The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 552

Chapter 551
Freya the Pioneer
Freya’s eyes shone with an incomparably bright, brilliant golden radiance.
That kind of confident self-assurance that brooked no argument, that lazy, unexplainable trust in herself.
Eivass was moved: “Could it be… Fifth Tier?”
“—Naturally, I am a Fifth Tier ‘Pioneer’.”
Freya smiled gently and lightly tapped Eivass’s forehead. The arrogant, condescending aggression softened a little: “If not, how could I be called a genius?”
The Pioneer, a high-level profession for an Alchemist.
It was one of the most difficult advanced professions in the Path of Balance, and indeed, in all paths.
Its numbers were overwhelmingly scarce, with many Alchemists having to switch to other professions.
Simply put, this was a profession exclusively for NPCs; players could not transfer to it.
It required an Extraordinary to possess at least one “unbelievable and world-changing great invention” before advancing to Fourth Tier. Among all mainstream professions, this was one of the few that directly led to Pillar Gods. Just as the relationship between the Torchbearer and the Candlemaster, the Pioneer had an inseparable connection with the Hourglass.
Every Pioneer was a world-renowned great inventor. With the mission to “create the possibility of a new world,” they were the tangible hand that the Hourglass used to push the era forward and control the orderly evolution of the world, even acting as the Hourglass’s Spokesperson and an Earthly Disciple.
“To be honest, I’ve made considerable progress in treating Amber Compaction Syndrome.” Freya said with a smile.
Hearing this, Janis’s eyes lit up: “Oh? You didn’t tell me about this.”
“Because I originally planned to announce it when I made a greater breakthrough.”
Freya crossed her arms, nodded, and said with satisfaction: “But since Eivass is interested… it wouldn’t hurt to show you. After all, this is research that’s intrinsically linked to the Wine of Eternity.”
Having finished speaking, Freya put on the somewhat ugly iron helmet and walked towards a machine that was operating automatically.
Eivass’s expression was a bit strange. He exchanged a glance with Sherlock and gave him a reassuring look.
He understood Freya’s words perfectly – it was as if she were saying, “If Eivass weren’t here, I absolutely wouldn’t show it to you.”
Although Freya didn’t make any overly intimate gestures towards Eivass, and even tried to maintain a distance, she kept emphasizing “Eivass’s uniqueness” in her words, madly hinting that he, as Freya’s family, held some special significance to her.
Eivass wasn’t oblivious to these somewhat clumsy overtures. But it even made Eivass feel somewhat unfamiliar—
Were there really such naive personalities within the Moriarty Family?
Not to mention the Professor and Eivass. Eivass was now gradually realizing that Yulia seemed to only act soft in front of him, but was actually quite an independent, competitive, and self-willed person.
His elder brother, Edward, seemed very quiet, but he actually thought a lot. He just never voiced his thoughts; all of them were hidden deep inside—he was a solitary person who tended to suppress himself, but he was by no means foolish.
But Freya, at thirty-one years old, was clearly not good at interacting with people.
It wasn’t a lack of social skills, but rather an inability to hide her thoughts. Whether it was her indifference towards Sherlock or her overtures to Eivass, they were all expressed so clearly… She wanted to talk to Eivass, so when Sherlock first spoke, she could still maintain some semblance of politeness, but with the second sentence, she glared back directly.
—There was a very obvious implication of “Did I say anything to you?”
Although she didn’t say it out loud, the meaning was fully conveyed.
But she couldn’t find any topic of conversation, so she could only start introducing her research—even if she knew Eivass wouldn’t understand, it didn’t matter; she was just trying her best to show how amazing she was.
…Perhaps geniuses had such personality quirks.
It was truly unexpected that the Professor’s biological daughter would have such a personality.
So, when Freya returned, Eivass directly asked, “Sister Freya, what is this helmet for?”
“Oh, this? Are you interested?”
Freya took off the helmet with one hand, and as her hair cascaded down, she said casually, “This is a good thing… It can hide the hair on your head to prevent hair and beard from burning. It can also filter out some harmful gases you might inhale. The Dwarves used to wear these to approach various furnaces. I traded a dozen Sacred Tree No. 3 for it. Do you like it? If you do, I’ll give it to you.”
“Ah, no need.”
