When the plot-skips players into the game world

A woman with black hair and eyes, deep-set features, and a slightly large mouth frowned as she stood in the doorway.

"Haven't you gone to bed yet, my little apple?"

The lady's frown deepened slightly, then she looked towards the ritual array in the room.

She immediately realized what her son had done, "You went to the promotion ritual?"

But when she looked at Barton, her eyes widened in astonishment, "You succeeded?"

Upon hearing his mother's inquiry, Barton instinctively shrank his neck.

But he quickly came to his senses—what was there to be afraid of, he had succeeded in his promotion!

Therefore, Barton straightened up, chest out, and said with pride, "Yeah!"

"I succeeded in my advancement during the New Moon Ritual, impressive, right, Mom?"

"Not bad."

The woman nodded slightly in praise.

But then she continued, "But it's time for you to sleep now, you're still growing. The sleep provided by the ritual isn't enough to relax your body.

"Your room is so dirty, go sleep in your father's room. I'll have the servants clean it up tomorrow."

Why such a bland reaction...

Barton's mouth turned down. This was nothing like what he had imagined.

"Mom, I chose Affinity for Lightning, you know!"

Barton emphasized.

"Okay."

The woman nodded.

Her abyss-like black pupils fixed on Barton, "So I won't question your skipping school for now. We'll talk about it after you've woken up tomorrow."

Barton immediately felt a chill.

So, with a sheepish smile, he tried to change the subject, "Mom, why haven't you come home in so long?"

"That assassin hasn't been caught yet, and this month the Gryphon Squad needs to strengthen night patrols."

The woman answered calmly.

She looked at Barton and reminded him seriously, "Don't go out at night these days. If you must go out, make sure to take 'Emily' with you."

Emily was the name of Barton's Gryphon.

Although she was only a teenager by now, she was much stronger than Barton. A third Energy Level Transcendent might not even be able to beat her.

It would be more accurate to say that the Light Cavalry Tactics Barton was learning were meant to coordinate with Emily in battle... rather than saying they were for him not to hold her back.

"What about Dad?"

Barton asked, "Dad hasn't come home for quite a while either."

"The business with the Giant Remnants has nothing to do with you."

"But I saw Giants in the ritual this time!"

"Still, it has nothing to do with you. Go to sleep, and after you wake up, we will have a meeting to discuss your truancy. The woman spoke sternly, "Your teacher wrote to me, saying you haven't been to school for three days."

"...because I was preparing for the promotion ritual," Barton said with a placating smile, "You see, I succeeded, didn't I?"

"There is no need; you should focus on attending your classes. Your advancement to a Transcendent now is meaningless. You will ultimately have to wait for Emily to mature before you can advance to the Sky Cavalry. Exposing yourself to the power of the Path now will only needlessly accumulate impulse to the Path. But since you've already advanced, questioning it now is pointless, so I won't criticize you, but I am not going to encourage you either."

"Alright, Mom."

Barton's spirit seemed to deflate a bit, but he still nodded politely.

He also hadn't expected that his successful promotion would go unpraised.

So, Barton decided not to share the secret Mr. Dark Cloud had told him, fearing it might only lead to more scolding.

He wanted to have his own little secrets!

However, the Giant Remnants...

Whenever he thought of this, Barton's mind would wander to the Noble Red Society.

He asked with some unease, "Is Mr. Sherlock truly dead?"

"It's hard to say."

His mother shook her head slightly, holding a reserved stance on the matter, "If you want to know... Next week we'll be inviting Mr. Aiwass Moriarty to visit our home.

"George has something important to inform him. If he's still in the mood after hearing that news, you might as well ask him then. He previously claimed he would take over Sherlock's investigation, so he should at least be an informant."

"What's the matter?" Barton asked.

"Last week, Professor Moriarty passed away unexpectedly."

The woman replied, "He left no will. And Chief Inspector Edward can't inherit the family property while at the Supervisory Court. That means the only possible successor is Aiwass, or even Yulia—should Aiwass choose to join the church after graduation, he won't be able to inherit either. Compared to the frail Yulia, Aiwass is more likely to hold them down.

"George says it's possible that some might take advantage of Aiwass's youth and ignorance of their schemes, setting him up for a fall. Out of respect for the Professor, we have to look out for the children he adopted. They are the pillars of the kingdom, not ones to be trifled with by the likes of petty criminals."

"Oh."

Barton responded absentmindedly.

The name Aiwass had become so commonplace to his ears it almost caused them to blister.

This was the epitome of "the kid next door," bright, decisive, mature, kind, righteous, and brave. To top it off, he was also friends with his idol, Sherlock Hermes...

At first, Barton was quite envious, but he grew accustomed to it. No matter how amazing the person, it had nothing to do with him.

—Compared to Mr. Aiwass.

Barton thought, now his attention was more on Mr. Alistair.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, others were also paying attention to the name "Alistair."

At the moment, an old man clumsily moved out of his bed.

The old man had a large belly, so big that his feet were hidden from view when he stood up. The muscles in his limbs were loose and had turned into flabby chunks of fat. His round and large head made him look like a fat seal.

"Diomedes."

He called out.

After three seconds, an Elf Butler with a square face, solemn look, and a few wrinkles quietly appeared at the door.

"Minister Drost, you called for me."

"Yes, my friend. Help me write two letters to be sent out before dawn."

Minister Drost said, handing over his seal, "One letter to Boka, asking if there's been a new member called 'Alistair' joining the Lohar Society recently. He might not go by that name, but he's a Demon contracted with a Shadow Demon. Get me his information and contact details.

"Another letter to the County Magistrate of Grey County, asking for a young man named Alistair.

"He used to study in the countryside, and after completing junior high, he went to high school in Grey County. His parents were believers, and after his father passed away, he was left with a modest inheritance. Afterwards, he might have graduated or not... but in any case, he left his hometown to climb rocks and mountains across Avalon—such characteristics should make him easy to find. If he can be found, get me his mother's contact details."

"Of course, Minister Drost."

The Elf Butler replied, accepting the seal, "I've got it. Is there a deadline for the investigation?"

"Within a month... no, half a month."

Minister Drost answered calmly, "Give them half a month to provide a definite reply. I don't want to hear 'we tried our best but couldn't find him,' or 'there really is no one by the name of Alistair.' He might not go by that name, and there might be some inaccuracies in the information, but I expect results."

"I will put that in the letter, Minister Drost."

The Elf Butler replied.