When the plot-skips players into the game world

Now, Mycroft had resolved the trouble he might have encountered, Lily had received the inheritance of equipment and a new profession, and Aiwass had obtained further clues for his investigation as well as a stronger ally…

With this letter, it could also bring him conviction in diplomatic settings, seizing even more benefits for Avalon.

One could say it was a conclusion that made everyone happy.

The only pity was that the old Bone Sculptor didn't have a single penny of dirty money. Previously on the road, Aiwass had even told Mycroft that if there were gold coins, jewels, or items like artwork, they would split the loot—finders keepers.

This was also Aiwass's attempt to get a little closer to Mycroft.

But in the end, Mycroft had merely smiled, waving his hands, and said with certainty, "There will be none of those."

As expected. Not to mention dirty money, not even a dirty bag was left behind.

This is probably the high-mindedness and obstinacy of an artist…

—Aiwass actually suspected that Mycroft might have had a rough idea of what was inside the safe even before opening it.

He certainly didn't know what specifically, as he lacked a lot of information just like Sherlock. Nevertheless, he had guessed… it must be something very troublesome.

—As long as he had touched that thing, whether he chose to conceal, destroy, or surrender it, being discovered would likely make him appear less clean.

Although the Path of Authority could detect lies, if lie detection were so reliable, Minister Drost wouldn't have been able to betray Avalon at all.

That's why he had specifically come to find Aiwass, to help dispose of that troublesome item.

As a Transcendent of the Path of Dusk, Mycroft greatly favored silence, even to the point of stillness. He hated trouble.

To avoid trouble for himself, he would use his wisdom skillfully, resolving things before they could even happen.

That's also why, although Sherlock always firmly insisted that Mycroft was much smarter than him, Mycroft wasn't as famous as his younger brother Sherlock. It seemed as though he dealt only with trivial things, never having experience or achievements in handling big events or crises.

Sherlock had been helping the Supervisory Bureau solve complex cases since he was very young, and even had a close relationship with the Supervisory Court. He became famous early on, turning into a renowned Detective throughout Avalon. Even among Star Antimony and Iris Flower, there were his admirers, who occasionally wrote to him, detailing complicated cases in letters, and asking Sherlock for help with reasoning and solutions.

But before Sherlock had mentioned Mycroft to Aiwass, even Aiwass, who "roughly knew the future," didn't recognize him. His only merit was that his work never had errors, but there was nothing particularly striking about him. No one disliked him, nor did anyone particularly like him. He had no enemies, but also no friends.

Even Isabel and Meg and others didn't think Mycroft was very smart, and when there was a problem, they would still seek out Sherlock…

Perhaps only Her Majesty, with her insightful discernment, could barely judge that this man of low presence was a rare talent.

Now, as the Minister of the Department of Care of Magical Creatures, Aiwass had already started to think for Avalon—for the future queen Isabel. Knowing that Mycroft was a very rare intelligent person, he also needed to be put to better use.

—The Chamberlain position was indeed important, but it still seemed a waste for Mycroft.

The position of Minister of Commerce that Drost had just vacated might be more suitable for him.

Aiwass briefly noted down his name and returned to the Hall of Silver and Tin with Lily.

It couldn't be helped.

Sherlock's "landlord" had personally come to pay Sherlock's rent, so it wouldn't be right for Aiwass to send Sherlock back to live at home anymore. After all, Sherlock didn't like living in his own house, and Mrs. Mina did take good care of him.

Originally, Aiwass could have returned to the Moriarty Estate—having stripped the Iris Flower assassin clean and having dealt with the traitor Minister Drost.

Currently, Aiwass's enemies were only the Giants from the upper echelons of the Noble Red. And the entire Noble Red was being chased by the Sky Cavalry. Aiwass finally could enjoy some peace in Avalon for a while.

However, Yulia seemed to be enjoying her stay at the Hall of Silver and Tin very much.

On one hand, she was studying Alchemy under Master Nobel, making rapid progress—she hadn't even completed her first advancement ritual, yet she had mastered the synthesis of various bombs; on the other hand, her relationship with Isabel was gradually becoming closer.

Without even asking, Aiwass knew that they probably used the relationship he had helped to develop… As is well known, among a few good friends, whoever is absent becomes the topic of discussion.

