The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 329

Chapter 330
This is a trap!
“…Ghoul?”
Looking at the tattered cloth flying in the sky, the Sage immediately guessed the identity of the other party.
She looked at the opposite side, startled.
As a Star Antinomy noble and a seasoned Demon Scholar, she was very familiar with the Twilight Path.
Currently, the group competing for influence with the Demon Scholars are the Alchemists, while the Necromancers have always remained neutral. Remaining neutral meant maintaining good relations with both sides. In this regard, the Necromancers of Star Antinomy were the best cohesive force.
After all, the Twilight Path’s defining characteristic is “if the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move; if the enemy moves chaotically, I still don’t move”—in short, avoid moving if possible. If possible, it’s best to see no one and continue one’s peaceful daily life forever without any changes.
Only those who are not afraid of trouble can gain the recognition of the Twilight Path.
And because of this characteristic, Awakened Ones solely from the Twilight Path cannot independently support a faction or rule a country.
Because everyone here doesn’t work, doesn’t try hard, and doesn’t want to take responsibility. If trouble arises, no one will stand up.
In contrast to this laziness, all the Awakened Ones of the Twilight Path have very high practical value—Necromancers can resurrect the dead and transform Undead, and Preservers can solidify objects, buildings, and rituals. Therefore, to avoid being suppressed, the Awakened Ones of the Twilight Path can only choose to join other factions. In Star Antinomy, the two largest factions are the Demon Scholars and the Alchemists.
Through this subordinate relationship, the Demon Scholars and Alchemists gradually learn about the various abilities of the Awakened Ones of the Twilight Path.
This is why the Sage was surprised—because the Ghoul looked exactly like a Necromancer. Both its codename and aura exuded a cold, stiff, and gloomy feeling.
—But this ability was not a Necromancer’s ability at all.
It was a Preserver’s ability, [Corpse Preservation]!
It involved entering a state of suspended animation, preserving oneself in a portable demiplane, and then controlling a demonized substitute to act.
Due to insufficient materials, the traps the Sage set were basically pressure-triggered or tripwire-triggered. But the Ghoul floated over directly, triggering no traps.
—Because of this, the Sage’s ritual spell earlier did not attack the robe at all. It merely floated upwards, close to the ceiling, evading the attack.
Damn it, what Preserver names themselves Ghoul!
The Sage almost wanted to curse.
But she only had one last material left. Even if she could destroy this substitute, she wouldn’t be able to defeat the Ghoul when it revealed its true form later.
So she directly raised her hands: “I surrender, Ghoul. I am Alain. We can cooperate.”
“—No, you are not Alain.”
The Ghoul denied in a chilling voice, “Alain is a woman, so she can only become a man in this ritual.”
Its voice was like that of a ghost, as if drifting from a distant, empty place: “I’ll give you another chance. Who are you?”
“Alright, I am the Sage. I’m a Mage of the Path of Wisdom. I can decipher all sorts of traps and puzzles. It’s beneficial to bring me along.”
The Sage directly revealed her identity—mainly because there was nothing else to wear.
She forced a somewhat stiff smile, trying her best to adopt a friendly demeanor: “Look, we are both alone. Neither of us has found our teammate… If only one of us escapes from here, it might trigger special rules and lead to failure. But if we escape together, we will definitely survive.”
She had said the same thing to the Hatter before.
Her lines were almost unchanged now, but she was confident it should be fine.
Because the other party didn’t know how much mana she had left, and they were aware that she still possessed a set of ritual materials. Fighting in this narrow space with no room to evade would only result in a mutual loss.
And if they both survived, even if the mission was incomplete and points were lost, at least they wouldn’t face severe punishment. From another perspective, she had already laid traps. If no one could leave the secret tunnel and clear the stage, the one who left alone would be defeated under the influence of special rules.
There was no benefit to killing her, fighting her carried risks, and victory might lead to defeat—
No matter how she considered it, her proposal left no room for refusal.
But the Ghoul just chuckled and gave an answer she never expected: “Then what about the material you’re holding? Who is he?
“Being able to use ‘Bull’s Fire’ indicates that the material comes from a man. And there isn’t a woman among the three of you, is there?”
