Chapter 10: The Tenth Iron Pillar

Page 1/3

Singing softly a tune she had heard in a tavern, Crescent Moon stepped out of the laboratory. Just as she rounded the corner, she spotted Shen Junlin and Avis.

“My lord.”

“Your Highness.”

Seeing Crescent Moon return in one piece, both visibly relaxed.

“Let’s go.” Crescent Moon was quite pleased that the two had kept their word, agreeing not to enter and patiently waiting outside.

The three exited the warship, and when they glanced back, the vessel behind them looked dilapidated, like the skeleton of a massive fierce beast.

Though menacing in appearance, it no longer posed any threat.

The forest depths remained eerily silent, punctuated only by the occasional chirp of insects, the stillness unsettling. No one could tell when a savage beast might suddenly emerge from this perilous and fluctuating wilderness.

“Your Highness, this place is at least a hundred kilometers from Crystal City,” Avis said, his crimson eyes blazing. “I can escort you part of the way.”

Crescent Moon had recently done some physical labor and now felt languid. She also noticed that by reducing her exertion, the pheromones she emitted lessened.

“Alright,” she agreed.

***

Capital Star of Louis Kai, Central Royal Palace, District 2.

A girl with tea-colored hair, dressed in fine garments, sat by a tea table laden with exquisite and delicious pastries. A cup of fragrant tea steamed gently on the table.

From her vantage point, she could see the entire nightscape of District 2.

The grandest fountain, majestic white buildings, the night view dreamlike and beautiful, as if conjured by a fairy’s magic wand.

If no encrypted messages arrived, this would have been a pleasant and comfortable supper for Yin Lin.

The maid opposite her noticed her frowning and quickly asked, “Your Highness, are you troubled?”

“A little,” Yin Lin replied.

She had just received a secret order from the border: someone reported sensing pheromones resembling those of a princess on a minor border planet.

The reason it was “resembling” was that the bearer of the pheromones had not been seen firsthand.

Yin Lin tapped her fingers on the table.

The old king was now very aged; within three years, the bee clan would birth a new king.

Including herself, there were currently five princesses.

She had four rivals.

Competitors, naturally, were better fewer than more.

Although she didn’t believe a new princess would arise in such a perilous border region, after much consideration, Yin Lin chose to act.

She could not intervene herself and thus forwarded the secret order to another princess, known for her fierce temper.

“Is there anything I can do for Your Highness?” the maid asked earnestly.

“No, just quietly watch the show,” Yin Lin smiled sweetly, her splendid, billowing gown making her look like a doll displayed in a glass case.

Page 2/3

***

Exile Star.

Crescent Moon saw Crystal City.

Once the central administrative district, Crystal City was vast; from the sky, it resembled a colossal creature lying on the ground.

True to its former glory, the city walls were made from luminous crystals, clearly outlining the city’s boundaries. Within, the lights shone as brightly as day, and the distant sounds of a bustling night market drifted through the air.

Avis felt immense regret upon seeing Crystal City. He never imagined time could pass so quickly; it seemed as if in the blink of an eye, he had traveled from the forest’s depths to the outskirts of Crystal City.

The person in his arms was so delicate he felt as if cradling a wisp of cotton, afraid to exert any strength lest he harm her.

“We’ll land outside,” Crescent Moon said after admiring the view.

Several kilometers beyond the city, the land had been cleared, not immediately adjoining the forest. Some small vendors who couldn’t afford stalls within the city brought their simple hovering carts to set up shop outside.

“Come and see! Coconut crystal fruit balls, three credits each, five for two!”

“Baked buns! Red rabbit meat buns, ten credits for two, sauces of your choice!”

“Don’t miss the charcoal-grilled red-mustache meat, twenty credits for four skewers, freshly hunted this afternoon, guaranteed fresh!”

“Anyone need lodging? Interstellar Grand Hotel! Includes shuttle and meals, only one hundred fifty credits per night!”

Even before entering the city, many vendors shouted their wares.

Curious, Crescent Moon turned her head to look around. Such bustling scenes were rare in Isaac Town.

Her gaze lingered long on the various snack stalls.

During the week she worked in the black market, which supposedly provided enough to eat, employees were only given the lowest-grade nutrient liquids and black bread.

She felt a strange attachment to food, especially the grilled meats sprinkled with special seasonings, fragrant after being fried over fire.

Her cravings stirred restlessly.

Seeing Crescent Moon fixate on that area, Avis quickly said, “My lord... I’ll go buy some grilled meat for you.”

As he stepped forward, someone suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

The brawny male’s body tensed, his eyes uncontrollably shifting into compound eyes. He snapped his head around to see the girl in the black cloak who had seized his sleeve.

“My lord...”

Crescent Moon had already lowered the hood of her cloak, expressionless. “Not buying food for now.”

Perhaps due to being born in a cold laboratory, Crescent Moon was remarkably rational in some ways, sometimes calculating like a program.

After eating, her pheromones would intensify; better to solve the problem at its root.

“First, find the suppressant. After that, we can buy food,” she said.

Avis reluctantly stepped back. “Very well, but my lord, you can tell me what you want to eat first, and I’ll remember it for you.”

Crescent Moon ignored him and turned to Shen Junlin. “Do you want to find your companions?”

Avis’s eyes brightened. “Yes, you should hurry to find your friends. I swear on my life, I will protect you.”

Page 3/3

“I’ve already sent them a message; they’ll come on their own,” Shen Junlin replied calmly. “My lord, as a mercenary, I’m quite familiar with the layout of cities on the forest’s edge.”

Like a peacock fanning its tail, he was showcasing his worth.

Crescent Moon couldn’t help but be impressed. “Then lead the way.”

Avis clenched his teeth quietly.

This half-breed was truly a damn handful.

It was already late at night, past two a.m., yet Crystal City remained lively.

Where there is commerce, there is a market.

Some exotic beasts only emerged at night, and the mercenaries who hunted them naturally adjusted to nocturnal hours. Vendors specializing in mercenary supplies also shifted their schedules accordingly.

Crescent Moon removed her cloak’s hood, revealing a delicate face as if finely painted with meticulous brushstrokes.

Around her, many gazes—some subtle, others direct—burned with intensity; many watched her closely.

A pretty girl was a rarity on Exile Star.

However, these onlookers only stared, not approaching.

Those living on Exile Star were not delicate flowers sheltered from the world; they could sense the lethal aura radiating from the two tall men flanking the young woman.

On this forsaken star, females were precious commodities. For her to walk openly in the streets, those two men must be formidable.

Crescent Moon gathered a multitude of gazes as she entered the city.

Following Shen Junlin, she weaved left and right, then into various alleys, finally arriving at a dimly lit but atmospherically complex alley.

Shen Junlin lifted a cloth curtain over a shop’s entrance, gesturing politely for Crescent Moon to enter first.

She stepped in without hesitation.

From outside, the alley appeared dilapidated, with discarded trash scattered about, the surroundings filthy.

Yet inside, after lifting the hanging cloth curtain, the room was surprisingly bright and clean, adorned with decorative artworks in the corners.

A geometric counter resembled tree branches, twisting into irregular shapes.

“Who would come to the shop at this hour? So it’s Captain Shen,” a voice suddenly rang out.

Crescent Moon immediately fixed her gaze on the seemingly empty counter.

On the irregular geometric surface, a relief-like three-dimensional image appeared, like colored ripples of water undulating. Gradually, a figure emerged from the counter.

It was not so much “emerging,” for the person had been there all along.

This was a member of the Cardolan tribe, skilled in color change, covered with many tiny suction cups.