Chapter 579 When the Father-in-Law Comes Knocking

Maxim's mission was extremely sincere.

He held onto Aiwass and wouldn't let go, pulling Aiwass to sit on the table while he kept talking:

Cardinal Valrhona believes that support and assistance for individuals is short-lived and meaningless in the long run. This is because individuals may fall into depravity or die suddenly. They may accept help and then turn around and do evil... and this is their freedom.

"It's like curing a person, but that person might kill or harm more people in the future. Doctors can't refuse to help patients; pastors can't refuse believers who pray for help... But we are different."

"you?"

Aiwass thought for a moment, "A wizard?"

"more than."

Master Maxim said seriously, "We only don't recruit priests and doctors, but we have almost everything else."

“…That’s really rare.”

Aiwass lamented, "The Cardinal's faction doesn't want a priest."

"Because if there are these people—I'm sorry, Archbishop. I'm not saying anything bad about you, but what I mean is... if there are overly selfless people in the organization, it might make us do some useless work.

"Rather than treatment, we advocate the safest kind of dedication—a dedication based on construction. Build more buildings that can shelter people from the elements, provide more jobs, create welfare programs... and ensure that the old and the young are well cared for. This is a dedication to the whole. Even after one generation passes, the next generation can still use them; just like the Temple of Silver and Tin in Avalon, your round table, the heating and water systems inside, and that beautiful glass staircase... Hundreds of years later, aren't the things we, the Homesteaders, built back then still useful now?"

Maxim's words were full of pride.

Aiwass and Sherlock hesitated to speak.

Yunus also opened his mouth with a subtle expression.

...So it was you who built the glass steps!

"Instead of trying to help individual people, we should create a better home for the group - that's what the Homelanders advocate."

Maxim puffed out his chest. "I just came back from Iris a few years ago. I built three Ennead Temples by myself, and it was exhausting. But the biggest project I've ever done was over twenty years ago when I went to Horus to improve their water supply system and helped the farmers there build over three hundred sturdy houses. One of my brothers is still there helping them build a dam and, by the way, optimizing the irrigation system there. My eldest son is now helping the Lizardmen with their water conservancy system and researching desert wells..."

"By the way, I heard you guys in Avalon are planning to build a new railway—railways are great! They'll boost commerce and benefit the people. I was planning to bring a few brothers over there to help out next year.

"Actually, if you ask me, you should have repaired it a long time ago. If you don't have the money, just borrow from the Theocracy... Although the Theocracy doesn't have much cash, we can sell some things to other human countries and lend it to you. Or you can just hire us to repair it! Avalon and the Theocracy have such a close relationship, what's there to be embarrassed about?

"Over two hundred years ago, I helped the Xingti people build a railway. At the time, they had just established their country and were short of money and people, so they had no choice but to turn to us for help.

"We can build it slowly! If we can't finish it in a year, we can build it in ten. If we can't finish it in ten, we can build it in fifty. We only had thirteen people back then, and in over twenty years, we built a railway that connected the east and west of Xingtan. Even today, the railway's starting point is still called 'Homeland City' in our memory!"

"Anyway, we have plenty of time and patience, and we don't need your money. All we need to do is provide the materials... If you don't ask, we can't help..."

Maxim looked frail and gentle, but once he started discussing these things, he became excited and talkative, constantly boasting about and listing the projects he had done for others on a voluntary basis.

——So you are the civil engineering master of the Charity Department. I am so sorry for your disrespect!

Aiwass immediately showed deep respect for the "Homeland Faction," a group with a very low presence in the Theocracy. "So the Homeland Faction is responsible for this..."

Voluntary infrastructure construction, building houses and roads in underdeveloped countries - that is indeed the path of dedication.

Unlike other factions, the Homeland Faction’s proposition is actually very simple: in short, stop debating and do something first.

Aiwass suddenly became interested in Cardinal Valrhona.

If you are lucky, you can go visit...

He extended his hands and shook Maxim's hand, saying earnestly, "If you have nothing to do, you can actually go this year... Our project is on a tight schedule, and it should be finished next summer..."

...After all, elves have a serious procrastination problem. Although Master Maxim kindly offered to help next year, Aiwass was a little worried that by the time he got back to work, it would already be summer or even autumn.

"Is the construction period so tight? Can the quality be guaranteed?" Maxim was stunned for a moment and asked with concern.

"The goblin engineering team is here to fix it," Aiwass explained. "It shouldn't be a big problem."

"That's certainly possible—as long as you can afford the money. Goblins are quite reliable if they charge enough."

