Chapter 524: Just tell me whether to keep it fresh or not

In an instant, Cardinal Matilda fell silent.

A ripple of silence echoed among the four people who stared at the corpse in silence.

Since this house was just built, no one has lived in it before...

So where did this corpse come from?

Aiwass subconsciously looked back at Sherlock.

——Is this your problem?

Although Sherlock is no longer in child form... but from another perspective, aren't the cases that the detective who turned into a child encounters big ones right after returning to adult form?

Sherlock looked at Aiwass in confusion, then walked up and squatted down to observe the corpse.

But as soon as he squatted down, he frowned.

Because the body was so clean, there were no clues at all.

She was a female elf who looked to be in her twenties or thirties, with short, curly brown hair. She was wearing a red robe that only bishops could wear.

——This is an elven bishop.

After she was released, her abdomen gradually became soaked. Blood seeped out from inside, but it only soaked a palm-sized area of ​​her clothes and did not spread further.

Her expression was also very calm, without any signs of struggle. Her skin still retained its elasticity, her skin was pale but not pale, and her body temperature was just cool but not cold.

It was as if she had died just as she opened the cupboard.

Based on the "preservation ability" that Cardinal Matilda just introduced, it can only be confirmed that her death time was within a month.

“…It’s impossible to determine the time of death.”

Sherlock shook his head, trying to gather the rest of the information: "The wound is in the abdomen... Can I check it?"

As he spoke, he politely turned to look at Cardinal Matilda who remained silent.

After all, he was no longer a child. Although the deceased was right before his eyes, this was not Avalon, and as an advisor to the Supervisory Bureau, he did not have the authority to freely touch corpses in the Theocracy.

Cardinal Matilda sighed, "You come and check it out, Detective Hermes."

Hearing this, Sherlock uncovered the corpse's clothes and examined the wound.

From Cardinal Matilda's expression and attitude, Aiwas realized that she seemed to know this person.

As Sherlock examined the body, he approached the Cardinal and asked, "Who is she?"

"Her name is Mercedes, you definitely don't know her."

Cardinal Matilda sighed, "But Gray knows him."

"...Your Highness the Saint?"

Aiwass was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Is it Pure White's friend?"

——If he had not "grown dates", then the person who accompanied him here and introduced these facilities should be the Gray Saint.

Then she would see the body fall out from here... maybe even fall directly into her arms.

"She's a mutual friend of Gray and Janice. She grew up with them."

Cardinal Matilda shook her head and spoke slowly, "Maybe their relationship isn't as good as theirs. But she's the only friend who stays with Gray now..."

...Is this a provocation? Is anyone upset with Gray?

This thought popped into Aiwas's mind.

——No, that’s not right.

Aiwass immediately dispelled this thought which was a bit lucky.

It’s not that simple.

Because the only people who entered the house, apart from the papal guards who had come to put their luggage, were the owner of the house and other cardinals.

Judging from Cardinal Matilda's reaction, the fact that the Grey Saint had begun to condense amber seemed to be no secret. In other words, the other cardinals were very likely aware of this as well.

Judging from the saint's overly heavy feelings for Janice, her amber syndrome seems to be related to Janice's absence for two hundred years without saying goodbye.

At this time, if the saint's only remaining friend was killed and the corpse was exposed in front of her... it would undoubtedly stimulate her to further condense.

Aihua's heart suddenly tightened.

...So, the plot has already begun?

"It's a little weird. I'll tell you later."

Sherlock covered himself with his clothes, stood up, turned back and frowned, saying, "The amount of bleeding is too little, it could be due to other reasons. Because logically speaking, this kind of wound should not be enough to kill a person, let alone a bishop... She should also be at the third energy level, right?"

"Yes. As far as I know," Cardinal Matilda replied, "Bishop Mercedes has reached the third level in at least three of her paths—she is not a professional, but a successor."

"The successor?"

Aiwass was a little confused: "What's going on? Aren't all the Pope's guards inheritors?"

"Although some young elves... like Janice, have professions. But Gray and Mercedes are both successors. She is a candidate for the Sainthood."

Not all young elves have a "career."

After all, the career system was a recent innovation by Wei Zhe and Sha Shiji, and it had only been around for a thousand years. The corresponding careers were recognized by the Pillar Gods and the Celestial Officials, and corresponding authority symbols were provided.

In this way, the scattered and chaotic professional inheritance was successfully registered under the name of the gods.

This ensures that the extraordinary people will not go astray, and it can be regarded as a system of abilities, allowing the extraordinary abilities that were originally different for each person to be integrated.

It is entirely possible that the ancient extraordinary people in the past accidentally read some mystical books that they should not have mastered, and mastered some mysterious knowledge that strayed from the path, and their souls were polluted and deviated to another path, or they accepted knowledge from different great beings on the same path and developed schizophrenia.

Under the class system, this was impossible—abilities beyond the reach of the class, even those of the same path, were beyond their grasp. However, once a class change was complete, one could instantly gain extraordinary abilities of a high degree of completion. And as long as a path had been traversed, others could follow it and, after passing the trials, achieve the same class and abilities.

