When the plot-skips players into the game world-Chapter 1268 - 1 The Letter from Sherlock Hermes

Chapter 1268: Chapter 1 The Letter from Sherlock Hermes

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"Dear Mr. Moriarty:

"I have received the letter you sent the other day. Rest assured, I haven’t forgotten our agreement: on May 22, I will return in time for your wedding with Her Majesty the Queen and for the coronation of Isabella I. I plan to arrive at Glass Island by the 20th.

"I am still residing at the Duke of Vandome’s manor, and everything here is excellent. All worries are superfluous. I just find it hard to suppress my damned curiosity, while helping a friend investigate - you know, the one I mentioned to you before - I accidentally ventured into some rather tense areas.

"The incidents involved are too numerous to detail in this letter. I will explain them to you when we meet. What I can reveal now is that it involves the former Iris Royal Family.

"During the investigation of this matter, I accidentally discovered a secret that you definitely cannot imagine but is closely related to you. I beg your pardon for withholding it here because I am so eager to see the surprise and curiosity on the face of the esteemed God Slayer.

"By the way, your heroic deeds of defeating the Fallen Celestial Marshal have already spread here among the Irisflower People. You can’t guess how much they like you, for now, sixteen theaters are rehearsing the plays ’Bravery of Aiwass’ and ’God Slayer Pope,’ among others. Your famous black robe has been crafted into a popular fashion by tailors. I even dare not say I know you, or surely a horde of your fans would rush to the Duke of Vandome’s manor, so spare me.

"We’ve been apart for less than half a year, and it’s really hard for me to imagine how the little Fox in a wheelchair of the past has become such an extraordinary figure now. This makes me feel very complicated... I can only say Lady Alistair educated him well.

"Those friends you asked me to contact, I still haven’t reached them yet. But fortunately, I don’t need their help, as the investigation progress here is relatively smooth, and you needn’t worry about my safety.

"The case I’m dealing with now has reached a critical moment. In the coming days, I need to focus on handling some clues, so I won’t elaborate further here. If you write to ask, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle your letters promptly, so please don’t reply.

"Please, send my regards to Her Majesty the Queen, my friend. And hand this letter over to my brother Mycroft.

"——Your faithful Sherlock Hermes."

Aiwass read through Sherlock’s letter, reciting every sentence with emphasis.

Meanwhile, Isabel sat on the bed in her pajamas, carefully examining the postmark on the letter.

She felt puzzled: "A letter from May 12... but today is already the nineteenth. Did the letter really take this long to arrive?"

Aiwass finished reading, snapped the letter in his hand, and lightly flicked the letter paper.

"——What’s your take on this, Isha?"

"I feel... something seems off."

Isabel pondered: "I sense a subtle discord, an inharmonious note. But I can’t quite pinpoint where it feels wrong..."

Her instincts told her that there was something amiss with the letter from Sherlock, yet upon closer inspection, it seemed perfectly ordinary.

Aiwass laughed: "That’s why he sent it to me, not you. Sherlock was worried you wouldn’t notice the contradiction... He’s calling you stupid; you’d better teach him a lesson when he returns."

Talking this, Aiwass shook the letter and his expression turned serious: "In fact, this is a cry for help."

"...A cry for help?"

Isabel slightly furrowed her brows and abruptly sat up on the bed: "Should we dispatch the army for rescue?"

She didn’t ask how Aiwass figured it out — she knew Aiwass absolutely wouldn’t joke about such matters.

Aiwass shook his head: "It doesn’t need to be exaggerated like that. Let me lay it out for you from the beginning...

"This time he received a call for help from his friend Arsen de Vandom, and went to address this case. As planned, our point of contact is Mr. Maurice Lebrun’s café, and if we write, it should be sent here... Right?"

"Yes," Isabel nodded, "That’s why I also sent my letter to this address. Just as he said in the opening — ’industrious as a bee Mr. Hermes’."

Seeing that May was already halfway through, and Sherlock hadn’t returned yet, Isabel was somewhat anxious — she planned to write and urge him.