Maxim pondered for a moment, pushed his glasses, and said gravely, "Then I'll have to go sooner rather than later. If you were the goblins, they'd probably take advantage of your ignorance and deliberately take detours to cheat you out of your money. They might use excuses like 'the terrain and soil structure in this area aren't suitable for railway construction.' Sometimes these excuses are true, but sometimes they're false. Furthermore, the specific route we choose isn't necessarily the optimal one. We might even accept bribes from local merchants and officials to change course..."

He kept muttering to Aiwass alone.

Sherlock moved closer to Yunus, who was standing in the corner of the room. He raised his head slightly and pointed his chin towards Aiwass and Maxim. "See? They don't care about what's happening here at all."

"Well, it's normal. After all, Anastasia is a thing of the past, like a butterfly in the moonlight. Beautiful, but no one cares if she flies away. Like a dream, a beautiful bubble on the lake."

Yunus, on the other hand, had no objection to this.

He simply stared at Aiwass intently and spoke, "A solid future is more valuable than a vain past. Avalon has suffered long enough, and its people deserve a railway like this. One that will allow them to travel far and wide, unfettered by geography, and free to travel."

"But I sense that you don't seem very happy, Mr. Yunus."

Sherlock said quietly.

Hearing this, Yunus was silent for a moment.

The bald poet sighed softly and spoke in a low voice.

Instead of the pompous tone of reciting poetry, his voice became low and clear: "I just don't understand... why they don't care about their own daughter so much."

“What about you, Mr. Yunus?”

Sherlock said calmly, "If Anastasia was your dead daughter...how long would you remember her?"

In an instant, Yunus suddenly raised his head and looked at Sherlock in surprise.

This lazy but conscientious detective showed such clear aggressiveness for the first time in the conversation with him.

Sherlock looked him in the eye without hesitation.

Queen Sofia had been kind to his family, Iverson was his best friend, and Isabel was the monarch to whom he had sworn allegiance.

Therefore, Sherlock particularly looked down on this coward who abandoned his royal identity and used the identity of a friend after faking his death.

—He didn't return when the queen passed away, nor did he return for his daughter's succession to the throne, nor did he return for the queen's funeral. Instead, he went to the Theocracy to study the affairs of other people's daughters...

If Isabel hadn't designated Aiwass to handle this matter, Sherlock would have already started scolding him given his temper.

Yunus looked at Sherlock in a daze, and then that simple and happy smile appeared on his face again.

He casually played a two-string guitar, attracting everyone's attention and interrupting Master Maxim's words.

Then, he smiled and raised his hands to the group, bowing deeply several times like a singer or clown taking a curtain call. "I've brought you here, my distinguished guests. Now, please enjoy your performance. I just happened to have a new inspiration, so I'll excuse myself for now. Don't bother you any more—and don't bother calling me for lunch!"

He swallowed back his previous words of "wanting to have lunch with Aiwass" without hesitation.

"Is it a new song?"

Grabbing Aiwas's hair, the drowsy fairy Nellim suddenly perked up after listening to Maxim's words: "I want to listen too!"

"My dear lady, when I write my new song, I will invite you to listen to it first."

Yunus blinked and spoke to her gently, almost dotingly.

Nilim shouted happily, "Really? You're a good person! Don't lie to me. If you do, I'll pull all your nails off!"

Yunus smiled, retreated without responding.

And Maxim obviously didn't want to mention Anastasia.

Afterwards, he treated Aiwass and others to a sumptuous lunch, but Yunus did not show up as he had said.

Aiwass mentioned several details about Anastasia at the dinner table, but he simply brushed them off and continued to talk to Aiwass about how the railway should be built.

The first two times, Aiwass didn't care much...but when Maxim continued to skip the topic for the third time, Aiwass looked at Maxim deeply and then skipped the topic as well.

Maxim warmly invited Aiwas to stay and took them to their bedrooms to rest.

But Aiwass did not go to bed, but took off the archbishop's coat and chasuble.

Not long after, there was a gentle knock on Aiwas's door.

Aiwass opened the door and sure enough - it was Yunus outside without his guitar.

Aiwas raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and gently let Yunus in and closed the door silently.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Aiwass leaned against the door, looked down at Mr. Yunus and spoke softly.

Mr. Yunus was holding a bottle of elf wine that exuded a chill.

"Holy Tree No. 3...it's a good wine."

Yunus didn't use his usual exaggerated tone, but said calmly, "Can I have a drink?"

"Yes."

Aiwass responded softly, looking into Yunus' eyes.

"... Then have a drink, Aiwass."

Yunus and Aiwass looked at each other for two seconds, then looked away and answered with a sigh.

Even though he hadn't eaten or drunk anything, he looked drunk.

Today is a 7,000-word update!

Then I continue to promote a friend's new book, hoping it won't become a sacrifice.

I Raise Demons with Word Games

(End of this chapter)