The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 437

Chapter 437
Searching for Isabel

With Philip’s help, Eivass arrived at the port with incredible speed.

However, he certainly wasn’t going to search one by one – that would be like catching a needle in a haystack, foolish and extremely inefficient.

Eivass immediately revealed his identity as the Minister of Affairs and, with an exceptionally stern attitude, ordered all ships to remain docked for six hours and undergo a thorough cargo inspection. This was a completely reasonable request, falling within the Trade Minister’s purview.

With the position of Trade Minister currently vacant, the Minister of Affairs could issue such orders temporarily with the Queen’s authorization. Eivass didn’t have Isabel’s authorization, but that could be rectified later. He didn’t expect this order to stop succubus Emma, but if Emma truly intended to abscond with Yulia, then Isabel would undoubtedly be on the only departing ship. This would allow him to narrow down the search area.

Having preemptively shut down the possibility of Emma sneaking Yulia away, Eivass felt a slight sense of relief. The previous Minister Griffith had expressed a desire for Yulia’s blood, and he was connected to the Eye Demon, who in turn was connected to Emma. Emma directly kidnapping “Yulia” was likely for the same purpose.

Ideally, Eivass would have preferred to find succubus Emma within the Lloyd Society building. Based on Eivass’s brief encounter with Emma, there was a high probability she would hide “Yulia” at the Lloyd Society headquarters and set traps; or, after taking “Yulia’s” blood, wipe her memory and send her back to Moriarty Manor; or, after taking “Yulia” with her, engage Eivass in a second round of negotiations.

If she absolutely had to obtain Yulia, then other subordinates stationed in the port would likely have directly taken “Yulia” away, while she herself would return to the Lloyd Society building to feign innocence and establish an alibi.

Although the Grand Guardian had no direct contact with Emma, he was experienced. He had already considered these possibilities. This was why he had gone to the Lloyd Society building first, and then sent Eivass to the port to assess the situation.

If Emma had already returned, she certainly wouldn’t leave casually again. Her conspiracy either had to be completed here or she needed to hide her actions here. Therefore, Emma’s absence here would only indicate a few scenarios – either she was on her way back but hadn’t arrived yet, or she had set up a trap and was ambushing nearby, or she had absconded with Yulia, or she had already killed or incapacitated Yulia to draw blood.

Considering Emma had a public identity, Eivass believed she wouldn’t dare to go too far. After all, during their last meeting, Eivass had directly confronted her – at that time, Emma, a Fifth Tier being, hadn’t dared to make a move against the Third Tier Eivass. From this, it could be inferred that Emma was more of a cowardly type. She would likely adopt a more conservative strategy, prioritizing her own safety over harming others. Rather than combat and slaughter, Emma was more inclined to use conspiracies and traps to weaken or control others… Of course, if her personality were different, she wouldn’t have awakened as a demon avatar like a “succubus.”

…It was precisely because of this that Eivass found Emma’s logic somewhat baffling. Even if she wanted to capture Yulia, why do it during the Candlemaster Ceremony? Wouldn’t it be better to capture her when she was preparing to leave, or after she had already left? Eivass couldn’t quite figure it out.

Since this offered no benefit to her and would only disrupt Emma’s original plan, Eivass was somewhat uncertain of her intentions. However, Eivass and the Grand Guardian had now secured a blockade on both the Lloyd Society headquarters and the port. All that remained was to search area by area. Under these circumstances, Eivass could employ the “Search for Person” prayer.

Fortunately, Eivass was a priest and possessed a plethora of miscellaneous prayer rituals. The Search for Person ritual was only effective when the target or clue was nearby. Its advantage was that if the clue was nearby, it was guaranteed to be found, avoiding situations like Avalon’s Eye where one “should have seen it but was blind and didn’t see it.”

Thus, Eivass instructed Philip to fly to a high vantage point at the port. He then took out his ritual dagger, briefly prayed to sanctify it, and forcefully plunged the now sharp and sturdy ritual dagger into his left palm. The tip of the blade even protruded slightly from the back of his hand!

