You Got Drunk That Easily?

This was a truth that Iver had never anticipated.

But he suddenly understood why his grandfather, who had met so many extraordinary people and had such a wide network of connections, had chosen to become an unknown and poor poet in a remote countryside...

Grandpa went to avoid trouble!

Iver suddenly understood why, despite his biological father and mother being on the Dedication Path and the Path of Beauty, and his adoptive father not being on the Path of Transcendence, he had inexplicably developed a great obsession with demonology back then.

That is the inclination towards the Tao that is etched into one's blood.

Children of gifted individuals often become extraordinary themselves—in fact, they inherit desires, or rather, "debts," rather than their talents.

If you lack talent, that might be a kind of luck.

However, if one's level has already reached its limit but no advancement ritual is performed... the call from the path will become increasingly intense. If offspring are born at this time, the overflowing "call" will be passed on to the offspring, and the parents will thus be liberated.

This is also why ancient nobles tended to have many offspring.

Nobles are usually high-ranking extraordinary individuals. However, they do not want to, or dare not, continue to advance in rank, so they need to continuously produce offspring to restore the influence of the Path Power on their souls. But if they suppress themselves for too long, their firstborn child is often prone to mental illness.

During the reign of the Herasul Empire, this phenomenon was referred to as the "Firstborn Disaster" by the royal scholars who had not yet figured out its cause.

Imperial scholars viewed this as a curse imposed by an apostle to explain why the eldest sons of various families were often the most inclined to inherit the family business, yet were also the most prone to mental illness.

Nobles who are focused on their careers and have not had children by their thirties or forties are more likely to have their first child go mad; commoners, however, are usually fine, and nobles who marry young do not experience this problem.

The scholars' solution to this curse was to encourage imperial nobles to marry and have children as early as possible.

If they get married shortly after embarking on the path of transcendence, they often give birth to a child not long after their advancement in the path stalls. Although they didn't understand the underlying principle, they still solved the problem.

After that, children prone to madness are usually "illegitimate children." Early marriage can control marital offspring, but it cannot control the bloodline of children born out of wedlock. If the other party in the affair is also a superhuman, pregnancy and the birth of a cursed child are very likely. Phantom Demon Egg are also prone to being born into these children.

Even within knightly families, few knew this secret. Iver's grandfather, as an unofficial transcendent being, couldn't possibly have known about it. And since he dared not advance, his Children inherited a portion of the impulse to embark on the Path of Transcendence.

This is one of the reasons why illegal activities in Avalon are so rampant. Once an illegal superhuman is discovered, the punishment is often an extremely long detention or even the death penalty, but even so, they can never be completely eradicated.

Since Julio didn't go mad, he's most likely not the eldest son. That means he must have an older brother or sister... which means Iver's grandfather Jacob, must be quite old.

"In the beginning, the Scaleless Hand was a folk ritual society. Their profession at the time was not Demon Scholar, but ' Ritual Mage ' who specialized in rituals and curses. They did not have knowledge of demonology—'demology' is, after all, a discipline that requires piling up a lot of sacrifices and materials and constant trial and error to acquire knowledge."

"They secretly taught some knowledge of Ritual Studies and used rituals to help others. They also cursed corrupt judges or officials, thus gaining a good reputation among the people."

"Later, the remnants of Arctos, with the sponsorship of the Stibnite Person, joined the ' Scaleless Hand ' carrying the orthodox lineage of demonology, and eventually rose to high positions."

Sherlock continued, "Anyway, we're all illegal superhumans who Path of Transcendence, and our goal is to rebel against the royal family—most people in the Scaleless Hand think it's not much different. The essence of Path of Transcendence is rebellion by any means necessary; they don't care about morality or rules. After all, demons are much easier to learn than rituals and curses..."

"Later, the number of Demon Scholar in the organization gradually surpassed that of the Ritual Mage. Finally, after a Pure-Blood Giant took control of the ' Scaleless Hand ' organization, he renamed the organization ' Noble Red ' and replaced all the high-ranking members with Mixed-Blood Giant."

