Chapter 60
Flame Essence
Passing over the Gryphon’s Bridge, Sherlock, walking beside Eivass, glanced at Lily, the maid pushing Eivass’s wheelchair, before speaking in a low voice, “Honestly, I didn’t expect Master Yanis to give you that painting.”
“I actually didn’t expect it either,” Eivass replied honestly.
“Although Master Yanis appears very approachable, she’s actually quite an arrogant person. If she doesn’t approve of you, Master Yanis will only stare at you with a seem-to-smile-yet-not-smile expression, as if looking at an idiot, without saying a word.”
Sherlock gently advised, “The Master values you greatly… does she hope you will walk the Path of Beauty?”
“Yes,” Eivass nodded and joked, “She hopes I become Princess Isabel’s junior disciple.”
“I’m guessing you refused,” Sherlock said without hesitation.
“Indeed. How did you guess?” Eivass asked.
“Because I don’t see any passion for art in you.” Sherlock smiled, “Actually, I quite enjoy playing the Violin. I think I play pretty well… it’s just that I didn’t have the chance to walk the Path of Beauty.”
Eivass blinked, “It’s not too late now, Mr. Sherlock.”
“No, it’s already too late. Or rather, I shouldn’t have walked the Path of Authority in the first place. Balance, Wisdom, and Beauty… any of those would have been more suitable for me.”
Sherlock looked at Eivass and said sincerely, “I don’t want you to walk a certain path for a long time only to realize you don’t have the passion for it. Adaptability to a path is based on talent, but not necessarily on hobby… but I believe hobbies are more important than talent. Talent determines the height you can reach, while interest determines your adaptability on that path. If you don’t have the slightest interest in a certain path, but the gravitational pull of its heights drives you to crazily seek further… believe me, the torment of that internal struggle will drive you to madness.”
“…Thank you very much for sharing your experience, Mr. Sherlock.” Eivass knew that everything Sherlock said was valuable and practical. It was his heartfelt advice, filled with sincerity. And he and Sherlock didn’t meet often, nor was he driven by emotions like Isabel. The source of this goodwill undoubtedly came from his elder brother, Edward.
Thus, a flicker of interest arose in Eivass’s heart. He didn’t know Edward that well. Edward’s age was too far from his and Yulia’s; he was more like an uncle than an elder brother. They didn’t interact much, and in Eivass’s memory, there weren’t many significant events involving Edward. He didn’t even remember Edward’s name. However, Edward was the direct cause of Eivass’s death in the original story – he had ambushed the Player on his foster father’s orders with a fatal spell, and Eivass had taken the fatal blow for the Player. Although Eivass wasn’t Edward’s primary target, Eivass couldn’t help but shiver when he thought of Edward now.
“I have a question, Mr. Sherlock…” Eivass couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know my brother?”
“We were classmates,” Sherlock replied concisely. “He was the only good friend I made during my university life.”
“…But if I remember correctly,” Eivass asked, “Mr. Sherlock, aren’t you only in your twenties?”
“I’m twenty-six,” Sherlock replied.
“But my elder brother is already thirty-five… how did you become classmates?” Eivass pressed.
Hearing this, Sherlock couldn’t help but laugh. He explained, “It’s not only you young people who have come up from middle school who can attend university. When Edward was around your age, he didn’t graduate from the Royal Law University. He graduated from Milton University in Grey County.”
Although the Royal Law University was the largest and oldest university for Extraordinary individuals in Avalon, it wasn’t the only one. More than three hundred years ago, several professors at the Royal Law University were accused by their students of ‘teaching heretical doctrines not permitted by His Majesty the King’ and were sentenced to a brutal boiling. Specifically, this involved mystical knowledge of the Path of Wisdom and the Path of Balance. After strong protests, the King of that generation reluctantly commuted the sentence to public humiliation by parading them naked through the streets. These professors, unwilling to accept such humiliation, fled the Royal Law University.
