When the plot-skips players into the game world

"Another meeting in the Round Table Hall? This is the third time, I believe."

Aiwass repeated softly, unable to help but laugh, "It seems they really can't withstand the pressure."

Ligeia also felt helpless, "You're putting too much pressure on them. The atmosphere in the Round Table Hall is even more serious now than when the Irisflower People broke in."

It was already December 30, five days since Queen Isabel ascended the throne.

Queen Isabel's tour of the major cities was nearly over; today was the last day. She would be able to return to Glass Island early tomorrow morning and even catch the end of the year.

Sherlock had already written to Aiwass and his own brother, saying he would not come back for the New Year this year.

The new year for Avalon begins on January 1, and that's when the Candle Master's ceremony will be held. The officiant of the ceremony is the Holy Nation's highest-ranking bishop within Avalon, Bishop Samuel Mathers.

Right after the Candle Master's ceremony ends, the next day will be Queen Sofia's funeral.

And after the funeral, Isabel would be able to reshuffle her Privy Council and ministers.

It was for this reason that the pressure inside the Round Table Hall was mounting.

The ministers were all very nervous under the impression—deliberately leaked by Aiwass through Minister Camelot—that this time "half of the ministers would be replaced." They were desperate to catch a whiff of any intentions from Aiwass in advance.

—The Knights could easily figure this out.

Since Isabel wasn't currently at the Hall of Silver and Tin, how could such news have spread?

The only explanation was that it came from Aiwass himself.

In other words, Aiwass must have at least some influence over the selection of ministers decided by Queen Isabel.

Since he had the audacity to make such a declaration, the Knights had no choice but to re-evaluate their perception of Aiwass.

From "a green young man" to "a fox spirit who charms the queen," to "a formidable figure better not provoked," and now to "a power minister with meticulous thoughts."

That Aiwass would intentionally spread such a rumor... to the Knights, it indicated that he must have an ulterior motive.

The most likely reason was that he wanted something in return— the Moriarty Family was by no means short of money, so it was probably artifacts like the Codex Book, Relics, or Holy Swords that he desired.

But the current problem was that Aiwass was not meeting with anyone, nor was he accepting any gifts directed at him.

All gifts intended for Isabel were left unopened by Aiwass, waiting for Isabel's return to unpack them. In such a situation, they found it impossible to bribe Aiwass.

Once Isabel returned, if Aiwass and Isabel met, his decision to "dismiss nearly half of the ministers" could no longer be retracted. And with Isabel's trust in Aiwass, it was very likely that this action would be forcefully implemented.

Therefore, the ministers were very anxious to contact Aiwass, to plead the benefits and drawbacks in order to persuade him to withdraw his decision; the Knights, on the other hand, were also anxious—they hoped Aiwass would not withdraw this decision.

Most of these Knights didn't belong to any faction, or they were grudgingly considered part of the Tower Faction for taking some money from the Lohar Society to vote in favor of resolutions beneficial to merchants. But they all had one thing in common: they held no real power.

These young Knights were all under fifty years old, with some even in their early thirties. As members of the parliament, they could be considered very young. The vast majority of them came from the Arbitration Hall controlled by Ligeia, and the small remainder were judges from the Court of Justice, who could be counted as half allies.

One had to be at least at the fourth power level to enter the Arbitration Hall, the primary purpose of which was to serve as a talent reservoir for the fifth power level "big guns."

If an occasional minister resigned, it might be possible to promote a civil official from the subordinates of the symmetric faction to maintain the Balance; but in the event of a large-scale dismissal of ministers, it would be necessary to bring in personnel from the Arbitration Hall or the Court of Justice to prevent imbalance.

Avalon had a total of twenty-one ministers. Of these, the Chocolate Faction, though only a dozen strong, consisted almost entirely of ministers; the Tower Faction, on the other hand, had absorbed the majority of the remaining ministers.

The only one without any faction was the inconspicuous Chamberlain Mycroft—naturally, since everyone knew the Hermes Family to be purely loyal to the queen, nobody dared to involve him. It was akin to adding a dormitory supervisor to a dorm chat group.

If Aiwass's policy was put into effect, then it was undoubtedly clear... even if the "nearly half" quota were to be split fifty-fifty, the Tower Faction would suffer greatly. With this juicy piece of bait dangling, those powerless Knights of the Tower Faction were tempted. Their respect for their faction leaders started to wane.