This is also a kind of "demystification", which is the core authority of the sand timepiece.

For example, "Initiator" is a profession transformed from the inheritance of saints.

Aiwass was most likely the first person in modern times to master the Illuminator class change, as this class may have been recently introduced by Wei Zhe. It was also possible that this was a class that Sizhu was reluctant to have his followers take up.

Looking back now, the most standard names for the god of candlelight are "the god who binds the body with thorns of sin" and "the god who burns the body and drives away the darkness."

These are the two professions that Sizhu directly belongs to.

The latter obviously corresponds to the Torchlighter, while the former corresponds to the Illuminator - in other words, the Illuminator is destined to be bound by the Thorn of Sin.

Candlemaker doesn't want his followers to bear the original sin that he should have borne, so he doesn't encourage his followers to change their profession to Illuminator. That's why he came to Aiwass and asked him if he wanted to change back to Torchlighter.

In ancient times, this was a path of inheritance forged by an elven saint. Her legacy wasn't recorded in the tantras, but rather buried within the ruins—the statue she transformed into after her death is likely on the sixth or seventh floor. Only by contacting the saint's statue can one find the possibility of embarking on this path.

It was like a puzzle game, where the combination to the safe was theoretically inside another puzzle. But the number was fixed, and Aiwass simply typed it in after looking up the guide.

But not all inheritances of extraordinary powers were set as professions by the two pillar gods.

Those inheritances that require the integration of multiple paths, or even special bloodlines or inherited skills, are generally not recorded as professions. For example, the Son of the Moon, the Werewolf, the Demon transformed from the Demon's incarnation, and some special inheritances mastered by the elves... or the "Shepherd."

The biggest difference between professionals and inheritors lies in the direction of resonance in their paths.

The soul of a professional will be influenced by his profession and purified by the path... For example, Bishop Mathers has been stuck at level 39 for a long time.

He had said before... he had been reluctant to complete the advancement ceremony and enter the fifth energy level because he was worried that he would be influenced by the power of the fifth energy level and change his personality and mind.

The transformation of the body by the profession can make the professional's state more stable and prevent him from losing control or strength.

The inheritor, on the other hand, must rely on his or her resonance with the Dao to reach the corresponding energy level. Once this resonance is lost, one's abilities may even decline—this is a more primitive state. Just as untrained muscle turns to fat, unlearned skills are forgotten.

Without the anchoring effect of a "career," once one completely loses their original intention—even for just a moment—they will immediately lose their extraordinary abilities.

However, elves, who are much more emotionally stable than other races, generally don't lose power due to this. Elves believe that the "class system" was primarily created for the more emotionally unstable short-lived races, a power that only short-lived races would seek to master. Over the course of countless years, elves have had ample time to cultivate themselves into a form more suitable for receiving the corresponding inheritance.

Although many elves are less than a thousand years old and were born after the birth of the professional system, they will still become inheritors.

This mainly comes from the influence of elders and society.

"In my opinion, one of the reasons why Janice left the Theocracy was Betinatia's Amber."

Cardinal Matilda said slowly, "Betinatia is the successor. She was originally Janice's mentor.

"Gray sometimes tells me that she thinks this might be the reason Janice hasn't returned. In our theocracy, the status of successors is generally higher... After all, the profession is there, and anyone can change it, but successors must have one-on-one guidance. Having a legacy means having mentors, parents, and reliable, trustworthy, and traceable social connections.

“So we elves attach great importance to the concept of inheritance. Sometimes the mentor who inherits the mantle is more important than the parents.

"During adolescence, when a child's worldview is just beginning to take shape, they need to stay with their mentor for extended periods of time in order to receive the inheritance. This time spent with their mentor can be ten times longer than with their parents. Some mentors, to prevent parents from negatively influencing their children and causing them to stray from the inheritance, will even prevent them from returning home.

"From this point of view, Janice is like an orphan. After Betinatia Ningpo, although Janice could choose other teachers to continue her studies, she chose to flee the Church and become a professional..."

Cardinal Matilda's eyes were complicated. "I think, at least at that time... she must have had low self-esteem. They may have argued, or perhaps not. But since then, Gray has become much less talkative and no longer makes new friends."

"Bishop Mercedes is Gray's only friend. She received the same inheritance as Gray, but due to her more lively personality, her compatibility with the Saint is much lower. You could say she's a 'failed Saint.' While Gray reached the fifth level of the Dual Path, Mercedes could only reach the third level."

"Her path had reached its end, but she refused to become a professional. Perhaps it was out of pride, or perhaps she simply wanted to keep Grey company. So, she spent a long time on the twenty-first floor, continuing to receive training from the Saint... I've always thought this was a good thing. At least Grey would have a companion, someone to chat with.

"...Luckily, it wasn't Gray who came here with you."

Today's update may be a little late -

But there is still a second update, the little kitty is typing away!

clatter, clatter, clatter

(End of this chapter)