When the plot-skips players into the game world

At this very moment, history is being altered by its own hand.

Aiwass could clearly feel the thread of history.

The shimmer named "possibility" was firmly pulsating in his grasp.

He remembered very clearly—in the original plot, Sherlock had never been attacked with such brutality.

Until Sherlock completely disappeared years later, the incident for which his father, Arthur Hermes, was falsely accused still lacked a correct resolution.

Even "York Hermes" never appeared in the main storyline.

—Although Aiwass hardly followed the plot, he had that sort of confidence. He might have skipped all the plot cutscenes while playing, but he still checked player community posts and watched videos from plot analysis YouTubers to get a general understanding of the story.

Considering Sherlock's popularity among the players, as Sherlock's uncle... York Hermes would definitely have been discussed if he had ever made a proper appearance. Especially after Sherlock's disappearance, it would be impossible for no one to mention this name.

Not to mention, York was also a legal counsel hired by the Lohar Society, the largest gang organization in Avalon and part of its upper echelon; he was also involved with the Noble Red Society and the Alchemical Bombs case, so the secrets he held were undoubtedly numerous. In the timeline where he hadn't attempted to assassinate Sherlock, Mr. York was likely more than just a passerby.

He was at least tangled up with the Lohar Society, the Noble Red Society, and the Minister of Commerce, and it was very likely he was also related to the royal curse, perhaps even entangled with the Hawkeye Organization.

Meaning, all events of Version 1.0 were closely intertwined with "Lawyer York!"

Aiwass leaned toward the idea that York had been silenced or killed by another party before his attempt to assassinate Sherlock. That's why he was completely absent from the "player's" viewpoint and did not participate in any main story events at all.

This person was undoubtedly a crucial breakthrough point, possibly even the weakest link in the entire conspiracy chain.

—Since Sherlock had now come into slight contact with the Lohar Society, he must be silenced. That indicates his current situation is very delicate.

The reason he must act immediately to kill Sherlock is simple. From Aiwass's perspective, things were becoming very clear.

The biggest change here from the original plot is that mention of the "Sweater Brothers Association" by Aiwass in the dream.

"Sherlock, calm down and listen to me. We don't need to investigate your uncle, York Hermes.

"Let's switch our places of thought."

—Glass Island's most famous detective, the Chief Consultant of the Supervisory Bureau, and the nephew of the high-ranking member of the Lohar Society, York Hermes, Mr. Sherlock Hermes, took along Glass Island's Chief Inspector Edward without any evidence or reported crime, suddenly raiding an abandoned chemical plant hideout in Lohar District that had never been detected by anyone due to its very concealed entrance.

At that time, the Sweater Brothers Association hadn't yet started their theft of the bodies from Execution Square, and they were no different from the various Strangler Parties controlled by the Lohar Society, with nothing remarkable about them.

It happens that at this time, a large stockpile of Alchemical Bombs smuggled from the Star Antimony kingdom was piled up inside the abandoned chemical plant. And this batch of Alchemical Bombs was ordered by the Minister of Commerce who had dealings with the Noble Red Society.

"...If I were a high-ranking member of the Lohar Society, what would I be thinking now?"

Aiwass intertwined his fingers, placing the teacup in the palms of his hands, his tone calm and steady, "Then I could only assume that 'York Hermes' accidentally revealed secrets while trying to recruit you. And your direct report to the Supervisory Court inadvertently proves another thing—that you know the Lohar Society has planted spies in the Supervisory Bureau."

"...I see."

When Aiwass reached this point, Sherlock immediately understood, "The reason I went to find Edward was actually because I wasn't sure if the information you gave me was true or false, and I was planning to take him to check the situation.

"At the beginning, we didn't know what kind of earth-shaking results we might get. Since Edward and I are good friends, even if I occasionally tricked him, it wouldn't matter; at most, he'd just tease me a bit…"

As he was speaking, he stood up and started pacing around the room.

While walking back and forth, he rapidly said, "In my eyes, Edward is a trustworthy friend; but in the eyes of the Lohar Society, the most noticeable label on Edward is 'Chief Inspector of Glass Island.' The fact that I, as a Supervisory Bureau consultant, went directly to the Chief Inspector without even notifying the Supervisory Court—that suggests I already knew Lohar Society had planted many of their people at the high levels of the kingdom."

Sherlock stopped, turned around, and looked at Aiwass sitting in the wheelchair, "If both pieces of intelligence were obtained by me at the same time, this could only mean... York Hermes leaked the information."

Aiwass nodded, "So, if he can't recruit you, he must personally kill you. To prove he hasn't betrayed." Continue your journey on empire

"...So that's why he took matters into his own hands."

Sherlock stood still, mused for a while, then came closer and lowered his voice, "I'm planning to make a slight adjustment to my plan, Aiwass."

"Why don't you first tell me your original plan?"

"Very simple. The first step was to try to test whether he was the murderer... though now it seems that step might be unnecessary."

Sherlock replied, "I heard from Bishop that you can't use your Holy Sword right now, which means you actually have no combat capability. Hence, I do not plan to have you handle the most dangerous part... that is, the capture of York.

