Chapter 524
“Just tell me if it preserves or not.”
In an instant, Cardinal Matilda fell silent.
A silent ripple echoed among the four people gazing at the corpse.
Given that this room had just been built and no one had lived in it before…
Where did this corpse come from?
Eivass subconsciously glanced back at Sherlock.
—Is this your problem?
Although Sherlock wasn’t in his child form anymore… from another perspective, didn’t the detective who just recovered his adult form after turning into a child always encounter major cases?
Sherlock gave Eivass a somewhat inexplicable look before very consciously stepping forward and squatting down to examine the body.
But as soon as he squatted, he frowned deeply.
Because the corpse was too clean, not a single clue could be seen.
It was a female elf, appearing to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with short, curly, brownish-red hair. She was wearing a red robe that only bishops could wear.
—This was an elf bishop.
After she was released, her abdomen gradually became wet. Blood slowly seeped out from within. However, it only seeped slightly into the palm-sized area of her clothes and did not spread further.
Her expression was also very peaceful, with no signs of struggle. Her skin was still elastic, her complexion pale but not deathly so, and her body temperature was merely cool, not ice-cold.
It was as if she had just died when the cabinet was opened.
According to the “preservation ability” recently introduced by Cardinal Matilda, it could only be confirmed that her death occurred within the last month.
“…I can’t determine the time of death at all.”
Sherlock shook his head, trying to gather more information: “The wound is in the abdomen… May I examine it?”
As he spoke, he politely turned to look at the silently observing Cardinal Matilda.
After all, he was no longer a child. Although the deceased was right before him, this was not Avalon. As an advisor to the Inspection Bureau, he did not have the authority to casually touch corpses in the Church.
Cardinal Matilda sighed, “You examine it, Detective Hermes.”
Upon hearing this, Sherlock lifted the corpse’s clothes to examine the wound.
Meanwhile, from Cardinal Matilda’s expression and attitude, Eivass realized that she seemed to know this person.
While Sherlock was examining the corpse, he approached the Cardinal and asked, “Who is she?”
“Her name is Mercedes, you wouldn’t know her.”
Cardinal Matilda sighed, “But Grey knows her.”
“…Her Highness the Saintess?”
Eivass was startled, then realized, “Is she a friend of Pure White?”
—If he hadn’t “grown older,” the person accompanying him at this time and introducing these facilities would have been the Grey Saintess.
Then she would have seen this corpse fall out from here… perhaps even directly into her arms.
“She is a mutual friend of Grey and Janis, and grew up with them.”
Cardinal Matilda shook her head and slowly said, “Perhaps her affection for them isn’t as deep as their affection for each other. But she is now the only friend accompanying Grey…”
…Is this a provocation? Is someone dissatisfied with Grey?
Eivass had such a thought.
—No, that’s not right.
Eivass immediately dispelled this thought, which carried a hint of wishful thinking.
It’s not that simple.
Because the only people who entered this house, besides the Pope’s Guards who came to leave their luggage earlier, were the owner of this house and other Cardinals.
And judging from Cardinal Matilda’s reaction, the Grey Saintess’s Amber Compaction Syndrome seemed to be no secret. In other words, other Cardinals were also likely aware of it.
Given the Saintess’s overly heavy feelings for Janis, her Amber Compaction Syndrome seemed related to Janis’s departure without saying goodbye for two hundred years.
At this moment, if someone were to kill the Saintess’s last remaining friend and expose the corpse before her eyes… it would undoubtedly stimulate her Amber Compaction Syndrome further.
Eivass’s heart tightened instantly.
…So, the plot has already begun?
“Something is strange, we’ll discuss it later.”
Sherlock covered the clothes back, stood up, and turned back, frowning, “The amount of bleeding is too little. It might be due to other reasons. Because logically, such a wound shouldn’t be fatal, let alone to a bishop… She is also Third Tier, right?”
“Yes. As far as I know,” Cardinal Matilda replied, “Bishop Mercedes has at least three Paths reaching the Third Tier—she is not a professional, but an inheritor.”
“Inheritor?”
Eivass was somewhat confused, “What’s wrong with that? Aren’t the Pope’s Guards all inheritors?”
“Although some young elves… for example, Janis, have professions. But both Grey and Mercedes are inheritors. She was a Saintess candidate.”
Not all young elves have “professions.”
After all, the Professional System is a new thing recently concocted by Great Philosopher and Hourglass, only appearing for a little over a thousand years. It corresponds to the profession recognized by Pillar God and Heavenly Envoy, providing corresponding symbolic authority.
In this way, the scattered and chaotic professional heritages were successfully affiliated under deities.
This would ensure that extraordinaries would not go astray, and it also organized the ability system, integrating the unique abilities of each extraordinary individual from before.
Ancient extraordinaries in the past might have unintentionally read mystical books they shouldn’t have, acquired deviated mystical knowledge, had their souls polluted, and strayed to another Path, or received knowledge from different great existences within the same Path, leading to schizophrenia.
