The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 382

Chapter 382: Precursor to the Shadow Demon’s Evolution

The moment Lixia’s voice cut through the air, David’s entire body jolted violently, his face contorting into an expression of sheer panic. It was as if he’d been secretly playing a game at home and suddenly heard the sound of his parents unlocking the door. He was so flustered he didn’t know what to do, his butt even lifting off the chair – it was so high he almost tumbled off.

Clearly, David had subconsciously treated Miss Alistair’s words as a secret that couldn’t be revealed to others. It wasn’t until he turned back and saw that the person entering was Lixia that his panicked expression slightly eased.

Seeing David cowering and looking at her, Lixia’s eyes narrowed, and she immediately snapped, “What are you cowering for, you brat! Are you stealing something or teasing someone? Is this illegal?”

“No, I wasn’t…” David’s eyes widened in fear at Lixia’s words, and he hastily tried to explain.

But before he could finish, Lixia cut him off, blasting back, “If you weren’t, stand properly! What business do you have here, all flustered. Don’t you have any manliness?”

“…Yes.” David opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but after a moment, he resignedly lowered his head in obedience.

“Louder, I can’t hear you!”

“Yes!” David stood at attention and responded loudly.

“Go stand outside.” Lixia said, shaking the long skirt in her hand, “Or do you want to watch me change clothes?”

“…No, I don’t…” The momentum David had just mustered deflated again. He wanted to leave but also didn’t. It was rare to see Lixia, so he hesitated, obliquely stating, “Your Excellency Lixia, I was… introduced by Miss Alistair…”

Lixia was amused to the point of exasperation. “Get out first!”

“…Huh?” David let out a sound of helplessness and confusion. He knew it might not be appropriate to ask here, but didn’t he just happen to run into her? There was no one else here anyway. What difference did it make asking here versus somewhere else? Moreover, he could get confirmation here that it was indeed Miss Alistair who introduced him… After all, Miss Alistair hadn’t explained or refuted when she heard that…

His parents had never taught him such things, and David didn’t quite understand. But he understood simple obedience, so he politely saluted both of them and left.

After David departed, Lixia hopped onto David’s former seat. She waved her hand, dispelling Alistair’s bindings, and then tossed her clothes onto the table. She said irritably, “What a blockhead, just like his father when he was young… Was it fun teasing him?”

“It was quite fun.” “Alistair” chuckled, moving her wrists which had become stiff from being bound for so long. “He’s a bit dense, but he’s still very upright.”

“You think highly of him?” Lixia retorted. “You’ve even taught him the Sevenfold Sacrifice?”

“I just think he has the talent for it and is well-suited for the path of an Ascencist. But I can’t say exactly when he should embark on that path. However, I’ve already introduced you to him, so please keep an eye on him then.”

Unlike when David and the Grand Guardian were present, “Alistair” was no longer disguised. She spoke to Lixia in Eivass’s tone. This was because Lixia was one of the very few people who knew “Alistair’s” true identity. Eivass’s plan required informing Lixia to ensure its stability and prevent any mishaps.

In front of the reporters, Lixia’s silent onslaught left the Naval Minister speechless – this was a necessary step for the plan’s smooth execution. Eivass couldn’t place all his hopes for success on the enemy’s foolishness or unforeseen circumstances. To eliminate any possibility of a counter-attack, he had to ensure the referee was on his side.

However, Eivass didn’t use honorifics. Although he knew Lixia was Meg, Lixia had completely sacrificed her old self, representing Meg, in the Sevenfold Sacrifice. Since Lixia herself had abandoned her past, Eivass wouldn’t intentionally bring it up.

“Can you wear skirts? Do you need my help?” Lixia asked casually, swinging her dragon tail behind her as she dangled her legs.

“Not very well, but it’s not a big problem. Although I’ve never helped anyone put on a skirt before…” “Alistair” replied with a light laugh, “But Miss Lixia, given your stature… let’s just forget about it.”

“Hey, you rascal…” Lixia said somewhat helplessly. “When I shed my skin next time, I’ll find a way to grow taller.”

Eivass, while studying the incredibly complex noble skirt that the Twin Mirrors had given him after transforming into Miss Beyad, joked casually, “I remember when you first changed into this body, weren’t you quite happy?”

“That’s because I could live, of course I was happy. Idiot.” Lixia stated frankly, “But now I’m a bit tired of it. It’s too small, and I feel very inconvenienced in all sorts of actions.”

“How long until your next molt?” Eivass asked. Once an Ascencist begins to molt, they cannot stop. As contractors of the Ring Heavenly Envoy, they must constantly change throughout their lives. Life and form cannot be fixed.

“I can start the next evolution in three to four months, at the latest it will be half a year. If I haven’t evolved by then, my physical functions will gradually weaken.” Lixia said frankly. “The current problem is, besides my lifespan, I don’t know what else can put me under the pressure of death… I can’t go trouble the Eternal Pope, can I? If it comes to that, I’ll go out to sea and find a dragon. Anyway, being able to live this long healthily is already great. As long as I can complete another molt, I can live for another year. That would be a good deal.”

Her words were so domineering, she even ended up comforting Eivass. This was probably the troublesome aspect of Lixia’s job change to Ascencist. Currently, the “Transcendent” Path hadn’t been modified to the “Metamorphosis” Path. Therefore, Ascencists had to adhere to the rules of the Transcendent Path – namely, facing strong enemies. Only then could the restless fire of transcendence in their hearts be extinguished. For this reason, Eivass had recommended David to change jobs before reaching the Fourth Tier. When one is weak enough, almost any change can be considered an evolution. This is known as “you have a lot of room for improvement.”

