The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 828

Chapter 827
Two-Person New Moon Ritual
Eternal Holy Kingdom, Twenty-second Ring.
Eivass opened his eyes after a long time, returning to the Material Realm.
Golden and red radiance flowed through his pupils, and the divine glow made his calm face appear benevolent.
“Matilda…”
Eivass whispered.
At this moment, the blue-haired Cardinal on the thirteenth floor immediately responded, “I am here, Your Majesty. The rituals have all been prepared for you; you only need to change your clothes and lie on the bed.
“…But are you sure you really don’t need company? We can assign you at least three Ascenders to ensure your promotion…”
“Alistair accompanying me is enough.”
Eivass’s voice was gentle and calm.
His lowered gaze was filled with radiance, which could not be hidden even with his eyes closed.
The Pope, wearing dark red robes, replied earnestly, “This is a New Moon Ritual. Strictly speaking, there are no so-called ‘teammates.’ Even if we enter the Ascension Ritual together, we may receive conflicting missions or be forced into an adversarial state.
“What would I do in such a situation? This is a Tier 4 to Tier 5 Ascension Ritual. If it fails, it’s one thing, but if it results in death… it’s highly likely to lead to real-world death. Can I watch them die like that?”
“…Your Majesty,” Cardinal Matilda’s expression was solemn, “You must understand that their mission is meant to be this way. Devotion to something greater is precisely our lifelong pursuit. If their deaths can pave the way for your ascension to a higher position, they would surely be happy to witness it.
“The position of Pope cannot be lost, Your Majesty. No matter what, nothing must go wrong here, or the entire Holy Kingdom will face problems. Even if you simply consider it for the sake of everyone in the Holy Kingdom, can’t you allow those people to make sacrifices for their sacred mission?”
Offering others to others is itself a choice within the Path of Devotion.
The core of the Path of Devotion is “benefiting others,” but it does not necessarily require “harming oneself.” This is also why there are many fanatics on the Path of Devotion.
“If we resort to such tricks even in the New Moon Ritual, we might be judged for cheating.”
Eivass chuckled nonchalantly, “Besides, you said it yourself. Devoting oneself for others is the pursuit of a devotee… If you were to send someone to ascend with me, how can you be sure I wouldn’t devote myself to help them ascend? I have walked the Path of Devotion much deeper than they have.”
Cardinal Matilda rubbed her forehead with a headache, “Then why not simply wait for next month’s Full Moon Ritual? Wouldn’t that be better? Even if we include Alistair, who must win, we can assign you four more elites. I could even go myself…”
“Yes, I have considered that.”
Eivass replied, “I calculated that the success rate would indeed be much higher that way.”
Cardinal Matilda’s spirits immediately lifted, “So—”
“—Precisely because of that, I refuse.”
Eivass stated without hesitation, “Because that would be equivalent to us stripping away the possibility of victory for the remaining three. This is not fair, nor is it righteous.”
“You are the embodiment of justice in this world, Your Majesty.”
“But what if one of them is more talented and has a brighter future than me? Even if we eliminate one person, what if we encounter two? Should we erase their future, or even their lives, before the ritual even begins?
“According to the rules of a devotee, I should sacrifice those close to me for the sake of others, meaning you should make way for others… But I don’t want to do that, because letting go of friends will also break my heart. I don’t want to lose anyone.”
As Eivass spoke, he opened his eyes again, and two beams of light illuminated the entire space the moment they opened. “Before I was separated from Alistair, I might have agreed with such an idea. For the sake of the ‘greatest sum of good,’ sacrifice is necessary. At that time, I even specifically looked for teammates to increase the chance of victory in such situations…”
“But now, I refuse such actions. Alistair and I are ascending together because I am accompanying her, not because she is helping me. If a sacrifice is needed, it should only be me.
“Therefore, I will only ascend with Alistair and have chosen the New Moon Ritual… At least this way, we won’t encounter too many people grouped together in the New Moon Ritual. And if we encounter a situation where one must be sacrificed, I can sacrifice myself to allow Alistair to reach a higher realm.
“—Don’t worry, Matilda. I will at least return alive.
