Chapter 527: Reynard the Fox's Lies
It was almost dusk when Aiwass took Lily and Sherlock back down to the first circle.
Although Aiwass had caused quite a stir here a few hours ago, by the time Aiwass had returned after changing into the archbishop's clothes, the turmoil here had subsided.
Not many people recognized that this frighteningly young archbishop was the young man just now.
The main reason is face blindness.
There weren't many people in the Theocracy to begin with. Even if they were human, they weren't necessarily from the Empire.
Although Avalon, Iris, and Star Antimony now speak different languages and have different customs, if they were placed in five hundred years ago, they were actually all one family. Essentially, they were all Hellas people.
But humans from other places still have some face blindness when looking at Aiwass - not to mention other races.
The group returned to the first circle from the quiet high circle.
Sherlock looked at the bustling crowd and couldn't help but sigh, "If you only look at the first ring, how can you tell that this is the Eternal Kingdom of the Elves?"
Hearing this, Lily also looked up.
The streets were packed with humans, goblins, lizardmen, trolls... all kinds of races, densely packed. The streets, which had been relatively spacious at noon, were packed to the brim by dusk.
As a native of Avalon, she came up with a very appropriate metaphor:
This level of traffic is probably very suitable for pickpockets to carry out in-depth work.
If this were Avalon, there would definitely be pickpockets mixed in by now.
A strange worry suddenly arose in her heart: "If this continues, will there come a day when... the elves of the Theocracy will no longer even be the main body?"
"It's very likely—or rather, it's almost there."
Aiwass replied from the side: "After all, the elves have a low fertility rate."
Sherlock asked, "Physically, or mentally?"
"Spirit. Elves generally have a poor adaptability to the path of love, which directly leads to a lack of strong sexual desire. If both partners are indifferent, they will affect each other. Many couples don't even sleep together for decades, and most maintain a pure spiritual relationship... more like friends or roommates than husband and wife.
"Elves have only been open to the world for a few hundred years, and now they only make up half of the Theocracy's population—even though the short-lived races are basically limited to the lower five rings. Half-elves now number nearly one-third of the main elves, and roughly one-third of the short-lived races active in the Theocracy. Remember, there aren't many elves willing to marry short-lived races, and this has only been going on for a few hundred years."
"...If that's the case," Sherlock glanced at the crowd, "the elf population is probably about the same as the Glass Island population. Even if it's a little more, it's only a limited amount."
“I even suspect that the population may not be as large as that of Glass Island.”
Aiwass smiled helplessly.
Lily pondered this in her mind: "If that's the case... I'm afraid that in another hundred years, the proportion of elves will be less than one-third."
Aiwass shook his head.
The elf population has been declining for many years. The annual death toll from old age, battle, accidents, transformation into trees, and ambering far exceeds the birth rate. And yet, the influx of foreign immigrants continues.
"I'm afraid that in another fifty years, elves won't even make up one-third of the population of the Theocracy."
Sherlock figured it out easily.
He sighed a little: "I really don't know what will happen then..."
"What else could happen? The elves are so much stronger than them. Ultimately, the transcendents have the final say in this world."
Aiwass complained, "Do you want these immigrants to hold a Thanksgiving Day for the elves?"
"What?"
"nothing."
Aiwass shook his head and pulled them onto the turntable, turning it to a specific scale. If the north point was marked as 12 o'clock, this was roughly the two o'clock position. They were previously at the three o'clock position next door, not too far away.
The elves find the east to be the most beautiful, and the best position is facing the sunrise.
It was obviously Aiwas' first time to visit the Church, but he walked around so skillfully.
He even showed a nostalgic look, pointing out some scenic spots and explaining their origins to the two of them, as if he were a local here.
Sherlock became more and more convinced of his guess - Aiwass must have experienced some of the events of this era intermittently in a dream or somewhere else! That's why he knew some things he shouldn't know and saw some things he shouldn't have seen.
Lily didn't understand.
She marveled at Aiwas's proficiency. "How come you're so familiar with the terrain here...Have you looked at a map before?"
