When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 254 Aiwass's Heiress Buys a Horse Bone

Isabel, standing behind Aiwass, gently tapped on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Mr. King seems genuinely oblivious... How pitiful."

You really call him the king, huh.

Do you even realize you're Her Royal Highness?

Aiwass raised an eyebrow but didn't voice his internal snark.

He just leaned in close to Isabel as well and, in the same hushed tone, whispered in her ear, "What, do you want to show him mercy?"

"He still has a daughter to support... I believe he's telling the truth. He really does seem regretful, and he doesn't seem to know what Minister Drost does."@@@@

Pity blossomed in Isabel's heart. Yet, she still retained her rationality.

So she whispered back, "Help me, Aiwass... How can I save him without jeopardizing Avalon's interests?"

"As you wish, My Princess."

The corners of Aiwass's lips tilted up slightly as he said softly in profile, "Leave it to me."

—Since Aiwass put it that way, it surely must be right.

Isabel suddenly felt assured, rose to her feet, took two steps back to stand even with Lily, signaling that she was no longer intervening in the matter.

Aiwass turned his head, squinting at the king. Merely a glance from him brought immense pressure.

It's a good thing that Her Royal Highness aspires to be a compassionate queen.

As a man whose social ties were largely bound with Avalon, Aiwass certainly hoped the future queen – his direct superior – would be a kind and enlightened individual. He didn't deny this positive growth trajectory.

If Avalon truly needed to make some less merciful moves, if they needed to add a touch of cruelty and callousness... well, that's what he was there for.

Just hoping there wouldn't be a cliché development like "Aiwass, I am the queen" or "Isabel, you'll regret this"...

It was actually very simple to fulfill Isabel's request.

—Because what "Mr. King" didn't know was that Avalon was actually in dire need of talent.

Botanists were a remarkably rare profession. Even in Star Antimony, they were seldom seen.

Neither the Royal Law University nor Milton University had a legacy for this profession, seeing as the career change into botany was even more challenging than becoming an Alchemist—the alchemists' adherence to the principle of Balance leaned more towards "conservation of mass" and "everything has a principle."

On the other hand, the Botanist's Path of Balance included balancing humanity with nature.

This concept was far more complex than Alchemy.

Under the influence of Master Nobel, Alchemy in Avalon had been developing for nearly twenty years. Yet, even with their utmost efforts, they were still far behind Star Antimony.

One reason was that Avalon hadn't yet formed a substantial talent pool, and they were primarily relying on older-generation alchemists—who were mostly not Avalonians.

On another note, the development of the Path of Balance and the Path of Beauty required a certain societal atmosphere. People's research was mutually promotive and competitive. While this inevitably led to industry saturation and a vast waste of talent, the overall speed of development was not low.

If Aiwass hadn't guessed wrong, the "King" would be selling goods during the promotion ceremony... he might well have been fleeced by the alchemists.

If Aiwass could recruit the "King" and send out a friendly signal...

Then, as the infighting in Star Antimony intensified further, they might actually be able to welcome defectors of higher-ranking botanists.

And the "King", he was also of fairly decent moral fiber. As long as his grievances were addressed, he would be useful.

"If I am not mistaken," Aiwass slowly said, "your family is very likely already under the control of the Star Antimony people."

Hearing this, August turned deadly pale, "Why... why would they...?"

"Because botanists are forbidden from leaving the country. You probably come from an unconventional background, or maybe your previous rank was too low, which is why you didn't know this."

Aiwass sighed, a look of pity on his face, "The succession of botanists is taken very seriously over at Star Antimony. If everything goes as expected, you might also be the target of an assassination from their side."

Of course, this was a lie. After all, he was just a novice botanist of the first energy level.

Star Antimony was embroiled in intense conflict— even politically correct, they wouldn't place undue importance on botanists at such a critical juncture. That would only further infuriate the extremely sensitive alchemists.

Or rather, with the alchemists planning to seize power, the leak of botanist inheritance was already an irreversible future. To the increasingly war-hungry Star Antimony, those alchemists representing the most advanced technology, the royal family could only side with them when they clashed with botanists.

This was the conflict between the country of "Star Antimony" and the core group of "Star Antimony's alchemists."

"Can I still go back..."

"What are you thinking? How do you plan to explain yourself to the people over at Star Antimony?"

Aiwass directly interrupted him, countering, "You've willingly exported a large quantity of 'alchemy materials' to Avalon—even though plant essential oils are not classified as alchemy materials, you don't think Star Antimony people are unaware that we purchase these things to synthesize alchemical products, do you?

"And I'm not afraid to tell you—the person you sold to was the biggest spy of Star Antimony in Avalon, always responsible for smuggling from there. And just these past few days, we got control of him, interrogated, and executed him. And it happened almost right after your goods arrived and the contract was signed.

"Then you personally followed the smuggling ship to Avalon. And you met me, and you met the future Her Majesty the Queen. But you weren't punished at all and you returned safely to Star Antimony—I'll just say no more. Think for yourself, how do you think the people of Star Antimony will view you?

"You don't really think you can go back, do you?"

The King's face grew whiter with each word he heard.

He wasn't stupid. Just somewhat naive.

But to be recognized by the Path of Balance, being brainless was not an option. With a little thought, he realized everything Aiwass said was true.

However, at this moment Aiwass changed his tone, "But you should be thankful to our merciful Princess.

"Seeing as we are fated to meet, Princess Isabel has decided to help you. We will try to send an inspector to Star Antimony to see if we can rescue your family. We will also arrange for someone to protect you."

"...What! I am truly grateful to you, the merciful and noble Princess, and Mr. Moriarty... Please, you must save my family—!"

August suddenly burst out with joy, but he was still somewhat apprehensive, "Then, what can I do for you?"

"You don't have to do anything. At least not for now."

The corners of Aiwass's mouth lifted slightly, uttering words that made August sigh in relief, yet feel even more uneasy, "It's free of charge, Mr. August."