Found You, Merlin

Iver, along with the Old Inspector and the reporter, returned to the second floor.

Even now, he doesn't completely believe that the Old Inspector is Pure White. But whether he's played by Pure White, Living Silver, or someone else doesn't really matter.

Because he couldn't possibly be the detective, Lu Lu, or Merlin. In this way, the other party's general stance could be determined—those four people were all in cahoots, Iver didn't need to make any special distinctions.

He was certain that the "reporter" was Merlin, and not Sherlock.

The real Sherlock didn't have such a strong desire for advancement—his primary goal was to help Isabel advance, but at the same time, he didn't have much hope for Isabel.

Because he was not loyal to Isabel, but to the successor chosen by Queen Sophia.

Ultimately, his loyalty was directed towards Queen Sophia, who broke with Avalon's traditions and, despite overwhelming evidence of the assassination attempt on the crown Crown Prince, resolutely protected his father and promoted his brother.

How many monarchs throughout Avalon's history have possessed such magnanimity?

As for Isabel, Sherlock had never considered her reliable. Before he knew Lu Lu was Isabel, he was incredibly sarcastic towards her. Even now, he still needs Iver's mediation with Isabel; otherwise, it's difficult for them to get along smoothly.

—Another flaw is that he downloaded it too quickly.

Just as a true detective would first open windows for ventilation, carefully investigate the surroundings, and find a large number of assistants to cooperate in the investigation when the deceased has died of poisoning, rather than rushing in to perform an autopsy.

Sherlock was not the kind of reckless detective. He could remain calm in almost any situation.

If the reporter were really Sherlock, he would definitely prioritize gathering information from each floor.

If it's just one suicide attempt, that's one thing... but the first death is certainly safe. The reporter did indeed claim to have already conducted a preliminary investigation.

The real question is, after knowing that the "teacher" was the Fox, why didn't he share intelligence with Iver or investigate the second round with Iver?

Although Sherlock was very aggressive towards Iver, Iver knew... that Sherlock's trust in him was probably on the same level as Isabel's.

If Isabel's trust was based on emotion, then Sherlock's trust was based on reason. Knowing that only Iver and he were on that level, and that no one was listening, Sherlock did not conduct a thorough investigation or share any information, but instead hastily pulled Iver into the next level.

—What if the level he encountered, Iver, was the Layer Zero? His level above could very well be the First Layer, and "Iver" could very well be Merlin in disguise. Would Sherlock commit suicide multiple times without conducting any investigation?

Moreover, even before it was confirmed that Iver was "The Fox," he directly stated that the flow of time or the points of entry were different. Such information could have been obtained simply by Iver dying once.

But he said he had only met Jacaranda once, which meant he hadn't seen any of his other "resurrected" companions. How could he be sure his situation wasn't an isolated case? — Only Merlin.

Merlin knew that Iver couldn't possibly be Merlin, and Merlin also knew that Iver had indeed just appeared. His words were the most efficient, the most Iver, and the most effective... but it was precisely because he pursued the efficiency of his words that he exposed his flawed vision.

However, Iver did not intend to make this public.

He suspected that this was a flaw deliberately revealed by Merlin.

The "announcement" may seem like a way to counter Merlin, but it is actually a trap.

—That's right. If he reveals Merlin directly, then Merlin will indeed be locked in this level. But as long as this isn't the Layer Zero, they will eventually have to leave this level.

Whether they kill Merlin on this level or leave on their own, Merlin will escape. The means of escape is death, and after death, Merlin will no longer be able to be restrained.

In reality, by exposing Merlin's identity, he only trapped Merlin in this one layer. And the price he paid was that he himself was also trapped in this layer at the same time.

If this is a high-level location, and one person's intelligence is missing, the others' reasoning might be flawed, and this misleading information, based entirely on facts, could be extremely detrimental. Conversely, if this is a low-level location, Merlin would still be squeezed out when the real actor arrives. In other words, revealing identities is only effective when everyone is on a low level, such as the first or zeroth level.

So, what if Merlin's identity isn't revealed?

As an apostle of Vajra, Merlin would not be so careless in presiding over Vajra's ceremonies.

Although only one person was missing from the ceremony, Merlin was not allowed to take it too seriously according to the rules and had to go easy on them a bit...

But when he was chatting with him before, Iver had a vague feeling that Merlin was somewhat unethical.

That wicked Fox, even if he's going to let everyone off the hook, it'll definitely be at the very end—he'll only reveal his weakness after he's finished fooling everyone. He certainly won't miss any opportunity to laugh and mock; that's just the kind of person he is—wicked and carefree.

Iver didn't dislike this kind of person. Apart from not being as eccentric, lively, or unscrupulous as Merlin, he was essentially the same kind of person as Merlin. But it was precisely because they were the same kind of person that Iver was able to guess Merlin's logic and thoughts.

Regardless, Merlin's plan should have only taken effect after Iver exposed him.

But Iver decided to pretend he didn't see it.

Since Iver didn't reveal his identity, Merlin couldn't just jump out and stop acting. That would not only be too ugly, but also shameful.

Merlin himself has said that the nature of this ceremony has changed now that the Nine Pillar Gods are watching. It's like a public lesson with leaders observing; Merlin can lose, but he can't afford to lose, and he certainly can't be a sore loser. That's why he can only attack the receptionist, and can't attack anyone else.

Merlin could win so easily, since he was the host himself. He knew the secret behind it all.

But precisely because of this, if Merlin were to act shamelessly in order to win, he would likely anger the Nine Pillar Gods. Judging from Merlin's shrewdness, he clearly holds the Nine Pillar Gods in high esteem and fear.

Merlin was ultimately just an examiner and actor, not even a director or screenwriter. And at this moment, he was already in the play.

He was unable to transcend the rules of ritual, and was just as powerless to change them.

Merlin now has to follow Iver and genuinely act as a detective to help him. Unless Iver stops acting, or the true owner of this body descends upon him, Merlin will have to continue playing along—

Until they landed on the ground floor or the ground floor.

—That will be the time when the real game begins.

Iver knew this, Merlin naturally knew it too.

The reporter could only smile wryly as he followed behind Iver.

But the look he gave Iver behind him was full of meaning... one could even say it was as if he couldn't wait to see a good show unfold.

Chapter Two will be released before 2 PM again~ If you're waiting for it to grow, remember to subscribe automatically, guys, don't let the cat die (earnest words).