You Fish-Bomb, I Fish-Bomb

After a brief silence, Iver spoke first, introducing himself in that elegant, youthful voice. "Let me begin. I am ' The Fox,' Dedication Path... I hope to cooperate with everyone."

Upon hearing his voice, Isabel immediately lowered her head.

Otherwise, she might burst out laughing.

"I am pure white, the Path of Authority."

The girl, dressed entirely in white, spoke softly.

Then the tall, elven youth continued, "I am Topaz, the Path of Love..."

After everyone had introduced themselves to Sherlock and Isabel, Isabel suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

Since there was already an empty spot, and Merlin had said that this was Vacancy Ritual, she subconsciously assumed that the missing spot should be the one who Path of Adaptation of the extraordinary and was disliked by everyone.

But after reintroducing herself, she suddenly sensed something was wrong.

They were originally a three-person team, plus Pure Jacaranda, Topaz, and Living Silver, making a total of four people.

—Aren't there only seven people? Why did Lord Merlin say everyone was already there? And...

Isabel quickly scanned the room and couldn't help but ask, "Why are there only eight seats here, Lord Merlin?"

Upon hearing this, Sherlock's heart stirred slightly, and he looked up at Merlin.

He actually realized something was wrong as soon as he landed. This ability to instantly spot everyone's problems was as easy for him as eating and drinking.

However, he was careful not to ask—because no one else did either.

He was sure the Fox had figured it out too. But he didn't ask.

Those four people seemed to be together... and they most likely guessed that he and Isabel were on the same side. The Fox wasn't appearing in the same place as them, perhaps allowing him to hide...

But apart from Topaz, who seemed a bit reckless, the others all appeared quite experienced. However, none of them spoke—in this strange atmosphere, Sherlock himself dared not ask.

He always felt that asking questions at this time would easily put him in a passive position or expose some information.

If the other side actually knows what happened, then asking at this point would be tantamount to revealing your own secrets; but if they also don't know the current situation, then even if you find out, it would only be information sharing. Not only would it reveal your secrets, but it would also allow the other side to benefit for nothing.

So if they don't ask, Sherlock doesn't ask either.

Fortunately, Isabel isn't very good at reading the room.

Completely ignoring the somewhat somber and tense atmosphere, she directly asked the question that everyone was curious about, "Even if the 'Adaptors' are excluded, shouldn't there still be a Transcender? This eighth empty seat should belong to him, right?"

"... Should we wait for him a little longer?"

"No need."

A somewhat flippant voice came from behind.

The air trembled slightly like ripples on water, and suddenly a person appeared in the empty space to Isabel's right and the Fox's left.

He was a young man with messy black hair and wearing a monocle.

He wore a dark blue mage's robe and sat in a chair with his legs crossed, smiling broadly. The staff he held in his right hand hovered in mid-air, with a blue magic circle at the end, supporting the staff as it floated in the air.

He rested his left arm on the armrest and his left hand on his face.

"Didn't I arrive a long time ago?"

The young man said with a smile, "Actually, I was the first one to arrive—Miss Lu Lu, the seat you are sitting in is the eighth one."

Isabel was startled by the sudden appearance of the young man.

Sherlock frowned slightly, Jacaranda pursed her lips, and Topaz looked on high alert. Fortunately, the faces and expressions in the waiting hall were blurred, so not much information would be revealed.

Pure White and Living Silver showed no reaction, and Iver sighed inwardly.

—I knew it.

As soon as Isabel entered, Merlin started urging them to open the door. He was probably planning to hide something... and now it seems that's what he was trying to hide.

The Promotion Ritual originally had nine seats. The environment here was dark, and with everyone introducing themselves, it was easy to miss someone.

So most people calculate the number of people by looking at how many seats are still empty. This easily leads to overlooking a crucial detail—even if you miss counting just one adaptor, the group still isn't complete. If Isabel hadn't asked, he would have blended in like that.

"Of all those present, only Pure White and Living Silver have experienced the Vacancy Ritual."

The young man said with a smile, "So others may not understand one thing... once Vacancy Ritual, then a punishment mechanism needs to be introduced."

"If someone is absent, it means that everyone else has basically teamed up with each other. This goes against the essence of the Promotion Ritual —essentially, the Promotion Ritual is a drama for the Nine Pillar Gods to enjoy, and you are the actors representing your respective paths. If one of the Pillar God ' representatives is excluded in order to win, it violates the original intention of the ceremony."

"I might as well say it directly—at this very moment, there is at least one Pillar God watching over you all."

Upon hearing this, even Iver couldn't help but gasp.

—Are the Nine Pillar Gods watching?

No wonder Merlin had abruptly ended the conversation halfway through and pulled the man inside. It turned out that the fishmonger had suddenly touched his back while he was stroking him.

Simply press the boss button to bring up the work page. Pretend you're actually working.

This is just a level 2 to level 3 advancement ceremony, what's so interesting about it?

It can't be...

A thought struck him, and he looked to his right. He found that Chunbai was still sitting quietly in the same spot, head down, without any reaction.

If I had to say something, it might not be my problem... but hers.

Speaking of which, when those four people appeared, their first reaction was surprise that Pure White wasn't the first one. Although it was only for a moment, Iver caught their surprise.

That's why they were so enthusiastic about "the Fox," trying to chat with him. But when the detective and Lu Lu appeared, they all acted very coldly.

Because they were unaware of the Fox's true nature—although not absolutely, the order of entry in the ritual was related to individual strength and overall rank.

... So, if all four of them are Theocracy, then who is Chunbai?

Could she be the Saintess of the Eternal Theocracy? But in Iver's memory, the Saintess didn't seem to be a little girl... Was he mistaken? Or does the Saintess have some kind of disguise ability?... Goodness.

You're smurfing, I'm smurfing, and we're turning Silver into a King-level game, huh?

"That's why... when Vacancy Ritual, a punishment mechanism must be introduced."

The young man introduced himself with a smile, "The ceremony will be joined by the officiant—yes, I am Merlin."

As Merlin spoke, he raised his staff and gave a respectful salute to everyone from afar.

He then immediately reassured her, "Of course, there's no need to be too afraid. This time, only one person is missing from the Vacancy Ritual. I'm not going to take it too seriously... I just need to slightly offset the advantages you have from forming a team, and the reduced promotion pressure due to the absence of one person."

"Besides, the venue for this ceremony was personally designed by Wei Zhe—"

Merlin said, raising his staff high.

A flash of light appeared, and the pitch-black environment was suddenly filled with color.

However, it was filled, but not completely filled—the surrounding environment was still quite dark.

In the frozen moment, it was pitch black outside. Looking closely, one could see the raindrops frozen outside the window, and the image of rain shattering on the windowpane.

They sat around the unlit hotel table.

This seems to be the venue for a while.

Meanwhile, Merlin continued to shower Wei Zhe with praise, "Wei Zhe creatively used minimal space and the fewest simulated souls to create a layered structure. And the fair and impartial scoring rules of the Hourglass are the icing on the cake."

"This is undoubtedly good news for everyone—this Promotion Ritual will be presided over by Wei Zhe, who has always disliked violence. He prefers intelligent people... therefore, intelligence plays a significant role in this ceremony. Furthermore, the points awarded Hourglass are entirely fair and impartial—"

"This is why you seven have the confidence to stand against me."