The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 180

Chapter 181: Premonition of Ruin

The Trade Minister suddenly surrendered himself to the authorities—

This startled the Inspection Bureau.
But they quickly found traces of Word Spirit control.
And only a few individuals could control Minister Dross… For safety’s sake, they kept the Trade Minister in the basement. The same basement where President Lloyd had been held.
Regardless, this was not a matter for them, mere inspectors who had just reached the Second Tier…
They would leave it for now.

After Minister Dross was imprisoned in the basement, he regained his free will.
He was surprisingly quiet at this moment, knowing that someone would undoubtedly come to rescue him. Even if the people of Avalon didn’t, the Star Antimony people or the Noble Red would.
So he simply opened his eyes and gazed at the darkness before him, falling into deep thought.

“So, Meg is dying…”
That was why she was so anxious. Suddenly arresting President Lloyd and the Vice President… Merchants were already panicking. His own capture would likely exacerbate this panic.
Before this, Meg, understanding that she was ignorant of such matters, had chosen to ignore them and focus on teaching students at school.
Unless the Arbitration Hall requested her involvement or Her Majesty the Queen personally gave an order, she would leave matters to the Arbitration Hall. At the time, someone had asked her. Meg’s personal response was: “I don’t want to mess things up because of me, so I choose to do only what is right, and I have the ability to do what is right.”
—Completely contrary to her carefree demeanor, Meg was surprisingly meticulous.

