Moly

Sherlock didn't dare respond to Isabel's words.

He kept his eyes down, his nose focused on his mouth, and his mouth on his mind, pretending he hadn't heard anything and was intently staring at the documents Iver handed him.

After confirming that Iver and Isabel did not intend to continue the discussion on this topic, Sherlock suddenly spoke up, catching Iver's attention and shifting the dangerous subject. "According to this document, Miss Freya is studying in the Fifth Ring. And coincidentally, Mr. Yunus is also in the Fifth Ring."

The Eternal Theocracy is divided into twenty-two concentric rings from the Bottom Layer to the Top Layer.

Generally speaking, the closer you get to the Top Layer, the higher the proportion of immortal beings, the fewer people there are, the quieter it is, and the slower the pace of life.

Below the tenth ring, various races live together, while the First Ring is the most lively and prosperous place—all kinds of goods from all over the world, various advanced magical technology products, and various entertainment venues are built here.

In a sense, this place could even be called the center of the world.

"The Eternal Theocracy has almost no factories within its borders, and as a result, it has virtually no industrial population. The very few industrial facilities it has are all located below the Fifth Ring, and dangerous research is mostly conducted in the second to Fifth Ring."

"The Fifth Ring belongs to the fields of medicine, chemistry, biology, and paleontology. It is very reasonable for Miss Freya to study in the Fifth Ring."

Sherlock flipped through the documents and casually said, "I'm not sure if you know... the 'Molu' in Miss Freya's name is a name she gave herself. It's a special, mysterious herb that had been lost for hundreds of years, which Miss Freya rediscovered."

"Its herb roots are black, and its flowers are the color of milk. If you eat it directly, you can effectively resist the allure, curses, and transformations from the Path of Love for a short period of time. If any living creature touches this herb, it will wither and rot within an hour."

"Therefore, it cannot be easily stored or transported; only phantoms, lifeless undead, or steel machinery can access it."

"—It is the core ingredient of the 'panacea'."

Sherlock said softly, "That is the herb that was destroyed by ' Echidna '."

In fact, Freya's achievement of "recreating the lost panacea formula from the Round Table Era" at such a young age was directly related to her discovery of the lost "Moly Herb".

The "panacea" is just a legend in Avalon.

It is the ultimate magic potion that can cure any disease, reaching the pinnacle of "medicine". It can even prolong the life of "the mortal", postponing inevitable death.

Iver had read about this part of the occult in the school library...

That story takes place during the time when giants still ruled this island.

The last Giant King once stole a potion recipe from a witch named Echidna... and this recipe was stolen by Echidna from the apostles of the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

Witches are illusionary demons on the Path of Love. In essence, they are also a special kind of fairy.

Unlike fairies who are born naturally from water, wind, or trees, witches are illusionary demons who have risen from the ranks of "witches" who are extraordinary beings. They are empowered by the power of the Beast Lord, possess beautiful yet twisted bodies, and also gain the ability to conceive new monsters.

"I've heard of her," Iver nodded. "That witch was once a Lizardman —a follower of the Beast Lord. After ascending to witchhood, she had a fair and beautiful, eternally youthful upper body, and a huge, monstrous Snake Tail."

"She usually lives underground, gentle and kind as a young girl during the day, and ferocious and ugly as a madwoman when night falls. She eats the flesh of all kinds of intelligent beings, including human flesh—she eats men's flesh and drinks women's blood. Because of this, she has also had contact with the Giant King who kept humans..."

At this point, Iver glanced briefly at Isabel and then fell silent.

Because from then on, Echidna's fate was not harmonious.

Her cooperation with the Giant King quickly fell apart. She was then imprisoned, raped, and had the formula for the elixir stolen by the Giant King.

During her twenty years of imprisonment, she bore him twelve children and eight stillborns—the names of these monsters are well-known, including Cerberus, the Chimera, Orthrus, the Hydra ...

Ultimately, the Giant King strangled her in a drunken rage.

Although their paths are all different, they all eventually become bosses in different instances.

And the players' paid mounts.

"Before she died, she cursed the core ingredient of the elixir Moly Herb, causing it to deteriorate, 'not to be touched by mortals with mortal lives,' and also cursed the Giant Kingdom to 'perish like melting snow'—a curse that ultimately came true thirty years later."

Iver explained simply to Isabel was somewhat interested, "Because any animal that touches the Moly Herb will immediately rot it. The panacea that the Giant King wanted will thus become extinct."

