The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 901

Chapter 900
The Eye of the Great Philosopher

Above the increasingly dark sky, countless dark clouds churned and raged.
The dense, cerulean lightning did not dissipate but remained in the air in its usual state. It was like blood vessels protruding beneath the skin, or like the parched, cracked earth during a prolonged drought.

A chaotic storm rushed over. Alistair’s bright golden hair whipped up behind her, fluttering like a flag. She extended an arm to shield her face, attempting to take another step forward, but encountered immense resistance.

Cardinal Galatea, standing beside her, tilted her head slightly. Her ice-cold, doll-like pupils gazed calmly at Alistair. Her long hair also whipped wildly behind her. Unbeknownst to them, the two had fallen behind the group.

They were not looking for Light Amber but were interested in something else. Those still following the group had been transformed into illusions. Because of this, Galatea no longer needed to maintain the illusion.

“Before Bewitchment Dispelling, ‘Language’ was a power belonging to the Great Philosopher,” Galatea narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky. “It was a power wielded by those who once turned their backs on us.”

When written language was still under the control of the priestly class, it represented a monopoly on interpretation. In the age before writing, poetry and song were sacred. It was a primal beauty and, simultaneously, a “mystery.”

“…The Great Philosopher is a silent god,” Alistair said. “He must have seen something to choose to remain silent.”

“I know,” Galatea immediately replied. “And I know it’s a secret about the First Sun. Although the Great Philosopher remained silent, he imparted this secret to that snake.”

[–The blind see me as black, the sighted see me as blue and gold.]
[–I am the one who bestows knowledge, pleasure, and glory, that intoxicating snake! If you wish to worship me, you must consume wine and the secret medicine I told my prophet until you are intoxicated.]

The words of the ancient Ring Heavenly Envoy echoed in Alistair’s mind. Knowledge… forbidden knowledge, intoxicating drunkenness. Pleasure, and glory…

Alistair extended her arm against the storm, gazing at the increasingly expanding lightning in the sky, her brow furrowed slightly. …Before the Ring Heavenly Envoy chose self-severance, she should have been a genuine Savior. It was precisely for this reason that the Hourglass had taught her, the Lord of Scales and Feathers had become her friend, and even the “silent” Great Philosopher had revealed the secrets he guarded… At that time, she must have been on the path to saving the world.

Until she chose self-severance. Having lost her “devotion,” she regretted the plan she had left behind. Alistair hadn’t fully understood before, but now, with Alistair’s memories, she could comprehend that feeling.

“I am not the snake,” Alistair suddenly said. “He has strayed from our path. And I am still on it.”

“I know,” Galatea sighed. “That’s why I’m telling you this. Because I don’t want you to lose… I don’t want that lying ‘snake’ to be the one who ultimately wins. I don’t know what he wants to do, but whatever he wants to do, I want to thwart it. I am already the last Atlantean… if I can still be considered human. Your Majesty the Pope, I apologize, but I can no longer dedicate everything. I am no longer an automaton; I have recovered my memories… I have a new responsibility, and I need to survive. Even if only as a recorder of history, as proof that Atlanteans existed. Therefore, I will not directly participate in your struggle with the snake, but if I can help you elsewhere, I will gladly do so with all my might. I am no longer pure. So, after this journey back, I will resign from my position as Cardinal.”

Her voice was soft and cool, like singing a melancholic song. “I want to return to the seabed… I want to see how much of Atlantis’s ruins remain.”

Alistair sighed, her tone gentle. “That’s a good thing. You’ve found the meaning of your existence, haven’t you? This is also a form of devotion… not for others, but for ‘the continuation of civilization.’ Forget about resigning. I’ll grant you an indefinite leave of absence, and you can find a substitute. Come back when you feel like it again. …Just be careful, there are ‘forbidden’ things on the seabed.”

“I know. Those things can’t harm me.” The girl with snow-white hair nodded, relieved. After requesting the leave, her tone became much lighter. Her peculiar attitude towards Alistair, half wary and half trusting, finally turned into pure affection.

Galatea pointed at the sky, looking as relaxed and romantic as if gazing at the stars in a summer night sky. “Look! The sun is dying.”

In the direction she indicated, the heavy veil of dark clouds gradually parted. Like a magician lifting a handkerchief to reveal a wondrous scene within—

The previously scorching and immense sun had now expanded in volume by at least more than twice. The sun had become enormous, yet it could no longer emit much light. Its current light was even dimmer than a streetlamp at night. Even looking directly at it wouldn’t cause discomfort. It resembled the moon more than the sun.

And at this moment. Above this sun, countless cerulean runes appeared— They looked like a vast ocean, or like hollows seeping from the surface of the moon. They gathered together, forming a ring on the sun. The current sun…

“…It looks like an eye?” Galatea murmured, somewhat doubtful. After all, she hadn’t witnessed this scene firsthand. She had left the Sky-Piercing Tower not long before it was destroyed by lightning. She had also been caught in the aftermath, lost consciousness, and even lost her life. Her soul was rescued by her people and, as per custom, transformed into a Star Crystal Person. Every dead Atlantean was made into a Star Crystal Person—they didn’t want their souls to be shattered by the Origin River after death, and there was no god willing to shelter them in the Dream Realm, so they had to rely on themselves.

But when Galatea was awoken, the Atlantean civilization had already vanished. That was long after the Second Sun died, and this world had already entered eternal night, even giving rise to the “Those with breasts” race.

Alistair did not reply. Her eyes widened in astonishment— …Because she had seen that eye before. It was when she was in Eagle Cape Village, facing the upside-down Prince of Giants, and activating Odin’s trial! The sky was like it was now, filled with lightning and storms everywhere. A giant single eye opened on the horizon. It was exactly like the sun before her eyes!

As the storm grew more violent, countless bolts of lightning finally overflowed— The furious lightning rained down like a downpour, sweeping across the entire land. One bolt of lightning directly struck the Sky-Piercing Tower! However, at this moment, a thin film of light suddenly appeared above the ninth floor of the Sky-Piercing Tower, easily blocking the power of the lightning.

At this time, the cerulean runes continued to fill the surface of the sun, like a cerulean iris. It increasingly resembled an eye, rather than a “sun” or “moon.” The many stars that had always existed in the sky, but were hidden by the cataclysmic scorching sun, were also sequentially lit up at this moment— A bright yellow halo spread outwards from the center of the eye. The originally faint starlight now became incomparably bright. Looking up, it was a magnificent celestial map!

Beneath the cover of the violent, seemingly world-ending rain of lightning, vertical beams of bright yellow light rose from the ground, reaching straight into the sky— With each rising light beam, a star in the sky would suddenly light up with brilliant radiance, then extinguish. Perhaps silver, perhaps gold, perhaps iridescent… …Holy crap. The Investiture of the Gods! Alistair almost blurted out.

(End of Chapter)