Dark Moon Era

“Aren’t you surprised?” The man in the black mantle was a little surprised himself when he saw Tang Ling’s smile.

“Should I be surprised, Castellan Worf?” Tang Ling asked with narrowed eyes at the man.

The man in black went silent. Suddenly, he appeared in front of Tang Ling in a flash and grabbed his neck, slightly exerting strength.

Tang Ling was calm as he looked at the man. “Should I play along? Do I feign surprise or be frightened?

“You...are really like that man. Resentful.” The man in black released Tang Ling and then pushed his hood back. As Tang Ling said, the man was none other than Worf Andol.

“Like who?” Tang Ling raised a confused brow. Did the castellan just compare him with Su Yao and deem him resentful?

“I’m not telling you.” Worf was not very pleased This kid is acting like he knew I’d come for him...

Someone as powerful as Worf would prefer to keep his actions a mystery, so his intentions being seen through by someone else was not exactly a comfortable feeling. It was as disgusting as swallowing a fly.

He wanted to frighten Tang Ling, but it did not work. Instead, it only made himself more disgusted. Therefore, he wanted to return the favor.

“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me, I can’t do anything. Then, can you release me now? I feel stuck and sluggish, so I want to exercise for a bit,” Tang Ling said to Worf.

“No. I don’t mind coming all the way here for nothing. If your answer doesn’t satisfy me, I’ll leave you as you are.” This time, Worf squinted his eyes at Tang Ling. He really wanted to know how Tang Ling knew that it was him.

“It’s simple. Your advice and goodwill to me say it all. Why would you show goodwill to a dead man?” Tang Ling’s answer was simple.

“That’s it? That was what gave me away? Why not Su Yao or the others? Believe me. Su Yao won’t be happy seeing you locked up like this,” Worf said on the chair leisurely. He had to admit that Tang Ling was a smart boy. In fact, he was as smart as that man. His sharp perception could capture the slightest flaw or hint.

“Uncle Su Yao? If it was him, it wouldn’t be this quiet outside. He wouldn’t cover himself in black or wear a mask either. Even if it was Uncle Su Yao’s assistant, it’s really unnecessary. Since he and his friends will only attract more hostility, they’d come in here with a bang.” Tang Ling did not hide anything from the castellan and spilled his thoughts.

“Very well. That’s a good answer indeed, but I still don’t want to release you because I’m not satisfied yet.” Worf was in no hurry. Instead, he sized up Tang Ling’s wounds. He did not sympathize with the boy. On the contrary, he found it funny.

“Fine, I’ll be honest. I wasn’t actually sure that you were coming for me. Since showing goodwill to me is insignificant, even if I died, all you’d feel is a little regret, so why would you risk it and save me?

“You made your stand clear. You chose to silently compromise. More importantly, there’s unwillingness behind your decision to compromise, and if there wasn’t a bit of reluctance, you wouldn’t even show goodwill to me since I’m in such a dangerous situation. So, why would you do something insignificant?

“Therefore, I bet the unwillingness got to you. You always wanted to bury a seed of chaos, am I right? Besides, General Zorwen appearing in the ring was also a sign. I can look at it from two different perspectives.

“Firstly, you are saying that even if Safety Sector No. 17 is taken over, as long as you are here, there must be a bottom line to things. Secondly, consider myself overthinking while you are trying to give me assurance.”

“Hoho! Assurance of what?” Worf showed a hint of admiration. This kid was interesting, much more interesting than that man.

“Assurance of your attitude about me since you wanted to tell me that you didn’t give up.”

Indeed, this was Tang Ling’s huge gamble. He had been planning this when he carried Vian back from the underground and decided to cause a scene in the Hope Barrier. Before the challenge, things were still muddled, so Tang Ling boldly took the bet based on his gut feeling. At times, life and death should not be an obstacle.

After the challenge, things got a little clearer, and it further strengthened his decision to take the gamble.

This was the life of a petty person. There was no assurance or whatnot. All Tang Ling could do was capture the thread of hope over and over again just so he could gamble for a chance. Otherwise, he would have to live under suppression in silence for the rest of his life.

Living under suppression was no different than being dead.

Worf went silent for a second before he stood up. He held the dagger in his hand and sliced the cuffs, releasing Tang Ling from his shackles.

