What's with the whole "two negatives make a positive" thing?

Iver quickly realized what Grey meant by that.

—Because the unicorn showed no reaction to his touch and riding, and could even be described as quite affectionate.

But how could I know why this unicorn was so friendly to me! As the highest symbol of the Theocracy, only Cardinal Bishop were qualified to ride unicorns—and even then, only virgins of pure and kind hearts were permitted. Even male or married Cardinal Bishop were forbidden from contact; if anyone harbored ill intentions, the unicorn would refuse their ride.

And it is quite obvious.

He was neither pure and kind, nor a virgin, nor a girl. He wasn't even Cardinal Bishop.

Iver couldn't hold back any longer—

You're making a positive result from two negatives! And you made a positive result from two negatives twice, huh?! Unicorn, did you mess up this move? "... Is it about affinity with the Dao?"

Iver asked softly, "After all, I'm already at the Fourth Level."

"Cardinal Bishop are all at the Fifth Level."

Pure White replied, "Unicorns are beasts that hold candles and gaze at the moon. If you're not a girl, then you're the only exception in thousands of years."

"I remember... unicorns have an affinity for both dedication and love."

Iver asked hesitantly, "Could it be due to affinity with the Dao?"

Could it be because of the Path Trait granted to him by the Twin Mirrors? After all, No. 14 is a Virgo and also the Child of the Moon... Maybe the Unicorn directly saw through his identity as Iver and sensed Android No. 14's presence?

"What do you think, Lady Pansy?"

Pure White reached out and gently touched the long, spiraling horn on the unicorn's forehead, which was long enough to pierce through an adult's chest.

"To be honest," a crisp, aloof female voice rang out, "This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

"But my body didn't show any signs of resistance. Since that's the case, I don't want to just continue with outdated routines. We must understand that times change, and we can't refuse to accept things just because we don't understand them."

That was the unicorn speaking.

It was less of a chat and more of an instruction and reprimand of the Grey Saintess.

"Yes, Lady Pansy."

The Grey Saintess didn't react much, but nodded, humbly accepting the teachings.

"Hello, Lady Pansy."

Iver greeted the noble unicorn with courtesy, "May the Candlelight protect your glory."

In a sense, this unicorn could be considered a senior Civil Servant of the Eternal Theocracy.

Unicorns and griffins are completely different supernatural beings.

Impure-blooded griffins often rely on the advancement of their allies to more easily reach the Fourth Level, fully mature, and gain complete intelligence. However, if a griffin's covenant ally can advance to the Fifth Level, the griffin itself may be dragged down to the Fifth Level as well, making it a two-sided phenomenon.

Unicorns are typically Fourth Level supernatural beings—they are born at Level 4, but it's not easy for them to advance to Fifth Level ...after all, unicorns live much longer than griffins. They even outlive elves...this unicorn named "Pansy" will most likely live longer Avalon.

Although unicorns are mounts, they do not have such a close covenant with their masters—the fates of griffins and their comrades are even permanently bound together.

Unicorns change owners quite frequently. When their owner is no longer pure and kind, they will find a new master.

This is why, although the unicorn's potential is much lower than that of the griffin, it has become a symbol of higher status... It is because of its special affinity for "pure people" that it has become something similar to the Avalon lie detector.

Rather than being a mount issued to Cardinal Bishop, it was more like a disciplinary supervisor who also served as a driver.

It has probably served many Saintess by now.

"Hello, Iver."

The unicorn turned around and gazed at Iver with its clear, sapphire-like eyes.

Despite having a horse's face, Iver always felt it was smiling—he could even clearly see human-like expressions on the unicorn's face, "This is the first time I've carried a man on my back. If the movements are too vigorous and make you uncomfortable, please don't be shy and speak up."

Iver understood what she meant.

The implication is that if you hurt yourself, remember to speak up and don't be shy about saying so.

Hearing her words, Iver felt somewhat embarrassed. He coughed but said nothing.

