Court Ritualist Ibn

Now, Mycroft has resolved the troubles he might have encountered, Lily has received equipment and the inheritance of a new class, and Iver has also obtained clues to continue the investigation and stronger helpers...

With this letter, he could be convicted in diplomatic settings, allowing Avalon to seize more benefits.

It can be said to be a happy ending for everyone.

The only pity is that the old man who Bone Carver didn't have a single penny of the stolen money. Earlier, when Iver was on the road, he had told Mycroft that if there were any gold coins, jewelry, or works of art, they would split them equally—everyone who finds them gets a share.

This also reflects Iver' desire to get closer to Mycroft.

But when Mycroft did so, he just smiled and waved his hand, saying with absolute certainty, "That kind of thing won't exist."

Sure enough. Not only was there no stolen money, but not even a dirty bag was left.

This is probably what artists' noble character and stubbornness are all about...

—Iver actually suspected that Mycroft might have already roughly guessed what was inside the safe before even opening it.

He certainly didn't know what it was, because, like Sherlock, he lacked too much information. But even so, he still guessed... it must be something very troublesome.

—If you've ever touched that thing, whether you choose to keep it, destroy it, or hand it over, you might end up looking less than clean if it's discovered.

Although Path of Authority can detect lies, if lie detection were so effective, then Minister Drost would never have betrayed Avalon.

That's why he specifically came to find Iver to help him get rid of this troublesome thing.

As a transcendent being of the Path of Twilight, Mycroft had an extreme fondness for quiet, even bordering on stillness. He was extremely averse to trouble.

To avoid getting into trouble, he will use his wisdom to resolve issues before they occur.

This is why, although Sherlock firmly believed that Mycroft was far more intelligent than him... Mycroft was not as famous as his brother Sherlock. He seemed to deal only with trivial matters, never having any experience or achievements in handling major events or crises.

From a very young age, Sherlock helped the Bureau of Supervision solve complex cases and even maintained close ties with the Inspectorate. He became famous early on, becoming a renowned detective in Avalon. Even Star Antimony and Iris had admirers who would occasionally write to him, detailing complex cases and requesting Sherlock help in deducing solutions.

But even the "know-it-all" Iver didn't know Mycroft until Sherlock mentioned Mycroft Iver. His only redeeming quality was that he never made a mistake at work, but he wasn't particularly outstanding either. No one disliked him, and no one particularly liked him. He had no enemies, and no friends.

Even Isabel and Meg, among others, didn't think Mycroft was particularly intelligent, and still came to Sherlock for help when problems arose...

Perhaps only Her Majesty the Queen, with her discerning eye, could barely recognize that this man with such a low profile was a rare talent.

Now, as Minister of Everything, Iver has begun to think about Avalon —about Isabel, who will succeed him. Since he knows Mycroft is an exceptionally intelligent man, he must be given an important position.

The position of Minister of Royal Affairs is indeed very important, but it's a bit of a waste for Mycroft.

The position of Minister of Trade, which Drost just relinquished, might be a better fit for him.

Iver made a note of his name for the time being, and then returned to the Silver and Tin Palace with Lily.

There's nothing we can do.

Since Sherlock's "parents" had come to pay Sherlock rent in person, it wouldn't be appropriate for Iver to send Sherlock back home. After all, Sherlock didn't like living in his own house, and Ms. Mina had indeed taken good care of him.

Iver could have returned to the Moriarty Mansion —the assassins of the Iris were all exposed, and Minister Drost, the traitor, was also dealt with by Iver.

Currently, Iver's only remaining enemies are the giants of the Noble Red's upper echelons. And the entire Noble Red is being chased by the Sky Knight. Iver can finally enjoy some peace and quiet in Avalon for a while.

However, Yulia seemed to be very happy living in the Silver and Tin Palace.

On the one hand, she was studying alchemy under the Master Nobel and was progressing rapidly—she had already mastered the synthesis of various bombs even before completing her first advancement ceremony; on the other hand, her relationship with Isabel was also gradually becoming closer.

Iver didn't even need to ask to know that they had probably used him to build their relationship... It's common knowledge that among close friends, whoever is absent becomes the topic of conversation.