Tang Ling exercised his sore wrist and pointed at the device at his abdomen. Worf did not take out a key or get one. Instead, he checked the belt on the device and a black light flashed over his finger, rendering the whole device useless in an instant.

“Space ability is really powerful. You can even use it this way!” Tang Ling was a little envious.

“Hmph, people only think I’m an excellencer all the way.” Worf seemed to take pleasure in being misunderstood. In fact, it was not impossible to disguise as an excellencer when one’s space ability reached a certain level.

Similar to Worf’s daggers, they were able to fly around because of his space ability. However, one would not be able to recognize the space ability if one was not powerful enough.

“Let’s go.” Tang Ling wanted to leave the cell. He was actually freezing because the Sheer Cold Liquid that he hid in his belt was very cold. In fact, it was so cold that his belly would twitch at times.

He was a little reluctant to hold on to the liquid. He really had no idea why would Kun give him such an ominous toy, but he did not have the heart to throw it away.

Fortunately, the guards who searched his body when they brought him into the cell did not take his pants off for a thorough search since they were probably satisfied with the little vicious beast meat they confiscated.

Even if the Sheer Cold Liquid was taken away, Tang Ling would not feel anything. He just did not have the courage to throw it away because he had a feeling that something might happen if he really did. Nevertheless, he could not wrap his head around the feeling either. All he wanted to do was get out and settle the Sheer Cold Liquid first.

“So soon?” Worf did not expect Tang Ling to be so straightforward. It seemed like the kid was in a hurry.

“When else would we leave?” Tang Ling then put his hands together and bowed. “I will bear your lifesaving debt in my heart, Castellan Worf, for I cannot possibly repay what you have done for me.”

He was being serious. Even if he did not thank the castellan verbally, he would remember the deed in his heart.

“With what you have now, you aren’t qualified to talk to me about debt and gratitude.” Worf chuckled. He then took several items out from his mantle. “But since I have shown you goodwill, I might as well continue and be more thorough about it. If I’m correct, Safety Sector No. 17 will plunge into chaos tonight and the one responsible for the upcoming chaos should maintain a healthy status.”

Tang Ling turned around and saw two vials of cell regeneration serum. Judging from the color, the purity was very high. Other than that, there was food, a bunch of mutated beast meat plus a bit of vicious beast meat coupled with a bottle of water. He also saw some weapons and a black mantle similar to the one Worf wore.

“I suppose these will be enough,” said Worf.

“More than enough.” Tang Ling grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, then picked up the dagger.

It was not the Wolf Crunch that he was familiar with, but judging from the integrity, it should also be a grade B alloy dagger, similar to the longsword beside it which was delightful news.

“I’m looking forward to your show tonight,” Worf said. He added, “On top of that, here’s another tip: Su Yao is also waiting. More precisely, it’s not only Su Yao, so you can go all out tonight. It will start the moment you walk out of the prison door.”

Worf then left the cell. He could not stay for long and risk exposing himself because he still had to support Safety Sector No. 17 all by himself.

How far would Tang Ling go tonight? Worf glanced over at Tang Ling in the cell who was still gobbling up the meat as his eyes glimmered with a tinge of anticipation.

Who exactly was Su Yao?

...

A few thousand kilometers away from Safety Sector No. 17, on top of a mountain peak stood a man in a gray outfit, wearing a mask with a crying expression.

The wind was rather strong. It was just autumn, but it was already snowing on the peak. The wind would blow the snow towards his mask, causing a flurry.

The man in gray did not care. He tilted his head sideways and concentrated on the whimpers of a bird on his wrist. A minute later, he raised his wrist, and the bird, which looked a little like a mynah from the old civilization with some distinguishing features, flew away.

“Escalate the operation to the next level.” The man in gray turned around to the ten other men behind him who were dressed in similar gray but tight outfits. The only difference was their masks. The masks the ten men wore were pure white, making them look like faceless men.

These men did not react to what the man in gray said. They stood on the spot and watched the man in gray take a whistle out and blow it into the snowy sky. The whistle was long and steady as though it was a calling from ancient times, echoing in the quiet snowy night.

Less than five minutes later, loud flapping noises came from the sky.

