Gathering

Iver reverted the Paradox Flame Butterfly to its traveling form, and it retraced its steps back the way it had come.

Because the power of that Death Qi was simply too strong—even though it didn't seem to have any murderous intent, merely freezing everything in place— Iver was still very worried about whether Sherlock would be in danger.

Fortunately, Iver quickly found Sherlock.

In a special way—

Near the Giant King's corpse, there was an unnatural-looking large pit, resembling a beast trap.

Above it is a cross grid, and below that is a U-shaped pit, similar to a toilet drain pipe or Pasteur's Swan Neck Flask Experiment.

This was clearly a makeshift shelter Sherlock had constructed upon encountering the Death Qi. His reaction was remarkably swift; he immediately created a layer based on the specific effects of the Death Qi, a unique structure that could block the twilight winds without suffocating him inside. Even the topmost grid was now covered by a thin layer of amber crystals, making it incredibly sturdy.

"Sherlock?"

Iver crouched above the grid and tapped on it.

He tentatively called inside, "Still alive?"

"Alive!"

Little Sherlock said irritably, his voice faint and distant, requiring him to strain to make it carry clearly. "Quickly open this lid for me!"

"I'm afraid that won't work," Iver regretfully. "We just tried. We probably can't break it with force— Hai Na's Fourth Level fist isn't as strong as it."

"Then use any means necessary, like rituals or prayers, whatever you prefer! You still have the Holy Sword, right? Try it and get me out of here first!"

Sherlock, enraged and embarrassed, exclaimed, "The ground seems to be sealed off by something; I can't break through from below!"

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore, I'll give it a try."

Iver planned to first cleave it with the holy sword and then pray to the Amber God... but unexpectedly, the first step opened it directly.

The dim, yellowish amber crystals softened instantly upon touching the Red Hilt Sword in Iver's hand. Or rather, some power within them was absorbed by the Red Hilt Sword. Iver sliced through the grid with just two strikes.

Seeing Sherlock struggling to climb up from below, Hai Na kindly helped him up.

"...strangeness."

Iver looked at the holy sword and fell into deep thought.

What effect of the Holy Sword could have caused it to so effectively counteract this abnormal "solidification"? Was it the Evil-Repelling Sword? That doesn't seem likely either... and its sharpness is even less probable.

"... Could it be a curse?"

The Red Hilt Sword has a negative effect that makes the wielder "Curse Vulnerability," specifically because it is more likely to absorb curse power. If it absorbs the curse from the crystal, it will naturally turn the sword into an ordinary object.

However, Iver absorbed the curse without feeling anything.

Sherlock, panting, replied, "It is indeed a curse..."

It was very difficult for him to climb out of the pit. He had to be very careful to stand on the ground, which had now become as slippery as ice, and he had to get up carefully to avoid slipping back into the pit.

While concentrating on fighting the ground, he casually remarked, "But this isn't the curse of the Amber God; it's some kind of large-scale ritual."

Are you sure?

"I can analyze it," Sherlock pointed to his eyes, which shimmered with azure light, "Although the scale is frighteningly large... it should only be Fifth Level supernatural power. It's just that the quantity is large enough."

I see...

Upon hearing this, Iver understood.

This was not because they triggered Amber's Divine Punishment, nor because they broke the seal. Rather, it was related to their grandfather, Jacob.

A grand ritual of the Fifth Level, a twilight curse covering the entire village...

"Am I the key to unlocking this ritual?" Iver hesitated for only a moment before making up his mind.

"Let's go take a look."

He answered in a deep voice.

On the other side.

After hearing Ye Zhi's account of the secret, Merlin shook his head slightly.

He finally understood the gist of it all.

"So that's how it is... Now everything makes sense."

Merlin murmured, "The Ouroboros Ring, a ritual that can cause the Celestials to fall... the "Rosy Cross" Society, the Golden Dawn..."

He was pondering something, then fell into deep thought.

After a moment of silence, he waved his hand. The bands of light wrapped around the giant wolf suddenly dissipated and collapsed.

Before Ye Zhi could say anything, it suddenly heard a sound. It turned around and looked back.

The giant wolf suddenly transformed into a man with a slightly hunched back and black hair that was damp and matted like seaweed. He wore a dark green double-breasted trench coat and a brown scarf. He straightened his clothes slightly to make himself look more dignified.

Not long after, Iver three companions appeared before the two.

Upon seeing the giant bound by Merlin, the group was immediately startled.

The next moment, each of them looked at something different—

Sherlock looked at Merlin, Lily and Hai Na looked at Ye Zhi, and Iver looked at the empty space left after the swamp disappeared.

Yes, the swamp has disappeared—just like when they conducted their experiments before. It seems that Earth Attribute spells were triggered around the swamp, turning it back into a Fairy Hole.

"Lord Merlin?"

Sherlock recognized the apostle he had met not long ago.

"Hello, Mr. Hermes."

Merlin was very approachable; instead, he smiled and waved to Sherlock.

Hai Na's expression turned serious. "You're the one on the train..."

" —Ye Zhi"

The nobleman, who appeared to be Wild Elf, bowed slightly and placed his hand on his chest. "A poet. We meet again, Miss Hai Na."

Then, he looked at Lily.

Ye Zhi stated without hesitation, "At the same time... I am also a werewolf."

—No transformation is needed to confirm.

Just by getting this close, Ye Zhi and Lily could smell each other's werewolf scent.

Suppressing the wildness that suddenly surged within her, Lily nodded slightly.

Instead of introducing herself, she stepped back half a step and moved behind Iver.

Iver stared blankly at the swamp that emitted a strange purple glow—for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity and closeness within it.

Seeing Lily retreat behind him, he turned around to look at Ye Zhi.

"Ye Zhi ...or rather, Dark Cloud. Right?"

Iver's voice was calm and polite, gentle and generous, without a trace of the disdainful and arrogant air he usually displayed when bullying Sherlock and Hai Na: "I remember that your reason for coming to Avalon was political asylum."

"Yes, Minister Moriarty."

Ye Zhi nodded slightly.

His voice was deep and hoarse, and his extremely tall frame, though somewhat hunched, always gave off a sense of oppression. "This was approved by the Arbitration Hall."

"Yeah."

Iver calmly asked, "Then what brings you here?"

"I am a local, Minister Moriarty."

"Eagle Cape Village?"

"I'm from Bagpipe Town. I grew up by the lake, and I loved fishing around Sapphire Lake when I was a kid. I only went to Iris in recent years," Ye Zhi answered fluently.

"Yeah."

Iver remained noncommittal.

He stared intently at Ye Zhi, then suddenly spoke, "I've heard Bishop Mathers mention you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhi's expression changed slightly. Merlin, however, simply smiled.

In that instant, Iver knew he had guessed right.

He genuinely didn't know Ye Zhi, nor had he ever heard Bishop Mathers mention him. This was just a ruse.

But he remembered that when Mathers became the Cursed Holy Knight known as "Holy Sword Guardian Samuel"... there was a friendly NPC who needed protection, and he was an elf werewolf with hair that looked like he had just taken a shower and hadn't dried it!

—Although Iver couldn't remember the other person's name at all, he did remember the other person's distinctive hairstyle!