A long time ago, the Arbitration Hall was the absolute apex of power. They were the Round Table within the Round Table Hall, essentially composed of the founding families. Together, they were nominally equal to the King.
Later, many founding families gradually withdrew from the Arbitration Hall. To fill the vacancies, top ministers were brought in… At that time, the “Trade Minister” could also join the Arbitration Hall.
But then an incident occurred that directly led to ministers being barred from the Arbitration Hall and the Inspection Department. Those already in the Arbitration Hall and Inspection Department were also forbidden from inheriting family businesses.
And now, those who could join the Arbitration Hall were geniuses who had reached the Fourth Tier before the age of forty, with largely intact souls and the potential to advance to the Fifth Tier.
They were all blessed by the Silver Crown Dragon, with the potential to birth a new Fifth Tier at any moment. They largely lived in seclusion, responsible only for assisting the King or Queen in adjudicating the highest matters—such as executing a minister, disbanding a department, initiating war, or executing or deposing a member of the Royal Family.
This was the true foundation of Avalon.
From this perspective, Avalon could also be considered a theocracy indirectly ruled by the Silver Crown Dragon.
However, according to the records of the Dross Family, the Silver Crown Dragon had actually appeared frequently during Avalon’s first hundred years of existence. It would manifest once or twice, even three times a year, often consulting with the Arbitration Hall of that time, issuing commands and bestowing favors.
But then its appearances became increasingly infrequent… Because it appeared so rarely, the original founding families believed they had done something wrong and gradually withdrew from the Arbitration Hall.
In the last hundred years, it had not appeared at all. Although it still responded reliably to prayers, it no longer manifested in the Material Realm.
Perhaps it had grown tired of it, or perhaps it was disappointed, Minister Dross mused.
After all, Avalon was no longer the knightly nation it was when it was founded.
They still wore armor and called themselves knights. But how were they different from the nobles of other nations?
But in Dross’s opinion, Avalon had changed too little.
For other nations had changed far more.
The Star Antimony people had invented machine guns, united demon scholars and alchemists, and were developing their “Star Antimony Alchemy,” with rapidly progressing technological standards; the dwarves, driven to the Northern Mountain Range by the elves, had invented aircraft and mining machines, living alongside the wise Northern Giants and establishing numerous settlements.
In the Southern Continent, the Goblins had established Troll plantations and were selling large numbers of domesticated Trolls as cheap labor to other countries. They were highly sought-after commodities.
Trolls had lifespans comparable to humans, possessed tusks, low intelligence, and were lazy and ignorant. But they were extremely large, possessed inexhaustible stamina, immense physical strength, and were proficient in rituals and curses… making them valuable as guards, laborers, or even as curse masters and ritualists.
Trolls, when trained, were exceptional at land reclamation. They possessed peculiar regenerative abilities and were immune to most poisons, with only fire and acid capable of halting their regeneration. Thorns, blades, and bullets were utterly useless against them.
With the help of these Trolls, the Iris Kingdom had cultivated a vast expanse of land in the south. Large quantities of repatriated goods had significantly increased export trade volume.
Today, Goblin merchant ships had connected goods from all over the world. Even the unchanging Lizardmen in the desert regions were modifying their lifestyles, establishing schools and teaching all students equally. Even the elves of the Church were recently preparing to teach High-Tier Divine Arts to other races.
—Everyone was changing, except Avalon, which remained stagnant.
Objectively speaking, it couldn’t be said to be completely stagnant… At least many who inherited knighthoods could barely wear the armor passed down from their fathers or grandfathers. They requested modifications from craftsmen, hollowing out the armor to reduce weight and improve heat dissipation.
Currently, Avalon still did not permit any races other than humans and elves to set foot on their land, let alone allow Goblins to conduct business.
Such outdated rules had caused the people of Avalon to fall far behind. Goblin merchant ships carrying large quantities of goods from the East and South could not dock in Avalon, forcing them to go to Star Antimony, the Church, or Iris Kingdom.
As a result, the people of Avalon had to purchase the same goods at a higher price from these humans, which they considered tradition.
It was precisely because Dross was the Trade Minister that he understood these matters.
Before the Noble Red Society contacted him, he had indeed been a dedicated servant of Avalon—it was precisely because he was so dedicated that he saw so many hidden dangers and crises, prompting him to believe that Avalon had reached its end.
Even though Queen Sophia was enlightened, considering that the people of Avalon had not seen foreign races for centuries, considering public opinion and reactions, and considering the opposition from the knights, she still did not permit foreign race business rights.
If even Sophia’s reputation could not push this through, if her enlightenment could not bring about change, did Avalon have any hope for the future?
Dross believed not.
It would be better to sell Avalon for a good price while it was still perceived as a threat by others—the Gryphon Legion remained the strongest air force on the continent, and Meg was the apex powerhouse. With these two factors combined, even Star Antimony would be wary. But conversely, Star Antimony would pay a substantial price for such information.
Although Dross himself had never been to Star Antimony, he already owned four manors and a viscounty there. He had been granted the hereditary title of Viscount by the current King, which was true land of his own, where he could even recruit his own personal guards!
These were the fruits of his intelligence brokering for Avalon.
Because Avalon’s high command was an Authority Path that swore loyalty to the Queen, the spies they planted could never reach the highest echelons. Consequently, neither Star Antimony nor the Iris Kingdom knew Avalon’s true capabilities.
After all, the Gryphons were indeed extremely threatening… possessing intelligence superior to humans, power close to the Fifth Tier, the ability to blend into the wind and advance silently at high speeds, and lifespans as long as elves. With the Gryphons’ friendship, it would be difficult for other nations to defend themselves if Avalon wished to attack them.
Then there was Meg.
And now, Meg was dying?
If he sold this information to Star Antimony… how much could he earn?
Dross narrowed his eyes.
He suddenly had a premonition—a premonition of Avalon’s impending ruin.
Most people in Avalon would not anticipate Meg’s death, but if Star Antimony could prepare in advance… then it would be a surprise attack. Avalon would be utterly crushed before they could even mount a resistance.
Conversely, if even critical information like Meg’s imminent death could not be reported, he, as a spy, would lose his value.
In other words, Dross had reached a crossroads.
Should he help Avalon, or Star Antimony?
“Heh…”
He chuckled.
Was there even a choice?
He had no choice left.

Update finished!