Chapter 87: The Five Exits to the Lost Realm

[What?]

"About not giving me anything equal to my efforts."

"Oho! So Mooney.... Oh no, Selene is now fleecing a little boy by stealing his effort. Did you turn into a beggar in all of those centuries?" Lupine taunted.

Though the Goddess looked perfectly calm, she shrugged her shoulders and sat back in her place. [You are so generous! Why aren’t you still showing him your treasure?]

"Me? I have given him this entire vault. What else does he need?" Lupine scoffed.

The Goddess looked at Lupine disdainfully.

[You didn’t even mention its proper use.]

"Proper use? Are you talking about the bronze chests at the back?" Lupine grunted.

"The Lunar Ice Silk robes or the Solar-Forged Anvils? That’s too high-grade for him to use. I will surely tell him when he can use them for his elemental core refinement."

[Would I mention such an earthly matter?] The Goddess snorted.

"Or else, what is the other?" Lupine knitted his brows deeply, though Moon could see him pretending in just one glance.

"Ah, that?" he started again, waving his hand toward the other side.

His ghostly beard bristled with suppressed laughter.

"Those weapons and armor also require a grandmaster-level divine sense and Qi to use! If I show him a Divine-rank Obsidian Spear now, his weak novice consciousness will shatter before he can even lift its shadow!"

The Moon Goddess was speechless at all this old thug’s acting.

She exhaled sharply. [Stop acting. Your Obsidian spear didn’t even have any spirit left after the war. A totally useless thing. You are just avoiding the main key point of this vault.]

Moon’s ears perked up.

From now on, he must occasionally leave his consciousness inside, in case they blurt out more "restricted XP" news.

"He will know them if he is qualified." After saying that, Lupine looked at Moon mysteriously.

Moon felt his stomach suddenly churn.

Not in a bad way.

But in a sudden realization.

The inheritance here he already knew. What else could it be that he didn’t know?

He lifted his finger toward Lupine, then it moved to the place where he and Nox had landed the first time they entered the Lupine Palace.

His heart was racing so much that his voice shook as he stuttered, "You... Y—you... D—don’t... tell me there was an exit from here to the Lost World."

He finished his words, yet felt like his expectation was absurd.

How could he possibly enter the Lost Realm through this? Wasn’t this treasure vault a single-space artifact?

Lupine’s smile broadened.

He started to laugh at Moon’s shocked and bewildered face.

The Moon Goddess sighed deeply but left him hanging.

When Moon’s excitement almost wavered over whether he had said it right or wrong, Lupine finally stopped laughing and came close to Moon.

He patted his shoulder with a bit of force. "Bravo, my boy! Yes, your guess is right. But that’s because you opened two gates of entrance to the Lost Realm.

Then his face went somber.

"Lost Realm, eh? That’s actually what fits most for this realm."

Lupine sighed and sat on another rock. "You can go outside only to the places you have conquered. There are more to be unlocked by yourself."

"Two gates unlocked? This treasure vault and the Stardust Cinder Lily pond?"

Lupine looked at Moon eagerly to continue his probing.

Moon smiled. Isn’t it easy? he thought.

"There are three other cave mouths leading to three more places?"

Moon smiled. Isn’t it easy? he thought. "There are three other cave mouths leading to three more places?"

"Ohohoo, kid, you got it right." Lupine slapped his thigh with excitement. Let me finish. The other three must be related to earth, fire, and water or ice elemental resources."

"Bravo, bravo, boy. You have a brain, unlike some ornamental vase who can just be looked at and admired, with no use whatsoever," Lupine cheered in a playful voice.

He waved his hand, making his arm shape like cave mouths. "As far as my guess is, one of them leads to the Hidden Lava Core, the other one connects to the Ancient Earth Spirit Caves, and the frozen cave mouth leads to the Glacial Ring Ravine."

He looked at Moon. His eyes crinkled. "Just waiting for the destined one."

He totally ignored that the Moon Goddess’s beautiful brows were knitting together, so much so that Moon feared the crescent crest icon between her brows would shatter soon.

But he ignored her, as she had ignored him in his pain.

"So..."

Moon’s voice became lower and lower as his gaze lingered on the Moon Goddess’s face.

"This Lost Realm was designed as an inheritance ground and treasure trove for five legendary wolf bloodlines to awaken their innate, stagnant power?"

[Ahem, ahem. There is no XP...] the goddess started.

"Oh, fuck your XP," Lupine instantly cut her off, excited to reveal a great secret.

In his excitement, he failed to notice Moon’s extremely grave expression.

"Mate, continue..." He stopped mid-sentence.

Moon was looking at the Goddess’s face.

He raised his brows, as if asking for an explanation for being told the stardust lily was a gift for him.

As if asking why she had to hide it and act as if it were being given to him as a favor.

From beginning to end, was anything really for him?

Or was all just a disguised gift for those five defective werewolves?

Moon had many questions, but he could not ask.

He had no right to ask for an explanation outright when he couldn’t even live on his own will.

He could only accept false kindness that was not meant for him.

Without any prior notice, his eyes suddenly welled up.

"I am going out for a while," he mumbled.

[Mooney...]

"Hey..."

Before Lupine could say anything, the air shifted, and Moon’s spiritual body vanished from the place, leaving a deadly silence.

In the silent courtyard, a slender body was sitting cross-legged.

Suddenly, the still body stirred, and then slowly curled up into a ball, hiding his face with his arms...

He mumbled in a very low voice only he could hear, "It’s okay, it’s fine. As long as I can live well. As long as I can be immortal. Anything is fine."

But a tear still dropped on his pale hand.

Moon hiccuped, drawing a shallow breath. "Darn! Why isn’t it stopping yet?"

He mumbled in annoyance.

Dusk had fallen long ago, but the moon was still hiding behind the fog.

The winter night had never been cold.

So cold that Moon shivered a few times.

Yet he sat there silently.

Silent and alone.

Remembering his mother’s last words. ’Moon, live well. Live for me as long as you can. Live as long as I...’

Moon inhaled sharply.

The latter part was drifted by his crying long ago.

He couldn’t remember what she wanted to tell him. And he didn’t need to remember.

He would live for that unfinished sentence.

He can’t just let go of what he promised. Even if it meant walking alone.

He didn’t know how long he was lost in his absent mind.

A soft touch on his back finally broke his trance.

Moon jerked up.

He hadn’t noticed anyone’s presence at all.

"Who?" he snapped back to look behind.