Chapter 322: Floating Moon Island, Trial of Trickery

With just one move, Yeats defeated Duke Thomas in a duel.

The news spread quickly, causing a huge response throughout the kingdom.

The Mages Guild, the Adventurers' Association, the Merchant Guild... all the travelers who came and went spread the story of the Duke of Honeysuckle.

In the tavern, the bard played the accordion and sang ballads, and the room was filled with the smell of beer, fire and smoked sausage.

The white-haired demon hunter with scars on his back carried two swords and drank while listening to the conversation between two mercenaries at the next table with his curious ears.

"Have you heard? Duke Thomas lost to Duke Yeats, and now the lord of White Night City is Lord Yeats!" The old mercenary looked mysterious.

"Duke Honeysuckle has just killed the orc chieftain, but now he still has the energy to defeat Thomas?" the tall and thin man asked in surprise.

"More than that! Thomas didn't even last a single round against Yeats!" the old mercenary vowed.

"How is this possible? No matter what, Thomas is still a hero like Yeats. How could he be killed instantly?" The tall and thin man couldn't believe it.

"It's true."

Jello suddenly interrupted the two people's argument.

"I was there and saw the powerful blessing released by Duke Yeats, defeating Thomas in one fell swoop!"

The two mercenaries were stunned for a moment, then saw the scar on Jello's face and his iconic double swords. They immediately looked embarrassed and stood up to pay the bill at the same time.

"You scared them all away."

Eva, who was sitting next to Jello, held her chin and sighed.

"It's a common thing." Roger flipped through a thread-bound book, pressed down the brim of his hat, and said lightly, "Compared with the good reputation of the Duke of Yeats, Jello is also notorious... He even robbed the money of drunkards. Is there anything else he can't do?"

"I just like to make friends with drunkards, and then their wallets somehow end up in my hands." Jello took a sip of beer and squinted, "What are you looking at?"

Roger closed the book, revealing the gold-plated words on it: "The Honeysuckle Chronicles, which tells the legendary deeds of the Duke of Yeats... It's quite immersive."

"The second volume will probably include the story of Yeats' victory over Thomas," Eva said casually.

Jello suddenly asked, "Doesn't the book tell how dear Duke Honeysuckle hugged the snow-white thighs of the Moon Goddess?"

Eva and Roger were stunned, their expressions suddenly became strange, they turned their heads and looked around, fearing that a Moon God believer would suddenly jump out.

Jero continued, "I still can't figure it out! How did Ye Zhi get the blessing of the Moon God with such terrifying power from the Moon God!"

"What on earth did he do to please the Moonlight Goddess and make her willing to give such a powerful blessing to Ye Zhi?"

The white-haired, scarred demon hunter folded his arms, a puzzled look on his face.

"Didn't you say it before? Duke Yeats is very good at living off his wife."

Roger looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "It's reasonable to eat the moon goddess's soft rice, right?"

Jello was stunned, he sighed, his eyes full of admiration, and said: "I really envy him!"

The handsome face of the chosen poet appeared before her eyes. Eva bit her lip and hummed softly:

"To be honest, I want him to have some of mine, too."

Jello, Roger: "...Get down!"

Lion Palace.

The magic crystal records the scene and projects it onto the wall of the elegant study.

Theresa was wearing a snow-white dress, gazing at the upside-down Milky Way scene in the picture, her beautiful eyes full of disbelief.

She had heard her father talk about the glorious years of the war in the north. At that time, Thomas had already served under the Lionheart King and made great achievements in the war.

Whether in terms of strategy or strength, Thomas is well-known among the nobles of the Golden Lion Kingdom, and he must have been fully prepared for this duel.

However, the power of the blessing displayed by Yeats was so amazing that it could even be compared with the legendary combat skill "Dawn Sword" released by Colin! Thomas was no match for Yeats at all. The duel ended in less than ten minutes! "Even my father probably couldn't have thought that Yeats would win this duel so easily..."

Theresa lowered her head and thought for a while, with determination in her eyes. She called the maid and said softly:

"This blessing will definitely put a huge burden on the human body. Please give my moonstone bracelet to Duke Honeysuckle. It should be able to make up for the moonlight divinity he consumed."

Moonstone, according to legend, is a meteorite that fell from the moon. It is a good catalyst for moonlight magic. Its quality is also divided into good and bad grades, from low to high, it can be divided into ornamental grade, jewelry grade, and gem grade.

"Don't you like that moonstone very much?" The maid hesitated and asked, "Besides, the moonstone bracelet can also nourish your body. Do you really want to give it to Lord Ye Zhi?"

Theresa smiled gently, noble and reserved, and said: "It is I who need his help, not him who needs me... Compared with the friendship of Duke Yeats, the gems are nothing."

