If it doesn't hurt, why use the shepherd's method?

After Ligeia left, Iver refused the court maids who came to clean the room, and instead had Lily clean up all the burned items in the room.

—To be honest, the charred chair beneath Iver, along with the burned books, letters, and newspapers, are all quite valuable items!

With a little processing, they can be used as decent ritual materials. They can even be used as materials for Iver to create Phantom Demon Card.

Even though the flames that Iver summoned weren't particularly powerful, they were still, in terms of their rank Angel's Fire.

His power attacked Iver from his illusions—or rather, from his dreams—damaging everything in reality except for Iver. This power Iver, capable of "seeping from dreams into the Material Realm," is the most quintessential power of the Celestials.

These mortal objects, destroyed by the Angel's Fire, also acquired the characteristics of extraordinary things due to the influence of this power.

The reasons for the birth and death of something have their own special significance. Both the phoenix perching on the parasol tree and the Lightning Struck Wood are precious ritual materials.

It's like an ordinary person who lives an unremarkable life for decades, unremarkable and unrecognizable. If he were to suddenly be Divine Punishment and die, he would acquire a certain special status after death. People would remember this extraordinary person because his death had been imbued with the aura of the divine.

Following Iver's instructions, Lily collected all the ashes. She then crushed them and placed them on top of the Grimoire. This not only allowed the ashes to draw upon the power of the Grimoire, reducing its activity and thus acting as a seal, but also allowed the quality of these materials to slowly increase.

The chair can be chopped into wood and stored away. It can later be used to draw upon the power of other apostles or celestial beings, and made into incense or charcoal... However, Isabel still needs some compensation. After all, it almost caused a fire.

Although with Master Agnes watching over things, things certainly won't escalate too much. But it's still not a good thing.

Having watched quietly as Lily finished tidying up, the Shadow Demon, hidden in the shadows beneath Iver, suddenly spoke up, "My master... are you actually the type who's afraid of pain?"

"Yes, I'm very afraid of pain."

Iver showed no shame, but calmly admitted it. "There's nothing shameful about it... rather, it shows that I'm sensitive enough. If a human body is numb to pain or endures pain, it's very easy for problems to arise."

"Just like the human instinct to fear water, because not everyone is born able to swim; and the pain that comes into contact with fire, because burns can lead to infection or even death. Pain and fear are the best armor that humans use to protect themselves."

"Of course I know about this."

The Shadow Fiend replied in Chloe's sweet voice, "I'm not a native demon... although it's been a very long time, I was once transformed from a human. Of course I know that humans are afraid of pain."

"... I only thought you were the type to enjoy suffering because you fed us with Shepherding Method almost every night..."

Feed us...

Iver's brow twitched slightly, thinking to himself that Shadow Fiend really had high emotional intelligence.

Because he didn't actually spend much time feeding Shadow Fiend.

After reaching the Third Level, he was considered to have left the novice stage, and his advancement speed might be slightly slower, but before that, his leveling speed was completely excessive compared to his advancement. It was only the internal cooldown of the ritual for half a month or a month that stopped him.

The time he used the Shepherding Method, apart from the one or two times he first tamed the Shadow Demon... was the past two weeks. And during those two weeks, he basically fed it to the Paradox Flame Butterfly.

After all, the Paradox Flame Butterfly is a fully formed Greater Phantom Demon, but its level is too low to unleash its full power; moreover, the Paradox Flame Butterfly's abilities are quite comprehensive, capable of ramming, unleashing Light Cannon, casting spells, healing, and dispelling. The Shadow Demon, on the other hand, is only Greater Demon, still quite a distance from being Greater Phantom Demon, and will probably need to evolve one or two more times.

A fully developed Greater Phantom Demon can become an apostle if it is chosen by any celestial official or Pillar God.

But Shadow Fiend obviously can't.

Although Shadow Fiend is still considered a boss in this version, he will become a roadside elite monster in just two major versions.

Shadow Fiend is like a guaranteed SR for beginners in their first draw. Now that it has reached a fairly good level, feeding it more fodder is not cost-effective anymore. Besides, even if Iver feeds it to the maximum level, he can't get the breakthrough materials for it. On the other hand, Paradox Flame Butterfly is the first SSR that Iver draws. It is at a very low level and has a promising future.

Meanwhile, Shadow Fiend isn't currently one of Iver's major beasts, so she doesn't occupy a shared field slot with other major beasts. Therefore, both of them can be on the field at the same time... Given limited resources, it's reasonable for Iver to prioritize feeding lower-level SSRs, right?

The only problem is that Shadow Fiend seems a little... jealous? It's like a dog that's been with the family for a long time, suddenly discovering that its owner has brought home a kitten and is taking great care of the kitten—even if it knows in its heart that the kitten needs to be cared for, it will still feel unbalanced.

But now, Shadow Fiend has discovered something—is his master the type who is afraid of pain?

That would be a completely different matter.

—If the master is so afraid of pain, why does he feed the Paradox Flame Butterfly with the Shepherding Method every day?

