The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1141

Chapter 1138
A Fire That Ignites the Iris Flower
Iris Kingdom, City of Light.
This is the capital of the Iris Kingdom.
Anyone unfamiliar with the history of the Iris Kingdom might find the name somewhat ironic—the Iris Kingdom, where night-dwelling Children of the Moon and numerous assassins operating in the shadows are prevalent, has a capital named this.
“Where is the light, I ask?”
In reality, the origin of this name is quite ironic—it was precisely because of the existence of the Children of the Moon and the Eagle Eye organization that the capital’s crime rate became excessively high.
Back then, the royal family had not yet been executed, and the Children of the Moon did not wield the absolute power they do now. The Eagle Eye organization of that era also held no political power; it was a purely civilian organization, much more uncorrupt than it is today… They assassinated great artists, the wealthy, officials, and nobles, primarily based on “public will” and righteous execution.
In those days, without streetlights, the Iris capital, with its numerous architectural marvels, was too advantageous for assassins who could conceal themselves in shadows. They could escape with ease, blending into the shadows of the buildings, and disappear from every corner of the capital.
While many assassins used this tactic to target the Children of the Moon, many also exploited this advantageous terrain to assassinate prominent figures and celebrities.
Simultaneously, some gang members would take advantage of this favorable environment to engage in theft, robbery, kidnapping, or murder. The Eagle Eye organization even had to shoulder some of the patrol and public security duties… Despite this, certain crimes were still framed upon them.
After all, most people were not as familiar with the environment as the assassins who constantly roamed the rooftops. Those who controlled public opinion and power feared the “hidden observation” of the Eagle Eye organization.
“How many people who have reached this status can claim their hands are clean, that they have never offended anyone, nor harmed any innocent soul?”
In the capital of the Iris Kingdom, a crossbow bolt could be shot from the shadow of any corner, and from any rooftop, an assassin whose face was obscured could leap down for an aerial assassination. Regardless of whether the target was killed, as long as they immediately scaled a wall and fled, pursuit was practically impossible.
Even High-Tier Extraordinary individuals could die from an assassination they were completely unaware of, let alone sniping, curse assassination, or poisoning… Even mere harassment would be incredibly vexing.
Ultimately, under the impetus of the Children of the Moon, who began to feel fear, the Iris royal family announced significant spending to construct numerous lights throughout the capital.
Every street—including back alleys, rooftops, under bridges, dead ends, and even sewers—was lined with countless lights, ensuring the entire city remained perpetually bright at night, complemented by increased night patrols to eliminate any shadows. Damaging or obscuring the lighting was classified as a crime.
This indeed drastically reduced the crime rate, as assassins could no longer carry out assassinations in the street. What was once an escape into darkness with a mere turn of the head now meant being brightly illuminated for half an hour of pursuit. The pervasive light greatly increased the difficulty of stealth, and even those already in stealth could be exposed.
The royal family was pleased with the remarkable results, and this extremely energy-intensive project was thus preserved.
This directly led to the situation in the Iris capital where sleep was impossible without drawing the curtains. Conversely, the safety and brightness of the city at night directly fostered the development of Iris’s nocturnal entertainment culture. People began to venture out at night, set up stalls, and enjoy themselves, and shops no longer closed their doors.
When the night is as bright as day, people’s perception of time gradually changes. Thus, the capital of the Iris Kingdom eventually developed living habits entirely distinct from other cities.
After the royal family was beheaded, the Iris people proudly called it the “City of Light,” in commemoration of the light of freedom. They forgot the original reason for this name.
The headquarters of the Eagle Eye organization is located here—in the capital, where the light is most intense and no shadow can remain.
To this day, they have not been discovered by the Children of the Moon. The reason is simple… because they are hidden underground.
When the Iris was part of the Hrasal Empire, this was once the location of the Spirit Tower Academy. To supply the Spirit Tower Academy with sufficient materials and, in the absence of priests, to alleviate the undead menace as much as possible, many corpses from the imperial era were transported here.
