds, and the words that simply made him dissatisfied with the Path of Authority, Alistair had personally shown him what the “Soul of Transcendence” was.
“I’m still not worthy,” Barton thought with a hint of disappointment, his entire being suddenly sobered. Some things aren’t achievable just because you want them to be… He had learned this long ago.
Fortunately.
He climbed out of bed, turned on the room light, and looked at the mirror. It was a boy who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen. He had emerald pupils like peridot, and short blonde hair cut at the shoulder. His hair was fine and soft, clinging to his scalp, making his head appear rather small. He gazed at the mirror, clenching his fist slightly.
Blue-purple lightning crackled, flowing from his palm and zipping across his body. This time, Barton no longer felt the slight numbness throughout his body, and his hair didn’t stand on end as it used to. This was the Level Two “Lightning Affinity.” It was one of the “key Path Traits” his father had outlined when teaching him! Compared to “Storm Vessel” and “Valiant Spirit” that appeared at the same time, there was no contest.
“This is a gift from Mr. Alistair…” Barton murmured. His father had told him that it was difficult to obtain good Path Traits in the first two Ascension Rituals. Therefore, he only needed to choose from the twelve decent Path Traits his father had designated. The fact that the transition from Third Tier to Fourth Tier was a watershed moment was largely because good Path Traits began appearing in the third Ascension Ritual.
Greed could cloud people’s minds. Sufficient gain would drive people to madness. Everyone wanted better traits, resulting in everyone trying their best to prove themselves and complete more missions given by the Pillar Gods. However, this might also lead to a significant decrease in the pass rate. So, at least in Avalon, the more time passed, the more participants there were in the New Moon Ritual — because teammates might drag you down, or even backstab you. It was better to go solo from the beginning. In the early rituals, everyone was essentially a newcomer, all coming for blue Path Traits like “Vessel” or “Affinity.” As long as they passed, they were guaranteed a suitable trait, so they wouldn’t trip each other up. This was Barton’s confidence in secretly participating in the ritual.
“…That’s what they say,” Barton muttered to himself, “but are there really many newcomers in this ritual this time?” Or was it a mistake for him to participate in the New Moon Ritual? But no matter what… the fact that he obtained Lightning Affinity this time was due to the kindness of others. He felt unworthy. Because if they had competed fairly, he would have been eliminated by Mr. Alistair long ago. It was only because of his initial words about “forming an alliance” that he was spared and managed to survive. And this was also why Barton felt ashamed. At the time, he didn’t genuinely want to ally with the Fiend. Barton truly believed that since Antlers had sought an alliance with a newcomer like him… it meant he had definitely invited others when they entered. Therefore, Antlers’ words were untrustworthy.
Barton had encountered many such people. They would visit his father during holidays. Many of them appeared gentle, cheerful, and amiable. Barton had also thought they were good people because they brought him many valuable gifts. But his father had patiently taught Barton, “Because I am the Grand Guardian of Avalon, in charge of national supervision and commanding the army during wartime, they come to curry favor with me, and that’s why they are so good to you. Their outward appearances are impeccable, but their expressed attitudes are worthless. Don’t listen to what they say, or watch what they do, but observe what they ultimately do.”
“But if you have to wait until after it’s over to see what they’ve done, doesn’t that mean anyone’s words could be lies?” Barton had asked at the time. His father had affirmed, “Precisely.”
“Do not trust alliances, do not trust promises. Any contract, the moment it is established, carries the possibility of being broken…” Having firsthand witnessed how Antlers betrayed their alliance, Barton murmured, “I think I understand now…” More than the “Lightning Affinity” ability he had gained, the insights from this Ascension Ritual were an invaluable treasure.
Just then, Barton suddenly heard the butler’s voice. It was three or four in the morning… He cautiously approached the door, pressing his ear against it. Then he heard a familiar voice. —It was Mom! Mom was back! He instantly panicked and scrambled to quickly tidy up the ritual array. But after tidying up two items, he realized he should probably turn off the room light first. However, just as he turned off the light, his bedroom door was opened from the outside. With a click, the light was turned back on. A woman with black hair and black eyes, deep features, and a slightly wide mouth stood frowning at the doorway.
“Not asleep yet, little apple?” The woman frowned slightly, then looked at the ritual array in the room. She immediately realized what her son had done: “You went to an Ascension Ritual?” But when she looked at Barton, her eyes widened in surprise: “You succeeded?”
Hearing his mother’s question, Barton immediately flinched. But he quickly reacted — what was there to be afraid of? He had successfully ascended! So Barton puffed out his chest and proudly said, “Yes! I succeeded in my ascension at the New Moon Ritual, pretty amazing, Mom!”
“Not bad,” the woman nodded slightly in praise. But she then added, “But you should be sleeping now. You’re still growing. The sleep provided by the ritual isn’t enough for your body to relax. Your room is so messy, go sleep in your father’s room. I’ll have the servant tidy it up tomorrow.”
