Chapter 988 Man-made Fear
Just in case, Aiwass gave Sherlock's letter to Mycroft.
Now that the Grand Chancellor of Avalon has retired due to old age, Mycroft, as the Privy Councilor, has basically become the most powerful official in Avalon "second only to the second".
Mycroft gradually adapted to his new job and no longer complained to Isabel about the busy work every day.
This is not because he has adapted to the intensity of the job, but because he has found a group of trustworthy young people and gradually transferred key powers to them.
In other words, Mycroft has now formed his own team and clarified the new management system - the efficiency of its operation is at least much more efficient than that of the old Queen's reign. Therefore, Mycroft is not so busy.
He returned to his "Barrel Club" and quietly read and studied with his fellow twilight path enthusiasts, busying himself with his own work. Here, no one was allowed to talk to others, let alone ask or pay attention to what others were doing... Even Mycroft, the Privy Councilor, was the same.
After seeing the letter Sherlock sent to Aiwass, he was slightly stunned, then suddenly raised his head and looked at Aiwass.
This man, who looked like a fat seal, with a serene smile, a mustache, a round head and a habit of patting his belly, jumped up from the sofa in an instant and rushed out in a hurry, pulling Aiwass with him.
As he left the club, he spoke rapidly, as if he had been released from a mute state: "Let's not talk about anything else for now - I think you should already know what problem Sherlock is facing, right? Otherwise, you probably wouldn't come to me at this time..."
"really."
Aiwass nodded. "I think he's probably being held captive at the Duke of Vendôme's palace. They probably want him to uncover the truth about some case... It goes without saying, it's probably something involving the former royal family of Fleur-de-L'Iris or the current parliament."
Mycroft reached out and pulled Aiwass, and his thick, short legs trotted and swayed rapidly, muttering incessantly in long, complex sentences that were difficult to understand, with great speed and clarity:
"As you know, Iris is theoretically a 'Quadrule of Four Dukes'—it was originally pieced together by the Grand Duke of Iris, the Duke of Vendôme, the Duke of Beaufort, and the Duke of Harcourt. Later, the Grand Duke of Iris founded a country and formed a kingdom, but even so, the other three dukes still retained the right to recruit troops and mint coins.
"As everyone knows, the Iris' 'Thirteen Rebellions' were essentially a humorous series—now in their fourteenth. Although the mob beheaded the Iris King during the third rebellion, also known as the 'Third Rebellion,' stripped the nobles of their lands and titles, and plundered the estates and personal wealth of some minor nobles from other regions...the inheritance, lineage, power, and wealth of the three great dukes remained unaffected.
"According to the Inspectorate's Intelligence Bureau's investigation, the three Dukes were actually behind this uprising, so they didn't seriously suppress it. The 'hot-blooded young man Louisoix,' who first stormed the palace, captured the entire family of the Iris King, and forcibly beheaded them all that day, disappeared without a trace after the new Citizens' Council was established.
"Iris no longer has any open nobility—even if the previous noble families survived the Fourteenth Rebellion, they can no longer publicly declare themselves 'Viscount So-and-so' or 'Count So-and-so'. The three dukes are the only exceptions. They truly have their own armies... Even the Moon Child-controlled parliament dares not conflict with them. From this perspective, Iris has effectively become a new nation governed by the three dukes...
"The three great dukes each have their own fully independent, fully staffed armies of extraordinary individuals, independent of state command. They have their own territories and can establish new laws within them according to their own needs. Although citizen councils have been symbolically established in these territories, their members are primarily composed of people sent by the lords. It can be said that this is actually a country within the country of Iris.
"If Sherlock's investigation might have encountered any danger or touched upon any taboo, it could only have come from here—the Duke of Vendôme was a staunch royalist back then, so the possibility of them being involved in the 'Third Rebellion' is minimal. The fact that they were allowed to conduct a private investigation suggests the pressure most likely came from the other two families... Because even if Parliament itself turned against Sherlock, the Duke of Vendôme could protect him..."
Mycroft ran forward at a rapid pace, spouting secret information which Aiwass either knew or did not know.
Although he had never been to Iris, he was well aware of its complex political situation—he even knew how well Aiwass knew it. He had gradually discovered this by observing Aiwass's conversations with Isabel and Aiwass's opinions on government decrees.
"...But if that's the case," Aiwass asked in a low voice, "there seems to be no need to kidnap or silence them at all."
"So I believe there must be a greater secret hidden in it. Even the extinction of the Iris family is likely related to it - that may be just a symptom, not the purpose itself..."
Mycroft looked short-legged, but he ran very fast. He pulled Aiwass and quickly ran to the apartment that Sherlock had rented before.
He greeted the landlady politely, asked for the spare key, and went upstairs. Aiwass also smiled and exchanged a few words with the enthusiastic landlady, then followed.
"Didn't Sherlock move back in with you?"
Aiwass asked doubtfully.
"Indeed," Mycroft replied, "but he didn't take all the information with him. Sherlock is like a squirrel; he always likes to bury his pine nuts in a scattered manner. The only difference is that he is a little smarter than a squirrel. So even if one of the pine nuts is stolen or lost, he can always find a backup somewhere else, or put the encrypted files in different places so that they cannot be deciphered... Oh, I found it."
Mycroft said this as he rummaged through papers in the dusty bookshelves.
He quickly found a file bag with the words "Speculations on the 'Third Treason Case'" written on the outside.
When I opened it, there was no file inside.
