Chapter 105 Are you drunk?
This was a truth that Aiwass had never expected.
But he also suddenly understood why his grandfather, who had come into contact with so many extraordinary people and had such a wide network of contacts, had to go to a remote countryside to become a poor poet with no fame and no income...
Grandpa is hiding from trouble!
Aiwass also suddenly understood why his biological father and mother were on the path of dedication and the path of beauty respectively, and his adoptive father was not on the path of transcendence... but he inexplicably became extremely obsessed with demonology back then.
That is the path of the Tao that is engraved in the blood.
Children of gifted extraordinary people will usually become extraordinary people on the same path - in fact, it is not inherited talent, but inherited desire, or inherited "debt".
If you lack talent, that may be a kind of luck.
However, if one's level has already reached its limit without undergoing the advancement ritual... the call from the Path will become even stronger. If one then has offspring, the excess "call" will be passed on to the offspring, and the parent will be liberated.
This is also the reason why ancient nobles left behind more offspring.
Nobles are typically high-ranking transcendents. However, they either don't want to, or simply don't dare, continue advancing. Therefore, they rely on the continuous birth of offspring to restore the power of the Dao to their souls. However, if they suppress this power for too long, their firstborn child is often prone to mental illness.
During the Hellassar Empire, this phenomenon was called the "eldest son's disaster" by royal scholars who had not yet figured out the underlying principle.
Imperial scholars viewed this as a curse cast by the apostles, explaining why the eldest sons of each family were often most likely to inherit the family business, yet were also most prone to mental illness.
Those nobles who are focused on their careers and have not yet had children in their thirties or forties are likely to have their first child go crazy; but commoners are often fine, and if nobles get married early, this situation will not occur.
The solution that scholars proposed to resolve this curse was to let the imperial nobles marry and have children as early as possible.
If someone marries shortly after embarking on the path of transcendence, they'll often have children soon after their advancement stalls. Although they didn't fully understand the underlying reason, they've finally solved the problem.
After that, children prone to madness were often born from "illegitimate children." While early marriages could control the birth of children within marriage, they couldn't control the bloodline of children born outside of marriage. If the other partner in the affair was also a transcendent, it was easy for them to become pregnant and give birth to cursed children. Phantom demon eggs were also likely to be born within these children.
Even within the Knight family, few knew this secret. As an unofficial Transcendent, Aiwass's grandfather couldn't possibly have known this. He also didn't dare ascend, so his children inherited some of the urge to embark on the path of transcendence.
This was one of the reasons why Avalon's lawless ways persisted despite repeated bans. Once an illegal transcendent was discovered, they would be sentenced to long periods of detention or even death, but even so, they could never be completely eradicated.
Since Julio didn't go crazy, he was probably not the eldest son. In other words, he must have had an older brother or sister... which meant that Aiwass's grandfather, Jacob, must have been quite old.
"In the beginning, the Scaleless Hand was a folk ritual society. Their profession at the time wasn't demonologists, but rather 'ritualists,' specializing in rituals and curses. They didn't possess any knowledge of demonology—after all, 'demonology' requires a large number of sacrifices, materials, and constant trial and error to acquire.
"They secretly imparted knowledge of rituals and used them to help others. They also cursed corrupt judges and officials, thus gaining a good reputation among the people.
"Later, with the sponsorship of the Star Antimony people, the remnants of Alctors joined the 'Scaleless Hand', carrying the orthodox heritage of demonology, and eventually achieved high positions."
Sherlock continued, "Anyway, we're all illegal transcendents who've transcended the Dao, and our goal is to rebel against the royal family—most people in the Scaleless Hand think it's pretty much the same. The essence of transcending the Dao is rebellion at all costs; they don't care about morality or rules. After all, demons are much easier to learn than rituals and curses..."
"Later, the number of demonologists in the organization gradually surpassed that of ritual mages. Finally, after a pure-blooded Titan took control of the 'Scaleless Hand' organization, he renamed it 'Noble Red' and replaced all senior leaders with half-blooded Titans.