Both publicly and privately, Theresa hoped that Yeats would stand on the same side as her.

Theresa was genuinely happy to hear that Yeats's power was growing, because she had been to his territory in person and learned about the lord's character from the people and soldiers.

Such an upright, brave, and gentle knight will surely be the pillar of the kingdom! The maid respectfully withdrew.

Standing in the quiet study, Theresa looked at the tall figure in the magic crystal and murmured:

"Father, Yeats is still growing at an astonishing rate...I should be like him..."

*Grand Duchy of Lucia, Moonlight Cult, Tsukishima.

The cold moon hangs high in the sky, shining on an isolated floating island. Below the island are cliffs and the sea.

There were only desolate rocks on the island, and the howling wind mixed with frost covered the man meditating on the island with a layer of ice and snow. His lips were pale, and his whole face was cold. Suddenly, he opened his tightly closed eyes, revealing a pair of silver pupils as bright as the bright moon, and his eyes showed surprise that could not be concealed.

He suddenly stood up, frowning, and stared at the other side of the sea, as if he saw the shocking scene of the moon waterfall descending.

"Luvian, the moonlight brings news from afar."

The gentle whispers echoed in the desolate Moon Island like the evening breeze, and there was a hint of regret in the girl's voice.

"The Moon River falls, everything is silent, but the one who receives that blessing is not you and me."

The man's dark blue cloak fluttered in the cold wind. He pursed his lips tightly, his nails dug into his palms, his body trembled slightly, and there was frustration and loss in his eyes.

Blessings can be strong or weak.

The Moon River is a powerful blessing recorded in the history of the Moonlight Sect, and it is unique.

Throughout the ages, countless believers of the Moon God have tried to obtain the powerful blessings bestowed by the Moon God through meditation, prayer, and sacrifice, including a brother and sister who were considered to have the "greatest hope of entering the Holy Land of the Moon".

The girl comforted him gently:

"Luvian, there is no need to be sad. The Moon River does not belong to you and me, but the moonlight still covers us...Try this."

The man remained silent, with reluctance and sadness in his eyes. He was unable to speak, and stared quietly at the exquisite wooden box held up by a ray of moonlight.

The lid of the box opens quietly, revealing a dessert with a small shape and exquisite patterns.

The man tilted his head slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The image of a girl, woven by the cold moonlight, was like a dream, not a substance, floating in front of the man like mist.

“This is a mooncake.”

The girl said, "This is a gift from the recipient of the Moon River to the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess has sent down an oracle, asking us to use this dessert as a designated offering... There are many flavors, you can try it."

Luvian was silent for a long time, put away the uniquely shaped, curved moon blade in her hand, picked up a piece of moon cake with her scarred hands, and put it into her mouth.

The girl looked at Luvian expectantly and blinked her lively eyes: "How does it taste?"

Luvian was as silent as a rock, chewing the mooncake mechanically, swallowing it with difficulty, and nodding slightly.

"Brother, I picked the five-nut mooncakes for you on purpose, and you still won't lie."

The girl smiled and said, "The other flavors are quite good. No wonder the Moon God likes them and gave the Moon River to extraordinary people outside the sect..."

"This may be because mooncakes can be used to spread the belief in the Moon God, and it is also very helpful for the Moon God to absorb the power of faith." The girl murmured to herself.

Luvian tilted her head.

"You asked me who that extraordinary person was?" the girl said, "It was the Duke of Honeysuckle of Golden Lion, Yeats of Bronte. He was a very remarkable person. Some time ago, he defeated an army of tens of thousands of orcs in one fell swoop."

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

Orcs often threaten the Moonlight Cult's stronghold, and the believers' moon blades are stained with the blood of countless barbarians.

After hearing about Yeats's victory over the orc army, Luvian's stiff expression visibly relaxed.

The cloaked man was lost in thought, standing above the floating island in the cold wind, quietly gazing at the surging black sea in the night, with curiosity, speculation and recognition in his eyes.

Clang! Immediately, Luvian swung the moon blade again, slashing at the hard rock, leaving traces.

Seeing the man start training again, the girl, who was as mysterious and bright as the moonlight, sat on another rock and whispered:

"Brother, you have to believe... believe that our brilliance is no less brilliant than the Milky Way in the distance."

*The day after the duel, Thomas led his troops to evacuate White Night City and asked the statistician to hand over various data such as population, industry, and resources to Yeats's general manager Derek.

The infrastructure of White Night City is quite complete, with rich mineral resources and the Great Wall as a geographical advantage, giving it unique advantages in both offense and defense.

The sun is rising.

