Are You Two in a Band Together?

When Yanis heard the sound, she turned around and saw Iver riding on a unicorn and being held in the arms of the Saintess.

Her expression immediately became somewhat strange.

She bowed slightly, placed her right hand on her chest, and greeted the Saintess Grey atop the unicorn, "Saintess Highness, it's been a long time. May the Candlelight protect you."

"May the candle keeper protect you as well. It's been a long time, Yanis."

Grey smiled and said gently, "You can just call me Grey."

This is "Pure White's" real name—theoretically speaking, not many people should know it.

"Then... Grey."

Yanis adjusted her hat, pulling it down slightly in the front, as if instinctively trying to cover her face. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am fine."

Grey gazed at Yanis, her right hand resting on her chest.

She lowered her voice and said with utmost seriousness, "But I miss you so much."

Yanis clearly realized something. She let out a meaningless groan and, as if pretending to have a headache, covered her forehead with the back of her hand to shield her face.

But her cheeks were flushed, and the redness even spread to the tips of her ears.

Oh wow.

This was the first time Iver had ever seen the free-spirited Yanis react this way.

He raised an eyebrow, and his whole demeanor immediately brightened.

So they knew each other?

And it seems that this attitude... is...

Iver pondered silently for a moment, then came up with a brilliant description:

—It feels like you two were in a band when you were kids.

He had initially seen Yanis standing there motionless, and for a moment even mistook her for a statue.

Iver was a little worried that if Yanis stayed here for too long, she might freeze into amber... but now it seems there's no need to worry.

Iver wasn't the only one to hear this.

Although the Pure White Saintess lowered her voice, she was at least five meters away from Yanis. If Yanis could hear her at that distance, then the three people next to her could also hear her.

Sherlock and Lily, who were standing nearby, both turned to look at them immediately.

Fortunately, there were no other elves watching nearby; only these familiar faces were around. Yanis took a deep breath and composed herself.

She tilted her head back, brushed a stray strand of hair from her ear, and revealed her usual cheerful and carefree smile, "Indeed, Grey... it's been over two hundred years since we last met."

"One hundred and ninety-five years. Not even two hundred years, you're mistaken."

The Pure White Saintess answered, pointing to the sculpture. "Master Betina Tia Nippon in 1704... You left the Theocracy at that time."

Upon hearing this, Iver instinctively looked at the sculpture in front of Yanis.

She was an elf dressed as a painter. She looked not much older than Yanis, perhaps in her early thirties.

Unlike Yanis's fashionable, casual, and carefree style of dress... the elf wore a short dress, her hair was piled up high, revealing her slender neck.

Her face was beautiful and gentle, and her lowered eyes held a focused concentration that seemed to slow down time. If it weren't for the paintbrush in her right hand, one might even think she was holding a spoon, feeding a child.

Her clear, transparent sculpture took on a beautiful yellowish-green hue—like a pale yellow salt, suddenly falling from a great height into an emerald lake. It sank, melting and disintegrating as it went. Finally, it completely melted around her chest and abdomen, transforming into a cluster of flowers that spread like tentacles.

"Like some kind of crystal dissolving in water... Is the amber related to the path of cultivation?"

Sherlock's expression was serious as he murmured, "Two paths have merged... why has it turned this color..."

Lily gently patted his arm, signaling him not to say anything.

Iver, however, looked at the sign beneath the sculpture.

Betina Tia Blooming Flowers, 1388-1704, became amber due to the breakthrough in her painting skills; the amber-forming period lasted five months.

He realized... this was essentially the graveyard of the elves who had suffered the loss of Amber.

The essence of solidified amber is the transformation of amber into spirit amber. So-called spirit amber refers to amber that contains insects or other life forms.

Once solidified, it means entering a state that is neither alive nor dead.

The soul did not enter the Dream Realm, nor was it reincarnated—the soul still exists within the body. Therefore, the "spirit" in "spirit amber" also refers to the solidified soul within them.

The elves encased in amber seemed to enter a long slumber. They retained some awareness of the outside world, but time seemed to stretch endlessly to them; even centuries would pass in the blink of an eye. Therefore, killing or destroying them directly would be inhumane... the only option was to find a place to store them.

The Thirteenth Ring is just right.

... She's not even four hundred years old yet.

"So young," Iver sighed silently.

Even if Betina Tia were still alive, she wouldn't be much older than Yanis.

—Yanis is now older than her teacher was when she was a numb girl.

Was this considered a prodigy among the elves? But from the onset of his Amberization Disease to his death, it was less than five months. Even among cancer cases, that's considered remarkably rapid...

Thinking of this, Iver glanced back at the Pure White Saintess with some worry.

Although, according to the game, Grey's condition eventually seemed to stabilize.

But the situation is different now, and it's hard to say whether she will definitely recover... Moreover, Iver has no idea why she has become amber.

This is a psychological problem—but for elves, a psychological problem can destroy their bodies.

At this moment, Grey did not look down at Iver.

She simply looked at Yanis, her voice soft. "You must still remember the day Master Betina Tia condensed her essence. So why have you forgotten the time we parted?"

"Or have you forgotten... that I came to see you off the day you left?"

"Just a vague term... it feels like an eternity..."

Yanis was sweating profusely, stammering, "Because I missed you, I subconsciously counted a few years more. This is... this is an exaggeration..."

"—You returned to the Theocracy three times in between."

Grey interrupted Yanis.

As she rode on the unicorn, she instinctively gripped Iver's shoulders, her expression growing increasingly calm as she stared at Yanis: "Why didn't you come to see me?"

"I've actually seen you before... I saw you from afar... well, more than once, I've been watching you for a long time..."

"—Do you think I'll forget you? Why don't you come looking for me?"

