Chapter 27 Exchange of Interests

Aiwass actually didn't know the specific process of the advancement ceremony.

This is mainly because the official Dream World map hasn't been created, so the player experience is incomplete when advancing. Of the required ritual materials, only one or two are slightly more expensive, and the rest are just extras.

As long as you gather all these materials, you can open a copy.

Before level 50, the advancement ceremony opens the door and you queue for a nine-person dungeon, with only one spot for each path. Then, these nine people enter the dungeon without fighting any monsters, but directly fight a random boss that is quite easy to fight.

After completing a dungeon, all players are randomly determined to have passed it. The higher the level of the dungeon, the greater the chance of failure. Without using additional materials to increase the success rate, the number of players who pass the dungeon during a full moon is twice as high as during a new moon.

Initially, the success rate was quite high. At level 9, six out of nine players could clear the second level, and even in the New Moon dungeon, three could successfully advance. But as the levels climbed, advancement became increasingly difficult. From level 49 to level 50, only the Full Moon dungeon guaranteed at least one player would pass. Even in the New Moon dungeon, it was possible for all nine players to fail.

The players are used to it.

It's like not being able to get the card out of the draw. It's considered normal.

Starting from level 59, subsequent advanced dungeons are high-difficulty single-player dungeons.

In version 6.0, the level cap for most paths was raised to 85. Authority, Balance, and Wisdom were first released to 90, with the remaining paths unlocked later. The final leveling, from level 89 to 90, was incredibly difficult. As a result, despite the level cap being 90, the vast majority of players were stuck at 89. Only a few hard-working, dedicated players with a high-end hand could truly reach the maximum level.

It is estimated that only after the level cap of 90 of the nine paths is fully opened will the difficulty of passing the previous paths be specially lowered.

This is what the official did when the level cap was opened to 80.

However, although Aiwass didn't know how NPCs advanced, he at least understood one thing.

That is, when an NPC advances to level 50, it must also be matched with nine people of the same level but different paths in the dream world. If nine people are not gathered, the ceremony cannot be completed - of course, low-level advancement ceremonies will definitely have enough people.

If they can gather together, they will first capture the nine people closest to them. If they cannot gather together locally, they will go to a farther place to capture one or two people, so as to keep the distance between the nine people as short as possible.

According to the explanation of the advancement ceremony in the mystical texts of the Path of Beauty, the advancement ceremony is "the full moon prospers together, and the new moon wanes together."

According to some of the top players, it's possible that PVE is played on a full moon, while PVP is played on a new moon. This could also explain why the success rate of the ritual is higher during a full moon.

And tomorrow is a full moon, which is a copy that requires a certain degree of cooperation.

That means, tomorrow, Aiwas will enter the dream world as a "path of devotion," while Sherlock will enter the realm of wisdom.

Those from the Path of Balance and the Path of Authority were likely Avalonians. It was hard to say where the advanced practitioners from the other paths came from.

On the other side, after exchanging pleasantries with Oswald, Sherlock began to talk about business.

This thin man with a lazy look and who seemed to care nothing about anything took out a book with a dark cover from his arms.

Sherlock handed the book upside down with the title facing downwards to the old butler, saying casually, "I came here just to bring something to Aiwass on behalf of Mr. Kent."

"It's such a small thing, I thought it would be done by that little girl with no sense of time."

Oswald apparently still remembered that Haena was two hours late.

He handed the book to Aiwass, without even reading the title.

This was Oswald's respect for his masters as a butler - since the book was a gift from the Inspectorate to Aiwass, he would not read it.

Aiwass took the book, turned it over and looked at its title.

The Shepherd's Tantra.

It was also a tantric book, but he had no impression of its contents.

But judging by the format, it should be an ancient technique dedicated to the Tao...

Not a bad reward, Aiwass thought.

It was more like it was too generous—an ancient skill that could be called a tantra was at least at the level of a sacred skill of the church. Only when Sherlock helped the Inspectorate solve a major case would the Inspectorate give him a tantra of wisdom.

...It's just such a simple low-level copy, and you give me such a good reward?

Or you could just give me a beating. I'm a little uneasy holding this thing.

"Please open the book and take a look, Mr. Aiwass. Make sure you can open the book normally."

Sherlock's expression was flat, and his tone was low. Like a government employee working overtime, he spoke with a cold, routine air. "If you can't open this book, I'll take it back to the Inspectorate. Mr. Kent will give you another secret book that can be opened."

Upon hearing this, Aiwass flipped through it roughly.