When Iver heard this, he simply smiled.

"It's precisely because we're afraid of pain that it has meaning."

He casually replied, "If I find the process of sharing my flesh and blood with you pleasant and enjoyable, then it cannot be called a sacrifice. Naturally, it cannot be called dedication and kindness."

If you feed your baby parts that don't hurt, aren't dangerous, or even make you feel good because you're afraid of pain—such as hair or nails—then the Shepherding Method won't work.

"It is precisely because I am afraid of pain and death that my act of cutting my wrists and gripping the blade is sacred; it is precisely because I am in so much pain and so much fear, yet my heart is filled with only compassion and goodwill, that I am able to use the Shepherding Method."

"If this injury no longer threatens me, or if I have become familiar with or blocked the sense of pain, then the power of the Shepherding Method will also decrease."

Iver patiently explained to Shadow Fiend.

If one day Iver's body's regenerative abilities become so strong that if he cuts his wrist in one foot, his wrist will immediately heal in the other, then this action will no longer pose a danger to him.

By then, Iver might have to slit his own throat.

Similarly, if Iver has gradually become accustomed to the excruciating pain of gripping the blade and can endure it without flinching even without using the Shepherding Method, then he might have to undergo bone-scraping and flesh-cutting procedures later on.

"No wonder..."

The Shadow Demon suddenly realized and murmured to himself.

"...No wonder?"

Iver, hearing Shadow Fiend's words, asked with some confusion, "What do you mean?"

"The aura emanating from your Shepherding Method is constantly fluctuating. The sweetest aura I have ever felt was the first time you used Shepherding Method on me... and every time since, it has not been as sweet as that time. Although both are sweet, it is like sugar water and mead... the former can certainly make people feel happy, while the latter can make people feel dizzy."

Shadow Demon said respectfully and nostalgically, "After that herding, I felt a connection between myself and you. It was as if a part of your life flowed through my body, and I could feel that warmth at all times... just like walking in the snow and ice, yet feeling a warm current flowing through my body."

The girl's voice was filled with longing. "I so desperately crave your grace. After that, I no longer devoured human flesh and souls, but only longed for your kindness. My master, when will you let me taste your true kindness again?"

Upon hearing this, the clear, childlike voice of the Paradox Flame Butterfly came from the side. "I want to eat too, brother."

Although she didn't know what Shadow Fiend was talking about, it was definitely the right thing to mention it at this time.

"There's a limit to how much you can eat. You're not carrying the sin of gluttony!"

Shadow Demon was somewhat angry, and his voice became hoarse and dry. "There's no reason why you should get all the good things!"

"Don't worry, you two, I won't be able to feed you for at least the next two weeks..."

Iver casually replied that they would postpone the dispute for another two weeks.

He had a bit of a headache.

This is only one and a half Great Sin Beast...

Once he gathers all six large beasts, what a battle it will be like... But, the first time? Iver recalled.

That was the Shepherding Method he tried immediately after reading the Shepherd's Secret Covenant.

At that time, he did not know what would happen next, so he was filled with fear. He also did not know to what extent the Shepherding Method would harm him, so he gripped the Ritual Knife with unusual force until the blade cut through his flesh and got stuck in his bone. That was the first time Iver had hurt himself, and he was filled with fear and resistance to death.

When Aiwas sealed away the Paradox Flame Butterfly, Iver had already returned to school. He usually had something to do the next morning, and even if he didn't have classes, he had other plans, so he didn't dare to let himself get too weak.

At that time, the flesh and blood he fed the Paradox Flame Butterfly every day were all within his body's capacity. He also didn't feed it all his magic power, but reserved some for fire sacrifice.

Because Iver held back, was the Shepherding Method that the Paradox Flame Butterfly received after its birth not actually that strong?

No wonder Iver always felt that the Shadow Fiend's buff from the Shepherding Method was greater than that from the Paradox Flame Butterfly...

It wasn't just my imagination. It's because Iver's mindset has changed.

Thinking about this, Iver's mindset became somewhat complicated.

This is probably why Shadow Fiend, though a little jealous, is never in a hurry.

After all, in Shadow Fiend's view, the Paradox Flame Butterfly had never actually eaten anything good—she had already taken the best one, and what followed was just mass production.

However, after Iver understood the principle behind the Shepherding Method's production of flesh and blood, he probably figured out how to enhance the effect.

Simply put, don't feed them so calmly. Be a little wild, ideally to the point of scaring others...

"Iver!"

Before Isabel even arrived, an anxious voice came from the doorway. "Are you alright?"

The Shadow Fiend beneath Iver instantly vanished into the shadows, while the Paradox Flame Butterfly landed on Iver's shoulder, remaining silent like an ornament.

"Ah, I'm fine... Is something wrong, Isabel?"

Iver looked up and asked, "Are you going out?"

"Looks like there's something interesting to watch over at the port."

Isabel looked very energetic. "Want to go see it together?"