"I think... well, you might be very busy..."

"One hundred and ninety-five years. In human terms, five generations have passed. One hundred and ninety-five years ago, the Narcissus Principality and the Black Eagle Principality were still independent countries; one hundred and ninety-five years ago, Lloyd's's had just been founded; one hundred and ninety-five years ago, the goblins had not yet started the troll trade, and the Third Water War of the Good Lords had not yet broken out."

Grey interrupted again, saying calmly and seriously, "This is longer than the time we've spent growing up together."

Yanis wanted to explain further, but after a moment's hesitation, she sighed dejectedly and lowered her head, saying, "Yes... I'm sorry, Grey."

—This was the first time Iver had ever seen Master Agnes in such a disheveled state.

This camera spirit was incredibly handsome in Avalon. He never used doors, always moving through paintings, as if he knew all the secrets, with a mysterious smile always playing on his lips.

She was a truly reliable senior figure. Even in front of Queen Sophia, she always maintained a very high level of demeanor.

When she left Avalon, she was so free and unrestrained. Her romantic yet reliable nature even moved Iver and Isabel.

I used to idolize her so much, but now that my illusions have shattered, I realize how pathetic she is.

It turns out that Yanis and the Pure White Saintess were childhood sweethearts for over a hundred years... No wonder Isabel was able to contact her, and no wonder she was the one who found her when they were fleeing in the game...

This is indeed knowledge that Iver did not know.

During the game, the two of them never communicated at all—or rather, Yanis was faster and was never caught.

In retrospect, it seems the Saintess wasn't actually looking for Isabel, but rather trying to use Isabel as a clue to catch Yanis, who had disappeared...

As for Master Agnes, if she is determined not to see anyone, she is very difficult to catch.

Before the arrival of the Fallen Angel, the cheapest and longest-range teleportation ability was the "Art Grandmaster's" Reflection in the Painting. This was also the only teleportation ability that could be used freely at the moment. It was far superior to Shafiya's teleportation portal, which took a long time to travel even thirty meters.

After Yanis sincerely apologized, the Pure White Saintess did not say anything about it.

She neither accepted nor refused, but simply looked at Yanis quietly.

Yanis panicked and immediately changed the subject. "Iver, how are you able to sit on a unicorn?"

"Why... I'm also looking for the answer."

Iver said quietly, "Do you think I could possibly know? I only saw a unicorn for the first time today."

"I suspect it might be related to your ability to see your reflection in the mirror."

As Yanis spoke, a radiant smile appeared on her face. She pushed her hat up a little higher, and her body began to appear somewhat unreal. "I have some things to attend to, so I'll be going now. I'll come find you when I'm done..."

"Then let's go together."

Grey suddenly spoke up, "It just so happens that Iver is about to take up his post as bishop. It's probably better to have more acquaintances around for these kinds of things."

"I really have something to do... Never mind, okay."

Yanis muttered a couple of words, and her body, which had already partially become ethereal, solidified again.

Iver took the opportunity to dismount from the unicorn and walk to Master Agnes' side.

He asked in a low voice, "Is something really wrong?"

"Something really has happened—and it's somewhat related to you."

Yanis lowered her voice and glared at Iver: "You brat, you're not helping me but just watching the show..."

"Because I also feel that abandoning friends for two hundred years is a bit too much."

Iver said in a serious tone, "So what exactly happened?"

While it seems like Yanis is indeed capable of doing such a thing—she's a woman as free as the wind, and unlikely to stay in one place for long—leaving a friend hanging for two hundred years sounds a bit too far-fetched.

Yanis glanced at Grey subconsciously, then shook her head repeatedly without saying a word.

"Let me tell you, you little brat..."

Yanis lowered her voice and said fiercely, "It was your sister who invited me over. If anything is delayed, it's her time that's being delayed."

"... Freya?"

"Yes—how many older sisters do you have?"

Upon hearing this, Iver glanced at Grey with some hesitation.

Grey glanced calmly at Yanis and said softly, "I've got you, Yanis. You can't escape. Come to the Twenty-First Floor in two days. I'll give you a day to hear your explanation."

"...good."

Yanis nodded, glared at Iver, and then vanished into nothingness.

At this moment, Grey sighed.

She bowed to the air. "I apologize for the embarrassing situation, Cardinal Matilda."

"It's alright."

It was a gentle, soothing voice. "I'm so glad you two can make up."

The air rippled slightly, and a young female elf with long blue hair, who looked to be in her twenties or thirties, appeared there.

Neither Iver, Lily, nor Sherlock had noticed her existence before.

But Iver immediately recognized that she was wearing Cardinal Bishop's robe—the biggest difference between Cardinal Bishop and an archbishop is that their robes are custom-made, each one unique in style and color, rather than red or gold and red.

However, their bodies would be embroidered with black thorn patterns, and the center of the patterns would always be hollowed out, exposing the skin or inlaid with gemstones.

Cardinal Matilda's robe was Roland, with a thorny circle pattern in the center of her chest. Its most distinctive feature was its large sleeves, reminiscent of morning glories.

For some reason, Iver felt as if he had seen her somewhere before.

He pondered for a moment, wondering if this person could be one of the elves who underwent the advancement ceremony with Pure White... but their age and appearance didn't seem to match up.

Matilda nodded slightly to Iver, placed her right hand on her chest, and introduced herself, "I am Matilda, Si Jie of the Holy Order Department. I am responsible for the promotion of bishops and above."

Cardinal Matilda.

Iver tapped his hand three times lightly and said respectfully, "May the Candlekeeper watch over your light."

Matilda nodded, then turned to the others and said, "Beyond here is the Holy Order Department. The rest of you, please wait here... Iver, come with me to change your clothes."