The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 309

Chapter 310: Not a Pushover, Eivass

Outside Windpipe Town.

Prince Wolfram of the Giants stood alone on the barren grassland, the winter grass already withered.

Wolfram’s face did not show the common rage and ferocity of giants; instead, it was incredibly calm.

His rational and indifferent voice echoed, “I paid a price you cannot imagine to escape from George. Now we have no retreat… I hope the information you brought is true.”

He had consumed all his remaining fanatical followers, the Demon Scholars, as materials to set up a trap to ensnare Grand Guardian George and send himself directly across Avalon, from a diagonal position.

It could even be said that the core elites of the Noble Red were wiped out.

And the reason for all this was that Wolfram had immediately, without hesitation, paid a huge price to forcefully teleport here upon receiving a piece of information from Cassiem.

“You are not the only one who paid a price, my Respected Prince.”

A voice, indistinct amidst the rolling thunder but unable to conceal its malice and greed, spoke, “Those humans are merely slaves, toys, walking ritual components, and reserves of food. What kind of heavy price can that be?

“As long as we obtain the Book of Law, we can easily recruit humans stronger and more numerous than these—I need your help, my Respected Prince.”

As he spoke, a dark cloud emerged before the giant prince. The demon, with a ferocious visage like a ghost, clad in dark scales, with black bat-like wings, and stout crocodile feet, emerged from the void amidst crackling lightning.

His right hand trailed a lightning-charged halberd, which exploded in fiery bursts on the dry white grass, leaving scorched marks. A silver chain with sharp barbs was wrapped around his armored left arm.

Unlike Cassiem’s irritable yet cautious personality.

With the power of his Demon Avatar, having fallen into the role of a Punisher Demon, he did not hide his confidence and greed—or rather, he was doing his best to conceal it.

Originally, he was supposed to find the “Book of Law” and hand it over to Prince Wolfram, but now the one who obtained the book had become “us.” Perhaps, if they truly obtained it, that pronoun would change again to “I.” He gave the impression now that he was capable of such a thing.

But Prince Wolfram did not care at all about the changes in his subordinate, the only pure-blooded kin in the organization.

Or rather, he had long known the other’s true nature. It was only because of Cassiem’s bloodline that he was willing to work with him and share power.

Unlike Cassiem’s previous nauseating posture of bowing and hiding his desires, Wolfram’s interaction with the Punisher Demon was more at ease and natural. “What? You always doubted the existence of the Book of Law before, and now you finally believe it?”

“It is indeed an immensely powerful force.”

The Punisher Demon unreservedly admitted his failure, “I was a bit late. Jacob’s grandson obtained it… As a result, he, a mere Third Tier individual, could contend with me head-on, even gaining the upper hand at times. It forced me to become a Punisher Demon just to survive. This was even when I was with a group of Demon Scholars, and even after I became a Punisher Demon, he could still pose a threat to me.

“I can tell that his combat style is not mature. It’s more like ‘testing’ than actual fighting… like a young man who suddenly gained power and is looking for someone to test just how far that power can go.”

He was all too familiar with this.

The Noble Red had plenty of such individuals.

“But if that was his only level of skill, you wouldn’t be seeking my help. You would want to monopolize the Book of Law.”

Prince Wolfram said, “Because you, too, have only recently become a Punisher Demon and are unfamiliar with your new powers. If it were just a slight difference, you would definitely have gone into hiding, waited for your injuries to heal and for your powers to stabilize before striking again.

“So you must have encountered something else—tell me, I’m already here.”

“—I encountered the Wild Hunt. Whenever I enter combat, it’s like a storm, and passing through areas prone to the Wild Hunt easily draws the King of the Wild Hunt.”

The Punisher Demon replied, “It’s already fortunate that I managed to escape safely.

“…Oh?”

Wolfram became slightly interested. “Which Tier is the King of the Wild Hunt?”

“At least Fifth Tier, possibly Sixth Tier.”

The Punisher Demon frankly shared the information, “The moment I engaged, I retreated immediately—to preserve my condition.

“But even if it’s Sixth Tier, we don’t need to fear. Even if we can’t defeat the King of the Wild Hunt, we can definitely hold him off, and another person can go and seize the Book of Law.

“The Wild Hunt does not pursue the living. Once we have the item, we’ll leave directly and divide the spoils in a safe place… How about it?”

“Then who will attract the King of the Wild Hunt?”

