Mr. Red Wine

At dawn, Iver slowly awoke.

He had already made contact with Isabel last night and told her about "Hell Transformation · Puppet Show" and "Puppet Mask Grimoire".

Isabel has probably already gone to the Candle Holder Cathedral at the courier storage point to pick it up—after all, this kind of thing is too valuable and also too dangerous. It's not convenient to have someone else pick it up for her.

Meanwhile, Iver can take charge of handling relevant affairs in the Theocracy.

During breakfast, Iver told Sherlock and Lily about the three-headed troll.

"... Red Wine Mister?"

Sherlock murmured, "And, coincidentally, he also works on the Southern Continent..."

Iver was clearly surprised. "You've heard of him?"

With Sherlock's exceptional memory, he might be able to offer them some additional insights.

"I'm not sure if it's the same person."

Sherlock pondered for a moment, then slowly put down the coffee cup he was holding. "But based on the description, I feel I'm at least 80% sure. Even if I'm not, I can... offer you some ideas."

"... Something interesting?" Iver asked, intrigued. "Tell me more."

He used a fork to roll a strip of bacon into the shape of a cigarette and stuck it into the plate in front of Sherlock.

Sherlock unceremoniously held it to his lips, humming as if he were chewing a cigar. "This is a little-known fact... Iver, do you know Bram Stoker?"

"That sounds familiar."

Iver recalled for a moment, "Could you remind me again?"

"He is a bestselling author."

"... Oh, the one who wrote ' Dracula '?"

Iver thought for a while before finally remembering.

Back then, Miss Chloe was the one who distributed this book in Avalon, and Shadow Fiend quite liked using her voice at the time.

Now that Shadow Fiend has become Night Fiend, he no longer uses Chloe's sweet and affectionate voice... Thinking about it, I kind of miss her.

"When Mr. Stock first started writing novels, he used a pseudonym because his father did not allow him to pursue novel writing."

Sherlock, munching on a bacon-filled cigar, drew a triangle on the table with his fork dipped in ketchup. "His former name was Bram Assad. His father was the Deputy Chief of the Inspectorate—yes, Edward's henchman. Iver certainly knows."

"... So his father wants him to join the Inspectorate?" Lily asked.

Iver nodded and then said, "That makes sense."

Vice Captain Assad Iver, knows him.

After all, when Isabel first took the throne, all the personnel changes were handled by Iver.

He had been working in the Inspectorate for a long time, longer than Edward had been in the Inspectorate.

However, he really didn't have any talent in the realm of the extraordinary. Not only was he stuck at the Third Level early on, but his soul was also damaged when he was very young, so he no longer had the potential to rise any higher.

The reason why the Arbitration Hall can receive high salaries, join the Round Table Hall, and become ministerial candidates is because they themselves are "candidates for the Fifth Level." This preferential treatment is actually an investment in the future... that is, putting all the Fifth Level in a tangible and visible place.

After all, it's impossible for a superhuman to advance several levels out of thin air; the Fifth Level will inevitably emerge from the Fourth Level.

Damaged souls mean they have no chance of reaching the Fifth Level. Therefore, those extraordinary individuals who barely manage to reach the Fourth Level may not be able to join the Arbitration Hall... They might become local leaders, such as the director of the Bureau of Supervision, but they may not be qualified to enter the Round Table Hall.

Because Vice Captain Assad exhausted his potential early on, he failed to become Inspector General even after Edward went to the Iris Flower Kingdom as a diplomat... and is still the Deputy Chief of the Inspectorate.

Vice Captain Assad's obsession with his son, his desire for the child to inherit his position and complete the path he himself had not finished, is perfectly normal in the authoritarian society of Avalon. Authoritarianism is not only about monarchs over their subjects; the leadership and control parents exert over their children also falls under the category of authoritarian ideology.

"I remember Vice Captain Assad is almost sixty years old."

Iver recalled, "It's just that he refused to retire, otherwise he would have had the opportunity to retire a few years ago—how old is Bram this year?"

"He must be in his forties, he's at least older than Edward."

Sherlock chewed on his bacon and casually replied, "His mother was Iris People, and an amateur writer before marrying his father. She was a transcendent being on the Path of Beauty... She came to Avalon around the same time as Ms. Mina. Speaking of which, he should know your parents too."

