Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 999: Too Perfect a Balance

Aiwass felt as if his consciousness was gradually sinking into the warm sea.

A kind of water wave like a hot spring was pushing and shaking his body.

The feeling was similar to that during the full moon ceremony, but different. The strange, enveloping warmth was more distinct and drowsy. And the depth of his consciousness "diving" was not that deep—he just lost consciousness for a while, and then woke up quickly.

When Aiwass woke up, he looked around.

He immediately realized the biggest difference between this ordinary dream and the dream world promotion ceremony -

This seems to be a junior high school, and theoretically it should be a girls' school.

The students all wore black school uniforms, which were similar to nun uniforms, but more aesthetically pleasing. Aiwass looked at this school uniform that looked like a modified version of a nun uniform and felt that it was a bit like a black and white maid uniform.

Judging from their body shapes, these students are mostly only thirteen or fourteen years old.

The reason why I say basically… is because some of them obviously look older, about 17 or 18 years old; a few look to be in their twenties, like college students, and their physiques are much taller than the others. This is probably because the dream owner's impression of them stays at different age groups.

Yes, “they” - although the school uniform and campus look like those of a girls’ school, there are inexplicably some male students there.

Some students' faces are completely blurred, as if many faces are merged together. It looks like the image quality is not very clear, and even their appearance is gradually changing. If you don't look closely, it looks like there is no face.

——Just like some people have 4K resolution, while others have less than 1080P resolution.

The owner of the dream, Mia, had a very low clarity - almost the lowest among the crowd except for the stitched monsters. As for her age, she looked to be around 20 years old, completely different from the students here. Her face seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, and her facial features were constantly moving and changing... That feeling inexplicably gave people a gloomy and terrifying feeling.

The tables here are for two people.

Next to her sat a much younger Yassen.

This "Yasen" looked to be in his teens or early twenties at most, younger than Mia. He was handsome and confident with a somewhat childish face.

He was different from everyone else, he was not wearing a school uniform, but a tuxedo like a band conductor. As if he was going to attend a banquet, his pupils were shining with stars.

This "young Arsene" looks completely different from the calm and elegant demeanor of the Arsene outside.

He looked at Mia intently, with an obvious obsession on his face - if we are more polite, we can also call it a "smirk". He even put his hand under Mia's skirt. Mia blushed and slapped his hand gently, but it was more of an expectation than resistance.

The teacher on the stage was giving a rather hypnotic class, which seemed to be about some kind of modern and contemporary literary theory. But the nun teacher, who looked to be about 30 or 40 years old, wearing round-frame glasses with severe reflections and a nerdy temperament, was like a blind person and did not see their little movements at all.

And only about half of the students in the classroom were listening to the lecture.

Some of the others were whispering with their deskmates, while others were sleeping peacefully. A girl with very high definition took out a notebook and was concentrating on drawing. There was also a pair of girls with equally high definition who looked like a couple sitting by the window, with the golden sunlight outside shining on them. The girl with short hair reached her hand through the sleeve of the girl next to her into her arms, while the girl with long hair lay directly in the arms of the girl with short hair.

Obviously, these students with high clarity are Mia's familiar and impressive friends or classmates.

——As for the teacher on the stage, she still didn’t see all this and was still standing still and reading the textbook.

"...I really miss it."

Aiwass suddenly heard his deskmate say, "I never thought that one day I would be able to see myself when I was young."

He turned around and looked at Yassen, who looked to be in his forties but was wearing a junior high school uniform.

Iverson was suddenly a little overwhelmed - when Yassen was wearing that formal suit, he looked like an elegant and dangerous thug in a suit. But now that he had changed into a junior high school nun's skirt... he felt like a pervert.

……etc?
When he thought of this, he was suddenly stunned.

He lowered his head and looked at himself.

——Haha, it turns out I’m wearing it too, so it’s okay.

"When you were young?"

Aiwass tried not to look at Yassen, who was in her forties and wearing a black dress, but turned to look at the pleasant young couple by the window and asked casually, "Weren't you a sailor and a loader when you were young?"

"It's already after that."

Yassen said nostalgically: "When I was a sailor, the ship I was on encountered a shipwreck and hit a huge sea monster.

"Including me, there were only three people alive on the entire ship. Before the captain died, he gave me his personal belongings... It was a secret book called "The Secret Book of Stealing the Sky".

“That book is where I started my journey to transcendence.”

"…Are you the inheritor?"

Aiwass was a little surprised: "That's quite rare."

Although professionals can also read secret books and learn skills, and inheritors can also become professionals by learning extraordinary skills at a low level... but it is obvious that Yasen does not have a "mentor". "Yes, I am an inheritor."