In other words, there were only a few thin sheets of paper inside. They looked like they had been torn from a book, and they were even of varying sizes. There were traces of typed notes on them, with outlines and strange numbers.
"F147", "D32", "C90".
There are three numbers like this on three pieces of paper.
Aiwass looked at Mycroft thoughtfully. "Is this... a page?"
Mycroft spoke frankly, "That's right. With Sherlock's memory, just seeing one page of a book will allow him to instantly recall the entire content. Therefore, the information he left behind is actually the sixth line of page 147 of 'The Hellasser Empire - From Peak to Decline', the fourth line of page 32 of 'A Little Soldier', and the third line of page 90 of 'On Fear - The Cyclic Deterrence of Curses and Ritual' - very simple puzzle keys, even if you see them, you will quickly guess the truth - I don't mean any harm, sir."
“…No wonder he asked me to find you.”
Aiwass suddenly realized: "Is the next step to find those books?"
You found the right one!
"Just by comparing this code, can we find the real information he left behind?"
"No," said Mycroft calmly, shaking his head, "for I remember the contents of those books, too. I saw at a glance that he had left no intelligence of any particular value.
"The information Sherlock left behind is:
"'The open worship of demons gradually made the Imperials less afraid of them. The previous fear was too frequent, paralyzing their ability to warn of real crises. However, this worship itself created a new dependence.' 'He was so frightened that he pulled the trigger all the way down, emptying the gun's ammunition in one breath.' 'It was that fear that sharpened the blade of imagination and made ordinary words poisonous. This was the original curse.'"
"…The commonality is, 'fear'?"
Aiwass pondered, "Could it be that people suddenly killed the entire Iris royal family because of the inexplicable fear that came...?
“Does the frequent rebellions in Iris mean that this fear has never subsided?
“Is this fear man-made?”
With a broader vision, he vaguely grasped something.
Speaking of fear, it was the Blood and Shadow Celestials. To drive the Grand Duke, a pinnacle of worldly power, so mad, even after knowing Aiwass's strength and knowing Aiwass's acquaintance with Sherlock, he still dared not release him... it was probably an incident involving the power of the Celestials.
But, it seems...that this isn't the story that should happen in Iris.
The place where the Blood Sky Master was pulled down was the Narcissus Duchy; and the place where the Shadow Sky Master was pulled down should be Avalon.
Could it be that with the collapse of the Shadow of Avalon ritual, the future has taken another turn?
"I don't know," Mycroft sighed as he looked at the documents. "I think he went to Iris to investigate because he was curious about the truth behind this matter. Compared to the letter sent by his friend, I think this is his real motive.
"Since this matter may involve the Celestial Being... For Sherlock's safety, I hope you won't cause too much commotion when you go to rescue Sherlock. It's best to hide your identity—rescue him first and then perform your divine act.
"...The death of the Fallen Angels, while instilling awe in people, also planted the seeds of rebellion—the possibility of rebellion against the gods. If a person thinks too highly of themselves, they will become insane; if they remain insane for too long, they will eventually face destruction. I don't care whether those lunatics live or die; I'm only concerned for Sherlock's safety."
"I see."
Aiwass nodded seriously. "In that case, whether we take the boat or the griffin, we could be discovered. In that case, he might do something irreversible in his panic and madness... To avoid that, I plan to pray to Merlin to teleport me directly there."
He didn't say anything like "Actually, even if something happens to Sherlock, I can resurrect him."
The Sin Beast's conversion rate isn't a negative state, but rather a "countdown to godhood," so its progress isn't reset after resurrection. Currently, it's still 15% away from becoming a deer.
But even if Aiwass still had enough conversion rate, he would not say such rude words again.
Life and death are inherently heavy. Resurrecting or killing someone at will is equivalent in its arrogance and hubris; both treat the precious life of another person, a single one, as consumable.
Maybe Aiwass would do something like this when he first gained this power, but he has long since come to his senses... This is definitely not something to brag about or publicize.
He finally understood why Master Chongbo never advertised his resurrection abilities... Because simply knowing this would make those who fought to survive feel their persistence was ridiculous. And destroying someone's will to live was tantamount to murder.
Miracles—never something that should be promoted.
So Aiwass simply said, "I will bring Sherlock back safe and sound, Mr. Mycroft. Please wait a moment—I'll change my clothes and hairstyle and then I'll be off, teleporting directly to Iris."
"I'm counting on you, Lord Aiwass."
Mycroft sighed, somewhat helplessly, yet full of trust: "This is my only brother... Please."
"What a coincidence! I don't have many friends, and this seems to be the only one," Aiwass replied calmly. "I was counting on him to attend my wedding."
Update completed meow!
After three days of rest, I managed to get back to my normal routine and woke up at seven this morning!
I have been writing until now, and it’s just getting dark when I get off work!
Then I recommend the chapter of my friend’s new book~
My Girlfriend Died in the Past
"You said you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"She's beautiful, has a great figure, and a perfect temperament. Her family is very wealthy. Why doesn't she want you to have a car and a house, or even a betrothal gift?"
"That's right."
"Besides that, she also washes your clothes and cooks for you, and even boils water for you to wash your feet?"
"That's right, I don't know how many lifetimes I've cultivated to get this blessing."
"Then you are indeed lucky. I am a little envious of you."
The doctor recorded it in the medical record and turned back to tell the nurse:
"The condition has worsened again, remember to increase the dosage."
(End of this chapter)
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