"Some of the old-time ritual mages distanced themselves from the Noble Red Order and withdrew from it, choosing to live in seclusion. Your grandfather, Jacob, was one of them. The tradition of the ritual mage profession originally came from demonologists who believed that demons were despicable, dangerous, and uncontrollable. Their understanding of the path to transcendence differed from that of demonologists—they believed that demons were a 'power easily gained and easily lost,' and that transcendence achieved through contracted demons was neither pure nor safe."
Sherlock sneered at this point, "And according to my investigation... all the ritual mages who left the Noble Red Order have survived to this day—their entire families died from the curse. So there's obviously only one truth."
"So that's how it is..."
Aiwass sighed.
He admired Sherlock's investigative ability: "When did you start investigating?"
"Last Sunday."
Sherlock took a sip of his wine, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smug chuckle: "The first time they came into my sight was when Edward and I went to investigate the Sweater Brotherhood.
"Mr. Edward, in order to satisfy my mortal curiosity, chose to tempt me with other mysteries. But he didn't realize that I had studied psychology—when people are in such situations, the 'second topic' they subconsciously think of is often related to the matter itself.
"The bait he used to divert my attention was a case the Inspectorate was investigating recently, codenamed 'Redstone': a batch of high-powered, small-volume portable alchemical bombs were smuggled from the Pelican Bar to Avalon.
"As far as I know, Avalon doesn't have the conditions to produce portable alchemical bombs. Avalon's alchemy started so late that even explosives for mining and blasting have to be imported. This alchemical bomb can only be a new invention created by the alchemists of the Star Antimony people. Moreover, the Pelican Bar was openly investigated as a 'smuggling den', which confirms my opinion.
"So I have a bold guess. Perhaps the Noble Red Society, a folk association composed of Avalonians, was an organization supported by the Star Antimony Kingdom from the very beginning."
"Indeed." Aiwass nodded in agreement.
"Not only that, Aiwass. I followed this idea and tried to research the history of the Noble Red Knot, but I found nothing. So I realized something—the Noble Red Knot probably changed its name."
As Sherlock spoke, he crossed his legs and tapped the table rhythmically, his cheeks flushed slightly. Under the gaze of the four people, he leaned back proudly. "Under what circumstances would an illegal supernatural organization suddenly change its name? Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that they suddenly went crazy. But considering the scale of the Noble Red Society, I tend to think that a name change makes sense... perhaps a change of ownership.
"So I turned my attention to investigating the Transcendental Path Society outside of the Noble Red Order, and discovered the 'Scaleless Hand' that had gradually vanished fifty years ago. I've confirmed that they are the same organization. While investigating the Scaleless Hand, I noticed the name of one of its founders: Jacob Alexander, who died of typhoid fever fourteen years ago... Before that, I had just investigated you, Aiwass. At that time, I was very sensitive to both 'Alexander' and 'fourteen years ago.'
"Yes, Aiwass... He is your grandfather. When I got to this point, the truth came together easily in my mind."
Sherlock put down his half-empty glass and looked at Bishop Mathers, his voice a little louder than usual: "So, I don't quite agree with what you said before. I tend to think that the statement put forward by the Supervisory Bureau is the truth, but it just concealed some facts.
"Jacob Alexander may have hidden secrets in an unpublished poem. His eldest son had already died, and his second son, Julio, had embarked on a path of devotion. The Noble Red became Avalon's largest and only folk society for transcendental paths, effectively extinguishing the lineage of the incantation master."
"In other words, he had a motive for leaving a secret. However, I'm more inclined to believe that he realized 'Alexander' was cursed and wanted to leave some evidence and clues. But in the end, someone followed the curse and discovered the evidence and erased it.
"The Hook Demon can teleport according to the curse. If he somehow hid his whereabouts but was cursed by blood, it would explain why old Jacob, who lived in a remote village, was attacked and all the manuscripts were stolen."
Having said that, Sherlock, with a noticeable blush on his face, looked at Aiwass with his piercing eyes and said firmly, "I'm right, aren't I...Mr. Fox."
Hearing this, Aiwass blinked and remained silent.
He simply asked, “How did you guess that?”
"It's simple, because I guessed you'd already reached the second level. I guessed it just by looking at the timing—when I went to the Temple of Silver and Tin to pick you up, Her Highness the Princess told me, 'The matter with Mr. Fox can be put aside for now.' Looking back now, she must have recognized your identity at that moment.
