The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 594

Chapter 593
Taboo and Amber
Change the future.
Because the future will eventually become the past.
The future also has the possibility of starting over—
Professor Moriarty’s voice was like a bewitchment: “Even if you have no regrets now… are you so sure that the future will remain so?
“As I said—a necessary evil, an early death. If the time of earliness is infinitely reduced, then it is basically equivalent to me doing nothing; and if the time of time reversal is infinitely short, it also means that nothing is lost.
“As long as you reverse time in time when you regret it. All tragedies will not happen.
“This is like those mortals buying insurance. Insurance cannot prevent accidents, it can only reduce losses. Because they cannot prevent what has already happened from changing, nor can they absolutely prevent a certain thing from happening in the future… but we can.
“Are you so confident that you or your relatives and friends will absolutely not encounter any accidents? Do you believe that your future self will never regret anything?
“Even if history shatters, all we can change is the past of one layer of history… but that at least changes the tragedy of the layer of history we are in, so that we do not have to accept a future we do not want to accept. Although this power has been abandoned by the Samsara Heavenly Envoy, it was once mastered by a Heavenly Envoy—especially a Heavenly Envoy of the Path of Balance. In other words, this power itself is reasonable and legal.”
Professor Moriarty whispered persuasively: “Or… are you truly not afraid of the ‘unknown’?
“Even if you are not afraid. Your cherished ‘present’, when they encounter accidents or misfortunes, will you truly not regret refusing me today?”
This time, Eivass was silent.
Unlike before, this time he was silent for a long time.
“… I don’t trust you.”
Eivass finally spoke in a low voice.
His voice was somewhat hoarse, but his expression was extremely solemn.
He no longer used honorifics, nor did he call Professor Moriarty father.
This time he told the truth—and the reason why he truly disagreed with Professor Moriarty’s plan: “You just want to use me. Use your “Spider Silk Grimoire”… use your power to steal the essence of others.
“Give up. Although I don’t know where that power is myself, I will never give you the key.
“If I am a key, I will eventually be a key that devours its owner.”
But hearing Eivass’s words, Professor Moriarty laughed happily.
Because he knew that Eivass was already wavering at this moment.
James never lied or deceived people.
The purpose of a lie is to make others believe oneself and act for oneself… therefore, the greatest lie is the truth.
No lie can be more powerful than the truth.
Psychological influence, emotional incitement, logical loopholes… nothing is as effective as pointing out the truth that the other person has long known but refuses to admit.
To do or not to do—when people hesitate and think in their hearts, they already have an answer. It’s just that the answer has not yet surfaced.
And what James does is not to continue to suppress this answer. Instead, he helps others to bring up the “answers” that should have surfaced but were suppressed by reason, morality, shame, feelings, and dignity.
It is what they should do.
He only advanced the time for that moment to arrive, or allowed those who regretted hesitation and indecision at this moment to no longer regret—what he provided was never deception, but wisdom and courage.
The wisdom to point out the truth, and the courage to face the truth.
And because of this… when people are enchanted by James, they only feel extremely happy in their hearts.
Eivass was no exception.
As he said, Eivass was too timid. Because he knew too much, and because he valued too many things, he always had to wait for the best time… a time with the least sacrifice and the greatest opportunity.
And this meant that he was bound to fear the unknown.
He could not refuse the conditions offered by Moriarty.
“I don’t mind being direct.”
Professor Moriarty said softly: “You should know… when the Holder of the Spider Silk Grimoire lies, spider silk will appear. I have almost never used this power, because I used it as a warning to myself—why did I lie? Why did I choose to lie? Why did I fall to the point where I had to lie?
“For me, it is not just a power… but a mentor, a supervisor.”
His implication was that he admitted to possessing the Spider Silk Grimoire and tacitly admitted that he wanted to steal something from Eivass.
“However, Eivass. The Spider Silk Grimoire has a condition—some things cannot be stolen, only parasitized. Unless you agree, I cannot transfer your uniqueness into my body. This is not ‘stealing’ but ‘borrowing’.
“The God of Scales and Feathers, doesn’t He also ‘borrow’ His scales and feathers from others? There is borrowing, there is returning… it ultimately belongs to you, which is why I always say ‘we’.”