A massive underground mausoleum was constructed to store these corpses. When the Spirit Tower departed, this place was merely hurriedly buried and sealed. After the establishment of the Iris Kingdom, it was not filled in… because the cost would have been too prohibitive, and no one was willing to pay the price.
Even the Children of the Moon dared not explore underground—who knew how many undead had hatched from the corpses buried here, or how many powerful Phantom Demons had been cultivated through a process of gradual development. The Path of Love would be naturally suppressed by the Twilight Path, just as Winter Demons could easily kill Children of the Moon.
Thus, the assassins of the Eagle Eye organization, surrounded by a swarm of undead, hid at the end of the underground mausoleum where countless corpses were buried. This also served as the best training ground for developing stealth skills—once sent to headquarters, escape was virtually impossible.
If the undead were alerted and one lacked sufficiently powerful stealth abilities, death was the only outcome. Without the agility to escape the pursuit of the undead by skillfully navigating obstacles composed of countless bones and earth walls, it was impossible to leave.
Under immense survival pressure, they quickly “adapted” and mastered night vision, night combat, environmental combat, silent movement, stealth, and, most crucially, the ability to improvise anywhere and strive for escape.
While the current Eagle Eye assassins were falling into a frenzy, this place appeared exceptionally quiet and deserted.
A man in a dark blue formal suit, appearing gentle and refined, walked alone into the depths of the underground mausoleum, surrounded by endless undead.
Candlelight illuminated the area, casting a golden glow upon everything.
“—I’m here, Cirlex.”
As soon as the man entered, he spoke with a stern face towards a shadow, “You should know… unless absolutely necessary, don’t contact me, Master Cirlex?”
From the direction he was gazing, a shadow slowly coalesced into a human form.
It was an elderly man with disheveled, salt-and-pepper curly hair, appearing somewhat reclusive and unapproachable. He wore a robe and spectacles, not resembling an assassin, but rather an old teacher or an old scientist.
—His name was Thomas Trainer Debussy Marco De Cirlex.
The presence of “De” in his name indicated he was once a noble.
In fact, Thomas hailed from an assassin family and was a rare Master Assassin. He had no idea from which generation his family had joined the Eagle Eye organization… perhaps no one other than the man before him knew.
“…Leader.”
The old man gradually spoke, “Or rather… Speaker Pierre. I have something to tell you.”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly.
The man called Pierre was the true puppet master behind the Eagle Eye organization.
He was also the de facto ruler of the Iris Kingdom, the Prime Minister elected by the Giant Tree Party, and the head of the Iris cabinet—though strictly speaking, with no surviving royal family in Iris, he could not be considered a “Prime Minister.”
More accurately, he should be considered the Head of State or President of Iris.
After the “Third Rebellion,” which ended the King and the nobles, the chief citizen elected by the parliament was indeed called the Head of State. In subsequent rebellions, the title of the leader of the Iris nation changed many times, finally stabilizing on this designation.
—The Iris people had retreated.
Beheading the King, hanging the nobles… the chaos caused by the overly fervent Third Rebellion instead led people to develop aversion. They believed that it was the absence of a King that plunged the nation into such disarray. However, they did not wish for another King to rule them… so the tone was set:
Although all members of the royal family were dead, they were still responsible for the “history and glory inherited by Iris,” but “they were continuously searching for the bloodline of the former King passed down among the people, and governing the nation on his behalf until then.”
Of course, such a new King would never appear.
The Star Antimony people even played a role in this—if the royal family were completely removed from the political system, it would mean they had no connection whatsoever with the Hrasal Empire. The former territorial wars would be a joke, and without the Hrasal Empire’s claim, the Star Antimony would have genuine grounds for war.
—In balanced international confrontations, pretexts for war are crucial. Although they sometimes appear laughable, their presence or absence makes a significant difference.
It wouldn’t suddenly cause a legion to vanish or a gun barrel to explode… but it would severely affect intangible aspects such as morale, recruitment efficiency, international public opinion, war duration, post-victory governance costs and the opponent’s price, as well as public weariness on the home front.