"Please don't look at me like that, Mr. Bishop. I didn't eavesdrop on your conversation. I learned this by deduction."
After only drinking half a glass of wine, the drunk detective was humming a tuneless tune happily.
Without waiting for others to ask, he answered on his own: "You gave the key to the chapel to Aiwass. I know this. It was you who led Aiwass into the extraordinary path. When he came home that day, I met Aiwass and saw the key in his wheelchair. I remembered it then.
"And when you saw the news, you weren't shocked or surprised about Aiwass, but rather visibly angry. It felt like you'd been betrayed. I guess you believed Aiwass couldn't wield the sword, so you suspected he had another hidden supernatural profession.
"But when I came down, I saw you guys chatting happily, even discussing some secret past events. This can only mean that you've confirmed that Aiwass has indeed reached the second level."
Sherlock smiled and said, "What I'm saying is... you're worrying too much. I can confirm that Mr. Aiwass is a newcomer to the Path of Transcendence. He participated in his first advancement ceremony a week ago, the same ceremony where I advanced to the Path of Wisdom. He's a true genius, a genius of the Path of Dedication... That's not a bad thing. It's much better than being a genius of the Path of Transcendence."
——What if I am all of them?
Aiwass raised his eyebrows and asked in his heart.
After Sherlock recognized Aiwass, his vigilance and resistance to the "fox" were immediately swept away. He did not feel embarrassed for not recognizing him, but admired Aiwass's disguise.
Sherlock sighed, "Thinking carefully, you've already left a lot of flaws. Your understanding of poetry and song, and that playboy temperament... coupled with the princess's fondness for you, I should have recognized you long ago. I was too arrogant not to recognize you—I was so sure of my initial reasoning that I denied other possibilities. My thoughts were also influenced by the transcendent path."
After drinking too much, Sherlock showed more and more clearly his cheerfulness and enthusiasm, which was completely different from his usual cold and reserved appearance. He invited warmly, "I have an idea, Aiwass! You will definitely like such an adventure... When you and Haina have a holiday, it will be almost the New Year, and she will definitely go home. Why don't we go back with her and investigate the real cause of your grandfather's death together?"
"Haven't you already checked it out?" Aiwass asked back.
"That's just second-hand information, Mr. Fox. You're still not rigorous enough and overlooked some details."
Sherlock was excited, his words filled with childlike curiosity and boasting of his own talents. "After all, it was only the Hook Demon who could teleport, not a true demonologist. I believe your grandfather must have left other clues that were not completely destroyed by the demons... After all, he knew those demonologists and should be familiar with their methods.
"—Why, you're not interested in this?"
"I am indeed interested...just one question, Sherlock."
Aiwass shook his head: "What about Yulia?"
"Then take her with you. You're a second-level priest. And your vacation is almost mid-month. You might even be promoted again—this complex investigation has helped me advance my wisdom very smoothly. I have a feeling I'll definitely reach the third level by the middle of next month. You're such a genius, you advanced in just one day... You can't be slower than me, right?"
Sherlock excitedly encouraged Aiwass, his face completely red. "Third-level priest, what are you afraid of? Aren't you interested in your grandfather's secret?"
——You’re not drunk, are you?
Aiwass finally realized something was wrong.
This young man, who is already 26 years old, now looks as pure and happy as a teenager who has discovered a fun game.
If he had not embarked on the path of authoritarianism back then, perhaps Sherlock would be like this now.
Aiwass finally understood why he said he didn't drink anymore - he really couldn't touch alcohol.
Although brandy is about 40 degrees, that glass of hot apple brandy contains at least two-thirds apple juice, and it is only the amount of a slightly larger teacup.
Sherlock has only drunk half a cup... Can this cup be 100 milliliters?
This alcohol tolerance is probably equivalent to passing out after drinking half a bottle of beer, right?
How can an adult drink so much? Aren't you a transcendent?
"...You'd better not drink next time, Sherlock."
Aiwass advised sincerely, "As for going to Eagle Cape Village... I think we still have to ask Senior Haina, don't we?"
An update of more than 7,000 words~
(End of this chapter)
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