Chapter 153: What are you doing?

Axe looked at the bag thoughtfully.

Chika had managed to collect quite a few despite his poor health and lack of proper tools. Once he recovered, he could probably do much more.

After a moment, Axe took out several recovery and healing pills.

"You can take these."

Seeing that they were pills again, Chika’s eyes brightened. Pills were far more useful than powder or ordinary elixirs.

He hurriedly took the vials and tucked them into his sash belt.

After eating something, the two of them finally set out to explore the mining areas.

Chika led the way, showing Axe the places he had discovered so far, while Axe carefully marked each location as they went.

By the time Axe finished exploring the mining areas with Chika, dusk had already settled over the Lost Realm.

The sky above the lake had turned a deep orange-purple, reflecting on the water.

He walked along the lakeshore and followed the narrow path winding between the trees.

The thick branches overhead cast shadows across the ground. The path was dark beneath the canopies, but Axe could see clearly.

His gray eyes shone in the dark.

He flicked his finger and a sharp, knife-like nail gradually formed on his fingertip.

Axe smiled.

His iron claws had become sharper and no longer looked like iron, but like some precious crystal metal. He looked at his reflection in the nails and laughed.

The painful memories from his childhood were replaced with pure satisfaction.

He slashed a nearby tree branch to test it. The branch scattered into the air, leaving a clean cut.

Axe kept walking uphill between the trees, cutting branches and rustling the dry leaves.

Halfway up, he stopped and peeked into the little cave Oshan had made.

There was no one inside.

It seemed Nox was still outside and hadn’t returned with Oshan yet.

Axe continued uphill.

The mountain was rugged, with uneven rocks jutting out along the path. He glanced down at the steep slope and his thoughts drifted to Chika’s little house.

’Even that scoundrel has a house,’ he thought, then kicked a loose pebble.

He started to picture a long, waving staircase climbing this mountain, going upward like a path to heaven.

Just like the one he saw in his dream.

"Wheeze wheeze woooooo." He sang out and started to laugh, remembering little Moon.

Soon his pace became faster.

The fatigue of walking around the entire evening was replaced by a deep longing.

He passed the farming terraces and took a quick glance.

Still no one.

’Where has everyone gone?’ Axe thought.

It was already dusk. They should have returned by now.

He continued climbing until he finally reached the peak where they had made their dwelling. The familiar entrance stood silent and dark.

Axe sped up, almost running.

But when he entered the cave, there was no lamp, and no one was resting either. He searched the surroundings but still couldn’t find Moon.

So he entered the Lupine Palace.

Seeing Axe walk in, the metallic voice of the statue cackled.

"Looking for someone?"

"Where’s Moon?" Axe asked impatiently. "Is he in the Starlily Sanctuary?"

"Ah, he is." Lupine flew out of the statue.

"Send me there." Axe started pacing around the place where Lupine had set the array before.

Lupine knitted his brows in annoyance.

"What do you all take me for? Keep coming and going. Am I your transport?"

"Can’t you send me first, then grumble?" Axe said without caring.

"You useless mongrel can’t even refine an array. Why would I help you?" Lupine sat stubbornly on the platform.

"Ah! Master, can you just send me once? I promise I’ll figure out something soon. Can’t you catch that Nox and teach him the transportation array?"

Lupine scoffed. "You all are useless fools."

With a flick of his finger, he opened the array on the ground again.

"Here, here... now don’t ask me again. Just come and go from here."

Axe looked at the portal and stepped directly onto it.

The reason they seldom used this portal was that it sent them under the pond, and they couldn’t do spells like Moon.

So they usually asked Lupine to take them when they needed to go anywhere else.

But right now Axe didn’t want to argue and beg his master.

Soon his body disappeared from the place.

Axe flashed out of the pond with his body completely soaked and glanced around.

The pond was quiet, its new buds and leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Moonlight had already started passing through the water, making it glitter like stars.

But Axe’s eyes weren’t on any of that. He was looking at the slender figure sitting on a stone platform. A thin blue and green light was flowing around him, illuminating his pale face.

Axe’s breath stopped.

He didn’t wring out his clothes. Instead, he threw away his outer robe and walked to the platform.

He approached quietly and stood beside him.

As if sensing another presence, Moon’s lashes fluttered.

He opened his eyes and looked at Axe.

He stared at Axe’s soaked body and the white silk plastered to his torso down to his navel... and the obvious bulge at his crotch. His ears flushed red.

"Why are you all wet...?"

Axe didn’t answer.

He crouched down and cupped Moon’s face with one rough hand. His thumb brushed across the corner of Moon’s mouth.

Moon blinked. "What..."

Axe leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn’t gentle.

It was hungry, almost desperate.

His tongue pushed past Moon’s lips without waiting for permission, tasting inside. He sucked hard.

Moon made a small sound of surprise and raised his hands to push against Axe’s chest, but Axe only deepened the kiss, tilting his head and sucking on Moon’s lower lip until it turned red.

When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing harder.

Moon’s cheeks were red from embarrassment.

His eyes unknowingly traveled down Axe’s chest and disheveled clothes. For a moment, his fingers twitched, wanting to open the buttons.

Yet he suppressed the urge.

"Axe..."

"Shhhh." Axe’s voice was low and rough.

He pressed his forehead against Moon’s and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control the heat rising in his blood. "Just..."

He didn’t finish. He pushed Moon down on the rock and pressed one of his knees between Moon’s legs.

Moon shivered. "You’re wet," he mumbled.

"That sounds very wrong coming from me." Axe chuckled.

His hand slid down to Moon’s waist, fingers digging into the soft fabric of his robe.

He could feel the slim body under his palm, warm and alive.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling every breath and tremble... even the thumping of Moon’s heart more vividly than usual.

He kissed Moon’s cheek and eyelashes. "Baby... let’s do it," he whispered.

Moon shivered, yet his hand slowly traveled across Axe’s chest and unbuttoned his clothes.

Axe stayed still for just a breath, then tugged Moon’s trousers down impatiently.

He didn’t even wait for Moon to finish undressing.

He tore off his own clothes. In the moonlight, his hard muscles glistened.

Moon’s breath hitched. His fingers clasped around Axe’s flesh as Axe lifted his waist.

"Wait... what are you doing?" Moon said hurriedly.