The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1268

Chapter 1266
The Savior of Anxi
July 6th.
Only one day remained until the descent of the Abyss Heavenly Envoy.
Eivass donned the cardinal’s jet-black robe and went to the Fourth Ring alone.
He had received a secret letter from Isma’i the previous night.
The messenger was Isma’i’s most favored concubine.
Her public identity was Isma’i’s most beloved concubine, but she was also Isma’i’s biological sister. She was one of the children persecuted by Isma’i’s father. Isma’i’s plan to rebel against his father had her assistance.
She was, in essence, the person Isma’i trusted the most. Yet, even she did not know the content of the letter—she had brought it to Eivass while out shopping. Of course, this could also be considered a form of protection for her.
Contrary to his reckless and unrestrained demeanor—Isma’i’s writing was surprisingly good.
Using a bold and unrestrained script, coupled with a meticulous and cautious writing style, he had thoroughly explained the events in the Fourth Ring to Eivass.
This included the time Aimel Nour had summoned them, their numbers and the order of their arrival, and precisely who they were… from which cities, and what reputation they held among the Lords. It also included the legislator Babak, who was killed among them, the reason for his demise, and which rebel organizations he had funded… The letter even clearly detailed their plan to harm and sneak attack Eivass.
Isma’i had also very earnestly and meticulously mentioned Aimel Nour’s peculiar petrification spell—that strange forbidden art capable of instantly refining a person into gold. Isma’i had also described in detail the omens of the ability’s activation. He himself had taken a broken golden knucklebone from the legislator Babak.
Upon examination, it was pure gold. It lacked the hollow structure of a bone and had a golden marrow, instead becoming solid gold. The connection between each knucklebone was extremely fragile; a slight twist would shatter it into a pile of gold beads. However, the skeleton had largely maintained its structure, not collapsing even when pushed.
Therefore, Isma’i inferred that a portion of the fascia had also been petrified, meaning this “goldenization” spell was not entirely complete. Its underlying structure still contained elements of petrification magic, though how this effect was achieved remained unknown.
Undoubtedly…
As a spy, Isma’i had done his best.
He even urged Eivass to flee quickly, suggesting he feign retreat with the Red along the way.
Isma’i directly warned Eivass—he had indeed surrendered to Eivass and was willing to help him. However, this did not mean he would choose to help Eivass against the assault of twelve individuals.
That was simply absurd!
—These were twelve Sixth Tier powerhouses! One of them even wielded a Divine Artifact! Aimel Nour had crushed the “legislator” in an instant; how much longer would it take him to crush a Brave like himself?
Isma’i claimed that if a fight truly broke out, he would at most put on a show for a few moments, trying not to put too much pressure on Eivass… but he would absolutely not defect with Eivass, as that would inevitably lead to failure. And he still had his family in his territory.
If it were just himself, it would be different. But he could not participate in a struggle destined to fail, thus dragging his family down with him.
Eivass expressed his understanding.
Because Isma’i genuinely couldn’t fathom how Eivass could possibly turn the situation around—
Isma’i also couldn’t imagine that Eivass not only came, but also came alone without bringing any teammates, even though he knew he was about to be targeted by more than a dozen people.
This was not like the small meeting of the previous day; the Lords had brought their own retinue. And Eivass’s retinue was not weak at all… When they had clashed with Eivass, he had clearly sensed more than one powerful aura within that building.
In fact, it wasn’t just him who knew; Aimel Nour should have known too.
That was why he cautiously chose not to engage Eivass in any direct confrontation… lest Eivass suddenly produce a powerful Divine Artifact, or eliminate him with the help of a friend beside him, or eliminate too many of his forces, making it impossible to resist the Great Abyss afterward.
Eivass would simply be sacrificed to the Abyss Heavenly Envoy—this would not be a fight, but a “voluntary” sacrifice, thus bypassing any of Eivass’s pre-prepared defensive measures.
In other words…
This actually indicated that Aimel Nour was somewhat afraid of Eivass in his heart.
Isma’i understood this mindset very well.
It was akin to hunting; if one subconsciously chose to set traps and drive prey into them, rather than directly pursuing and ambushing, it indicated an underlying unease. It was like choosing poison or a curse to murder someone, instead of infiltrating and assassinating them.
Subconsciously choosing a more cautious and safer method was an attempt to avoid direct confrontation.
He had only heard of ancient hunters using poisoned arrows and cursed weapons when fighting monsters; he had never heard of hunters using tactics and tricks when hunting fawns and rabbits.
—What did this indicate?
Aimel Nour, with the assistance of twelve Sixth Tier Extraordinary beings, and as a Ritualist who “grows stronger with prolonged preparation,” on his home turf, dared not even sneak attack a junior of the Fifth Tier. It was precisely because of this abnormal cowardice that Isma’i felt… Eivass might actually win.
The result was that Eivass was alone, having brought no one.
When he saw Eivass standing alone at the entrance, backlit by the light… Isma’i was stunned.
His first reaction was to look at his beloved concubine beside him!
—Isma’i even suspected that she might not have actually delivered the letter and had colluded with her personal guards to deceive him into thinking she had?
“I’ve kept you waiting, everyone.”
Looking at the varied expressions of the Lords, Eivass slowly opened his mouth and walked forward, “My apologies… Am I the last to arrive?”
The light and shadow cast upon his face lent him a touch of divinity, like a statue in a shrine.
And Aimel Nour, the Lord of Holy Spring City, subconsciously straightened his body, a gentle smile appearing on his aged face, “Welcome—Hope Eivass! Our great Human Pope! The Savior of Anxi!”
As the Grand Vizier of Anxi spoke, he rose from his seat—the highest-ranking person present personally welcomed the arrival of Eivass, who held the lowest status and was the youngest!