Worthy of Moriarty

Iver retorted bluntly, "So you've decided to cooperate with the Stibnite Person and change your masters?"

But neither of them felt any aversion to his words.

To remain so calm and composed in the face of two people far stronger than oneself, without the slightest fear or hesitation, is the very symbol of a true Transcender.

"It seems your investigation is progressing quite quickly."

Lawyer York sighed, relieved, "It's a good thing I recruited you directly."

But Vice President Boca denied it, saying, "That's not the case. We are by no means a weapon in the hands of the Stibnite Person."

"But I've heard that the leader of the Noble Red is a Pure-Blood Giant from the previous dynasty of Avalon."

"Iver said quietly."

Do I look like a giant to you?

Upon hearing this, a stern, middle-aged man's lips curled into a contemptuous sneer, "When has a group of Transcender ever had an eternal 'leader'? Everyone considers themselves the king of the infinite universe—aren't you the same? When have you ever cared about the two of us?"

"Lloyd's and Noble Red were not the same organization?"

Iver asked in return.

Lawyer York standing nearby, explained, "It's just that some of the senior management overlaps. Of course, not everyone in Lloyd's is Transcender... otherwise we would have been discovered by the Inspectorate long ago."

Vice President Boca continued, his deep voice resonating with conviction. "Actually, it's because, no matter where you are, those Transcender are always a minority. Because most people don't have that kind of will and awareness."

"Nine Great Paths are not for mortals. The essence of the extraordinary is the will to transcend the mundane. The charge of the fool is laughable, and the resentment of the lazy is meaningless. Only when one has the determination to fight the big with the small and the confidence to overcome the strong with the weak can one step onto the Path of Transcendence."

The instant he heard this, Iver deduced that of the three Lloyd's's executives—"Mr. Boca," "Mr. Forbes," and "Ms. Gray-Green"—that Lawyer York had inquired about downstairs, only Boca belonged to the Noble Red. Lloyd Prince might also be included.

In other words, Lloyd's of Lloyd's is internally divided. The same is true of the Noble Red Society.

They weren't a monolithic group! Upon realizing this, Iver immediately perked up.

Evidence of York Holmes's collusion with the Noble Red Society can only be obtained when he is alone. But it seems that it is no longer needed.

If Iver could infiltrate Lloyd's's or even the Noble Red Society directly, he could bring out firsthand intelligence himself!

York's life could then be left to Sherlock to exact his revenge. This also possessed a certain ritualistic quality that Iver favored.

"I have a question, Lawyer York, Mr. Boca," Iver began, "So, Lloyd's is also a member of the Noble Red? He's not a giant either, is he?"

York looked at Vice President Boca with some hesitation, and Boca paused before saying directly, "That's not the case. He is the Mixed-Blood Giant. Therefore, he is a high-ranking member of the Noble Red Society."

"You mean, the Lloyd family produced a Mixed-Blood Giant?"

"You may have misunderstood, Iver," Lawyer York explained. "Lloyd President is in the same situation as you; he is also an adopted son."

"The Lloyd family has a special rule: they do not rely on bloodlines for the propagation of their lineage. Children born to them must be given away to others and given a different surname; only the most outstanding of the adopted children can inherit the Lloyd name and Lloyd's."

"This is to cultivate in children a desire to strive for advancement by any means necessary. Lloyd's's total wealth is close to one-tenth of Avalon's, and if there is an opportunity to inherit such an astonishing fortune, even if it is only a very small part, there will always be lazy and mediocre people among the generations.

"That is why every Lloyd President comes from humble or even poor backgrounds. It is because they have experienced poverty and hunger that they can truly awaken in the face of such enormous wealth and power... like a snake constantly transforming and growing."

"This in itself is a ritual."

Vice President Boca answered succinctly, "This is the ' Serpent's Many Sons ' ritual, which extracts the transcendent potential of others and concentrates it on one person. The current Lloyd President, is a Mixed-Blood Giant. It was only from this generation that we became involved with the Noble Red Society —neither Mr. York nor I were Transcender cultivated by the Noble Red."

Raising treacherous insects, huh? That certainly seems like something a heartless, ruthless businessman would do.

Iver thought to himself.

"So," he sighed, leaning back and asking softly, "What do you want me to do?"

Vice President Boca and Lawyer York exchanged a glance before Boca said, "Rest assured, Mr. Iver. It's neither dangerous nor cruel. Rather, you've been doing just that all along."

"Want to date Isabel?" Iver said irritably.

"No, please forget about Her Princess. That was mostly a joke."

Vice President Boca said in a deep voice, "You just need to continue investigating the Noble Red Society. If you need help, we can give you some limited information."

"Around next week, or at the latest the week after—your dormitory at Royal Law University will be attacked by a large number of Demon Scholar. I will give you special notice before the attack."

