The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 63: Give It a Probation Period

The base card is not concerned with the upright or reversed positions; it is merely indicating the essence of power.All three answers have been fully provided by the formless Apostle.

Perhaps the Flame Demon Butterfly has other possibilities. But the order of the cards drawn, and whether they are upright or reversed, are all coincidentally the results of a divination made for the subject, Yuliya.

Once Aiwasi received the answers, the prayer ritual was about to come to an end.

The candle flame in front of him suddenly began to flicker uneasily, and its light became long and pale, almost urging him to hurry.

Aiwasi knew this was urging him to immediately destroy the materials used in the ritual.

This is the normal process in a prayer ritual. Otherwise, it could provoke the Apostle that has descended.

The tarot cards soaked in his blood have absorbed the Apostle’s essence. It is like a signature or a stamp, marking the identity of the Apostle.

If they fall into someone else’s hands, they could be used as ritual materials to summon other Apostles or even the Nine Pillar Gods. The Gods would believe the person had been introduced by this Apostle and would be more likely to respond to the ritual. Only if the Apostle agrees can some of the sanctified materials be left behind.

But if not permitted, attempting to leave materials with another’s essence could provoke unnecessary attacks.

So Aiwasi reverently placed the blood-soaked tarot cards into the flame, signaling that he was indeed here to seek answers.

They all ignited immediately and turned to ash. Like a magician pulling out a fleeting flame, or like fire catching in a pan and extinguishing in an instant.

As these tarot cards burned, the holes in Aiwasi’s hands, including the wound on his thumb, mysteriously healed. The blocked phantom power in his arms was also effortlessly cleared away.

The elongated flame licked at Aiwasi’s hand but did not burn him. Instead, he felt warmth.

He carefully cleaned the blood from his hands in the flame, then lightly touched his heart, mouth, and forehead with his left hand.

“Thank you for your guidance, Apostle of the Flame,” he said solemnly in the dark room.

"I will remain like the flame, eternally bright."

As if in encouragement, the flame flickered three times.

Then, the flame returned to its original color and shape.

The feeling of being watched by something disappeared along with the flame’s return to calm.

Aiwasi carefully extinguished the candle, confirming the ritual was completely finished and that the Apostle had not suddenly made a return.

Once the flame was fully out, Aiwasi sighed in relief.

He relaxed his body and leaned back in his wheelchair.

Though this was a standard ability for priests, other priests could also pray to the Nine Pillar Gods — usually, the most responsive were the Apostles of the Path of Offering, and no offerings or sacrifices were required since helping believers was considered a form of "offering."

But, as he said, this was Aiwasi’s first time personally performing a prayer ritual. He was still a bit nervous.

"...I forgot to ask His name."

Suddenly, Aiwasi slapped his forehead in frustration.

Even though he didn't know which Apostle responded, the entity had been rather kind, even helping him heal before leaving, saving Aiwasi from needing to use the Ritual Fire Method again.

Had he known the Apostle’s name, he could have prayed specifically to Him next time.

Though it wasn’t the most polite thing to "borrow" an Apostle like this... if both sides agreed, then it was mutually beneficial.

After calming down a bit, Aiwasi took out the more expensive set of tarot cards that he actually used.

In this deck, he had already used the "Moon" card when creating the "Shadow Blade."

Aiwasi thought that using the same deck to create the Phantom Magic Card might increase the success rate.

Guided by the Apostle's instructions, Aiwasi picked out three tarot cards that were suitable for the Flame Demon Butterfly and placed them in a triangular formation on the table, in the order they were drawn, upright and reversed.

Although he had originally asked about the essence of its power, this could also be seen as a tarot reading for Yuliya.

And this was a divination involving higher-dimensional forces.

Apostles from the Dream Realm could see past and future events. Time wasn’t irreversible for them. However, because of the constraints of the Dream Realm, Apostles couldn’t tell mortals the exact future. Even when summoning the Sacred Number OneEternal I, the Apostle’s answers wouldn’t be singular.

But even vague hints were valuable.

"...Good thing I read a ton of miscellaneous books during my crazy obsession with mystical knowledge."

Aiwasi let out a sigh of relief.

The three cards drawn with the Apostle’s power now formed the "Holy Triangle" layout.

In the Holy Triangle spread, the three cards represented the past, present, and future. It wasn't a "trend" but rather a "cause and effect cycle." The “past” cause led to the “present” effect, the “present” cause led to the “future” effect... and the “future” hinted at why the “past” had developed in such a way.

Although Aiwasi wasn’t an expert at reading tarot cards, he could still interpret this simple spread.

Such a simple divination couldn’t be wrong, right?

The first card, representing the past, was the reversed "Lovers."

The Lovers reversed could suggest “arguments,” “immaturity in relationships,” “deteriorating friendships,” or “expectations for personal growth while avoiding danger.” The key interpretation was that an error had been made during a decision related to relationships, leading to a fading bond due to not passing the test of love.

Aiwasi stroked his chin, deep in thought.

His relationship with Yuliya had always been good, right?

So it shouldn't be about feelings or friendship...

He shook his head and moved on to the next card.

The second card, representing the present, was the upright "Hanged Man."

This was a very positive card. It symbolized “self-sacrifice,” “devotion for love,” and “rebirth through fire.” The upright position indicated that this sacrifice was valuable.