Prince Wolfram countered.

The Punisher Demon chuckled, “That will naturally depend on each person’s abilities. However, if you are not at ease, I can go in first.”

His dark golden vertical pupils were filled with malice.

He was not unaware of the King of the Wild Hunt’s identity, nor was he ignorant of his Tier—the Elf Helchin, whose name was notorious even among the giants. Without him, those “ingredients” might have been ruled by the giants to this day. His death had heralded the beginning of the war against the giants.

Rather, it was precisely because the Punisher Demon knew Helchin…

That he knew no matter the order in which they entered Eagle Cape Village, Helchin would definitely target Prince Wolfram!

Helchin’s ingrained hatred for giants would invalidate the rule that “the Wild Hunt does not pursue the living.”

The Sixth Tier King of the Wild Hunt, if he pursued relentlessly, could very well kill Prince Wolfram.

—His former master was, after all, only a Fifth Tier “Grand Sorcerer.”

As an advanced profession for a Ritual Mage, he was indeed too dangerous… Cursing others was as easy as breathing. That wicked Jacob was also at that level.

Now that the other party knew he had become a Punisher Demon, he might use various counter-ritual measures specifically designed for demons against him… or even set traps to capture him, which was far too dangerous.

And he himself dared not directly confront a Sixth Tier world-class powerhouse. If it were a demon, he might be able to fight it… but a member of the Wild Hunt, he’d better not.

Summoning the prince was a move that killed several birds with one stone.

On one hand, he could tie up the King of the Wild Hunt, allowing his plan to seize the Book of Law to proceed smoothly without further interruption; on the other hand, the King of the Wild Hunt would likely kill his former master, freeing him to achieve true freedom.

And in order to jointly confront the King of the Wild Hunt and obtain the Book of Law, this plan could also prevent Prince Wolfram from cursing him to death prematurely. After all, the Punisher Demon did not know how many curse materials he had in the prince’s possession, and whether they were still effective after he had become a Punisher Demon—he dared not gamble.

—In short, I win three times!

The Punisher Demon thought.

Meanwhile, on Glass Island, in the Silver and Tin Hall.

Queen Sophia, lying in bed, was chatting with Lixia, who was sitting on her bed. She suddenly paused, as if hearing something.

Then, she showed a wry smile.

“What’s wrong, Sophia?”

Lixia raised an eyebrow, nudging Sophia’s arm with her dragon horn, and said loudly, “Did someone upset you? Should I go beat him up?”

“It’s George’s report.”

Queen Sophia said slowly, “He said that all core members of the Noble Red, except for the two giant leaders Wolfram and Cassiem, have been apprehended.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Lixia was somewhat confused.

“Indeed, it would have been even better if George hadn’t immediately sent copies of this news to the Inspection Bureau and the Round Table Hall as well.”

The Queen sighed, “You two are exactly the same… upright, powerful, but lacking human understanding. Avalon certainly needs a great victory to boost morale… but what we need now is a clear enemy, but not one as powerful as Star Antimony, to increase cohesion.”

During this period, Star Antimony had been very active.

After Star Antimony failed to rescue Minister Dross and had a group of their spies killed by Avalon… Star Antimony immediately retaliated by killing the same number of Avalon spies.

This was a very dangerous signal. On one hand, it meant that many of Avalon’s spies lurking in Star Antimony had already exposed themselves, or that Star Antimony possessed very advanced spy-finding capabilities. The intelligence they sent back might not be useful or true, and the remaining hidden spies might not be safe.

On the other hand, it also meant that Star Antimony had a strong desire for war—they not only killed a group of Inspectors sent by Avalon but also twisted the narrative in their newspapers.

They described Avalon’s actions as “Avalon’s strong xenophobia, leading them to kill Star Antimony citizens and merchants and seize their property,” while describing the assassinated Avalon spies as “gang members accidentally killed in a brawl with street thugs.”

Sophia believed that Star Antimony was building momentum for an impending war. In contrast, Avalon was not prepared to face this war.

This led to Edward, who was still in Iris Flower, being urgently recalled. However, even so, Eivass’s imminent appointment as Minister of Internal Affairs was met with strong opposition from the Round Table Hall—appointing a child who had just reached adulthood to a powerful and influential ministerial position was unheard of. The Round Table Hall constantly raised objections, citing his youth and lack of understanding of Avalon as excuses.

