Chapter 525 Controlled Fire

"...What if it's Gray?"

After a brief silence, Aiwass suddenly spoke.

He looked at Cardinal Matilda and repeated, "What if the person here is Her Highness the Saint?"

Hearing this, Matilda hesitated for a moment.

Without waiting for her response, Aiwass continued softly, "If Her Highness the Saint were to encounter trouble or danger because of this matter, it would not be a surprise."

He looked at Matilda and asked, "Is it... Ningpo?"

——This is a very good opportunity, which gives Aiwas the opportunity to align the intelligence and get involved in this incident.

Although Aiwas knew some of the intelligence, he couldn't use it unless he obtained it again through legal channels. Now was the perfect opportunity to "launder" this advanced intelligence.

Hearing this, Sherlock was shocked.

He was still pondering the murderer's motives. Had Aiwass already deduced this far?!

Even with so many missing clues and so many possibilities, Aiwass was absolutely certain that the murderer was trying to catalyze the Pure White Saint's amber... Or rather, he actually prioritized the possibility of the Saint condensing amber.

It's just like using the answer to answer the question.

But considering Aiwass's prophetic ability, Sherlock chose to remain silent for the time being.

...Maybe that's true.

However, Cardinal Matilda did not have any special reaction to this.

She breathed a sigh of relief, looking somewhat more relaxed. "You've indeed discovered it... That's right. After all, the fruit grew on your body, so it's unlikely that you don't understand it at all."

After all, their reactions at the time were so strange that you could tell something was wrong just by thinking about it.

"I probably can't keep this from you, but I can't tell you directly. After all, it's Gray's secret... and it's extremely important."

Cardinal Matilda bowed earnestly to the three of them and said, "Please do not disclose this matter."

"What I mean by crucial is..."

Sherlock narrowed his eyes, catching the key words that were of concern: "If this matter gets out, it will cause trouble for Her Highness the Saint, right?"

He suddenly thought of something: "Is it possible... that the Pure White Saint is about to take the throne?"

Cardinal Matilda glanced at Sherlock in surprise, then nodded in admiration: "Yes, next month.

"That's why I said there's no need to rush regarding the higher divine arts. Because the Theocracy is about to face a major event."

……event?

Why do I feel like this is a huge trouble...

Sherlock muttered in his mind.

But given his personality, he was actually interested in this kind of difficult problem - he wouldn't touch anything that wasn't troublesome.

"I have another question," Sherlock asked again, "If the matter of Saint Ningpo is exposed, will it have an adverse impact on the succession to the position of Pope?"

"It's safe to say... the controversy will be very great."

Cardinal Matilda nodded. "Especially recently, there's the 'controlled fire' movement."

"Controlled fire?"

Sherlock had never heard of this name.

"—Light and fire are the sacred symbols of the Theocracy. Compared to light, fire is undoubtedly more dangerous. And its danger comes from its freedom."

It wasn't Cardinal Matilda who answered, but Aiwass: "Controlled fire refers to the control of a flame that can produce light but also burn humans."

As he spoke, he pointed to the flame lamp on the table.

The flame stored in the glass is the same flame that was previously "as if it were just a sticker" and did not shake at all: "This is 'controlled fire.' It was replaced by the 'controlled fire' organization nationwide when the 'controlled fire' movement was launched. It is a safer, 'colder' fire. Even if a child touches it, they will not be hurt."

"...You seem quite knowledgeable."

Cardinal Matilda was a little surprised: "You know such things."

Aiwass nodded modestly: "After all, it's been decades."

This wasn't in-game advance information—it was taught in every seminary. It was also an example of the rule in Avalon that igniting fires in churches was prohibited.

There is something sacred about lighting a real flame, but it is not the same thing as just summoning an illusory fire.

"...it's been decades already."

Hearing this, Cardinal Matilda sighed: "I feel like it's still just last month."

"It sounds like the organization is just calling for a change of light source."

Sherlock pressed, "Do they have any other claims?"

"--have."

Cardinal Matilda nodded solemnly. "It's what we were just discussing, about the inheritance and professionals. They have a more radical stance on this."

Sherlock reacted: "They want all elves to become professionals?"

"That's right."

"Why?"

"It's simple," Cardinal Matilda replied. "Because of amber."

"...Amber?"

"That's right. Controlled Fire was originally formed because Cardinal Loki collected data for an investigation report.

"The data shows that the amount of amber produced by inheritors far exceeds that produced by professionals—not just a few percent, but more than ten times the difference. Over the past hundred years, the proportion of amber produced by inheritors has accounted for 96% of all elves."

