BRAND NEW WORLD
Chapter 21: THE NEW SEA SLEEPS OVER A SECRET

Chapter 21: THE NEW SEA SLEEPS OVER A SECRET

(When I was little, Mother always told me stories about her mother, Grandma Lunaria—or simply Luna. She always said Grandma wasn’t an ordinary person, but one of the envoys chosen by the Goddess to maintain the balance of this world. Each envoy had their own Guardian Tower, said to grant any wish. Grandma Luna’s tower stood in the middle of Dewata Lake near her home in Nuzantra. When I was little, Mother once took me there.) thought Rama.

"Will something happen?" Rama asked.

"What do you mean by ’something’?"

"Um, I mean... what’s going on with the Guardian Tower?"

"Oh, actually, I’m not sure either, so..."

Luna then explained the clues about the Guardian Tower.

"I see... I was shocked. I thought a disaster was coming," said Rama.

"Many of my friends have passed, especially the human ones... The other Guardian Towers are running out of mana and need to be replenished. As for the long-lived ones, I don’t know where they are. Even though we’re all Guardians, we never told each other the locations of our towers. So now, I have to find them," said Luna.

"Then... will you come back?" Rama asked.

"Of course. I’ll only be gone for three days at most to check. No matter the result, I’ll come back here," Luna replied.

"Do you need anything, Grandma?"

"No, I’m fine," said Luna.

"Alright, I’ll get going then."

"Take care, Grandma," Rama said.

Luna left the Lemurian building and headed toward the north gate. There weren’t many people passing through. Outside, the land stretched flat for several hundred meters, flanked by forest on both sides.

(I’d like to fly or summon a familiar, but that would only cause a commotion.) Luna thought as she sighed.

After walking some distance, Luna reached the forest and entered. Since the incident with Griffa, she had become more cautious about summoning powerful beings like dragons, to avoid widespread destruction. And so...

She cast a spell. A glowing magic circle emerged from the ground. Light poured out and formed the silhouette of a horse. As the light faded, a two-meter-tall white horse appeared, with a fiery red mane and glowing legs.

HIIHEEE!

(I guess I have to name it again. What should it be this time...) Luna thought.

After a while, she found the right name, stroked the horse’s head, and mounted it.

"Langit! I’ll be counting on you again."

As soon as she spoke, fiery wings burst out from Langit’s back. With a single leap, Langit soared into the northern sky.

Langit neighed joyfully, his flaming mane shimmering in the sun like wind-whipped Luna’s long hair. After hours of flying, a distant ocean and city came into view.

(That must be Movento.)

Not wanting to attract attention, Luna landed and continued on foot. Langit’s wings vanished as if they had never existed.

(Summoning Langit was the right call. Without the wings, he just looks like an ordinary horse.)

Moments later, Luna arrived at Movento’s gate. The salty sea breeze reached her before she even entered, and pelicans flew to and fro. Nothing seemed off; the city was busy with people doing their business. However, something was strange—many boats were docked, but none were sailing.

(No boats? This must be why seafood isn’t reaching the capital, just like Rama said. Maybe I should look into it.)

While thinking, Luna felt something.

(This sensation... it’s coming from my spatial storage.)

She retrieved something—a ring with a light-blue crystal pulsing like a heartbeat.

(A Guardian Ring?! This happened before when I was near my tower in Dewata Lake. Could it mean there’s another tower here?!)

Luna’s heart pounded. She walked the city with the ring in hand but found nothing.

With no leads, she headed to the Adventurers’ Guild.

People stared as she entered, but she ignored them and approached the front desk.

"Welcome! May I help you?" the receptionist greeted.

"I’m Luna. I want to ask—what’s going on with this city? It feels uneasy, and I heard seafood supply to the capital has stopped."

"Who told you that?"

"Um... someone from Lemurian."

"You’re from Lemurian?!" the receptionist exclaimed.

"Ah, um..."

"Please come with me. Let’s talk inside," the receptionist interrupted, leading her upstairs.

(This feels familiar... déjà vu.)

They stopped at a door labeled "Guildmaster."

"Please wait here," she said, entering. Shortly after, she opened the door.

"Come in, Miss Luna."

Inside, two men sat facing each other—one in his forties, the other in his fifties.

"Please have a seat, Miss Luna," said one.

