Chapter 484 I Will Survive
Bishop Mathers's proposal was quickly rejected by Aiwass.
There is no benefit for them in imprisoning Master Nobel - the alchemical mixture is just a potion in the hands of others, but in the hands of an alchemist it can produce unique effects.
And now, they need help. Neither Aiwass nor Isabel rejects the Path of Balance, so they can accept the help from the Stranger.
After appeasing Bishop Mathers, Aiwass obtained the fragment of the red-handled sword from him.
With the familiar weapon back in his hands, Aiwass felt much more at ease.
So Aiwas found Isabel again and told her all the arrangements for the future.
"It's time to get ready to go," Aiwass said seriously. "Take Shafiya with you, and my father too—Oswald will protect him after all, and he can protect you with him. Diomedes is also yours, take them all with you..."
"Originally, you would have encountered danger on your way to the Theocracy. But that was based on the assumption that Madam Shafiya was dead and we were going alone. Now that Shafiya has been rescued by us, with her protection, you shouldn't have too many problems. I plan to have Bishop Mathers and Master Nobel accompany you... Sherlock and I will stay here. I'll keep an eye on him."
"...What about you?"
Isabel looked at Aiwass, but simply asked, "Do you have to perform the Shadow of Avalon ceremony?"
They now have a tacit understanding with each other, and Isabel has guessed what Aiwass wants to do.
When Aiwass suddenly mentioned the Ceremony of the Shadow of Avalon, Isabel felt something was wrong.
"You said there was something wrong with that ceremony, didn't you?"
Isabel wanted to stop Aiwass: "If you want to ensure your promotion...we just need to identify that fake Sherlock, right?
"I think your father seems to have guessed that this is a promotion ceremony. By hinting, perhaps we can get him to help us get rid of that troublesome 'advisor'."
"The advisor must be killed."
Aiwass replied, "If he were to be discovered and die, his soul would be damaged, but he wouldn't necessarily die. So I intend to kill him more cleanly.
"This will either severely damage his soul or kill him outright. Either way, he won't retain enough memories... Our previous performance, while flawless at the moment, will be exposed if he realizes that Aiwass is 'Fox' or Isabel is 'Lulu'. All the information we passed on to him will be exposed."
"...You mean, the one at the end of the promotion ceremony..."
Isabel reacted.
The editing of that "highlight clip" is likely to include Isabel and Aiwass.
"But what if he shared these details with his two students?"
Isabel had a new doubt.
"No," Aiwass confirmed. "They can't remember so much. I didn't reveal any secrets directly. Everything we said must be analyzed in conjunction with real-world intelligence to yield useful results. If he told the students the original text directly, they would miss a sentence or two and the meaning would be completely different. Furthermore, they don't have the authority to access Avalon's secrets, nor do they have enough experience and life experience to analyze it independently.
"That's why he'll definitely hand over the intelligence he's summarized to them. Even if he mentions us, as long as we silence him, there won't be any evidence against him."
"...After all, it's four days, right?"
Isabel also understood. "If they don't want to be discovered, they can't write these things down. So the information they can finally write down won't be too much. It must be a summary."
"That's right."
Aiwass nodded. "But I don't plan to delay the ceremony until the fourth day... I plan to finish the promotion ceremony on the second day."
"You took the Dream-Intoxicating Tincture, right? The dream should last for four days?"
Isabel was a little worried. "Is your dream unstable? Do you want me to go to the Church at full speed?"
"I ate it. I'm fine. I was just thinking about other things..."
Aiwas sighed helplessly: "If it were any other Pillar God, I wouldn't have any objections... but this is the stage created by the Lord of Scales and Feathers."
As a pastor, his professional knowledge is theology.
Of course, he knew the differences in personality and personal preferences of these pillar gods.
The Lord of Scales and Feathers loves to see stories of mortals surviving through hardships and dangers.
A little girl with burns all over her body after a fire, yet still trying to survive; a soldier shot dozens of times in war, with multiple limbs disabled, yet still trying to survive; a hunter who struggles to bring those around him through the cold and hunger caused by heavy snow or drought...
These people may all receive the blessing of the Lord of Scales and Feathers and become His apostles.
He is the God who faces danger, tastes suffering, and sings the praises of hope.
Adaptation is not about escaping, but about overcoming. Just like the principle of bionics, it is a victory for the weak.