Therefore, a “King” must exist, even if that King is merely a solitary crown, a scepter, a symbol.
The Star Antimony people on the other side also breathed a sigh of relief.
Because if the Iris people truly stopped venerating the King, it would mean that if this trend flowed into Star Antimony, it could threaten the rule of the Valentine family, commoners who also lacked a claim—the Iris people had held a claim during the ancient territorial wars; if they could expel their royal family, why couldn’t the Star Antimony people?
The social environment of Iris was not as dire as it seemed; people lived reasonably well, had jobs, the economy was healthy, there were no widespread famines, and employment was good. Although the crime rate was a bit high, at least the daytime was safe.
The continuous rebellions were actually instigated by different factions; they were internal power struggles at higher levels…
But the economy of Star Antimony was genuinely collapsing.
They truly did not dare to allow the Iris people to say anything.
What if some Star Antimony people awakened?
“What do you intend to do… Master Cirlex?”
Pierre asked sternly, “The good times have arrived; there’s no need to fight anymore… Even if you must do something, can’t you wait?”
His words were almost a plea.
Because Pierre had a rough idea of Master Cirlex’s intentions.
If there was a major event that necessitated a face-to-face meeting at headquarters… then Pierre could only think of one thing.
Master Cirlex’s beloved granddaughter, the Eagle Eye organization’s genius—Chloe De Cirlex, was killed by Eivass Moriarty.
Previously, considering international impact and to protect the Eagle Eye organization, Speaker Pierre had twice bowed to Avalon in apology. Afterwards, Eivass became Pope, and they completely abandoned the idea of assassinating him.
And now…
“So I’m withdrawing from the Eagle Eye organization.”
The old man said slowly, “In a little while longer, it will be too late. If Eagle Eye completely controls the nation, every move will be interpreted. But now… Eagle Eye is merely an underground organization.”
“You’re too naive, Teacher!”
Speaker Pierre frowned, “This kind of thing, once involved, can never be truly washed away! Regardless of whether you withdraw from the Eagle Eye organization or not, to outsiders, it will appear as if the Eagle Eye organization assassinated the former Pope—he was also the brother of the Empress of the New Hrasal Empire. Your actions could bring war and destruction upon Iris!”
“Your perspective is wrong, Pierre.”
The old man’s Dim Yellow pupils gazed at Speaker Pierre, “I’ve taught you—don’t view things from too high a perspective. Many people don’t know what you know; most people are ignorant.
“Few people know that you are the leader of the organization… those few either won’t speak up, or I’ve already killed them. Regardless of whether my assassination succeeds or not, you can use this opportunity to launch a purge within the Eagle Eye organization, cleaning out all that social dregs.
“Now that the Children of the Moon have been purged, they are of no further value. But internal purges will incite rebellion and chaos; this must be handled by the authorities.
“If an organization is to operate long-term, it must have sufficient quality. Clearly, Eagle Eye’s quality is insufficient. Allowing those people to remain in the organization will only lead to its collapse.”
Upon hearing this, Speaker Pierre frowned slightly.
He seemed to understand Master Cirlex’s meaning.
“Teacher, you mean…?”
“You are too cautious, Pierre. You have lived in the world of light for too long and are no longer accustomed to the rules of the dark world.”
The old man’s Dim Yellow, Ice Cold pupils gazed at him and retorted, “Do you truly want to allow those people to instigate a rebellion? Not many people know you are our leader—meaning, those scum from the sewers don’t know either. If Eagle Eye seeks to seize power, you will be the first target of their assassination.”
“…But if that’s the case, Teacher,” Speaker Pierre hesitated to speak further, “you will die no matter what.”
“I have lived long enough.”
The old man sighed, “I didn’t even intend to succeed in assassinating Eivass… The Blood Heavenly Envoy was likely killed by him.
“But can I allow the one who killed Chloe to slip away before my eyes while I remain silent and merely exist? I cannot, Pierre.
“One of us must end this. I have no descendants left. Do you want me to watch the last of Cirlex’s bloodline wither away on my sickbed?
“I would rather become a fire that ignites the Iris Flower.”