20 DLC: "Disaster of Tree and Amber"

As Iver recalled the information Sherlock had provided, he fell into deeper thought.

The information provided by Sherlock was very important—it resolved many of Iver's doubts, such as how his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, and his grandfather Jacob, knew each other, and how his adoptive father and Bishop Mathers became close friends.

Bishop Mathers was undoubtedly a very key figure. He was arguably at the center of the events.

He knew Jacob and Ye Zhi. He took Jacob's son Julio Alexander, as his student, and the death of Iver's parents was directly related to his sudden troubles at the time—an incident suspected to be orchestrated by Professor Moriarty, who was a longtime friend of Bishop Mathers Professor Moriarty.

His younger sister adopted a girl who is the reincarnation of Vivian, and Vivian has a close relationship with Jacob. Jacob is suspected of being connected to the Ring Angel, and Professor Moriarty tells Isabel about the Ring Angel's hidden past.

Following the original "Cruel Autumn" incident, he attempted to restore the Holy Sword and was controlled by the demon sealed within it. This directly led to the "Shadow of Avalon" incident... and the Shadow of Avalon Ritual is related to Vivian and Jacob.

—Now Iver finally learns that even his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty, is also connected to the Golden Dawn.

After adding "Anna" to the list, it becomes clear that Moriarty had connections with the "Rosy Cross" Society from the very beginning. Furthermore, the Noble Red is a subordinate organization of the "Rosy Cross" Society ... This also explains why the "Rosy Cross" Society was aware of the "Sacred Entity."

Yes, they have one thing in common. That is, all the organizations associated with all of the above are aware of the existence of the "Sacred Entity".

And apart from them, it seemed that no one else knew.

The [Sacred Entity] appears to be Angel Shard summoned by Jacob. It first appeared in Eagle Cape Village. After leaving a strange prophecy for Jacob, it disappeared without a trace.

Not many people probably know about this... but Professor Moriarty, during the Promotion Ritual, inexplicably said that Iver might be Sacred Entity.

Meanwhile, Iver's sister Freya, as Professor Moriarty's biological daughter, is burdened with the Curse of Oblivion. However, Professor Moriarty's memories seem not to have disappeared—

As the head of Moriarty's family, the professor frequently attended meetings in the Round Table Hall. There was always a chance he might see Freya's portrait in the corridors leading to the palace. After so many years, he couldn't possibly be completely certain of it.

Moreover, the "achievements" depicted in that portrait appear to have been provided by Professor Moriarty himself.

Was his journey to the Theocracy to find his daughter Freya? What was the "Little Key" that his adoptive father mentioned earlier? If he was a manufactured "key," then which door would Iver use to open?

Thinking about this, Iver, whose thoughts had reached a dead end, started to get a headache.

The past, which was once vague and unclear, is now gradually becoming clearer.

All of this information was connected... yet the clues were inextricably intertwined.

Iver had a clear feeling that one more clue would make the whole thing crystal clear—but he was just one step away from the final step: the step concerning "motivation."

—Based on current information, there is an organization called "Golden Dawn" that is directly related to the birth of Iver, the destruction of Avalon, the Shadow of Avalon, the Ouroboros Ring, the transformation of the Ring Angel, and Professor Moriarty's eventual transformation into the BOSS.

This organization is completely hidden in the game... at least Iver has no recollection of it. But it seems that several versions of the story in the game are directly related to it.

Either someone within this organization orchestrated some kind of conspiracy, or the deaths of members of this organization triggered a chain reaction. The term "Sacred Entity," which appears to be the first of its kind in the Material Realm yet is so universally accepted, seems to be a product of the Golden Dawn.

The most crucial point is that Iver vaguely remembered the name "Anna Kingsford"... This means that she has most likely been in the game, but probably not under this name.

Entering this world means that she once stood on the opposite side of the players.

That could mean they are Iver's enemies.

But he knew nothing about this person.

Having grown accustomed to having an intelligence advantage, this was the first time Iver had experienced such a difficult situation.

Iver made up his mind.

Isabel's father, Yunus, is in the Fifth Ring Fifth Ring, as is Iver's sister, Freya. If the professor were still in the Theocracy, he might be here too.

... At this point, all I can do is go and ask my sister about the situation.

The storyline of version 1.0 of the game has already been resolved by Iver.

The Version 2.0 expansion pack is "The Disaster of Tree and Amber"—representing two types of death for elves.

The Eternal Theocracy is a country with a strong religious atmosphere, and also the largest gathering place for priests who believe in candlelight. Theoretically, it is impossible for any disease or suffering to exist here.

But that's not the case.

The elves suffer from two incurable diseases.

The first one is called "Treeification Disease".

At first, the skin gradually turns into tree bark, then it becomes lethargic. Soon it "takes root," becoming a half-human, half-tree, immobile Half Phantom Demon. Its waking hours become fewer and fewer, until finally it peacefully falls asleep, transforming into a phantom Dedication Path, and awakens from the Dream Realm.

Because it is not a "disease" in the strict sense, it cannot be cured by Illumination Spell. It is more like a leap in the form of life.

From being an immortal species with a lifespan of a thousand years, the spirits transformed into even more immortal tree-people, moving closer to the life form of the candle-bearing apostle "the giant tree".

