Chapter 483
The Game of Passing Messages
Inside the living room of Moriarty Manor, everyone gathered around Master Nobel.
Some were pleased that the court Alchemist had managed to escape, while others grew wary.
It was as the advisor had previously thought; Master Nobel’s nationality was not exactly friendly at this moment. He was, after all, from Star Antimony. He had only left Star Antimony back then due to a conflict with the then-leadership of the Royal Alchemical Association. Today, those leaders had long since passed, and the current Star Antimony Royal Alchemical Association held Master Nobel in high regard, repeatedly inviting him back.
Avalon lacked an academic atmosphere. To some extent, Master Nobel’s continued presence in Avalon was partly him still being stubborn about past matters, but more importantly, his several dynamite and gunpowder companies in Avalon were quite profitable. Master Nobel was now a top merchant in Avalon.
If he were to leave Avalon and return to Star Antimony, his businesses in Avalon would undoubtedly face repercussions. From this perspective, he was effectively unable to leave. At least from his own volition, it was perfectly normal for Nobel to stay in Avalon—though the lack of academic atmosphere made advancement difficult, it didn’t significantly impact his research. After all, the Avalon Royal Family was very friendly to him. During his early research, Queen Sophia provided him with ample funding and facilities. Now, he could even access the Silver and Tin Hall at any time, had over thirty factories and multiple research institutes across Avalon, and practically all experimental proposals were approved upon submission.
“—Therefore, I could never betray Her Majesty the Queen.”
The Stranger frowned deeply, arguing vehemently, “How many Alchemists are there in Star Antimony? How many in Avalon? ‘Master Nobel’ is the undisputed number one in Avalon, but if I were to return to Star Antimony? I would be just one among countless ‘excellent Alchemists.’ I know how to choose…”
Under immense pressure, he was already somewhat afraid. Madam Shafiya’s eyes were practically glowing, which further unsettled the Stranger. Even without a deep understanding of the Path of Authority, he knew that those at higher levels on this path were proficient in lie detection. He could only speak what he believed to be the truth—any insincere words would be immediately discovered.
…This was truly an unprovoked disaster. The Stranger felt wronged. He had reviewed his own introductory plot and knew that Nobel was not involved in this matter. But he couldn’t explain it clearly.
Indeed, some Star Antimony people had visited Nobel after arriving in Avalon, hoping for his return and mentioning how much Valentin VII valued his research. But Nobel had firmly refused.
What the Stranger hadn’t expected was that Madam Shafiya knew about this—her Inspector had witnessed it yesterday and reported it in writing. Now, Star Antimony’s actions were tantamount to a declaration of war on Avalon, and Nobel had followed Isabel. This immediately changed the nature of the situation.
“Please say this, Master Nobel—” Madam Shafiya said sternly, “‘I have absolutely no involvement in the assassination attempt on Her Majesty the Queen, nor have I revealed any secret information or provided any assistance to the Star Antimony people.'”
The Stranger repeated Madam Shafiya’s words. Only then did the intensity radiating from Madam Shafiya slightly subside. The Stranger’s forehead was slick with sweat. He also had some regrets—he shouldn’t have come. But looking at the situation, it seemed he had passed… However, his current demeanor didn’t quite match that of the rumored strong and cold Master Nobel.
The Stranger couldn’t help but speak again, trying to salvage his image lest he be exposed, “Indeed, Star Antimony is my homeland. I still have deep feelings for Star Antimony, but…”
“—But you are as loyal to Queen Sophia as I am. Right.”
Sherlock’s cold voice cut through the air from nearby, interrupting the Stranger. Seeing Sherlock regaining his spirit, Madam Shafiya’s eyes lit up, and she turned away from the previous topic. “Are you alright now, Ms. Shafiya?”
“Thank you for your concern, Madam Shafiya. Lord Bishop’s healing skills are quite good,” Sherlock replied with a reserved nod, then carefully examined Master Nobel again.
“It should be fine, but just in case… let me ask him myself,” he said.
“Do you need me to accompany you?” Madam Shafiya asked kindly. It was clear she trusted Sherlock implicitly.
Sherlock politely declined and then led Master Nobel back to Eivass’s bedroom. He conjured a gentle breeze with his fingertips, and an invisible wave of air rippled outwards—a soundproof barrier, simulated by magic, instantly unfurled.
The next moment, Sherlock’s eyes sharpened. His leisurely and rational tone suddenly turned sarcastic, “Mr. Lore, our great genius. Your plan went smoothly, didn’t it? You found Isabel so quickly… but why did you put yourself in such a passive position? Hmm? Do you like being passive? I heard you became someone’s Blood Slave at your last Ascension Ritual—was it so passive that you developed some kind of evil addiction, and thus deliberately learned how to serve others? What, do you want me to extract your soul and replace it with a girl’s body?”
“…Teacher.”
