Chapter 261: The Path of the Beast (Part 3)

“…Actually, my only problem is this.”

After hearing Aiwass's story, Sherlock's first reaction was to frown: "How could you give this unverified ritual to Ms. Meg? If anything happened to her..."

"If she hadn't managed to change her route, it would have been no different from an accident."

Aiwass interrupted, "She had a life expectancy of less than three months. What else can you do? You've got to try and save her."

Sherlock was silent.

Of course he knew what Aiwass said was right—with just a little reasoning, he knew the price of Meg's failed job change.

If the extension of life fails, it will only bring Meg's death forward by a few months. It won't have much impact.

Rather, it was because he was unable to bear the cost of Meg's death, but he could not think of any solution... He felt pain for being so incompetent.

"...but you can use me as an experiment first."

Sherlock whispered back, "My life is cheaper than Ms. Meg's."

He knew that his words were feeble and even unreasonable, so he could not speak louder.

The lack of logic in these words made even the person who said them feel allergic to them.

But there was no other way. If he said nothing, he would feel even more miserable.

Shylock hated this feeling of powerlessness.

It was just like when he was a child, his father was wrongly accused of assassinating the royal family and imprisoned, and the evidence was "conclusive".

Sherlock could easily come up with countless arguments to refute the evidence - each piece of evidence seemed reasonable, but upon closer analysis it was all nonsense. Those far-fetched motives were even more laughable.

...But the problem is, he never had the chance to say it.

No one cared about what he said. They didn't even care about the truth.

The child looked up, anxiously trying to pull at the hems of everyone passing by, constantly explaining the obvious truths to him, but no one was willing to stop for him. They didn't even look down at him, as if he was just air, just a ghost.

——At that time, Sherlock was so anxious that his ears were ringing.

The sudden tinnitus made his whole world seem to become quiet.

At that moment, he could not hear the voices of everyone around him or the noise of the party.

It was like a child standing on the shore, shouting at the approaching tsunami, trying to stop it with his voice. That feeling of helplessness made him feel physically sick... Even now, just recalling it makes him want to vomit. And the tinnitus returns.

But Aiwass' words suddenly pierced through the gray memories——

"...Didn't I call you this time?"

Aiwass looked at him in surprise, with a cheeky smile on his face: "Why don't you try it yourself first? If it works, I'll promote it to the young people of Avalon.

"If this succeeds, we in Avalon will have our own path to wisdom. In the future, smart people like you won't be stuck at the third energy level, right?

"You must know that Isabel will definitely continue Queen Sofia's policies. If not, I'll help you keep an eye on them. From now on, the path of wisdom will be a legitimate path, and magic will be a legitimate profession. We must enrich our talent pool so that we can catch up with Xingbi..."

Sherlock stared at Aiwass who was talking about these things incessantly.

He noticed that Aiwass's hair had grown longer, and that there was a glint in his eyes. Even though he was just a small consultant to the Supervisory Bureau, Aiwass still told him these important things.

——If someone had been willing to stop and listen to the anxious child back then, perhaps he would not be so cold and withdrawn now.

At that moment, Sherlock felt that the sound that kept buzzing in his ears and making him anxious like a tsunami seemed to be washed away by Aiwass's voice.

...It's so noisy.

The corners of Sherlock's mouth subconsciously rose for a moment, but he quickly realized it and pursed his lips.

— He couldn't act too happy, or else the fox would get carried away. That was just his personality; the calm and composed appearance he displayed was just a facade. He was still a child on the inside.

Sherlock listened to Aiwass's explanation with a serious face. He had originally planned to try any ritual, no matter how outrageous it was... but the more he listened, the more astonished he became.

Because I feel that the ritual that Aiwass took out seems to be...something?

"...[Mithra Worshipper] is a profession inherited from the Horus Kingdom, within a unique religious organization called Mithraism. Only young, unmarried, and healthy male sages can join the cult and change their profession. I believe you're considered a young man, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"Some kings of the Horus Kingdom were named 'Mithridates,' which means 'Son of Mithra.' Mithra's name signifies a contract, as well as friendship, covenant, and loyalty. This is his most primal divinity: the god of contract.

"Some believe he is the sun god, the god of light, and in other places, stories are told of him wandering the earth as a god who punishes good and evil. He is also the god of war. But in essence, his divinity is tolerant—according to Mithraism, almost any god can be accommodated..."

"Who the hell is Mithra?"

Sherlock couldn't help but ask, "Is He the celestial minister of the path of wisdom?"

Hearing this, Aiwass's mouth corners slightly raised.

"That's the problem, Sherlock."

Aiwass calmly replied, "There is no Mithra."

"……What?"

"Mithras doesn't exist. There's no such god... There's no celestial being or apostle with this name, deeds, and power. Just think about it. His path, according to legend, spans five paths: balance, wisdom, power, devotion, and adaptation. How could he be a real 'one god'?"

Aiwass's mouth curled up slightly: "However, there are 'multiple gods'.

"The essence of Mithraism is a mixture of stories about fallen celestial beings.

"His story itself is a mixture of the five paths. The act of creating a fictional god aligns with the path of beauty, its purpose aligns with the path of transcendence, and the preservation of the deeds of the deceased celestial being is the power of the path of dusk..."

Having said that, Aiwass paused slightly.

"...What about the path of love?"

Sherlock couldn't help but ask.

He also knew that Aiwass was deliberately keeping him in suspense, but his curiosity was indeed aroused.

"The story told by Mithraism contains another story. It is the birth of the path of love.

"Before the Path of Love was born, it was called the Path of Beasts. Back then, the pillar deity of the Path of Beasts was called the Beast Lord, and Hengwo was still a Moon Angel. She wasn't even a celestial being, but rather an apostle of the Beast Lord.

"The Beastmaster wasn't murdered by Hengwo, but fell in love with Hengwo and was tamed by his love, ultimately abdicating peacefully. This was the second of three Pillar God replacements, the [Forbidden Fruit] incident witnessed by the spirits.

"The essence of Mithraism is the creation of a male sun god... and this behavior is similar to what Hengwo once did. From this perspective, Mithraism is a secret religion born from 'the memory of one, the promise of three, and the words of five,' blending the power of the nine great paths. Its power comes from those dead gods, not from any current pillar god."

Aiwass spoke the secret without hesitation, which frightened Sherlock.

He couldn't help but glance outside the door, and was relieved to see that Madam Mina hadn't heard it.

Sherlock glanced at Lily again, puzzled - how could she be so calm and composed?

Every believer is a worshipper of Mithra, but they are also Mithra himself in his original form. To advance to becoming a Mithra worshipper, one needs to possess the three traits of wisdom, loyalty, and lawfulness. Furthermore, one must study astronomy, master at least basic astrology, and complete the initiation ceremony.

"If you can successfully advance to 'Mithra Worshiper', you'll be able to use the powers of the Path of Authority, such as Contract and Punishment, and the abilities of the Path of Devotion, such as Sun and Light, at the level of the Path of Wisdom. Your body will also be strengthened. This way, you won't have headaches anymore."

Aiwass patted Lily's shoulder and said, "Go back to sleep first, Lily.

"Sherlock, you're responsible for handling astronomy and astrology. Just get started; you don't need to go deep into the path. Just understand what it means.

"Don't sleep tonight. Get ready. When the sun rises tomorrow, I'll help you complete the initiation ceremony."

Chapter 3, updated!

(End of this chapter)