Chapter 453
Fully Automated Box Opening Machine Operating Steadily
As if soaking in a bathtub, she drifted into a deep slumber, or perhaps returned to the embrace of her mother in her childhood. In a faint sense of security, Isabel felt her consciousness gradually sink into the vast sea of nothingness. She could still vaguely sense the lingering taste of Drunken Dream T in her mouth, slowly invading her nasal cavity from the depths of her throat. The rich aroma of the wine mingled with the fragrant scent of sesame and basil leaves, and she could faintly discern a clear, earthy taste. It was like chewing on mud after a spring rain, or perhaps eating tender asparagus with wine after boiling it. Isabel’s mind suddenly conjured this thought, and instinctively, she felt a surge of joy for finding such a comparison.
When she woke up again, she found herself sitting in the third seat. Isabel turned her head and saw that familiar figure in the first seat—he was wearing a pale white priest’s robe, his body leaning casually back against the chair. His left arm rested on the armrest, propping up his chin, while his right hand lay casually in front of him. The Flame Butterfly was hidden in the cuff of his right sleeve—specks of fire made his cuff look like a campfire spewing sparks. Even though his face was blurry, Isabel easily recognized Eivass. Knowing Eivass was here, Isabel breathed a sigh of relief. She was no longer as timid and fearful as she was at first… back then, if she hadn’t seen Eivass upon entering this time, she probably would have felt anxious. However, being matched with an acquaintance was definitely a good thing. It was better than cooperating with strangers—those whose origins were unclear and whose true natures couldn’t be seen through would basically disappear from one’s life forever after the ritual. In such a situation, if one naively trusted them, betrayal might come at a crucial moment.
…But Sherlock isn’t here this time? Isabel thought, scanning her surroundings. She found that her worry had actually come true. Little Sherlock really didn’t come in. Although Isabel was quite confident in herself, she still believed that Sherlock was definitely stronger than her. If Sherlock could enter this Ascension Ritual, she would likely be ranked further back than him. Even if the seating order in an Ascension Ritual didn’t strictly represent the degree of strength, it was still an important reference.
Between Isabel and Eivass sat a middle-aged man with a proper posture, exuding a steady and reliable aura like a rock. His physique could be described as strong; his arms were even thicker than Isabel’s thighs. The man was very polite. After Isabel appeared, he didn’t immediately look at her with intrusive, inquiring eyes to gather information but closed his eyes to rest. Of course, in a dream, there was no need to close one’s eyes to rest. This merely indicated that he “had no intention of prying into others’ secrets.”
Not long after Isabel appeared, a new person suddenly materialized to her right. It was an old man—he was dressed in the style of Anxi people, wearing a white robe that covered his hands and feet, and a white scarf and headscarf on his head. Even with her face blurred in the Ascension Ritual, none of his specific features could be seen—only the part above his nose and below his eyebrows was exposed. Isabel looked at him intently, but she frowned slightly. …Anxi people? That’s not right. The Ascension Ritual, with Eivass at its core, had not yet expanded outward. This meant that the participants were likely in Avalon, or even on Glass Island. There weren’t many Anxi people on Glass Island.
—Could it be Old Mr. Ibn? This thought crossed Isabel’s mind. That Anxi Ritualist, who had served in the Silver and Tin Hall since Queen Sophia’s era, was now at the Third Tier. She’d find out when the time came anyway. Even though the Ascension Ritual blurred the participants’ voices, some speaking habits wouldn’t change much—Isabel was confident she could recognize the speaker’s identity. But if it was Old Ibn, why would he specifically wear Anxi attire? And Ibn appeared so late… In Isabel’s understanding, his power should be somewhat stronger than hers.
“Hello, my name is Lulu. I am an Ascender of the Path of Beauty, skilled at assisting teammates and providing buffs to partners.” Thinking thus, Isabel took the initiative to ask the old man beside her, “Old sir… what should we call you?”
Hearing her question, the man sitting on Isabel’s left suddenly opened his eyes and looked over with some confusion. The hunched old man just chuckled, not looking directly at Isabel. He replied with downcast eyes, “My name is Olive, Miss Lulu. I am an Ascender of the Transcendent Path.”
“—Transcendent Path?” This question wasn’t asked by Isabel. It was the man sitting between Eivass and Isabel who suddenly spoke. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, and he asked without hesitation or politeness, “There aren’t many legal Transcendent individuals in Avalon. Which faction do you belong to? Or are you one of the illegal ones? Judging by your attire, are you a stowaway?”
As soon as the man spoke, the other three looked up, their gazes falling on him with a strange silence. Facing these gazes, the man showed no hesitation. He ignored the looks from the other two and first gave a slight nod of respect to Eivass, who was wearing the priest’s robe, then stated frankly, “You can call me ‘Pirate’—I am a Third Tier Supervisor, proficient with sabers, long swords, crossbows, and unarmed combat. I have mastered the fighting styles of ‘Guard’ and ‘Challenge.’ If there’s a fight, I’ll be your shield.”
