Chapter 276 Xuanwu's Reply
Afterwards, Ma Zao and I also tried to talk to other locals.
It was called a conversation, but in reality, it was just using the illusion of a reflection in water to force the other party to answer our questions unilaterally. Although it was done for efficiency, abusing this method inevitably feels like disregarding the dignity and right to choose of others. I wasn't entirely unaffected by this, but I still prioritized efficiency.
It's much gentler than trying to force a local's answer by grabbing their heart with the black rope heart-locking ring. If it weren't for the fake "Moon in the Water," I might have considered that approach too. But the black rope heart-locking ring now belongs to Asao, and I don't want to take it back, nor do I want Asao to do what I might do—though I know she probably wouldn't mind.
In the end, we didn't gather much new information, and it was largely the same as what we had obtained from the hotel owner and regular customers. The extra information mostly consisted of descriptions of the miracles performed by the ancient moon god.
For example, because the villagers of Guyue were afraid of the mountains and forests at night, the Guyue God made the daytime on the mountain last forever—I suspect that the Silver Moon at that time simply used illusion magic to give the villagers the illusion that night looked like day.
She should be able to create a miniature sun on the mountaintop using nuclear fusion power now, but considering that this happened in the early 20th century, not to mention nuclear fusion, even nuclear fission had not yet been discovered by physicists—or did she discover the fusion and fission reactions of atomic nuclei even earlier than humans? That's probably impossible.
The only truly novel part is probably the origin of the ancient moon god.
Unlike the villagers of Guyue, who were originally outsiders, Guyue Goddess seems to be a deity born from Yueyin Mountain a very long time ago, and this land may have extraordinary significance for her.
We haven't encountered the strange phenomena we experienced before. However, I don't think they were just strange phenomena limited to that restaurant, nor do I feel that they were just strange phenomena targeting me and Asahi.
Is this phenomenon an isolated anomaly, or is it closely related to Silver Moon and Hu Family Village?
Logically speaking, the probability of encountering two unrelated strange events at the same time is very low. However, considering that Asahi is with me, it wouldn't be strange if three or four unrelated strange events came knocking at the same time.
An unusual atmosphere seemed to permeate the vast area, including Moonshadow Mountain City. This atmosphere was so insidious and all-pervasive that its anomalies could only be detected by sheer chance. And it was likely that, due to the unreasonable "reverse luck" of our jinxed constitution, we "coincidentally" stumbled upon the appearance of this anomaly, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
"It seems this is something I attracted..."
Asaho seemed to have realized this as well, and her tone became dejected.
And I couldn't help but exclaim, "Ma Zao, you're truly my lucky star!"
"Huh?" She seemed unable to react.
It seems she's not quite used to having someone like me, who enjoys dangerous things, around.
I actually quite liked the strange changes I'd encountered before. Lately, I'd been dealing with obvious and bizarre dangers, powerful beings at the Great Completion stage with special abilities, and overwhelmingly powerful beings like the Great Impermanence... but supernatural phenomena like this, which seem like ghosts, are a rare sight indeed.
As if she had finally come to her senses, Ma Zao looked at me steadily with a relieved expression.
The dark clouds that filled the night sky finally unleashed a torrential downpour upon the earth, and Mazao and I hurriedly entered the hotel we had booked.
Since I'm still in my twelve or thirteen-year-old form, it's inconvenient for me to get through the front desk with Asahi. Since I've already said I'd be spending the whole day in this form with Asahi, it wouldn't be right to break that promise now and revert to my adult form to negotiate with the front desk. So, I'll have to use the power of the fake moon reflected in the water again to cheat, making the front desk unable to realize how strange it is for a pair of young-looking teenagers to check into the inn.
In terms of pure power level, the counterfeit Moon in the Water might not even reach the threshold of being at the next level. However, in terms of convenience in modern society, I feel that this magical artifact is much more useful than my superpowers in many ways.
Unfortunately, precisely because it is so easy to fake a moon in the water, this time when I booked a hotel room, unlike the last time when I could only book a room that was set up according to the single standard, I was able to book a double room with two beds.
Ma Zao seems to have a particular fondness for soft, fluffy beds. Although she doesn't look sleepy yet, she still took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. I sat on another bed and made contact with the Zhu family.