Under the misty Purple Moon, 11 huge birds arrived on the peak and circled above it. Each bird was 15 meters long.

The man in gray whistled once more, and all the huge birds flew downwards, landing on the peak and whipping up a mini snowstorm upon landing. The birds retracted their wings after landing beside the group of gray-clad men.

They were Torsky bull eagles, an evolved form of the eagle from the old civilization. As for which kind of eagle species they evolved from, it was not known. Many scientists believed that they were not a species of evolved eagles but were actually many types of eagles that had gone through intense genetic mutation.

Therefore, there were some major and minor differences in every eagle. After that, the mutated eagles mated with each other and produced their next generation, eventually becoming a unique species in the Purple Moon Era called the Torsky bull eagle.

Their combat ability was nothing stellar and they were only categorized as Level 3 vicious beasts, but their flight ability and stamina were astonishing. They were incomparable to the airplane from the old civilizations because they could only fly for a pitiful 200 km per hour, but they were able to carry more than a ton of cargo and could travel non-stop for 24 hours. Combined with its weak but needed combat ability, it was a rather rare form of transportation in this era.

After the eagles landed, the leader in gray took a bamboo tube from his pocket. He uncorked it and poured out three red pills which he then fed to the eagle beside him.

The strange thing was that the Torsky bull eagle seemed to be attracted to the red pills, almost as if the temptation was lethal. It did not reject the man’s feeding and swallowed them eagerly.

One of the men in gray stepped up and said to the leader after seeing the feeding, “Lord Shadow, if they consume the Burst Pills, they will die of exhaustion in six hours.”

However, Shadow did not respond to the question. Instead, he turned around with his strange crying mask. “The operation has been escalated to the next level. We must hurry.” He was not much of a talker. He then tossed the bamboo tube to the next man in gray.

No one asked any more questions. Every one of them followed their leader and fed their respective eagles with three red pills.

All of them then removed the rope on their backs and unwound it. It was actually the reins for the eagles. They slid the reins over the sharp beak of their mounts.

Shadow was the first to jump on the eagle after the rein was installed. “Move out and reach the destination within 150 minutes.” As his voice subsided, the eagle that he rode flew into the sky.

After eating the red pills, the Torsky bull eagle was granted a speed that was similar to a thundering eagle, hence boosting its poor speed to the next level. It soared into the sky like the fastest wind and instantly turned into a small dot, eventually disappearing from sight.

The operation has been escalated? Does it mean we need to complete a 6-hour journey in 2 and a half hours tonight? Shouldn’t we be taking the Nanlie black mane horse instead?

One of the men in gray had doubts. He could not understand the hurry, but he still jumped on the eagle’s back without asking and flew into the sky, following Shadow’s trail.

******

Beep, beep, beep. The communication device made irritating noises. Aber, who was walking in circles in the room, answered it quickly when it beeped.

“My beloved mother, what news do you have for me?” Aber was full of anticipation as his eyes were shining in delight.

“What? My information is outdated? The feedback is to escalate the operation?” Aber was rather disappointed.

A calm and cold voice then came from the other side of the call in a tone that was almost flat. “But since you are so active, the Lord will still reward you with something though I don’t know what it is.”

“Thank you, Mother, but what’s the meaning of raising the operation to the next level? And why is that important information outdated?” Aber was not willing to submit just yet.

“I don’t know. Contacting the Stardust Council through many channels has cost me my energy and people that I can use, so I can’t afford to ask anything more than that. By the way, don’t always meddle with stupid things.

“Other than that, I don’t think Safety Sector No. 17 is suitable for you anymore. I’ve gotten a slot in the Ivy League Alliance Academy for you. Leave tonight and come to me, my son.” The calm female voice suddenly revealed a piece of astonishing news.

“Mother, why? No, wait, did you say the Ivy League Alliance Academy? Oh, Mother, I can’t possibly express how much I love you, but why do I have to give up on Safety Sector No. 17? I’m sure to become the castellan. I can secure a safety sector for you and the respectful Hermes family, this...” Aber was unwilling to give it all up just like that.

“It’s not about giving it up. I received news that Safety Sector No. 17 will be affected tonight, so it’s best you leave. The safety sector needs some time to stabilize, so let your father and that stupid family do their job. After you graduate from the Ivy League Alliance Academy, you can still be the castellan following the course of the matter. I think it is better that way.

