"Night has fallen?"
Muen stared in astonishment as the firmament was shrouded in darkness.
Stars were scattered, ethereal and far, impossible to see clearly; only that one moon was limpid, shining upon all things.
"If thereâs day, there is naturally night. Itâs a bit sudden, but thatâs normal. Only...... thereâs no sun here, so why is there a moon?"
With a single glance, Muen could tell those stars were just like the daytime blue sky and white cloudsâfalse things like a backdrop curtain.
But the moonlight at this moment was bright; as the only light source in this world, it could not be fake.
A real moon?
A false moon?
Or else......
But that moon had already died, and this Lost Land â NĐŸvĐ”lđght â (Exclusive on NĐŸvĐ”lđght) should by all appearances have nothing to do with it; it absolutely shouldnât......
"Muen......"
Liyaâs soft, worried call pulled Muen back from his thoughts to reality:
"What do we do nowâkeep going?"
She, too, seemed to sense how abrupt this full moon was, her clear eyes widening as she gazed out.
"Keep going...... probably wonât do."
Muen took out his pocket watch and checked it. It had been eight marks since the moment they entered Kanteville.
Although they had briefly rested in the deserted village earlier, that had been several hours ago.
And once it was dark, moving would be inconvenient.
"No need to rush. Letâs find a place to rest first."
"Mm, Iâll listen to you."
......
......
"This should be safe."
After entering this abandoned town, Muen found a house that was still fairly intact and used it as a temporary place to rest.
To save effort, he lavishly used Holy Light again to purge the filth, then pulled out expensive blankets to spread on the floor, and also took out the firewood he had prepared in advance to build a fire.
Soon, the aroma of food drifted out, making oneâs fingers itch to eat, but it wasnât the readily found fare of this Lost Landâit was what Muen had brought himself.
Although neither Muen nor Liya had found anything wrong with the food here, to be safe, it was better not to eat it.
Muen poked the fire twice, making it blaze brighter, then angled his gaze to the side.
High-grade steak had been skewered on a casually peeled branch; just simple roasting, and it already looked especially so.
Of course, even more so were the girlâs cheeks under the firelight, laid over with the glow of evening clouds, and those lips made glossy and translucent by grease.
At just one glance, Muen hurriedly drew his eyes back and took a big bite of roasted meat.
Though there were no seasonings and the cooking method was a wasteful affront, Muen still found it extremely delicious, not inferior to a top chef at a high-end restaurant.
"It feels very familiar."
Liya tucked both feet into her skirt and gently wrapped one arm around herself.
"Itâs like we did this before."
"Mm."
Muen knew she was talking about that time in the Forest of Dead Doom, when the two of them had also sat around a campfire like thisâwarm fire before them, boundless darkness and unknown behind them.
As if it were yesterday.
"Only...... there are a lot of differences too."
Liya put the branch into the flames and let it be devoured, making the firelight even brighter.
It lit up her eyes, shining like crystals.
Muen couldnât help looking again.
"Whatâs different?"
"Back then we couldnât afford such good roasted meat."
"There were only wild fruits, and octopus."
"And we couldnât sit on soft blankets."
"Leaves are actually pretty soft too."
"And......"
Liyaâs vermilion lips parted, but the words at the tip of her tongue ultimately didnât make it out.
Her state of mind,
was different too.
Onlyâhow could she say that out loud?
Who knew whether the firelight was dyeing Liya, or the man beside her; Liya furtively covered her chest, feeling that annoying thump-thump start up again.
It grew quiet all around, and only the sound of tongues of flame licking at firewood could be heard.
"Rest first. Now that most people are converging here, tomorrow the competition may be very intense." Muen swallowed the last piece of roasted meat and spoke.
"Mm."
Obediently, Liya hugged her knees, curled up, and lay on her side on the blanket.
She had a small blanket over her as well; with ample preparations, it was indeed much more comfortable than that night had been.
Only this time, Liya didnât fall asleep so easily.
She kept secretly opening her eyes to take a peek at the man sitting motionless before the fire like a statue.
One glance, and then another.
Only after who knew how many glances, when drowsiness finally swept in, did Liya slowly close her eyes.
......
Hearing Liyaâs breathing grow steady, Muen stood and turned.
However, he didnât look at the completely defenseless girl at this moment; his line of sight deliberately avoided her and moved to the window.
"Tomorrow will definitely be lively."
In the silence, Muen seemed to hear one or two sounds in the distance that didnât belong.
Probably someone who couldnât stand the boredom and was still going at it even after dark.
According to the information Ailag had given, he and Liya were already moving slowly, so by tomorrow at the latest, most participants would definitely gather in this town.
It would absolutely not be as quiet as today.
"But...... speaking of which, itâs too quiet."
Muen couldnât help frowning.
Before they came in, the Church had said the outer zone of Kanteville, after exploration, wasnât all that dangerous.
But after these few hours in daylight, Muen felt this wasnât merely not all that dangerous...... the light was gentle, the breeze pleasant, the scenery beautifulâpractically a vacation resort.
"Is it that only after passing that wall and entering the inner area will it reveal its dangerous essence as an ancient ruin......"
Muen looked out over the world under the moonlight, mysterious and serene.
"Or else...... forget it, Iâm probably overthinking."
He shook his head, flicked his hand to set the necessary alert devices in place, and then closed his eyes.
......
"Has it begun?"
In the moonlight, a silhouette in a long dress stood still, both hands clasped and pressed to her forehead, as if in prayer.
Then she slowly bent down and placed the swaying flowers in her hands upon the ground...... upon that corpse.
The corpseâs eyes were wide open, as if unwilling to rest in death.
In his hand was half a Space Magic Scroll which had clearly been torn apart, its glow utterly dim.
"What a pity."
The figure sighed in regret and covered the corpse with the flowers.
"Itâs not time yet. We still need to...... wait a while longer."
"But......"
"Soon......"
In her tone, she was so impatient for something to arrive.
......
......
"Save me......"
......
"Save us......"
......
"Save......"
"Hah."
Liyaâs eyes flew open.
The ceiling, spotless after purification by Holy Light, entered her vision.
The surroundings were extremely unfamiliar, yet they didnât make her uneasy, because that solid figure was still beside her.
Liya let out a long breath and looked around.
She had clearly heard voices calling for help just now, but the instant she opened her eyes, those voices disappeared.
A dream?
It should be a dream.
But why would she have such a dream with only voices and no images?
Looks like she was still too nervous.
She couldnât help turning her head to look at Muen, who was sitting against the wallâhis lightly drooping eyes, those fine brows, that handsome face......
No no no, Liya Angel, what are you doingâpeeking like that is just too......
But she just couldnât help it.
Liya shook her head hard, throwing off those inexplicable thoughts.
Her cheeks were still a little feverish.
Simply getting up, Liya tiptoed to the window, wanting to catch some cold air.
The moon still shone upon everything; all was hushed.
"I wonder how long until dawn."
Liya pushed open the tattered window:
"The moonâs position doesnât seem to have...... ugh...... it stinks!"
At that moment, when the window had just been pushed open, what rushed in wasnât refreshing cool air, but......
A nauseating stench.
Like a corpse rotting.