When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 745: Chapter 130 “Moriarty Style Chapter 745: Chapter 130 “Moriarty Style When ascending to the rank of Cardinal Archbishop, there is no need to wear clothing with prescribed colors and designs, as ordinary bishops and archbishops do.

Although Aiwass had not yet fully mastered Advanced Divine Art, the most difficult two steps had been completed already: his body was prepared, and the Lord of Scalefeather had finished the preliminary arrangements — the cracked gem on Aiwass’s chest was proof of his power.

By analogy, the first step was like laying network cables for a neighborhood and pre-wiring the houses, while the second step was getting devices like network terminals all brought over and properly configured.

Now, all it took was for the payment to be made, and for the Lord of Scalefeather’s main equipment to confirm access permissions, and the network would be considered operational.

Having reached this stage, it was about time to start preparing the clothing in advance.

After all, tailoring clothes also took time.

Each Cardinal Archbishop has sin marks — or rather “holy marks” — that differ in position, shape, and size on their bodies.

Not all forms of sin marks have this kind of strange crystallization…

at least, Cardinal Matilda did not.

“What exactly does this crystallization signify?”

Before deciding on the color, Aiwass confirmed with Cardinal Cyril, “I do not possess the adaptability of the Path of Adaptation, yet the Lord of Scalefeather has bestowed upon me this gemstone…”

He had even thought at one point that it was an externally set decorative gem, not realizing that it had actually grown on his skin.

Could this be considered a form of localized Amberfication?

“It is precisely because you lack the power of Adaptation that a path crystal was designated for you.”

Cardinal Cyril shook his head, “Power cannot just appear out of nowhere; it needs a vessel; and the power of an incompatible path stored within the body would disrupt one’s spirit and could potentially lead to risks of going berserk…

Those degraded versions of Advanced Divine Art often result in insanity or losing control after ‘invoking the divine,’ because this configuration is lacking.

“When you normally use Divine Arts to request power from paths you do not master, the power descends through rituals.

Although Advanced Divine Art omits this step, the process is still necessary…

Even if the will of the Lord of Scalefeather descends into your body, your body ultimately has no power of Adaptation.

Are you suggesting that the power of Adaptation should be channeled directly into you?

That can’t be possible.”

“…I see.”

Aiwass began to understand a bit more.

After all, in the original plot, Master Yanis had gone mad because a power of a strange and alien path manifested within her.

She even possessed a natural talent and adaptability for the Path of Dusk, but had no corresponding rank, and thus still went out of control when the power was introduced.

The ‘path crystal’ provisioned in the Advanced Divine Art was to prevent such a situation.

Aiwass made a strange association —

If that was the case, didn’t that mean he had essentially become a human-shaped staff for the Lord of Scalefeather?

The Lord of Scalefeather did not channel the power of Adaptation into Aiwass’s body, but instead transmitted it directly into the path crystal.

When the Lord of Scalefeather arrived, they would activate their own access rights to draw power from within it, and after use, transfer the power back in.

That path crystal was purely a vessel for holding the power, like a gem set at the tip of a staff.

“Like Cardinal Matilda and I, we directly use our bodies to channel power.

Because our Advanced Divine Art matches the paths we master, and we won’t use power beyond the threshold our bodies can withstand,”

Cardinal Cyril added.

As he spoke, he briefly opened his folded hands, flipped them over, and showed them to Aiwass.

His sin marks were in the palms of his hands and thus were not intended to be covered by the Cardinal Bishop Attire; he had no cutouts on his clothing.

Hearing this, Aiwass realized something, “Cases like mine…

they aren’t very common, are they?”

“Indeed, they are not.

So, are you opting for green?

Although, I am aware there is a cardinal who uses green…

It is probably better to choose a distinct color for greater recognition.”

Cardinal Cyril brought his hands together again, resuming the flowing, harmonious gesture.

“No, I’ll choose black,”

Aiwass pondered seriously for a moment, briefly recalling the appearance of the Lord of Scalefeather, and then decisively replied.

The Lord of Scalefeather wore a black suit, and that river called [Life] was also pitch black.

Although Aiwass did not know why He chose emerald as the symbolic gemstone for the Path of Adaptation, he felt black was in fact more in line with the essence of the Lord of Scalefeather.

Everyone dressed in black, like a company uniform!

The old Elf was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this and pondered, “A primarily black color?

That is indeed rare…”

Aiwass was somewhat puzzled, “Rare?

I think black is very versatile.”

“Because Sin Thorn is black.@@novelbin@@

Black clothing is not very good at displaying Sin Thorn.”

“…Then, on the basis of black, use gold patterning for decoration…

or even white gold is fine.

Just like my hair,”

Aiwass proposed some rough requirements from a client’s perspective, “I remember that it is necessary to show the Sin Thorn on the body, right?

But mine is on the chest, and I hope the exposed area isn’t too large…

and it’s best not to hinder vigorous movement.”

As he spoke, he removed a few strands of his hair.

The wind automatically billowed, causing Aiwass’s held hair to flutter and drift into a corner.

A delicate box in the room’s corner automatically opened, awaiting the fall of Aiwass’s hair before closing again.

“How long will it take?”

“I will rush the tailor as quickly as possible; it should be ready in three to four days.

In any case, it will definitely arrive before March 2…

It won’t delay your inauguration as Cardinal Archbishop.”

Cardinal Cyril gave a definitive reply.

The old elf asked curiously, “What is your assessment?”

