Chapter 638: Chapter 47: The Illusory Form of the Kunpeng (Combined) Chapter 638: Chapter 47: The Illusory Form of the Kunpeng (Combined) The Counselor was still confused, not knowing what had happened.
However, upon hearing that laugh, Aiwass saw “Sherlock” instantly become calm and, rubbing his face, feigned a sleepy expression as an excuse for his previous loss of composure, “I was a bit groggy…
I thought I was dreaming when I just woke up…”
…Quite a quick reaction.
Aiwass praised in his mind, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.
“It’s just a pity,” Aiwass said meaningfully, “this is not a dream, but reality.”
—Regrettably, this is the dream, and you are but a figment of it, destined to vanish like bubbles when I wake.
The Counselor scoffed internally.
After calming down a little, he realized what he needed to do now.
War was raging outside and even in the quiet White Queen District, cries of alarm and agony could be heard—recall this is Glass Island, Avalon’s Royal Capital!
Such a major incident had occurred, yet Oswald, the butler of Aiwass’s household, did not appear to take him away.
Only he and Aiwass were present, everyone else had vanished…
which could only mean one thing: they had all left Glass Island.
He had lost some of his memories, or perhaps the ceremony itself had gone awry…
The Counselor had also heard of Transcendence ceremonies being interfered with, or dreamscapes being disturbed by invaders, leading to unforeseen complications for the ascendants.
This was also why Dream Intoxicant was taken during such ceremonies—when the dream lasted too long, or the transcendent’s physical body in reality suffered noticeable disturbance, it could cause the ceremony’s dreamscape to blur.
But the reason did not matter.
The result was, he had lost a day or several days’ worth of memories.
From the looks of the statues outside, what he had lost could have been more than just a day’s memories—perhaps it was the third day, or the fourth.
Surviving the hands of the statues…
that would be consistent with the difficulty of the Ascension ceremony set by the Lord of Scalefeather.
And for so many to leave at this time, it could only be to escort Princess Isabel to the Holy Nation!
The Counselor’s eyes flickered, rapidly analyzing:
As a detective who sought Queen Sofia before the banquet to report, Sherlock’s loyalty to the royal house was evident.
Now that he had been saved by Shafiya, but had not departed with the princess…
it meant he had something to do here.
The same applied to Aiwass.
Though the Counselor now possessed confidential information that revealed Aiwass’s actual relationship with Princess Isabel was one of superficial harmony and mutual wariness, even so, they evidently trusted each other to a great extent—otherwise, Princess Isabel would not have possibly gone to Moriarty Manor at this time.
Rather than being enemies, it was more apt to say they were frienemies.
…Thinking about it, I even feel a bit envious of them, the Counselor thought, pursing his lips.
In such circumstances, if Isabel left Aiwass and Sherlock here, it could only be to complete a critical task that must be done!
—The execution of the Protective Rite: Shadow of Avalon!
If that was so, another question arose…
The Counselor looked towards Aiwass and hesitated to speak.
He was cautiously pondering how much “Sherlock” knew about this matter.
If he blurted out something that shouldn’t be known to him, or if he had said something that he now didn’t know, it would inevitably arouse Bishop Moriarty’s suspicion…
But Aiwass, just by seeing Sherlock fall silent suddenly, guessed what he was thinking.
So he very considerately passed a cue to the Counselor to help continue the conversation normally—
Aiwass, with a serious expression, said earnestly, “Given the current situation, we can’t wait any longer.
Even if it’s not yet the agreed time, we must prepare the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ceremony in advance.
“If the Star Antimony troops completely control Glass Island, it will be very difficult for us to move,” he continued.
I already have this key information, and if we are not moving yet it’s because it isn’t time…
The Counselor’s mind brightened, and he immediately grasped the current progress of the mission.
Now there was just one problem.
Was “Olive,” the Transcendent who had transcended the Path, still alive?
If he were dead, how would they find within Avalon someone who could gain Bishop Moriarty’s trust and be regarded as a controllable Transcendent?
With that thought, “Sherlock” simply nodded and said, “I will follow your lead, Your Excellency.
What do you plan to do now?”
It seemed as though some noise was coming from downstairs at that moment…
and careful footsteps were also coming from upstairs.
—Is there someone else here?
Aiwass and Sherlock both looked up simultaneously, towards the upper floor.
There stood an old man with white hair, a dignified face, and a presence as imposing as a lion.
He seemed taken aback upon seeing Aiwass and Sherlock, and his already furrowed brow deepened.
The man was John Osborne.
One of Avalon’s two Court Ritualists, he was a colleague of Teacher Ibn.
At the same time, he was Avalon’s only Court Ritualist before Queen Sofia had recruited Ibn, a foreigner.
Unlike Ibn, one could tell from his facial features and pale complexion that the old man was a bona fide native of Avalon.
Without his presence, even Queen Sofia would not have dared to recruit a foreigner with an unknown background as a Court Ritualist.