The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1206

Chapter 1203
The Benevolent Lord
The palace inhabited by the Lord of Heaven City was stylistically different from the one in Rock Cell City.
—Or rather, it was the opposite.
The Lord of Rock Cell City, the “Honest Afshien,” could actually be considered an artist—though his art was somewhat bloody and cruel, Eivass thought his skill was quite good.
Anxi’s most prominent—or rather, its most highly rated and prestigious art form—was called miniature painting. This style differed from the art popular in Avalon, which pursued realism, harmony, and light and shadow. Miniature painting pursued delicate brushstrokes and vibrant colors, using color as the core instead of light and shadow or lines.
Miniature painting had realistic and abstract types. However, it generally did not emphasize light and shadow, nor even much spatial sense or perspective. Its primary purpose was flat decoration, and its subjects were usually easily recognizable figures, almost all depicted in profile, similar to illustrations in a picture book. Alternatively, it featured evenly distributed runes, flowers, plants, animals, clouds, and water, bearing a resemblance to the meticulous brushwork style.
Afshien’s artworks perfectly adhered to all the rules of miniature painting and aligned with the aesthetic sensibilities of the Anxi people. Small wonder he proudly displayed them in the main hall for all to admire.
To this end, his palace was designed to showcase his artworks to the greatest extent possible. In a sense, it was less a palace and more a gallery for displaying paintings. Therefore, it lacked many functional rooms. The ornate yet unpretentious decorations were merely “seasonings” meant to complement the artworks.
The gold fittings were essentially picture frames, and the water curtains served as protective screens for the treasures.
The Lord of Heaven City’s palace, however, was less a palace and more a shrine.
It evoked for Eivass the style of the ancient giant shrines on the Isle of Avalon—
Cylindrical, pure white giant stones were connected to form a flat shrine, much like the layers of a cake. Above it was a strange device—it resembled a bell tower, with a massive, complex mechanical structure. Even from within the shrine, the faint, watch-like ticking sound of intricate mechanisms could be clearly heard.
However, typically, the clock on a bell tower should be visible.
But the clock face of the shrine built by Adler faced the sky.
No one could tell the time unless they flew directly above the palace.
It was as if he had built a giant alarm clock tower for the gods in the sky.
The white robes he wore were simple, akin to those of ancient Greek philosophers. He seemed more like a priest than a Lord.
This was why Eivass said they were the opposite.
Here, the palace did not serve the person; rather, the person served the palace.
This feeling became more pronounced upon entering the palace—
The slaves who served the Lord also wore neat and unadorned white clothing. The sacred shrine had few ostentatious decorations but much lead and gold—the shrine’s floor, walls, and ceiling were made of pure lead, embellished with gold reliefs and etchings. The walls were inscribed with praise for the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
—Eivass found it quite uncomfortable.
He felt an extreme sense of awkwardness.
Adler, the Lord of Heaven City, led Eivass into the inner chambers.
Although Heaven City was much larger than Rock Cell City, the palace where the Lord resided occupied only a third of the space. According to Eivass’s understanding, this was not because Afshien was excessively extravagant. On the contrary, Afshien was considered a frugal pragmatist among the Lords. His wealth was primarily used to build underground waterways or purchase various goods from abroad.
A significant portion of Afshien’s wealth came from Adler, the Lord of Heaven City.
However, Adler’s own reception room was smaller than Eivass’s bedroom in the Silver and Tin Hall. This room was about thirty square meters, which could be considered cramped for a figure like a Lord, whose status was higher than a king’s.
In this reception room, the largest item by floor space was a statue of a god.
As Eivass looked at the statue, his pupils suddenly contracted.
—For it was a sacred statue of the Ring Heavenly Envoy!
Its features were identical to the Ring Heavenly Envoy Eivass had seen during the Ascension Ritual, even down to the ring behind its head. The divine, solemn face bore at least seventy percent resemblance to Eivass. This was likely why Adler had frozen upon seeing Eivass and very politely addressed him as “You.”
He was probably trying to confirm if Eivass was an Avatar or a Disciple of the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
Despite the close resemblance, Eivass and the Ring Heavenly Envoy had vastly different temperaments.
However, a degree of similarity like this held power in this World. The Twin of the Path of Beauty allowed similar things to gain similar power. Conversely, if they were completely unrelated, they could not become so close through pure coincidence.
Possessing such a degree of similarity to the Ring Heavenly Envoy, and also inheriting the Shepherd’s Secret—
A very reasonable thought arose in Eivass’s mind: “He doesn’t think I’m a direct descendant of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, does he?”
If so, he had good reason to be courteous to Eivass.
It was like the general manager of a branch company suddenly discovering that the son of the chairman of the parent company had come for an inspection. Naturally, he would be surprised and offer excellent hospitality.
The statue was built on a slightly elevated platform and resembled a bed. However, this bed had no pillows or blankets; instead, it had several prayer cushions.
Adler sat cross-legged on a prayer cushion, with the statue of the Ring Heavenly Envoy about a meter behind him.
Originally, there were six prayer cushions of various colors in this room. To accommodate Eivass and his “daughter,” Leviathan, a table and two sofas were brought in. One of the chairs was placed on a raised platform, allowing Eivass to be almost on the same level as Adler.
“My apologies for the meager hospitality,” Adler said in a gentle, even humble tone. “My situation is different from other city-states. I prioritize the happiness of those who follow me, so I have channeled most of my resources into construction and acts of good deeds.”
“…You mean the free food and water?”
“That’s part of it. When I eat meat, I give them meat too; when I drink pomegranate juice, I give them pomegranate juice as well. If I ever feel like having wine, I will share it with them. I have slaves to serve me, so I have also provided them with slaves. We share the same food and drink, the same clothes and meals, and because of this, our hearts are connected.
“And the slaves living underground, their food and drink are also quite a considerable expense. Even with the cheapest food, it is difficult to keep them alive. Although some of them can be used for sacrifices, as a precaution, I prioritize purchasing slaves from outside the city.
“I also provide my legions with better equipment, allowing them to survive better and fight for me. This investment is worthwhile; an excellent Slave Knight is worth fifty slaves, and if he is equipped with gear worth fifty slaves, his value can easily surpass a hundred slaves.
“As for myself, I do not enjoy excessive luxury, as it dulls my spirituality and numbs my devotion. Therefore, I usually practice asceticism here, eating only two meals a day without sugar or salt, and only eating until half-full. So, I truly have nothing exceptional here. I apologize.
“However, I will have someone prepare some dishes for you. Not long ago, someone offered a batch of very high-quality fish sauce, brewed from the blood and organs of tuna. It’s a special product from Avalon, which I enjoy very much. Would you care to try it?”
—Although someone living in a truly “magnificent and splendid” palace, served by over three hundred slaves, eating food several times more expensive than gold here, claiming to be practicing asceticism sounded amusing.
But Eivass knew that, for a Lord, this could indeed be considered ascetic practice.
This, in turn, was even more ironic.