When the plot-skips players into the game world

As a third power level Priest, Aiwass was keenly aware of the Queen's physical condition.

Being seasoned transcendents of the fifth power level, Miss Ligeia and Yanis could even more easily sense the fragility of their old friend's vitality.

This time, after falling asleep, although Queen Sofia was not likely to slip into an eternal slumber... she would probably never regain full consciousness again.

In other words, the last and most precious lucid moments of her life were not used to leave any last words, to make requests regarding the care of her offspring, or even to whisper something to her own granddaughter Isabel, nor did she reminisce alone about her past as a young girl... Instead, she spent it chatting idly about unimportant family matters with Aiwass and the others.

Yanis looked up at Aiwass.

And among the three of them, only one had never chatted so relaxedly and naturally with family or elders.

Even though Meg's Miss Ligeia was not an orphan, she too had parents. Not only that, she had a first love, companions like the Gryphon, and a spouse she married. Yanis, being a pureblood elf from the Holy Nation, had a joyous childhood.

Only Aiwass had never had such intimate conversations with a female elder, never had the chance to act petulantly with an elder. He had never been confused, nor dared to be; he had never been willful, nor had the opportunity to be so.

Perhaps...

It broke Sofia's heart.

Yanis thought.

"Will you choose a gentler method?"

The elf Painter softly asked Aiwass.

She didn't specify what she was referring to. But everyone present knew exactly what she meant.

—Those who spread "rumors" and aimed to target Aiwass.

"No,"

Aiwass replied without hesitation, "It's precisely for the survival of Avalon that we must take this opportunity to cleanse it of toxins.

"I plan to directly change the entire Avalon and make those people cease to exist... and for this, I hope Miss Ligeia can help me."

Upon hearing this, Miss Ligeia revealed a relieved smile.

The former Meg might have been conservative and not supported Aiwass, but today's Ligeia, as a Contractor of the Serpent Celestial Marshal, was ultimately destined to continuously transform and change.

"All things change; only change is unchanging."

Miss Ligeia nodded slightly, "It's time for Avalon to change as well.

"—Let's hear it then, your plan. Let us help you vet it first."

Aiwass nodded and began to explain his plan to them.

His plan was simple.

Since these people had gone through so much trouble to prove the existence of "Miss Aleister," Aiwass naturally wouldn't try to argue with them to prove that Aleister did not exist.

He only needed to, as a victim, as a Detective, find "evidence of Aleister colluding with those Knights."

How could he do that?

What a joke.

—He was Aleister; how could this not work?

If only Miss Ligeia could personally verify it, then the proof would be irrefutable!

If he truly knew Aleister, Aiwass would have considered the harm this action would cause her. But couldn't "Miss Aleister" herself create evidence related to her?

Anyway, Aiwass and Aleister are two different people; this was what they had worked so hard to prove.

… Of course, not long ago, Aiwass had another plan in mind.

On his way to the Hall of Silver and Tin, while contemplating how to deal with the matter, the idea emerged in his mind.

He had also thought about acting openly or covertly as the Regent, taking over power in place of Isabel.

He believed Isabel would not refuse him, and Yanis would approve of him. Among those "older generation" powerhouses, some might support Aiwass, some may remain silent, but at least none would openly oppose him.

And if so, he wouldn't need to eradicate those people too thoroughly.

Isabel might struggle to control them, but it would be much simpler for Aiwass.

Because fundamentally, those people were cowardly and profit-seeking, with both flaws and desires.

Once Aiwass acquired power, these people would become even simpler to manipulate—essentially controlling these ministers from behind meant indirectly controlling the Round Table Hall. In essence, this was the equivalent of Aiwass establishing a behind-the-scenes dictatorship over Avalon.

It was exactly what the Lohar Society had once sought to achieve.

—Certainly, it was simpler than directly reorganizing Avalon's upper echelon.

By then, naturally, no one would dare to resist Isabel.

Because that would mean directly confronting the Aiwass behind her.

And the ruling ability of Aiwass was undoubtedly stronger than Isabel's and those "Knight" families. He watched from above, while everyone below was secretly manipulated by him—a form of governance that was, in a sense, extremely efficient.

...However, Aiwass himself lacked the energy to govern a nation and had no desire for power. He devised such a plan simply because he disliked complications, and it was the plan with the fewest variables.

