The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 467

Chapter 466
You haven’t been here before, have you?
As Eivass entered the Silver and Tin Hall, he vaguely smelled blood.
The aura of death and destruction permeated the once solemn and sacred silver-white palace. The walls, reinforced repeatedly by Preservers, still couldn’t withstand the aftermath of the knights’ battle; they were now tattered and filled with cracks and rubble.
It was as if this was not the royal palace of Avalon, but the ruins of a palace from a destroyed old dynasty.
As Eivass passed the entrance to the Round Table Hall, he could vaguely glimpse the intact glass staircase.
However, the Round Table Hall was empty. Not a single knight sat at the Round Table.
The surviving knights were either blood-stained or wounded.
The knights stood scattered in various corners of the Silver and Tin Hall, exchanging different gazes with Eivass from all directions.
Some were pitying, some were wary, some were nervous, some were mocking, and some were indifferent.
It was clear that although they shared the same stance now, their feelings and purposes were not the same.
Perhaps because they were wary of Diomedes beside Eivass, no knight dared to approach Eivass or speak to him.
Eivass merely cast his gaze upon them—looking at each of them in turn.
Eivass’s gaze was like a terrible catalyst.
Every knight who met his gaze changed their expression. Either they glared back, averted their eyes, or fled—no one could remain composed and calm after meeting Eivass’s stare.
This silent confrontation only ended when Minister Dross approached.
“Bishop Moriarty.”
Minister Dross, with his belly so large he couldn’t see his feet when he looked down, smiled and stepped forward: “Ah, you’ve arrived…”
He patted his belly and scanned the surroundings.
Before he could say anything, the knights dispersed. They left in a hurry, as if afraid of being noticed by Dross.
Eivass’s lips curved into a slight smile: “Yes, I have come as arranged.”
If one were to scrutinize his attitude, it felt more like disdain than fear.
So, even these traitors who murdered their colleagues couldn’t stand Dross.
—This was quite reasonable, Eivass thought.
As the saying goes, the Star Antimony people couldn’t possibly bribe all the knights.
The reason they attacked Avalon was because the Star Antimony Kingdom was in an unsolvable economic crisis. Star Antimony must have cajoled and deceived these knights into siding with them.
Most of them probably didn’t even know that Queen Sophia was to be assassinated today. To be bold, perhaps none of them did.
Otherwise, in the CG, they wouldn’t have all appeared so relaxed and happy.
Eivass could tell at a glance that their state was clearly one of relief. If they knew that Minister Dross would poison the Queen at this banquet, then some of them would inevitably be nervous and uneasy about it.
Because such a dangerous plan always had a possibility of failure. And if it failed, they would all face the most tragic outcome.
The stubborn individuals of the Path of Authority rarely possessed the talents of the Path of Beauty and Path Adaptation. They didn’t have such great talent for acting or lying.
From that CG, Eivass had already vaguely sensed Queen Sophia’s wariness towards Minister Dross.
So, from this perspective, they might have been brought by Dross to deceive Queen Sophia… It was precisely because the people present were so relaxed and numerous that the Queen believed Dross wouldn’t make a move.
As a result, she didn’t expect Dross to act forcefully.
Eivass had spent two months handling state affairs for Isabel, and with his social skills, he had already recognized all the knights in the Round Table Hall.
Among these traitors, a large number were close and trusted by Queen Sophia. There were even some Round Table Knights from founding families.
Unless they were all bribed by Star Antimony at a great cost, their originally stable positions would become unstable if Star Antimony invaded. Therefore, from a profitability standpoint, they had no reason to rebel. Yet, they did choose to help Dross clean up the mess after his rebellion.
Then there was only one answer.
The real traitors were not that many.
Eivass had vaguely had this feeling when he dismissed the ministers. Now, after seeing the complete CG and comparing it with his real-world experience, Eivass was truly certain.
It made sense. These cowardly knights didn’t even have the resolve to resist Eivass. They simply lacked the courage to rebel.
They were so happy at this banquet because they thought Avalon was negotiating peace and marriage with Star Antimony. They wouldn’t have to fight the powerful enemy Star Antimony anymore, and instead, a powerful ally would appear out of nowhere… They were happy about this.
When Queen Sophia was poisoned and Dross unexpectedly requested the scene be sealed, those knights knew they couldn’t turn back; when the second “Princess Isabel” appeared in full view, and Dross showed no hostility towards her, the knights then realized which side they should be on.
The knights might have initially been tied to Dross’s side because they had taken money they shouldn’t have, or committed mistakes they shouldn’t have. As a result, they unknowingly became the majority, and their actions began to be swayed by the group.
And as they banded together, their strength would attract new allies… like a snowball rolling down a hill, their numbers grew, but they lost their individual free will. Ultimately, they couldn’t escape and could only act along with those who had already made a move.
They did not conspire to assassinate Queen Sophia, they were just too intelligent and too good at reading the situation. As a result, with Queen Sophia dead and Star Antimony implicitly controlling the Avalon court, they all chose to pledge allegiance to Star Antimony and Minister Dross, who was closely associated with the Star Antimony people.
This keen sense of smell and the ability to change stance at any time were also characteristic abilities of the Path of Authority.
Every knight who survived now had the blood of their former colleagues on their hands. They had become allies of the king-slayer Dross and traitors, and could never turn back.
