When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 678: Chapter 70 2.0 Expansion Pack: ‘The Calamity of Trees and Amber Chapter 678: Chapter 70 2.0 Expansion Pack: ‘The Calamity of Trees and Amber Aiwass recalled the intelligence provided by Sherlock and sank into deeper thought.

The information Sherlock had provided was extremely important—it resolved many of Aiwass’s doubts, such as how his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, came to know his grandfather Jacob, and how Professor Moriarty became close friends with Bishop Mathers.

Bishop Mathers was undoubtedly a key figure.

He could be said to be the center of the whole affair.

He knew Jacob, and he knew Ye Zhi.

He had taken Jacob’s son, Giulio Alexander, as a student, and the death of Aiwass’s parents was directly related to him being suddenly called away on urgent business—a matter which was suspected to be orchestrated by Professor Moriarty, who was a longtime friend of Bishop Mathers.

His own sister’s adopted daughter was the reincarnation of Vivian, and Vivian was closely associated with Jacob.

Jacob was suspected to be involved with the Serpent Celestial Marshal, while Professor Moriarty had revealed the hidden past of the Serpent Celestial Marshal to Isabel.

After the original “Cruel Autumn” incident, he tried to restore the Holy Sword and was manipulated by the Phantom Demon sealed within it.

This led directly to the “Shadow of Avalon” incident…

and the Ceremony of Avalon’s Shadow was related to Vivian and Jacob.

—Now Aiwass had finally learned that even his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, was also involved with the Golden Dawn.

Adding the person “Anna” to the mix revealed that Moriarty had connections with the Rose Cross Society from the very beginning.

And Noble Red was a subordinate organization of the Rose Cross…

This also explained why the Rose Cross was also aware of the “Holy Entity.”

Yes, they had one thing in common.

All the organizations related to all the aforementioned individuals were aware of the existence of the “Holy Entity.”

And apart from them, it seemed that no one else knew.

The “Holy Entity” appeared to be a shard of the Serpent Celestial Marshal summoned by Jacob; it first appeared in Eagle Cape Village.

After leaving behind a peculiar prophecy for Jacob, it vanished without a trace.

Not many should have known about this…

yet in the promotion ceremony, Professor Moriarty inexplicably mentioned the possibility that Aiwass was the Holy Entity.

Simultaneously, Aiwass’s sister Freya, as the biological daughter of Professor Moriarty, was burdened with a curse of forgetfulness.

But it seemed that Professor Moriarty’s memory had not been erased—

As the head of the Moriarty family, the professor often had to attend meetings at the Round Table Hall.

He could have seen Freya’s portrait in the palace corridors at any time.

It was impossible for him not to have doubts over so many years.

Moreover, the “achievements” listed on that portrait appeared to have been provided by Professor Moriarty himself.

Did he travel to the Holy Nation to find his daughter Freya?

What exactly was the “little key” that his adoptive father had mentioned to him?

If he was some kind of “key” created for a purpose, then what door was Aiwass meant to open?

With these thoughts, Aiwass, who had reached a dead end in his reasoning, began to feel a headache.

The past that had been shrouded in obscurity was now slowly clearing up.

All these pieces of intelligence were connected…

but the clues, oddly enough, became tangled together.

Aiwass had a clear feeling that if he could trace one more piece of evidence, everything would be clarified—except for the very last step, which was the one concerning the “motive.”

—Based on what was currently known, there was an organization named “Golden Dawn” that was intimately related to Aiwass’s birth, Avalon’s fall, the Shadow of Avalon, the Ring of Ouroboros, the ascent of the Serpent Celestial Marshal, and finally, to Professor Moriarty becoming the BOSS.

This organization was completely hidden in the game…

at least Aiwass had no recollection of it.

But apparently, several versions of the game’s storyline were directly related to it.

Either someone within this organization had devised a conspiracy, or someone’s death within it caused a chain reaction.

The term “Holy Entity,” which appeared for the first time in the material realm, yet was an exceptionally unified term, seemed to be the product of the Golden Dawn.

The most troublesome part was that Aiwass had a vague impression of the name “Anna Kingsford”…

This meant she most likely had entered the core, but perhaps wasn’t known by this name at the time of entry.@@novelbin@@

And having entered the core meant she had once stood on the opposite side of the players.

She could have been an enemy of Aiwass.

—Yet he knew nothing about her.

Aiwass, who had become accustomed to the advantage of having intelligence, was feeling troubled for the first time.

Aiwass made up his mind.

Isabel’s father “Yunus” was in the fifth Ring, and Aiwass’s sister Freya was also in the fifth Ring.

If the professor was still in the Holy Nation, he might be here as well.

…The only thing to do now was to go and ask his sister about the situation.

The storyline of version 1.0 of the game had already been resolved by Aiwass.

And the 2.0 version’s expansion, “The Calamity of Trees and Amber,” represented the two types of deaths for elves.

The Eternal Theocracy was a country with a strong religious atmosphere and also the largest gathering place for priests who worshiped the Candle Master.

In theory, no diseases or suffering should exist here.

But that was not the case.

Elves had two incurable diseases.

The first was called “Treeing Disease.”

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It started with the skin gradually turning into bark, followed by an increasing drowsiness.

Soon after, they would “take root,” becoming half Phantom Demon, half-tree creatures incapable of movement.