Apart from the first sentence, the rest of his words were directed at Eivass. “Pirate” was clear about his purpose. Both the Path of Beauty and the Transcendent Path had unclear backgrounds. They didn’t seem to know each other, so they were likely separate groups. “Pirate” couldn’t immediately determine who was good, so he directly approached the highest-ranking and most suitable individual present, the priest “Fox,” and actively showed Eivass his goodwill. Regardless, a priest was definitely someone on their side. A Third Tier priest was already the lowest rank of Bishop. A young priest ranked this highly indicated he had a good chance of ascending to the Fourth Tier and becoming one of Avalon’s prominent Archbishops. Moreover, as a melee profession, he was also prone to injury. A Full Moon Ritual for Tier 3 to Tier 4 advancement, unless the script randomly assigned a Path of Wisdom scenario, would likely involve intense combat… Therefore, appeasing the priest with powerful Healing Abilities became his core strategy. It just so happened that priests were usually not good at combat and always needed someone to protect them up close—this was a case of mutual need. Furthermore, with a defender and a healer, two key roles, it would be easy to recruit other teammates. This way, they could become the proactive side.
…Quite clever. Eivass, sitting calmly in the chief seat, raised an eyebrow with interest. He sensed the other party’s goodwill. Although not entirely sure, “Pirate” seemed to have vaguely guessed Eivass’s identity.
“…Mr. Pirate, are you from the Inspection Bureau?” Thinking of this, Eivass asked gently, “May I know which city you are from?”
“I am from Summertime County,” Pirate replied. “I was born by the sea since I was a child.” Eivass’s intuition told him it sounded like the truth. —But undoubtedly, it was a lie. Eivass immediately deduced the biggest loophole logically—because “Pirate” was sandwiched between Eivass, Isabel, and Ibn, he could only be on Glass Island, and likely not far from the Silver and Tin Hall. Clearly, Pirate didn’t know that Isabel and Ibn were on Glass Island. He assumed they were in other parts of Avalon, which was why he subconsciously told such a lie to hide his true location. This statement directly exposed his perspective. This was actually quite normal. Whether it was Minister of Affairs Eivass, Queen Isabel, or Ibn, the court Ritualist, their specific Path Tiers were certainly not something a mere Supervisor could know. It was already very intelligent of him to vaguely guess that “Fox” might be Eivass from Eivass’s age and aura. He definitely couldn’t guess the identity of their young queen from a Third Tier Ascender of the Path of Beauty—in his eyes, the queen’s Ascension Ritual would surely have a large group of loyal royal elite guards. Moreover, Isabel had only recently become an Extraordinary; her initial transformation into an Extraordinary was reported in the news. Ascending to the Fourth Tier in less than half a year was basically impossible to outsiders. In this regard, it could be judged that “Pirate” was not within the core circle of Glass Island.
Isabel also silently analyzed “Pirate’s” identity—A Third Tier Supervisor was basically the strongest conventionally for the identity of a Supervisor. Judging by his age, he should be a Director of the Inspection Bureau. His posture suggested a military background. But he was a Supervisor, not a light cavalryman, indicating he was from the army. A Director of the Inspection Bureau on Glass Island, Third Tier, male, middle-aged, former military, and nicknamed Pirate… …Is it Director Kent of the White Queen District? A name flashed in Isabel’s mind. When this thought occurred to Isabel, her intuition told her—she had probably guessed correctly. It wasn’t that her guess was accurate. Rather, Isabel had personally met very few Supervisors. And among the Supervisors she knew, there happened to be one who matched all the keywords.
…So, Sherlock is not here this time, and one person is missing from their team. Should I tell Mr. Pirate my identity? Isabel thought, and looked at Eivass. Seeing Eivass shake his head slightly, she understood. Eivass didn’t want “Pirate” to know his identity… He was confident. But Eivass’s personality was cautious; he liked to unite those he needed to unite—when lacking power, Eivass was always good at obtaining power from others. Yet now, he had voluntarily given up the opportunity to directly bind “Pirate” to his side. Was it because of the confidence given by Mr. Olive? No, to be more precise… Was it because Eivass believed that “Pirate” might have been pitted against the Path of “Beauty” or “Transcendence,” and thus, for Mr. Olive’s position, he didn’t want Pirate to join their side, nor did he want to force him to give up the Ascension through authority from outside? Isabel keenly captured Eivass’s thoughts.
—In that case, Mr. Olive really is Mr. Ibn! With just one sentence, Isabel instantly deduced the true identities of two teammates. This made Isabel lick her lips with exceptional satisfaction. What a shame, Sherlock isn’t here. Isabel felt a bit regretful. Sherlock said her deductions lacked logic—but in the end, weren’t they quite accurate! When Isabel first interacted with Sherlock in an Ascension Ritual, Sherlock, unaware of her true identity, had mocked her for not being smart or logical several times, even saying in front of Eivass that “allies of the Path of Beauty are unreliable”—she had secretly noted all of that! Isabel held a grudge! Since then, she had been quietly waiting for an opportunity to defeat Sherlock in the field he excelled at. It wasn’t necessary for Sherlock to admit defeat; just for him to be surprised or exclaim. Missing this chance, who knows when the next one would be. Sherlock could accompany Eivass to the Church, while she could only stay in Avalon… If only she weren’t the queen. Or, if Avalon were gone… This thought suddenly crossed Isabel’s mind. But she abruptly shook her head, dispelling the dreadful thought. If Avalon were gone… she couldn’t imagine what kind of situation that would be. She only knew that it would make many people homeless, and life would be worse than death.
…But why did such a thought suddenly cross my mind? Isabel felt a sense of doubt.
