The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 811

Chapter 810
Don’t want to eat? Then no one eats.
“…Your only friend.”
Alistair recalled Pomanach’s words.
She held the wine glass, her slender and long fingers gently sliding on the cup wall.
She almost wanted to laugh, “So, you killed your friend’s descendants, stole his queen and heir… and his country?”
Although Alistair had not met Queen Louise or the current Valentine VIII outside of the Ascension Ritual, she understood the Child of the Moon… or rather, the personality of all the Extraordinary beings on the Path of Love. Alistair could directly guess what they had all gone through.
If there were big data statistics for ascension rituals in this world, Alistair was sure… that on the Path of Rejection during the Full Moon Ritual, the Path of Love would definitely be in the top three for the total BAN rate.
The first should be the Path of Adaptation, as it was notoriously unstable.
“If you’re not afraid of death, why be an adapter!”
And once one’s own survival was prioritized, it naturally wouldn’t be a good thing for teammates.
With the Lord of Scales and Feathers now obtaining the Warrior profession, and with the support of the Pillar God’s power, a large number of Extraordinary beings who originally belonged to other paths but whose ideologies overlapped with areas of contention between different paths were converted into adapters. The ideology of the Path of Adaptation changed from “hiding to survive” to actively “contesting for survival space,” and the reputation of the Path of Adaptation should also improve considerably.
In terms of being unwelcome by other paths, the current Path of Love should at least have the strength to be second, if not first!
“That is because they have taken the wrong path.”
Pomanach’s face was unwavering, “The first to betray Star Antimony and deviate from Basil’s path was not me, but them. No one has the right to say this more than I do, because I am the one who has watched over this path since its inception.”
“Among the many countries that split from the Hrasal Empire, only the rulers of Star Antimony were from commoners. Not only the kings and officials… besides me and the principal, who gave up power after the founding of the country, even the second Red and Black Envoys we elected were also commoners.”
“The capable work more, and strength is paramount. Anyone can get a stage in Star Antimony to showcase their talents, as long as they truly have the ability. Those with talent get a stage to hone their talent, and those who have honed their abilities will take over everything.”
“‘Even the fiercest and most foolish beasts have the possibility of being sublimated into gods.’ This is the essence of Star Antimony alchemy, the will that Basil pursued throughout his life. Even after he ascended to the Dream Realm, he still firmly believed in this ideology—and believed it to be the most correct path, and the path that could make the country most prosperous and flourishing…”
“…Because of the Hrasal Empire.”
Alistair rested her chin on her left hand and said softly, “After all, the empire was destroyed for this reason.”
In the final years of the empire, the vast majority of capable people did not get positions that could accommodate them.
It was not even an era of competition, but an era where there was no room to compete at all—bloodline determined everything. No matter how hard they tried, it was useless. A Fifth Tier Extraordinary from a commoner background had a lower status than a Third Tier Extraordinary from a noble background… because the former was only an individual, while the latter held connections and power.
When commoners split into various organizations and competed and fought within these organizations, the common interests of the nobles made them a solid bloc. Any attempt to seize the power of the nobles would trigger a fierce backlash from all the nobles… It could be said that the Hrasal Empire was no longer ruled by Hercules, but by the nobles of the Hrasal Empire.
In this situation, talents were no longer talents… but genuine threats.
Because without these talents, the empire would still be the empire. Powerful, unshakeable, unmovable, and inviolable.
But with these people, internal instability would arise within the empire.
“—So the empire was destroyed.”
Pomanach replied calmly, his words showing a hint of wisdom, “The thoughts of short-lived beings are limited by what they see. Basil was born in the last years of the empire, so he naturally believed that the root of all social contradictions came from the rulers’ neglect and exclusion of talent. It is precisely because of this that he attached particular importance to the selection of talent and was wary of the ossification of power.”
“But back then… after he died, Star Antimony almost immediately teetered on the brink of collapse.”
“Because every faction within the country was very powerful. Basil even actively cultivated their ambition and desire for power, which made it impossible for Valentine II to suppress them at the beginning of his reign. Every faction was preparing to ascend the throne, and they were colluding with each other for this idea. At the time, the Black Eagles and Daffodils still existed, and some factions even chose to communicate with them to gain power over other factions.”
“The infighting in Star Antimony was more intense than it is now. Laws could be abolished within two days of being issued because the issuer of the law had been removed and replaced by someone stronger.”
“The Extraordinary beings above fought to the death, even resorting to physical altercations. As for the common people below, they had no idea which law they were following, whether the regulation had expired, and everyone lived in a daze. No one could clearly say what they intended to do in the future or what they couldn’t do now.”
“It was only then that we understood… that in addition to being powerful, a country also needs stability. The first generation of Star Antimony was stable because Basil suppressed everyone. Once he left, chaos ensued.”
“—This is actually because the system proposed by Valentine I, although well-intentioned, was still imperfect.”
Alistair nodded and added, “His personal ability was too strong, so he would not want the system to bind him. But his successor might not have such power, and thus they could not draw enough strength from the system to protect themselves.”