Ye Zhi rode a white horse, followed by the Frostwolf Cavalry. Standing in front of the city gate, he looked up at the towering White Night City and the honeysuckle flag flying on the city gate tower, his eyes flickering slightly.

"A year ago, you told me that Morning Frost Ridge had the Great Wall and the Absolute Ridge Mountains as natural barriers, and persuaded me to stay and assist you..."

Hildre rode on Fry's back, who was maintaining his normal size, and said with a look of nostalgia in his eyes, "At that time, a cold wave hit the Absolute Mountains, and the Border Wall was heavily guarded by Thomas's troops. It was not a barrier to you, but a threat close at hand..."

She looked at Yeats.

“I didn’t expect that in less than two years, there would be such a dramatic change… You have fulfilled the promise you made, Yeats.”

Ye Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Taking White Night City is only the first step. We still need to explore wider areas."

There was a hint of confusion in Xilude's eyes: "A wider area?"

"The sea."

Yeats said: "The age of chivalry will eventually end, and the age of navigation will come."

When the game version was updated to the Age of Navigation, mysterious islands were discovered one after another. On the islands there even existed extinct ancient monsters, powerful magic tools from the old era, and blessings from lost gods. New sanctuaries were also born one after another on the continent of Midgard.

The nobles organized ocean-going fleets at all costs in order to obtain ancient treasures; the extraordinary strong also personally went deep into the heart of the seven seas, looking for the slim chance of achieving a sanctuary.

After taking over White Night City, there was no need to continue expanding to the south. Yeats decided to develop the navy, or at least create a naval force that would scare the pirates and prevent them from invading.

Hildre thought carefully about Yeats' words, and stared at Yeats through the gap in the eagle helmet.

"Even in the Age of Sail, the spirit of the Knights of the Round Table still survives... No matter what the road ahead is, my sword will always be at your service."

Her words revealed a firm belief, and Yeats felt at ease, but Grey beside him was not willing to be outdone.

Gray shouted, "Me too!"

Ye Zhi smiled dumbly and said, "Let's go into the city first... New Year's Day is coming soon, let's celebrate it in White Night City!"

A grand celebration was held on the day Yeats took over the White Night City.

All the great nobles of the northern province, except the Duke of Alba, came in person, and the royal capital also sent envoys to offer congratulations.

Yeats also received a gift from Theresa, a moonstone bracelet, which has the effect of nourishing the divinity of moonlight, and it came at the right time.

The day after the celebration, the productivity of White Night City was fully activated, vigorously promoting the steelmaking industry to lay a solid foundation for the shipbuilding industry.

In addition, on the issue of faith in White Night City, Yeats decided to build a Temple of Youth in the territory and sponsor painters, musicians, and artists to promote the development of the literary and artistic industry.

Late December passed quietly, and the new year of the holy calendar soon arrived.

Fireworks rose in the night sky, and a grand New Year's Eve party was held in the Lord's Castle of White Night City.

Yeats was slightly drunk and was returning to his room via the covered bridge between the two castles. He caught a glimpse of the thick fog covering the garden from the corner of his eye. His heart skipped a beat and his drunkenness instantly dissipated.

"Now that you're here, Ye Zhi, you should go and say hello to her, so that she won't make things more difficult for you in the future." Zuanya advised.

Yeats complained: "You are obviously doing this for fun!"

Having said that, Yeats still walked into the fog alone, and saw a tall woman in a gray dress with curly gray hair interweaving in the fog.

"Why, are you unhappy to see me?" Daisy raised her eyebrows.

Ye Zhi: "...Didn't you ascend to the divine realm from the Rainbow Bridge? Why are you coming down again?"

Daisy sighed and said, "Yeah, the God Realm is so boring. I can't get away for the moment, so I can only see you in the form of an avatar..."

As she spoke, Daisy patted Yeats' head with her hand, but the "hand" did not touch Yeats, but passed through directly.

"But as soon as I saw you, I felt much happier!" Daisy said with a smile.

Ye Zhi: “…I thank you!”

"You're welcome. I'm here to wish you a happy new year and urge you to complete the promotion ceremony to the Five-Ring Trickster as soon as possible." Daisy said seriously, "I'm looking forward to your performance at the ceremony!"

Ye Zhi said unhappily, "You haven't even told me what the ceremony is about!"

"How about you take a guess?" Daisy blinked.

Ye Zhi looked strange and asked, "Could it be related to the goddess of darkness?"

Daisy smiled and said, "You still understand me!"

Ye Zhi: “…”

Will the Dark Night Goddess fight with the Moonlight Goddess again? Oh no... Ye Zhi has mixed feelings... I'm actually looking forward to it!

(End of this chapter)