Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Deal

The frenzied surge of anomalous currents twisted the wilderness weather into utter chaos; torrents of rain poured down beneath a clear sky, and thunder burst forth amidst swirling snow and mist. Sunlight cast by the heavens was broken and refracted by the atmosphere, spilling eerie halos across the vault above, while moonlit projections appeared at random all across the world.

Hand in hand, a tall figure and a small one walked through the wall of raging wind and thunder, their feet treading lightly over gravel scorched by fire and encrusted with shards of ice, step by careful step drawing closer to a quietly suspended anomalous moon hovering above the earth.

“Taiyin, Taiyin, what is that big, round, white ball over there? It looks so delicious,” the little Moon Thrall fixed her gaze on the distant, luminous white orb, swallowing instinctively. Lifting her head, she turned to Taiyin, curious why she suddenly felt a ravenous hunger.

“That thing is called an anomalous moon. It’s formed from the coalescence of stray anomalous energy gathering upon a moon projection. This is exactly the target of our outing today.” Taiyin narrowed her eyes, surveying the anomalous moon with satisfaction—its size was just perfect for the little Moon Thrall.

“Can I eat it?” Moon Thrall asked eagerly, struggling to suppress the impulse that had grown uncontrollable ever since she’d set eyes on that white sphere.

“You can, but—” Before Taiyin could finish, she grabbed the girl, who was about to dash forward, and cradled her in her arms, helplessly patting her head. “Why so impatient? I haven’t finished talking.”

“But I’m really so hungry…” Moon Thrall gazed up at Taiyin, who was holding her, her long lashes fluttering and her tiny body wriggling to escape the embrace.

“Do you remember the mangosteen we ate back at the base?” With Moon Thrall held in one arm, Taiyin walked on toward the 'small' moon.

The “moon” was about five meters in diameter, hovering half a meter above the ground. Sensing something approaching, raging storms erupted from it, spreading outwards in waves.

Apart from her hood being blown back by the wind, Taiyin seemed wholly unaffected by the storm, her pace never faltering. As she advanced, she glanced into the thick mist to one side, pure light flickering in her clear, watery eyes. Deep in the fog, a shadowy giant emerged, but after a few silent moments of eye contact with Taiyin, it yielded, dissolving into mist.

“Mangosteen is tasty—white and sweet!” Moon Thrall’s eyes sparkled with delight as she answered.

“And the purple-black rind on the outside?” Taiyin prompted with a smile.

“Blech! The thick purple rind is bitter and astringent—disgusting!” Moon Thrall scrunched her face, sticking out her tongue at the memory of her own reckless attempt to gobble a whole mangosteen.

“This thing is much the same. The outer shell isn’t pleasant; the real treasure is the moon projection hidden inside the anomalous shell. That’s what’s truly delicious. Close your eyes now—time to peel it.” Taiyin had already reached the anomalous moon.

With Moon Thrall in one arm, Taiyin extended her other hand to the glowing orb. Her fingers plunged in, her entire hand turning pitch-black, then searing white light, etched with fine patterns, erupted from her wrist to her fingertips, instantly fracturing a breach in the surface of the white moon. A violent shockwave blasted out from the opening, engulfing both figures in a chaos of amber light.

After a long while, the cloaks and robes, once whipped straight by the blast, drifted gently down. This time, Moon Thrall was obedient, covering her eyes tightly with her hands, curling into a ball within Taiyin’s arms.

“All done. Time to eat,” Taiyin announced contentedly, shaking her hand, its color restored. She patted Moon Thrall’s back, calling her to dine with a laugh.

The thick, massive shell of anomalous energy had been completely peeled away, revealing the “flesh” within—a fist-sized, black projection of the moon, floating in midair. With a gesture from Taiyin, it drifted down to hover before them.

“Wow, it’s so small and black—and smells amazing…” Moon Thrall was drooling, reaching out with both hands to grab the moon projection.

“You little glutton… Take it slow. No need to rush.” Placing the black sphere in her chubby hands, Taiyin smiled helplessly as she watched the girl devour it like a piece of fruit. With her other hand, she fished a paper map from her pocket, considering their next destination. After all, once the lunar tides had begun, all electronic devices outside the Safe Realm were rendered useless—one had to rely on the most primitive paper maps for direction and position.

