The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 876

Chapter 875
Professor Bard’s Dream

Professor Bard had been in Daffodil Duchy for some time.
The Royal Law University’s vacation began in mid-April, and the third semester, dedicated to internships, experiments, verification, and exams, would start on May 1st.
It was now the exam season for the second semester, and formal lectures had concluded.
—As for trivial matters like exams and grading, any assistant teacher among the students would suffice. The school didn’t particularly care.

Though Eivass would no longer be able to return as his assistant… Eivass had enlightened Professor Bard’s thinking. When Eivass went abroad for a tour of the Church and became an Archbishop on the very first day, Professor Bard, with considerable foresight, found his second assistant.
At that time, Professor Bard had already had a premonition: Eivass most likely would not return for classes.
He had originally planned to travel to Star Antimony at the end of the second semester, which was mid-April.

Star Antimony’s archaeological methods were quite beneficial for foreign archaeologists like him.
Whether it was hiring archaeological expeditions or sponsoring them – he wasn’t going to resell antiquities, just write a thesis. With the official seal of Star Antimony, no one would suspect him of academic fraud. He wasn’t a Star Antimony native, so there was no point in them lying for him; it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Queen Isabel’s orders also suited him perfectly.
Originally, he had only intended to excavate ruins from the Hengwo Era – which, at most, would involve digging up elven ruins, possibly encountering guardians like monsters or undead.
But when he heard someone had found ruins possibly from the Amber Era, Professor Bard was immediately invigorated.
That was an ancient ruin from before humanity… even before the elves!

—This was Professor Bard’s regret!
He knew that the era before the elves was called the Amber Era… the era ruled by the Winged Ones and the Scaled Ones, when the “Children of the Great Tree,” the “Those with breasts,” had just been born and were in an era of primitive civilization. It wasn’t until the Second Sun died that that era gradually came to an end, and the era of elves and monsters began.
Unlike Avalon and the Church, which were island nations.
The Hrasal Empire, as a coastal continental nation, should have had traces of ancient civilization. However, to this day, human history had not confirmed any traces of existence prior to the Hengwo Era. The oldest historical fragments that humanity had obtained were the “civilization of sacrifice and language” left behind after the fall of the Second Sun.
Although he knew from the elves and dragons that civilization definitely existed in that era, they knew nothing about it. And the elves were unwilling to share that secret.
For an archaeologist, there was nothing more exciting than excavating such prehistoric civilizations!

Professor Bard was very, very old. Although he looked only fifty or sixty, and his hair wasn’t even completely white, he was just bald on top. In reality, Bard was from the same era as Meg… he was ninety years old this year.
Minister Dross, his contemporary, already needed potions to sustain his life. Even so, Minister Dross had contracted the adaptability of the Twilight Path—he had begun to fear death.
Professor Bard’s ability to travel abroad at his age was entirely due to the blessings he had received from the Hourglass for his academic research achievements. Coupled with the attention he received from Avalon, this allowed the old man to wander around in good spirits, free from illness and disaster.
Even so, the old man’s energy and condition were clearly declining.
He knew this might be his last on-site archaeological excavation. Therefore, after obtaining Eivass, a healer, he boldly wanted to excavate ruins from the Hengwo Era – and only the Hengwo Era.
Because the elves had strict regulations regarding archaeology, the “Ancient Ruins Restoration Committee” generally did not allow non-professionals to engage in archaeology. They believed that any form of archaeology could cause damage to ancient ruins. For this reason, the old man had never found a priest teammate. Priests above the rank of Bishop did not dare to come, as it might offend the Ancient Ruins Restoration Committee.
That was a core force composed of three Cardinals.

When Professor Bard asked Eivass to go with him, it was because Eivass was still a student, not a formally ordained clergyman with holy orders – the core rule of “children don’t know any better” was applicable everywhere. This would not bring any negative consequences to Eivass.
And the more ancient the ruins, the greater the danger within.
However, Professor Bard not only wanted to become “the most accomplished historian in Avalon after its founding,” but he also wanted to… go further.
Historical knowledge did not belong to the Nine Great Paths, but the act of excavating and restoring history simultaneously aligned with the philosophies of the Path of Balance, the Twilight Path, and the Path of Wisdom. If he could gain the favor of a Heavenly Envoy or even a Pillar God, perhaps he would have the chance to become an Apostle!

—That was Bard’s ambition!
This was not wishful thinking, as he had already received a blessing once.
If he went further, perhaps he could become an Apostle!
As long as he could become an Apostle, he would no longer die of old age. And he could maintain his clear consciousness to explore the vast, mysterious, and ancient Dream Realm, which was even more expansive than the Material Realm, and personally communicate with the great figures of the past, directly obtaining firsthand information from the parties involved… nothing could be more appealing than that.
Whether he could become an Apostle… depended on this last archaeological expedition!
To turn into ashes, or to step into eternity—

It was precisely for this reason that Professor Bard attached great importance to this archaeological expedition.
Because the employer, Master Dürer, intended to hire a top-tier team with a high salary, Professor Bard didn’t even bring his own team. He traveled overseas alone… Although he was escorted by the Gryphon Legion on his way here, he had to take care of his own daily living.
And the quality of this archaeological team also made him quite satisfied.
Six Fourth Tier protectors, consisting of a Temple Guard Monk, a Dream Traveling Monk, an Archmage, a Trap Master, a Survival Expert, and a Great Shaman. One from the Path of Devotion, two from the Path of Wisdom, two from the Path Adaptation, and one from the Transcendent Path—coupled with the employer’s own Preserver profession from the Twilight Path, the occupational distribution could be considered extremely reasonable.
As such, their team could provide comprehensive solutions to illusions, mechanisms, poisons, rituals, runes, and monsters simultaneously.
—It was just a shame that they still couldn’t recruit high-level priests.

