Chapter 19: The Palace of Silver and Tin
Haina was stunned for a moment, then she realized with fear what she had said.
Fortunately, she asked this question to Mr. Sherlock instead of Director Kent!
"As for why I didn't join the Supervisory Bureau..."
Sherlock said calmly, "Because you and I are similar yet different, I can't go far either. In this world, the more talented and outstanding a person is, the higher he or she will go. I understood this when I graduated."
"……What's the meaning?"
"It means I'm like you. I prefer other paths to the path of authority."
The black-haired young man spoke frankly, unafraid, "What I requested from Mr. Kent were the mysterious books of the Path of Wisdom. I helped him resolve a problem, and he gave me the banned books in his personal capacity—it was a fair trade, mutually beneficial. Now, my Second Path is almost reaching the second energy level... Compared to the Path of Authority, the Path of Wisdom is the path I truly aspire to."
"but……"
Haina wanted to say something else.
But her intuition was suddenly triggered, so she immediately became alert and kept silent.
The two men faced each other in silence for five or six seconds before a middle-aged man, panting, ran over from the corner.
"Haina—I finally found you. I've been looking for you for ages! Hey, Consultant Sherlock is here too! Great! The director is looking for you!"
"What's the matter, Mr. Kent?"
Sherlock asked bluntly, "I have other things to do right now."
"He didn't say... but I think you should go and take a look. It won't take long, will it?"
The middle-aged man said with a smile: "You also know, Mr. Sherlock - if it was something boring, the director would not have specially invited you here, right?"
"Okay."
Sherlock nodded in agreement.
After he said that, he looked at Haena beside him and said, “This is another reason.
"I am an active person. If I have nothing to do, I will be restless... But if I am asked to do ordinary, repetitive work, I will get bored. I need difficult problems and strong enemies to excite me.
"Your daily patrols are too boring. I'd rather spend my time reading a few books or doing some experiments. Even if I could travel alone like a wandering monk, it would be much more meaningful than the repetitive days.
"I don't want fame or achievements. I just want work that allows me to use my wisdom and give me an outlet for my untapped energy - and satisfy my curiosity. That's why I'm working with you."
"All right, Mr. Sherlock."
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly: "You'd better leave quickly - the sooner you finish listening to the director's instructions, the sooner you can do your own work, right?"
Sherlock said nothing and walked towards Director Kent's office.
The other side.
In the center of Glass Island, the capital of Avalon, is a lake that is crystal clear and looks like a sapphire.
The royal family of the Kingdom of Avalon resides in the center of the lake, on an island within an island—the capital, Glass Island. Blessed by the Silver Crown Dragon, it is a palace of silver and tin, with glass steps. On clear days, it blazes with brilliant flames, while even on cloudy days, it emits a soft, dreamy glow.
In the Hall of Silver and Tin, a blonde and blue-eyed girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old was quietly flipping through today's edition of The Glass Steps.
She seemed to possess elven blood, appearing younger than her actual age. Her features were gentle, her back straight, and the smooth nape of her neck, revealed by her dress, reflected the sun's radiance alongside the silver and tin palace she inhabited. She possessed the quiet aura of an artistic young woman, her eyes as still as water.
A spirit who looked to be in her twenties or thirties, possessing both the mature charm of a woman and the innocence of a young girl, was sitting opposite the girl, smiling broadly, her hands resting on her chin. She had a distinct artistic aura—not an illusion, but the influence of her path to beauty.
"I didn't lie to you, did I, my little princess?"
The elf artist smiled and said, "I told you yesterday that I saw a very handsome man. I specially gave him a full twelve seconds this time just to preserve that crucial smile.
"My aesthetic is absolutely perfect—that smile is key; it preserves his charm to the greatest extent possible. Honestly, I'd even like to paint him. But I don't think there's any rush; I'll definitely have the chance to get to know him better in the future."
"……really."
