When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 884: Chapter 258: The Departure of Sherlock

March 6th, morning. The Fifth Ring.

Sherlock opened his suitcase and double-checked his belongings.

He turned his head to look at Aiwass, who was currently eating breakfast, and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a way that was hard to tell if it was out of respect or sarcasm: “So our esteemed His Holiness… you are certain that you won’t be needing me, right?”

His head was aching a bit now.

The reason for his trip here was practically uneventful. Aiwass could solve the problems, rendering him nothing more than a free-rider for a Codex Book… This left him somewhat at a loss.

Fortunately, he had finished reading “Fools’ Chants Manual” by now; at least his time had not been wasted too much.

But the unexpected turn of events where his roommate who went on a trip suddenly became the Eternal Pope—this twist was still quite baffling.

It was Aiwass who explained to him that he was just a placeholder for the Eternal Saintess Grey—

The mechanism of The Holy Crown is to initiate reverse growth upon wearing it, but in reality, it requires twice the lifespan to be burnt to maintain the normal operation of the Holy Nation.

Theoretically, it wouldn’t be a big issue to have the current Pope continue wearing The Holy Crown. The other Cardinal Archbishops wouldn’t reject this proposal… after all, in essence, Aiwass was just a handy seat-warmer placeholder.

But having Aiwass serve as Pope for half a year would only cost him a year of his lifespan. However, for the current Eternal Pope, who could be fully petrified at any time, there was less than a year left of her freedom to move around.

Generally, an Eternal Pope who has retired would become a “Saint,” and afterward, they would travel the world, happily embarking on their last pilgrimage in life. However, with Ruo’an’s transmutation disease, she was doomed not to be able to travel far on her own.

In the original timeline, around this time next year, Ruo’an would find it difficult to move.

Which means, after gloriously retiring and burning more than three hundred years of her lifespan, at most, she had less than a year left to live.

Certainly, Aiwass did not wish to deprive her of the little remaining time she had left.

“Although, as far as I see it, this matter doesn’t have much to do with you…”

Sherlock quipped, “But since you want to do a good deed, I won’t stop you. After all, that is how you Contributors are.

“…Still, if there’s a need, remember to contact me. Mr. Lebrun’s address is here—if you want to find me, just write a letter, and put ‘The diligent Mr. Hermes’ at the beginning, and I’ll know it’s you.”

Saying this, he placed a piece of paper, covered in elegant cursive writing, on the table.

“—The capable are always busy.”

Aiwass said nonchalantly: “I happen to be able to split myself for a few months, squatting on the golden throne for half a year won’t bother me too much. Let’s just consider it as power-leveling in seclusion… It’s indeed not easy to make further progress once the Path of Devotion level is high. We can only say that it serves the needs of both parties.”

Although the improvement of Extraordinary Skill levels mainly relies on studying, and advancements rely on completing side quests, compatibility with the Path decides one’s upper limit as well as the speed of leveling up within that Path.

Once a high level has been reached, Transcendence Path is the easiest to upgrade—because the desire “to want to level up” itself belongs to the Path of Transcendence.

But the Path of Devotion is much harder.

The more one dedicates, the more one wishes to dedicate… Unless born a Saint, such a disposition is really hard to cultivate later in life.

To practice the Path through ordinary acts of devotion requires a long time to endure. Unless one makes some significant act of dedication… like self-imprisonment for the Holy Nation, burning one’s lifespan, such acts can elevate one’s level much faster.

“However… although I don’t know where you’ve shown diligence, I have remembered that phrase.”

Before Selene could eat the piece of paper, Lily quickly snatched it away and handed it to Aiwass.

Aiwass glanced at it: “Maurice Lebrun… I’ve got it down. By the way, what are you going to do in Iris Flower? Is there any danger?”

“Perhaps.”

“…Perhaps?”

Aiwass had only asked out of courtesy, but now he was taken aback: “With your strength, you could still encounter problems?”

Now, Sherlock was a bona fide Fourth Level Transcendent. In this world, he was undoubtedly among the upper echelon of Transcendents.

This level of power meant that as long as he did not confront certain forces head-on, it was unlikely anyone could scheme against him.

“Should I have Lady Honey Badger write an introduction letter for you, to connect you with the Hawkeye Organization?”

“There’s no need for that, the people who might be troubling my friend could very well be from Hawkeye.”

Sherlock declined politely.

“Your friend… what’s their name?”

“Arsene. Arsene de Vandome.”

“…A member of the Duke of Vandome’s family?”

Hearing the name, Aiwass was somewhat surprised: “You know such an important figure?”

There are currently three major dukes in Iris Flower, one of whom is Vandome. They share a common trait: they all command their own legions and hold the titles of generals or marshals, in addition to being dukes.

“He married into the family. That guy’s a son-in-law.”

Sherlock smiled: “He was formerly known as Arsene Lupin. He had some notoriety in Iris Flower… a friend I met while I was there to watch the opera.”

It sounded vaguely familiar.

Aiwass pondered for a moment, but couldn’t recall where he had heard it from—yet he was sure he hadn’t encountered such an NPC or BOSS in the game.

That must be a minor character, then.

“Well then, take care. If you encounter any danger… coming to me would probably be pointless. But you can contact Isabel directly, she can reach me.”

The moment Aiwass finished speaking, something else came to his mind: “Oh, that’s right, you can go to Edward! My brother is currently at the Iris Flower Embassy.”

“Of course I know.”

Sherlock smiled: “You don’t need to come and warn me about this—as young as you are compared to me, you still sound like an adult.”

For a rare moment, he dropped his usual sardonic tone and spoke softly: “Then, until we meet again, Aiwass.”

“Hold on—how long will you be gone this time?”

“If it’s quick, a month; at most, half a year. Don’t worry, I’ll make it to your and Her Majesty the Queen’s wedding.”

Sherlock picked up his wide-brimmed hat, gave a graceful bow to Aiwass: “Then, farewell, Your Holiness—You should also head over to the Twenty-Second Ring sooner rather than later, it’s unbecoming to stay in a place like the Fifth Ring.”

“Farewell, Sherlock.”

Aiwass nodded solemnly: “May the Candle Master protect you, may the Eternal Self love you. May the Lord of Scalefeather bestow upon you secret blessings, allowing you to soar amidst conspiracies without harming a single scale or feather.”

“Thank you for your blessings, Your Holiness.”

With a smile, Sherlock picked up his suitcase and left.

Watching Sherlock’s departing figure from the window, Aiwass suddenly felt a tinge of melancholy.

But as Sherlock didn’t even turn his head, simply waving his hand to signal Aiwass to stop looking… Aiwass let out a light chuckle: “Why am I worrying for such a clever person…”

It’s time to prepare for the ceremony.

The Ceremony of Self-Division!

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