“…Don’t say ‘we’, I’m not on the same path as you.”
So Eivass warned again: “Now the Beast Lord and Supreme Heaven have withdrawn, and the Nine Pillar Gods are close to satisfaction with the current situation, and the top of the Dream Realm is basically in a stable environment. If this happens again, it may not reach this level, so they will definitely oppose this plan. Not to mention the hostility of the Silver Crown Dragon and Hengwo towards this plan… can you confront the Nine Pillar Gods?”
“You say… stable?”
Hearing this, Professor Moriarty laughed: “What about the Ring Heavenly Envoy?
“When the Ouroboros finally surpasses the Father Snake, completing the ultimate practice of the Path of Transcendence… and is recognized by more ‘easier’ Origin River, changing the Path to ‘Metamorphosis’. If the Nine Pillar Gods’ environment were truly stable and peaceful, then how would this future be determined?”
Eivass’s face changed instantly.
How did he even know about this?!
The ambition of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, while not exactly a secret, was at least unknown to many Heavenly Envoys—if nothing else, Supreme Heaven certainly didn’t know.
Not to mention, Professor Moriarty even clearly stated the specific name of the Path of “Metamorphosis”!
The current Ring Heavenly Envoy does not have this word in His authority and honorary title!
Eivass remembered that the Prophet’s observation of the future could be disturbed. When they predicted the future, if the other party was entangled with too much and too high-level karma, divination would become very difficult. This was the case with the divination Mina did for Eivass back then.
But Professor Moriarty could know about the future Pillar God’s easier change.
…Is the “Stellar Secrecy” too powerful?
Or else…
“Did you guess it? Or did you shrink back in front of the truth?”
The Jewel Bird chuckled: “I think the hints I gave were clear enough. You told me a lot of things, and as a fair exchange, it’s only fair that I share some of my secrets. After all, you are my child.
“Then I’ll say it directly, Eivass.”
Professor Moriarty declared: “I… or rather, a part of me, am from another world.”
Hearing this, Eivass’s eyes widened.
…What?
“Or to put it more clearly. I am from another layer of history governed by the Nine Pillar Gods.
“London in 1999—in my layer of history, that was the capital of the United Kingdom of Camelot.”
Professor Moriarty said slowly: “That is the future of a hundred years later. From the current perspective, it is exactly one hundred years.
“In my layer of history, the Father Snake had already been replaced. That was the fourth Pillar God Change event in history, called ‘Patricide’ by historians… that was already a hundred years ago.
“Yes, in this year. 1899.”
Professor Moriarty calmly declared: “And in the layer of history in which I was born…
“—The World, was ultimately destroyed.”
The World…?
Eivass’s eyes widened.
He suddenly remembered the madness of Professor Moriarty in the game’s timeline.
When he first appeared, he was calm, elegant, and profound. But after he reappeared, he looked as old as a bald, crazy scientist. What did he experience in between?
Eivass had originally thought that he might have been possessed by some evil god…
But thinking about it now, Edward had no reason not to recognize him.
He was a silent good person, who only swallowed all the pain. If Edward followed Professor Moriarty so resolutely, even enduring the pain of merging with the Dragon Heart, and even tacitly allowing him to use Eivass as a pawn or even a sacrifice. Then it could only mean that Professor Moriarty had a reason that he had to follow and unconditionally approve of.
For example…
Saving the world, which no one understood.
“I don’t know how this happened. Was it because fragments of reincarnation were lost? Was it because the thickness of one layer of history is limited? Was it because Amber devoured the possibilities of the future? Or was I just existing in a virtual space? I don’t know.
“I only know that history had nowhere to go at that time.
“In the next moment after December 31, 1999, 23:59:59—
“The entire world was just a dim yellow void.”
Professor Moriarty said word by word: “That layer of history collapsed and disintegrated, and in front of my eyes, it returned to the first day…
“—The demise of the ‘Taboo’ Path, the birth of the ‘Twilight’ Path; the new successor of the Origin River of [Error], the birth of ‘Amber’ and its ascension to the position of Pillar God.”
(End of chapter)