The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 569

Chapter 568
The Acting Pope’s Vision

“…Here, I can provide you with some further reading. The man who ‘completed the degradation of High-Tier Divine Art,’ as mentioned here, actually created a new profession: the ‘Fiend,’ transcending the Path…”
The Pure White Saintess continued to explain patiently to Eivass.
But at that moment, Eivass’s pupils suddenly became hollow for an instant.
She paused, then saw a trace of pure, breathtaking crimson ignite in Eivass’s originally deep blue eyes—
Like the sunrise, with the dawn leaping from the edge where the sky meets the sea. That deep crimson, accompanied by a golden ring, made one feel as if light were shining on their face.
…What’s going on?
Pure White’s eyes widened abruptly.
In an instant, an unbelievable thought popped into her head.
Eivass, could it be…
Watching Eivass’s gaze refocus, the light in his eyes slowly extinguished, and Pure White momentarily suppressed the dreadful thought in her heart.
“…From this perspective, Cardinal Hecate, who researches High-Tier Divine Art, has a conjecture. She believes that a prerequisite for mastering High-Tier Divine Art is ‘the potential to become a Phantom Demon Egg.'”
She continued her narrative.
Eivass, as if nothing had happened, asked, “Then, can we think of it this way: being able to become a Phantom Demon Egg is actually possessing a special aptitude?”
“That’s right.”
Pure White nodded.
She continued to explain patiently, and Eivass listened intently.
—Because abilities directly mastered through the System lack the relevant knowledge.
And High-Tier Divine Art is different from abilities like “Dawn Fire.” It’s not a skill, but a complete system… similar to “Divination” or “Alchemy.” Even if one can use it, it’s difficult to utilize it fully without corresponding knowledge.
After Pure White finished explaining the first book, Eivass took out the second.
This one was titled “High-Tier Divine Art: Vessel of the Soul.”
Before Eivass could ask, Pure White directly began, “To discuss this, we must involve the connection between the Material Realm and the Dream Realm. Not only do humans enter the Dream Realm after death, and Phantom Demons in the Dream Realm enter the Material Realm after death; the Gods of the Dream Realm can directly influence and reshape the Material Realm, while the various thoughts and changes of the era in the Material Realm feedback and influence the Dream Realm.
“And in these two processes, the only thing that can communicate between the two realms is the soul. The power Extraordinary beings obtain from the Dream Realm, whether they become Phantom Demons or not after death, will ultimately return to the Dream Realm. Therefore, things from the Dream Realm always belong to the Dream Realm; and no matter how the Material Realm changes, matter is always conserved, so things from the Material Realm always belong to the Material Realm… Only the soul can travel back and forth between the two realms.
“When a person dies, if they can sublimate into an Apostle or Heavenly Envoy, or be influenced by the power of the Path and become a wild Phantom Demon, thereby escaping the fate of reincarnation, they are essentially elevating their will into the Dream Realm; similarly, Heavenly Envoys and Apostles from the Dream Realm can reincarnate back into the Material Realm, and Apostles can even walk in the Material Realm.
“Phantom Demons like Fey, Demons, and Fairies can also enter the Material Realm—if they die in the Material Realm, even if their essence as Phantom Demons can return to the Dream Realm, a part of their will might still be damaged in the Material Realm. So, in this regard, only the soul… or rather, the will, can travel back and forth between the two realms, belonging to neither. This is the theoretical basis of High-Tier Divine Art.
“From this perspective, we believe that the physical body in the Material Realm is actually a temporary vessel for the soul, and a person is equivalent to a young God. The essence of High-Tier Divine Art is to make the soul a vessel for another will. That is, to transform the body into a ‘vessel of vessels.’ If the original body was just a bowl containing water, which is one’s own soul; then now we must turn the body into a cabinet, allowing the water-like soul to condense into ice bowls for different divine wills…”
Upon hearing this, Eivass finally saw the pop-up window:
[Grey Eternal is imparting “High-Tier Divine Art (2/11)” to you, do you wish to pay 112 Public Experience to master this Mystical Art?]
This time the experience required was even less!
Eivass rejoiced in his heart.
His accumulated experience totaled 5214 points. If the experience requirement continued to increase, he might not have enough to learn everything. In that case, he would have to find a way to obtain more experience.
Pure White also clearly saw Eivass’s pupils become hollow again.
Below his pupils, the sunrise-like radiance reappeared—compared to just now, the radiance was even brighter. It was as if the sun had moved upwards by about ten minutes during the process of sunrise. Although not very noticeable, with Pure White’s memory, the difference was clear.
—As expected.
Pure White’s heart stirred, confirming her previous suspicion.
A memory fragment suddenly flashed in her mind—it was what the Eternal Pope had told her when she was still lucid.
