Chapter 518 The Thirteenth Ring
Aiwass felt that if he hadn't shown his affinity for unicorns, Gray would have also planned to let Pegasus carry him.
As the Pope's spokesperson, she was clearly very well-known in the Eternal Kingdom...probably even more famous than Aiwass in Avalon. Using her status to guide Aiwass up the social ladder would only make him famous. And she could sense that Aiwass wasn't the type to crave fame.
This was probably why she had brought three groups of the Papal Guard with her. On the one hand, "seven" was the sacred number of the Silver Crown Dragon; on the other hand, this was essentially to have these Papal Guards act as drivers for Aiwass and his entourage.
As they soared, a rainbow-colored light emanated from the unicorn, and a golden light from the Pegasus. These lights formed a translucent shield, blocking the cold air... Aiwass didn't even feel the chill and impact of the oncoming airflow.
Not long after, they arrived at the thirteenth floor.
We are already high in the sky, and the pure white clouds are so close to us that they seem to be within reach, like the ceiling.
Logically speaking, you should feel cold and lack of oxygen at this altitude.
However, Aiwass did not feel anything unusual at all - he even felt that the oxygen had become more abundant.
As soon as he stepped onto the thirteenth ring, Aiwass clearly felt the atmosphere and layout were completely different from the first ring.
The natural light here was much weaker than in the sunlit First Ring, but torches were lit everywhere, making it look like a large library.
The torch burned quietly with a deep red flame, without even a tremor.
It was as if the flames were completely oblivious to the tremors of the airflow, remaining as stable as a textured image.
The main color here is tan.
The space here was vast, even larger than a football field at first glance. Not far from where they landed, there were numerous tables and chairs, as well as a large number of bookshelves. They were all made of wood, and the color matched the floor perfectly.
But there are very few elves here.
There were only about a dozen people, sparsely populated. Each table could hold at least four people, but all the elves sat at their own table. A candle was lit on every occupied desk, and the elves sat there quietly reading.
Even though they saw the Pope's guards and Her Highness the Saint from afar, no one stood up and their expressions were completely blank.
They simply touched their foreheads and shoulders with their hands and nodded slightly—that was considered a greeting. Some even didn't even glance at him, just looking down at their books.
Sherlock's eyes widened immediately: "So... is this how elves usually get along?"
——This is almost impossible in Avalon.
Her Highness the Saint's status was likely even higher than Minister Moriarty's. And let alone Minister Moriarty, any minister appearing somewhere in armor and riding a griffin would instantly become the center of attention.
"That's normal...Mr. Hermes."
Gray spoke up herself, "Strictly speaking, among us elves, there are no class distinctions. People respect me, or the Pope's Guards, simply because they respect His Holiness. They respect His Holiness because they respect their faith... and the Ennead.
"I am a spokesperson, but I am just a spokesperson. In fact, I don't have any power."
——Not necessarily.
Aiwass added secretly in his heart.
The Eternal Kingdom is essentially a society based on favors, and Her Highness the Saint's favors are clearly quite valuable...
Elves have few desires and produce a significant surplus. With their daily needs fully met, their only real need is for someone to do something special for them.
In other words, it is the time to buy and sell.
This kind of "time" is the currency of the Eternal Theocracy.
Watching Sherlock and Lily being gently lowered from the Pegasus by the guards, Aiwass subconsciously tried to get off the unicorn, but Gray grabbed Aiwass's waist and pulled him back.
"Don't run around, Aiwass."
Gray said seriously, "The Thirteenth Ring is very large and the architecture is complex. If you get lost, it will be difficult for me to find you. Since Lady Pansy can accept your touch, then you can stay here with peace of mind."
"...What about Sherlock and Lily?" Aiwass was a little dissatisfied for a moment.
It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable sitting on the unicorn's back...it was mainly because the Grey Saint was too close to him.
Before, Aiwass would have had no reaction to this and would have probably just laid back comfortably. But now that he and Isabel were in a relationship, he felt uneasy sitting there.
"As long as you are here, they won't run around."
Gray replied calmly.
You're right... You're absolutely right, Aiwass thought.
Soon, Aiwass knew why Sherlock and Lily were put down.
After they all passed through a emerald green screen of light, the Pope's guards bowed and left, while the Saint led them through increasingly complex corridors.
The corridor looked like a series of rings that continued to spiral inwards... like a snail's shell. And the place where they had just landed was the entrance to the snail's shell.
As they continued to go deeper, Sherlock discovered that this floor seemed to be filled with all kinds of books.
The corridors here are not narrow, and their width is about the same as that of a museum exhibition hall... and there are plenty of tables and chairs in every place.
As they walked forward, they could see specimen after specimen being fixed in the air by layers of halos.
Dragon's Heart Cross-Section - Sample A1
Adult Smaug Scorpion - Sample G2
The Man-Eating Rabbit and His Family - Sample A1
…
Sherlock was dazzled.
Suddenly, he felt like he was back in his childhood... the feeling of visiting a museum for the first time. He also understood why Her Highness the Saint didn't let Aiwass run around.
——If it weren’t for keeping up with Aiwass, he would have wanted to run away!
After walking a little further and passing a green screen, there were still various books around, but the style of the specimens had changed.
Calendar 1765 - Steam Engine Prototype (Human)
Calendar Year 874 - Stone Golem First Generation (Human)
Lunar Calendar Year 322 - Lightforge Prototype (Dwarf)
…
Why a lunar calendar? What does a lunar calendar mean?
A question popped up in Sherlock's mind.
But as he continued to move forward, he began to see something completely different from before—
Amber Year 3266 - Elixir of Life (Snake Man)
Amber Calendar Year 4315 - Heroes' Banquet (Dragon)
Amber Calendar 2389 - Crystal Guardian (Elf)
This is……
An invention before Hengwo was born!
Sherlock's curiosity was instantly aroused!
He finally understood what the thirteenth ring meant.
It carries almost the entire history of the elves to date.
But Sherlock didn't know about the intersection of the Amber Calendar and the lunar calendar. He saw the last invention, which was a water purification device invented by the Lizard Man in the year 6449 of the Amber Calendar.
In that case, the history of the elves seems to be less than 10,000 years?
In terms of the elves' lifespan, it's only about a dozen generations...
Just as Sherlock was thinking this, they passed by a green light curtain again.
This area is even quieter than the previous one.
Sherlock couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.
Not only him, but Lily also subconsciously paused. Even Aiwass held his breath.
Because there are densely packed crystal sculptures here.
Some are painting, some are sculpting, some are farming, some are making medicine, some are writing... Everyone is working. Some are red, some are yellow, some are purple... Even the colors of the gems are completely different.
And all these crystal sculptures are elves.
Below them were written their names, dates of birth, and... the time and reason for the amber formation.
Suddenly, Aiwas saw a somewhat familiar figure.
He couldn't help but whisper - it was too quiet here, like a library. He subconsciously lowered his voice:
"...Master Yanis?"
"Um?"
Hearing Aiwass's call, Janice, who was standing quietly in front of a painter's sculpture, suddenly turned around in surprise: "Aiwass...?"
Chapter 2 will be around 6 o'clock! I already have a few hundred words, I'll post it when I finish it
(End of this chapter)
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