You Were Far Stronger Than Your Father

Listening to Rabbihe and Sherlock's conversation, Iver realized something else.

If we consider the Beast Song Tribe to be among the top three or top five...

Iver fell into deep thought.

Without a doubt, while Old Rabbihe was cunning and shrewd, he was certainly not Fifth Level.

While Bram stole the power of the Wildfire Giant, which was comparable to the Fifth Level of energy... he himself was only the Fourth Level.

The current tribal chief didn't dare provoke Bram even after his own father was captured. Clearly, he wasn't Fifth Level being either. This tribe was probably among the top three in the Southern Continent.

... So that means there aren't even three Fifth Level in the entire Southern Continent combined? No wonder the Iris People and Goblins roam freely there...

According to Little Rabbihe, apart from the Avalon, the Iris People, the Stibnite Person, and even the Parthians east of the desert already have their own influence on the Southern Continent.

That's understandable, since many materials for rituals, potions, and Curse Poison come from the Southern Continent.

Avalon previously restricted the development of other paths, which is why it doesn't care about these resources.

However, they all lack these materials, such as the Star Antimony which possesses transcendence, balance, and love; the Iris which possesses adaptation and love; and the Parthian Ancient Kingdom also possesses transcendence and adaptation.

I'll mention it to Isabel next time I see her. There's no rush, but businessmen are slow to act; we'll need at least a few professional research reports to sway anyone...

As Iver, several people came out of the room.

Bram and Rabbihe both had Triangular Light Shackles that Iver knew all too well around their necks and on their hands—these were the Binding Spell of the Path of Authority, which they had implemented in a divine way.

Unlike Rabbihe, Bram's spirits had clearly waned; he had a beam of light between his teeth, rendering him speechless. His mouth had sunken inwards, a sign of his toothlessness.

To make someone bite down on a pillar while having no teeth... it seems the elves aren't as pure and weak as Iver thought.

Seeing this, Little Rabbihe walked over nervously and asked in fluent Elven Language, "Excuse me, what is this? Why were my grandfather taken away as well?"

"He also committed a crime."

Pure White replied, "He cursed Zumai Di."

"... Didn't Zumai Di forgive him?"

Upon hearing this, Little Rabbihe frowned slightly and looked at the red-skinned Zumai Di.

Only at this moment can one see that he is indeed the young tribal heir.

Zumai Di shook his head, bowed, and waved his hands in terror, his face covered in sweat, and he made incoherent noises.

Old Rabbihe stopped him with a simple remark and made Little Rabbihe look at him.

The old troll whispered a few words of admonition.

He then looked down at Iver and the others, and said in fluent and standard Avalon Language, "Zumai Di has of course forgiven me. I'm just going to hide away and lay low for a while."

"Wait out for the storm?"

Iver paused for a moment.

Bram has been arrested, what's the point of hiding from the limelight?

But this old troll was no ordinary person, and Iver dared not completely ignore his words, so he could only keep them in mind for the time being.

The last person to put this kind of pressure on Iver was his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty.

"You don't need to worry about the damage to the buildings here; the bishop will come to repair them later. You can take a look if you're interested, but if you're not, you can stay for now..."

Pure White said softly to Iver, "I'll go see Yanis tomorrow... You can come if you want. It'll be good to be a notary."

After eating Iver's dates, she now clearly values Iver highly. Even for conversations involving personal matters, she's willing to bring Iver along.

However, being "one" notary... actually implies that Sherlock and Lily cannot go along.

"Okay, I'll definitely come."

Iver nodded without hesitation and readily agreed.

He never misses a chance to watch something exciting.

The procession that was arresting the prisoners then left in front of Iver.

But just as they were passing each other, the old troll suddenly spoke, whispering in Avalon Language, "You are much stronger than your father."

"...What?"

Iver paused for a moment.

He glanced at Sherlock before confirming that Old Rabbihe was speaking to him.

He suddenly turned around and looked at the old troll's back.

My... father? Which father do you know?