"My funeral is arranged for tomorrow morning, and Uncle York will definitely attend my funeral.

"My brother Mycroft is the only person in my family who knows I'm not dead, and he's very smart and trustworthy. To make my parents' act appear more natural, they are kept unaware of this truth. My plan was to create such an atmosphere to make York let down his guard."

"And after he lets his guard down?"

Aiwass asked, "Lure him out and kill him?"

"That's roughly it."

Sherlock nodded, "I have another backup intelligence storage point in a place I often visit—I really did prepare a safehouse like this, and it wasn't just a temporary measure. It truly contains my investigative results on the Lohar Society; everything is real."

Aiwass quickly understood Sherlock's plan, "You want him to make a move again."

"Yes," Sherlock said in a deep voice, "he's too cautious. As long as he appears in public, he always has one or two friends from the Arbiter by his side.

"My uncle, his favorite pastime is to hunt for young people with great potential, forming sincere relationships with them when their status and ability are lower than his own. Once their talents begin to flourish, he has them protect him in return.

"His hunting range isn't limited to just 'young people', it also includes those who suddenly run into trouble... As a lawyer, he has an easy time encountering such people. For instance, Inspector Gordon, who was in the newspaper with you the other day.

"When Gordon had just retired, his family got entangled in a troublesome lawsuit. York resolved the problem for him and went out of his way to arrange a job for him. He even started as the deputy director of the Supervisory Bureau... Although without him, Gordon was very likely to secure a decent identity, Uncle York's actions always left a very good impression."

So that's how it is, an angel investor.

Aiwass had an epiphany.

No wonder Sherlock was feeling vexed at the moment, and no wonder Gordon, who seemed very old-fashioned, had taken the initiative to shake his hand back then.

This man was a bona fide socialite of the upper class. Like a low-end version of Professor Moriarty.

He had no leverage and no flaws, invulnerable as long as he didn't take action himself. Even if he left evidence behind, his connections could very well prevent a conviction.

If that's the case, after extracting the information from him, one cannot let him return easily... Otherwise, it would only spell trouble.

Aiwass narrowed his eyes.

Conveniently, he had acquired two excellent poisons from Miss Assassin.

—One of which could induce a natural death.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke in a low voice, "Your plan is flawed."

Sherlock didn't immediately challenge the statement but furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment, "Are you worried he might send his subordinates or friends to retrieve it?"

"Your thinking is too by-the-book, Sherlock. You're too deeply influenced by the Path of Authority, overlooking the fact that thugs are irrational."

Aiwass spoke ethereally, "If I were your uncle, what would I do? Would I risk my own life to procure my incriminating evidence, or let my subordinates or friends have the chance to discover my true face?"

"He could kill the person who retrieved the evidence as well," Sherlock added.

"He could, but that's not safe. The person could very well examine the evidence privately, keep some of it, or even threaten him in return. Their relationship seems solid, but it's not much. It can only be considered networking, with no real loyalty."

Aiwass slightly closed one eye, whispering softly, "If I were him, I wouldn't let these people have any chance to access deep secrets. At most, killing them would be a 'remedy'.

"—From this angle, the safest method would be to have the Noble Red Society directly blow up your safehouse, physically obliterating the evidence.

"Hence your previous plan is unreliable and could endanger Edward and yourself. It's time for something fresh."

As Aiwass spoke, Sherlock almost felt an illusion—that this young man, leisurely sipping milk tea while holding the cup, smiling gently in his wheelchair, exuded an extremely dangerous aura at the moment.

It was a sense of danger starkly different from his brother Edward's cold and silent demeanor. Despite his smiling face, polite gestures, gentle attitude, and soft-spoken character, for some reason, it sent chills down one's spine.

There was also an inexplicable sense of familiarity...

Suddenly, Sherlock realized.

—Aiwass at this moment was just like his foster father, Professor Moriarty.

He was stunned for a moment before he managed to collect himself and clear his throat, awkwardly concealing his surprise.

"...So, my new plan is for you to forge a friendship with him slowly tomorrow under the guise of 'Sherlock's friend'... You could even pretend to join the Lohar Society. However you do it, the end goal is to isolate him and inform Edward to successfully capture him. Ideally, you should do this quickly, without causing too much of a commotion. The longer I'm 'dead', the harder it will be to come back... When it's time for me to resurface, it'll likely be impossible to keep my survival a secret."

"Sadly, I must admit, I'm not particularly good at acting. Especially in the Dream Realm where one's instincts and habits are drawn out. Meaning, we have at most three weeks, but it would be best to wrap it up within two."

Sherlock patted Aiwass on the shoulder, "I believe you can do it, 'Fox'. You've always been quite adept at deception."

He placed particular emphasis on the word "Fox".

...You didn't care when you were drunk just now, did you? Why have you started obsessing again now that you're sober?

Aiwass muttered to himself while comfortably seated in his wheelchair.

But indeed, he was good at this—wasn't it just about speed-running the trust meter with the other side?

Don't worry, I've got this.