"Some old-time Ritual Mage distanced themselves from the Noble Red Society and chose to live in seclusion, including your grandfather Jacob. The lineage of Ritual Mage originally came from Demon Scholar who considered demons to be despicable, dangerous, and uncontrollable. Their understanding of the Path of Transcendence differed from that of Demon Scholar —they believed that demons were a 'power that is easy to acquire and easy to lose,' and that transcendence achieved through contracts with demons was neither pure nor safe."

Sherlock sneered, "And according to my investigation... none of the Ritual Mage left the Noble Red Society have survived to this day—their entire families died from the curse. So there is clearly only one truth."

"So that's how it is..."

Iver sighed.

He admired Sherlock's investigative abilities. "When did you begin your investigation?"

Last Sunday.

Sherlock took a sip of his drink, a slight, smug smile playing on his lips. "They first came into my view when Edward and I went to investigate the Sweater Brotherhood."

"Mr. Edward, in an attempt to satisfy my fatal curiosity, chose to lure me with other puzzles. But what he didn't expect was that I had studied psychology—in such situations, the 'second topic' that people subconsciously associate with is often related to the matter itself."

"The bait he used to distract me was a case codenamed ' Redstone,' which the Inspectorate was currently investigating: a batch of powerful, small-sized Portable Alchemy Bomb had been smuggled from the Pelican Bar to Avalon."

"As far as I know, Avalon does not have the conditions to manufacture Portable Alchemy Bomb. Alchemy in Avalon started too late; even the explosives used for mining and blasting have to be imported. This kind of Alchemy Bomb can only be something new made by the alchemists of the Stibnite Person. Moreover, the Pelican Bar was officially shut down as a 'smuggling den,' which confirms my opinion."

"So I have a bold conjecture: perhaps the Noble Red Society, a folk society composed of Avalon people, was an organization supported by the Stibium Kingdom from the very beginning."

"That's true," Iver nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, Iver. When I went to investigate the history of the Noble Red Society, I found that I couldn't find any information. So I realized something - the Noble Red Society has probably changed its name."

As Sherlock spoke, he crossed his legs, rhythmically tapping the table, his cheeks slightly flushed. Under the watchful eyes of the four, he leaned back smugly. "Under what circumstances would an illegal superhuman organization suddenly change its name? Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that they suddenly went mad. But considering the size of the Noble Red Society, I tend to think that changing the name makes sense... for example, changing ownership."

"So I turned my attention to investigating Path of Transcendence societies beyond the Noble Red Society, and that led me to the ' Scaleless Hand,' which had gradually disappeared fifty years ago—and I confirmed that they were the same organization. While investigating the Scaleless Hand, I noticed the name of one of its founders: Jacob Alexander, who died of typhoid fever fourteen years ago... Just before that, I had investigated you, Iver. At that time, I was very sensitive to both ' Alexander ' and 'fourteen years ago.'"

"Yes, Iver ... he is your grandfather. When I got to this point, the truth easily connected in my mind."

Sherlock put down his half-empty glass of wine, looked at Bishop Mathers, and said in a slightly louder voice than usual, "So, I don't quite agree with what you said before. I tend to think that the statement from the Bureau of Supervision is the truth, but it's just that they've hidden some facts."

"Jacob Alexander may very well have concealed a secret in one of his unpublished poems. At that time, his eldest son had died, and his second son Julio, had embarked on the Dedication Path. The Noble Red had become the largest and only Path of Transcendence folk society in Avalon, and the lineage of Ritual Mage had effectively been severed."

"In other words, he had a motive to leave something secret. However, I'm more inclined to believe that he realized ' Alexander ' was cursed and therefore wanted to leave some evidence and clues. But in the end, someone discovered them by following the curse and erased the evidence."

"The Iron Hook Demon can teleport along the curse—if he has somehow concealed his location but is cursed through blood ties, it would explain why old Jacob, who lives in a remote village, was attacked and had all his manuscripts stolen."

At this point, Sherlock, his face flushed, looked at Iver with his bright eyes and said firmly, "Am I right... Mr. Fox?"

Upon hearing this, Iver blinked, neither confirming nor denying.

He simply countered with, "How did you guess that?"

"It's simple, because I guessed you had already advanced to the Second Level. I figured it out after checking the timeline a bit—when I went to the Silver and Tin Palace to pick you up, Her Highness the Princess told me, 'The matter of Mr. Fox can be put aside for now.' Looking back now, she must have recognized your identity back then."