"...Wait?"

Aiwasi froze for a second.

Come to think of it, in the game’s storyline, Yuliya had sacrificed herself to protect Aiwasi, transforming into a phantom to save him. Her life form had indeed undergone a "leap," from being a mortal to becoming an undying phantom. And she had indeed reborn in the flames.

If “reality” referred to this, then with this in mind, the card representing the "future"...

"Reversed Sun..."

Aiwasi muttered.

The Sun symbolized vitality and life force. The reversed version of it indicated a decline in vitality and the fear of "lack." For instance, physical weakness, discouragement, or emotional fluctuations leading to a breakup.

This likely referred to the original timeline, where the flames of the Flame Demon Butterfly would have been sealed into Aiwasi's necklace. Although it wouldn't die, it would fall into a state of stagnation and weakness.

If both the present and future referred to the Phantom · Flame Demon Butterfly, then what did the past refer to?

"...Could it be the cause of the phantom rebellion?"

Aiwasi's expression turned a bit subtle.

Was Yuliya really that concerned about his interaction with others?

...This seemed reasonable.

The most important person to Yuliya was Aiwasi himself. Unlike Edward, who had spent more time with their father and therefore naturally valued his opinion more, Yuliya had always been closer to Aiwasi. If Aiwasi disagreed with James, Yuliya would undoubtedly side with him.

But even so, I can't always stay at home with you, baby.

— Aiwasi felt like he had figured something out, but realizing it didn’t really change much. As expected of the “past,” one truly cannot change what has already occurred.

But with this in mind, Aiwasi now understood which card to choose as the base.

First, he eliminated the Lovers card. Its key imagery was "love" and the decisions brought by relationships, which was irrelevant to the Flame Demon Butterfly. From its form as a “butterfly emerging from its cocoon,” its essence was clearly not related to love. This was probably hinting at why it lost control, or what caused it to lose control.

The Hanged Man symbolizes self-sacrifice. It is representative of the Candle Flame and thus has the imagery of light and fire.

Using his own body to nurture the Flame Demon Butterfly, transforming into a cocoon to hatch it, this concept was closer to Yuliya, not the Flame Demon Butterfly itself. If Aiwasi were trying to influence her with a ritual, this would be the correct answer—it would direct the power to Yuliya, with her as the primary subject, not the phantom inside her.

However, what Aiwasi truly wanted to do was seal the phantom inside her.

The Sun, on the other hand, symbolizes knowledge, vitality, and energy. In the Sun card, a naked child rides a white horse, basking in the golden sunlight, raising a flag of victory, celebrating the life the Sun brings to the earth. In the relationship between Yuliya and the phantom, it was Yuliya who provided the vitality. Thus, the child on the horse was actually the soon-to-be-born Flame Demon Butterfly!

Without a doubt, this was the most suitable base card!

It would provide enough energy to the Flame Demon Butterfly, allowing it to manifest in the form of light and heat. This concept was related to the Path of Offering and was governed by Candle Flame.

Therefore, Aiwasi could use the "Hanged Man," representing Candle Flame, as the symbolic card to seal and suppress it!

Because the symbolic card was the Hanged Man, the resulting Great Beast would inherently have the affinity of the "Path of Offering"—so when Aiwasi summoned the Flame Demon Butterfly using this card, even if someone tested it, they would only detect the power of the Path of Offering!

Its energy attribute was fire, and the path of power came from offering. If it looked like a priest skill, felt like a priest skill, and was detected as a priest skill…

Then it was undoubtedly a priest skill.

Moreover, the front and back cards used in creating the blank card had all been chosen based on the Apostle’s recommendations. The power of this card was, of course, exceptional.

“Good thing I kept this…”

Aiwasi thought, taking out the genuine Flame Essence he had taken from Yuliya earlier.

At the time, he had just kept it as a "souvenir," but it had actually come in handy now.

Common materials that could carry fire-type magic included Flame Essence, rubies, charcoal, cinnabar, sulfur, and saltpeter.

Aiwasi cut open his thumb again, squeezing three drops of blood for every point of fire-type magic, adding a total of four points of magic.

He carefully mixed the blood and Flame Essence with a white crystal stick. It started to emit white steam, and the water in the blood was quickly dried.

Aiwasi bent over the table, focused on brushing the mixture onto the tarot card before it dried. He made sure to spread it evenly.

Then, he mixed cinnabar and ruby in a 6:1 ratio, sprinkling it evenly onto the card to nourish it.

Unlike the “Moon” card’s creation, the environment for housing this card needed to be sufficiently warm, but not exposed to direct flame.

Aiwasi stroked his chin, coming up with an idea.

He placed the card into a red cloth pouch, packed it with charcoal powder, and flattened it. It was made into a pendant.

He hung it around his neck and prepared to sleep.

Tomorrow morning, he could give it to Yuliya, letting her wear it close to her heart.

This would use her body temperature to warm the card—if the phantom woke up, the overflow of fire-type magic would be absorbed by the mystical materials inside.

Moreover, it would also allow the phantom to get accustomed to the environment it would be sealed in.

— It was like giving the little butterfly a trial period.

Although even if it was dissatisfied, Aiwasi wouldn’t let it escape.

(End of Chapter)