—Even if they repented now, they would still die. They would be conveniently eliminated by Dross and even be branded as traitors.
It was better to go down this path to the bitter end.
When Eivass scanned everyone earlier, he was observing which of the surviving knights still felt shame, unease, and sadness, and showed clear disgust towards Dross.
Perhaps these people could still be useful.
At least Eivass could give them another chance.
—As for those who reacted flatly, or were friendly and even flattering towards Dross, Eivass had specifically noted them down in his mind, creating a separate list for them.
A black list.
Of course, punishing them for something that hadn’t happened yet was unfair and immoral. But directly investigating them was not a problem—think of it as a report from an anonymous person.
Moreover, Eivass was certain that he would find something. After all, if they could be swayed by Dross, they must have left some traces.
…… From this perspective, this Ascension Ritual was an extremely rare opportunity.
Only on the Day of Destruction could it be determined who was absolutely loyal to Avalon even unto death, who valued their own safety and happiness and that of their families more than Avalon, who was hesitant and swayed by villains yet still had a conscience, who would betray friends without mercy or shame, and who would rejoice and cackle with glee when tragedy struck.
—The “human heart,” which is difficult to probe and always immeasurable in the real world, was laid bare in this ritual.
And Eivass didn’t even need to explain to Isabel where his information came from—because she had personally witnessed all of this and was undoubtedly even more furious than Eivass.
Eivass mused.
Was it for this reason? Was this Ascension Ritual why the Lord of Scales and Feathers was solely in charge… This indeed had the style of a “Prophet” from the Path of Adaptation.
For Eivass and Isabel, it could certainly be considered a form of “prophecy.” They could both obtain important information from it.
And for “Strangers” like them, it was even more of a prophecy—especially for Stranger.
In this timeline, it was he who designed the Armed Gargoyles that truly brought down Avalon. Without the Armed Gargoyle Legion that could pierce the Gryphon Legion, the Grand Guardian leading the Gryphon Legion was still a very threatening force.
When they casually attacked Star Antimony in the real world, Star Antimony could barely resist. If there were no Armed Gargoyles, it would have been at most a battle of attrition. It was because this counterattack force from Avalon was perfectly intercepted that the war became one-sided in the end.
In the real world, Stranger probably wouldn’t have had the chance to develop it. But now, from this illusory world, he would see what “he in another world” had done.
If considered from this angle…
Then, were Doctor, Cheese, Olive, and Grape related to this matter?
Eivass couldn’t help but think several layers deeper.
Every Ascension Ritual he had experienced so far seemed to be specially designed. Only this ritual was entirely overseen by a single Pillar God… Did the Lord of Scales and Feathers’ choice of these people also hold some significance?
After all, He was the Pillar God of the Path of Adaptation, the Thousand-Faced Beast that mastered the power of foresight.
—If I can’t figure it out, then let’s assume “there must be a profound meaning to all of this”!
Even if I overthink it, it’s better than underthinking.
With this thought, Eivass became even more cautious.
He looked at Minister Dross’s face and put on a natural and friendly smile.
In this unpredictable ritual full of riddles, information, and hints, you are still the same idiot as always, still as annoying as ever.
This kind of stability could be considered a logical cornerstone.
Truly touching.
…I must seize this opportunity of Minister Dross “resurrecting from the dead” this time and extract all the information I didn’t get a chance to question in reality.
Eivass thought.
Minister Dross immediately understood Eivass’s gaze, raised his eyebrows in confusion, and stood stunned in silence for a moment.
As a Fourth Tier Authority user, Dross, while not able to easily see through lies like the Fifth Tier users, could sense others’ true attitudes.
This was also part of the “Leadership” ability of the Path of Authority.
To perceive the heart, discern lies, and see through others’ subtext and intentions. Dross could easily see that Eivass’s gaze towards him held no fear, anger, or unease.
Instead, it seemed friendly and… compassionate?
Trade Minister Dross was somewhat bewildered.
If he hadn’t intercepted a secret letter from Eivass and hadn’t inadvertently guessed that Eivass had an accomplice during Sherlock’s interrogation, he might really have thought that Eivass was the wrong person he had captured.
…Does he not understand why I summoned him?
Just as this thought crossed Dross’s mind, Diomedes’s words completely misled him.
“Mr. Dross.”
Diomedes bowed slightly, speaking coldly and calmly: “When I went to invite Mr. Eivass, Professor Moriarty forcefully stopped me.
“—It was Mr. Eivass who actively came out, saying he wanted to see you.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Minister Dross became interested.
Although Diomedes addressed him distantly, and despite the subtle differences in their stances on minor matters, Dross absolutely trusted the old butler who had watched him grow up.
Since Diomedes said so, it meant that Eivass had come to him of his own accord after an attempted kidnapping.
That was truly novel.
A mouse going to a cat for a meal, was it?
Then it was indeed worth listening to what Eivass wanted. At least this attitude was different from that of the young man from House Hermes.
Thus, Minister Dross patted his belly and let out a hearty laugh: “Alright, then let’s find a place and sit down to talk slowly.
“—How about in the Queen’s chambers? Bishop Moriarty, you probably haven’t had the chance to come here before, have you?”
…Guess?
Eivass thought.