The Thirteenth Ring

Iver felt that if he hadn't shown any affinity for the unicorn, Grey would probably have had Pegasus carry him.

As the Pope's representative, she was clearly very well-known within the Eternal Theocracy... probably even more so than Iver in Avalon. Her influence, guiding Iver up the First Ring First Ring, would only bring Iver fame. And she could sense that Iver wasn't the type to crave fame.

This is probably why she brought three whole squads of Pope Guard. On one hand, "seven" is the Sacred Number of the Silver Crowned Dragon; on the other hand, it essentially meant that these Pope Guard would act as drivers for Iver and his entourage.

As they ascended, iridescent light emanated from the unicorn, and golden light from the pegasus. As this light formed a semi-transparent shield, blocking the cold air... Iver didn't even feel the chill and impact of the oncoming airflow.

Before long, they arrived at the thirteenth floor.

We're high in the sky now, and the pure white clouds are so close, almost within reach, like the ceiling.

Logically speaking, one should feel cold and lack of oxygen at this altitude.

However, Iver felt absolutely nothing wrong—in fact, he even felt that the oxygen had become more plentiful.

As soon as he stepped onto the Thirteenth Ring, Iver clearly felt that the atmosphere and layout were completely different from the First Ring.

Compared to the sun-drenched First Ring, the natural light here is much weaker. But torches are planted everywhere, illuminating the area and making it resemble a grand library.

The torch burned quietly with a deep red flame, without trembling at all.

It was as if these flames were completely unaware of the fluctuations in the airflow. They were as stable as a texture.

The main color scheme here is brown.

The space here is vast, even larger than a football field at first glance. Not far from where they landed, there were many tables and chairs, as well as numerous bookshelves. They were all made of wood, and their colors matched the floor perfectly.

But there are very few elves here.

There were only about a dozen people scattered around. Each table could seat at least four people, but each elf sat alone at their own table. The candles on every occupied desk were lit, and the elves stayed there quietly reading.

Even when they saw the Pope Guard and Her Highness the Saintess from afar, not one of them stood up, and none of them even showed any expression.

They simply touched their foreheads and shoulders lightly, and nodded slightly—that was their greeting. Some didn't even glance at them, just kept their heads down, engrossed in their books.

Sherlock's eyes widened immediately. "So... this is how elves usually get along?"

This is almost impossible in Avalon.

Saintess Highness's status is probably even higher Minister Moriarty's. And let alone Minister Moriarty, any minister who appeared somewhere clad in armor and riding a griffin would immediately become the center of attention.

"That's normal... Mr. Hermes."

Grey herself spoke up, "Strictly speaking, we elves don't have any class differences. People respect me, or the Pope Guard, simply because they respect His Pope Your Majesty; and they respect His Pope Your Majesty because they respect faith... and the Nine Pillar Gods."

"I am a spokesperson, but that's all. In reality, I don't have any real power."

—Not necessarily.

Iver added to himself.

The Eternal Theocracy is essentially a society based on personal connections, and Saintess Highness's connections are clearly quite valuable...

The elves have few desires and produce a significant surplus. With their daily needs fully met, their only remaining desire is for "someone to do something specifically for them."

In other words, it's about the timing of buying and selling.

This "time" is the currency of the Eternal Theocracy.

Watching Sherlock and Lily being gently lowered from the Pegasus by the guards, Iver instinctively wanted to get off the unicorn as well. But Grey grabbed Iver's waist and pulled him back.

"Don't run around, Iver."

Grey said seriously, "The Thirteenth Ring is a very large space with a complex structure. If you get lost, it will be difficult for me to find you. Since Lady Pansy can accept your touch, then you can stay here in peace."

"... What about Sherlock and Lily?" Iver was somewhat unconvinced.

It wasn't that he was uncomfortable sitting on the unicorn's back... it was mainly because the Grey Saintess was too close to him.

Previously, Iver wouldn't have reacted to this at all, and would probably have comfortably reclined. But now that he's in a relationship with Isabel, sitting here feels like sitting on pins and needles.

"As long as you're here, they won't wander off."

Grey answered calmly.

You know what... you're actually right. Iver thought to himself.

Soon, Iver found out why Sherlock and Lily had been released.

After they all passed through a verdant light screen, the Pope Guard bowed and left. The Saintess then led them through an increasingly complex corridor.

The corridor looked like a series of ever-increasing inward rings... like a snail's shell. And the place where they had just landed was the entrance to the snail's shell.

As they continued deeper, Sherlock discovered that this floor seemed to be entirely filled with all sorts of books.

The corridors here aren't exactly narrow; their width is roughly equivalent to a museum exhibition hall... and every area has plenty of tables and chairs.

As they walked forward, they could see specimens suspended in mid-air by multiple halos of light.

Dragon Heart Section - Sample A1

Adult Smaug Species Manticore - Sample G2

"Man-Eating Rabbit and its Family - Sample A1"

Sherlock was dazzled by the sight.

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood... the feeling of visiting a museum for the first time. He also understood why Saintess Highness didn't allow Iver to run around freely.

—If it weren't for wanting to stay close to Iver, he would have wanted to run around!

After walking a little further, passing through a green screen, and still surrounded by various books, the style of the specimens changed.

Calendar 1765 - The Prototype of the Steam Engine (Human)

Lunar Calendar Year 874 - First Generation Stone Golem (Human)

Calendar Year 322 - Prototype of the Lightforged Furnace (Dwarf)

Why a monthly calendar? What does "monthly calendar" mean? A question popped into Sherlock's mind.

But as he continued walking, he began to see something completely different from what he had seen before—

Amber Calendar Year 3266 - Elixir of Immortality (Snake Man)

Amber Calendar Year 4315 - Hero's Banquet (Dragon)

Amber Calendar 2389 - Crystal Guardian (Elf)

This is...

An invention that Constant Self was born! Sherlock's curiosity was instantly piqued! He finally understood what the Thirteenth Ring meant.

It contains almost the entire history of the elves up to this day.

But Sherlock was unaware of the intersection of the Amber Calendar and the Lunar Calendar. He saw the last invention, a water purification device invented by the Lizardman in Amber Calendar 6449.

So, does that mean the history of elves is less than ten thousand years old?

In terms of an elf's lifespan, it's really only about ten generations...

Just as Sherlock was thinking this, they passed by another green light screen.

This area is even quieter than the previous one.

Sherlock couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

Not only him, but even Lily paused instinctively. Even Iver held his breath.

Because this place is filled with countless crystal sculptures.

Some people are painting, some are sculpting, some are farming, some are preparing medicine, some are writing... Everyone is working. Some are red, some are yellow, some are purple... Even the colors of the gemstones are completely different.

And all of these crystal sculptures are elves.

Below them are their names, dates of birth, and... the time and reason for Ningpo.

Suddenly, Iver spotted a somewhat familiar figure from behind.

He couldn't help but call out softly—it was so quiet here, like a library. He instinctively lowered his voice. "... Master Agnes?"

"Um?"

Hearing Iver's call, Yanis, who was standing quietly in front of a painter's sculpture, suddenly turned around in surprise. "Iver...?"

Chapter Two will be around 6 PM! It's already a few hundred words long; I'll post it as soon as I'm done.