Chapter 479
The Instant Box Opening Machine Continues to Operate
The moment Sherlock woke up and called Eivass “Moriarty,” Eivass’s heart skipped a beat.
Something felt off.
Eivass knew Sherlock well. The great detective usually had a casual disregard for boundaries, and when inspired, he liked to do things his own way before explaining himself. When talking to friends, he typically called them by their first names or even nicknames. It was only when speaking to strangers or those of sufficiently high status that he maintained a distant politeness and reserve.
Of course, on occasion, when Sherlock was putting on airs or being sarcastic, he would slowly and deliberately address him as “Mr. Moriarty.”
According to the introductory CG, Eivass and Sherlock’s relationship in this world line was even closer than his with Princess Isabel. This was why Eivass directly addressed him as Sherlock, to prevent the overly perceptive Sherlock from discovering that “he was not that Eivass.”
Before meeting, Eivass was actually quite wary of Sherlock.
Such an intelligent, sharp, and suspicious friend, who was too familiar with him, could expose him at any moment. Especially since this world itself had the ability to disguise oneself as others or alter others’ perceptions; Sherlock’s suspicion wasn’t entirely unfounded, it was merely sufficient caution.
He had even considered simply knocking Sherlock unconscious. Then, when he woke up, he would knock him out again, repeating this cycle… and then send him directly to the Church to complete the mission.
As long as he had no contact or communication with Sherlock throughout the process, he would never be exposed in front of him.
But Eivass soon realized. The things he was wary of also applied to “Sherlock.”
However, a mere “Moriarty” was not enough to definitively conclude he was problematic.
So Eivass proceeded with further testing.
Sherlock should know that Minister Dross might make a move against Princess Isabel. During his interrogation, Sherlock had clearly understood this matter, possibly even knowing the truth—given Dross’s flamboyant personality, he would likely boast about it, even saying things like “Isabel is already dead” to put pressure on Sherlock.
Therefore, Eivass deliberately shifted the topic to “Shafiya,” prompting Shafiya to indicate her presence nearby.
Sherlock would surely know who Shafiya was.
Thus, when Eivass mentioned Shafiya, and Shafiya’s tone and demeanor were relaxed, he should have immediately guessed that “the princess might not have been harmed.” And given Sherlock’s loyalty to Queen Sophia, he would 100% try to inquire about Shafiya’s situation despite his weakened state.
Even the Silver and Tin Hall had exploded—how could he be so calm, so unhurried?
Of course, there was a minuscule possibility… that Sherlock had already guessed Isabel was alive, and therefore wasn’t worried at all.
So Eivass conducted a third test.
He told Sherlock “to stop thinking.” But as a Third Tier Law Master and a Third Tier Mage, Sherlock should have suffered from “Spiritual Body Atonement Syndrome.” His excessively strong thinking ability made it impossible for him to stop thinking. Even if he had somewhat adapted to the syndrome, it would undoubtedly be more relaxing for him to think than not to.
Therefore, the moment Sherlock actually stopped thinking—Eivass confirmed that this was absolutely not Sherlock.
He could only be “the Advisor.”
A transcender of the Path of Wisdom from Star Antimony, a Third Tier Mage.
But Eivass didn’t speak up.
Killing him directly in secret would be the most conservative choice, but its efficiency was too low. It was impossible to leverage the intelligence advantage.
Since he had now identified the other party’s identity and had not exposed himself at all… then, even if he didn’t intend to use him to complete his mission, he could still use him to spread false information or dig some traps for the Star Antimony people.
The smarter a person is, the more they will believe the information they gather themselves and the conclusions they draw from their own reasoning. Few people, when their logic isn’t at a dead end, would completely overturn all their views and start anew—especially when the false information has a complete logical chain and sufficient evidence, while the truth has a significant gap in its logic.
However, to implant some false information, Eivass alone wouldn’t suffice. He would also need Isabel’s cooperation and support.
Therefore, as Eivass pondered, he brought Sherlock back to Moriarty Manor.
Princess Isabel was currently hiding behind the curtains, looking in the direction of the Silver and Tin Hall.
“Eivass!”
When Eivass and his group returned, Isabel immediately greeted him with joy, “Are you alright?”
She had been talking with Professor Moriarty in the living room when she suddenly felt a slight tremor.
Isabel hid behind the curtains and peeked out, discovering that the Silver and Tin Hall had exploded—not only was there a violent explosion, but the entire palace was gradually engulfed in flames.
Although Eivass had brought Oswald and Shafiya with him… there were ultimately two legitimate Fifth Tier Extraordinary individuals there, and Eivass couldn’t summon the Night Demon yet.
She was very worried that something might have happened to Eivass, but she knew she could do nothing in a battle of that scale… so she could only remain calm. She tried her best not to be a burden to Eivass.
But it was clear that their conversation couldn’t continue. She simply didn’t have the energy to learn more about mysterious knowledge from Professor Moriarty while worrying about Eivass.
Fortunately, the funeral bell had not rung, which allowed Isabel to maintain her sanity.
“I’m fine,”
Eivass winked at him, “but Detective Hermes might have a problem—he’s seriously injured. I need to find a quiet place to focus on treating him.”
…Huh?
Hearing this, Isabel paused slightly.
Eivass’s healing… required a quiet place?
Ever since she first met Eivass during the Ascension Ritual, Eivass had displayed his superb skills as a healer—not only was his healing ability unusually stable, but he could use either hand.
Later, during the attack on the Inspection Bureau, Eivass alone had saved the entire Inspection Bureau. Isabel only learned afterward that it was Eivass’s special ability called “Flame Butterfly,” which could instantly perform powerful healing on a large group of people.
So Isabel immediately understood Eivass’s hint—he most likely had something he wanted to say to her, and needed to avoid others.
But Isabel cautiously glanced at Sherlock and said softly, “Can I go with you? I’m also very worried about Mr. Hermes.”
She usually called Sherlock by his name too, but now, without any trace, she followed Eivass’s lead and replaced “Sherlock” with “Hermes.”
Eivass nodded, reminding her, “You can, but be quiet. Be careful not to wake Sherlock.”
The tacit understanding between Isabel and Eivass made her immediately grasp Eivass’s intention.
—He had something to whisper, but needed to avoid Sherlock.
Sherlock is problematic!
He’s that old man called “Advisor”!
Isabel’s intuition told her that her guess was likely correct.
She suddenly felt a chill and her scalp tingled—the friend she had known for so long, in whose body resided another soul. And he was impersonating their identity, acting out their every word, trying to deceive her.
Just thinking about it made Isabel feel a little afraid.
“…Come, Princess Isabel. You can lend me a hand as well.”
Eivass said with a smile.
Isabel understood Eivass’s underlying meaning—help me fool him.
So that’s why he didn’t kill the other party after discovering their identity… It was for this?
—If it’s just acting, I’m very confident!
Isabel’s heart settled.
She politely nodded to Shafiya and Professor Moriarty, and then followed Eivass to his bedroom.
The mysterious knowledge Professor Moriarty had told her could be discussed with Eivass anytime… it wasn’t too late to bring it up after the Ascension Ritual.
For now, she needed to focus on important matters, Isabel thought.
But then another thought popped into Isabel’s mind—
Since the Star Antimony’s advisor would descend as the Mage Sherlock…
Yulia’s mentor, Master Nobel, was an Alchemist; and those two court Ritualists were coincidentally Curse Ritual Mages of the Transcendent Path.
Would they turn into “Stranger” and “Olive”?
Thinking of this, even without meeting these individuals, Isabel’s heart was already filled with a sense of caution.
(End of Chapter)
