Chapter 254: Guidance of the Dark Moon

Chapter 254: Guidance of the Dark Moon

"Captain, is it that building?"

"The ginkgo leaves are red?"

"Dark Moon Island is a bit peculiar; many things we have established perceptions of will seem different here."

"True enough, let's get closer and take a look first."

Neo and Karen strolled past the front of the villa as if taking a leisurely walk.

The villa's garden was vast, filled with ginkgo trees, their dark red leaves blanketing the ground and creating a highly aesthetic atmosphere.

Standing by the courtyard gate were two warriors clad in armor.

Karen noticed that the armor of these two warriors bore a mark of five crescent moons.

This was the crest of the Dark Moon Clan; family employees were ranked from low to high, from one crescent moon to seven crescent moons, based on their bloodline purity and intimacy with the family, while the full moon could only be worn by the patriarch alone.

For two gatekeepers to actually be adorned with five crescent moons spoke volumes of the villa owner's revered status.

One had to know that Ophelia’s attendants did not enjoy such a luxurious arrangement.

Clearly, the captain had also noticed this; after the two pretended to pass by the front gate and turned a corner into a blind spot, the captain licked his lips and said:

"Things have become tricky; the figure living inside absolutely cannot hold a low status on Dark Moon Island, and I caught a salty, fishy scent from those two warriors—they must have just returned from the sea."

"Captain, you can smell even that?"

"I won't forget that scent of being soaked in seawater for the rest of my life; also, did you notice that kind of blue brick on the roof? That is a simple magical array, which can dry the interior of the house when activated. Although it is running now, a layer of dust has accumulated on it, so it was clearly activated not long ago. Karen, our luck seems to be a bit poor; if we had come a day earlier, this villa might still have been temporarily vacant. Now, the current master of the villa has returned."

"Captain, I have a piece of intelligence I want to report."

"Speak."

"It is possible that the master of this villa is the commander of the Dark Moon Island's offshore fleet, General Taifman, who is Miss Ophelia's biological uncle."

"General Taifman, I know of this person; I gathered some data on Dark Moon Island before coming. This man once had a chance to compete for the position of the Dark Moon patriarch, and his prestige was at one time even higher than that of Miss Ophelia's father, but he didn't care for being patriarch, preferring to lead the fleet and roam the grand ocean, so it counts as him actively yielding the patriarch's seat. There is also some data indicating that he is a very refined yet very perverted man."

"Very refined yet very perverted?"

"Yes, his standard of living has always been very high; most of the time he will create conditions to ensure he eats well and sleeps well. Even when waging war with pirates, he would directly execute his servant just because a glass of red wine hadn't breathed enough—in this aspect, he is very much like you."

"How am I like that?"

"The other point is that he likes to invent cruel tortures to torment his captives; because of his appearance, the plague of offshore pirates that had long troubled Dark Moon Island was greatly alleviated."

"Captain, are we heading back to the hotel now?"

"No, no, no, one cannot make a wasted trip in the dead of night."

"You still want to go in?"

"Yes, only then is it thrilling and fun, isn't it?"

"Captain, if there ever comes a day when you feel life is not worth living and find yourself harboring thoughts of suicide, please let me know in advance."

"No, if you can't discover it in advance yourself, then die together with me."

"..." Karen.

Neo turned slightly, looking toward the direction of the villa, and said, "If it truly is that general's villa, tonight might actually be a good opportunity. If he hadn't returned, some kind of powerful protective array might have been running continuously in the villa; once tripped, it would inevitably alert the nearby members of the Dark Moon Clan. Now that he is back, many arrays should have been shut down at this moment."

"Captain, you were just lamenting that we couldn't come a day earlier."

"It's fine, sometimes a reason merely serves one's own preferences and can be chosen for use."

Neo pulled a black mesh from his cuff, handed a length to Karen, and then bound it around his own face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

Karen found that the captain's movements were extremely practiced.

"We can't wear masks anymore, so we'll use this as an emergency measure. Oh, right, remember that if any accident happens and we have to make a move when sneaking in later, you must absolutely not use the spells of Order; you must use the power of Light."