Due to the intense pain, Eivass’s face instantly turned pale. He shuddered violently, gasping for breath as his body twitched uncontrollably. Enduring the excruciating pain, Eivass closed his eyes and solemnly prayed, word by word, “I solemnly call upon you, the noble Fire Stealer!”

“God of Holy Number Three, God of Sin Thorns Binding the Body, God of Burning Body and Chasing Darkness – the Candlemaster’s Deer!”

Although theoretically, all priests were first and foremost followers of the Candlemaster. Eivass had never been so devout towards the Candlemaster before. A golden-red radiance emanated from his pupils, and specks of flame ignited between the fingers of his left hand clutching the ritual knife. “I beg you to descend amidst this blood and fire!”

“I am a junior disciple of the Path of Devotion, a priest of the Nine Pillar Gods! I am Eivass Moriarty!”

“Please guide my path and inform me if there are any traces of the person I seek nearby!”

“I now offer my own blood, praying for true knowledge. I swear this blood is shed for the benefit of others. Please, Candlemaster and your Apostles, respond to me—”

As Eivass spoke, he violently pulled the blade from his palm, simultaneously raising his left hand before his eyes. A surge of blood-red flames ignited from Eivass’s palm, his long hair and the hem of his clothes rustling and billowing in the sudden gust of wind. Staring at the deep crimson flames, Eivass’s vision was suddenly filled with a hallucination. He felt as if he stood before a ball of flame, with a sacred bonfire crackling before him.

Please, Candlemaster… Today is the Candlemaster Ceremony— she disrupted your festival, charmed your priests, and harmed the innocent on this sacred day…

But soon, the storm howled past. The flames in Eivass’s hand gradually dimmed and extinguished, and the illusions in his eyes and ears also faded away.

There was no answer.

This meant she wasn’t here. “Not here, please move back a bit.” Eivass gently patted Philip’s back.

Philip said in a deep voice, “No problem. I’ll fly slower. Stop whenever you say so.”

“Okay, right here— please stop.” Eivass soon gave the order.

This was a place that Eivass found somewhat familiar… or rather, the place where the dream began. Because directly beneath him was the location of the previously sealed Pelican Bar. The bar had been sealed for a long time, and everything inside had been cleared out. It had now become an abandoned warehouse, storing some stonework.

Eivass performed the Search for Person ritual for the second time. This time, the ritual yielded a different reaction— the flames that surged from Eivass’s left hand, held before his eyes, formed a fleeting hallucination. In a dark, lightless alley, he saw a helpless, huddled little girl. Beside her was an overturned basket, containing something within. Her hand clutched something tightly, her shoulders hunched inwards, and her arms wrapped around herself. Leaning against a wall behind her, she seemed to be protecting something in her embrace. As people slowly gathered around her, her eyes were filled with fear and defiance. She seemed afraid of being beaten, but her hands weren’t used to shield her head… The hallucination lasted only for a brief moment before the flames in Eivass’s hand dissipated.

But Eivass was extraordinarily excited. He didn’t need to perform the ritual again to confirm: “It reacted! I know the way—” He knew the alley from the hallucination.

His familiarity with it wasn’t alone; the crow perched on Eivass’s shoulder also recognized it. Because that was the very alley where the demon scholar of Noble Red had attempted to sacrifice Eivass to summon a Shadow Demon.

Under Eivass’s guidance, Philip quickly flew to the precise location specified by Eivass amidst the storm. What Eivass had seen in the hallucination was not something that had already happened, but something that was happening. The poor people who had surrounded the little girl hadn’t yet had the chance to harm her or complete their robbery before they were dispersed by the storm descending from the sky, falling to the ground in disarray. They scrambled to their feet and, seeing the magnificent, pure white Gryphon, didn’t dare to utter a single word. They fled with great fear, not daring to even caw, and scrambled away without a sound. Philip’s majestic and complex gaze watched their retreating backs.