Hearing this familiar voice, the Stranger immediately realized the identity of the person before him. He deflated completely. “I’m sorry, I was just…”
“—If I hadn’t come out just now, what would you have done?”
“Sherlock” interrupted the Stranger again. He narrowed his eyes and said sternly, “Lord Albert Lore. Answer my question. What were you trying to achieve with those last two sentences you added?”
“…I just felt that I was too passive before. It didn’t quite fit Master Nobel’s personality. If everyone calmed down and realized later, they might notice something was wrong. So I wanted to adjust my image a bit…”
“—Adding insult to injury.” The advisor interrupted him again with an ancient idiom. He snorted and sneered, “It’s like saying the wrong thing to someone of the opposite sex and trying to make a foolish recovery. You don’t realize that the more you try to explain at this point, the more annoying it becomes. Our great genius truly lacks experience in interacting with people.”
“…Yes, Teacher.” The Stranger opened his mouth and subconsciously wanted to argue again, but recalling the advisor’s words, he swallowed his explanation and honestly admitted his mistake.
“Hmph.” The advisor was quite satisfied with the Stranger’s reaction. His attitude towards this son of the Lore family was complex. On one hand, he harbored an irrepressible jealousy towards his gifted student… He felt that the Stranger had the potential to reach the Fifth Tier before the age of thirty, and even touch the legendary Sixth Tier. On the other hand, he genuinely cared for the Stranger. The advisor sincerely wanted to protect him and guide him earnestly… because he truly didn’t want such talent to be wasted or go astray. At the same time, his jealousy and fear made him hope that the Stranger would always respect him.
“Listen carefully, great genius,” the advisor said seriously, “Bishop Mathers, whom you encountered, is most likely the ‘Fox.'”
“…Why?”
“Because in this World, Eivass and Isabel’s relationship isn’t that good. Their relationship has never been made public. They can’t even be considered friends, at most they are collaborators.” The advisor answered without hesitation, “Only Ascenders like us, who came from outside, would believe that Eivass and Isabel are lovers. That’s the image they’ve always projected.”
“I see… Then, should we cooperate with him?” The Stranger nodded, suddenly enlightened. “He’s a Priest—we need a Priest, right?”
“You don’t have to… Did you bring the medicine?”
“I did.”
“Then you don’t need to. The potion you brought is sufficient for treatment. This ritual probably won’t require a Priest to dispel Undead. If we bring him along, it might increase our chances of exposure.”
At this point, the advisor reminded him, “Also, I’ll give you some information. We’ll memorize it separately and write it down immediately after leaving the Ascension Ritual. Afterwards, I’ll need to find ‘Olive.’ We might be separating soon. If you see Aurora, remember to give her this information as well.”
Giving the same information to multiple people to memorize… this was to minimize the impact of memory fuzziness. The Stranger understood the advisor’s intention and nodded.
The Ascension Rituals created by the Pillar God, although the World details might change due to special variables, the details outside of those variables are the same as in the real World. It is essentially a special, one-time simulated environment. Therefore, whether the script of the Ascension Ritual is in the past or the future, it can provide some effective references—not necessarily 100% accurate. But this information is something they couldn’t obtain through normal channels.
“Firstly, Eivass and Queen Isabel’s relationship is actually very strained. They might indeed be lovers, but fundamentally they are more like a power couple. Both have strong personalities, which makes it difficult for them to blend, and this is also our opportunity. Queen Isabel is indeed skilled at performance, with a strong and extremely aggressive approach. Eivass is someone we can defect to; if Star Antimony encounters trouble, we could try to move the Spirit Tower into Avalon’s territory.
“Also, the Avalon Royal Family possesses a ritual called ‘Shadow of Avalon.’ This is why Queen Sophia has remained silent about the curse, as it is a necessary condition for the ritual’s activation. This ritual can, under special circumstances, resurrect the Sixth Tier Lancelot I. We need to investigate this ritual. The known conditions for the ritual are as follows…”
The advisor meticulously handed over all the information he had gathered to the Stranger.
“Eivass and Queen Isabel are not on the same side. If the Spirit Tower is in danger, defect directly to Eivass, and diligently investigate the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual…”
The Stranger listened quietly, his lips moving silently, whispering to quickly reinforce the key points he had summarized. The Stranger had his own unique technique for memorizing Dream Realm information—it was how he had transmitted Valentin I’s experience back during his last Ascension Ritual. In this regard, he was even more proficient than his teacher, the advisor. Too many details were hard to memorize entirely, so he could only summarize the key points. First, remember the main points, then the details. And compared to just going over it in his mind or seeing it with his eyes, “saying it out loud” made the memory clearer.
—Alright, these three most important points are remembered! The Stranger felt a surge of relief. At least these most crucial pieces of information, he was sure he wouldn’t forget!
(End of Chapter)
