The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 871

Chapter 870: The Black Saintess and the Pure White Pope

Even Eivass himself hadn’t anticipated the cardinals’ decisive actions. After Eivass revealed his Sin Eater Beast form and healed the Pure White Saintess’s Amber Compaction Syndrome, he noticed that the cardinals, who initially held differing opinions and disagreements, quickly reached a consensus with remarkable speed.

Eivass suggested that Pure White be the acting Pope, and all the cardinals immediately agreed. Eivass proposed that the Church abandon Permanent Neutrality, and all the cardinals immediately agreed. Eivass suggested interfering in the current chaotic political situation of Star Antinomy, and all the cardinals immediately agreed. Eivass even proposed going for a stroll himself, and the cardinals fully agreed.

They agreed to everything. There wasn’t even a single dissenting opinion, let alone any additional comments. For a moment, Eivass wondered if they were just feigning agreement for now and would discuss it later.

However, the cardinals’ action was astonishingly swift. Less than two hours after Eivass convened the meeting, notifications had already been sent to various countries. By then, Pure White had already donned the Supreme Holy Crown and fallen into slumber on the Pope’s throne. The candidate for the Eternal Saintess had also been activated. The current top-ranked candidate, Teresa, had now formally received the Eternal Inheritance. Both of these events occurred without any objections.

Merely by issuing instructions, the matters were immediately resolved, a stark contrast to the elves’ usual sluggish pace of decades for even simple tasks. According to custom, the new Eternal Saintess’s sacred name should be bestowed by the Pope, as for thousands of years, Saintesses had become Popes, with one departing and another succeeding. However, Teresa’s sacred name was still bestowed by Eivass.

The sacred name, or in external terms, the appellation for the Saintess, signifies severance from worldly life. Upon becoming an Eternal Saintess, one serves solely as the Pope’s proxy, thus abandoning the name given by their parents and adopting a name chosen by the Pope. Sacred names typically denote a color and must differ from the colors of the previous two Saintesses. Saintesses usually wear attire of this designated color year-round. This ensures clear identification across any language system, as every language possesses precise descriptions and adjectives for colors. For example, when people refer to the “White Saintess,” they immediately know it refers to Grey. This eliminates concerns about translation or idiomatic interpretation, and more importantly, avoids ambiguity due to similar names. These names were conceived from the outset for international, and even interspecies, communication.

Eivass did not want to break this fine tradition by being special. However, he had never been good at naming. The colors used by the previous three Saintesses were green, blue, and white. After a moment of thought, Eivass found that whenever he tried to think of “color names,” names like “Golden Powder,” “Quicksilver,” “Smoke Blue,” “Scorching Red,” and “Mint Ice Cream” popped into his mind.

This brought him some comfort. At least his memories from his past life hadn’t been completely taken by that scoundrel, Ring Heavenly Envoy. To avoid his peculiar habit of associating colors with mechanical keyboards, Eivass ultimately chose black, the color he used as a Cardinal, and simply named her Black. Though, one must admit, cherry black switches are quite classic. As per Eivass’s instructions, the Black Saintess Teresa’s name will be announced on May 5th, during the Hourglass Saint’s Day. Undoubtedly, many people are eagerly trying to find Pure White to inquire about the Pope’s opinion, but it’s good to keep them waiting for now.

The Church had been neutral for too long, and many had likely forgotten its true significance. They only knew that the Eternal Pope was Sixth Tier, overlooking the equally powerful Cardinals and the Pope’s Guard. When Eivass temporarily assumed the role of Pope, some individuals began to stir. In their view, Eivass would surely be unable to command the elves, and he himself wouldn’t reach the Sixth Tier. So, what difference was there between the Church being paralyzed?

They certainly wouldn’t dare to directly oppose the Church. However, perhaps they could secretly engage in activities that the Church had previously forbidden, which it would now be unable to control? When the new Pope took office, a simple apology would suffice. After all, they would have already reaped the benefits, so even if they had to regurgitate a little, it wouldn’t be a loss.

While wishful thinking is never advisable, conversely, without it, it’s difficult to seize opportunities presented by the era. They became influential figures because of this, so how could they be cautious from then on? When crises and opportunities reappear, they would do the same thing – this is called path dependence.

In a sense, their assumptions were indeed correct, even a gamble that paid off. The Church observed and remembered these actions but did not intervene. After all, Eivass at the time was merely a human possessing High-Tier Divine Arts. He only temporarily acted as Pope due to the conflict between the cardinals and the Saintess – or rather, because Amber Compaction Syndrome prevented the Pure White Saintess from gaining the support of all the cardinals. Eivass became Pope not because he was universally acclaimed, but because both sides were unwilling to choose, opting for a “compromise” in the middle. Therefore, these matters indeed fell outside his purview.

For instance, the conflict between the Lord and slaves in the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi is becoming increasingly acute. With widespread water depletion once again, the Fourth Water War is taking shape. The trade in human bodies and slave trafficking by goblins is becoming more blatant. In the Iris Flower region, the Eagle Eye organization has begun orchestrating cross-border assassinations of high-ranking officials in the Black Hawk Duchy and the Daffodil Duchy who have sided with the Child of the Moon.

These issues are all troublesome to resolve, involving long-standing conflicts between various countries and races. They require a consistent and stable long-term policy that cannot be changed on a whim. Thus, the cardinals were waiting for Pure White to recover from her compaction and formally assume the position before addressing them. But now, this is no longer a problem.

