When the plot-skips players into the game world

Yet even so, when Aiwass tentatively asked him if he wanted to "go back and have a look," Oswald simply shook his head.

"There's nowhere to return to," the old butler sighed, saying casually.

"The Holy Nation is good in every way, but there is no home left. Better not to go back."

It was the first time that Oswald, who was as silent and reticent as a shadow, had ever mentioned his past in front of Aiwass and the other "young masters."

After that, Aiwass fell somewhat silent as well.

By the time Oswald, pushing Aiwass in his wheelchair, made their leisurely way back home, it was already evening.

The setting sun hung in the sky, with the lake in Moriarty Manor gleaming with a shattered gold brilliance. And at the iron gates of the manor, a lean young man with black hair and brown eyes leaned quietly.

He was perusing a dark gold-colored book, seemingly indifferent to his surroundings.

The pages in his hand were emitting a mysterious blue-green glow, as clear and pure as the bottom of a lake.

He was boldly reading a forbidden book in front of Moriarty Manor without any fear, clearly very familiar and comfortable with the place.

Because Aiwass was seated in a wheelchair, with a lower line of sight, he noticed the name of the book in the young man's hand at a glance.

—"Clarity Secret Sequence."

Aiwass knew this book.

This was a mystical skill from ancient times—back in that era, the boundaries between Paths weren't as defined as they are now. Thus, many ancient skills could possibly belong to multiple Paths. But this book was an exception.

It was strongly attributed to the Path of Wisdom. The "Art of Vacant Clarity" it described was the precursor to the Path of Wisdom's mystical skill "Meditation" that came later.

In the game, the owner of this book was supposed to be Sherlock Hermes. It was a collection he acquired shortly after the main storyline began.

Sherlock was a Transcendent with adaptations to the Paths of Wisdom and Authority, and already had the dual professions of "Legal Mage" and "Mage" in version 1.0.

He was a powerful ally who remained outside the main character group.

Although he didn't become a player's companion, he would occasionally step in to help solve a few difficult issues. After the collapse of the Kingdom of Avalon, he didn't follow the player to the Holy Nation, nor did he go to Star Antimony Kingdom. Instead, he accepted an offer from the Iris Kingdom and held a government position for a while.

It was clear from the name that this character was based on Sherlock Holmes.

But different from the stereotypical image of Holmes with his "pipe and cane"—Sherlock, as a semi-insider of the Glass Island Supervisory Bureau and a high-level Transcendent, had much more money than the original Holmes and became famous much earlier. He also didn't have his own Watson.

At the start of the main storyline, Sherlock was just 26 years old. By that time, he was already the "Chief Consultant" that even the Supervisory Bureau Chief of the White Queen District had to treat with great courtesy.

As a Legal Mage from the Path of Authority, he was much more extravagant in his spending on luxuries.

He would buy the most expensive cigars he could afford, not the cheap pipe tobacco. He wasn't thrifty with his food either; every time he met with players, he would take them out to eat. He would even take special trips abroad to attend the best concerts. The gifts he gave to friends were also of high value—for example, the gifts planned in his name for the player were mostly expensive items for in-game purchases.

This was a typical characteristic of the Path of Authority: only the best will do. It wasn't for the enjoyment itself, but for the sake of having "the best."

But after quickly spending the money he had on hand, he would calmly downgrade his consumption and live contentedly without money until the next incident made him rich again.

The most prominent trait of Sherlock was that he never saved money. He never considered the situation of "what if I run out of money in the future."

Because the young Sherlock was full of confidence in his abilities. With his own skills, he could always get a sum of money at any time—he just didn't bother to earn it because he wasn't interested.

He believed that if he worried about what to do in the future, it would be like subconsciously implying to himself that his talents would eventually degrade. The suggestion that one day he would become dull was more intolerable to him than a downgrade in lifestyle.

NPCs with talent and extreme pride, yet friendly attitudes towards players, always had decent popularity among players. There was also a substantial amount of fan art, cosplays, merchandise, and doujinshi.

Sherlock remained active throughout the main storyline until version 5.0, giving many standout performances.

In the end, he died in the main storyline of version 5.1.

The cause of death was bizarre — he was silenced by a retaliatory killing at a critical moment in an investigation when he was working on a case alone.

Even though the plot was different from "The Final Problem," it might have been a hint at the direction of the story to come. The name of that big chapter was "The Final Problem."

Looking back now, it might have been James Moriarty, Aiwass' foster father, who killed Sherlock. Because it was not until after Sherlock's death that Aiwass' foster father reappeared in the storyline.

At the time, players commented, "Oh no, the one who's come back from 'The Empty House' is Moriarty."

Aiwass was extremely impressed with this event.

Because when this suggestive main storyline name was exposed, the online discussions and fervor exploded. When the final storyline actually came out, the reaction of the players was one of disbelief.

Instead of anger or sadness, most of the comments were "They really dare to hand out death notices, huh," "He can't really be dead," "Waiting for the return from 'The Empty House,'" and similar remarks.

They refused to believe it was true, but they feared it might be.

It was like the feeling a little boy gets after making a girl cry, thinking, "She really cried?"

Even Aiwass went out of his way to ask his screenwriter friend if Sherlock was really dead.

The response he got was deliberately vague, "Probably."

But even after Aiwass crossed over, the storyline of Sherlock's "The Empty House" had still not come about. Instead, James Moriarty leaped out, displaying his identity as the ultimate boss of the version's main storyline.

As if he had noticed that extremely complex gaze, Sherlock suddenly looked up in Aiwass' direction.

Seeing Oswald approaching with a wheelchair, he smiled and put away the book in his hand.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Oswald,"

he cheerfully greeted the old butler and nodded to Aiwass with a smile.

Oswald obviously recognized Sherlock and greeted him warmly, "Mr. Sherlock, why don't you come in and sit? The professor has been mentioning you a lot lately."

Aiwass knew that the old butler was quite proud, with the stubbornness of an elf and a sense of superiority.

If it were not someone he approved of, he would never be so cordial.

"Forget about it, if I go in, the professor will nag me again. I'll just deliver the things and leave, I have other matters — just say hello to the professor for me."

The young man with black hair politely declined.

"If you're busy today, how about coming to the family dinner tomorrow? I will instruct the cook to prepare some good dishes in advance. After all, the professor really has been talking about you for a long time — and Mr. Sherlock, it's been almost a year since you visited the professor."

Oswald asked affectionately, with an attitude starkly different from the indifference he showed when meeting Hayna, "You haven't visited the professor in almost a year."

"I'm busy tomorrow night... You understand. When I have time later, I will send a formal invitation to visit."

Sherlock responded vaguely.

He exchanged a look with the old butler, and Oswald seemed to understand, nodding his head and not pursuing the matter further.

Aiwass also realized what Sherlock meant.

If he says he has something important tomorrow night, it very likely involves advancement.

His vague attitude suggested that this time his advancement was probably illegal — he dared to openly read the Mystical Skills books about the Path of Wisdom, yet was evasive about this matter.

It must be that he had just recently acquired the secondary Path, and the "Mage" profession of the Path of Wisdom was about to advance to the second level!

... Just like himself.

Aiwass was taken aback.

Well, well.

—We won't meet in the Dream Realm, will we?