Just like fruit falling from a tree, which is eaten by animals and its seeds carried around the world, they will eventually sprout again and grow into new trees.

In Yunus's storyline, the elven girl named Anastasia died from the Treeification Disease.

Another type comes from the influence of the "Amber Angel," called "Condensed Amber." A long lifespan makes some spirits yearn for eternity and tranquility.

When elves remain still for too long, their bodies gradually solidify—a more prevalent disease than Treeification Disease.

Within the Eternal Theocracy, there exists a unique faith that has not been officially vetoed... that is the faith in the Amber Angel, which arose from the elves' long lifespans and their heightened fear of death due to those long lifespans.

They urged the elves to maintain inner peace and live a solitary life undisturbed by anyone.

In the high realms of the Eternal Theocracy, many elves possess parts of their bodies that are solidified like jewels. This is because elves inherently tend towards stillness.

This is also why Master Agnes chose to travel the world.

Her own mentor underwent a long period of seclusion, during which his mind was completely purified, thus transforming into a gemstone sculpture and entering eternity.

Therefore, she particularly disliked the extraordinary beings of the Path of Twilight... In order to prevent herself from settling into a state of solidification, she had no choice but to move.

These two "diseases" originate from the call of the elves' bloodline and soul, respectively.

The main storyline of Version 2.0 is actually quite simple—this generation's Eternal Pope has long been afflicted with Treeification Disease.

However, her power completely overwhelmed the manifestation of the Treeification Disease, so only a few people knew this secret. And the Eternal Saintess, who should have inherited her position at this time, was suddenly discovered to be "Ningbo" on the eve of her succession.

As Saintess of the Eternal Theocracy, she has developed the "Condensed Amber" phenomenon, which is usually associated with the Amber Angel. This is undoubtedly a scandal—equivalent to the first heir to a royal family in other countries showing signs of a sexually transmitted disease.

However, because the symptoms are not obvious and the "amber" area is hidden... and although this disease cannot be cured actively, it can be alleviated or even reversed as one's thinking changes.

Therefore, the Cardinal Hall were in great internal conflict over whether to strip the title of Saintess and elect a new Saintess, but this was delayed for a long time due to the bad habits of the immortals.

However, this matter was later leaked for some unknown reason, which directly led to a fierce conflict between two schools of thought within the elves.

Some believe the Pope is dead, others believe Pope is imprisoned by the Cardinal Hall. Still others believe a new Pope has been chosen, but has not yet been crowned, while still others believe the Pure White Saintess is not worthy of the Pope. Some even believe they have been abandoned by the Candlelight... Thousands of years of suppressed opposing sentiments have finally erupted.

The pent-up conflicts between other races who immigrated from other countries and the local elves and Half-Elf were gradually brought to the forefront.

Some elves dislike Short-lived Races, believing they are too noisy and have a much higher crime rate compared to elves; others believe discrimination is wrong; and some elves who are mild-mannered towards Short-lived Races also dislike contact with these cute but short-lived little creatures to avoid upsetting themselves.

Some elves hope to solve the Treeification Disease, while others believe it is a blessing from the giant tree; some elves crave peace, while others abhor the existence of the "Amber Order".

Some elves lived through the Age of Giants, while others were born after the Age of Avalon, and still others were born after the Land Partition War. Ultimately, the age range among these elves can be as long as a thousand years, with many having outdated knowledge that "the last time they went out was two or three hundred years ago." The world changes much faster than their own evolution, which directly leads to a huge generation gap among the elves.

Add to that the lack of job opportunities, the discrimination faced by Half-Elf and Wild Elf, the internal conflicts among those who follow similar beliefs such as the Amber and the Amber Angel, and the goblins stirring up trouble, making things even more complicated.

Eventually, the situation gradually spiraled out of control, becoming chaotic and evolving into a conflict between different races and faiths... Meanwhile, the Pope's Treeification Disease worsened, causing him to fall into a complete slumber and lose control of the Eternal Theocracy.

These contradictions actually existed from the very beginning; they were never resolved, but were merely suppressed by the Eternal Pope. Now, with the supreme ruler missing, they have all erupted at once.

After questioning the candle keeper and the giant tree, the Cardinal Bishop received no clear orders—for some reason, these great beings chose to remain silent on the matter.

The Cardinal each had their own ideas about solving the problem, which led to even stronger conflicts. Ultimately, the conflict spread outwards, resulting in the independent secession of the middle ring.

This created numerous "roadblocks" in the otherwise interconnected Theocracy. Those above couldn't go down, and those below couldn't go up.

Although no large-scale armed conflict broke out... in reality, it was only one step away from the end.

During the "Cruel Autumn," the Theocracy was unable to provide support due to internal strife.

The Theocracy remains peaceful, indicating that the "Disaster of Tree and Amber" has not yet occurred.

—This matter has nothing to do with Golden Dawn, right?

Iver thought to himself.

At that very moment.

The cruise ship bound for the Theocracy arrived at the Eternal Theocracy precisely at 2:30 PM.

Update complete, meow~ I've been getting up later and later lately, so I'm sacrificing a friend's new book to reset my sleep schedule! (Praying)