Zhu Shi was in the living room of her villa at the moment. I manipulated the "firefly" that I had set up there, turning it into a fireball with a vocal organ. Then I told her about my progress in tracking Chang'an's soul and the true identity of the hostile Great Impermanence.
Hearing that Mingzhuo wouldn't attack us for the time being, she breathed a sigh of relief. If Mingzhuo launched an attack on us in the Yueyin Mountain area, it was hard to guarantee that Yueyin Mountain City at the foot of the mountain wouldn't suffer collateral damage. Her relaxation was probably partly due to this.
"Speaking of which, although it's far less of a jinx than Asaha's, most demon hunters, including you, are probably prone to encountering strange events, right? Living in the city, don't you ever pose a threat to the ordinary people around you?" I asked curiously.
“There’s no need to worry about that. We witchers aren’t the creators of strange events, but rather the attractors. The presence of witchers in urban areas helps reduce urban anomalies,” she said.
"I see. It's like how the number of cockroaches is greatly reduced in a house where centipedes live..." I understood.
"Are we witchers centipedes?" she quipped.
Just then, Mr. Zhu hurried into the living room. Seeing me talking to Zhu Shi, he said, "Zhuang Cheng, you're here. Perfect timing. I have some very important news to tell you."
Actually, I've always been here, or rather, my "firefly" has always been here, but instead of correcting his statement, I asked, "What news?"
"Xuanwu finally sent a reply, agreeing to Ma Zao's request to refine the elixir," said Old Master Zhu.
Upon hearing this, I immediately perked up.
I don't believe that the magic pills of the Navy's Xuanwu can completely cure Asaha's soul trauma, but they can definitely restore Asaha's condition to an unprecedented level. At his peak, Asaha could even escape from the clutches of the Great Impermanence on his own.
Even if I could fully unleash the power of the boundless realm, Asahaya, who acts alongside me, is undeniably a vulnerable link. But once she recovers to near her peak power, I can largely eliminate any worries and focus entirely on confronting the succumbing to fate.
However, Mr. Zhu looked worried. I looked at his face and asked, "Isn't this good news?"
“If it’s just that he sent a reply agreeing to the request, then that would indeed be good news, but…” Old Master Zhu showed a strange expression, “Xuanwu seems to know that the person who wants to contact him is you.”
As far as I know, for safety reasons, when Master Zhu contacted the naval commander Genbu using the token, he only described Asahi's "illness" and his own needs, without revealing my existence. For some reason, the naval commander Genbu is extremely hostile to fire-wielding users. Once he realizes I'm there, even if he doesn't break his promise and refuse to provide the elixir, he might still pose a life-threatening threat to me.
Ideally, Asahi would contact the naval master Genbu alone to obtain the elixir to heal the soul. However, Genbu can vaguely perceive the course of cause and effect and destiny. He may be able to sense me behind Asahi simply by making contact with her.
In fact, I've now grasped, to some extent, the feeling of "peeking into fate and cause and effect." My evolved intuition now allows me to have a wonderful premonition about many things. Along the way, I've also used this intuition to capture a lot of information that my past self could never have grasped.
If I have more time to become more proficient in using this perception, I will be able to actively access metaphysical concepts through my own will, including abstract things such as cause and effect and fate.
It was surprising that the naval commander Xuanwu knew of my existence beforehand, but the outcome remained the same, so I continued to ask: "I remember that according to the rules, he should be the one to designate the time and place of the meeting, right? Did he make any designations?"
It doesn't matter where he intends to direct me, even to a region far from Moonshadow Mountain City. I can reach that place in a very short time and return to Moonshadow Mountain City in an instant. Just like the analogy I made to Fufeng before, this process won't be more troublesome than going out to throw away the trash. Nor will it interfere with what I need to do in Moonshadow Mountain.
However, as I asked that question, a near-certain premonition arose in my mind—it seemed likely that the Naval Xuanwu Association had chosen Moonshadow Mountain Castle as its location. Although this possibility seemed too coincidental, it was precisely because it was so coincidental that it possessed a strange persuasiveness.
Mr. Zhu's answer perfectly matched my expectations.
“He wants you to meet him at a place called Moonshadow Mountain City before tomorrow night,” he said.
(End of this chapter)
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