"I understand."

"Mm, we will sneak in from the side. By the way, are you proficient in many spells of Light?"

"Passably."

"What does 'passably' mean?"

"I flip through them when eating breakfast."

"Damn it."

"The shells cannot be used inside; the courtyard should be fine. After entering the villa, do not use spells unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood."

Neo led Karen to the side of the villa. Before preparing to delve deeper, Neo spread his arms and chanted:

"Light—Shadow Trace Cloak."

In an instant, Neo's form became transparent; this utilized the principle of light refraction to render oneself invisible.

Neo patted Karen with his hand, and this spell effect transferred to Karen's body as well.

The two "invisible men" slowly approached the edge of the villa.

Through the fence, warriors could be seen patrolling inside, but they were not numerous. This was, after all, Dark Moon Island, the old nest of the Dark Moon Clan; it was clearly safe here.

Of course, this also demonstrated General Taifman's self-confidence from another angle; if one's own strength was formidable enough, the guards around them often merely served the purpose of attendants and a guard of honor.

Taking advantage of the two warriors patrolling past, Neo first climbed up a nearby tree, swiftly stepped onto a branch, leaped, cleared the courtyard wall, and arrived inside the villa grounds.

Karen looked up at the nearby tree, then looked at the trunk, and the Armor of the Sea God manifested upon his body. The Armor of the Sea God, combined with the water-attribute power of Ancestor Allen derived from his symbiotic relationship with Purr, granted Karen a tremendous boost in agility.

After climbing the tree and stepping onto the branch, he leaped, even performing a one-and-a-half somersault in the air before landing.

Neo signaled for Karen to follow him. He did not choose to approach the villa first but instead turned deep into the ginkgo trees. After brushing aside the leaves on the ground, an iron cover was revealed below. Twisting and opening it, Neo dropped down inside.

Karen lowered himself sideways first, scooped up a handful of leaves, tossed them lightly upward, and then closed the iron cover, concealing the top as much as possible.

Below was a cellar, though perhaps because the master was rarely home, there was not much food stored.

Neo traversed the cellar and then turned in a certain direction, leading Karen into a wine cellar.

Karen knew that the captain’s memories of "it" must have begun to trigger gradually upon entering this environment.

The collection of wine in the cellar was very abundant; the red wine of Dark Moon Island was a hot-selling commodity to begin with, and in Vien, it could not be bought with Riels, only with voucher points.

At the end of the wine cellar was a flight of steps leading upward, where a door appeared. If nothing unexpected happened, behind this door lay the interior of the villa.

Neo closed his eyes, sensing the situation outside the door, while Karen waited beside him.

Immediately after, Neo made several consecutive hand gestures to Karen, meaning that upon exiting the door, they should turn left and head up the stairs.

Karen nodded to Neo, indicating that he understood.

Neo quickly threw the door open, and Karen darted out immediately, swinging left to head straight upstairs; the entrance to the wine cellar sat right beside the staircase, making the entire transit exceedingly convenient, and upon reaching the second floor, Karen spotted the open door of the washroom and slipped directly inside.

Very shortly after, through the periphery of his vision, Karen glimpsed a figure arrive on the second floor and proceed straight up to the third.

Captain, why couldn't you have made yourself clear!

Yet just as Karen prepared to step out of the washroom and head to the third floor, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside.

Left with no alternative, Karen could only retreat back into the washroom, and for safety's sake, he concealed himself behind the bathtub curtain, planting the soles of his shoes against the rim of the tub.

Two maids walked in; one began to wash her hands, while the other loosened her neck with a stretch.

"Let's go, we still have to keep serving the General and Her Highness."

"Mm."

Fortuitously, they did not make use of the toilet.

Once they departed, Karen approached the washroom door once more, and after confirming the coast was clear, he stepped out and swiftly ascended to the third floor.

However, all the room doors on the third floor were tightly shut, and Karen had absolutely no idea which room the Captain was currently in.

The study, the study—yes, generally speaking, secrets would always be placed in the study.

