The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1233

Chapter 1231
The Grand Vizier of Holy Spring City
July 3rd, Holy Spring City.
The architectural layout of Holy Spring City was like a gorgeous wedding cake or a champagne tower – the moat outside the city had three identical “clones” within.
Waterfalls and moats divided Holy Spring City into four concentric circles, with the center being the highest. It was said that this construction method imitated the Elf Church, while some claimed the elves had plagiarized it.
Within this, the third ring was the original Royal City of Anxi. Even within the entire Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, it could be considered the most magnificent, prosperous, peaceful, and beautiful place.
—As for the fourth ring, it was a new residence built about several hundred years ago.
Its location was even higher than the original royal palace – it was the residence of the Grand Vizier of Anxi, the Lord of Holy Spring City.
Vizier, in the Anxi Language, meant “assistant” or “helper.” It was equivalent to the prime minister or chief minister of Avalon or the Iris Flower.
In the history of the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, there had been several “Grand Viziers” – those who held the supreme imperial seal, could summon other ministers and viziers to meetings, and make decisions on all matters on behalf of the King of Anxi… In essence, they were a prime minister who governed entirely by proxy.
Although they nominally held proxy authority, this authority could only be revoked by the monarch of Anxi themselves, thus it could be considered a permanent authorization, or a regent.
When the last Anxi monarch disappeared, the Grand Vizier he had appointed was the “Aimel Nour” of that generation, the Lord of Holy Spring City, whose status at the time could be considered the mayor of the capital. Since there was no monarch to dismiss him, the Grand Vizier of that generation possessed all the power—including, of course, the power to appoint the next Grand Vizier.
Thus, from that time on, Anxi had no more monarchs.
Simultaneously, each generation of “Aimel Nour” was the Grand Vizier—the nominal prime minister, and the de facto monarch of the country.
However, the Lords of other city-states gradually chose independence.
—They did not submit to the Grand Vizier’s jurisdiction.
As Lords themselves, they all knew each other’s sacred mission.
Therefore, the Grand Vizier of that generation chose to tacitly agree.
Everyone still nominally obeyed the rule of the monarch, even though this monarch had disappeared to an unknown location… As for the Grand Vizier, he was also nominally the Grand Vizier of Anxi, but people did not hold much loyalty towards him.
Initially, there were still letters and decrees sent, but later they simply stopped pretending. The various city-states tore up the Anxi Code and began their own madness… It was from that time that Anxi degenerated from an ancient empire into its current state of slave city-states.
About three hundred years ago, many years after the Silver Crown Dragon ascended to power… the Grand Vizier of that generation, influenced by a sense of authority, chose to build the “Fourth Ring.”
He exhausted all luxury to pile up a silver-white tower, almost entirely made of lead, gold, and various kinds of jewelry. The cheapest material used in the entire tower was pure silver.
—This was his own residence.
The Lord of Holy Spring City of that generation finally declared his authority—his position was higher than that of the monarch of Anxi!
If this were in the past, perhaps scholars, ministers, or Lords of other city-states would have stood up in protest. But by then, Anxi had been divided for a long time, and people simply ignored him, or dared not speak out.
Or, from another perspective… people wished the Lord would move as far away from them as possible.
Let alone living on top of everyone, you could live on the moon and it wouldn’t matter!
Even because the Lord moved out of the Royal City, the former Royal City—that is, the “Third Ring” of Holy Spring City—instantly became prosperous.
The most affluent, learned, powerful, gentle, cultured, and noble people in the entire Ancient Kingdom of Anxi gathered here. Within the Third Ring alone, there were sixteen libraries, three gladiatorial arenas, three ancient academies, twenty-six research institutes, countless opera houses, bathhouses, and shops, as well as innumerable shrines, statues, and sacrificial grounds.
Even the paving stones on the streets were permanently preserved by the Preservation Technique, not a speck of dust falling. Everyone who came and went, clad in elaborate and gorgeous robes, was either a Lord from another city-state, a high noble from another country, or a world-renowned scholar.
It was even achieved that in any residence on any street, there was either a fun or delicious shop, or a person of extremely high status, with not a single residence wasted.
Here, there was no concept of hunger or thirst. Everything eaten, drunk, and enjoyed was the indulgence of the wealthiest people in this world. If a band or a troupe had the good fortune to be invited to perform in the Third Ring of Holy Spring City for a week, the income from just that week would be enough to allow them to live a prosperous life for the rest of their days.
Toilets made of gold were not a joke here. In fact, the value of such a toilet was not even among the top hundred most valuable buildings in the Third Ring – towers built by Winged Ones, libraries inscribed with the writings of Winged Ones, palaces built by Those with scales, these antiques and relics, whose lifespans were older than the human race, stood boldly in the center of the bustling market.
These were the last vestiges of an ancient empire that existed before the birth of humans.
Countless Anxi people yearned for life in the Third Ring… and not just Anxi people.
Yet, even playing to one’s heart’s content here for a day could cost a Free Person half a lifetime’s savings; and more realistically, most people did not have the qualifications to enter the Third Ring—even being ordinarily rich or powerful was not enough.
Unless one was rich or powerful to the point of qualitative change.
How much qualitative change?
Keep in mind that even the most ordinary guards, dancers, and scholars here were beings of Fourth Tier or above.
This was an absolute symbol of status.
The Ritualists who served the Lord of Holy Spring City were not all able to live here. Perhaps less than one-tenth of them were qualified to enter the outer ring of the Third Ring—the middle and inner rings were still too noble for them, being the places where true nobles had the right to tread.
In the inner ring alone, there were two-digit number of Dragons residing there. The largest bank vault was personally guarded by three ancient Dragons. There was even the “Papal Residence”—a pure gold palace specially built by the Anxi King of that era, about eighteen hundred years ago, to entertain the Pope who came for inspection and research.
Since then, no Eternal Pope had ever visited the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi. And this palace was still maintained and operational today.
On the outer ring of the Third Ring, a man in a luxurious robe held a black cane, strolling leisurely down the street.
He had slightly dark skin and a build that was closer to strong than plump. His back was straight, and his neck held high. His small eyes were dark and focused, with little visible white, making them appear exceptionally sharp.
His name was Aziz ben Abdul, the Left Chief Ritualist of Holy Spring City.