When Aiwass closed the "Shepherd's Secret Sutra", the black book no longer gave him the warm and delicate touch of human skin.
It became quiet. It was as if everything before was just an illusion.
At this time, Aiwass finally understood why he had not seen this book in the original history.
Because, if someone could really open this secret book correctly, he would most likely destroy it directly.
—The knowledge contained in it is too dangerous.
It solves a core problem of the Path of Transcendence—the Path of Transcendence cannot make others other than oneself stronger.
The essence of the transcendental path is to rebel against superiors, to pursue transcendence, and to seek higher things. It is an extremely selfish path.
The power of transcendence alone cannot benefit others. This is why although demon scholars often gather together, their power has never been integrated into one.
The "art of pastoral care" incorporates the characteristics of the path of devotion, allowing others to benefit by sacrificing oneself.
Feeding the demon with one's own flesh and blood, and then granting the demon's power to mortals - this logic is in line with the principles of the path of dedication. Because in this logical chain, the demon is just a symbol. It's like making money yourself and then sharing it with the poor.
Similarly, humans are sacrificed to the demons, giving them the power to grow, without taking any kickbacks or asking for any return. This also conforms to the principle of dedication - the "altruism" of dedication is not limited to humans or their own kind, and demons are of course also "others".
When the demon wants to give back power in response to this offering, he still does not take a single cent and gives it all to others. In this way, there is no "transaction" and it also conforms to the principle of dedication.
This whole behavior is full of demonic traces of ambition, and the undisguised "desire for advancement" can be seen from the motivation - to become stronger at all costs. But it does have a kind of divine mercy, always adhering to the only principle of "helping others gain strength to fulfill their wishes."
Everything a pastor does is not a transaction but a free charity.
But the shepherd finally got everything he wanted, and a nearly perpetual cycle was achieved.
"—must not leave this book behind."
A very clear thought emerged in Aiwas' mind.
If anyone other than himself reads this book, he or she would probably regard the great beast of the “Lord of the Beasts” as the herd of the shepherd.
Moreover, if this book was a purely spiritual classic, it would not have been a "banned book" and collected by the Supervisory Bureau.
The fact that it was taken away by the inspectors is enough to prove that the book is not that clean.
Of course, if the Supervisory Bureau gave the book to Aiwass, it was legal for him to read the book himself. As long as he did not pass on the knowledge in it, the Supervisory Bureau would not cause trouble for him and would turn a blind eye.
That's not the problem.
The real question is... where did the Inspectorate get this book
This book is the original text. Anyone who can open it correctly can obtain the knowledge above and receive the inheritance of the shepherd.
Does that mean that some people have become “pastors”
If someone knew the existence of the Shepherd's Secret Scripture and found out that it was the Glass Island Supervisory Bureau that took the book away, that person might be able to follow the trail and eventually find Aiwass.
This unknown enemy made Aiwas feel nervous.
He didn't know who the other party was - the successor of the "Shepherd" or another group of people who came to hunt down the "Shepherd". He didn't know when these people would come. He was not even sure whether this imaginary enemy really existed.
But just in case.
Aiwass needs to gain a stronger influence in Avalon so that he can drive the Supervisory Bureau to track down the possible "Shepherd".
At the same time, Aiwass did master the "pastoral" method...
After Aiwas finished reading this book, a new skill was quietly added to the back of his priest and demonologist professions.
Now, Aiwass's complete panel looks like this:
Priest LV6: Basic Prayer - Level 2 (3%), Fire Sacrifice - Level 1 (5%), Illumination - Level 1 (15%), Blessing - Level 1 (0%), Shepherding (Flesh and Blood) - Level 1 (0%)
Demonologist LV5: Demonology-1 level (16%), Basic Ritual-1 level (5%), Demon Contract-2 level (3%), Shepherding (Essence)-1 level (0%)
The Path Has Been Illuminated: Devotion - First Level; Transcendence - First Level
Mana Pool: 2/5 (Light), 4/5 (Dark), 11/15 (Fire)
Free experience: 50
Road Features—
Transcendence - Shadow Affinity LV1: You sign a life contract with the Shadow Fiend, and can use the first level of shadow power at will.
Consecration - Flame Container Lv1: You take the blood of the candle, and your soul is expanded. Your mana pool (fire) maximum capacity increases by 14
Authority - Silver Scale: With this mark as a sign, the Silver Crown Dragon is watching you. You have made a promise that cannot be violated. When you attack someone who violates the promise, you gain +1 advantage (divinity).