Does it refer to Priest Julio, or... Professor Moriarty? If it's the former, how could he possibly know Old Rabbihe?

If it were the latter... Iver really didn't feel he deserved the assessment that he was "much better than Professor Moriarty".

But Old Rabbihe offered no explanation. After saying this, he hunched over and followed the Saintess and the Pope Guard away. Little Rabbihe waved to Iver, then left with his grandfather.

"Is he referring to Professor Moriarty?"

After he left, Sherlock said softly, "The professor also went to the Southern Continent?"

"...I actually suspect," Iver stared at the old troll's retreating figure, " that the Controlled Fire Movement is related to him."

—A brief death, or a frozen life.

Through fierce yet meaningless resistance, they rebel against Ningpo's fate itself.

As long as the once calm lake turns yellow and murky, the water inside will naturally surge and flow. This is a fire that forces everyone to leave their positions, but at the same time, it is also Controlled Fire.

Iver, while Sherlock beside him also lowered his head in thought.

After a moment, Iver put his arm around Sherlock's shoulder. "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's go get something to eat... It seems the three of us have been abandoned here by Her Highness the Saintess."

"She's probably eager to ask about that troll; that's the important thing."

Sherlock casually asked, "Where do we go after we finish eating? To find Miss Freya, or... that man?"

"Go find my sister first; Master Agnes should be there too."

Iver replied, "If Princess Pure White doesn't handle this well, we might not see Master Agnes again after tomorrow. Let's see her before she gets too stressed."

"Good."

Sherlock nodded as well.

The Fifth Ring has much less foot traffic compared to the First Ring.

But there were quite a few shops here, and they quickly found a curry shop run by Lizardman. Lily had never eaten this kind of food before, but Sherlock had eaten it when he went on a trip to Iris, so he skillfully ordered mild spicy.

Iver didn't hesitate to order extra spicy.

It must be said that the Theocracy is far superior to Avalon, at least in terms of food. Having lived in Avalon for so many years, the best food Iver ever ate was still Iris cuisine. He never quite understood Ligeia's ability to enjoy fried chicken and fried fish so much... and even Iris dishes seemed so bland to him.

Of course, there's another reason: spices are more expensive in Avalon. After all, in Avalon, you can only buy spices from the Stibnite Person and the Iris People, not directly from the goblins.

However, this situation may change as Avalon opens up trade routes in the Southern Continent.

... There will probably be some changes. Probably.

Iver wasn't entirely sure either.

They didn't know Freya's exact location, but as the archbishop, Iver's words carried considerable weight in the Theocracy. They easily found clues by simply inquiring with a few elves who seemed likely to know her.

The helpful elves were very willing to help Iver, so they took turns escorting him to his destination, changing groups of four in succession.

However, it was quite obvious that when these elves chatted on the way, their evaluation of Freya seemed a bit strange. "Ah, that weirdo... I didn't actually talk to her much."

"Archbishop, are you there to treat Miss Freya?"

"Freya might not be awake yet at this hour. If she is, you can come to my research institute, it's right next door."

They quickly arrived at Freya's research institute.

Although it's called a research institute, it looks like a huge wooden villa from the outside.

Despite declining the enthusiastic invitation from the elf lady, Iver accepted a bag of fruit she offered him.

It was a soft, purplish-red fruit that looked like a nectarine or a pear. It seemed to be a new variety that the other party had developed.

It smells quite pleasant. But just now, Iver had seen a similar red sphere in the glass Bram drank from, and thinking about it now makes me feel a little nauseous.

After bidding farewell to the elven researcher in white robes, Sherlock had remained silent until now, finally uttered a complaint:

"... It's past midnight and you're still not awake?"

"That's really a bit outrageous..."

Iver nodded, his expression somewhat strange: What kind of summer vacation schedule is this? He was becoming interested in his "never-before-seen" older sister.

And... does she have any old illnesses or injuries that require the archbishop's treatment?

She was so badly affected that even a passerby fairy thought she needed the archbishop to treat her personally...

With that in mind, Iver knocked on the villa's door.