Yassen said frankly.

“Devotion and adaptation?”

Aiwass asked.

"No," Yassen rejected. "I have no affinity with the path of adaptation. My path is one of devotion, balance, and beauty."

“…The Three Paths Tantra?!”

Aiwass was taken aback.

The inheritance of the three paths - this means it is extremely dangerous.

The dual paths are basically the limit of human beings, because if even one more path is added, the result of the path deviation will become extremely serious.

The principle is very simple - just like "three points determine a circle". If two of the points are determined as two paths, it is actually equivalent to requiring that these two points must be on this circle. Then the circle can go up or down, left or right, big or small, and it is actually very flexible.

But if three paths are determined, it means there is no way out.

From then on, any wavering in one's path would lead to the collapse of the "circle", causing the loss of extraordinary powers, or even losing control and turning into a twisted phantom demon.

"It's not bad actually," Yassen was the one who comforted Aiwass. "The sacred number of the Path of Devotion is three. The triangle is extremely stable, and there are exactly three paths. The Path of Balance and the Path of Beauty both emphasize mirroring and balance. These three paths are basically the paths with the highest degree of fit and stability. Look, until now, haven't I still balanced the power of the paths?"

"…So that's when you became a Phantom Thief?"

Aiwass asked in a low voice: "You showed your face? I remember you have the ability to change your appearance... but you hadn't learned it yet?"

“I’ve been able to do it since the beginning.”

Yasen shook his head and said frankly, "It's just that I think that since I think I'm right, I shouldn't hide my identity. Just like if the reason for killing someone is to avenge a friend, then you shouldn't hide the evidence or the crime. I give all the stolen money to the poor, and I'm proud of it - why should I hide my identity?"

This weathered middle-aged woman who wears a skirt calmly is undoubtedly a respectable pervert.

He said seriously, "Moreover, I think... when anyone embarks on a criminal path for any reason, no matter how he explains or argues, he cannot deny that he is embracing the sin itself. I do the right thing, and I walk on the path of sin. These two things are not contradictory. Just revenge is also revenge, but it is also sinful murder. And I walk between the two, just like I balance the 'hourglass' and the 'twin mirror'.

"Based on this concept, any changes or disguises I made to my face meant that I was escaping from sin and that I was cowardly. It could even be used to shift the blame onto innocent people. So when I first started working as a phantom thief, I gave up my original identity and life - I used my real face and real name to steal.

"But even so, they can't catch me. I can disguise myself as someone else to avoid being hunted down - but I won't change myself into someone else to steal, or... after the theft is completed, I will reveal my true appearance to put the blame on myself, not the other person I changed into."

As he spoke, Yasen looked over there. "My real face was in many newspapers at that time because I accepted an interview. The Iris police were very angry about this provocation and did not think that I would distribute the money to ordinary people as promised. The name 'Phantom Thief' was spread at that time... She would become one of my lovers, probably because she read that newspaper when she was a child.

"But... a thief is still a thief. No matter how good the excuses are, they can't hide the fact that I am a thief. So I never think of myself as a 'savior of the poor' or a 'punisher of justice'. I am hurting others after all, even if they are guilty of crimes that are unforgivable - so even if I am arrested or killed one day, it is what I deserve."

“…Amazing enlightenment.”

Aiwass turned around and looked at Yassen.

There was a hint of appreciation in his tone: "I think I know why you became Sherlock's friend."

"It is an honor for me to be praised by His Holiness the Pope."

Yasen nodded gently and said, "However, Your Majesty - now that you have entered the dream world, why don't you remove your disguise?"

"Why do you think I became a child of the moon?"

Aiwass stopped acting and spoke directly and frankly.

"I think it's probably to give others face. If I appear in Iris as the Pope, no matter what I do, it will appear that I am overbearing others... Even if no one dares to use this power at will, you may feel embarrassed?"

Obviously... as a fellow devotee, Yassen can understand Aiwass, just as Aiwass can understand Yassen.

“That’s part of the reason.”

Aiwas nodded: "The other part of the reason is that my body is a mask given by the Twin Mirror. It does have the power of the Son of the Moon... This allows us to deal with more situations. After all, in the dream world, anything is possible...

"——Speaking of which, do you know how to enter the dream world?"

"…I know a little."

Yasen said hesitantly, "Take the 'unmanned ship with white sails' on the seashore in the dream... But Mia didn't dream about the seashore. Another way is to jump off the cliff. But I'm not sure if this will work... After all, we entered in the flesh, and it would be bad if we accidentally fell to death or fell into the void. Do you have any ideas?"

"Of course," Aiwass nodded, "Come with me."

(End of this chapter)