And the study was usually situated at the end of the hallway, but which side was it, exactly?

Though this villa was swept immaculately clean, its master did not reside here often, perhaps returning only once every few months or even half a year, so there were no distinct traces of daily living.

Karen could only choose to gamble on one direction; he dashed toward the sun-facing room on the left, opened the door, and slipped inside—it was indeed the study, but it was completely deserted.

Evidently, the Captain was not here.

Karen could only carefully ease the room door open again, hoping that at this very moment, the Captain might be making the exact same move, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the Captain beckoning to him from some cracked-open doorway.

Regrettably, this scene did not unfold.

Just then, footsteps resounded from the staircase once more, and they were heading directly toward the very study where he stood.

Karen was forced to hide behind the curtains again; fortunately, there was a small ledge by the window behind the drapery, where he could sit.

A maid walked in, placed tea and pastries behind the desk, switched on the desk lamp, and then walked right back out.

When Karen prepared to take advantage of the moment to slip away and try his luck in another room, he caught the sound of footsteps again just as he reached the study door—this time, it was two people.

Karen had no choice but to return to his original position, seating himself back on the windowsill.

The study door was pushed open.

"How was dinner?"

"Thank you for specially preparing the sea turtle eggs for me, Uncle. They were delicious."

"Because I know you’ve loved eating them since you were a child. You know, every time I'm out at sea and discover this species of turtle, I mark it down in advance, and only when I am about to come ashore will I dispatch a warship to harvest them; only in this way can I ensure the eggs obtained are sufficiently fresh.

Actually, the best flavor is when they are gathered fresh out at sea, scooped and eaten directly with a spoon without even being cooked—while they are still warm, with at most a pinch of salt sprinkled on; that is when the taste is truly exquisite."

"Since I was little, I have always begged Uncle to take me out to sea, but Uncle would never agree to it."

"Because you were still small then, and I didn’t want you to witness the ugliness of the ocean too early."

"And now?"

"Now you are grown, and you can accept the beauty that belongs to it while enduring its ugliness."

From behind the curtain, Karen recognized Ophelia's voice; the other man, then, must be General Toffman.

Strangely enough, General Toffman’s voice was quite elegant, sounding not at all like a brutal fleet commander, though from another perspective, it did match the Captain’s description of him: refined yet perverse.

But it was impossible for Karen to draw the curtain to look at his appearance; for now, he could only sit here and listen.

He knew his own uniqueness—outsiders could not perceive his aura—so theoretically speaking, as long as he sat here motionless without making a sound, the people in the study would not be able to detect his presence through spiritual perception.

"The negotiations between the two Churches must have kept your father terribly busy this time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, because the preparation time was very short; while things on the Order side were easy to arrange, the Samsara side has proved rather troublesome instead."

"Mm, the Church of Order won the war, so they are here this time to draw up the treaty and claim the victor's spoils; they are in high spirits, so naturally they won't find any fault with the hospitality.

The Church of Samsara is the defeated party and is already in a somber mood; under these circumstances, the slightest oversight in reception would breed resentment."

"Yes, Uncle is quite right, Father told me the exact same thing."

"It’s just that your father likes playing the nice guy far too much; were it me, I wouldn't bother with so much trouble. Since we've already formed a cooperative relationship with the Church of Order, we could completely just cling to the thigh of Order and leave Samsara to do as they please.

Of course, your father certainly prefers to handle matters to absolute perfection without offending anyone, which is why he is suited to be the patriarch."

"Actually, from my perspective, I feel that wagering entirely on the Church of Order is not a very prudent choice, because Order is an outside church after all, and we are merely a dog at their feet; should we ever suffer oppression, whether they choose to stand up for a dog depends entirely on the master's mood at the time.

It is better to keep destiny in one's own hands; the Church of Samsara will not be extinguished, and even a defeated Samsara is still vaster than we are."

"Troublesome, far too troublesome, and with too many misgivings, life can never be lived with refinement."

"Father has also always envied your lifestyle, Uncle."

