Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 477 Lovia's Gaze
"It's nice to meet you again, Lord El Moria."

Lu Ze bowed to the red paper figure.

The last time the two met was when he accidentally entered the spirit world, and the red light came in person to help him escape quickly.

The fact that Al Moria came all the way here to say this, and why he reacted so strongly at the time, might not just be because he cared about me, but also because he was worried that I had stayed in the spirit world for too long and that something bad might happen.
"Hello."

The red paper figure also bowed slightly, speaking politely, "You may call me Al Moria. Congratulations on your advancement to a new level."

Hongguang noticed my promotion and praised me quite subtly.
Luze's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly. "My confusion is also related to this matter. I originally planned to find a creature from the spirit world to act as a messenger and deliver messages. However, after the ritual was performed, the summoned creatures were all afraid of me and unwilling to communicate with me. Lord El Moria, why is that?"

"."

Hongguang fell silent, as if he had difficulty answering, or as if he was organizing his thoughts.

"Because your level has been further enhanced, the aura from the source has become more intense. For ordinary spirit beings, this aura will instinctively make them feel repulsed and fearful."

After a moment, Al Moria began to explain.

“The aura of origin, you seem to have said something similar last time.” Lu Ze recalled their previous conversation in the spirit world, “You said that the source of this aura is conceptual and abstract.”

The red light did not respond, which probably meant it was tacitly agreed.

That's why they seemed to understand something when they refused to summon Luze after seeing me. Unfortunately, the red light's answer was too cryptic, like a riddle teller, completely missing the point, leaving him to guess.

The aura emanating from Hongguang's mouth—was it related to that sea? After all, since his advancement, he had gained more control over that sea area, and the tower itself had also risen.
Lu Ze thought to himself, looking at the red light once again.

"I'm very sorry, please don't ask anymore. That's all I can say about this."

El Moria seemed to have guessed what Luze was thinking and spoke calmly. His attitude was polite enough, but he just wouldn't speak properly or clearly tell Luze what the reason was.

Is it that you can't say, or that you don't want to say?

"Ok."

Lu Ze gave the bright red paper figure a deep look. "Then, is there any creature in the spirit world that can resist this aura?"

While the Seven Lights of the Spirit Realm don't rule the Spirit Realm, they are still considered high-ranking beings within this unique space, and should be far more reliable than him randomly summoning messengers. It's fine if that question isn't answered, but finding a suitable messenger through El Moria's introduction would be acceptable.

“A spirit creature that can meet your requirements does indeed exist.”

Al Moria said, "However, they are either extremely dangerous, difficult to communicate with, or both. In short, they cannot serve as your messengers."

Lu Ze was so angry he almost laughed.

"Lord Moria, are you saying that there isn't a single suitable messenger for me in the entire Spirit Realm?"

"Yes. Not only that, as your status continues to rise, even the spirit world itself may begin to reject you."

Hong Guang responded in a deep voice.

Lu Ze remained silent.

It seems that finding a messenger from the spirit world is out of the question since his own promotion is being rejected by the entire spirit world.

"Thank you very much for your guidance." In the howling cold wind, he bowed to the bright red paper figure, ending the ceremony.

Standing before the altar, he thought for a moment, then took out paper and pen and quickly wrote a letter to the "mysterious queen".

The letter contained the following:
Your Majesty, I have a few questions I would like to ask.

What is a place or thing that is more abstract and conceptual than the spirit world?
Besides the spirit world, are there any other channels for contracted messengers?
I'd like to acquire a high-level Extraordinary item, primarily for combat. Any Extraordinary item with support functions or that provides high-damage output is acceptable. If your vault contains a similar item, I'm willing to pay a reward in exchange.

He thought for a moment, then added at the bottom of the letter: "Regarding the 'Black Throne,' I haven't started searching for it yet; I've only noticed that its direction keeps changing, based on its guidance."

Come to think of it, that ghost ship could also travel through the spirit world. If it had sentience, perhaps it could be used as a messenger. With this absurd thought in mind, Luze sealed the letter, placed it on the altar, and began to summon the Queen's messenger.

"call--"

A gust of wind blew by, and the letter vanished without a trace; the messenger's appearance was never revealed.

A very discreet messenger, that's great.
A wave of envy washed over Lu Ze. He sighed and swung his silver dagger, piercing the wall of spiritual energy. A spiritual wind howled, dispersing the mysterious aura within the space.

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.

The place abandoned by God, Silver City.

The pitch-black sky was occasionally illuminated by lightning, and on the land of profound despair, only this city still shimmered with a faint light.

"lets go."

A group of extraordinary individuals had gathered outside the city walls, led by none other than Colin Iliad, the chief of Silver City. He had gray hair, deep nasolabial folds, and his face was crisscrossed with scars.

"Yes!"

Derrick, Joshua, Heim, and the others shouted together, following the chief into the depths of darkness.

This time, they are going to explore "Afternoon Town".

This town was once the only way for the Silver Kingdom to reach the Giants' Court. There, humans and giants lived together, surrounding the ancient god's abode, which was forever frozen in twilight, like the blurred boundary between the real world and mythology.

The chief thought Derrick's solar pathway would be useful there, and although his sequence was a bit low, he still brought him into the team.

Derrick had no objection to this.

As he walked, he secretly peeked at someone not far away.

Elder Lovia followed the procession expressionlessly, the animal-hide lanterns carried in the column illuminating her figure. Her pale gray eyes constantly scanned the surrounding darkness, as if wary of any hidden dangers.

It just so happens that Mr. Temperance asked me to keep an eye on her.
Derrick controlled himself, keeping his gaze forward and only glancing at the woman out of the corner of his eye.

Elder Lovia's overflowing spiritual energy remains the same as before, and it's said the monster-hunting operation is still ongoing. This means she probably hasn't advanced yet. Since leaving the tower, she's maintained a low profile, showing no intention of spreading her faith. She doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all. Why?
As Derrick was trying to guess Elder Lovia's thoughts, he suddenly noticed that the woman had turned her head and was looking at him.

Then, she walked over to Derrick.

They're coming over!

(End of this chapter)