"He was frail and sickly from a young age, a little better than little Yulia, but not much better. The work at the Inspectorate was very busy, and it was all classified work... Edward, as the Inspector General, rarely came home, and the Deputy Inspector General was even less so. So he spent his childhood with his mother, and his relationship with his father was very cold."

"Then I understand."

Iver nodded. "Then, his father wanted him to join the Inspectorate, while he wanted to become a writer, so they had a big argument... something like that?"

"More or less, but they didn't argue. On the surface, he was very obedient to his father's wishes and joined the Inspectorate. But behind the scenes, he secretly wrote books under the pen name ' Red Wine Mister '..."

Sherlock's memories are rapidly returning, and the narrative is gradually becoming clearer. "At that time, he published several novels in his spare time from work, and they sold quite well. However, afterwards, his first book suddenly became a hit."

"That was a novel called 'The Duties of a Junior Clerk in the Inspectorate and the Stories That Happen in the Office.' Although I don't know which book it was, he seemed to be trying to write a comedy at the time, but because he was extremely lacking in humor, the book was exceptionally boring. It was filled with some awkward jokes that made people unable to help but laugh, so not many people bought it."

"But then a critic found the book. He praised the book for its realistic portrayal of the various details and complaints about the work of the Inspectorate, just as he knew them. People could learn how those high-ranking inspectors worked through this book, and it immediately became a bestseller."

"The Inspector General at the time wasn't Edward yet, but an old man. His thinking was rigid and conservative, so he considered it a 'shameful act of leaking secrets, causing people to lose respect for the Inspectorate and tarnishing the reputation of his colleagues,' and was immediately enraged. He conducted a full-scale lie detector test within the Inspectorate and easily identified him—it was also discovered that he had read illegal secret texts. Thus, everyone in Avalon knew the real name of ' Red Wine Mister.'"

"Out of respect for Vice Captain Assad, he was only dismissed and spared imprisonment. But from then on, Vice Captain Assad could only remain a deputy chief... It was after that that Edward bypassed Vice Captain Assad's seniority and took the position by skipping a rank."

"After that, he ran away from home. His unfinished novel manuscript and Grimoire were seized by the Bureau of Supervision."

"After leaving Avalon, Bram changed his surname to Stock—his mother's maiden name. He then stopped using pen names and wrote solely under his real Bram Stoker. These days, few people remember who Red Wine Mister was..."

Sherlock sighed, "I remember him because I quite like his novels. I never expected to hear his name in a place like this..."

"And then what?"

Iver pressed further, "So he went to live on the Southern Continent?"

"No, after he left Avalon, he settled in Iris first. So Dracula also came from Iris."

"About two years ago, when ' Dracula ' was first published and became a bestseller, he was interviewed by the Iris reporter. At that time, he said that he often traveled to the mysterious Southern Continent and the Parthian Ancient Kingdom to gather material... If that ' Red Wine Mister ' is really him, I'm afraid that he has been using the gathering of material as a cover to travel between the two places to engage in troll trade all these years."

"Isn't this illegal?" Lily couldn't help but interject.

"Certainly."

Iver narrowed his eyes slightly. "That great writer should still be in the Theocracy. And somewhere between the First Ring and Fifth Ring."

"Speaking of which, Sherlock... how strong is he as a superhuman?"

"I'm not sure. But it probably isn't strong."

Sherlock shook his head. "When he was dismissed from the Inspectorate, he was only at the Second Level. In fact, if he had been at the Third Level, he wouldn't have been dismissed. Reaching the Third Level in your early twenties would have made it very likely that you would become the Inspector General or even enter the Arbitration Hall. But he was almost thirty years old at the time and was still only at the Second Level."

"So he should be on the Path of Beauty? Judging from his personality, there might also be an element of Path of Adaptation..."

Iver, "Since she is an extraordinary being on the Path of Beauty, I should go and ask Master Agnes."

"Let's go find Cardinal Loki first."

Sherlock finished his coffee in one gulp, wiped his mouth elegantly, and said calmly, "I'll go with you, in case you overlook anything."

"Then I'll go too."

Lily said happily.