Eivass, meanwhile, jumped directly from the Gryphon and tried to
comfort the girl, “It’s okay, it’s okay…” His words suddenly faltered for a moment. Looking at the dirty, thin girl in thin clothes, Eivass suddenly realized— he seemed to recognize her. This was the very little girl who had come to Eivass at the Pelican Bar, when he was in his wheelchair and Haina had taken him there, to sell him flowers!

Although Eivass was not wearing his priest’s robes at the time, the flower girl instantly recognized his identity: “It’s… the kind big brother!” Clearly, during her days of selling flowers, not everyone had treated her kindly. Therefore, the few individuals like Eivass, who had shown her a friendly attitude, were firmly etched in her memory.

She suddenly made a resolution, as if she had figured something out. “Big brother, I have money now… I have money now…” The girl said, hastily handing Eivass a wad of white crown coins she had been clutching, her expression filled with heartache: “Take this money… I’ll… I’ll just keep one…” She realized that this windfall she had received was something she couldn’t possibly keep or spend.

But she felt unwilling to give it to those fierce and menacing people who wanted to harm her. Back then, Eivass had given her one red coin and hadn’t asked for change. She had diligently returned the nine copper coins to Eivass, not wanting to accept charity— although she only sold subpar flowers or wildflowers, she was ultimately not a beggar or someone who solicited. Even though many other “flower girls” her age engaged in such practices, she did not. She earned money through her labor, and though it barely kept her fed daily, she still possessed dignity.

…But that dignity was shattered the moment that gentle, smiling, beautiful sister handed her one hundred white crown coins. If it were only one red coin, she could have returned it. But if it were one white coin, she would have hesitated. Let alone one hundred white crown coins. A luxurious meal of fried sausages, a fried egg, and mashed potatoes cost only four copper coins, while one white coin could buy fifty such meals. She couldn’t even calculate how much one hundred white coins could buy. She only knew it was a massive sum that would ensure she didn’t go hungry for a long, long time… It could even allow her to move away from the dangerous Lloyd District and live in the prosperous and safe Metropolitan Area! She could also invite a priest to cure her mother’s illness, even go to school, or buy a new set of clean and warm clothes! Perhaps she could do other things, but she simply couldn’t imagine them.

This immense sum made it impossible for her to return the money, and she could only accept it with choked sobs and tears. She knew in her heart that she had to hide this fortune, otherwise she wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. But she couldn’t suppress the stirrings in her heart… The result was that her overreaction directly attracted the attention of idle gang members during the Candlemaster festival. Soon, that beautiful dream shattered like a broken mirror. She woke up, realizing she ultimately lacked the power to change her fate and might even die soon…

So, she only wanted to give this money to the few people who had been kind to her. “It’s much better than having it stolen by those who bullied me!” she thought fiercely, clenching her fists.

But Eivass was stunned upon seeing the money. One hundred white coins… Who would suddenly give such a large sum to a pauper? Either a noble personage, kind but with little understanding of the Lloyd District, who believed they were making a benevolent donation; or a bloodthirsty audience with ill intentions, looking for entertainment. Coupled with his Search for Person ritual… Two figures emerged in Eivass’s mind.

Isabel, or Emma.

So Eivass immediately asked the girl, “Who gave you this money? Was it a beautiful lady?”

“Yes!” The flower-selling girl’s eyes lit up instantly, and the hand that was hesitantly offering the money became more fluid: “Brother, please return the money to her! I can’t take so much…”

Eivass simply pushed the money aside and pressed further, “What color was her hair, what color were her eyes? How tall was she?”

“White hair, very, very white, like a snowdrop. And red eyes, a little scary, but also very beautiful, the color of a rose… She was a little taller than me.” The girl replied obediently, gesturing: “Just a little bit…”

Eivass immediately determined it was Yulia! Or rather, Isabel disguised as Yulia!

Finally found! This girl’s money was obtained but not yet stolen, which meant she shouldn’t have gone far— So Isabel was still alive, and safe! Eivass exhaled a huge sigh of relief, feeling as if the entire world had suddenly brightened.