Of course, as long as Sophia persisted, their objections would not take effect.

However, correspondingly, it was difficult to force them to cede their interests and, with the death of Minister Dross, cooperate and enter a state of full war readiness without first accepting the spoils he left behind—war costs money, and so does war preparation.

In other words, they did not truly oppose Eivass’s succession as Minister of Internal Affairs. They were merely looking for an excuse to gain some political leverage for themselves.

Now, the royal family had no other successors—Isabel did not possess the Path of Authority and could not suppress them. Therefore, with the Queen’s health deteriorating, they began to harbor their own schemes.

Ultimately, they did not want to fight with the Star Antimony people.

Because the rule of the Star Antimony Kingdom largely relied on the traditions of the Hrasal Empire they inherited. Outside the sphere of influence of their imperial culture, their reach was not great. Ultimately, they could only govern through local governors.

The Daffodil Duchy was a prime example—apart from the assassination of the Daffodil Duke, almost none of the high-ranking mages were replaced.

In other words, even if they lost the war, it would not affect them much. But if they insisted on fighting, it was uncertain who would die.

“This Avalon is truly rotten,” Lixia sneered after listening to Sophia’s explanation, “Is this the Knight’s Kingdom? How ridiculously amusing.”

“It’s all my fault… I’m too old.”

Sophia sighed. “If only I were a bit younger, these problems could be solved; or if the Shadow of Avalon ritual had succeeded, then the ancestors could have protected Avalon.”

“I, however, think that if Lancelot I were truly resurrected, the first people he would chop down would be those old knights of the Round Table Hall.”

Lixia shook her head.

She knew why Sophia insisted on appointing Eivass as Minister of Internal Affairs.

In essence, she wanted a relatively trustworthy Eivass to act as regent, to support Avalon through the transition period of royal succession.

If they did not act, it would be difficult for Lixia to act either—and it was difficult for those with the surname “Dai” (Great) to act, as it would cause strong unease and chaos among the common people.

The strongest individuals within the country suddenly began to ruthlessly purge their opponents on a large scale… everyone knew what that meant.

It meant chaos.

The power and benefits left vacant by eliminating those people would cause certain sectors to suddenly halt, leading to a series of unknown and unpredictable consequences. It was also possible that the remaining individuals would fight among themselves for these spoils, and the person ultimately promoted might not be more reliable than the previous one.

Similarly, granting Eivass the title of regent would also be a taboo.

But “Minister of Internal Affairs” was different. They were all on the same level, and mutual attacks were perfectly normal, especially within their respective jurisdictions… As long as the Queen pretended not to hear, she could allow Eivass to attack others. If they became impatient, the Queen could tip the scales; if they remained calm, she could allow Eivass to gradually seize their power.

Lixia lacked the foresight for such matters; obeying anyone’s opinion could lead to her being exploited.

Therefore, she trusted no one, obeying only the Queen’s commands.

Although in her youth, Queen Sophia had forcefully pushed through many policies… as she grew older, her administrative style became more conservative. Her previous plans had largely relied on the Shadow of Avalon, but now that the ritual had failed, Avalon was immediately without a fallback.

And now, the Star Antimony people were poised to strike, and any wound could invite their pouncing.

—In reality, if she could be ruthless, these problems would not be insurmountable.

However, those with the Path of Authority tended to be conservative and stable, especially the higher their Tier. This was even true for the Silver Crown Dragon. This was the mode of thinking determined by their Path Traits.

“In the very beginning, the intention behind establishing the Round Table Hall was to emulate those Round Table Knights who advocated for ‘equality’ and ‘unity’… The founding families were descendants of heroes who sacrificed themselves for Avalon…”

Sophia sighed, “How did it become like this today…”

To this day, she could only trust Eivass.

She knew too well that placing such a heavy burden on a young man… was extremely ignoble.

But she had no choice, and neither did Avalon.

“I think you’re worrying too much. He’ll probably be very happy to go on a killing spree,” Lixia quipped. “That kid is no pushover.”

A near 8,000-character update! Here you go!

This chapter was actually finished at 8:40 AM. I had insomnia again last night, felt like the air from my nose was hot, one nostril was blocked, and my throat was hoarse from thirst. I couldn’t sleep at all, so I got up at four in the morning and wrote over 7,000 characters… Unfortunately, my sleep schedule is going to be ruined again, sob sob sob…

I’ll correct typos when I wake up, probably this afternoon!