It felt like talking to my aunt at home. There was a sense of closeness in terms of distance, but it also felt like I was being teased.

"And," the unicorn said, "May the Candlelight protect you as well."

As it spoke, the unicorn tilted its head back slightly and offered its horn to Iver.

Iver deduced that this might be the "handshake" etiquette that Pansy was imitating. So Iver carefully extended his finger and gently touched the unusually sharp horn, as if he were gently pinching the tips of the other person's two fingers.

By this time, they had already left the port.

There were even more people outside—it was quite a bustling scene.

Elves, trolls, Lizardman, humans, goblins, Child of the Moon... Iver encountered almost every intelligent race except for dwarves.

They are all different in height, weight, and even their clothing is completely different.

These immigrants or tourists, dressed in clothing from different cultures, gathered in small groups. But very few spoke Elven Language; they all spoke their own languages.

The shop's style here once made Iver feel like he was back on Earth.

The streets are lined with shops, one after another. In front of the shops, there are also street vendors or people selling snacks.

The biggest difference is that there are no "roads" here.

Although many horses passed by— Iver even saw camels—there were no paved roads or marble paths. The ground was entirely made of wood, so when the unicorn's hooves trod upon it, they produced a crisp, long echo.

From Avalon's perspective, the roads here are considered quite wide. Wide enough that even with street vendors on both sides, there's still at least two lanes of space in the middle.

In the distance, many skyscrapers can be seen.

In Avalon, the headquarters of Lloyd's's of London is a unique high-rise building in the country. From Iver's vantage point alone, there are at least three or four buildings taller than it within sight.

Iver even saw a real "skyscraper"—it was directly fitted into the edge of the giant tree's outer ring. Like an external elevator, it lay outside the First Ring to the Third Ring.

And the "outer skin" of all these buildings is entirely made of wood. Only some of them are inlaid with glass. Rather than being built houses, they are more like buildings that have grown out of the ground.

The area of First Ring is undoubtedly the largest and highest layer.

As soon as Iver came out of the port, he could see the silhouette of this towering tree when he looked up.

From his side, he could only vaguely see the fifth Fifth Ring.

The part above wasn't that Iver's eyesight was poor, but rather that it had been distorted by the atmosphere and disappeared into the blue sky.

Is there anything you want to buy?

Grey suddenly asked.

"There must be."

Iver hesitated slightly. "After all, I brought... I brought money with me this time."

He wasn't sure if directly asking the Grey Saintess for money would annoy her...

After all, many elves don't really like things like "money" because they consider them unclean. The older the elf, the more disdainful they are of money.

Although the Theocracy is the world's trading center, the elves don't actually like trading—this is no laughing matter.

Rather, it's because elves genuinely believe that the concept of "money" is fundamentally contrary to dedication. Its essence is personal ownership. However, since trade falls within the realm of equilibrium, elves don't overly resist it... Nevertheless, the more primitive form of "barter" is more prevalent among elves.

The value of such transactions is completely mismatched, so in essence, they are about exchanging "favors".

Therefore, within the Eternal Theocracy, at least among Pure-Blood Elf, there is no concept of "currency".

Whenever an elf needs something, they simply ask, and someone will naturally provide it for them. In turn, the elves will help others, and this cycle repeats itself... After all, the elves are Children of the Giant Tree and have inherited its sacrificial blood.

"Don't worry," Grey, knowing what Iver was concerned about. "I'm not some old-fashioned person who wants to use amber... times have changed, and I know that."

"I am an elf born in the new era. I was born after the opening of the Theocracy —and I also have some White Crown Coin."

Yes, the White Crown Coin.

Iver knew that the currency used by the elves today was also the White Crown Coin issued by Avalon.

Because of this close relationship, some races that are not well-versed in the history and political situation here... such as the Lizardman in the eastern desert or the trolls in the south, might even think that Avalon and the Theocracy are actually two regions of the same country.

But actually, this matter is quite simple.

Strictly speaking, the Theocracy does not have its own legal tender.