"Welcome to Movento. Sorry, you had to come during such troubled times. I’m Gato, the Guildmaster. And this is Zacky, the city’s ruler," the younger man said.

"Ruler? Oh, don’t listen to him, Miss. He exaggerates. I’m Zacky, Mayor of Movento. Welcome. Even like this, I hope you’ll enjoy our seafood. Sorry if Lemurian had to send someone."

(If my grandson started a big company, would I be part of it just because I’m his grandmother? Sounds like something from those Korean or Chinese dramas.)

"Thank you. But I’m here for something else."

"Something else? May I ask what that is?" Gato asked.

"Honestly, I just came for a food tour," Luna answered.

"Ah, I see. Then it’s unfortunate you came at a bad time," Zacky said.

"Why is that?"

"You must’ve seen the boats docked at the harbor, right?"

"Yes. Are they damaged?"

"No, they’re perfectly fine. But about a month and a half ago, some fishermen saw a huge fish heading toward the harbor. A few days later, it appeared close to shore. Fearing it was a monster, they stopped sailing. It’s been a month now. As a result, seafood shipments to other cities halted. We’ve reported this to the kingdom, but no action yet. I’m worried for our fishermen and this city," said Zacky with a sigh.

"..."

(A giant fish? I remember hearing about a Guardian whose tower took the form of a giant whale. Could it be theirs?)

"Sorry for the trouble, Miss."

"It’s alright. I’ll be on my way then," Luna said.

"Sorry to take up your time. Enjoy your stay," Zacky said.

"Thank you."

Luna left the room.

"What do you think, Guildmaster Gato?"

"She’s not ordinary. She looks like Miss Rima but with a different aura."

"Right, I sense that too."

"They say Miss Rima had a twin."

"A twin?!"

"Yes, disappeared two hundred years ago."

"I see..."

[Back to Luna]

It was already past midday. Luna, now hungry, walked to the harbor and bought some crispy calamari from a vendor, enjoying it while sitting on a bench facing the sea.

After eating, she took out the Guardian Ring again—it glowed even brighter.

(It’s glowing even stronger... Don’t tell me it’s underwater?!)

Luna stood, scanning for suspicious buildings, but found none.

She walked along the harbor’s wooden path. The ring pulsed intensely.

(Could it be... beneath the sea?!)

Suddenly, noise erupted from another part of town—shouting, metal clashing.

(What now...?)

Several armed figures ran toward a ship, some in black robes with a moon emblem.

(Cult members?)

Luna ran toward the commotion. Along the way, guards lay bloodied. She quickly healed the injured.

As she was helping one, a carriage raced past. On the back stood a blue-skinned, horned man in dark armor, holding a crimson sword.

(A demon? And that sword...)

Then came the thunder of hooves. A cavalry unit chased behind—and leading them was Raisya.

(Bhorneo’s knights?! And Raisya... are they chasing the cult? What’s happening in this city?!)

After healing the wounded guards, Luna dashed after them.

Hooves clattered. Wagon wheels rumbled. At the front, a carriage sped forward, chased by mounted knights.

"Boss, what do we do?" asked a voice.

"We’ll escape by boat," replied the demon man.

Soon, they reached the harbor.

"You get the boat ready. I’ll hold them off," the demon commanded.

His men ran to prepare a docked boat while the demon stood tall, resting his massive red sword on his shoulder.

Raisya’s unit arrived, weapons drawn.

"Stop! Surrender or—" Raisya shouted.

"Or what? Kill me?" the demon sneered.

"Or we’ll take you down!" Raisya declared.

"Try me."

Two knights lunged forward. The demon shot toward them and launched a kick. Unable to block or dodge, they were sent flying with a groan.

"Too weak," the demon scoffed.

"You bastard!" another shouted.

Two more attacked, but the demon knocked them away with a single strike.

"You’re no match for me," he growled.

"But this one... she looks worthy of killing," he said, eyeing Raisya.

Seeing her comrades fall so easily, Raisya trembled uncontrollably.

"Thanks for the EXP," the demon grinned and lunged, sword raised.

Frozen in fear, Raisya shut her eyes, bracing for death.

CLANG!

She gasped and opened her eyes.

"Grandma!" Raisya cried.

Standing in front of her was Luna, holding a golden staff.