"Heh, don't say that; I could never get used to his life, and he would find it hard to adapt to mine. Your father and I have had diametrically opposed personalities since childhood. Right then, let's talk about your affairs; when you went to the hotel this afternoon, did you see Karen?"

"I did."

"It seems you went to the hotel specifically to see him."

"Yes."

"I’ve seen his portrait; he is indeed quite handsome, but mere good looks shouldn't be enough to infatuate my lovely niece to this extent."

"Being with him and conversing with him makes one feel very comfortable."

"Oh, so it seems he is someone who knows exactly how to please a girl."

"At the beginning... it was like that."

"And it isn't now?"

"No, he has a fiancée."

"What does having a fiancée matter? Could my niece possibly be inferior to his fiancée?"

"Uncle, it's quite pointless to make comparisons like that."

"Yes, yes, yes, Uncle misspoke. In truth, the reason I wanted to see him upon my return wasn't because the blood of our ancestor Bernard flows in his veins, nor because he awakened the Dark Moon lineage all on his own out there, but rather because I discerned from the letter you sent me that your attitude toward that boy was somewhat unusual.

I have no offspring of my own, and long ago, I told your father that this daughter of his would count as mine; with me around, those older brothers of yours wouldn't be able to contest the position of patriarch against you even if they tried.

Because your father owes me, haha.

So, you see, I became all the more curious about him—just what kind of boy is he to have stirred your heart in such a short span of time.

You are excellent in every regard, but there is just one issue: you are too young.

This is your advantage, but it is also your disadvantage; certain things require time to slowly mature and settle."

"Uncle, I have already settled."

"Oh? How so?"

"His heart holds only his fiancée; there is no possibility between us. In reality, nothing ever truly happened between him and me, our time together was very brief, and we never experienced anything particularly earth-shattering.

I suspect that my fondness for him was simply because I had never met a boy like him back on the island."

"Tsk... meaning, I’ve made this trip back for nothing?"

"If Uncle came back with that purpose in mind, it might truly be a wasted trip."

"Ophelia."

"Yes, Uncle."

"If our ancestor Bernard hadn't enacted so many reforms on Dark Moon Island, improved numerous spells, and made such grand contributions, he would never have been remembered to this day solely because of a love story.

Without the former as a foundation, a pure romance would not be praised; it would be a point of criticism and blame.

Still, it is well. Such is the nature of relationships between the young—a well-timed fluttering of the heart makes them take it for granted that they will remain eternal under the witness of the Dark Moon.

But once you look through it, once you understand it clearly,

it is actually just such a common and simple thing.

In the future, choose a better one."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Trust me, the Dark Moon will not fail you, nor will it fail the pearl of our island."

"Praise the Dark Moon."

Ophelia crossed her hands, offering a prayer to the Dark Moon.

General Taffman stood up, walked to the bookcase, and said with his back to Ophelia, "By the way, you are an adult now, so there is something I must tell you. It concerns the Church of Light."

"The Church of Light? Does our island still have ties to the Church of Light?"

"In truth, the first to contact and establish a relationship with our island was not the Church of Order, but the Church of Light. During the administration of our ancestor Bernard, he personally and secretly introduced them to forge a bond.

The reason the island could undergo such monumental changes during that era is largely credited to those remnants of Light."

Taffman tore the covers off one book after another from the bookcase, revealing the scriptures and notes of Light concealed within.

"Ophelia, draw the curtains."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Remember, when you come into contact with such scriptures and notes in the future, you need the radiance of the Dark Moon to bless your body. Only in this way will you remain unaffected, for the brilliance of the Dark Moon will steady the true direction within your heart, ensuring you do not lose your way in a moment of trance and fall into the wanderings of regret.

Hold firm to the belief that the Dark Moon will always intend the best for you; you are its devout believer, and it is your most dependable guardian."

Walking to the curtains, Ophelia crossed her hands and followed her uncle's advice, beginning to pray:

"Supreme Dark Moon, guide the true direction within my heart, keep me from straying, and let me bask eternally in your brilliance."

Then,

Ophelia reached out and pulled open the curtains.

Karen: "..."

Ophelia: "..."