In the Theocracy, the practice of using "money" to buy things only began in the last few hundred years. It's less than a thousand years in total.

Long ago, handicrafts made by artisans, paintings by painters, clothes made by tailors, or potions, wines, and food—these things were casually displayed on windowsills or in courtyards. If you saw something you liked, you could simply take it.

For some ancient elves, these things didn't exist when they were children, or even during their adolescence... but now it's completely different.

Beginning at the end of the Herasul Empire, the Eternal Theocracy, which had always been closed off internally, decided to open up to the outside world and slowly begin to make contact with the Short-lived Races under the decision of a certain Pope.

The peaceful, tranquil, and prosperous atmosphere of the Theocracy immediately attracted many immigrants from other ethnic groups. Its internal security and order also drew merchants to trade there.

The elves were actually quite looking forward to these immigrants... just like humans raising cats.

Because of their shorter lifespans, they had more needs for help. As intelligent beings, they could easily communicate with each other. Their ability to speak the profound Elven Language meant they were at least not too unintelligent, making it easier for them to befriend lonely elves—at that time, most elves had not yet realized what the theory of lifespan meant.

But before they experienced the cruelty of the lifespan theory, the elves had already noticed the quality issues of the "out-of-town cats".

Scholars and poets who yearned for elven culture, as well as merchants and travelers who hoped to obtain elven specialties, gradually all gathered in the Theocracy.

However, they cannot be as carefree and simple-minded as elves.

The local elves hire them to work for them, but simply providing food and lodging isn't enough—they also have to pay them wages. The bigger problem, however, is that the elves simply don't have enough jobs for them.

These Short-lived Races don't just stop when they want supplies or gifts; they're insatiable. Meeting their needs isn't enough; they want more.

This resulted in a large-scale chaos at the time.

This period, known as the "Currency Chaos," is a compulsory subject in secondary school history in Avalon because it is directly related to the birth of Avalon.

It was from that time onward that Short-lived Races could only gather below the Fifth Ring, and elves began to use the currency of Short-lived Races.

"Actually, I understand how the elves feel."

Iver said from the bottom of his heart, "If I had been there back then, I probably would have just driven them out."

He truly understood how the elves felt.

It feels like the guild warehouse is overflowing with potions, materials, and money for newbies. There's also some equipment used by veterans... Selling it wouldn't yield much profit, not even enough to cover the costs. So, it's better to provide some convenience for newbies... This is a common practice in many games Iver plays.

A relay of love and compassion within our means. Even Iver contributed a great deal at the time.

Then, suddenly, a group of people joined the guild. To this day, Iver still doesn't know if they were professional guild raiders or if there was a mole within the guild who had revealed their wealth.

The result was that even though they were no longer newcomers and didn't lack these things at all, they still took everything—and they didn't use it themselves, but instead put it up for auction.

Not only that, after they finished looting, they didn't even chat in the guild group chat—it would have been fine if they had just met someone they knew.

The problem is, nobody knows you guys! The most outrageous thing is that they don't even run away—and they're still acting all high and mighty! Why don't they run away? They'll wait for the next wave of resources to grow.

Enraged Iver kicked them out and posted their IDs online.

"It's just that the elves have good tempers... They only banished them to below the fifth Fifth Ring and even changed their habits to accommodate them."

Iver complained, "If it were me..."

He shook his head and didn't continue.

But clearly, it wasn't just Iver was dissatisfied.

The sudden change in their lifestyle also made many elves disgusted with these greedy and low-quality Short-lived Races.

Yes, they are not actually annoyed because these Short-lived Races have taken away too much of their things, but because they have to adapt to the lifestyle of the Short-lived Races and change their own habits that they have developed over hundreds of years—like a roommate suddenly getting a bunch of pets.

It's not that we're short of food, nor is it that we dislike small animals. But it does feel like a hassle.

You're not my pet, why are you biting my line!

That's roughly the feeling.

The Theocracy's full support for Avalon began after that.