"Please don't look at me like that, Your Bishop. I did not eavesdrop on your conversation. I deduced it through reasoning."

Having only drunk half a glass of wine, the detective, already a little tipsy, happily hummed an off-key tune.

Before anyone could ask, he began to answer on his own, "I know that you gave the key to the Small Chapel to Iver. You led Iver onto the path of the extraordinary. I saw Iver once when he went home that day, and I saw this key in his wheelchair. I remembered it then."

"And when you saw the news, you weren't shocked or surprised for Iver, but rather clearly angry. It was as if you'd been betrayed. I guess you think Iver can't wield this sword, so you suspect he's hiding another Extraordinary Profession."

"But when I came down, I saw you talking happily, even discussing some secret past events. This can only mean that you have confirmed that Iver has indeed stepped onto the Second Level."

Sherlock chuckled, "What I'm saying is... you're overthinking it. I can confirm that Mr. Iver is indeed a newcomer to the Path of Transcendence. He participated in his first advancement ceremony a week ago, the same ceremony as my Path of Wisdom. He's a true genius, a genius of the Dedication Path ... that's not a bad thing. It's much better than him being a genius Path of Transcendence."

"What if I were all of those?" Iver raised an eyebrow and asked himself.

Once Sherlock recognized Iver, his wariness and resistance towards the "Fox" vanished instantly. He wasn't embarrassed for not recognizing him; instead, he admired Iver's disguise.

Sherlock sighed, "Thinking about it carefully, you've actually left many flaws. Your understanding of poetry and literature, and that playboy air of yours... plus the Princess's favor towards you, I should have recognized you long ago. It was my arrogance that I didn't recognize you—I was too certain of my initial reasoning and rejected other possibilities. My thinking has also been influenced by the Path of Transcendence."

After having a few drinks, Sherlock displayed a cheerfulness and enthusiasm that was completely different from his usual cold and reserved demeanor. He enthusiastically invited, "I have an idea, Iver! You would definitely like that kind of adventure... When you and Hai Na are on vacation, it will be almost New Year's, and she will definitely be going home. Why don't we go back with her and investigate the real cause of your grandfather's death together?"

"Didn't you already find out?" Iver retorted.

"That's just secondhand information, Mr. Fox. You're still not rigorous enough and have overlooked some details."

Sherlock was in high spirits, his words filled with childlike curiosity and a boast of his own abilities. "After all, only the Iron Hook Demon could teleport there, not a true Demon Scholar. I think your grandfather must have left other clues that weren't completely destroyed by the demons... After all, he knew those Demon Scholar and should know their methods."

"—What, you're not interested in this?"

"I am indeed interested... but there is one problem, Sherlock."

Iver shook his head. "What about Yulia?"

"Then take her with you. You're Second Level priest. And your holiday is almost over, you might even advance again—the investigation of this complex case has greatly improved my Path of Wisdom. I feel like I'll definitely reach the threshold of the Third Level by the middle of next month. You're such a genius, you advanced in just one day... you can't possibly be slower than me, right?"

Sherlock excitedly urged Iver, his face completely red. "Third Level priest, what are you afraid of? Aren't you interested in your grandfather's secret?"

—You're not drunk, are you?

Iver finally realized something was wrong.

This 26-year-old youth is now as pure and happy as a teenager who has discovered a fun game.

If he hadn't embarked on the Path of Authority back then, perhaps Sherlock would be exactly who he is today.

Iver finally understood why he said he didn't drink anymore—he really couldn't touch alcohol.

Although the brandy was probably around 40 degrees, that Hot Apple Brandy contained at least two-thirds apple juice, and it was only about the size of a slightly larger teacup.

Sherlock has only drunk half a cup... Is there even a hundred milliliters in this cup?

This alcohol tolerance is probably equivalent to being knocked out after half a bottle of beer, right? How can an adult have such an outrageous alcohol tolerance? Aren't you a superhuman?

"... You'd better not drink next time, Sherlock."

Iver sincerely advised, "As for going to Eagle Cape Village... I think we should still ask Senior Hai Na, shouldn't we?"

A 7,000+ word update, meow~