Her Majesty the Pope had told her that Bishop Mathers had written to mention… Eivass’s speed in mastering “Fire Worship Magic” was even faster than the Pope’s. Before the Pope had even finished explaining the key points, Eivass had already completely mastered it—his mastery was even deeper than that of many who had studied for three or four years.
“That feeling was more like ‘remembering’ than ‘learning.'”
At the time, His Majesty the Pope sighed, “If only Eivass were not just a Human… I would consider whether to try to make him the Pope. Perhaps he could ‘remember’ High-Tier Divine Art so easily as well.”
Before meeting Eivass, Pure White had scoffed at these words.
In fact, she deeply respected and admired His Majesty the Pope.
As the Eternal Saintess, she shared the inheritance known as “Eternity” with the Eternal Pope. In a sense, their relationship was like that of mother and daughter… although the Pope’s current body appeared much younger than hers.
But that was the price that had to be paid for bearing the [Supreme Holy Crown].
As a top Divine Artifact in this World, the [Supreme Holy Crown], which could allow a Frontier expert to forcibly break through to the next Energy Level, naturally required a price. And its price was the user’s [Years].
To ordinary people, it seemed like a Divine Artifact with the effect of reversing aging.
But in reality, this reversal of aging did not extend lifespan; instead, it consumed lifespan doubly—while wearing it, one burned years “forward” and “backward” simultaneously. The apparent external effect was making the physical body increasingly younger.
A normal Saintess would succeed the Pope in her golden age, around three to four hundred years old. After completing a three-hundred-year term, she would abdicate and become a Saint—a “contributor outside the Church who possesses Fifth Tier power but has not become a Cardinal.”
A four-hundred-year-old Elf, if she served as Pope for three hundred years, would appear to be only a hundred years old, like a twelve or thirteen-year-old Human child, but she would actually be a thousand years old, which even by Elf standards would be considered very old.
Afterward, her body would grow at a visible rate, rapidly reverting to its original state. The speed of aging would even be faster than the growth rate of Humans. Perhaps in just twenty years, she would age from a twelve or thirteen-year-old little girl to an eighty or ninety-year-old old woman. This remaining time was when these Saints took their “retirement vacation” by traveling the world.
Candidate Saintesses could not leave the Twenty-second Ring, and Popes could not leave the Twenty-second Ring at will. In contrast, Saintesses could roam freely within the Church—but they also could not leave the Church.
Only after abdicating could they leave the Church and travel outside.
This limited remaining life was the scarce free time these retired Popes had.
From this perspective, becoming Pope was not necessarily a “good thing.” It was essentially a sacrifice and a devotion. It was precisely because of this that only the most devoted would be willing to sacrifice their lives in this ritual.
After more than two hundred years of ascetic practice, a genius who could communicate with the Nine Pillar Gods in his youth… had to pay more than three hundred years of solitude, and then sacrifice another three hundred years of lifespan, to gain those final twenty years of freedom.
—Even if Eivass could barely learn High-Tier Divine Art, he would never become Pope.
Pure White firmly believed this back then.
Because for short-lived races, this was an unbearable pain.
Not to mention that just learning High-Tier Divine Art was almost enough to burn out their lifespans. And tampering with one’s own soul might also affect the judgment after death… those who might have become Apostles might become impure as a result. Not allowing them to continue learning was also for their own good.
However, Eivass…
She had only one thought in her mind.
It turned out that everything Bishop Mathers had said back then was true, and His Majesty the Pope’s relay was so accurate.
There were indeed people who “learned” as if they were “remembering”…
This was already a miracle.
Since there was a first miracle, why couldn’t there be a second?
…Could it be that Eivass truly had a chance to become Pope?
Even if it were a short ten years, or even less, an “acting Pope,” it could change the problems of the Church—any Cardinal would seem too extreme for the current Church.
Because they were not like the Eternal Saintess, who had received the most peaceful and balanced moderate education from the very beginning; instead, they had their own agendas. If they obtained the power of the Pope, they might change the Church of the Nine Pillar Gods’ permanent neutrality in various countries… No, not “might,” but “would.”
But if Eivass, an Avalon native not yet at Fifth Tier, were to become the “acting Pope,” it might be much better!
As long as he could delay for ten years, or even less… perhaps just one or two years, and the medicine to treat her Amber could be developed!
At that time, she could take over…
…No, it still wouldn’t work.
Pure White shook her head, suppressing her impulse.
That would mean burning Eivass’s lifespan… She couldn’t do such a thing; it would be harming Eivass.
For short-lived races whose lifespans were already limited, every year was precious.
Pure White sighed inwardly, collected herself, and continued to explain the techniques of High-Tier Divine Art to Eivass.
At the same time, she was still hoping—
—In conclusion, let me see a miracle first, Eivass.
Pure White thought to herself.
(End of Chapter)