When the plot-skips players into the game world

Ligeia calmly said, "The problem now is that I also don't know what else besides a lifespan could put pressure on me to face death... I can't possibly go trouble the Eternal Pope. If push comes to shove, I'll just set sail and look for a dragon."

"Anyway, it's already great to be healthy and live this long. As long as I can find a way to Shed Skin once more, I can live another year. That's pure profit."

Her words were so domineering. They even comforted Aiwass in return.

This was probably the troublesome part about Ligeia's job change to an Ascension Sorcerer.

Now that the "Transcendence" Path hadn't been modified to the "Evolution" Path, Ascension Sorcerers still had to comply with the rules of the Transcendence Path—that is, facing formidable enemies. Only in doing so could they extinguish the restless Transcendence flame in their hearts.

It was precisely for this reason that Aiwass recommended David to perform the job change before the fourth Energy Level.

When one is weak enough, almost any change can be considered evolution.

This is called "you still have much room for improvement."

"Three to six months... maybe half a year,"

Aiwass pondered, "Then don't rush. Perhaps there will be another way by then."

"I knew you had lots of tricks up your sleeve."

Ligeia was not in the least bit flustered, clearly she knew Aiwass had a solution.

He was so miraculous, able to rejuvenate himself, to gain Sofia's acknowledgment, to drag Avalon back to life... Now if Aiwass dared to say it, she dared to believe it.

"How are things going with the Minister of the Navy?"

Aiwass asked casually, "What has he given away?"

"He's told all he could, basically without any resistance. Clearly, he has understood the situation and wants to strive for leniency,"

Ligeia scoffed, "Don't be fooled by those old men wielding swords and armor so impressively when in reality they are a bunch of cowards who have never fought in bloodshed. Avalon has been too peaceful for too long... When the Irisflower People invaded, the navy hardly had any resistance. They were landed on within less than ten days."

"Although domestically, the Ten-Day War is generally considered a victory for us, I see it as a defeat, and a disastrous one at that. If I hadn't intervened at the end, it would have been Avalon's fastest defeat."

"—Avalon, an island nation less than a quarter the size of the Iris Flower's land, being landed on by the enemy army on three fronts in less than ten days, what level is that? If you ask me, that's the level where they should be dragged out and beheaded!"

Ligeia made her sharp critique without sugarcoating anything, "But precisely because we were truly defeated, we could only declare it a victory. And we intentionally confused the details. Consequently, it became their achievement."

"Sofia is the type who likes to scheme everything in the shadows, changing the country imperceptibly like flowing water. She almost always goes with the flow... This resulted in all those people being firmly controlled by her during her tenure, with no one daring to oppose her. But once her health declined, they all started to cause trouble."

"...I thought you were the type who didn't like to deal with such matters," Aiwass said somewhat surprised.

"Indeed, I am. I truly don't like to get involved because it's too bothersome,"

Ligeia said with a look of weariness, waving her hand, "With these matters, it's not enough to just see the problem. If you want to oppose it, you must propose a solution. Otherwise, if you can oppose, others can too. In the end, nothing gets done, and it's just bickering day after day in the Round Table Hall."

"In other words, if you oppose, then the matter should fall into your hands. I have no interest in taking over their mess. It's precious to them, but in my eyes, it's just a pile of rotting flesh."

As she spoke, she added with relish, "The letter you dumped on them before was key. It can directly interfere with divination, and if others tried to prophecy through rituals or prophets, they could only conclude 'the Minister of the Navy indeed had private contact with Aleister.' Right now, they must be plunged into chaos... How did you think of this move?"

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"Essentially, deceiving divination is about 'lying with the truth.' The same generally applies to prophecies... They may come to pass, but not necessarily in the direction the interpreters expect. So, if you reverse it, it becomes counter-divination,"

Aiwass chuckled, "Put simply, it's magic."

"Oh, I hadn't realized you were also a magician,"

Ligeia looked at "Miss Aleister," who sported a proud and confident expression but fumbled clumsily with her overly complex dress that Ligeia couldn't begin to understand. Finally, unable to hold back her laughter, she said, "Forget it, let me help you dress... Your clumsy antics are killing me."

Aiwass didn't resist anymore but sighed instead.

"...I have no idea why the Gemini Mirror issued such a complex set of clothes."

Aiwass had tried it already.

Switching to the Son of the Moon meant no change to his clothes; he would wear whatever his main body was wearing. Transformed into number 14, on the other hand, he would be donned in the white dress he wore when Miss Beyard drained his life.

That was all fine.

But Aiwass was startled upon first transforming into "Beyard's" guise.

—Because that was an unprecedented "dressed-up" Beyard.

There were not just a dress and a necklace—but an entire set of frighteningly numerous new "accessories," including gloves, rings, bracelets, hairpins, hats, cloaks, and shawls, heaped up to an "unnaturally looking" extent. Instead of looking ready for a grand event, it was more akin to a clothes rack.

Even the Shadow Demon itself felt puzzled. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

After repeatedly checking, it slowly recalled that these were indeed items it had used before.

Aiwass had to remove the excess jewelry and garments and store them away. Only then did "Miss Aleister's" appearance not look too peculiar.

—These items, conjured from nowhere by the Gemini Mirror, were confirmed by Aiwass through a simple ritual to indeed be genuine, not just illusory reflections that could be dispelled. However, at the same time, they bore no signs of use or wear from the passage of time.

They were as strangely "brand-new antiques."

This made Aiwass unable to easily sell or give them away.

The greatest significance of keeping these curious antiques seemed to be allowing the Shadow Demon to reminisce its childhood.

However, after receiving Aiwass's Shepherd's Nurturing for a few days, the Shadow Demon exhibited some odd behavior.

It had become noticeably less active than before. Not only did it refrain from seeking out Aiwass or Lily for idle chats, but even when given orders, it wasn't overly energetic or maniacal.

It even seemed "a bit sleepy." After the Shadow Demon masqueraded as Aleister, it had no particular opinion on the impersonation, nor did it mind Aiwass using its body and identity.

It was like a cat huddling in bed during winter, which would retract its paw quickly after touching the cold floor, then curl up warmly under the blankets again, hugging its paws.

—The cat withdrew a paw.

Though there was no evidence, Aiwass had an inkling from this abnormal behavior.

This might just be the harbinger of the Shadow Demon's evolution.

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