Yunus: Your Necklace Looks Familiar

"Then I'll give you a gift later too!"

Neelim said in a serious tone, "I remember, my human friend!"

"My name is Iver, don't call me human. Just like I wouldn't call you a fairy, okay?"

Iver raised his palm and spoke to her earnestly.

Neelim flew over, hugged Iver's nose, and kissed Iver —but Iver didn't feel anything at all; it felt more like a mosquito bite.

"Yes! Iver!"

She exclaimed happily, "My friend, Iver!"

But Neelim quickly realized what was going on. "Iver, what are you doing here?"

"—He came to see me, Miss Neelim."

A somewhat tired but still steady voice came from inside.

With his cane tapping the soft earth and his boots sweeping across the fallen leaves, Sherlock slowly walked out.

In that instant, Neelim exploded.

She vanished from her spot in a flash, then reappeared behind Iver. Her wings flapped rapidly, making a noticeable noise, and she grabbed a strand of Iver's hair, shouting, "It's a bad guy! The bad guy Sherlock!"

Iver subtly extended a finger and gently tapped Neelim's head as if to pat her, while asking Sherlock, "What did you do to her?"

Sherlock shook his head. "It's nothing, I misspoke—we were having a nice chat, but I just said the wrong thing in the heat of the moment."

Iver suddenly realized.

Sherlock must have forgotten the taboo against fairies and just called them "fairies" without thinking.

This is something that can't be changed—because if "Joy Spirit" is designated as the scientific name for fairies, then the name fairies hate is "Joy Spirit." They simply hate being defined or studied.

This is probably the fundamental contradiction between the Path of Wisdom and the Path of Beauty.

"Don't play with bad guys, Iver! I don't want to play with bad guys!"

Neelim angrily grabbed Iver's hair, trying her best to pull him away. But even with all her strength, she could only make Iver feel a very slight tug—not even as strong as a gust of wind.

Neelim tugged twice, and seeing that Iver didn't move, she snorted and transformed into a gust of wind, disappearing into the gaps in Iver's hair.

"Let me introduce you, Iver."

Sherlock said, stepping aside slightly to reveal the person behind him. "This is Mr. Yunus, my client. I'm here to help him solve some problems—I've asked you to come because this matter may require the priest to resolve."

That was a man that Iver had never seen before.

He had an incredibly shiny, round, hard-boiled bald head, fair skin, slightly chubby cheeks that gave him a non-threatening appearance, and large, round, bright black eyes like a child's. His face exuded a lively, cheerful, and carefree optimism. The most striking feature on his face was a pair of black mustaches with upturned edges, resembling a cat's mouth.

He was a full head shorter Sherlock and looked like a little potato.

The moment Lily saw him, she felt a strong sense of hesitation and shock.

She already knew from Iver that "Yunus" was actually Prince Albert, Isabel's father. But this man, who looked so comical, like he came from a circus, was someone she couldn't possibly associate with the delicate and beautiful Isabel.

Iver, however, did not react.

Because he knew that this was actually the face of "Yunus".

Albert used illusion to hide his true face and transformed himself into the appearance of his friend Yunus. This was how he avoided fear and shirked responsibility.

"Hahaha!"

Yunus let out a rhythmic laugh, his dark eyes seemed to sparkle, and he reached out and skillfully stroked the instrument, easily playing a cheerful and lively tune.

"I am Yunus, Happy Yunus; revered bishop, oh Bishop, I have heard your name long ago!"

Yunus's tone of voice was strange.

It wasn't quite in a normal speaking tone, but it wasn't exactly singing or reciting poetry either. Although it was a bit off-beat and didn't rhyme, it somehow had a "primitive version of rap" feel to it. Like spoken dialogue in a musical, it was full of emotion.

"He's a nice person who sings beautifully!"

Upon hearing his voice, Neelim immediately popped her little head out from Iver's hair. "I sometimes hear you singing at home! So I came looking for you!"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Yunus let out three rhythmic laughs. "What a compliment, I am humbled; thank you for the compliment, young lady, I never imagined that my singing could reach the Land of Joy."

"That sounds nice—and you should address me as Lady Neelim, I'm almost an adult!"

Neelim argued, and then began to sing.

It was a beautiful voice, clear and melodious like flowing water—singing hymns could cleanse the soul; singing folk songs would evoke the carefree sunshine of the countryside.

Iver and the others immediately fell silent and listened to her sing.

Somewhat incongruous with her voice was... the song was a rather melancholic and lonely ode to a wanderer, and it also seemed completely at odds with the name "Happy Yunus." The lyrics told the story of a wanderer who couldn't return home, and who, upon seeing the moon in a foreign land, longed for the moon in his hometown.

But Yunus did not lose his smile; instead, he played the modified guitar in his hand, and a melancholy and quiet melody flowed from it.

Before I knew it, the Chestnut Tree around me had blossomed. The intense fragrance of chestnut blossoms permeated the air under the sunlight, which then gradually faded. The sky above turned into the night sky, and the sun became the cool moonlight.

Soon, Yunus joined in with Neelim's singing, playing his harp and responding with a low voice.

His lyrics are very simple, repeating "I saw the moon, just like the one at home" every other line. In between, there are his trivial life and what he sees and hears as a wanderer - such as "I bought another pancake today, but the filling wasn't as much as my mom's"; "I dreamed of playing chess with my father, maybe he's a little lonely in the Dream Realm"; "Today I walked in the wild for ten hours, but still couldn't find a place to stay" and so on.

It is full of poignant yet plain sentences, without any embellishment, and even a little vulgar, but they are so captivating.

Even though Neelim and Yunus had never collaborated before, Neelim seamlessly switched to harmonies and handed over the lead vocals to Yunus without any prior instruction.

Yunus quickly finished singing the entire song, and then happily bowed to the crowd to express his gratitude.

Iver was the first to clap, followed by the fairy Neelim, who clapped and cheered excitedly. Then came Lily, and finally, a somewhat reluctant Sherlock.

Iver knew that Sherlock didn't really appreciate this style of folk music. He preferred the violin, elegant music that evoked images of moonlight, flowing water, lakes, and swans, or perhaps intense music that stirred a burning, indomitable spirit.

At this moment, the moon in the sky turned back into the sun, and the night sky returned to daylight. But the Chestnut Tree around it, with a radius of about twenty meters, had already blossomed.

"May I drink alcohol, Your Bishop?"

Yunus looked at Iver with shining eyes—or rather, at the necklace around Iver's neck—and extended a respectful and earnest invitation. "Although this is our first meeting, I feel as if we have met in Previous Life! I would like to have dinner with you, or even lunch. Such a young archbishop, I would like to hear your story!"

"Of course, Mr. Yunus."

Iver bowed slightly and greeted him, saying, "My name is Iver Moriarty."

"So you are Moriarty —I've heard your story, your bravery in fighting the devil has been reported in the newspapers; but I've never heard the account from the person involved. Perhaps I'll have the honor of writing a song for you?"

Yunus warmly approached Iver, bowed slightly, and reached out to shake Iver's hands.

Iver, in turn, grasped Yunus's hand and replied gently and earnestly, "You are a renowned chivalrous man, Mr. Yunus. I will answer all your questions without reservation."

His reaction... he must have recognized the necklace Isabel gave me, right? Iver felt a shiver run down his spine.