“A promotion ritual with increasing difficulty…

would that be considered easy or hard?”

“It’s already quite good, actually very good.

The main thing is the clarity of the requirements, and they are not too troublesome.”

Cardinal Cyril said with a wry smile, “When I made a pact with the Serpent Father years ago, he required me to ‘transcend my former self seven times.’ To fulfill this task, I traveled the world for a full seventy years before I finally met the requirement.

It was only when the Serpent Father summoned me into a dream that I just learned I had already completed the task…

I had no idea which seven times I had transcended; the task left me completely baffled.

“The demands from Candle Master were a bit clearer; he required me to help others and receive their gratitude three thousand times.

At first, I was seriously counting the times, tallying each day how many times were left…

I was very anxious at that time.

“But later on, I had a sudden realization—there was no need to keep records; I just had to live my life normally.

I enjoyed helping others anyway.

So I simply threw away my notebook…

It was after I had forgotten about it for several decades that I suddenly received Candle Master’s approval.”

“…It all sounds so lengthy.”

“No, there were shorter ones too…

like Cardinal Matilda and the former Cardinal Loki.

“When Cardinal Matilda made a pact with Amberficate, he tasked her with ‘etching biographies for Amberficators.’ So she set out to learn about the lives of those Amberficators, and by the time she finished the ninth one, Amberficate had accepted it.

“As for the former Cardinal Loki…

Heh, that was supposed to be a secret, but it should be okay to tell it now.”

Cardinal Cyril spoke with deep meaning, “At that time, the Giant Kingdom Alktoth had already been defeated, and the Silver-Crowned Dragon had not yet ascended to the Seat of the Pillar God.

Loki survived because he had contacted the Holy Nation and betrayed Alktoth before the city was breached.

“But in the early stages of the war, as the ‘Wildfire Giant,’ he was still a core part of Alktoth’s strength.

He killed many humans, many Elves…

He even consumed humans and Elves.

Although he had merits, his sins were greater.

He not only possessed the power of the Path of Devotion but also wielded the power of the Path of Strength.”

“So Candle Master gave him a chance—standing on an altar that could constantly heal him, he had to turn his sins into Sin Thorns and ignite them with his own ‘wildfire.’

“Every second, he had to endure pain equivalent to being executed by fire again, and each execution had to be carried out by his own will anew.

If his dedication wavered even once in the midst, the altar would cease to heal him, and he would truly die, his soul extinguished.

“Loki accepted the test.

At that time, I personally witnessed Loki growing a mass of Sin Thorns, standing in place and repeatedly scorching his own Sin Thorns with the power of wildfire.

His body shrunk from a towering Giant more than ten meters tall to less than three meters.

“In just three hours, he had effectively died and been reborn ten thousand and eight hundred times…

and each of these executions by fire was ignited by him personally.

Not once did he harbor a single thought of resentment throughout.”

“That’s why I forgave him, and so did Candle Master.

I believe the other witnesses felt the same; everyone had a lot of trust in Loki.

He completely shed the Giant’s body and was reborn under Candle Master’s healing.

The rage that came with his Giant’s blood was also sealed away.”

It was a true definition of “willing to die a thousand deaths.”

It is for this reason that Cardinal Loki was able to gain Candle Master’s trust and became a Cardinal of the eleventh Ring.

Suddenly, Aiwass felt doubt stirring within—

Is this really some kind of play?

If it’s just an act, can one achieve such profound sincerity?

Trial by fire…

Even Aiwass himself didn’t dare to undertake such a trial.

He wouldn’t dare to bet that he would remain unshaken.

And under the watchful eye of Candle Master, there clearly wasn’t any room for cheating.

This blood of the elves, it comes from Candle Master’s recognition.

It is not just old death, new life, but also a distinction of honor.

…would such a person, for the power of the “Perfect Human,” really abandon this honor?

Or is it that…

his current death is also a part of “Dedication and Atonement?”

What has his death brought about if you think about it from this angle?

Aiwass fell into deep contemplation.

The Pure White Saintess will no longer be targeted by Controlled Flame, Cardinal Loki himself obtained the power of the Perfect Human, the Holy Nation may not split and war internally again, Aiwass gained the experience needed to master Advanced Divine Arts, and the position of Cardinal Archbishop of the eleventh Ring is now vacant…

His eyes gradually widened.

“—in the end, everything will be brought to a peaceful conclusion in the ‘Moriarty style.'”

Within his memories, Freya’s voice faintly echoed by Aiwass’s ear.

Aiwass had thought before, this “Moriarty style,” whether it referred to the Professor or to Aiwass himself…

But now, he realized…

they actually share something in common.

Because whether it be his foster father or Aiwass, their planning style tended to “benefit everyone,” making people sincerely work hard for themselves.

It’s just that the residual influence of this would benefit Aiwass or Professor Moriarty.

And now, the death of Cardinal Loki has benefited everyone—

If it’s said that Aiwass becoming a Cardinal Archbishop was Cardinal Loki’s plan, then his plan surely doesn’t end here.

He aimed to elect a Cardinal Archbishop to the papacy, to break the tight bond between the Eternal Theocracy and the Nine Pillars Divine Church…

and this would surely meet fierce resistance from the Holy Maiden.

Because her side would not allow any Cardinal Archbishop to control the Holy Nation, they are too extreme and would lead the Holy Nation to lose its neutrality.

But what if…

it’s Aiwass who takes this position?

The Eternal Pope’s seat!