"Just like the people who attacked you with the Deformed Limb Demon and those who used you to summon demons. They are not on our side of Lloyd's's. Of all the people you killed, only that Half-Elf bartender was one of us, and only the Pelican Bar is our establishment."

"You are now a hero of Avalon, which has inadvertently incurred the hatred of the Society. We can use this opportunity to cultivate your reputation and give you the chance to rise even higher. People believe that Lloyd's's is related to the Noble Red Society, so no one will know that the hero famous for fighting Demon Scholar is actually a member of Lloyd's's. This way, even if your Path of Transcendence adaptability is exposed, the royal family will protect you."

"Therefore, you must agree to this yourself before it can be done. We will cultivate your reputation, and once we have defeated the other part of the Noble Red and turned the Society into our own force, you can stand up and support Lloyd's, declaring that after investigation, we have nothing to do with the Noble Red. Until then, you only need to act as our spokesperson and speak for us—just like Lloyd Prince."

"What you need to do is simple: don't go too far. Just let those who attacked you escape after they've been defeated. Those who attacked you at the awards ceremony were a group of Demon Scholar who were close to the Stibium Kingdom. Next, it will be our Lloyd's's turn to send people. But just in case, I won't tell them to go easy on you, to prevent them from being accidentally captured and exposing you."

"However, I will tell you their configuration and plan in advance. You should have a way to deal with it, right? Next time, you can go all out."

Upon hearing this, Iver's fingers, which were tapping the armrest of his wheelchair, suddenly stopped for a moment.

He widened his eyes slightly. Suddenly, he understood.

Isabel was merely a decoy. It was an excuse for them to test Iver's motives and stance...

The real reason they took a liking to Iver was because he had recently become a "hero" by fighting demons! The Demon Scholar and his apprentice who tricked Iver into offering sacrifices, the Pelican Bar that Iver raided and destroyed, the Sweater Brotherhood discovered by Sherlock, the Minister of Trade who smuggled a batch of Alchemy Bomb, the Deformed Limb Demon who openly attacked Iver...

Iver had initially assumed these were all one group. He hadn't expected them to actually be two, or even three, different groups! There were the Lloyd's's members who knew nothing, only controlling the Strangulation Gang and participating in smuggling; the Lloyd's's Transcender who secretly colluded with the Noble Red Society, yet refused to obey the Pure-Blood Giant; and the Noble Red members from outside Glass Island who had been seduced and controlled by the Stibnite Person.

So that's how it is. No wonder Lawyer York was in such a hurry, and no wonder they had to recruit me immediately... and they couldn't use force to coerce me.

To put it bluntly, they just want to play a game of wolf-on-wolf.

Those Transcender simultaneously Lloyd's's and the Noble Red Society must be a minority, thus putting them at odds with both sides. Therefore, their actions are monitored by both.

Therefore, they need a spokesperson to speak for Lloyd's's. In reality, this spokesperson doesn't stand on Lloyd's's side, but only on the side of their small group.

For this purpose, they could find a way to sacrifice themselves to cushion Iver's death.

The benefits are incredibly tempting. If Iver were willing to cooperate, he could truly become a big star—and even becoming Prince wouldn't be difficult.

He suddenly understood how Lloyd Prince had managed to do it back then...

—So, they're hiring someone to put on an act, huh? But conversely, Iver could also swallow the benefits at any time and then decisively turn against them. They can't control Iver through coercion, because the initiative is with him. So, Lawyer York's strategy is to use Professor Moriarty's disappearance and the issue of inheriting the Moriarty Family's property to entice and befriend him.

It was indeed a plan that suited his personality.

However, a darker thought crept into Iver's mind.

... His position is too crucial.

If he plays his part well, he seems capable of taking on all four: absorbing the heads sent by the other side; causing them to fight amongst themselves; helping Sherlock take revenge; and simultaneously eliminating both organizations to detonate the bomb ahead of time, preventing Avalon from collapsing in the disaster a year later.

He squinted as he sat in his wheelchair.

"I agree."

Iver said slowly and without any hesitation, "You openly Lloyd's's, but secretly join the Noble Red Society without any ceremony, right?"

"Then let me think about it carefully, and figure out what to do next..."

Seeing this, Lawyer York was very relieved and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Iver and saw in him the Professor Moriarty of yesteryear.

"We lost one Moriarty, but we gained a younger and smarter Moriarty!"

Lawyer York leaned closer and flattered him enthusiastically, saying, "Since Iver has joined Lloyd's's, let's be frank—in the past, we at Lloyd's's also relied on your father's intricate and invisible wisdom to guide us in the rational use of intelligence."

"Although you have just joined, I believe that with my and Vice President Boca's introduction, it will be easy for you to get in touch with the higher-ups."

"The future development of Lloyd's's will depend on young people like you!"

"Yes."

Iver smiled and replied meaningfully, "I'll have to work really hard."

Update complete!