The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 118: The Warrior is Dead

The Silver-Crowned Dragon, as much the Pillar God of the Authority Path as possible, also has characteristics and abilities of the Transcendence Path.Transcendents in ancient times, before the existence of organized professions, did have several Path abilities to wield.

The nine Paths are nine life philosophies, worldviews, personalities, and inclinations.

No single Path is completely accurate, and few are able to walk one Path and never wander from it.

The profession system, which evolved over the past two thousand years, establishes secure inheritance and promotion, which makes individuals concentrate on a single Path, cleansing their minds.

However, progression upon one Path does not imply forsaking others' characteristics. On the other hand, incompatibility with other Paths does not always imply success upon one.

"Purification of the mind" arises from circumscribed ability, focusing effort on a single Path in order to advance more quickly and more far.

When others became aware of this faster advancement, it forced others to cleanse their Paths as well, or lose out early—because early Path levels determine vocation, earnings, and existence. Everybody desires a greater life, even if it involves transformation.

With Path progression becoming utilitarian, the mean age of transcendents per tier decreased annually. However, the number that achieves fourth-tier and higher is still few, as higher tiers become exponentially more difficult.

Under lesser degrees of extremity, all transcendentes should have a liking for more than one Path—neither conforming to a Path, but borrowing from all compatible ones. Most possess low-tiers in multiple Paths but seldom achieve high tiers in any. That's normal talent.

Haina, a contemporary transcendent, had trouble with this old-school thinking.

Her voice trembled. "The Silver-Crowned Dragon… the Crowned Lord… is also a Transcendent?

mortals… can become Pillar Gods?"

"Not a Transcendent, but with Transcendence Path characteristics," Aiwass corrected in a measured tone. "And it's not an impenetrable block to become a Pillar God. It's well-established that mortals can become Celestial Sovereigns, and in theory, any Sovereign can become a Pillar God. They simply aren't sufficiently powerful or haven't progressed sufficiently on the nine Paths.".

Your school drilled this into you over and over: the nine Pillar Gods are not Path overseers, but merely pioneers. But you never understood the real point, senior. There are nine unreclaimed great powers in this world and nine supreme thrones.

The Pillar Gods are so named because they've traveled farthest on their Path, so it's named after their path, and others proceed according to their principles.

But should another Sovereign overcome a Pillar God, the Path is transferred and title. No need to kill the God—since the dawn of written history, this has occurred three times: [Cicada's Molting], [Forbidden Fruit], and [Royal Authority]. Humans only documented the third, half a millennium ago. The first two were seen by dragons and elves."

"…Aiwass, where did you learn… these secrets?"

Haina shuddered, unable to comprehend such prohibited knowledge.

She understood, "Grandpa Jacob narrated us tales of great ancient warriors… I wondered why there were no warriors now…"

"While Strength and Authority are akin in nature, their paths are divergent. Once the Silver-Crowned Dragon appeared, 'berserker,' 'warrior,' and 'fighter' occupations dwindled," Aiwass replied, avoiding her initial question. "Current power does not die out, but they could not expand through those occupations. They could change to the Authority Path at little loss.".

Somewhere along the way, 'berserkers' evolved into Binders, 'warriors' into Guardians, 'swordsmen' into Inspectors, 'fighters' into Arresters, and 'challengers' into Stewards. Law Mages are a new profession, with no evolution. Of the Strength Path professions of five centuries past, only Light Cavalry remained unevolved, but their evolution, 'Knight,' became 'Air Cavalry.' The term 'knight' was adapted into an Avalon class.

Guardians, Binders, Arresters, and Stewards are uncommon in Avalon.

Learning law, swordsmanship, and riding results in Inspector; without riding, Law Mage; without law, Light Cavalry.

That is why Aiwass declared mystical knowledge can "taint" someone. Numerous profession upgrades have special skills and specifically disallow others.

Therefore, official transcendents in Avalon are restricted to these three professions.

"What about advanced professions?" Haina asked, shuddering with fear but seething with curiosity. "Inspectors General and Arbiters?"

"Sure you want to know?"

Aiwass cocked an eyebrow, replying laconically, "If I remember, Inspectors General used to be 'Warlords,' and Arbiters were 'Dictators.'"

Higher-level occupations, nearer the center of the Path, transformed more significantly, such as knights being Air Cavalry mounted on griffons.

Lost professions such as "Warlord" or "Dictator" would still retain their talents in Secret Tomes, standard "lost arts."

When Aiwass tried the game for the first time, he was confused just like Haina.

Although he didn't prefer warriors, the majority of games do include a "warrior" class.

Devotion Path includes priests, monks, and paladins; Wisdom Path includes mages; Adaptation Path includes assassins and hunters; Authority Path includes knights; Transcendence Path includes warlocks…

Why no warriors? Historical accounts and legends attested to their previous existence.

He first believed warriors were obsolete, displaced in a prosperous age of steam engines, diesel, generators, electric lights, phones, microbiology, periodic tables, cinema, fountain pens, trains, bicycles, and toilet paper.

In this energetic, possibility-filled era, sword-fighting warriors were outmoded. Transcendents created between-near-competitors wars too intense, and individual power disparities rendered combat uncertain, indirectly promoting peace.

It was only afterwards that Aiwass discovered: warriors were phased out—the "warrior" vocation disappeared.

Strength and authority are different—brute force against power.

With the Authority period, the warrior perished.

From this perspective, Jacob was extraordinary.

He did not comprehend the whole truth or the nature of Paths and Pillar Gods, but he knew the Highest Heaven existed—a forbidden knowledge in Avalon.

He escaped the Order of the Noble Red when they seized the Scaleless Hand, learning possibly these secrets from them.

Aiwass's words, full of Authority Path secrets infused with Transcendence knowledge, were an acursed blade. They had the power to convert a high-grade Authority transcendent to the Path of Transcendence, maybe crazing them or inspiring Transcendence affinity in one who did not have it.

To Aiwass, earlier was preferable than later.

Jacob most likely used these stories as fairy stories for children with Transcendence inclination for the same reason.

The farther and deeper one progresses along the Authority Path, taking it as life's strict truth, the more probable their perception might crumble upon discovery that the Authority Pillar God ascended through Transcendence power.

No Path is absolutely wrong, nor absolutely right—even the Devotion Path has its shortcomings.

Aiwass's secrets were his most potent weapon.

Haina was disoriented for a while, then finally regained consciousness. She took Sherlock's letter written by Aiwass and left his dormitory.

"…She recovered so soon," Aiwass said, shocked.

He'd thought she'd faint or disorient herself, perhaps requiring an overnight stay. He'd even gone so far as to prepare a guest room through Lily.

Did this imply her Transcendence aptitude exceeded her Authority Path?

At twenty-two, she was halfway through the third tier of the Authority Path—a prodigy.

However, her Transcendence potential could be even greater.

This interested Aiwass.

Could it be that so great a genius could just perish in the impending national calamity?

Or had she entered the game, no longer Haina, having changed from the Authority Path, unknown to Aiwass?

(End of Chapter)