When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 608: Chapter 22: You’ve never been here before, have you?_2 Chapter 608: Chapter 22: You’ve never been here before, have you?_2 And when they band together, their strength in turn draws new allies…

like a snowball rolling downhill, the group grows larger, but they lose their individual free will.

Eventually, when they want to escape, they find it impossible and are forced to join the others who have already taken action.

They weren’t conspiring to assassinate Queen Sofia; it’s just that they were all too clever and adroit at reading the room.

So much so that when Queen Sofia was dead and Star Antimony subtly took control of the Avalon court, they unanimously chose to swear fealty to Star Antimony and Minister Drost, who was closely connected to Star Antimony’s people.

This keen instinct and the ever-shifting allegiances are also characteristic abilities of the Path of Authority.

Every Knight who survived now has the blood of former comrades on their hands.

They have become allies of the regicide Drost, and traitors, with no possibility of turning back.

— Even if they were to have regrets now, they’d meet the same death, conveniently eliminated by Drost and saddled with the ignominious label of betrayer.

It’s better to see this road through to its dark end.

When Mr.

Aiwass surveyed each person earlier, he was observing which of these surviving Knights still felt shame, anxiety, and sorrow, and who displayed obvious disdain for Drost.

These people might still be of some use.

At least Mr.

Aiwass can grant them one more chance.

— As for the Knights who reacted indifferently, those who were friendly or even sycophantic towards Drost, Mr.

Aiwass had already noted them especially in his mind and listed them separately.

A black list.

Of course, it’s unfair and immoral to punish them for something that has not yet happened.

But initiating an investigation is another matter—consider it as if they have been anonymously reported.

Moreover, Mr.

Aiwass was sure he would find something.

After all, if they could be caught up in Drost’s machinations, there definitely would be traces left behind.

…

From this perspective, the upcoming promotion ceremony is an extremely rare opportunity.

Only on the day of doom can one confirm who remains absolutely loyal to Avalon until death, who values the safety and happiness of themselves and their families more than Avalon, who hesitates and is coerced by villains yet retains a conscience, who would betray friends without mercy or shame, and who eagerly celebrates at the approach of tragedy.

— The “hearts of men”, forever elusive and immeasurable in the real world, is blatantly laid bare during the ceremony.

And Mr.

Aiwass doesn’t even need to explain to Isabel where he got his intelligence from—because she witnessed it all herself and is surely angrier than Mr.

Aiwass.

Mr.

Aiwass pondered.

Was this the reason?

That’s why the promotion ceremony is entirely under the jurisdiction of the Lord of Scalefeather…

Indeed, it truly has the style of a “Prophet” from the Path of Adaptation.

For Mr.

Aiwass and Isabel, it could certainly count as a “Prophet”.

They both could glean important intelligence from it.

And for “Strangers”, it’s even more of a prophecy—especially the Stranger.

In this world line, what truly shattered Avalon was the Armed Gargoyle he had engineered.

The Armed Gargoyle Legion, unable to penetrate the Gryphon Legion led by the mighty Guardian, remained a formidable threat.

When they attacked Star Antimony at will in the real world, Star Antimony was almost helpless to respond.@@novelbin@@

Without the Armed Gargoyle, it would have been nothing more than changing rulers.

It was because this retaliation force from Avalon was perfectly intercepted that the battle ultimately became one-sided.

In the real world, the Stranger likely had no chance to develop it.

But now, in this altered reality, he could see what “another him” had done.

If one considers it from this perspective…

Then, the Physician, Cheese, Olive, Grape…

could they be related to this matter?

Mr.

Aiwass couldn’t help but contemplate several layers deeper.

So far, each promotion ceremony he had experienced seemed specially designed.

Only this ceremony is fully under the control of a single Pillar God…

So could the individuals chosen by the Lord of Scalefeather also have some deeper significance?

After all, He is the Pillar God of the Path of Adaptation, wielding the premonitory powers of the Thousand Changes Beast.

— If you can’t figure it out, then assume “He must have his profound reasons” for everything!

Better to overthink than to be caught off guard.

At this thought, Mr.

Aiwass became even more cautious.

He turned to Trade Minister Drost and put on a smile that was natural and friendly.

In this unpredictable ceremony, full of riddles, intelligence, and hints, only you remain the same old moron, still so murder-worthy.

The consistency you display might as well be considered a logical pivot point.

It’s truly touching.

…Well, I’d better make good use of the opportunity of Drost’s “resurrection,” and pull out all the intelligence that I couldn’t interrogate out of him in reality.

Mr.

Aiwass thought to himself.

Minister Drost immediately understood the look in Aiwass’s eyes, raised his eyebrows in confusion, and fell silent for a moment.

As a Fourth Power Level Authority, although Drost wasn’t as adept as those of the Fifth Power Level at effortlessly detecting lies, he could still sense the true feelings in other people’s hearts.

This was also part of the Path of Authority’s “Leadership Art.”
Understanding the heart, discerning lies, and uncovering the subtext and intent of others, Drost easily saw that in Aiwass’s eyes, there was no trace of fear, anger, or unease.

Instead, there was friendliness and…

mercy?

Trade Minister Drost was somewhat baffled.

If it hadn’t been for the denunciation letter from Aiwass that he had genuinely intercepted, and had he not shrewdly guessed that Sherlock had an accomplice during the interrogation, he would have really thought that Aiwass had been wrongly accused by him.

…Does he not understand why I have summoned him?

Just as this thought arose in Drost’s mind, the words of Diomedes completely misled him.

“Minister Drost.”
Diomedes bowed slightly and said in a cold and calm voice, “When I went to invite Mr.

Aiwass, I was forcefully stopped by Professor Moriarty.

“——It was Mr.

Aiwass who ran out on his own, saying he wanted to see you.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing this, Minister Drost grew interested.

Although Diomedes’s address to him was distant and despite their subtle differences in stance on certain minor issues, Drost absolutely trusted the old butler who had watched over him since his youth.

If Diomedes had said so, then it meant that Aiwass had come to him on his own accord, even after a failed kidnapping attempt.

How novel.

A mouse going to ask a cat for a meal, is it?

Indeed, it’s worth hearing out what Mr.

Aiwass wants.

At least his attitude is different from that kid from the Hermes family.

So, Minister Drost patted his belly, a hearty laugh escaping him: “Good, then let’s find a place to sit down and talk at length.

“——How about the queen’s bedchamber?

Bishop Moriarty, you probably haven’t had the chance to see it before, right?”
…Guess?

Mr.

Aiwass thought to himself.