Anyway, once the Celestial Marshals descended, territories of various nations would essentially be torn apart by these hill monarch Celestial Marshals. It would be better to maximize military expenditures and borrow a large sum of money from merchants to train a legion of Transcendents. So when the Celestial Marshals descended and Star Antimony was fractured, they could use it to annex, occupy, and plunder those unclaimed territories of Star Antimony.

The self-proclaimed assertion of the people of Star Antimony could come in handy at that time.

In times of chaos, killing your creditors made the debts unnecessary to repay. Afterwards, everything would improve.

Although Avalon's economic situation might rapidly deteriorate within these two years, once the end times arrived, Avalon would become the safest place. And after the first wave of Celestial Marshals ceased, Avalon's territory would at least triple in size, and the almost-ruined Star Antimony, as well as Iris Flower completely ruled by the Son of the Moon, wouldn't be as attractive to talents as the future Avalon or Camelot.

From a utilitarian point of view, this was undoubtedly the most convenient, most worry-free, and most efficient "national salvation plan".

...But fundamentally, the essence of this "salvation" was actually usurpation.

Queen Sofia would definitely become an Angel Envoy of the Crown Lord.

The transformation into an Angel Envoy wouldn't be completed immediately, but as a Priest, Aiwass would certainly have another opportunity to see her in the future.

Even though he felt that Her Majesty the Queen might have hinted "If she is unworthy, you may take it upon yourself"... if he really did such a thing, he would no longer have the face to see this elder whom he felt close to and respected.

It was the imbalance of the Path of Transcendence that made Aiwass's thoughts extreme.

His Dedication and Transcendence were both at the Third Power Level, but Transcendence took an absolute initiative—this was actually an imbalance. Just as Yanis, a Transcendent of Balance and Beauty, had developed an imbalance in the Path of Dusk.

Only, her imbalance was in a new Path she had never advanced in before, whereas the imbalance Aiwass experienced was in a Path he had already walked, so it wasn't much of an issue for him.

Humans are a race with affinities for nine major Paths. In any matter, a temporary imbalance in any Path could spur a fleeting thought—perhaps towards Dedication, perhaps Authority, perhaps Transcendence, or perhaps Dusk. But in any case, these were "thoughts that these people could have had anyway".

This was undoubtedly also a part of Aiwass. It was the reasonable thought process that he, as an HR, as a player of P Company, would naturally have, not "thoughts that shouldn't have appeared in his mind".

Usually, these thoughts would be quickly suppressed by the traits of other Paths with reasons such as "rationality", "morality", "bonds". However, when the Path of Transcendence was significantly skewed, these thoughts he had were hard to be repressed by other Paths.

Just as a gluttonous and lecherous person, if they walked other Paths, would at most stay at the flirting stage. But if it were a Transcendent of the Path of Love, or a strong imbalance in the Path of Love among multiple Path affinities, it's very likely that they would act upon a fleeting thought.

Aiwass, now awake once again, couldn't help but feel a bit frightened.

"...Perhaps it's because I have undergone two promotion rites, so the resonance from the Serpent Celestial Marshal didn't cause me to lose control immediately," he thought.

Each time a promotion rite was completed, it meant adapting to the power of the Path at that stage. Although it subtly changed his personality, it wasn't too noticeable.

The Queen might have realized that something was off with Aiwass, so she used the last moments of clarity in her life to accompany Aiwass and alleviate the overflowing thoughts of Transcendence.

The Path of "Transcendence", after all, requires both the aspiration to transcend others and the magnanimity to accept being surpassed by others.

The selfless "Path of Devotion" also requires genuinely accepting goodwill and love from others. Only then can one truly understand how to bestow that warmth onto others.

Aiwass was adopted and sheltered by his foster father, received help from his older brother, and saw Yulia being protected and healed by his foster father... That's why he instinctively protected those around him, helped his classmates, and healed those who were hurt.

Passing on the kindness he had received to others.

The spark igniting the spark, the light continuing the light.

This was the core philosophy of the Path of Devotion.

In a daze, Aiwass suddenly understood why Priests must all learn the Rite of Fire.

He gained a deeper understanding of the Path of Devotion.

It wasn't just the deficiency of life force that needed replenishing, but also the life force supplied by the Candle Master, which was even more about making the Priests realize that "continuing to give without receiving is unsustainable".

The Sourceless Light lasts only a moment.

How can one who has never been loved selflessly and persistently love others?

—This warmth and affection that Aiwass had never felt before was the true gift given to him by the Queen.