The small amount of panacea that existed at that time has long since been used up or expired over the years.

Freya found the degraded "New Molu", proving that it had not yet become extinct.

Ultimately, they successfully recreated the panacea of the new era—

"A panacea has indeed been created, but the raw materials themselves have deteriorated, so the effects are also different. It can cure most diseases, but it can no longer prolong life. At the same time, taking too much in a short period of time will produce strong addiction. Its value has also been greatly reduced."

Iver greatly admired his sister, whom he had never met.

This panacea is a byproduct obtained from gacha pulls in the shop—an expensive consumable that can instantly remove most negative effects, a "universal debuff removal potion" with a 30-second cooldown. It is also known by players as the "Big Purple Bottle".

Its official name is "Freya's Tears".

Back then, Iver thought Freya was the name of a goddess or apostle... Only now does he have a general understanding of the origin of the drug's name.

Sherlock, standing nearby, analyzed earnestly. "I speculate that Miss Freya went to the Theocracy because she believed the new panacea had too many impurities and the active ingredients hadn't been fully purified, and Avalon could no longer provide her with assistance. So she sought help from the elves—after all, she couldn't very well take the technology to Star Antimony or Iris. At least the Theocracy is on our side."

"There is also the possibility that she simply went to find the old elves who lived through the age of giants."

Iver added, "This simple possibility cannot be ignored."

"That's not important. We'll find out when we go to the Theocracy. Anyway, she and Mr. Yunus live very close by."

Sherlock shook his head slightly, his expression turning serious. "Compared to that... your family's loss of memories of Miss Freya, this matter is perhaps more important."

He looked at the section in the document that Mycroft had highlighted in red—the "Unstable Resurrection Potion" invented by Freya, which had no valid experimental records.

Mycroft also repeatedly searched the Drug Research Institute where Freya had previously worked. He confirmed that there were no relevant experimental records for this drug.

—It wasn't deleted, it simply never existed. This is because the other records have consecutive numbers and the dates match.

In other words, this drug was never even tested. No one can prove that it ever worked.

Why then is this achievement still recorded as Freya's accomplishment in the Silver and Tin Palace?

Sensing something was wrong, Mycroft went to find the painter who had been in charge of creating Freya's portrait.

Then they learned crucial intelligence.

This clause was added at the personal request of Old Moriarty.

There are now three possibilities.

Sherlock analyzed carefully. "First, there is no such thing as a 'resurrection potion.' Professor Moriarty added this clause for other purposes. Second, such a potion does exist, and Miss Freya verified it in front of Professor Moriarty, expressing a certain 'unstable trait,' which is why your family's specialized amnesia is the result. Third, your amnesia is not directly related to the side effects of the 'resurrection potion,' but rather to the experiment itself—after the experiment, your memories were erased, either voluntarily or involuntarily."

Which one do you prefer?

Iver immediately asked, "I think the first one can be ruled out first. Between the second and third, I'm relatively more inclined towards the third..."

"I don't favor either of them, Iver."

Sherlock. said coldly, "Before we have real evidence, speculation is just speculation. If you have already made up your mind about a speculation and then go looking for evidence, then it is no longer seeking the truth, but just comforting yourself."

Upon hearing this, Iver paused for a moment.

His pupils trembled slightly as he realized that Sherlock was right.

"Ha ha..."

Iver suddenly laughed, reaching out to grab Sherlock's hair and ruffling it until it was a mess. "How embarrassing, I said that to someone before... but I forgot about it myself."

—In his heart, he still couldn't let go of Professor Moriarty, who would become the world-destroying boss in the future.

Or rather, it was because the professor had been missing for so long that Iver couldn't find any trace of him and felt even more anxious.

Now that the matter has dragged him into it again, it makes it difficult for Iver to remain absolutely objective and calm.

"Hey, Fox."

Young Sherlock, with a sour face, suddenly spoke up, "You're wary of your adoptive father, James, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Iver turned his gaze to Sherlock.

He guessed it as expected.

A few months ago, Sherlock's keen insight would have only made Iver uneasy and troublesome. But now he felt at ease.

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

Sherlock answered briefly.

He glanced at Isabel and added, "Her Majesty the Queen as well."

"—Especially Her Majesty the Queen!"

Isabel glared at him and raised her voice to correct him.

The three then exchanged a smile.

Iver felt that the faint anxiety in his heart, like clumpy milk powder, had been washed away.

That's true. Iver thought to himself.

I am no longer alone.