After all, Sherlock was a mutual friend of hers and Aiwass, one of Isabel’s very few friends, and even the witness when she and Aiwass first met. She earnestly hoped that Sherlock could attend this wedding.

Her letter was sent on May 10, Sherlock’s reply was dated May 12. And now, receiving this letter, it was already the 19th — only three days left to the time Sherlock mentioned, yet he hadn’t returned.

"He referred to his prideful ’curiosity’ as ’damned curiosity,’ said the matter involves the old royal family, yet did not disclose his friend’s name — Mr. Arsen de Vandom, the Duke of Vandome’s son-in-law. He’s residing at Vandome Manor now, indicating he’s still investigating the case, which hasn’t concluded.

"The phrase ’Lady Alistair educated well’ is a crucial Key. Although most people consider Alistair to be my former lover, a Son of the Moon from the Hermes Empire era... But Alistair is merely one of my fake identities. You know this, and Sherlock knows it too. He deliberately said this, clearly hinting — his letter is being monitored.

"In other words, he is currently under control by someone. Although he can receive letters normally, he knows if this letter is sent out, it will definitely be scrutinized. That’s why he didn’t mention those ’unknown secrets,’ and this is a hint directly to me.

"And ’the friends you asked me to contact, I haven’t reached them yet’ is the key point.

"Because I asked him to reach out to only two friends... one being the assassins of the Hawkeye faction, which he categorically refused. Because the issue his friend is encountering, might be related to Hawkeye. The other one..."

At this point, Aiwass’s eyes deepened: "It’s Brother Edward."

"...Lord Moriarty... he is a diplomatic ambassador."

Isabel was shocked: "Dare the Irisflower People lay a hand on him?"

"Presumably, they wouldn’t dare, especially after recognizing my strength..."

Aiwass faintly smiled though his mouth bore little humor: "After all, they participated in the war against the Fallen Celestial Marshal too. But it differs with Sherlock.

"He said, don’t write him any letters, nor would he reply — this is devising an excuse for not being able to respond to letters in the coming period. And saying to pass the letter to his brother is actually preventing me from missing the issue within.

"That is, he wrote this letter under constant supervision, and after writing it, it was likely monitored too. They haven’t acted against Sherlock thus far, because they want something from him. However, choosing ’to imprison him’ indicates the matter likely involves some criminal activities and secrets... likely aiming for elimination afterward.

"The phrase ’I even dare not say I know you’ actually harbors the information that he hasn’t disclosed his acquaintance with us to others. This could be avoiding immediate elimination. Because if he reveals himself as intimately linked with the bigwigs of Avalon, the ones imprisoning him must consider the risks associated with this.

"...Does my writing him a letter put him at risk?"

Isabel suddenly panicked, worried.

Aiwass shook his head: "Quite the contrary, you might have saved him. As you are the Queen of Avalon, you are personally inquiring about this matter, and clearly know his whereabouts and situation, and even prompted his reply — not to raise your suspicion, Sherlock had an opportunity to send us a letter.

"In other words, they no longer have the opportunity to ’eliminate Sherlock cleanly and quietly.’ Though how they plan to handle matters next, I’m unsure... but it would only be deciding between transforming him into a Son of the Moon or controlling him with drugs."

"So what should we do now?"

Isabel blurted out: "Why not send the troops?"

Since the Fallen Celestial Marshal event, Isabel seemed to have formed a reliance on mobilizing troops.

She finally realized the true power of the Gryphon Legion, thus her confidence surged.

"No need."

Aiwass slightly shook his head: "Sherlock said ’You can’t guess how much the Irisflower People like you’ and ’I’ll explain in detail when we meet,’ which is actually hinting to me... he hopes I personally visit, preferably quietly."

He squinted his eyes, his tone becoming even: "Originally, I planned to retrieve that Sword from the family before the wedding... but now it seems there’s a slight change in plans. Hopefully, there will be no excessive bloodshed on the joyful day...

"——I just want to see who dares touch my friend."

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