Of course, it was not Isabel who sought out Yulia to inquire about Aiwass. It should be the other way around.

Because Yulia had always been frail, her knowledge of Aiwass might actually be less comprehensive than that of the well-informed Isabel—Yanis liked to share gossip with her when there was nothing else going on, and in this regard, the camera spirit was astonishingly efficient.

At Yulia's invitation, Aiwass simply took up residence in the Hall of Silver and Tin. There would definitely be no problem with the exams, and there was nothing to do at home... Plus, if he stayed in the Hall of Silver and Tin, Aiwass could learn some ritual experience from the court ritualist.

The old ritualist's name was "Ibn," and he was a curse ritual magician from the Parthian Ancient Country.

His energy level wasn't high, merely third level, yet he possessed many rare mystical skills. And although he was a Transcender on the Path of Transcendence, he was quite a gentle old man in character.

He took the Path of Transcendence in order to help the impoverished people of his hometown. His exile was also due to having offended a local magnate—or as they say in Parthian Ancient Country, a "Benevolent Lord."

The true Monarch of Parthian Ancient Country was virtually unknown to anyone; he almost never showed his face.

In that unnatural desert at the heart of the continent, which should have been a fertile plain, the cities were spaced far apart. Each city's ruler was called a "Benevolent Lord," with some cities having one and others having several. These Benevolent Lords were the actual rulers of Parthian Ancient Country.

Benevolent Lords could nurture and trade slaves. Only slaves sold by Benevolent Lords were legal; all others were illegal.

They were called "Benevolent Lords" because they alone had control over the use of water sources. They could call forth plentiful water from the desert sands, and their cities were built around these water sources.

If a Benevolent Lord died, the water source would dry up.

The Parthians believed they could survive because the Benevolent Lords gave them their water. Thus, the rule of the Benevolent Lords was very firm—rebelling against a Benevolent Lord was akin to revoking everyone's right to live.

Once a city was destroyed, those who fled to other cities would become "unter-citizens." If they didn't pay to redeem their freedom, even those who were formerly free would be branded as slaves.

And these Benevolent Lords, who monopolized the slave resources, not only had their own armies, but also unimaginable wealth. The cities battled each other, essentially forming independent regimes in practical terms.

This Ibn, he embarked on the Path of Transcendence to help people rebel against Benevolent Lords and to save those slaves.

But they were too naive. They were betrayed by the very people they sought to save and almost all were captured and imprisoned. Ibn was one of the few who escaped.

He fled to the then-unfallen Black Hawk Duchy, but that wasn't enough for him. So Ibn continued westward, intending to cross Avalon to reach the Holy Nation. As long as he reached the ever-neutral Eternal Theocracy, he would survive.

However, while traveling through Avalon territory, he encountered a group of local curse ritual magicians.

"They called themselves 'Hand of the Scaleless,' meaning 'those who don't wear armor.' They were a civilian organization of Transcenders formed to resist the Execution King Tudor III... Seeing them was like seeing my younger self. I couldn't bear it, so I decided to stay and help them,"

Ibn sighed softly and said, "And their end turned out to be much like my own.

"In the end, I was betrayed by a traitor and thrown into prison. But the young Queen, who had only just succeeded to the throne, heard that I came from Parthian Ancient Country and came to see me in prison personally. After talking with me for a night, she decided to pardon me... It was then that the young Queen Her Majesty first decided to open the paths of Avalon. But with no laws to rely on, she could only offer me a position as a court ritualist.

"She said I could also secretly leave for the Holy Nation. She wouldn't pursue me; she just didn't want me to die in prison. But if possible, she still hoped I would stay.

"I realized that I, who was so powerless and incapable, could actually change the destiny of a country... I was honored, and I accepted Her Majesty's invitation and stayed,"

Hearing Ibn's words, Aiwass was surprised.

...Hand of the Scaleless?

He couldn't help asking, "Do you know someone... He's also a member of the Hand of the Scaleless, named Jacob Alexander."

"He's one of the founders of the Hand of the Scaleless and my friend,"

Ibn replied nostalgically: "I wonder where he ended up..."

As he said this, he suddenly uttered a light exclamation and looked up at Aiwass with a serious expression.

"...You look a lot like him."