The abandoned chemical plant was flanked by cracked brick walls, but from the outside, it still appeared relatively tidy. It wasn't overgrown with too much ivy or weeds, just coated in a layer of gray-yellow dust and sludge.
Compared to a factory, the place resembled more an abandoned villa or a storage house.
The corridor wasn't wide, probably just enough to fit two or three people walking shoulder to shoulder. Because there was no illumination, even at noon outside, it was pitch black inside.
As soon as Aiwass stepped inside, he was greeted by a very heavy smell of dust. There was also the pungent odor of something like durian, which was quite choking.
Lulu, carrying a child, coughed softly while cautiously making her way further inside.
Even though she knew there was no one around, she still moved stealthily.
She could feel her heart racing—even though she was still on Glass Island, she felt an unprecedented sense of adventure. Everything here was so novel, filling her with overwhelming excitement.
Lulu whispered, "to hide from that murderer? Since this is a chemical plant, should we get some chemical reagents for self-defense? What if he follows us here?"
"First, he would have to find the door."
Aiwass spoke with unabashed precision, "This chemical plant doesn't have a main entrance because the back door is actually a dead-end. Only the warehouse's rear door leads here. After it was abandoned, the original entrance was blocked by the newly built stone warehouse. As the warehouse expanded, the entrance was completely sealed off."
"The chemical plant has two floors, plus higher areas accessible by ladders. Each floor has a multitude of interconnected rooms, and there are a full three staircases leading between floors. If the invader is alone, we have plenty of space to conduct guerrilla warfare..."
He stopped mid-sentence when he suddenly heard a death knell.
Thereupon, Aiwass immediately fell silent and exchanged glances with the two others.
Sherlock said softly.
"The three of us, plus 'Bone Sculptor', that makes four."
Aiwass squinted and asked, "Do you think anyone else could have survived?"
"Coco. I suspect she belongs to dual Paths."
Sherlock reminded softly, "Remember, Fox? Lady Eleni mentioned 'this time, there are three Transcendents with multiple Paths'."
"You, Knight, and Lulu are clearly newbies. The King and Cheese aren't that clever either. Excluding me and Bone Sculptor, there should be one more...either Basil or Coco."
"I don't have much of an impression of Miss Basil."
Lulu leaned in and whispered, "I can't even remember her features."
"That's one of the manifestations of the Path of Adaptation, gaining advantage by blending into the environment through concealing oneself. Don't underestimate her—if you think carefully, you'll realize that among the nine of us, only Basil hasn't revealed any information. We know nothing about her."
The Newsboy reminded, "If this is the New Moon Ritual, I'd be most wary not of Bone Sculptor, but her. Every Transcendent of the Path of Adaptation is a professional Hunter and assassin. I won't be relieved until I know she's dead."
Aiwass countered, "Why do you think Coco is dual Path?"
"I'm not certain, it's just that I lean more toward the third person being Coco. As for my reason..."
Sherlock said, "It's what she said herself, 'My profession is not Demon Scholar'."
"She was the last but one to be captured, even later than 'King'. If King was in Star Antimony, then Coco definitely wouldn't be in Avalon."
"But in Star Antimony, although Transcendence Paths are legal, ordinary people can't access Extraordinary Professions other than Demon Scholar."
"So, in Avalon, Extraordinary Professions for the Path of Authority can only be Legal Mage, Arbiter, and Sky Cavalry, right?"
Sherlock corrected, "Precisely speaking, only Legal Mage and Inspector. Not all Inspectors can advance to Arbiter; even if they reach the level, they are not allowed to transcend without the Round Table Hall's review. A mandatory condition for advancing to Arbiter is obtaining 'Judgment Authority' to conduct individual trials bypassing the judicial system."
"Even if an Inspector enters the Supervisory Court, they only have law enforcement authority. They cannot fulfill the conditions for becoming an Arbiter."
"And 'Knight' sir's Light Cavalry profession's advancement to Sky Cavalry is exclusive to the military system... Each Sky Cavalry is an elite among the elite in the Avalon military."
"Ah, I know that one!"
Lulu's eyes brightened, "It's when the Red Griffon becomes a talking White Griffon, then the Light Cavalry can become Sky Cavalry, right!"
"Right. They must wait for their Gryphon partners to mature. The dangerous brown-red feathers must completely turn Pure White, their bodies should rapidly grow from 1.8 meters to over 2.5 meters, their temperamental nature should become calm, and their intelligence should increase enough to speak simple human language... Only then can a Light Cavalry advance to Sky Cavalry. And this requires strengthening their partners through the Path of Authority. A White Griffon eats thirty pounds of fresh meat daily even without training, and that doubles during training and combat."
"In contrast, the Gryphon granted to a regular Inspector, due to the different breed, can at most grow to 1.5 meters in a lifetime, and it cannot learn human speech. It also only needs about five pounds of fresh meat a day. Even more, these creatures live a mere thirty years—a lifetime commitment more akin to a loyal pet capable of flying with passengers. The military's White-Feathered Griffon can live hundreds of years—their human partners pass away from old age, while the Gryphons still live on."