“…Isn’t this right?”

Sherlock intuitively realized there was something wrong with the report before Aiwass even had to speak. "Didn't you just say that the number and status of inheritors are greater than that of professionals?"

"This is also the original source of this report. Although the Theocracy advocates for successors, the profession has existed for thousands of years. There are still many elves who cannot inherit... In your terms, professional elves are equivalent to 'commoners'. Because their parents do not know powerful extraordinary people, they cannot give them a better inheritance.

"Originally, they could only become true civilians, protected by extraordinary beings; or venture deep into the dream world and risk their own path. But after the establishment of the professional system, they have the opportunity to become professionals.

"Just over thirty years ago, the ratio of existing professional elves to inheritors in the country was exactly 1:1. Cardinal Loki wanted to trace this phenomenon and investigate the differences between the two groups. He accidentally discovered that the ratio of amber condensation in professional elves was much smaller."

“…It’s hard to say.”

Aiwass shook his head. "It could be self-selection bias."

“Self-selection bias?”

Sherlock asked subconsciously.

But before Aiwass could answer, he realized: "Oh, that's a good word."

"That's right. Elves who are willing to become professionals, whether actively or passively, generally have more open minds and families, and fewer traditionalists. They are more active, more curious about the lives of short-lived creatures, and more willing to experience different lifestyles. The proportion of naturally formed ambers is also lower."

Aiwass also frowned slightly: "Although this 96% figure... is a bit shocking."

"So Cardinal Loki believed that the 'class system' wasn't completely meaningless to the elves—its ability to imbue and solidify the soul could effectively prevent and even cure amber syndrome. Therefore, he took the lead in becoming a professional and formed the Controlled Fire. The other members of the Controlled Fire were also progressive individuals who were willing to accept this idea and attempt to innovate elven traditions through the class system..."

Having said that, Cardinal Matilda subconsciously glanced at the body of Bishop Mercedes on the ground.

"That sounds pretty good."

Sherlock commented.

“So I don’t have any prejudice against them.”

Matilda covered her forehead with her hand, somewhat troubled. "But the only problem is... 'Saint' isn't a profession. They must be trained from childhood, undergoing a complex education and inheritance, and the best one must be chosen from among dozens of candidates. Therefore, one of the Controlled Fire's propositions is that the Pope no longer choose from among the Saints—because the existence of Saints is equivalent to the Theocracy encouraging a system of inheritance."

"...But I remember that a cardinal could theoretically become the eternal pope, right?"

Aiwass asked.

He remembered that the Theocracy had such a setting, but he was not sure.

"It's just in theory."

Without waiting for Cardinal Matilda to answer, Sherlock raised the corner of his mouth sarcastically: "Just like the Knights of the Round Table, in theory they can also decide on motions by voting."

"That's right. In theory, the Pope is elected, but each cardinal manages a different circle and has very different ideologies. No matter who is chosen by the Cardinals, the other cardinals will vote against him. Only the Saint is the best choice..."

Matilda clearly took this for granted: "After all, the Saints have been taking over the Pope's work for a long time. They are actually the real Popes. Becoming the Pope is like stepping back. Becoming the mentor of the new Saint—this is how the Theocracy has been established for thousands of years, and no one has said anything wrong."

"But now, that tradition conflicts with 'controlled fire,' right?"

Sherlock replied.

He squinted at the corpse and said, "So, the suspect is Cardinal Loki?

"Oh, that sounds reasonable. He's a cardinal who can open this door. He's also the leader of Controlled Fire and a radical. He wants to get rid of the Saint, so he wants to stimulate her Amber—in this way, the Saint will develop Amber Syndrome, which will prove that his claim is correct. It will also help him be elected Pope... After all, there was the Saint Amber Syndrome before, so it's a tradition for cardinals to be elected Pope. It sounds logical... hum."

At this point, Sherlock suddenly sneered and turned to look at Aiwass: "Aiwass, what do you think?"

“The logic is so complete.”

Aiwass shook his head: "So I don't really believe it."

"--Then it depends on how you feel."

Sherlock gave up his guess immediately, so quickly that Aiwass was even a little surprised - Do you trust my intuition so much?

But Aiwass actually does have evidence, but he can't reveal it.

Because Aiwass knew that in the chaos brought about by the "Tree and Amber Disaster"... the first cardinal to die was Cardinal Loki.

A very classic pattern, the most suspected criminal died on the spot.

Aiwass looked at Sherlock and suddenly realized.

It turns out that this kind of plot only happens here because of you, the "Sherlock Holmes"!

Update completed!

(End of this chapter)