Chapter 538
Mr. Red Wine
In the early morning, Eivass woke up leisurely.
He had already connected with Isabel last night, informing her about “Hellish Transfiguration: Puppetry” and the “Mask of Secrets Grimoire.”
Isabel would likely be heading to the courier deposit point at the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder to retrieve them now—after all, such items were too valuable and dangerous to have someone else collect them.
Eivass, on his end, could first attend to church-related affairs.
During breakfast, Eivass recounted the matter of the three trolls to Sherlock and Lily.
“…Mr. Red Wine?” Sherlock murmured. “And, coincidentally, working in the Southern Continent…”
Eivass was clearly a bit surprised. “You’ve heard of him?”
With Sherlock’s exceptional memory, he might offer some additional insights.
“I’m not sure if it’s the same person,” Sherlock paused, slowly placing down the coffee cup he was holding. “But based on the descriptive image, I’m about eighty percent sure. Even if it’s not him, I can… offer you some ideas.”
Eivass became interested. “Tell me more.”
He used his fork to roll a strip of bacon into a cigarette-like shape and placed it on Sherlock’s plate.
Sherlock unceremoniously placed it between his lips, humming as if biting into a cigar. “This is something very few people know… Eivass, do you know Bram Stoker?”
“Sounds a bit familiar,” Eivass recalled. “Could you remind me?”
“He’s a bestselling author.”
“…Oh, the one who wrote ‘Dracula’?” Eivass thought for a while longer before finally remembering. Chloe had distributed that book back in Avalon; Shadow Demons quite liked using her voice back then. Now Shadow Demons had become Night Demons and no longer used Chloe’s sweet and friendly voice… Thinking about it, he somewhat missed it.
“Mr. Stoker used a pseudonym when he first started writing novels,” Sherlock said while chewing his bacon cigar, drawing a triangle on the table with his fork dipped in ketchup. “Because his father didn’t allow him to pursue novel creation. He used to go by Bram Assard. His father was the Vice Director of the Inspection Department—yes, Edward’s subordinate. Eivass must know.”
“…So his father wanted him to join the Inspection Department?” Lily asked.
Eivass nodded. “That’s quite reasonable.”
Eivass knew Vice Director Assard. When Isabel had first succeeded to the throne, Eivass had handled all the personnel changes. Assard had been working in the Inspection Department for a long time, even longer than Edward had. However, he simply lacked any talent for being an Extraordinary. Not only was he stuck at the Third Tier early on, but his soul had been damaged when he was very young, leaving him with no potential for further advancement.
The Arbitration Hall offered high salaries, access to the Round Table Hall, and the position of Minister Candidate because they were essentially “potential Fifth Tiers.” This preferential treatment was actually an investment in the future—placing all Fifth Tiers in visible and tangible positions. After all, Extraordinary beings couldn’t simply ascend several tiers out of nowhere; Fifth Tiers would inevitably emerge from Fourth Tiers. A damaged soul meant no possibility of reaching the Fifth Tier. Therefore, even Extraordinary beings who barely managed to reach the Fourth Tier might not qualify for the Arbitration Hall. They might become lower-level leaders in certain regions, such as directors of the Inspection Bureau, but they wouldn’t necessarily be eligible for the Round Table Hall.
Because Vice Director Assard had prematurely exhausted his potential, he did not become Chief Inspector even after Edward went to the Iris Kingdom as a foreign affairs official. He remained the Vice Director of the Inspection Department.
Vice Director Assard consequently harbored a deep-seated desire for his son to inherit his position and complete the path he himself couldn’t finish—this was perfectly normal in Avalon’s authoritarian society. Authoritarianism wasn’t just about a monarch’s control over their subjects; parental leadership and control over children also fell under this ideology.
“I remember Vice Director Assard is almost sixty,” Eivass recalled. “He just refused to retire, otherwise he could have retired years ago—how old is Bram this year?”
“He must be in his forties. He’s at least older than Edward,” Sherlock replied casually while chewing the bacon. “His mother is an Iris native and was an amateur writer before marrying his father. She’s an Extraordinary of the Path of Beauty, arriving in Avalon around the same time as Madam Mina. Speaking of which, he should know your parents too. He was frail and sickly as a child, a little better than little Yulia but not by much. The Inspection Department is very busy and involves a lot of secret work—Edward, as Chief Inspector, rarely comes home, and the Vice Director even less so. Therefore, he spent his childhood with his mother, and his relationship with his father was very distant.”