Bishop Milton from the Eternal Holy Kingdom had just opened a seminary in Grey County, far from Glass Island. Hearing of the professors’ plight, this young Elf felt great sympathy and took them in. Later, many people wished to escape Glass Island, which was rife with Inspectors and the ‘Avalon’s Eye,’ so Milton University gradually gained considerable faculty strength. Although its enrollment and campus size were far from the Royal Law University’s, its teaching quality was not inferior. Before Queen Sophia opened the fifth and sixth departments of the Royal Law Academy, Milton University was the only university for Extraordinary individuals in all of Avalon that taught ‘heretical doctrines’ and ‘forbidden arts.’ Due to Bishop Milton’s close relationship with the Eternal Holy Kingdom, the Silver and Tin Hall chose to turn a blind eye.
Presently, the Dean of Milton is still alive, and even after Avalon was destroyed by the Star Antimony people, Milton University continued to exist as a sanctuary during the war.
“After Edward graduated from Milton University, he pursued further studies at two other universities. He then directly bypassed the Inspection Bureau and joined the Inspection Department, obtaining his own transport Gryphon. Seven years ago, he took advanced studies in law and learned Law Spells at the law department of the Royal Law University… he was already twenty-seven at the time, and I was only eighteen.”
Sherlock spoke with a hint of nostalgia, “When I first entered university, my personality was very reclusive. I thought everyone else was a bunch of noisy idiots, naive, foolish, and impulsive. They were already university students, yet in a place like the Royal Law University, they looked no different from elementary school students. Only a very few intelligent people from the countryside could communicate normally… but their knowledge was far from sufficient, and there was nothing in common to talk about. So, I didn’t want to associate with people my age. I interacted most with various professors at the school, hoping to borrow their private collections. My lifestyle of frequently conversing with various mentors only made those idiots distance themselves further from me.
“Once, I went to ask Professor Moriarty a question about astronomy, but I was bitten by Edward’s Gryphon at his office door. His Gryphon had impure blood, its feathers were a deeper color than a regular Red Gryphon’s, and it was slightly larger. Perhaps because of this, its temper was more explosive… Edward wasn’t a light cavalryman, so he couldn’t have a telepathic connection with his Gryphon partner. He was also looking for Professor Moriarty at the time, and the Gryphon was parked at the door. But when it saw me trying to push the door, the guard Gryphon directly bit me. Just one bite left me covered in blood, and two bites nearly severed my thigh… Edward hurried me to the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder and asked the Bishop to personally cast an Illuminate Spell on me, which prevented me from being permanently disabled or scarred. Although Lord Bishop healed all my injuries, I was indeed frightened. And a faint, recurring pain remained in my leg, which only disappeared after two weeks. Edward came to my home to visit me and we talked. I quickly realized he was a very intelligent person… he also possessed extraordinary wisdom. Although our personalities were different, we were undoubtedly the same kind of people – intelligent people without friends.
“—And so, we became friends. We studied law together. I was a beginner, and he was an advanced learner. Yet, we still found common ground. Afterward, he taught me boxing – he was skilled at it, even able to incorporate the Power of Authority into his punches. He was more powerful than the strongest boxer I knew. If he had decided to compete, he would still have become a star in Avalon… that’s the mark of a genius, excellent in whatever field they pursue.”
Under Eivass’s questioning, Sherlock talked about his experiences with Edward. He was clearly happy to discuss this topic. He didn’t change the subject until he had escorted Eivass to his doorstep.
Upon arriving at Moriarty Manor, Eivass noticed a jet-black Gryphon in the yard. It had scarlet pupils, like darker rubies. He recognized it immediately as Edward’s Gryphon.
Hadn’t Edward left to do something, asking Sherlock to pick him up? How did he get back first? With this thought, Eivass casually asked, “What was my brother going to do earlier?”
“It’s still about the warehouse explosion incident,” Sherlock replied. “It might also be related to those people from the Pelican Bar. Based on various traces, it’s very similar to the ‘Little Jack Cod Warehouse’ explosion incident from a few days ago – there were also traces of Flame Essence, and it was an unoccupied warehouse with no casualties. However, this time, a disused stone warehouse was involved… we still haven’t found a common link. But Edward rushed to accept the case immediately, so he should be able to figure it out. Oh, right. Do you know what Flame Essence is?”
