The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 748

Chapter 747
The Pope’s Command

Eternal Holy Kingdom, Twenty-second Ring.

Alain lay quietly in the blood-sucking black thorns, eyes tightly shut and face pale, resembling a corpse.

He was wearing the Eternal Pope’s black and red robes, making him look like a dark red rose scattered across his coffin.

Unlike his physical body that was “dedicated.”

At this moment, Alain existed in a state entirely different from his usual self—

His consciousness enveloped the entire giant tree… or rather, at this moment, Alain and the Church had become one.

— This was much better than he had initially anticipated.

When Alain learned that serving as the Eternal Pope meant “going AFK” here, he subconsciously viewed the position as an inescapable cage. In other words, Alain accepted the Supreme Holy Crown with the mindset of “Fine, fine, I’ll take your place in prison.”

However, it turned out that the job of temporary Pope was unexpectedly somewhat enjoyable.

He felt as if he had merged with heaven and earth, transforming into gentle breezes, moonlight, and torches, lightly touching all existence within the giant tree.

He turned into a bright golden spirit body, appearing on the streets of the Third Ring. In reality, it wasn’t his spirit body appearing here—with the power of the Supreme Holy Crown, if his soul were to descend here, the entire street in this darkness would likely light up as brightly as noon.

Alain was currently in the interstice between the Material Realm and the Dream Realm.

It was like a fairy realm, neither in the Material Realm nor quite in the Dream Realm. Here, Alain was on a different “layer” than everyone else. No one could see Alain, nor could they touch him.

As Alain’s thoughts moved, he could appear anywhere in any layer at any time. He could fly freely, passing through all buildings and walls at will… He had become an observer, and the children of the giant tree were now his children.

…That feeling was like a child who was originally alone and left behind, receiving a beloved pet.

His desolate heart was instantly filled with love, and now he smiled even when doing nothing. Simply watching them walk around and do their own things brought warmth and joy, making him feel very relaxed… even time seemed to pass quickly.

— It felt as fast as playing “Civilization.”

Alain had never had his own children in the past, so he didn’t know what it felt like to be a parent… but Alain thought that even if he had his own children, it would probably feel like this.

He wished he could give them everything, asking for nothing in return, only pure warmth, hope, and love. Time became peaceful and warm… If given the chance, Alain even felt he could stay like this forever.

No wonder they say this position cultivates the Path of Devotion… Alain had only been Pope for a few days, and he already felt his gaze becoming compassionate.

The “motherly” aura of the previous Pope was likely cultivated in this way…

Just then, an old man leaning on a cane slowly passed by Alain.

As he passed a protruding root, his foot didn’t lift properly, and he almost tripped.

At that moment, an invisible force appeared beside the old man, supporting him.

“…Oh dear, be careful.”

Alain’s thoughts moved, and the invisible force intervened slightly: “It’s better for elders to go out less in the middle of the night.”

His voice echoed in the old man’s mind. The old man paused slightly, then understood.

Although he didn’t know who his helper—or spirit—was, he still bowed respectfully and piously before him.

Given his advanced age, an accidental fall could indeed lead to serious trouble. In the latter half of the night, there were few people on the Church’s streets; by the time he might have been discovered, it could have been too late.

At this moment, Alain suddenly looked up, gazing south.

— That was the direction of Star Antinomy.

Although he and Alistair could now act independently, they were ultimately two phantoms of the same person. As long as Alistair willed it, information and memories from her side would immediately appear for Alain.

It was like cloud synchronization.

“…Really, you need to be careful yourself.”

Alain merely shook his head, feeling worried about Alistair.

— Even with Night Demon following Alistair, and Madam Honey Badger helping by her side, Alistair’s tendency to get carried away still made Alain somewhat uneasy.

When Alain played games in his past life, this situation often occurred—in balanced or even disadvantageous situations, his mindset and performance would become quite stable, and he would even perform beyond his usual level in high-pressure scenarios. However, if things went smoothly, he would easily become complacent and make a major blunder.

His current caution was largely due to his self-awareness.

And now, it seemed all this caution was being directed towards Alain.

“…She really makes me worry.”

Alain sighed.

However, Alistair had requested his support, and Alain couldn’t afford to fall behind.

Besides being a powerful Divine Artifact, the Supreme Holy Crown also functioned as a tool for locating Bishops.

The next moment, several golden light spots appeared before his eyes—these were divine personnel near Alistair, ranked “Bishop” or above.

Alain casually selected one, and his consciousness then entered that person’s dream.

The moment he entered the dream, Alain encountered the target’s subconscious resistance—but that resistance was easily resolved. In terms of sensation, it was like poking a stretched disposable plastic bag with a finger.

However, the person was quite vigilant… Upon realizing she was being intruded upon in her dream, the hazy Bishop lady in the dream woke up.

She couldn’t escape the dream immediately, nor did she fully awaken instantly. In her consciousness, she seemed to see a radiant sun.

“Mia Muller… right.”

Alain’s originally clear boyish voice, amplified by heavy echoes, sounded radiant and divine: “I have a mission to assign to you, Mia…”

Then, Alain conveyed Alistair’s needs to Bishop Muller.

Mia raised her head, and the divine intuition in her heart told her—this was the current Pope, far away in the Holy Kingdom.

Although she couldn’t clearly see His Majesty the Pope’s appearance… In her eyes, His Majesty the Pope was like a sphere burning with flames and radiating light, resembling the sun.

Without hesitation, she knelt down, her forehead touching the ground.

As a devotee, she did not fear sacrifice or devotion. This was inherently one of a Bishop’s duties.

It was just that in the past, the Eternal Pope would never have summoned them for matters… because if there was any issue, it would be handled by the Pope’s Guard first. The Pope looked at them like a loving mother looking at her children, wishing they would all rest and never get tired.

But Alain was different.

He clearly understood the individual needs of the devotees—rather than concerns like “don’t get tired” or “be careful of danger,” the Bishops actually wanted to complete the missions given by the Pope.

Feeling the warmth from the strong Path of Devotion emanating from her back, she responded with utmost piety: “I will certainly complete your sacred mission…”

“—Great His Majesty the Pope.”

As perhaps the first Bishop in Star Antinomy to be personally summoned by the Pope, she was so moved that tears welled up.

Although she appeared to be only in her early thirties, Mia was actually over fifty. Fire Worship Magic maintained her youthful appearance and healthy body.

In all these years, she had only visited the Holy Kingdom once when she was promoted to Bishop.

Now entrusted with an important task by the Pope—even if it was just a simple funeral ceremony of “supervising someone’s soul”—it was also a strong sense of reality that her faith was turning into reality.

Even in mortal kingdoms, being personally entrusted by a monarch would excite a commoner. And they lived by the Path of Devotion, revering the Nine Pillar Gods. Let alone the Pope, even receiving a direct order from a Cardinal would give her a strong sense of mission…

— For this grace and trust.

Even if it meant confronting the Academy, she would complete the mission given by His Majesty the Pope!

(End of this chapter)