Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1317 Grandet's Apology with Thorns
At this moment, Aiwass, Sherlock, and Isabel were discussing the constitution of Wanning.

Upon hearing of the unexpected arrival of the guest, Aiwass looked up in surprise.

"...Mr. Grandet?"

Aiwass raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "At this time?"

He really wanted to know why Grandet, whom he had met not long ago, would come here at the busiest time in Wanning.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't bother someone when they're incredibly busy." Because at that moment, they'll probably want to bury their head in your neck.

Based on Aiwass's several encounters with Grandet, the goblin merchant was undoubtedly a person with very high emotional intelligence.

He couldn't possibly be unaware that at this moment, both Aiwas and Isabel would be anxious and frustrated by the sudden surge of workload—the Kingdom of Wanning had just been established, and the rules had to be finalized before the people's fervor subsided, and ideally, they shouldn't be changed afterward… Therefore, it was best to get it right the first time. Even if that wasn't possible, they should try to move in that direction as much as possible.

After all, constantly changing policies is the most hurtful thing.

For Aiwas, the Kingdom of Wanning was actually very valuable.

Aiwass has no shortage of mortal power. Whether it was in Avalon in the past, in New Hellasl now, or in the Eternal Kingdom, his opinions can directly influence the highest levels.

Therefore, this does not refer to the value brought by worldly wealth and honor, but rather to the significance of "great achievements".

Only a few Celestial Masters, such as the Butterfly Celestial Master, the Winter Celestial Master, and the Bear Celestial Master, attained their positions because of certain symbolic meanings. Apart from these, to achieve the position of Celestial Master or Pillar God, one must first change and transform the material world—it's not that one must perform miracles after becoming a god, but rather that one must perform miracles to attain a divine position.

—This is a miracle that only happens once in a hundred thousand years of reincarnation!
Only when Aiwas walked this path could everything develop so naturally.

Only Aiwass could turn the desert into an oasis, and only Aiwass could liberate people from the tragic cycle of inevitably becoming slaves, sacrifices, and perpetrators. A miracle accomplished only once in ten lifetimes... his achievements as the pillar god of miracles are beyond question.

On a deeper level, the tragedy of rest in peace stems precisely from nothingness itself—

The Sin Thorn is proof that the Void has devoured the world; the Abyss Heaven Division is the "taboo" itself, devoured by the Void; the ancestors of the Benevolent Ones—those mages of the Tower of Babel—were also exiled because Weizhe struck the tower with lightning, and Weizhe did this because of the infection of the Void…

For these reasons... it can be said that without nothingness, there would be no peace as we know it today; or rather, without the influence of nothingness, peace would not be what it is today.

Aiwass's transformation of Parthia and establishment of Manning, from a symbolic perspective, also signifies a challenge to the void—just as Arthur led the Knights of the Round Table to Avalon in the past.

But at this critical moment, Grandet suddenly requested an audience...

Aiwas narrowed his eyes slightly.

Could it be that because the Sin Thorn was completely eradicated by Aiwass and the desert turned into an oasis, he came specifically to confirm whether the underground waterway project should continue?

Or perhaps they wanted to take advantage of the newly established Wanning Kingdom to undertake some of its infrastructure projects? That would certainly have been a great help to Aiwas…

Or……

Aiwas's lips curled up slightly.

Seeing Aiwass's expression, Isabel understood his attitude.

She turned around and ordered, "Bring him in."

Sherlock frowned slightly, instinctively suspicious of everything. He tilted his head slightly, reminding Aiwass, "I think our old friend's arrival might not be so coincidental..."

His thinking was simple—as a pure Avalonian, Sherlock actually quite disliked goblins. In his view, the consumer culture fostered by these overly mercenary goblins was largely one of the roots of moral decay.

From a rational perspective, the goblins did indeed provide Avalon with considerable assistance. After consolidating resources, the goblins were able to reduce costs to a level that would allow them to crush all their competitors.

Trying to bypass them would not only incur higher costs, but the quality might not be as good, and the efficiency would inevitably be much slower. Therefore, from the perspective of the nation, Sherlock knew that cooperating with these goblins was the only option.

However, Sherlock remained deeply concerned about the earth.

His brain told him that these born businessmen were absolutely untrustworthy...

As Sherlock was speaking, Grandet was brought in, and Sherlock fell silent—not out of fear, but simply to save face for Grandet. After all, given Grandet's power, he could certainly have overheard the entire conversation from outside the door.

Moreover, this is also a sign of respect for Aiwass and Isabel.

Now there is a legitimate Sultanah here, a future deity personally authorized to Sultanah... but as a mere prime minister, he has no say in front of the guests, nor is it his turn to speak.

So Sherlock leaned back slightly and quietly moved to a more sideways position, no longer blocking Aiwass and Isabel's view.

Isabelle rested her right arm on the table, and as she turned to the side, a queenly smile—approachable yet dignified—adorned her: "Look, isn't this our friend Grandet? What brings Mr. Grandet to this time..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Aiwass with a smile, implying that the focus of the conversation would be Aiwass, not her.

Then he continued, "Is there something urgent that you need your friends' help with?"

The implication is that if it's not a big deal, don't waste our time.

But Isabel hadn't expected this.

Grandet immediately knelt down and bowed deeply to Aiwass!
In his deep, hoarse voice, he respectfully offered this praise in standard Avalon: "In the name of the rising sun, the blazing fire, and the vermilion, I worship the innocent three times. I behold the great face of the halo, the Son of the Candle, the Lord of Miracles..."

Upon hearing this, Aiwass's eyes widened in surprise.

These are the words that Chroxius and Ottolucus once spoke to Iwas, a praise to the Son of the Candlelight according to ancient Elvish rites. If spoken in Elvish, each line would rhyme and have a consistent syllable length, just like an ancient sacrificial ritual.

After the establishment of the Church, even modern elves no longer used this ritual—they at most offered blessings in the name of the Pillar God. Following the establishment of the Church, the Nine Pillar Gods Church changed its old traditions and rituals. From then on, the format of hymns basically became "calling out the God's name, specifying the holy number, and offering praise."

Grandet certainly put in a lot of effort to get such high praise.

Before Aiwass could ask, Grandet stated the purpose of his trip directly, without any embellishment or preamble:

"—I am guilty. Because I succumbed to greed and malice in the past, I committed many unforgivable sins. My relatives and the Goblin Merchant Guild are also burdened with grave sins..."

Grandet meticulously and devoutly listed the major sins he had committed.

Isabel frowned upon hearing this, while Aiwass's lips curled into a slight smile.

He already understood why Grandet had come.

(End of this chapter)