—What should I do? How should I respond?
The Furnace was dead, and she didn’t know if Jeanette was the Ghoul’s teammate. So should she say it was Alain’s or the Hatter’s corpse?
The Sage was silent for a moment.
But the Ghoul didn’t wait for an answer: “It doesn’t matter who it is. People of the Path of Wisdom are too cunning. I can’t discern your lies and schemes. So I won’t listen to anything you say.”
“W-wait, think about what I mean again! I mean—”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear it,” the Ghoul replied coldly. “Shut up.”
A dim yellow light flashed from within the black robe.
A premonition of death rose in the Sage’s heart—
She immediately lunged to the side, trying to dodge the Petrifying Ray that shot out like a pistol.
She dodged it, but not completely.
Although the Sage avoided the direct hit of the Petrifying Ray, a flash of yellow light, like a camera flash, suddenly occurred. Her movements suddenly became slow.
She floated in the air, moving as if in slow motion, frame by frame.
—That was a Preserver’s Slowing Technique!
The moment this spell was cast, both eyes had to be focused directly on the caster for it to take effect.
But when did…
“No, it’s a Preserver’s Sequence Spell—”
The Sage was suddenly shocked, startled in her heart.
You’re giving me the Sequence Spell now?!
Preservers could pre-preserve the highest-level spell they could cast, which would automatically trigger under special circumstances. By doing this, they could effectively carry over the spell pool from the previous day to the next… And the trigger condition for this spell was clearly “when someone successfully dodges the Petrifying Ray.”
To dodge the Petrifying Ray, one had to concentrate and stare at the opponent to evade. This would then be affected by the Slowing Technique.
—Where did you get the mana to cast so many spells!
The Sage felt despair.
And at this moment, a youth’s arm extended from the cloak.
“How cute, girl,” a frivolous male voice sounded. “But it’s better not to keep such dangerous things around.”
In the Sage’s terror, her last ritual pack was easily thrown far away by that hand.
“I want to taste her, can I? She’s so cute.”
The man’s voice sounded, as if asking for permission.
“No,” the Ghoul’s cold voice replied. “Restrain yourself, foolish woman. Also, hurry up and act. I can’t hold her off for too long.”
“Alright, alright…”
The man said, smiling, and revealed himself from the tattered cloak, as if he had been wearing it all along.
Like the other Blood Slaves, he had a handsome face, was naked, and possessed well-defined muscles. He had short black hair, his body was full of vitality, and he made no secret of his instincts and desires.
He grabbed the Sage by the neck and, under her terrified gaze, affectionately kissed her forehead.
“Goodnight, darling. It’s a shame. We’re short on time right now,” he said gently, his right arm suddenly bulging with extremely abnormal muscles.
Countless blood tentacles suddenly shot out from his right arm, piercing the Sage’s entire body.
Under pain and terror, the Sage let out a piercing scream. The man, however, just laughed heartily, lifting her by the neck and holding her high up.
He covered her mouth with his other hand, and then his left hand also bulged with numerous tentacles, completely engulfing the Sage’s small body.
When these tentacles dispersed, only a clean skeleton lay scattered on the ground.
“—Yes. The Blood Pool is replenished.”
The man patted his stomach heartily. “Do you want to capture her soul?”
“Foolish woman, this is a ritual. I can’t capture it,” the Ghoul’s voice was indistinct. “Come back quickly after you’re done. I suddenly feel something is wrong…”
“Oh, I feel it too. Two women’s heartbeats, one healthy, one weak. They’ve been watching from the side for a long time.”
The man looked towards the shadows not far away, baring his teeth confidently and smiling. “But I don’t think we need to run, Ghoul. This is my home ground—I have the absolute advantage. They are no match for me.
“Are you… Ban and Stranger? Are you here to avenge your companion? Then you’ve come too late.”
“Apologies,” Alain’s light voice drifted from the shadows. “You’ve mistaken us, Miss Jeanette.”
Beyad’s cold and arrogant face, wearing glasses, appeared next, causing the man’s confident smile to falter.
He felt his heart skip a beat.
Why would a Child of the Moon be waiting behind the secret tunnel?
“—This is a trap! Run!” the Ghoul yelled sternly.