“It’s similar to Demon Blood, a slightly salty red powder that resembles salt. It’s the trace left by fire-elemental Phantom Demons in the Material Realm,” Eivass replied.
“Indeed, but what you’re describing is the standard definition. Fire-elemental Phantom Demons are quite rare, but synthesizing Flame Essence using Alchemy isn’t complicated. The raw material is just ordinary sulfur. So, when the Inspection Bureau mentions Flame Essence, it usually refers to [Imitation Flame Essence]. The purity of imitation Flame Essence is lower than natural Flame Essence, but its effects and uses are actually similar,” Sherlock explained. “It’s a commonly used spellcasting material for Mages. It’s also one of the ritual materials required by Demon Scholars when summoning any Demon. Just as ‘salt’ is the essence of the sea, adding it to water in proportion can turn the water into seawater, enhancing the concept of ‘water.’ Flame Essence, when added to fire, can make the fire burn more intensely, reinforcing the concept of ‘fire.’ For low-level Mages, it’s difficult to produce high-temperature flames without relying on Flame Essence. It’s considered a necessity, as well as a dangerous item with restricted purchase. If a sufficient amount of Flame Essence is added, even things that cannot normally burn will combust due to the reinforced concept of fire… for example, ice, steel, or stone. What was ignited this time was the stone from the stone warehouse.”
Upon hearing this, Eivass’s expression froze for a moment. Wait? Something seemed wrong. Didn’t Eivass remember that the first warehouse explosion was caused by Veronica, the wicked Alchemist from the Pelican Bar? Because she had controlled a Shadow Demon, she went to summon a demon again the next day. If her demon summoning failed, it’s possible that the failed ritual could have caused the warehouse explosion. But she had already been killed by Eivass himself. Could the organization have sent someone else to summon a demon? That didn’t seem right either… they had already failed once; they wouldn’t surely send a rookie who might cause the ritual to fail again.
Sherlock comforted him, “Don’t worry, this case is also considered solved. Because the Flame Essence synthesized by alchemists from different schools and using different methods has subtle differences in purity and structure, just like the salt components extracted from different seawater are different. The previous batch of Flame Essence has been sent for analysis, and combined with this batch… once the final results are out, we will know where their Flame Essence came from.”
With a sense of doubt, Eivass bid farewell to Sherlock. Oswald, the butler, who had come out of the manor, nodded to Lily and took over Eivass’s wheelchair.
“You’ve returned at just the right time, Young Master Eivass.” The old Elf, who had remained silent, slightly bowed after entering and spoke softly, “Please come over and treat Miss Yulia first. Her condition is not good.”
Strange, didn’t I treat her this morning? Eivass was somewhat confused but didn’t voice his thoughts. He signaled Lily to leave and then pushed Edward into Yulia’s room.
Eivass’s eyes widened abruptly. He saw Yulia bound by glowing silver shackles, and Edward standing beside her with a solemn expression, his pupils shining with white light. Yulia’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her consciousness was clearly hazy. She didn’t notice Eivass entering at all, only murmuring deliriously like she had a high fever, speaking gibberish that no one could understand. Her pajamas had obvious scorch marks, and her fair skin was covered in red, glowing cracks, like cracked porcelain or glass shattering under the summer heat. Faint flames occasionally emerged from the cracks for a moment before being suppressed. Edward controlled the silver chains to bind Yulia, compressing her body and forcefully ‘sticking’ her fractured body back together with external force. Eivass leaned closer and noticed that Yulia’s sweat was not transparent… but like very faint blood. When it dried, it left behind a red powder.
Seven thousand-plus words of update! Haina’s, Yanis’s, and Old Man’s character art are being drawn by Guanguan. Once they are drawn, I’ll open the character cards. Please don’t rush!