—As the chosen successor and the perfect inheritor of the “shepherd”, Aiwass has indeed inherited the complete “shepherding” skills.
And it is undeniable that...
This forbidden skill is indeed very useful to Aiwass.
Because when the Shepherd's Secret Sutra mentioned "using flesh and blood to make the phantom grow", Aiwass realized that he had made a major omission before -
In the game, the way for the Great Sin Scholar and the Great Beast Master to increase the level of the "Great Beast" is to take them to repeatedly kill the Phantom Demons with the same attributes. You only need to queue up a BOSS with a Phantom Demon of a specified attribute, and you can immediately challenge and defeat the opponent. Let the Great Beast grow by devouring the opponent's debris.
But this doesn't work well in real life.
Because he didn't have a "dungeon finder" to randomly sort the dungeons, and the phantoms couldn't be refreshed infinitely like the bosses in the dungeons, he could only raise the level of the phantoms by feeding them rare materials with corresponding attributes - this required a huge cost, and collecting materials also took time and energy.
But if he has the skill of shepherding (flesh and blood), he can sacrifice himself as food to the phantom demon.
Aiwas's oath was "not to use the lives and corpses of my own people as materials and sacrifices for my rituals", but he himself certainly did not fall into this category.
After all, "Self-Sacrifice" is a common skill of Demonologists, and it will not prevent them from advancing to Great Sin Scholars.
Although the “pastor” became skinny and covered with scars because of this kind of flesh and blood shepherding.
But Aiwass had the most orthodox priest heritage. The "fire worship" method, one of the four sacred skills carefully selected and prepared by the church over thousands of years, could allow Aiwass to quickly recover his lost life and heal his physical injuries.
—No need to sacrifice others.
All I have to do is let the big beasts slowly eat my own flesh and blood.
But he was unable to achieve this eternal cycle of soul and flesh with all people as grass.
He can grant the power of the phantom to others, and can also feed the phantom with his own flesh and blood. But he cannot feed the humans he shepherds to the phantom in return - because this involves the sacrifice of his own race, which will pollute his soul.
At this moment, Aiwas finally understood why the black book reacted after approaching Yulia.
Because it sensed the phantom demon in Yulia's body that had been suppressed for a long time and was malnourished.
The original text itself also has a faint spirituality.
Hatching phantom demon eggs is the simplest way to obtain weak infant phantom demons.
In the vision of the black book, Aiwas saw with his own eyes that the "Shepherd" who had developed to the middle stage obtained a large number of juvenile phantom demons through this method:
Those children who were the eggs of the phantom demons were collected from all over the world by his legions. After being fed with a decoction made from his blood for a long time, the phantom demons in their bodies would grow rapidly, and eventually the "eggs" would crack and hatch the phantom demons.
"... Anyway, let's destroy the book first."
Aiwass said to himself.
Regardless of whether his adoptive father will become the final boss, he must not read this book. It would be even more troublesome if his elder brother or Yulia saw it. Anyway, the knowledge in it has already drilled into Aiwas's brain, and he can't forget it even if he wants to.
From the moment he got the book, people who knew him would suspect that he had used it regardless of whether he used it or not.
Then there is no need to be reserved. Not only should we use it, but we should use it vigorously!
It just so happens that now is a chance to try the soothing effect of the "Shepherding" technique on the phantom demon...
Thinking of this, Aiwass stood up from his wheelchair.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his spirit formed a stable loop with the earth, and the shadow demon sleeping in Aiwass's shadow was immediately awakened.
The shadow beneath him spread out in an instant like ink spreading on paper.
My master…
A sticky, echoing voice rang out in Aiwas's mind, filled with a sense of danger.
You summoned me... for what
"Destroy it."
Aiwass whispered, throwing the Shepherd's Tantra into the bubbling shadows.
But it was not dissolved.
The Shadow Fiend showed obvious dissatisfaction.
Oh, you can't always treat me as a trash can, Master. Not everything can be thrown into my body... I crave for fresh flesh and blood, a sacred soul, and...
Just as Shadow Fiend expressed his dissatisfaction, Aiwass pulled out his own pure silver dagger from the table.
It was a ritual knife used to carve ritual formations. It was sharp but not tough enough.
Aiwass smeared the ritual knife with cinnamon and rosemary essential oils. He infused a little light and dark attribute mana into each of the two essential oils.