“Remember, pack everything and keep this to yourself, including from that old fox Clyne. An hour later, an emissary of Hermes will appear in the inner city. He will protect you and bring you to me, my dear son.”

“I love you, Mother. I’ll go pack right away.” There was uncontrollable excitement in Aber’s words.

“I love you too, my son. I hope to see you soon.” The call then ended.

Aber held the communication device in his hand and threw a few punches in the air excitedly while he was full of smiles.

How many people in Safety Sector No. 17 could understand his delight? No, they were all bumpkins, so no one could understand him. In his world, some of the elite academies from the old civilization had been preserved.

However, of course, in order to adapt, the elite academies no longer taught things from the past. Instead, they became important facilities to raise elites and the strongest Purple Moon Warriors, plus develop all kinds of occupations.

The Ivy League Alliance Academy was one of the elite academies. The best one would be the Qinghua Academy in the True Capital, but it was not somewhere Aber could join. Regardless, being able to enter the Ivy League Alliance Academy was exciting enough, so he greatly anticipated it.

As I thought, the Goddess of Luck favors me! Aber grunted in excitement with that thought in mind. At the same time, the door to his room opened as Clyne then walked in.

“My dear Aber, what has made you so happy?” Clyne noticed the lingering excitement on Aber’s face and the happy flush on his cheeks.

Aber responded quickly, “Torturing Tang Ling made me feel so good.”

His answer was reasonable, but Clyne frowned in dissatisfaction. “Don’t waste your time on such trivial matters. You are destined to be great. How can you be so narrow-minded?”

Clyne could not help but sigh in his heart after he said that. Maybe Andrew was...No, I can’t think like that. Andrew is just a bastard of the Agnes family. He doesn’t have a strong mother and a powerful family like the Hermes behind him.

Choosing Andrew was the worst choice, so it could only be Aber. Aber was the one and only heir.

Clyne felt a little sour. Did that kid’s blabbering bewitch him somehow?

Aber did not know about the disgust in his grandfather’s mind, so he replied respectfully and made Clyne happy.

“How is Worf? I told you to keep an eye on him, didn’t I?” Clyne held a cigar in his hand and sat on the sofa.

“Nothing special. He went to the toilet once, but it was for less than a minute. After that, he was busy decorating the reception lounge. It seems like he really cares about welcoming the lord emissary,” Aber simply replied to his grandfather as he switched on the surveillance camera in his room. He no longer cared about Worf or Tang Ling anymore. All he wanted to do was pack his things and sprint towards his bright future.

Worf was indeed busy on the screen, and the funny thing was that he was already wearing formal wear and donned a long white wig that made him look official. According to the safety sector tradition, that was the most formal wear coupled with a long white wig.

“Great, Worf really dared not do anything stupid. You have to know his space ability worries me a little,” said Clyne in a relaxed tone. As a matter of fact, Worf had handed the key over to the prison and it was impossible to replicate. Since it was really unnecessary to watch Worf anymore, he was just being careful.

“Grandfather, is there anything else? I’ve been to prison just now, so I feel filthy. I want to have a bath,” Aber said bashfully.

“That will be all. Go have your bath. We still have to meet the emissary from the Stardust Council tomorrow.” Clyne stood and left the room.

Aber escorted Clyne out, and his excitement burst once more, putting a huge smile on his face. Go riot for all I care. Let this old fox settle the problem. He can keep Safety Sector No. 17 in one piece and wait for my return to take over it.

...

It was almost autumn after midnight. The night breeze was incomparable to the summer. Although the temperature at night would hit a new low, a rather slender figure appeared in a secluded alley with only a few layers of clothes.

The wind fluttered his loose black mantle, revealing his torn singlet underneath. The muscular chest under the single was firm and clean, and in the center was an obvious burn wound.

There was no need to remove the brand with the cell regeneration serum since it was the brand of life from the safety sector to him.

The good times, the bad, the warmth, the pain...Everything was embedded in this brand on his chest.

At the other end of the alley was a man squatting, smoking a cigarette while looking at the misty Purple Moon. His hand was playing around with a butterfly knife while he waited for something.