“Taiyin, Taiyin…” Before Taiyin could decide on their next stop, Moon Thrall shook her shoulder urgently.

“Your braid came undone! Taiyin’s braid is loose!” Moon Thrall clambered onto Taiyin’s shoulder, poking curiously at the long hair now draped down her back.

“That’s not a braid—it’s a bun,” Taiyin replied with a wry tug at her lips. She set Moon Thrall down and began to gather and smooth her hair. “Shall we rest a bit, or head off to find another moon fruit?”

“I’m not tired—I want more moon fruit!” Moon Thrall ran in circles around Taiyin, brimming with excitement.

Hair neatly coiled, hood back in place, Taiyin caught the bouncing child and took her hand once more.

“Then let’s go—on to the next anomalous moon.” Direction settled, she strode forward.

“Let’s go, let’s go—time to find moon fruit!” Moon Thrall echoed energetically, skipping at Taiyin’s side.

Across the deserted wilderness, beset by perilous lunar tides, the two figures—one large, one small—walked hand in hand, humming snatches of song and nursery rhymes as they set out in search of the next “fruit.”

…

Within Qin City, the streets had emptied with the onset of the lunar tides; pedestrians were scarce and the broad avenues nearly devoid of vehicles. Yet for Mode and Mu Qing, crouched in an abandoned warehouse in Qinghai District, the crowd gathering around them seemed larger than expected.

“This is the suspicious gathering you mentioned?” Mu Qing, arms crossed, eyed the hostile faces—every one of them clutching some sort of weapon: batons, watermelon knives, ‘Physics Swords’… This was clearly a gang of thugs. To think she’d trusted Mode’s deduction that cultists of a doomsday sect might be lurking here.

“How was I supposed to know it was a smuggling operation? I guess you get what you pay for—cheap intel means less detail…” Mode was exasperated too. Hesitating earlier, he’d chosen a relatively “cheap” tip, spending half a million points for information that “Suspicious persons would be gathering at 88 Wentong Road, Qinghai District, on October 2nd.” To soften the blow of the expense, he’d mentally converted his balance into points, even though the rates were one-to-one with real currency.

Before coming, Mode had assumed they’d find doomsday cultists or acolytes here; with luck, capturing a lower-ranking priest or two might yield enough information to recoup their investment.

Instead, they’d stumbled into two rival groups in the middle of a transaction, only to be immediately surrounded by a swarm of goons—hence the current predicament.

“Didn’t we already announce ourselves? Who are these fools—hurry up and explain yourselves!” A hoarse voice called out as the crowd parted, making way for a tall figure with a silver briefcase.

“I’m out—this is your problem now,” said another, cloaked in black, beyond the human wall. He hefted his case and turned away. Mode wanted to stop the suspicious man, but as he took a step forward, some thirty thugs raised their weapons in unison. Their strength varied: some had reached the Inspiration level, some the Endurance, others only the Disturbance.

The burly, bald man rubbed his head, answering the departing stranger with a curt “Take care,” then turned his attention to the two newcomers. If not for the mysterious, never-unmasked figure’s warning, he might not have noticed these two rats at all.

He set the case down, sat atop it, and waved for his men to seize the intruders. As the melee erupted, he called out, “Keep them alive!” before turning away, dialing his boss to ask for instructions.

A “service unavailable” tone brought him up short—he’d forgotten the lunar tides had cut off communication between Safe Cities. He sighed, patting his head again, and decided a simple lesson would suffice. There was no need to escalate things with the local gangs; their crew was outsiders here, and though they’d used a show of force to deter local muscle, it was best not to push too far. With the trade timed to the lunar tides, they’d need to stay on this turf for some time before leaving.

His musings were interrupted by a body flying past—his capable man, Ah Fei. Turning, he saw Mode already behind him, hands in his sleeves, smiling down.

He tried to rise, but Mode’s hand pressed down on his shoulder, pinning him with irresistible strength.

Panicked, the bald man shouted for help, but Mode merely smiled and said, “Relax—they’re all alive.”