"What's the big deal?"
Aiwass shrugged it off. "If you've played Ubisoft games, you'll easily be familiar with the local terrain, even when traveling. I just know a few landmarks."
"……What?"
"Um, nothing much. I've actually seen the map before."
Sherlock noticed that Aiwass had been saying things no one could understand more frequently these past few days. If Aiwass had previously been deliberately concealing his sources, he had been gradually dropping the act these past few days.
Is he feeling lonely?
Sherlock observed Aiwass quietly, a fiery blue light burning in his pupils, and then slowly faded away.
He felt that his understanding of Aiwas's nature was getting deeper and deeper.
Because he couldn't return to his own time, and now he was forced to separate from Isabel, he wanted to speak words that no one else could understand, in order to maintain his independence. He couldn't let himself forget those memories, but he couldn't truly recall them, so he could only feel this empty nostalgia.
It's like when you break up with your ex and keep talking about her to your friends over and over again when you're drunk... You say you've let it go, but even though you keep saying you've let it go, you can't really let it go.
Sherlock had a high school classmate who was just like that, and now that person was doing business in the Church.
He could tell that Aiwass had obviously never really been here.
On the main road, Aiwass was quite decisive in finding his way, but after entering the alley, his movements became noticeably hesitant.
Aiwass would try to find landmarks first and then think for a long time.
——Sherlock has had such experience.
Once when he was handling a case, he had to analyze the background of a painting by looking at it, so as to infer which city the painter was from and where he lived.
Aiwass is more like inferring the location of a store by the relative relationship between buildings.
But in the end, Aiwas succeeded once.
He was in the right place and came to a building.
This is a house in an alley.
It is a typical store that was converted from a residential building.
There is a sign outside the house that reads "The Lies of Reynard the Fox." But from the sign alone, it is impossible to tell what the book sells.
Aiwass rang the bell at the door and then pushed the door open.
Sherlock looked up after entering the room, scanning the surroundings with his sharp eyes.
——This looks like a bookstore and a cafe.
Such a thought came to his mind.
There were bookshelves everywhere, each filled with a different kind of book. There were also four round tables, each only big enough to seat four or five people. The air was thick with the aroma of coffee, and a little girl, who looked only seven or eight, sat on a stool, quietly grinding coffee.
The little proprietress looks like an elf, with light golden hair and clear amber eyes.
There were no other guests in the space of about 20 to 30 square meters.
"A revered archbishop."
The girl saw Aiwass but did not panic.
She simply bowed respectfully to Aiwass and said in a childish but clear voice, "May the candle protect your light."
"May the candle protect you, too, Ms. Haibasha."
Aiwass also returned the greeting to the girl.
Hearing Aiwass's words, the girl raised her eyebrows, a little surprised: "Excuse me, who is your introducer...?"
"Gray told me."
Aiwass replied.
"Which Gray?"
The girl called Haibasha asked cautiously.
"The White Saint, of course," Aiwass replied gently, "She said you have some tantric books here."
"Hey, that kid..."
Haibasha shook his head and jumped down from the stool helplessly: "Please sit down, everyone. Do you want sugar in your coffee?"
"Two parts milk and one part sugar."
Aiwass said with a smile, "Excuse me, ma'am."
This person is an apostle under the command of Geometry Celestial Master of the Path of Wisdom, and is now in the same reincarnation state as Vivian.
Of course, Pure White couldn't have told him her secret—it was a side quest within the game. Whenever Pure White encountered trouble, she would tell the player about this place, urging them to seek out Hypatia for rescue. From then on, this place became a base for the players.
There's nothing wrong with overdrawing your personal connections a bit.
Anyway, Aiwass also wants to help Pure White, it’s just that the order is different.
Update completed!
I have updated 160,000 words this month... I can't take it anymore, I want to take a day off tomorrow, the 26th!
This month I'll only take one day off. I'll update a little earlier the day after tomorrow, but probably not at 12:00. I've already woken up at 12:00, and my work and rest schedule is really falling apart...
(End of this chapter)
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