Voluntary Sacrifice, Becoming a Shepherd

"Potion or Ritual? What are you talking about?"

Luther did not understand Ms. M's question.

"Starting from Sequence 5, the toxicity of Potion becomes extremely severe. Drinking them directly will almost certainly cause the extraordinary individual to die instantly or lose control," Ms. M explained. "Therefore, Ritual must be performed while taking the Potion counteract its negative effects."

Is that so...?

Luther thought to himself that he seemed to have learned some more secrets about the Potion.

He certainly didn't trust Ms. M, so he listened to her with suspicion. "I want to know about Potion and Ritual."

"I've only ever seen the prepared Potion of the Shepherd, but I know more about the Ritual."

Ms. M said.

You just don't want to tell me the recipe, right?

"Then tell me about the Ritual."

"OK."

Ms. M said with a smile.

At this moment, even Cecilia, who was standing to the side, became curious and sat down next to Luther, listening quietly.

Ms. M said with a smile:

"The Shepherd's Advancement Ritual involves consuming seven living people after taking Potion to replenish his body. These people must be sacrificed entirely voluntarily, becoming offerings to the one who takes the Potion."

The principle behind the Shepherd's unique ability, "Grazing," is to consume the souls and Characteristic of extraordinary individuals, storing them within the body and summoning them when needed. The Potion creates a space within the body to store these souls. This causes a significant depletion of the Potion's Flesh; if not replenished in time, they are prone to losing themselves and becoming completely out of control.

"Furthermore, if the sacrifice is an extraordinary individual with inherent Characteristic, then the required number of offerings will be reduced to four. This is because their physical quality is better and can replace a sufficient amount of Flesh."

Inside the house at No. 6 Daffodil Street late at night, bathed in the warm glow of a gas lamp, Ms. M, with her red hair and golden eyes, calmly and gently finished her explanation. However, the content of the Ritual she described was so insane Distortion that it sent chills down the spine of anyone who listened.

Voluntary sacrifice... seems to be related to the authority held by the True Creator... however, this Ritual is truly evil.

Luther sighed inwardly.

While he couldn't completely trust what Ms. M said, after hearing the details of this ascension Ritual, he felt that it might actually be true. This Ritual, overflowing with madness and Degeneration, perfectly matched his understanding of Shepherd.

Below the Shepherd are the Rose Bishop, Sequence 6, who possess powerful Flesh and Blood Magic abilities. Theoretically, they can devour large amounts of Flesh in a short time, so consuming seven people shouldn't be a problem. As for her description of the Shepherd's core ability, "Grazing," it seems to make sense.

The Ritual itself is not complicated; the most difficult part is gathering seven ordinary people, or four extraordinary individuals, who know they will die but are still willing to sacrifice themselves. These people must be completely voluntary.

Ms. M is implying that Hypnosis, threats, or bribery won't work. The Ritual will fail if the person providing the body has even the slightest hesitation.

"This Ritual is truly tailor-made for your Aurora Order."

Luther sneered.

Yes, the Aurora Order never lacks fanatical believers willing to sacrifice their lives and bodies.

"That's because they all have a devout heart towards the Lord."

Ms. M said in a calm tone.

"Someone like me, outside the Aurora Order, probably has absolutely no chance of promotion."

Luther said self-deprecatingly.

If he really had the chance to reach Sequence 6, the Rose Bishop, and fully digest it, even if he obtained the Shepherd's Potion, he would be stuck at this step.

Then he heard Ms. M's calm voice.

"Of course there's a chance."

"Yeah?"

Luther glanced at her.

"Yes, you see, at least now you have one extraordinary person by your side who is willing to die for you. You just need to find three more such people, and then you can try to advance. You're only Sequence 8 now, you have plenty of time to slowly cultivate people who are willing to die for you..."

Ms. M spoke in a gentle but emotionless tone, as if she were stating something perfectly natural.

Luther was stunned, as if he couldn't understand her words at all.

A moment later, he finally realized that the "extraordinary person willing to die for him" the other person was referring to Cecilia, who was beside him and was his most important sister in this damned world.

"Shut up!"

Luther practically shouted, interrupting Ms. M's next words.

He abruptly stood up and said to the woman who seemed utterly devoid of human emotion, "I'm not like you bunch of Lunatic. Family is far more important to me than promotion!"

"Yeah?"

Ms. M paused for a moment, then smiled.

Her lips curved into a beautiful smile, but her golden eyes were as expressionless as if they were made of cold metal. Her tone was unusually gentle, carrying an indescribable allure.

"If you're stuck at a certain level for too long and there's no hope of advancement, you'll inevitably feel anxious sooner or later... I've seen more than one person betray their beliefs because of this... Even in your Church of Evernight, didn't one Archbishop defect for the sake of advancement?"

Luther clenched his fists.

At this moment, he really wanted to risk everything and fight this humanoid Monster who was spouting a bunch of nonsense. But looking at the anxious Cecilia beside him, he managed to hold back.

"As expected, I completely fail to understand you."

He said it Indifference and slowly sat down.

That's because you don't understand the real world deeply enough.

Ms. M smiled and said, "Alright, it's getting late. I'm going to rest now. Goodnight, both of you. Don't stay up too late, especially you, Cecilia. As someone who has just become an Extraordinary, you must pay special attention to maintaining mental stability."

She was just suggesting that Luzer sacrifice Cecilia, but now she's concerned about her health. This concern is superficial.

It was just a fixed phrase, more like a formality. After saying that, she got up from the sofa, went straight up the stairs, and returned to her guest room, leaving Luther and Cecilia sitting alone in the living room.

Stay calm, she's doing this on purpose. Don't let her words shake your composure.

Luther took a deep breath, adjusting his mindset.

"Luther..:"

Beside him, Cecilia said worriedly.

"I'm fine."

"Brother, actually I don't..."

I won't let you continue.

Luther looked up and decisively stopped his sister from saying anything more, "I know what you're trying to say, but I will absolutely not allow you to do such a thing."

What Cecilia wanted to say was simply that she was willing to sacrifice herself for Luther, enabling Luther to become Shepherd. But for Luther, his sister was far more important than promotion. If he had to choose between becoming Shepherd and Cecilia, he would choose Cecilia without hesitation.

Otherwise, why would he risk losing control to beg the Hidden Sage for a way to save his sister, and then risk being burned alive to fight Madam Sharon was of a higher Sequence than him?

If Cecilia disappears, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?