“Or rather, even if I die… it will not affect the Holy Kingdom. I have made thorough preparations…”
Saying this, Eivass removed his Pope’s Robes and changed into the red robes of an Archbishop.
A Tier 4 promotion… even wearing priestly robes, no one would believe it. It would be better to directly wear Archbishop’s robes; that would at least convey his composure.
He slowly lay down on the soft bed, which was already covered by a Ritual Array. From here, not a trace of impurity could be seen. All the necessary ritual components were handled by Cardinal Cyril below, and the ritual array here only served as a connection.
This was not only for the sake of etiquette but also to protect the Eternal Pope and the entire Eternal Holy Kingdom—any object could potentially form a ritual under coincidence, and ritual items made this even easier. Therefore, nothing unnecessary, except for the absolute essentials, would be brought to the Twenty-second Ring.
After all, the Eternal Pope was basically always in slumber… needing no food, no water, and no waste.
The Pope is a tower, a link, a symbol, a scepter, an energy hub… and a coat rack for the Supreme Holy Crown. But he can by no means be a mortal with an independent personality.
“Nine in total…”
Eivass lay on the bed, eyes closed, and murmured softly, “I am within.”
At this moment, Cardinal Cyril presided over this simplest and most universal of rituals with great solemnity.
In Leipzig, far away, Alistair also closed her eyes, leaning on a soft sofa chair, supporting her chin with one hand. Beneath her was a ritual array made of blood, and scattered around were ritual offerings—
Dead seabirds, shattered mirrors, a deer heart pierced by nails.
Melting wax figures of philosophers, bitter black salt soaked in blood, flying squirrels tied to a cross.
A horse’s phallus tied in an “8” and pierced through with a nail, and an oyster—into which a black pearl that did not belong to it had been placed.
Finally, a venomous snake coiled at Alistair’s feet.
Red cloths covered the windows and lights, and dark red radiance filled the room.
With a strong sense of drowsiness, she whispered as if in a dream, “Except for me…
“—Eight are dead.”
As eight wisps of dark red flames roared to life, the blood array beneath her feet suddenly pulsed with an eerie glow.
Then, she was dragged deeper into the Dream Realm.
Alistair opened her eyes and saw that the nine chairs were empty.
Above the dark red sky hung a pitch-black crescent moon.
Beneath her, a black sea of blood ebbed and flowed, churning with foamy white waves.
However, the source of light here was not the dark red sky or the crescent moon…
In the center of the nine chairs, a bright and warm radiance was shining. It illuminated the sea of blood beneath her feet, which appeared black due to the dim light, turning it into a true red.
It was a divine deer made of pure ruby.
It possessed a pure and dazzling red color, and was entwined with black thorns. The thorns pierced its skin, and blood flowed down continuously, dripping into the sea of blood.
Its giant crystalline red antlers resembled candelabra, burning with pure white flames.
—That was the Candlemaster.
“Great Candlemaster… Is this your Ascension Ritual?”
Alistair quickly greeted respectfully.
“I’m just here to see you, Alistair.”
A warm and steady voice, like that of a loving father, echoed in the space, “Do well… this ritual may be of great importance to you.”
As the Candlemaster’s voice faded, the radiant crimson doe vanished.
Only a statue of a young deer, shorter than a person, remained in its place.
It had slender legs and a cute two-head-body proportion. It had a small horn on its head, a slender and agile body, and its pupils were as clear as a teddy bear’s. Behind it were a pair of large flaming butterfly wings, like flame butterflies, and the flames on the wings had now solidified, forming a beautiful and dynamic pose.
Alistair immediately recognized it… This was the Fiery Wings of Life. It liked to save those who were lost and in dire straits, such as those lost in the mountains or stranded on deserted islands due to shipwrecks, carrying them on its back like an invisible “V” of flames and bringing them to safety.
It was also one of the Candlemaster’s apostles that Eivass often summoned when in the Holy Kingdom, and it was this apostle that Eivass used to send gifts to Isabel.
Alistair suddenly felt a sense of irony.
Because this would be the most cruel ritual presided over by the most compassionate Pillar God.
(End of this chapter)