Why such a calm reaction… Barton pouted. This was completely different from what he had imagined. “Mom, I chose Lightning Affinity!” Barton emphasized. “Alright,” the woman nodded. Her black pupils, like an abyss, gazed at Barton: “So I won’t question your truancy for now. We’ll talk about it tomorrow after you wake up.” Barton shivered instantly. Thus, Barton chuckled awkwardly and tried to change the subject: “Mom, why haven’t you been home for so long?”
“That assassin hasn’t been caught yet. The Gryphon Brigade has to strengthen its night patrol this month,” the woman replied calmly. She looked at Barton and seriously warned, “Don’t go out at night during this period. If you absolutely must go out, be sure to bring ‘Emily’ with you.” Emily was the name of the Gryphon Barton had raised. Although she was only in her teens now, she was much more capable than Barton. Even a Third Tier Extraordinary might not be able to defeat her. Rather than Barton learning light cavalry tactics to cooperate with Emily, it was more to avoid being a burden to her.
“What about Dad?” Barton asked, “Dad hasn’t been home for a long time either.”
“The matter of the Giant Remnants has nothing to do with you.”
“But I saw Giants in my ritual this time!”
“That doesn’t matter either. Go to sleep. We’ll have a meeting after you wake up to discuss your truancy.” The woman said sternly, “Your teacher wrote to me saying you haven’t been to school for three days.”
“…Because I was preparing for the Ascension Ritual, Mom,” Barton said with a fawning smile. “See? I succeeded!”
“No need. You need to attend class properly now. It’s meaningless for you to ascend to Extraordinary now. You still have to wait until Emily comes of age to advance to an Air Cavalry. Touching Path Power now will only accumulate Path Impetus for no reason. But since you’ve already advanced, it’s meaningless to dwell on it further, so I won’t criticize you, but I won’t encourage you either.”
“Okay, Mom.” Barton slumped a little but still nodded politely. He hadn’t expected that his successful ascension wouldn’t be praised. So Barton decided not to mention the secret shared by Mr. Dark Clouds, lest he be scolded. He wanted to have a few little secrets of his own! But, Giant Remnants… Speaking of which, Barton thought of the Noble Red Society again. He asked with some unease, “Is Mr. Sherlock really dead?”
“It’s hard to say.” His mother shook her head slightly, reserving her opinion on the matter. “If you want to know… next week, we will invite Mr. Eivass Moriarty to our home. George has an important matter to notify him about. If he’s still in the mood after hearing about it, you can ask him then. He previously claimed to inherit Sherlock’s investigations, so he should at least be an informed party.”
“What matter?” Barton asked.
“Last week, Professor Moriarty passed away unexpectedly. He left no will. And Inspector Edward, in the Inspection Department, cannot inherit the family business. This means the heir can only be Eivass, or even Yulia — if Eivass chooses to join the Church after graduation, he cannot inherit the family fortune. Compared to the frail Yulia, Eivass is more likely to be able to control them. George said that someone might bully Eivass because of his young age and lack of understanding of conspiracies, and set traps for him. For Professor’s sake, we have to protect the children he adopted. They are the pillars of the kingdom, not to be trifled with by those petty individuals.”
“Oh.” Barton responded absently. He had heard the name Eivass so many times his ears were almost calloused. He was the typical “other people’s” child: intelligent, decisive, mature, kind, righteous, and brave. And he was friends with his idol, Sherlock Hermes… Barton was envious at first, but he got used to it. No matter how capable others were, it had nothing to do with him.
—Compared to Mr. Eivass. Barton thought, he was now more focused on Mr. Alistair. And at the same time. On the other side, someone else was also paying attention to the name “Alistair.”
At this moment, an old man clumsily moved down from his bed. The old man had a large belly; he couldn’t even see his feet when he stood up. The muscles in his limbs had become flaccid, turning into loose fat. His round, massive head made him look like a fat seal.
“Diomedes.” he called out. After three seconds, an Elf butler with a square face, a solemn expression, and a few wrinkles appeared silently at the doorway. “Mr. Dross, you summoned me.”
“Yes, my friend. Help me write two letters and mail them before dawn,” Minister Dross said, handing over his seal. “One letter to Boka, asking if any newcomers named ‘Alistair’ have joined the Lloyd Society recently. He might not use that name, but he’s a Fiend who made a contract with a Shadow Demon. Give me his information and contact details. The other letter is to the governor of Grey County, looking for a young person named Alistair. He used to study in the countryside, and after junior high, he went to high school in Grey County. His parents were both believers, and his father later passed away, leaving him a not-so-generous inheritance. He might have graduated or not… anyway, he left his hometown and went climbing and mountaineering all over Avalon — these characteristics should make him easy to find. If you can find him, give me his mother’s contact information.”
“Understood, Mr. Dross,” the Elf butler replied, taking the seal. “I’ve noted it down. Is there a deadline for the investigation?”
“Within a month… no, half a month,” Minister Dross replied calmly. “Give them half a month to provide a definitive reply. I don’t want to receive a response like ‘We did our best but couldn’t find him’ or ‘There’s definitely no such person named Alistair.’ He might not use that name, and the information might be inaccurate. But I want results.”
“I will write it in the letter, Mr. Dross,” his Elf butler replied.