Their moments of wakefulness dwindled, until they finally slept in serene slumber, awakening from the Dream Realm as Phantom Demons of the Path of Devotion.

Since it wasn’t a disease in the true sense of the word, it couldn’t be cured by the Illumination Art.

It was more like an ascension to a higher form of life.

Elves, as long-lived species with millennia lifespans, transformed into even more long-lived Treants, aligning closer to the life form of the “The Great Tree,” the apostle of Candle Master.

Just as fruit falls from a tree and is eaten by animals, spreading its seeds across the world to eventually germinate and grow into new trees.

In Yunus’s storyline, the Elf girl named “Anastasia” died of the Tree Transformation disease.

The other ailment resulted from the influence of the “Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal’s” power, known as “Amberficate.” The immense lifespans of some Elves drove them to yearn for eternity and tranquility.

When Elves remain still for too long, their bodies gradually solidify—compared to the Tree Transformation disease, this condition is more prevalent.

In the Eternal Theocracy, there existed an unconventional yet officially uncondemned belief system… It was born from the Elves’ profound fear of death under their long lifespans, leading to a reverence for the Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal.

They rallied the Elves to maintain peace of mind, living solitary lives undisturbed by anyone.

Within the higher echelons of the Eternal Theocracy, many Elves had bodies partially crystallized like gems, reflecting their natural propensity for stillness.

This is precisely why Master Yanis chose to travel the world.

Her own mentor became a gem sculpture and entered eternity after achieving complete serenity of mind during an extended seclusion.

Thus, she particularly despised the Transcendents of the Path of Dusk… Moving was her necessity to prevent herself from solidifying.

These two “diseases” were respectively the callings of the Elves’ bloodlines and souls.

And the main storyline of version 2.0 was actually quite simple—the Eternal Pope of that generation had long been afflicted with the Tree Transformation disease.

However, her power completely suppressed the manifestation of the disease’s symptoms, hence only a select few were privy to this secret.

And the Eternal Saintess, who should have succeeded her at that juncture, was suddenly discovered to have “Amberficate” on the eve of her succession.

For the Holy Maiden of the Eternal Theocracy to exhibit “Amberficate,” a phenomenon associated with the Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal, was doubtless a scandal—akin to the marks of a sexual disease appearing on the first heir to the throne of another nation.

But since the symptoms were not obvious, and the “Amberficate” area was concealed… and although the disease was not actively curable, it could naturally ease or even reverse with changes in thought.

Therefore, the Hall of Cardinals faced intense internal conflict over whether to strip the title of Saintess and elect a new one, but the matter was delayed due to the procrastinating habit of the Longevity Species.

The matter was somehow leaked, leading directly to a fierce clash between two schools of thought within the Elf community.

Some believed the Pope had died, others that she was imprisoned by the Cardinals.

Some thought a new Pope had been born but uncoronated, while others didn’t consider the Pure White Saintess as a true Pope.

There were even voices claiming they had been abandoned by Candle Master… Long-suppressed divergent ideologies finally exploded.

The tension between the imported races from other nations and the native Elves and Half-Elves began to surface openly.

Some Elves disdained the Short-Lived Species for being too loud and having much higher crime rates compared to Elves; some Elves thought such discrimination was wrong; even Elves who were friendly towards Short-Lived Species didn’t like to interact with these endearing yet short-lived creatures, to avoid heartache.

Some Elves wished to cure the Tree Transformation disease, while others saw it as The Great Tree’s grace; some Elves thirsted for tranquility, and yet others detested the existence of the “Spirit Amber Sect.”

Some Elves had experienced the Giant era, others were born after the era of Avalon, and still others came into being after the Split Earth War.

Ultimately, Elves differed vastly in age, with gaps reaching a thousand years, with many who had “stepped outside two or three hundred years ago” holding outdated beliefs.

The world changed far more swiftly than they aged, leading to a significant generational gap within the Elven society.

Joined by the lack of job opportunities, the discrimination faced by Half-Elves and Wild Elves, the internal conflicts between adherents of the Amber and Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal faiths… and meddling Goblins who muddied the waters, the situation became increasingly convoluted.

Eventually, the situation spiraled out of control, descending into a chaotic struggle of different races and creeds… And at that point, the Pope’s Tree Transformation disease worsened, plunging her into a deep sleep and losing her control over the Eternal Theocracy.

These contradictions had always existed since the beginning, never truly addressed, merely suppressed by the Eternal Pope.

But now, with the supreme ruler missing, they erupted en masse.

A few Cardinal Archbishops consulted with Candle Master and The Great Tree but received no explicit commands—as if, for some reason, these great beings chose to observe passively.

Each Cardinal had their own ideas for solving the problems, leading to even more intense conflicts.

Eventually, the conflicts spread beyond, resulting in independent powers emerging within the middle rings.

This caused “roadblocks” to suddenly appear in the once vertically integrated Holy Nation.

Those above couldn’t reach below, and those below couldn’t rise up.

Despite the absence of large-scale armed conflicts… it was only one small step away in the end.

During the “Cruel Autumn,” the Holy Nation was unable to offer support due to the internal strife.

And now, the Holy Nation was still serene, indicating that the “Calamity of Tree and Amber” had not yet occurred.

—This matter surely has nothing to do with the Golden Dawn, right?

Aiwass thought to himself.

Just at that moment.

The cruise ship bound for the Holy Nation arrived punctually at the Eternal Theocracy at half-past two in the afternoon.

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