This can be seen in the character of his apostle Akpolis – this savior, commonly known as the "military doctor," will equally save all who desire to be saved. He often appears on the battlefield in the form of a dove, saving soldiers with a strong desire to live; occasionally, he transforms into a sparrow to kiss terminally ill patients, granting the miracle of life to those who are terminally ill but still strive to live.
Given the Lord of Scales and Feathers' personality, this ritual would either become increasingly intense or present dangers that would require courage to resolve. Furthermore, no place was completely safe.
The reason why Aiwass saved so many people was to ensure that Isabel could reach the Theocracy safely.
And Aiwass planned to stay on Glass Island until the end.
"If we delay until the last day, I'll be in great danger. So I hope you can reach the Theocracy before dawn on the third day. But it's best not to be too fast, because I still need to look for Olive. Or rather, I need to wait for Olive to find me."
Aiwass looked at Isabel seriously: "Although we go through the promotion ceremony to obtain the blessing of the Pillar God and increase our 'level', the promotion ceremony is still essentially for 'simulation'.
"Since this is a simulation, we naturally have to test things that can't be tested in the real world. Take, for example, 'Shadow of Avalon.' I can't use the Queen's Blood to perform the ritual myself, so I need the help of other ritualists. I don't know what will happen after Shadow of Avalon is completed... so I plan to complete the ritual at dusk tomorrow, and you will enter the Theocracy after dark."
Aiwass gave Isabel instructions: "We'll act separately. We won't be able to communicate in between, so we'll have to rely on tacit understanding. So I can't ask anyone else to stay here for me... Only if I stay here alone can I feel at ease. Only if you control the time of your departure to the Theocracy can I feel at ease as well."
"...As expected, Olive is Master Iben, right?"
Isabel finally decided.
If Olive was anyone else, Aiwass would never trust him so much, let alone tell him the secret of Shadow of Avalon.
"Well," Aiwass nodded slowly, "The only problem is that this plan will put Mr. Iben in danger. But I will also try my best to protect him..."
"—You have to protect yourself, Aiwass."
Isabel interrupted Aiwass and said seriously.
Knowing that Aiwass had someone close to him, Isabel relaxed a little.
She joked and whispered, "Don't forget... we have a date tomorrow night. You must survive, Aiwass."
"No promotion ceremony is ever completely safe... but I'm sure I'll survive."
Aiwass smiled and said, "After all, my side is not completely empty. At least Leah is still following me."
"——Who is Leah?" Isabel was a little wary.
"The Flame-Defying Butterfly. That's the name I just gave her. Does it sound nice?"
"It's okay."
Isabel vaguely skipped over the topic.
She then asked, "Do you know how the Shadow of Avalon ceremony is performed? Do you want me to tell you?"
Although she was still a little uneasy, she chose to trust Aiwass.
Silver Crown Dragon, Twin Mirrors...
I hope you can keep an eye on Aiwass. May he be safe.
"Then it requires...Mr. Lulu's careful teaching."
Aiwass grabbed Isabel's wrist and chuckled softly in her ear.
But in fact, Aiwass is not as stable as he appears.
The copy made by the Lord of Scales and Feathers himself... is definitely not that simple.
He wasn't worried about his own safety. He could survive anyway; the worst that could happen was forgoing the Shadow of Avalon Ritual. This was just an experiment, and also a way to gain points. But when it came down to his own and his friends' safety, he knew what to do.
Everything seems to be going well at the moment, but that is all because of Aiwass's intelligence advantage, which allows him to choose the best possible option in every event.
But Isabel...
Aiwass could only do his best and pass on all the teammates he found and rescued to her.
"I call upon the Lord of Scales and Feathers, the god whose sacred number is six. The god adorned with scales and feathers, the god of a thousand garments and forms..."
Aiwass also prayed silently in his heart: "I hope Isabel will be safe."
And at this moment.
In an area of the dream world, nine transparent souls sat on marble chairs, lowered their heads and entered a dream within a dream.
Akpolis stood between them, idly fiddling with the little snake on his staff, occasionally glancing at their progress.
He suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"—Please stop, Miss Enyo."
Akpolis said slowly.
Not far away, a red-haired girl wearing light armor and covered in blood quietly emerged.
Holding an invisible hammer transformed from a hurricane, she walked towards Aiwas's spirit with bloody steps.
When she appeared, a storm filled with the smell of blood swept around her.
"Stop."
Akpolis warned again.
He raised the snake staff in his hand and looked coldly at Xiong Tiansi's apostle, "City Breaker" Enyo.
"I don't want to say it a third time."
Update completed! Please vote at the beginning of the month!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