Under the Professional System, this is impossible—abilities outside the scope of one’s profession cannot be mastered, even mystical arts within the same Path cannot be mastered. As long as the job transfer is completed, one can directly obtain an extraordinary ability with a considerable degree of completion. And as long as someone has walked a path, others can follow that path, obtain the same profession and abilities after passing the tests.
This is also a form of “Bewitchment Dispelling,” a core authority of Hourglass.
For example, “Illuminator” was a profession derived from Saint heritage.
Eivass is likely the first person in modern times to master the Illuminator job transfer, as this profession might have been recently cataloged by Great Philosopher. It’s also possible that this is a profession Candlemaster doesn’t want believers to take.
Looking back now, Candlemaster’s most standard divine names are “God of Sin Thorns Binding the Body” and “God of Burning Body Driving Away Darkness.”
These are the two professions directly belonging to Candlemaster.
The latter clearly corresponds to the Torchbearer, while the former corresponds to the Illuminator—in other words, the Illuminator is destined to be bound by Sin Thorns.
Candlemaster does not want His believers to bear the original sin that He Himself should bear, hence He discourages believers from taking the Illuminator profession. That’s why he approached Eivass to see if he wanted to switch back to Torchbearer.
In ancient times, it was a succession path independently created by an elf saint. Her inheritance was not written into a grimoire but was buried in ruins—the statue she transformed into after her death should be on the sixth or seventh floor. Contacting the saint’s statue would make it possible to find the path to this profession.
It’s like a puzzle game, where the password to the safe is theoretically in another puzzle. But the number is fixed, and Eivass just entered it after looking up the walkthrough.
However, not all inheritances of extraordinary powers have been set as professions by the two Pillar Gods.
Inheritances that require the combination of multiple Paths, or even special bloodlines or skill requirements to complete, are generally not cataloged as professions. For example, Child of the Moon, Werewolf, or demons transformed from Demon Avatars, as well as certain special inheritances mastered by elves… or rather, “Shepherds.”
The biggest difference between professionals and inheritors lies in the directionality of their Path resonance.
The souls of professionals are influenced by their profession and purified by the Path… For example, Bishop Mathers has been stuck at level 39 for a long time.
He had said before… that he was delaying the Advancement Ritual and stepping into the Fifth Tier because he was worried about being contaminated by the Path power of the Fifth Tier, which might alter his personality and sanity.
And the modification of the body by profession can make the professional’s state more stable, preventing loss of control or power.
Inheritors, on the other hand, must rely on their own resonance with the Path to reach the corresponding energy level. Once they lose resonance with the corresponding Path, their abilities might even decline—this is a more primitive state. It’s like muscles that are not exercised for a long time turning into fat, or skills that are not practiced for a long time being forgotten.
Without the anchor of a “profession,” as long as one completely loses their true self—even for a moment—they will immediately lose their extraordinary abilities.
However, for elves, whose emotions are generally more stable than other races, they rarely lose their powers for such reasons. Elves believe that the “Professional System” was primarily created for short-lived races with more unstable emotions, a power that only short-lived beings would attempt to master. In the vast expanse of time, elves have ample opportunity to mold themselves into a form more suitable for receiving the corresponding inheritance.
Many elves, even those younger than a thousand years old and born after the creation of the Professional System, still become inheritors.
This is mainly due to the influence of elders and society.
“In my opinion, one of the reasons Janis left the Church was Bettinathea’s Amber Compaction.”
Cardinal Matilda said slowly, “Bettinathea is an inheritor. She was originally Janis’s mentor.
“Sometimes Grey tells me that she thinks Janis’s continued absence might also be due to this reason. In our Church, inheritors generally hold a higher status… after all, professions are there for anyone to transfer into, but inheritors must have someone to guide them one-on-one. Having an inheritance signifies having a mentor, parents, and reliable, trustworthy, traceable social connections.
“Therefore, we elves place great importance on the concept of inheritance. Sometimes, the mentor who passes on the mantle is more important than parents.
“During the formative years of the Worldview, to receive an inheritance, one needs to stay by the mentor’s side for a long time, spending over ten times more time than with parents. Some mentors, to prevent parents from having a negative influence on their children and causing them to deviate from the inheritance requirements, would even prevent the children from going home.
“In this regard, Janis became like an orphan. After Bettinathea entered Amber Compaction, although Janis could choose other mentors to continue her studies, she chose to flee the Church and become a professional….”
Cardinal Matilda’s gaze was complex: “I believe that, at least at that time… she must have felt inferior. They might have argued, or they might not have. But since then, Grey has also spoken less and no longer made new friends.
“Bishop Mercedes is Grey’s only friend. She received the same inheritance as Grey, but because her personality was more lively and her compatibility with the Saintess was much lower, she could also be called a ‘failed Saintess.’ When Grey reached the Fifth Tier in dual Paths, Mercedes could only touch the Third Tier.
“Her path had reached its end, but she was unwilling to transfer to a profession. Perhaps due to pride, or perhaps she simply wanted to accompany the lonely Grey. Thus, she stayed on Floor Twenty-one for a long time, continuously undergoing Saintess training… I always thought it was good this way. At least little Grey would have a companion, someone to talk to.
“…Fortunately, it wasn’t Grey who came here with you.”
(End of Chapter)
