Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 361 Aftermath
Lu Ze was unaware that he had narrowly escaped being dismembered. After returning to his bedroom, he quickly concealed himself and lay in wait. Only after confirming that there were no pursuers did he feel relieved and emerge from the shadows.

"Meow"

Luna the black cat seemed to have guessed his thoughts and jumped onto the windowsill to look down at him.

Did my sudden appearance startle you?

He spoke to Luna, reaching out to stroke the fur on its head. Luna endured it for a few seconds, then finally broke free, leaping from the windowsill onto the higher wardrobe, and glared at him reproachfully.

Lu Ze smiled at the black cat.

He didn't bother the cat anymore. Instead, he created a spiritual wall in the bedroom to separate the inside from the outside, and then took out his haul for the day—the tarot card. Now that he was in a relatively safe place, he could finally examine it properly.

With a light touch of the finger, spiritual energy is infused into the card, and the "blasphemous card" is transformed into something resembling a book, which can be flipped through one by one.

Lu Ze gently flipped through the book.

On the first page, on the left is a portrait of Roselle, holding a weapon and with a fierce expression. The card reads: "Sequence 9, Criminal".

"The body and mind are filled with malice, and the person is more ruthless than a normal person. The person is very strong, has a keen sense of perception, is skilled in all kinds of crimes, and is proficient in all kinds of weapons, including cold weapons and firearms."

On the right is the complete potion recipe.

Lu Ze merely glanced at the recipe, making no attempt to memorize it, and continued reading to the next page.

On the second page, Russell on the left has a broken wing on his back, a cruel, cold laugh, utterly devoid of humanity. The description above reads:

"Sequence 8, Fallen Angel".

"Those extraordinary individuals in this sequence were known in ancient times as 'the Cold-Blooded.' They have completely lost their conscience and humanity, their bodies are twisted and demonized. They may also possess some demonic magic."

Luze flipped through the book again, to the third and fourth pages. Each page had a similar structure: on the left, Roselle was either standing amidst piles of corpses, looking back in madness; or transformed into a demon, dominating humanity. The right pages each contained corresponding potion recipes. Among these, Luze also saw familiar descriptions and recipes for Sequence 6 "Demon" and Sequence 5 "Apostle of Desire."

"Sequence 9, Criminal; Sequence 8, Fallen Angel; Sequence 1, Filthy King; Sequence 0, Abyss."

As he read aloud and flipped through the pages, just as Roselle's diary had said, the "Blasphemy Token" contained the potion recipes and ascension rituals for the entire demonic path.

I have successfully mastered a complete method!

The pages closed, and the Blasphemy Card automatically reverted to its original form as a playing card, which Lu Ze, with a delighted expression, grabbed in his hand.

Although this path is extremely dangerous, and the extraordinary individuals involved are not good people, it is, after all, the first complete sequence I have obtained, which even contains potions and rituals to become a true god. Its value is immeasurable!
That devil must be furious if he's still alive.

Lu Ze thought to himself.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Joewood District.

The streets were ablaze, the flickering blue flames gradually dying down. The demon's grotesque corpse was torn to pieces and scattered across the street, its only intact face still frozen with visible terror and rage.

"Replace him immediately!"

"The Soul Reaper," Soster said in a deep voice.

A group of night watchmen immediately rushed out and pushed a bathtub full of hot water to the side of the street, in front of the silver-white armor.

"Kara."

The silver-white armor moved, and the person reached out and pushed aside the visor, revealing a handsome face with black hair and green eyes, exuding the air of a poet.

Leonard Mitchell.

He was inside the armor! Leonard didn't waste any words; he swiftly removed the armor and then immersed his entire body in hot water, not even his nose showing. His skin quickly turned bright red, and at the same time, strange silver ripples appeared on his body surface—just like the invisible blades that appeared when he cut through the ground.

The silver patterns spread from his body to the outside, merging into the hot water. The rising steam from the bathtub quickly dissipated, and the silver patterns transformed into cold air, forming a thin layer of ice on the surface.

Leonard didn't get out of the bathtub until the silver light had completely dissipated.

"Hoo, Captain!"

He gasped for breath and said impatiently, "I just encountered a [Blood Cultivator]!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Why aren't they back yet?

Audrey Hall paced back and forth in her house, glancing out the window at the yard every now and then. She was waiting for her father to return to the mansion and tell her the outcome of the events.

The storm over Queens had ended hours earlier, and West House, in the center, was under martial law and monitored by the Kingdom's army and MI9. Even well-informed nobles could not get any information; instead, all sorts of rumors circulated.

All I can say is that people are people; even nobles enjoy watching the excitement and gossiping just like ordinary people.

Audrey didn't participate in these pointless conversations because she had a more reliable source of information—her father not only possessed immense wealth but also held a pivotal position in Loen's political circles.

Of course, Audrey's father supported the New Party and disagreed with Duke Negan's political views, but both of them had the aristocratic restraint and would not resort to such despicable means as assassination.

After waiting for a while, she finally saw her father's carriage enter the courtyard through the villa gate.

A dozen minutes later, Earl Hall walked into the room, looking utterly exhausted.

"father!"

Audrey immediately came over and asked anxiously, "How is it?"

"Unfortunately."

Earl Hall shook his head solemnly. "Cons died in the line of duty, and his family also suffered misfortune."

"what"

Audrey opened her mouth, but said nothing. She felt as if her heart had been plunged into icy water.

"Duke of Nanigan"

After calming down a bit, she asked again.

"Even Duke Negan could not escape the assassination attempt."

Earl Hall spoke with very complicated emotions, and before his daughter could ask any more questions, he waved his hand, "Alright, my dear daughter, please let your poor father rest a little. He has to meet with the Emperor later and report to the Prime Minister."

"Okay, Dad."

After seeing her father off, a look of confusion appeared on Audrey's beautiful face as she slowly sat down.

Constance is dead.

My friend left this world without warning, simply because he was caught up in a high-level assassination attempt. Even though I tried my best to notify all the relevant forces, and even though I prayed to Mr. Fool, I still couldn't save his life.

This extraordinary world, which she had once longed for, gradually revealed its cruel and insane side to her.

(End of this chapter)