Since the stray cats from other places aren't behaving well, the elves decided to adopt one themselves.

The Elves contributed greatly to the founding of Avalon. The Pope even dispatched more than twenty young Pope Guard, a gesture of goodwill. At that time, the White Crown Coin served as the guarantor for foreign trade, and the Theocracy Theocracy adopted Avalon's legal tender as its Theocracy, thus supplying Avalon with a large amount of resources.

To prevent the Avalon from being corrupted by other Short-lived Races, the Theocracy also forbade them from contacting other races—if it weren't so difficult to completely avoid contact with humans, they wouldn't even want the Avalon to come into contact with other humans.

This is also the origin of Avalon's xenophobic culture.

Even so, Avalon gradually became somewhat corrupt. Consequently, the Theocracy's opinion of and favor towards Avalon declined significantly. Although it's still considered "their own cat" now, they're not as keen on managing it anymore.

Seeing Iver ' reaction and sensing his feelings, Grey couldn't help but feel a little more favorably toward Iver.

Although she is relatively friendly to Short-lived Races species... over the years, very few Short-lived Races have realized they are wrong. They stop more out of morality than out of genuine understanding of elves.

It makes sense that the Theocracy now only accepts humans who Dedication Path as high-ranking members. After all, only those extraordinary individuals who Dedication Path enlightenment can truly understand why the elves were angry back then, and only they can understand the complex relationship between the elves and the Short-lived Races today.

I like it, but I don't want to raise it; I really love it, but it's also really annoying.

"If you're not in a rush right now, come with me first to get the paperwork done. After that, if there's anything you want to buy, I can come and go shopping with you in a few days."

Grey said, "You are now an archbishop, but you are only wearing Clerical Robe... This is not very proper."

"His Pope Your Majesty instructed that after you arrive, you should first be taken to change into a bishop's robe."

"Does Your Majesty wish to see me?"

Iver was somewhat surprised to hear this. "I remember His Pope Your Majesty can contact everyone at any time, doesn't he?"

He felt Grey's body tense up slightly behind him for a moment.

"His Majesty is asleep and is temporarily unavailable."

Grey said casually, "Maybe I'll be free next year."

—You're extending this line of thought to next year, are you sure you want to do that?

It's only February!

But after hearing her words, Iver roughly understood.

It seems the Eternal Pope's Treeification Disease has already manifested.

Has the plot... been going on for a while now? If that's the case...

Iver instinctively turned his head and glanced at Grey's eyes, which were bound with ribbons.

Have the eyes of the Grey Saintess now turned into "amber"?

Are the Cardinal aware of this?

When Grey noticed Iver's gaze on her, she stopped breathing for a moment.

—Did he find out? Why?... No, that's not right. There's no way he could have known.

Maybe I'm just being too sensitive...?

Just then, the unicorn walked onto a platform.

"Grey".

Lady Unicorn called out Pure White's real name, "Are you ready?"

"—Guards, prepare for takeoff!"

Suppressing her unease, Grey calmly said, "Lady Pansy, please. Go to the thirteenth floor."

As it spoke, a pair of translucent wings of light, as beautiful and clear as moonlight, suddenly appeared behind the unicorn.

Immediately afterwards, the Pope Guard took Lily and Sherlock onto the Pegasus with swan wings.

They didn't need to take the elevator-like platform—which is why Cardinal Bishop could still travel to other rings even after passage between rings was restricted.

The next moment, they rose up from the ground, stepping on a rainbow.

—It flew vertically into the sky!

A 5,500-word update; today's update is a two-in-one!

Thank you to the Thousand-Faced Chaos Carrot for the generous donation, thank you! By the way, a group in the book club's Avalon group seems to have been caught in the Cruel Autumn incident, bombed for fifteen days. Avalon refugees can now seek refuge in the Eternal Theocracy Group 2), and can return once Avalon is rebuilt as Camelot.

... Wait, dude, are they even going to replicate the game's storyline here?