—Wait a few more days, and you might not be ministers anymore.

Maybe we'll become ministers!

There was no doubt: the decision to dismiss half the ministers was real. Although they appeared to have accepted Aiwass's dominance, it was doubtful whether they could maintain their respect for Isabel.

Aiwass did not need them to offer him anything, nor did he value what they had in their possession.

Money, he didn't lack; equipment, he wasn't interested in; knowledge of mysticism, he had enough of it.

And certainly, no one would dare to present a woman as an offering to him.

From this consideration, Aiwass could be said to be the most difficult of the powerful ministers to serve. One thing didn't appeal to him, another was not needed—his pickiness was as if he sought a client desiring a black that was as vibrant as a spectrum of colors.

But in truth, what Aiwass wanted was very simple.

—It was their loyalty to Isabel.

When school started again, Aiwass would go to the Holy Nation. That was nearly a month away.

He feared he would also have to visit Star Antimony and accompany his mentor on an archaeological exam. He wouldn't return to Avalon for at least half a year.

During this period, Star Antimony could explode at any time because of the Ring of Ouroboros ceremony, and it could also trigger a war.

He certainly didn't want to comfortably level up in the wild only to return and find his home gone and Isabel "gg'ed".

Only if things were stable at home could he leave Avalon with peace of mind. Even with Mycroft and Camelot's restrictions and Ligeia and the Guardian watching over, Aiwass couldn't leave behind too many cunning ministers with ulterior motives.

Restacking Avalon's leadership was an inevitable move.

If Isabel was willing, Aiwass hoped to take the lead in this matter.

—In some sense, this was also a part of HR's job.

Although there probably wasn't an HR executive so influential that a single interview could decide a nation's highest leadership.

Before this matter was settled, Aiwass wouldn't meet with anyone. That could cause controversy, make his stance appear less pure, and give others the chance to frame him.

Put another way, Aiwass now had a few rare days of rest.

One has to rest during the New Year!

These days Aiwass's daily life was very regular—

Every morning, he would first feed the Shadow Demon, then offer prayers to the Candle Master for mana regeneration before glancing over Isabel's documents. Although there wasn't much to see, it could help trigger "Wings of Freedom Offered" for health regeneration. In between, he'd help Yulia with some math problems, which gave Aiwass a headache...

Once his health was fully restored, he would feed the Shadow Demon again and then have lunch; a nap at noon and he'd probably be at full health, so he'd feed it another time; in the afternoon, he would read and study to passively regenerate health, and in the evening, after praying to regain some mana, he'd feed it one more time, followed by helping Yulia organize the day's lessons. Sometimes if he felt good, he'd pull over the Shadow Demon for a meal.

Now the Shadow Demon was fed at least four times a day, more often than Aiwass himself ate.

Feeding the Shadow Demon was kind of canceling the skill's after-cast delay.

Under this force-feeding style of nurturing, the form of the Shadow Demon had obviously changed.

It wasn't that he had fed it until it became fat... rather, it had become emaciated.

The current Shadow Demon was like a puddle of muck, and it had become utterly silent. Aiwass could control the Shadow Demon's body as he wished, and it was utterly unresponsive, as if it were dead drunk.

If it weren't for the fact that Aiwass could still feel the presence of the Shadow Demon, he would have thought the demon was brain dead—if demons had brains, that is.

"Want to witness it?"

Aiwass invited Ligeia, "The evolution of a demon—you've definitely never seen it."

Just as he had disclosed Aleister's identity to both Isabel and Ligeia, he did not hide the secret of the Nurturing Skill from Ligeia and Yanis. Because as long as they lived in the Hall of Silver and Tin for an extended period, it would be impossible to keep it concealed.

"Is it tonight?"

Ligeia, clearly eager, asked, "Shall I call Yanis?"

"Yes, let's all come together. Call Yulia as well,"

Aiwass agreed readily, albeit with some regret, "It's a shame Isabel and Sherlock aren't here..."

"What kind of demon will the Shadow Demon evolve into?"

Ligeia asked curiously, "Is this within your control?"

"It is me. But actually, it doesn't require my control."

Aiwass confirmed, "The Mark of Sin borne by the Shadow Demon is now that of envy. And on this evolutionary path, there is only one type of demon that is superior to the Shadow Demon and also wields the power of shadows.

"—And that is the Night Fiend."