After the establishment of the new order, the first action taken by the cardinals was to bring all these issues to the forefront and present them to Eivass for a decision. The internal struggles among these cardinals were not driven by a lust for power, but by a dispute over their Paths. Extraordinary beings who reach the Fifth Tier inevitably possess incredibly steadfast and resolute Path of the Heart. They firmly believe they are in the right, and thus, there must exist enemies with whom they cannot coexist. They are fellow travelers, partners. But simultaneously, they are enemies – “fated rivals” with whom peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding are possible, but complete agreement is absolutely not.

However, the Child of the Candlemaster has reappeared. Therefore, there is no longer any need for arguments. They began arguing because there was simply no answer to the problem. But who could be more correct than the Child of the Candlemaster? They all witnessed Eivass transform from a pure human into the Child of the Candlemaster, meaning this identity did not stem from bloodline but from the Candlemaster’s acknowledgment. Since they are all followers of the Candlemaster, and the Candlemaster themselves has made a choice, who can say, “I believe the Candlemaster’s understanding of the Path of Devotion is insufficient”? To do so would be pure heresy, apostasy!

With a standard answer established, the arguments subsided. The cardinals smoothly accepted the shift in the Church’s execution policy. The current global situation is clearly vastly different from when the Church was founded. However, subsequent Popes were merely “successors of the Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy,” and none were willing to see the Church change under their tenure. This was also a consequence of the Amber Compaction blessing flowing through the elves’ bloodlines. The elves certainly knew they were relics of the past. But who could deny them? It was ancestral law! Ancestral law is immutable! The Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy is still watching from the heavens – truly watching. If the Great One were displeased, who could bear the responsibility? If there were truly any issues, none of the gods – the Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy, the Candlemaster, or the past Popes – would have sent a dream?

Since no god sent a dream or descended to indicate that past traditions were obsolete and could not be used, no one could alter the rules of their ancestors. Death is not the end in this World. Rather, death is the beginning of eternal life. This is especially true for high-level Extraordinary beings, particularly the elven Cardinals of the Church. After death, they either go to the Kingdom of Giant Trees, the Amber Forest, get imprinted by the Amber Heavenly Envoy, or become apostles appointed by the Candlemaster or the Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy.

They might not believe that past rules were necessarily good. But considering what happens after death, no one dares to gamble with their earthly affairs. However, the situation is different now. The Candlemaster personally bestowed the identity of Child of the Candlemaster upon a human, what does this signify? It signifies that the Candlemaster, the Great One, also acknowledges that the times have changed! The era of elves has ended, and the era of humans has arrived – old rules should naturally be abolished.

These cardinals immediately became more active. They had long found certain old rules displeasing. The title of Child of the Candlemaster is far more effective than any papal decree. Among them, Cardinal Belisarius was the most delighted. His Path of “Devotion” was closest to the concept of “Justice.” He had spent a long time in the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, witnessing much human suffering, but due to the Church’s rules, he was always prevented from helping others, having to wait for the “locals to personally ask for their help.” This waiting was agonizing. He sometimes fell into self-doubt. Intervening in other countries’ internal affairs easily overstepped boundaries and hindered the progression of eras, trapping new things within the vision of those who helped. But seeing injustice, why couldn’t he intervene? Watching misfortune unfold, seeing the wicked triumph, seeing injustice spread like wildfire across the land… seeing people mired in apathy, their straightened spines broken. No one sought help, no one dared to seek help – was this justice? Was merely watching from the sidelines the extent of his contribution? And now, Eivass had removed his shackles.

Regarding the situation in the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, Eivass personally gave extremely clear instructions: “If you see something that displeases you, then intervene. I have not yet witnessed it myself, so I cannot grant you the full power of the Church. If an unfair judgment occurs, you will be responsible; but if you trust your own path, then rest assured and act. I will go there eventually, and when I arrive, I will personally assess whether your actions were good or evil, right or wrong. Until then – do not wait. Since you wish to act, then act. If you make mistakes, correct them. If you do well, continue to advance… even if you make mistakes, it is better than doing nothing.”

This was completely different from the Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy’s approach, which advocated that “those who err will eliminate themselves,” “the advanced will eliminate the backward,” and “one only needs to wait for civilization to change on its own.” The Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy’s approach appeared aloof, compassionate, and rational. In its view, there will always be injustices in the world. The world will always move forward in cycles, becoming better. Suffering will always serve as nourishment for people; healing suffering, while seemingly solving a problem, actually halts societal progress. Therefore, it is better to observe and wait for society to develop on its own, only preventing world-ending, irreparable catastrophes.

The elves have always maintained this aloof stance. They would occasionally issue warnings or criticisms, or perhaps express satisfaction with developments and bestow favors. For most elves, this posed no issues. However, for the radical Cardinal Belisarius, he felt his kin were too arrogant. For the sake of the future, must the present be sacrificed? Does only suffering bring progress? But given the tradition, he could say nothing. He could only wait in the desert for locals to seek help.

It must be said that Eivass’s decisive attitude now was far more aligned with Cardinal Belisarius’s preferences! He was originally the most resistant cardinal to Eivass, a human, becoming Pope. Now, however, he had become Eivass’s most fervent follower! This human acts more efficiently than elves! This Child of the Candlemaster possesses a higher caliber than the Pope!

(End of this chapter)