“Three to four months to half a year…” Eivass mused. “Then don’t rush for now. Perhaps there will be another solution by then.”

“I knew you’d have some clever ideas, kid.” Lixia wasn’t worried at all, clearly confident that Eivass had a solution. He was so amazing, able to rejuvenate himself, gain Sophia’s approval, and lead Avalon to a new life… Now, if Eivass dared to say it, she dared to believe it.

“How’s the Naval Minister doing?” Eivass asked casually. “What did he confess?”

Everything he could say, he said. He offered virtually no resistance, clearly understanding the situation and hoping for lenient treatment. Lixia scoffed. “Don’t be fooled by those old men, all stern with swords and armor, looking so majestic. They’re actually all cowards who’ve never fought in bloody battles. Avalon has been too peaceful for too long… When the Iris people invaded before, the navy basically had no ability to resist. They were landed within ten days. Although in the country, the Ten-Day War is generally considered a victory for us, in my opinion, it was a loss, a crushing defeat. If I hadn’t intervened in the end, it would have been Avalon’s fastest defeat. Avalon, as an island nation less than a quarter the size of the Iris people’s territory, being landed on three fronts by their army in less than ten days, what kind of skill is that? In my opinion, they should be dragged out and beheaded!”

Lixia criticized ruthlessly. “But precisely because we truly couldn’t win, we could only promote it as a victory. We deliberately blurred the details. As a result, it became their achievement. Sophia had a governing style of meticulously planning everything in secret, changing the country imperceptibly like flowing water. She almost always went with the flow… This led to her firmly controlling everyone during her reign, and no one dared to oppose her. But once her physical condition declined, they all started causing trouble.”

“…I thought you weren’t the type who liked to manage these things,” Eivass said, somewhat surprised.

“That’s true. I indeed don’t like to manage them because it’s too troublesome to get tangled up in.” Lixia waved her hand with a look of weariness. “These things, it’s not enough that you identify the problem. If you want to oppose, you must propose a solution. Otherwise, you’ll oppose, and others will also oppose. In the end, nothing will be accomplished, and they’ll just argue in the Round Table Hall every day. In other words, if you oppose, this matter will fall into your hands. I have no interest in taking over their mess. They treasure it dearly, but in my eyes, it’s just a pile of rotten flesh.”

She then said with interest, “The letter you gave him before was crucial. It could directly disrupt divination. If others wanted to divine through rituals or prophets, they would only get the result that ‘the Naval Minister undeniably had private contact with Alistair.’ They must be in chaos now… How did you think of this?”

“Essentially, deceiving divination is ‘lying with the truth.’ Prophecies are basically the same… Although the content will be realized, it may not be in the direction the interpreter expects. So, if you reverse it, it becomes anti-divination.” Eivass chuckled. “Simply put, it’s magic.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be a magician too.” Lixia looked at “Miss Alistair,” whose mouth showed a proud and confident expression, but whose hands were still awkwardly and clumsily fumbling with her incomprehensible, elaborate skirt. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Never mind, let me help you put it on… You’re so laughably clumsy.”

Eivass no longer resisted and sighed. “…I don’t know why the Twin Mirrors gave such complicated clothes.” He had already tried. If he switched his base form to the Child of the Moon, his clothing wouldn’t change at all; whatever the base form wore, the Child of the Moon Eivass would wear. When he transformed into No. 14, it was that white dress he wore when Miss Beyad sucked his blood. Those were nothing.

But when Eivass first transformed into the “Beyad” form, he was startled. It was an unprecedentedly “formal attire” Beyad. Not just a skirt and necklace – it included gloves, rings, bracelets, hairpins, a hat, a cloak, and a shawl, a terrifyingly large set of brand-new “equipment.” They were piled up to an “unnatural degree,” looking less like a formal outfit and more like a clothes rack.

Even the Shadow Demon itself was somewhat bewildered. It checked repeatedly before slowly recalling that these were all things it had used before. Eivass had to remove the excess accessories and clothing and store them away so that “Miss Alistair’s” appearance wouldn’t look too strange. These items, conjured out of thin air by the Twin Mirrors, were confirmed by Eivass through a ritual to be genuine, not dispellable reflections. On the other hand, they showed no signs of being used or being ravaged by time. They were as bizarre as “brand-new antique pieces.”

This made them difficult to sell or even give away. The greatest significance of collecting these strange antiques was probably to help the Shadow Demon recall its childhood. However, after Eivass’s care over the past few days, the Shadow Demon had become somewhat strange. It had become noticeably less active than before in the past two days. Not only did it not seek Eivass or Lily to chat with, but even after receiving commands, it wasn’t overly active or frenzied. It even seemed “somewhat sleepy.” Previously, when it disguised itself as Alistair, the Shadow Demon had offered no opinions and had no objections to Eivass using its body and identity.

It was like a cat curled up on a bed in winter, retracting its paw with a hiss when its claws touched the cold ground, then retreating back to the warm blanket, curling up with its paws tucked in. The cat had withdrawn a paw. Although there was no evidence, Eivass had an intuition from this abnormal behavior. This might be the precursor to the Shadow Demon’s evolution.