“Then I understand,” Eivass nodded. “Later, his father likely wanted him to join the Inspection Department, while Bram wanted to become a writer, leading to a huge argument… that’s probably how it unfolded?”
“More or less, but there wasn’t an argument. He outwardly obeyed his father’s wishes and joined the Inspection Department. But in secret, he wrote novels under the pseudonym ‘Mr. Red Wine’…” Sherlock’s memory was rapidly resurfacing, and his narrative became clearer. “At that time, he published a few novels in his spare time from work, and they sold quite well. However, later, his first book suddenly became a hit. It was a novel titled ‘The Duties of a Minor Clerk in the Inspection Department and Stories from the Office.’ Although we don’t know which number book it was, he seemed to be aiming for comedy at the time, but due to an extreme lack of humor, the book was exceptionally boring. It was filled with awkward jokes that made people involuntarily chuckle, so not many people bought it. But later, a critic found the book. He praised the ‘Inspection Department work’ details and complaints in the book as very realistic, consistent with what he knew. People could understand how the high-and-mighty Inspectors worked through this book, and it immediately became a bestseller. The Chief Inspector at the time wasn’t Edward but an old man. His thinking was rigid and conservative, so he considered it ‘a shameful act of leaking secrets, causing people to lose their awe of the Inspection Department and tarnishing the reputation of colleagues.’ He was enraged and conducted a comprehensive lie detector test within the Inspection Department, thus easily identifying him—at that time, they also discovered he had read illegal Grimoires. So, everyone in Avalon at the time knew ‘Mr. Red Wine’s’ true name. In consideration of Vice Director Assard’s reputation, he was merely expelled and spared imprisonment. But Vice Director Assard could only remain Vice Director from then on… Edward also bypassed the seniority of Vice Director Assard and was promoted in leaps and bounds after that. After that, he left home. His unfinished novel manuscripts and Grimoires were seized by the Inspection Bureau. After leaving Avalon, Bram changed his surname to Stoker—his mother’s maiden name. From then on, he no longer used a pseudonym but wrote solely under his real name, Bram Stoker. Now, very few people remember who Mr. Red Wine was…” Sherlock sighed. “I remember him because I quite enjoyed his novels. I never expected to hear his name in a place like this…”
“What happened next?” Eivass pressed. “Did he move to the Southern Continent?”
“No, after leaving Avalon, he first settled in the Iris Kingdom. That’s why ‘Dracula’ also originated from the Iris Kingdom. About two years ago, when ‘Dracula’ was just published and became a bestseller, he was interviewed by Iris reporters. At that time, he mentioned that he frequently traveled to the mysterious Southern Continent and the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi for inspiration. If that ‘Mr. Red Wine’ is indeed him, it’s likely that he has been using his travels as a cover all these years, moving back and forth between the two places and engaging in troll trade.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” Lily couldn’t help but interject.
“Of course,” Eivass narrowed his eyes slightly. “That renowned author should still be in the Church. And somewhere between the First Ring and the Fifth Ring. Speaking of which, Sherlock… how strong is he as an Extraordinary?”
“Not sure. But he shouldn’t be strong,” Sherlock shook his head. “When he was expelled from the Inspection Department, he was only at the Second Tier. In fact, if he had even reached the Third Tier, he wouldn’t have been expelled. Reaching the Third Tier in his early twenties makes one highly likely to become a Chief Inspector or even enter the Arbitration Hall. But he was nearly thirty at the time and still only at the Second Tier.”
“So he must be of the Path of Beauty? Analyzing his personality, there might also be elements of Path Adaptation…” Eivass pondered. “Since he’s an Extraordinary of the Path of Beauty, I’ll have to ask Master Janis about it.”
“Let’s go see Cardinal Loki first,” Sherlock finished his coffee, elegantly wiping his mouth. “I’ll go with you, to prevent any oversights on your part.”
“Then I’ll go too,” Lily said happily.
(End of Chapter)
