Chapter 56 The Shepherd
Monday afternoon at three o'clock, above the eternal gray fog.
The Tarot Club welcomes a new member today, Derrick Berg, codenamed Sun, and known to others as Mr. Sun. Considering his age, calling him "Mr." seems a bit premature, but his tall stature makes up for it.
Through their conversations during the transaction, Audrey (Justice) and Alger (The Hanged Man) quickly discovered that the newcomer's origins were very mysterious, and his worldview and cognition seemed abnormal, as if he came from a completely different world.
From where exactly did Mr. Fool pull him into the gray fog?
A sense of awe for Mr. Fool welled up in their hearts.
Despite the shock, the gathering had to continue. After Mr. Fool finished reading Rosell's diary, the group began their usual discussion. Audrey first shared several important national matters, including her secret efforts to successfully promote the open examination for selecting officials, and the recent decision by the Loen leadership not to retaliate against the Fussac Empire in East Byron.
After that, Alger made a new request to Audrey: to find clues about a great pirate known as "Hurricane Admiral" Zilingus, who had secretly infiltrated the capital of Loen, Backlund, with his purpose still unclear.
When Alger detailed the magical item "Crawling Hunger" possessed by Zilingus, its abilities and negative effects caused [Sun] Derrick, who had been listening silently, to exclaim in astonishment:
"shepherd!"
shepherd?
He drew everyone's attention at the same time.
Klein quickly recalled the information he knew before; it seemed to be Sequence 5 of the Mystic Path, which was extremely powerful.
In the sun's subsequent description, he learned more details. The shepherd could devour the souls of other extraordinary beings and harness their living abilities as if shepherding lambs for the gods.
If Luze could reach Sequence 5, he'd probably become just as strong.
Listening to Derrick's (the Sun) introduction, Klein couldn't help but think to himself. Wait a minute, speaking of which, this case in Enmat Port itself involves the Aurora Society; we might really run into the Shepherd.
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At this moment, Lu Ze, who was by the sea, had no idea that his colleague was muttering about him above the gray fog; his attention was entirely on the bar in front of him.
Entering the "Unruly" bar, which opened in the afternoon, I gave the bartender a few pence as a tip and went through the door behind him into the backyard, where a lively scene immediately came into view.
"Fresh mummy powder, 10 pounds for 5 grams!"
"Powder left by a vengeful spirit, 150 pounds!"
"Live Lava octopus, just caught from the sea, price negotiable!"
The beach was filled with stalls, much like the fish market Lu Ze had seen in his previous life. The stall owners were all shouting and trying to attract customers, and some even drove their boats over and started selling right there on the boats, with strange and terrifying-looking fish spread out on the small sampans.
So blatant?
According to Dai Li, due to the large flow of people in Port Enmat, the official staff of Extraordinary Ones are insufficient, making it very difficult to manage these places. So they simply turn a blind eye and allow them to operate semi-openly as long as they do not openly engage in activities involving Extraordinary Ones.
Lu Ze protected his wallet, his eyes scanning the various stalls.
The rituals of the Mystic only require flesh and blood, but other rituals still consume some materials. Luze bought some herbs and essential oils from several stalls, spending about 2 soles. Continuing forward, he arrived at the middle of the market, where a very conspicuous stall caught his attention.
There weren't any materials or items on the stall, just two signs. One of them read: "Making/Identifying Magical Items, Prices Starting from £100."
That's too expensive. No, magical items aren't something ordinary people can make. I remember it requires an extraordinary person called a "craftsman".
Lu Ze looked at the second sign and then raised an eyebrow slightly.
The second sign read: Seeking someone skilled in ritual magic. Reward negotiable.
The stall owner was a young woman who sat calmly behind her stall, looking at a few manuscripts and occasionally fiddling with a mechanical clock in her hand. Her stall had a prime location and occupied a large area, but it was completely empty, and the surrounding stall owners didn't seem to have any objections.
She's probably an official.
Lu Ze quickly made his judgment after a brief observation. Her central location in the market allowed her to oversee the entire situation; she was likely in charge of supervising it. Coupled with her ability to create magical items, it was practically an open secret that she was a member of the Steam Church.
Why would someone from the Steam Church want to find someone who knows ritual magic?
Lu Ze suddenly became interested.
He stepped forward, pointed to the second sign, and smiled, "I'm curious, what is your purpose in seeking someone who knows ritual magic?"
The girl, who was feeling bored, put down the manuscript, looked up at Lu Ze, and said, "Do you know how? If not, don't ask."
Luze's popular face didn't seem to have any effect; the girl seemed to prefer looking at machines to people.
"I see."
Lu Ze remained noncommittal, about to continue speaking, when he suddenly noticed the manuscript paper in the other person's hand. It did not contain mechanical drawings or mathematical formulas, but was filled with densely packed square characters.
It is Russell's diary.
The girl seemed to be studying Roselle's manuscript. This emperor, once known as the "Son of Steam," was respected within the Steam Church, which valued invention and creation, so it was reasonable for her to possess such a thing.
However, she held the diary upside down, which allowed Lu Ze to see the words on it.
"Perhaps I can start considering changing my approach. If the path of becoming a generalist doesn't work out, I still have other options."
Sequence pathways can actually be replaced!
His eyes narrowed slightly.
In that case, is it possible for me to switch to other, less dangerous, approaches?
Just as Lu Ze was about to continue reading, the page was suddenly pulled back. Looking up from the page, he met the girl's wary gaze.
What are you going to do?
She gripped the metal pocket watch, frowned, and asked, "If you have nothing else to do, hurry up and leave. Don't block my way!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I saw it was Emperor Roselle's notes, and I lost my composure for a moment."
Lu Ze composed himself and said with a smile, "Actually, it's like this. I happen to be quite skilled in ritual magic, which might be able to help you. I just don't know what kind of reward you can offer me?"
Are you really sure you can?
The girl looked him up and down, seemingly a little suspicious.
"This is something I did through a ritual."
Lu Ze simply took out a slumber talisman from his pocket. "You should be able to tell this is genuine, right?"
He was determined to get his hands on that diary no matter what, and carefully examine how to find an alternative method. Perhaps this was a good opportunity for him to break free from the influence of the true creator.
Goodness, we've reached chapter fifty-six, and the shepherd has finally appeared, finally getting to the point.