When I found that I could indeed open it, I didn't care about its contents, closed it and put it on my lap.

When Sherlock saw that Aiwass had confirmed it, he gently took off his hat.

"Hello, Mr. Aiwass."

Speaking even faster than before, Sherlock relayed his thoughts as if on a matter of routine: "Mr. Kent plans to hold a commendation meeting next Thursday. The venue will be the White Shoes Club in Red Queen, at 5:30 p.m. There will be a dinner after the commendation meeting.

"This commendation ceremony will honor outstanding inspectors who have made outstanding contributions to eradicating evil in the name of the Queen, and will also summarize the important events of this quarter. Mr. Kent invites you to attend. The Inspectorate General will present you with a Crystal Cross."

Upon hearing this, Aiwass reacted immediately.

——The Supervisory Bureau wants me to do something for them, and they gave me a deposit in advance because they are afraid that I will regret it.

Is there anything recently that Aiwass can and must help with?

Then I'm afraid it's only the incident of Aiwass appearing in the newspaper today.

He independently solved such a big case, personally killed a dangerous wanted criminal, and even found and eliminated a meeting point of the Noble Red Society on Glass Island... The premise for him to become a "hero" and a "celebrity" was based on the incompetence of the Supervisory Bureau.

After shutting down the Pelican Bar and conducting an in-depth investigation following this lead, the Supervisory Bureau easily discovered that this was a long-standing transnational black market on Glass Island. Even non-transcendents would often purchase contraband from there, and even exchange top-secret intelligence.

If they can follow this line of investigation, not only can they catch small matters like demon scholars and banned books on illegal paths, they may even catch major cases such as smuggling, espionage, and treason.

But on the other hand, if they really started investigating directly based on the clue of the Pelican Bar... that would be tantamount to slapping themselves in the face.

Such a crucial stronghold had remained undiscovered by the Supervisory Bureau for so long, right under their noses. Instead, it had become a near-open secret among the civilian population, a vital marketplace for the trade of illegal goods. Eventually, this secret was even discovered by a college student, a wheelchair-bound cripple, and hardly a serious Transcendent.

Then the Supervisory Bureau might be in trouble.

So what Director Kent meant was that he hoped to express his position - as long as he could mention it at the commendation meeting, "I found out that the Pelican Bar incident was related to the Supervisory Bureau", it would be enough.

For this purpose, he even gave Aiwass a very valuable secret book.

Moreover, by accepting the book, Aiwass had already accepted the commission.

This means that Director Kent owes him a favor.

So, Aiwass thought about it and showed a fox-like, malicious and happy smile.

"—Inspectors?"

He pretended to be confused, but he believed that both Sherlock and Oswald would understand what he meant: "But I'm just an ordinary person. I'm even a student."

Sherlock really understood what Aiwass meant.

"That's no problem."

He spoke without hesitation, "You're not officially an inspector, but even students can become an advisor to the Inspectorate. Just like me, you'll be a figurehead. You won't have any actual tasks, just need to show that you're a member of the Inspectorate at crucial moments. Later, if you're interested in an incident and want to participate in an investigation, you can join as an advisor."

Sherlock spoke fluently, clearly reciting Director Kent's exact words.

As Sherlock's advisor, he was able to make such a promise directly to Aiwass. It was obvious that Director Kent had considered that Aiwass would have such a reaction before Sherlock left.

That should be the director, who had asked Haina in advance about Aiwas's personality, abilities, and what he was going to do.

When he realized that Aiwass was a smart man and not easy to fool, he immediately arranged more tangible benefits for Aiwass.

"Mr. Kent's exact words were, 'This is a reward for your bravery and also an advance payment for your participation in the ceremony.'

"Of course, if you really don't want to attend, that's fine. You can still accept the book. I can refuse Mr. Kent on your behalf."

Charlotte put her hat back on and pushed the brim down.

"—So, what's your answer?"

"Of course I agree. Please tell the Director that I will be there on time."

Aiwass smiled gently, but never mentioned the book "Shepherd's Tantra".

It was not until then that he truly understood the weight of his identity.

Today, he is no longer an illegal player with no background... he is Aiwas Moriarty.

While James was still alive, and Avalon hadn't been destroyed, no one could take credit for his achievements. Nor could anyone use him as a tool, to be manipulated at will. If they wanted Aiwass's help, they had to exchange benefits with him, and they couldn't just take what they had and not give it away.

And then, Aiwass immediately realized another thing:

——Good boy.

It turns out that when I was a player, these people secretly stole so many things from me!

(End of this chapter)