Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1241 The Pastor's Legacy
This place is already filled with thick streaks of dust, like a computer case fan that hasn't been cleaned in years.

Zhu Tang made a hand gesture and summoned a green breeze that was visible to the naked eye, which picked up and blew it away.

As the wind blew in, a golden-red light gradually lit up in the tunnel.

It was not fire, but a red gem with a gray edge, like red-hot charcoal. In other words, it was a kind of self-igniting charcoal that was extremely resistant to burning.

Old Iben nodded slightly to Zhu Tang and walked in.

"What happens after that?"

But Haina was itching to know what would happen next.

Becoming a ritualist or a curse master... What happened after that? Did you find the murderer? Did you get revenge?

"If you know the effect of the Heartbreak Curse, you can easily guess... who cursed it and why Ibn's father dared not seek a cure."

Aiwas patted Haina’s shoulder and whispered, “That’s the Good Lord himself.

"Obviously, the benefactor didn't execute him directly, which means he didn't have any evidence in his hands - this was probably an anonymous accusation. The benefactor suspected him, but didn't want to kill him directly, so he tortured him with a curse to observe his reaction.

"If Ibn's father really had a 'clear conscience', then his reaction would definitely be the same as Ibn's when he was a child, thinking that the people who assassinated him were assassins from the rebels. Then we can see how he really thinks about this matter by seeing how many rebels he killed."

"…And if you are still merciful despite being cursed, it means there is probably something wrong, right?"

After all, she was from Avalon, so Haina immediately guessed the good master's method.

But she also realized this problem in an instant: "But, he endured the curse and died, doesn't that mean——"

This is undoubtedly equivalent to acknowledging the questioning of the Good Lord and trying to transform this temptation into "punishment".

——I am already dead, so let’s just leave it at that.

"Yes……"

Old Ibn said slowly: "Father is indeed a brave warrior, but he does not understand politics. Or, he takes his life too seriously."

"This is confession. How could the emperor not pursue the intelligence of the traitor just because you chose to commit suicide?"

Zhu Tang sighed: "Warriors are like this... they think too simply. Those slaves... those well-trained slaves should be spies."

"Yes."

Iben nodded. "When I learned about the effects of the Heartbreak Curse, I immediately guessed the truth."

He was only a teenager at the time, but he understood this truth, while his father didn't understand it even after he rose to the position of leader of the guards... This shows that studying is indeed useful.

"My mother must have guessed the truth. So one day, she ran away secretly with some things without even leaving a suicide note. Since then, she has never come back.

"Perhaps because our mother abandoned us, the benevolent master thought that my sister and I had nothing to do with this matter. So he recalled the slaves. At that time, I was already living in the academy and rarely went home... Perhaps it was because I showed an outstanding talent for rituals, so the benevolent master treated me very well. He often sent people to reward me in public and gave me some expensive ritual materials..."

Old Iben laughed at himself and said, "This is obviously a way to separate me from my friends. But I have to say, this method is really effective.

"At that time, I couldn't tell whether those friends who came to me were spies of the good master, or whether they came to me for the reward of the good master. Those classmates who sympathized with the slaves almost all separated from me... At that time, all the ritual groups respected me and feared me... but also stayed away from me and despised me.

"later……"

Old Ibn was in a trance for a moment. "I joined the Sandthroat Sect, too. It was really not easy."

"Sand throat..."

Zhu Tang murmured, "I've heard this name before... from the mouth of my friend who is resting."

"After all, the reputation of the Sandthroat is much better than that of the Red Hand." Old Ibn nodded. "The Sandthroat sect believes that if we want to overthrow the rule of the Good Lord, we must train ourselves to be able to do without water. The sect will mix finely ground cactus thorns with honey to make a special drink. If you take this drink, scales like those of a snake man will grow inside your throat, which can effectively resist thirst. The price is that your voice will become hoarse...

"They would give this drink to slaves to reduce their desire for water. The sect believed that only those who truly did not desire water could have the determination to assassinate the good master."

"…Is it just that you're not thirsty?"

The knowledgeable Plotinus felt something was wrong: "But it sounds... like it can't solve the problem of water shortage. People will die if they lack water, but it can only solve the problem of not making people thirsty."

"Yes."

Old Ibn nodded and admitted, "The sect can't make people stop needing water, nor can they give people water. They can only give people a way to stop being thirsty... Once you accept the sand throat drink, you will never feel thirsty due to lack of water. You may even die of thirst without realizing that you are already lacking water.

"These rebels who are resting in peace all have some problems to some extent... and this is the limit of what they can do."

"I think this drink..."

Aiwass said softly: "It's probably irreversible."

"……Correct."

Old Ibn was silent for a while, then nodded: "After taking the Sand Throat Drink, you will no longer be able to judge the degree of your dehydration. Therefore, it is easy to die. It also contains ingredients such as scorpion venom that can make people excited and cover up pain. And its significance is that it can make people endure pain for a short period of time... so that they have the will to assassinate others.

"The Sandthroat Sect is actually a sect that encourages slaves to assassinate free people and even good masters. They also study other things, mostly things that enhance the slaves' combat effectiveness or improve their life experience. And without exception... they are actually poisons that overdraw the human body.

"For example, there is a spell that can transform a person's lungs into a sponge-like organ - thereby being able to extract moisture from the air while preventing it from being lost with breathing. This is the technology that the Sand Throat Cult is most proud of, and it is also the reason why the Good Lord wants to wipe it out..."

As he spoke, Old Iben walked to the end of the secret passage.

Contrary to expectations, there is no treasure room here.

There was only a table, two chairs, a clothes rack, and a wooden box. Light was faintly seeping through the gaps in the wooden boards above, and it was obvious that this place was not far from the ground.

Rather than hiding things, the main purpose here may be to escape.

Old Eben picked up a notebook from the table and started flipping through it.

"This is not my family heirloom because my ancestors were not ritualists. My family has been hunters for generations, and it was only my generation that started to read."

Old Ibn said slowly: "This is the last relic of the Sandthroat Sect. Fortunately...even though we were reported, my friends are still willing to believe me. They kept this treasure with me."

"what is this?"

Aiwass asked.

And old Iben drew a card from it.

Seeing this, Aiwass was suddenly stunned.

Because it was an ancient hand-painted card that looked like a tarot deck.

Aiwass was very familiar with the image on the card - it was the Tarot card "The Sun".

But the faces on the card were completely blank. The faces of the sun, the child, and the white horse all looked as if they had been scraped off with a knife.

"This is a relic left by someone who was executed in history."

Old Iben handed the card to Plotinus and said slowly: "The relics of the 'Shepherd'."

(End of this chapter)