Professor Bard stroked his chin with some regret.
If a priest could help them complement their countermeasures against undead and curses, and further obtain immediate healing abilities… their team would be flawless.

“Mr. Dürer.”
Professor Bard asked, “Are you waiting for someone?”
Since this morning, their employer, Albrecht Dürer, had been sitting motionless at the entrance of the villa they had temporarily rented.
This manor was their base. After all, it took time for people to gather. To prevent these talents from leaving, providing them with a good living environment was a necessity.
Their team was already complete, yet Mr. Dürer had not set off. Even when asked, he only said, “It’s not time yet.”
Given that they were paid a substantial daily salary for each day they stayed, the rest of the team patiently enjoyed their time in Daffodil Duchy. They treated it as a vacation… perhaps only Professor Bard was slightly anxious, but it wasn’t too bad.
The third semester had not yet begun, and he had at least several months to spend here. Moreover, for the sake of this archaeological expedition… he could even suspend his classes; everything could be put aside for this supreme cause.

The heavy snow summoned by the succession of the Winter Envoy had only recently receded. Snow could still be seen on some rooftops. The April sun, slightly warmer, shone on this snow, creating a sensation of warm sunshine and pleasantly cool breezes.
Therefore, almost everyone else on the team had gone out to play.
Besides Albrecht Dürer and Professor Bard, only the Temple Guard Monk was meditating here.
And the taciturn Mr. Dürer did not respond.

Professor Bard felt a bit bored, so he shook his head and habitually asked, “Speaking of which, do you know the origin of the name Protagonus Territory?”
This was not out of showing off his knowledge, but merely to find some amusement when bored.
He always liked to tell stories, which was probably why he enjoyed being a teacher. However, the stories he told were always boring, to the point that even his students would yawn.

“—This name comes from the Apostle Protogoras, a great philosopher and a mage lord during the Hrasal Empire.”
It was not Mr. Dürer who answered Professor Bard, but a familiar yet somewhat strange voice from outside the door: “There is a mage tower in Daffodil Duchy called ‘Protogoras.’ Its name comes from Protogoras’s magical inheritance… According to the ‘Mage Tower Affiliated Land Management Act,’ mage lords were granted powers similar to those of nobles in other countries, including the right to name territories.
“Generally, the names of the counties in Daffodil Duchy are derived from the surnames of the local mage lords, unless the mage lord specifically names the land…”

The voice approached from a distance. Dürer suddenly looked up and looked towards the door.
With that said, Eivass pushed the door open and entered.
He looked at Professor Bard, a smile on his lips, “Tell me, am I right?
“—Teacher?”

“Eivass! …Eivass?!”
Professor Bard was stunned, “You’re not—”
Weren’t you supposed to be the acting Pope in the Church? How do you have time to come here?!
Just as he was about to say this, he saw the decorations and runes on Eivass’s robe.
He recognized the authenticity with just one glance: “Hollowed ancient scripture gold ornaments, Nine Saints’ Rune gold buttons, nine-inch antler thorn patterns… it’s truly the formal wear specifications of the Eternal Pope.”
Unbelievable.
Although he had heard before that his student was now the acting Pope… he had already been stunned once then. But because it was too absurd, he had no sense of reality at all.
But it was different now.
He saw it with his own eyes—
At that moment, the absurd feeling accumulated over the past few months finally surged.
—Did my student really become a Cardinal? Did my student become the Eternal Pope? Why did His Holiness the Pope come in person? Are you also here for the excavation? Is everything alright with the Church without the Pope?
Countless questions flooded Professor Bard’s mind, making him unable to speak, his eyes wide open.
At this moment, Dürer stood up directly and bowed deeply to Eivass, “Your Majesty the Pope.”

When looking at Dürer, the exaggerated “Aha, you didn’t expect this, did you?” smile on Eivass’s face slightly subsided. He nodded gently, “May the Pillar God protect you, Master Dürer… or rather, Master Amber.”
“…You knew my identity after all.”
“I met Mr. Grunewald. You also knew I was coming after seeing the letter from over there, didn’t you?”
Eivass chuckled, then placed a finger to his lips, “But remember… don’t tell those people my identity. But you don’t need to hide it deliberately; just call me Eivass. Or Moriarty is fine too.”
In the past, Eivass would habitually use the alias “Alistair.”
But now, for some reason, he felt a strange reluctance to use it.

At this moment, Professor Bard’s hesitant voice sounded again, “You are…?”
It was the girl who had come together with Eivass, with pure white long hair and a snow-like temperament.
She looked cold and silent, so quiet she seemed like a lifeless sculpture. Her hair, cut as if with a single stroke, exuded a silent, icy sharpness.
Master Amber nodded, acknowledging Eivass’s words. Then he looked up at the girl.
He glanced at her, paused, then his eyes widened as he tried to see clearly.
“…Is it mechanical?”
Master Amber asked, confused, “And a soul?”
“This is Cardinal Galatea,”
Eivass introduced, “A… Star Crystal Person born in the Amber Era, a helper I found.
“—She might have more understanding of these ruins.”

At this moment, Master Amber’s heart was suddenly filled with a sense of foreboding.
Three Fifth Tiers, six Fourth Tiers… the number of Extraordinary individuals had unknowingly reached nine.
Nine—
…That was the number of “perfection,” and also the number required for a great ritual.
(End of this chapter)