The girl nodded quietly. "Teacher Janice is right. Mr. Aiwass's smile reminds me of the sun."
"He's the same age as me, at the same level of cultivation, yet he personally led a team to capture a demonologist far more powerful than himself... His investigation, judgment, and reasoning were flawless. He's truly remarkable and brave.
She whispered, "I can't do it. I'm a coward."
There was a look of longing and dejection on the girl's face.
——That is the yearning that arises from the depths of the heart when a sober and kind person sees someone of the same kind who is much stronger than himself; and the dejection when he is not jealous nor self-deceiving, but honestly recognizes the fact that he is far inferior to the other person.
“He’s amazing.”
the girl repeated.
"ah--"
Seeing her like this, Janice made a sound like teasing a puppy with affection—and a little madness at the same time. She stuffed the girl into her arms and rubbed her hair a few times: "Little Issa, you are so adorable!"
"Please call me Isabel, Teacher Janice."
Isabel whimpered, put her hands over her hair and said seriously: "Also, please don't mess up my hair——
"Besides, I don't know what's so cute about me. I'm just telling the truth."
"You're only cute when you're explaining something so seriously that it doesn't need any explanation."
"That sounds so stupid. I'm a fool."
Isabel was a little annoyed and lost: "I can't even draw well."
"You're already quite talented, Isabel."
When talking about this topic, Yanis became serious: “It’s just that the people you come into contact with are more talented than you.
"Isn't your path to beauty almost advanced? Being able to reach the second level at this age is already remarkable... And when I teach you, I use a more solid foundation. This way, although you start later, you can go further in the future."
"I think it's just because my father is Prince Albert."
Isabel lowered her head and said softly, "I am nothing special.
"If Mr. Aiwass were also a prince, he would have gone earlier and further than me."
"Evans is a special case. You don't have to think too much about it. Even Her Majesty the Queen read the newspaper and said he was an amazing young man... There's no need to compare yourself with someone like that."
“…Grandma too?!”
Isabel was astonished. "Grandma rarely praises people... Is that demonologist really that powerful?"
"It wasn't his combat abilities, or even his search abilities. What Her Majesty valued was his decisiveness in firing those two shots. Although those two shots only killed a second-level demonologist, they actually demonstrated his exceptional and swift judgment, his absolute confidence in his own judgment, and his steady execution."
"Her Majesty the Queen herself said he has the bearing of a great general. Don't you think about it? It must have been with her approval that I dared to put him on the front page, giving him such a large space. It's because Her Majesty the Queen said that the young people of the kingdom should learn from him—even though I don't think they will learn, but it's good for everyone to see a handsome young man."
Janice shook her head helplessly: "You only compare yourself to the strongest people, but every time you lose, you immediately retreat in self-abasement. You should change your habit of doing that."
"I feel that if we are to compare ourselves with people of the same age, we must compare ourselves with the strongest ones."
Princess Isabel said seriously, "Because I enjoy the best resources, if I can't become the best, it would be a waste of resources. They should be given to those who need them more."
“…You.”
Janice sighed, feeling that Princess Isabel was surprisingly stubborn.
"By the way, Teacher Janice."
Isabel suddenly asked, "What did Mr. Aiwass see at that time? What was he waving to?"
“Actually, I wasn’t there either.”
Janice shook her head. “But I asked the cameraman. He said it was a little girl selling flowers nearby.
"That girl called him 'a very gentle big brother.' I think he must have politely bought her a bouquet of flowers earlier. Aiwass is indeed a very polite young man - if there is a chance, you can invite him to sit in the Palace of Silver and Tin. Talk about what happened at that time, and what he thought and how he judged it... I think it would be very interesting. And Her Majesty would probably allow it.
"—You must be looking forward to it too, right, Isabel?"
Isabel didn't reply, but clenched her fists slightly and opened her beautiful emerald eyes with a child's longing.
It is particularly important to follow up on the new book every Monday and Tuesday, so remember to follow up!
(End of this chapter)
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