Of course, it wasn't Isabel asking Yulia about Iver. It was the other way around.

Because Yulia had been in a weak and sickly state, her understanding of Iver was probably not as good as that of the well-informed Isabel — Yanis liked to gossip with her all the time, and that camera spirit was incredibly efficient in this regard.

At Yulia's invitation, Iver decided to stay at the Silver and Tin Palace as well. He was sure he'd pass the exams, and there wasn't much to do at home anyway... and if he stayed at the Silver and Tin Palace, Iver could also learn some ritualistic skills from the Court Ritualist.

The old ritual master's name was "Ibn," and he was Ritual Mage from the Parthian Ancient Kingdom.

His energy level was not high, only the Third Level, yet he possessed many rare and mysterious skills. Furthermore, although he was a person who Path of Transcendence, he was a rather gentle old man.

He would embark on the Path of Transcendence to help the poor people of his homeland. He would be banished because he had offended a wealthy local tycoon—or, in the words of the Parthian Ancient Kingdom, a "benevolent lord."

The true monarch of the Parthian Ancient Kingdom was almost unknown to most people, and he almost never appeared in public.

In that unnatural desert located in the very center of the continent, which should have been a fertile plain, the cities were widely separated. Each city's administrator was called a "benevolent lord," and some cities had only one, while others had multiple. These benevolent lords were the actual rulers of the Parthian Ancient Kingdom.

A benevolent master is permitted to own and sell slaves. Only slaves sold by a benevolent master are legal slaves; all other slaves are illegal.

They are called "benevolent lords" because they alone control the use of water. They can conjure up abundant water sources in the desert, and their cities are built around these water sources.

If the benevolent one dies, then the water source will dry up.

The Parthians believed that they were able to survive because the benevolent gods had given them water. Therefore, the benevolent gods' rule was very firm—to dare to rebel against the benevolent gods was tantamount to extinguishing everyone's right to live.

Once a city is destroyed, those who are displaced to other cities will become "untouchables." If they do not pay to buy their freedom, even former Free People will be marked as slaves.

These benevolent masters who monopolized slave resources not only had their own armies but also immeasurable wealth. Cities fought each other, essentially creating a fragmented political landscape.

This Ibn embarked on the path of transcendence in order to help people rebel against benevolent rulers and save those slaves.

But they were too naive. They were betrayed by the very people they had saved, and almost all of them were arrested and imprisoned. Ibn was one of the few who escaped.

He fled to the still-standing Black Eagle Principality, but he felt it wasn't enough. So Ibn continued westward, intending to cross Avalon to reach the Theocracy of perpetual neutrality. Only by reaching the eternally neutral Eternal Theocracy could he survive.

As a result, during his travels to the territory of Avalon, he met a group of local Ritual Mage.

"They call themselves the ' Scaleless Hand,' meaning 'those who do not wear armor.' They are a civilian organization of Transcender formed to rebel against Hanging King Tudor III ... When I saw them, it was like seeing myself back then. I couldn't bear to do it, so I decided to stay and help them."

Ibn sighed and said softly, "And their fate was just like mine."

"In the end, I was betrayed and imprisoned. But the young Queen, who had just ascended the throne, heard that I came from the Parthian Ancient Kingdom and came to see me in prison. After talking with me all night, she decided to pardon me... At that time, the young Her Majesty the Queen decided for the first time to open the road to Avalon. But because there was no law to follow, she could only help me apply for a position as a Court Ritualist."

She said I could also sneak away to the Theocracy. She wouldn't come after me, she just didn't want me to die in prison. But if possible, she still hoped I could stay.

"I realized that I, who was so incompetent and powerless, could actually change the fate of a country... I was very honored and accepted Her Majesty the Queen's invitation to stay."

Upon hearing Ibn's words, Iver was taken aback.

... The Scaleless Hand? He couldn't help but ask, "Do you know someone... who is also a person Scaleless Hand, named Jacob Alexander?"

"He is one of the founders of the Scaleless Hand and also a friend of mine."

Ibn replied with a touch of nostalgia, "I wonder where he ended up..."

As he said this, he suddenly let out a soft "hmm" and looked up at Iver with seriousness.

"... You look a lot like him."

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