When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 89: Chapter 58 Young and Promising

When Sherlock entered the room, he subconsciously raised his eyebrows.

He noticed at first glance that there was too little food on the table, and too much of it had been eaten.

Unlike Avalon and Star Antimony, the Knight-founded land here did not advocate the virtue of frugality. Here, holding a banquet was a matter of glory—if the food and drink were nearly consumed, but the banquet was far from over, it would be considered rude.

It was because the host had prepared too little food, causing the guests to have to leave early to end their journey. Therefore, when the guests realized the food was almost gone, they would deliberately eat less to save face for the host.

So this couldn't be the first round of dishes. It should be the second round.

By the same token, if running out of food was rude, then replacing and serving a second round was a way of showing importance and retention. The implication was, "I've just served you a fresh and hot second helping, would you be rude to leave now?"

"... Good evening, Mr. Sherlock."

Princess Isabel was the first to speak, "It's a pleasure to see you."

——Why the sudden pleasure?

Sherlock was somewhat puzzled inside, but he was impeccable in terms of etiquette.

"By the Silver-Crowned Dragon."

Not daring to look up at the princess, he knelt on one knee with one hand to his chest, bowed his head, and offered the Knight's greeting, "I hope all is well with Your Highness."

"Please rise, Mr. Sherlock,"

Isabel said in her clear voice.

Only then did Sherlock dare to stand up and greeted Master Yanis, who was still sitting at the table, and Aiwass, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

Yanis responded with a smile and a nod, while Aiwass, who was not able to move, had Lily bow slightly on his behalf in return.

Quickly after standing up, Sherlock's sharp eyes flitted across the room, noticing Princess Isabel's slightly flushed face.

——Has she drunk that much?

He was a bit surprised.

It seemed that Master Yanis placed great importance on Mr. Aiwass.

Otherwise, she would have stopped Her Highness from drinking too much—as a matter of etiquette, important figures generally do not drink much at banquets, only having a polite sip or two. If someone finishes a glass and then refills, it indicates too familiar an attitude, showing too much importance to the occasion.

That itself was a political signal.

If Master Yanis considered Aiwass an unimportant guest, she would have signaled Isabel to maintain a distance.

But now, it seemed more than just one or two drinks were involved.

Looking at the two empty bottles on the table... the three of them actually drank two bottles of wine?

The servants of the Hall of Silver and Tin would certainly sell that information. Sherlock knew... some of them were connected to a minister or a Knight Family. Sometimes, he too would buy some information from them.

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Which means.

By tomorrow morning at the latest, the information about Princess Isabel's fondness for Aiwass Moriarty would reach the desks of several ministers.

So promising at a young age....

Upon this thought, Sherlock had a sudden realization:

... speaking of which.

During the ceremony, Her Highness once played the role of Little Aiwass' mother... she wouldn't still be stuck in character, would she?

"Speaking of which, Mr. Sherlock. I heard you and Chief Inspector Edward handled some cases? Have you eaten this evening? Why not sit down for some food?"

He had not written the report yet.

But once he submitted the report to the Queen, she would most likely consult Princess Isabel's opinion... After all, it also involved Isabel's own advancement ceremony. Only she and Sherlock knew what had happened inside. With Queen Sofia's wisdom, she would certainly not interfere unnecessarily.

By then, it would still be necessary to solicit Isabel's opinion during the investigation—so it would be better to proactively ask now, which would also allow him to retain some initiative.

"Let's pursue Bone Sculptor. We need to quickly eliminate any potential threats to Avalon. I will support your investigation, and if there's any part that requires a signature, you can come to me," Isabel said after a moment of thought, glancing at Aiwass with a somewhat vague response.

Aiwass blinked.

At this moment, Isabel began to have some doubts.

But the answer she gave surprised Sherlock—he indeed did not want to look for "Mr. Fox," which is why he deliberately said the identity of "Bone Sculptor" was almost confirmed, hoping to lead Isabel's decision through this tactic.

After all, in his view, Isabel had quite an attachment to her "Mr. Fox."

—Is it because of Aiwass?

If that were the case, then nothing could be better.

Compared to the cunning and sweet-talking "Fox" of uncertain identity, he found Aiwass to be intelligent and decisive, humble and polite. Beyond that, he also greatly respected his own Professor Moriarty—his mathematics grades hadn't been so good at the time, and it was only with Professor Moriarty's coaching that he was able to maintain his position as top student until graduation.

It was also thanks to Professor Moriarty's guidance that Sherlock came to realize his real talent actually lay on the Path of Wisdom. He never really appreciated the tenets of the Path of Authority; it was only because he strictly controlled his own will and led others that he inadvertently conformed to the Path of Authority.

And it was his friend Edward through whom he got to know Professor Moriarty.

Edward was the only true friend Sherlock made at university.

Therefore, his opinion of Aiwass was somewhat tinged with personal sentiments.

"When you leave, be careful on your way," said Master Yanis.

"Do you have a short sword on you, Sherlock?" she asked.

"Yes," Sherlock replied, "Edward brought me one."

Many spells of the Path of Authority required holding this short sword to be used because this sword was a symbol of the identity of Avalon's law enforcement officers, representing "the law." In a sense, it was essentially a kind of law wand that could also be used as a close-combat weapon, restricted to the Path of Authority.

The reason Edward carried two swords when he went out wasn't that he wanted to wield two blades, but because one of them was for Sherlock's self-defense.

Sherlock wasn't an Inspector; he was merely a Counselor. He had no sword to wear.

By refusing to enter into Avalon's system of law magic, he rendered a good portion of the law magic he learned unusable. Those unwilling to submit to superiors and follow order were stripped of their power—this was also characteristic of the Path of Authority.

"Then that's good."

Yanis nodded and said to Aiwass, "I will have someone deliver the painting to your home later, you shouldn't carry it yourselves. It would be very dangerous—at least Sherlock certainly won't be able to keep it safe."

"What painting?"

Upon hearing this, Sherlock was taken aback and asked reflexively, "I think it should be fine."

He was, after all, a Legal Mage who had barely had the opportunity to reach the fourth energy level, not someone small-time thieves could easily mess with.

"It's 'The Golden Dawn'."

Aiwass, sitting in his wheelchair, spoke softly and gently, "Master Yanis and I had a very enjoyable conversation, so she decided to give me the painting."

Sherlock was momentarily stunned, then suddenly shocked.

A clear look of astonishment appeared on his face, and the incomprehensible reality left his mind momentarily blank.

—'The Golden Dawn'?!

Was a national treasure level piece of art something to be given away just because of an "enjoyable conversation"?!

... To be young and accomplished, young and accomplished indeed!

Sherlock didn't know how to react, he could only repeat in his mind.