Eivass had also studied this history in Avalon—but as a cautionary tale for the people of Avalon, “what happens when Extraordinary beings from multiple paths hold high positions.”
Although Avalon’s sole adherence to the Path of Authority caused much chaos and suppressed national development, these problems had not occurred. Even during the reigns of Prince Lloyd or the King of Gallows, it had never been this chaotic.
“So at that time, the Principal and I took action together… to suppress them again, to grant recognition to Valentine II, and to bestow upon him the dignity of a king. This is also why the nobles still respect and revere the Black and Red Envoys to this day.”
Pomanach sighed, his expression complex. “Since then, the rule of Star Antimony has gradually stabilized.”
The expression on his face seemed to be a sigh, a sense of loss, and a hint of mockery.
“And now?”
“Beyad” said leisurely, “Are you having regrets? Do you feel that you were wrong to give power to Valentine back then?”
“You don’t understand me well enough, Lady Beyad.”
Pomanach shook his head, “I do not have the Adaptability of Authority… the power of the Material Realm holds no temptation for me. If I truly wanted to obtain Star Antimony, there would be plenty of opportunities. Besides me, the ‘Principal’ is the same—for us, ruling a country as a king is no different from herding a flock of sheep as a shepherd.”
“Rather than saying it’s fun, it’s more like a job. When one transcends mortals too much, looking at those mortals only brings boredom… What they argue about, fight for, try their best to obtain, pursue their whole lives, pass down through generations, all of it is nothing but vanity. In the face of great time, all that once shone will wither like flowers.”
“I have only lived for a few hundred years. I can imagine that elves with longer lifespans would have an even more indifferent view of such matters. This might also be why the Church can maintain neutrality.”
“—Isn’t it the same for you?”
“I… have something I want to pursue.”
Alistair was silent for a moment, then replied softly.
In that instant, a trace of distracting thoughts arose within her:
The current Eivass and Alistair can move forward with such determination and passion largely because this world is facing numerous crises.
The Descend of Fallen Heavenly Envoys, the proliferation of the Ouroboros Ring, the conspiracy of the Ring Heavenly Envoys. And the secret that will lead to “Doomsday” in the future.
They say that if the sky falls, the tall ones will bear it… But what if they are the tallest ones?
They have no choice but to bear it. For this immensely difficult goal, even burning everything might not be enough to reach it, so where is there room for slackness or Overthinking?
However…
When that ultimate enemy is defeated, and the war that ends all wars finally ends.
What will Eivass do then?
Return to the shattered daily life? Does he even have any daily life left? Or will he cast aside superfluous emotions, cut off the superfluous self, and become a Heavenly Envoy or a Pillar God?
As a Child of the Moon on the same Path of Love, Alistair seemed to understand Pomanach for a moment:
If Eivass were to sublimate into a god, and she were to be abandoned and severed… perhaps she would be much more insane than Pomanach.
“So, you gave power to Valentine II, and then you took power away from Valentine VII… because you no longer want to play this game?”
“I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Pomanach said frankly, his tone exceptionally sincere and heartfelt, “The current Valentine I is not as good as he used to be, and the path of the Stone Golem Knight has not yet reached its end; the current nobles are still the same nobles as when the country was founded, and the Extraordinary beings among the commoners have become too numerous to find jobs. Those with true talent are being ostracized.”
“The establishment of Star Antimony in the past relied on commoners, and now the commoners of Star Antimony are once again facing the same predicament as in the empire. History continues to repeat itself, and the development of the world is like a ring with no head and no tail. Even if I work hard, I can push it down and reset everything… but by just patching it up, what meaning is there?”
“Even if Star Antimony can slowly reform to solve these problems, in the end, it will not be Star Antimony after the modifications are complete. It is not the Star Antimony that I and Basil fought for back then, so why should I protect it?”
“…You don’t want to unite with other Children of the Moon to recreate the Hrasal Empire,” Alistair suddenly understood Pomanach’s true purpose, “You simply want to destroy Star Antimony!”
“Indeed, I want to destroy Star Antimony—but so what?
“I want to kill it while it is still somewhat alive, not mutilate a corpse; I want to destroy it before it becomes too ugly for me to look at, at least so that future generations can have hope. Let them mourn Star Antimony, recall its past glory, rather than, like after the fall of the empire, as if anyone could step on it and analyze why it was destroyed from a high position.”
“Without my sponsorship, help, and protection, Star Antimony would not have been born. Since the Star Antimony of the past was born because of me, then let the Star Antimony of today die because of me.”
The voice of the golden-haired, red-eyed youth was slow and clear, “Although the Principal has deep qualifications, he did not contribute anything to the founding of the country. But I am at least half the creator of the Star Antimony Kingdom… I think I have the right to end it.”
“Star Antimony belongs to me and Valentine. And the current Valentine is no longer Valentine, but I am still me.”
“So, it was mine to begin with.”
“This is not taking… it is returning.”
(End of Chapter)