Eivass quickly waved his hand, politely declining.
This helmet… although it might be somewhat useful, it was just too ugly.
It looked like an iron underpants welded to the top of a dark green motorcycle helmet. Eivass was just curious why Freya would wear such an ugly helmet.
Now that he knew its origin, he could only say… this was truly Dwarven aesthetics. This thing could even double as a miner’s helmet and a battle helmet.
Ugly is as ugly does, as long as it’s useful.
“Eivas clearly finds this thing ugly,” Janis said, crossing her arms and remarking, “Do you really think anyone would like this?”
“As long as it’s useful.”
Freya was unfazed. “With my long hair, I would have cut it long ago without this. Once I put it on, all my hair can be hidden instantly. Such a good thing, it’s okay if it’s ugly… Oh, right, Eivass! Do you want shampoo?”
Saying this, she casually placed the helmet on the table. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting Eivass see it flow like water between her fingers.
“Look at this smoothness, it also prevents static and frizz. Even if you wear a hat or helmet, it can be restored instantly after taking it off. This is a shampoo I invented, not yet in production… Do you like it?”
“…This is pretty good.”
Eivass could only admit.
Although Eivass’s hair had now grown back to the length it was when he was interviewed by reporters at the Pelican Bar, when he was still the “Wheelchair God of War.” Isabel seemed to quite like his long hair, and he might have to grow it out again.
Long hair was nice to look at, but difficult to manage.
Upon hearing this, Freya’s face lit up with joy. “I have some samples here, take them to use first. I’ll contact some Star Antinomy factories to start production later…”
Janis coughed twice, interrupting her: “Star Antinomy is currently at war with Avalon, so the goods might not be able to be transported there.”
“What? How could this happen?”
Freya frowned. “Don’t worry—I’ll write a letter immediately to condemn Valentine VII and stop this war in the name of the Pioneer.”
“…Avalon started it.”
Janis added.
Hearing this, Freya’s eyes widened.
This was the first time Eivass had seen disbelief on her face.
“…Oh, dear God.”
After a long while, Freya cleared her throat and sighed somewhat dryly.
In that instant, she didn’t know what to say.
“Then… should I contact Avalon?”
Freya asked tentatively. “But does Avalon have factories with such craftsmanship? Or perhaps… should the war be paused for now? In any case, war is not good… Is Sophia still the Queen?”
“Didn’t I tell you that Isabel succeeded the throne?”
Janis couldn’t help but retort, “What did you remember? If Sophia were still alive, why would I be here?”
“…Who is Isabel? When did you tell me?”
Freya pondered for a moment, then decisively passed the blame: “I told you, don’t talk to me when I’m doing experiments. I didn’t hear you.”
“You…”
“Alright, let’s not discuss this. We’ll talk about it later.”
Freya interrupted Janis, carefully brought over the liquid in the sealed container, and said, “This is my major breakthrough for Amber Compaction Syndrome.”
“…How far along is it?”
Janis was the first to lean in, asking in a low voice.
As an Elf born in the Church territory and who had wandered outside for two hundred years, she was very concerned about this question.
“I can now forcibly induce the onset of Amber Compaction Syndrome.”
Freya said proudly. She pressed a sealing mechanism on top before unscrewing the bottle. “I call it Tears of Time. Anyone who comes into contact with this concentrated potion, even the Pope, will immediately develop Amber Compaction.”
Hearing this, Janis recoiled as if shocked, stepping back several feet.
It was the first time Eivass had seen clear fear on Janis’s face.
Amber Compaction Syndrome was indeed a fear etched deep within the hearts of all Elves, an unshakeable dread.
Janis’s pupils trembled, and her voice seemed to tremble along with them. “Then don’t hold it so close! You call this a major breakthrough?”
“What do you know? You, who just paint, can’t possibly understand my great talent.”
Freya said disdainfully. “Being able to induce it one hundred percent means we’re only one step away from a cure—”
“Then, what about the last step?”
“That’s what I’m researching!”
Freya bristled with annoyance. “I told you, I’m preparing… Huh?”
She paused, looked closely at the bottle, and fell into thought.
“What’s wrong?”
Eivass asked.
“…It’s a third short.”
Freya’s expression was solemn. “This is bad.”
(End of Chapter)