Then he placed it over the candle flame and lightly passed it over it. A deep and dim light emerged from the ritual knife.
Aiwass stretched out his right hand and took a deep breath.
Then he squeezed it tightly until the blade cut through the tendons and sank into the bone.
"Then take it, my blood, my bones, my flesh..."
He endured the severe pain and silently said in his heart:
Eat in silence, my lamb...
I am the Eucharist, this is mercy
The pool of mana in Aiwas' body suddenly loosened - his little remaining three-color mana was randomly injected into the blood, leaking out rapidly like a bathtub with the cork removed.
He contemplated that what flowed out of his wounds was not red blood, but golden honey and white milk. He lowered his eyes, and the look he gave the Shadow Demon became compassionate and pitiful.
Aiwass tried hard to make his heart free of fear, greed, pain and hatred, only pure kindness and love.
It was as if the person in front of him was not a cunning and deadly demon, but a starving beggar child on the roadside.
It is a pure, equal, supreme gift.
—Voluntary sacrifice has a kind of holiness, just as Aiwas can summon higher demons when used as a sacrifice.
And now, the blood he donated voluntarily with the correct ritual has become an extremely sweet and delicious offering that can make the phantom demon addicted—
The Shadow Demon, who was originally full of complaints, immediately shut up.
It rose from the ground like crazy, and like dozens of snakes entangled together, it gently wrapped around Aiwas's right hand, greedily licking every drop of blood, including the gaps between the fingers and the back of the hand.
Until the mana pool in Aiwass' body was completely exhausted and no more mana could flow out, the "shepherding" ceremony was terminated.
Aiwass pulled out the ritual knife, and the wound healed on its own.
Even though the scorching blood had disappeared, the Shadow Fiend was still licking Aiwass's right hand intently, just like a puppy licking its owner's palm after eating the food in his hand.
“… It seems like you like it very much.”
Aiwass's face was pale, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
His voice was weak—half from the blood loss, half from the pain.
During the ceremony, he cannot frown because of the pain, showing disgust and fear, otherwise the pastoral ceremony will fail.
But it works now.
The deep scars that could be seen through the bones did bring him great pain, but fortunately he endured it, so the ritual did not fail.
… Yes Master
The Shadow Demon's attitude suddenly changed and he became obedient.
I love so much
The tone of voice became visibly flattering, no longer muddy and dangerous animalistic, but became a hoarse and low female voice.
The Shadow Fiend is amorphous, with no physical body and no gender.
This was just its way of showing its flattery and submission to Aiwass - in its own clumsy way.
"Then go back first," Aiwass said calmly, "Do you remember what I asked you to do?"
Of course, my dear lord...
The Shadow Demon responded without hesitation.
It transformed into a black, agile hound, leaped high, and slammed headfirst into the secret book that Aiwass had thrown to the ground.
But it bounced out—
When the shadow demon struck the black book, it suddenly burst into a searing flame, like a hammer hitting an anvil.
The impact only caused the black book to be torn, but it was not corroded immediately.
However, the Shadow Demon seemed to have been provoked and lost face, and immediately transformed into an even more ferocious and huge wolf, and crashed into the "Shepherd's Secret Sutra" again.
This time it was finally powerless to resist - the corrosive shadow continued to pour into the pages, and it became dry, decayed, blackened, shrunk, and twisted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Finally, it turned into dust and disappeared without a trace.
The Shadow Demon sank into Aiwass's shadow again and disappeared without a trace.
Aiwass didn't have time to carefully wipe the blood stains on the ritual knife, so he could only put the silver dagger back into the sheath. This would undoubtedly destroy the ritual knife, but he didn't care about that anymore.
When the ceremony ended, he felt increasingly tired and dizzy.
His fingers were shaking wildly due to the severe pain and blood loss, and his brain was swelling due to the complete exhaustion of his mana. Everything in front of him was shrinking and expanding, as if he was about to black out after drinking too much, or as if he couldn't lift his eyelids and was drowsy in the advanced mathematics class...
—Next time, I need to save at least a little mana for the Fire Sacrifice. I was so weak after using up all my mana...
Very good, this is a very important experience. It is better to learn it in a safe place than to understand it in a crisis...
A final, incomplete thought came to Aiwass' mind. He staggered back to the bed.
He didn't even have time to take off his clothes or cover himself with a blanket before he fainted in his bed.