Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 396 - 356 Moonlight Garden

Chapter 396: Chapter 356 Moonlight Garden

Before heading to the Moonlight Garden, there were still some preparations to be made.

Farosa divined the future within the secret chamber, attempting to foresee fortunes and misfortunes. Witches lack the ability to prophesize, but now as a New God, Farosa could also capture destiny from the void. If utilized properly, she could even set up strategic plays and arrange the grand trend.

Since it was Supreme Magical Power and not the Empress’s Magical Power being used, the transformation was somewhat coarse. However, Farosa had still made considerable progress, improving in both physical strength and intelligence, nearly becoming a transcendent being.

Witches themselves were not human to begin with; they had already surpassed the transcendent threshold, so adapting to it now was rather effortless.

While Farosa was busy calculating the days, Xu Yang also signed off on reports and planning documents before departure, conducted personnel changes, and ensured the smooth operation of the company’s systems, confirming they would successfully get through the New Year.

He studied the topographical maps of the seven islands in the north. Currently, except for the two southernmost islands seized by Black Fire Innovation, the other five had interconnected traffic, with sea-crossing bridges linking them at no great distance from one another.

Xu Yang’s gaze left Anjiu City and moved to the other islands — Akasumi, Yibei, Ooka, Weixing, and other large metropolitan populations numbering in the tens of millions. In addition to these, there was Shangjing, which was the capital of the Archipelago in ancient times and now had a population of fifty million. Rich and technologically advanced, it was an unequaled super-metropolitan area of the world, with an especially complex situation that would require gradual involvement.

The weakening of Kyoto Infinity, the division of Xisheng, the global economic downturn, and the strategic showdown between Blackfire Innovation and Xia — a series of events stirred the entire Archipelago Continent, creating tumultuous and unpredictable circumstances hidden beneath a surface calm.

Xisheng Defense Company and Xisheng Industrial Group had already achieved cooperation, emerging as a new force in the Northern Archipelago, inheriting the economic vacuum left by Honma Noriko’s exile, replacing the faltering Kyoto Infinity, and vaguely trending towards becoming "the new giant corporation," growing feral in the current vacuum.

Xu Yang, of course, intended to prevent this at all costs.

He planned to accumulate strength, then select the opportune moment to act, to sweep clear the universe and rebuild the sun and moon. Now, Nestor Corporation had reached a point where its power was beginning to take shape; it couldn’t be said that there was no chance at all.

However, extreme caution was still necessary, as transcendent powers were lurking in every corner of the world, and giant corporations from other continents also controlled extremely terrifying Reality Manipulators.

This was also why Xu Yang was particularly interested in the "Transcendent Alliance" proposed by Mond. Besides "Moonfire" Mond, the Forest Master and Zenith were also potential powerful allies.

"It’s time to leave," Farosa said. Her calculations were not very accurate, but overall, they were auspicious.

Xu Yang reviewed the communication rituals recorded in the spellbook. The ritual generally required some offerings; Xu Yang took out one gold bar he had saved earlier and consumed it as the ritual dictated.

"Moonfire" Mond, called by the established ritual, responded to the modest summoning of the mortal world, and the gold dissipated before them, replaced by a faint trail of moon-marked secret script.

"This is it," said Farosa, "a Teleportation Talisman."

"There’s additional content in the spellbook; it mentions that it’s elegant and ancient," Xu Yang said as he scanned the pages. "Ancient Exorcists exhausted all positive adjectives to describe this divine being, attempting to portray it as a supreme entity that existed as long as the heavens and the earth."

"It doesn’t die, but it does decay," Farosa murmured. "It has aged a lot more than a thousand years ago. Ha... Almost every dragon’s fate is to be hunted. It goes against the natural order to die a peaceful death; its mindset must be conflicted."

"Then let’s go," Xu Yang said.

"We don’t need to hide our intentions," Farosa said, "Mond, after all these years, has become even less fond of beating around the bush."

There are no eternal allies. Xu Yang thought of what Mond had said before. The unknown murderous intent was already surfacing on both Farosa and Mond, trusting each other not at all. This meeting was purely an exchange of interests.

They joined hands, then both touched the secret script. In a blink of an eye, the world’s scenery changed, and they found themselves in an exquisite fantasy realm.

This was a foreign space similar to Nangong Island, stuck in a state of perpetual night. The high moon hung in the sky, casting a clear radiance upon the earth, and the longevous trees stood tall like giants, lush with foliage.

Looking around, the ground was covered with green grass and flowers blooming, lightly swaying in the breeze under the moonlight. The scenery was ancient and delicate, stirring in Xu Yang a peace and serenity he had never felt before — a scenario of profound tranquility where time seemed to slow, tempting one to wander quietly forever, indeed an excellent place for relaxation.

"Welcome to my little world, the Moonlight Garden," a graceful voice said.

Mond appeared, having changed its appearance once again.

Xu Yang saw a phantom Dragonkin appear at the edge of the forest. It had the head of a dragon and the body of a human, its body covered in frost-white scales, with deep blue eyes and pale vertical pupils, wearing meticulously tailored clothes that seemed sewn with magical power and sparkled with starlight, exuding a remarkable air.

"You seem to be in a hurry to see me, why is that?" Farosa responded gracefully. She stood in place, not in a rush to move, impeccably dressed, her Rainbow Cloak draped over her gown, making her even more dazzling.

"You are ten times more arrogant than before," Mond shook its head.

"Let’s go," Xu Yang moved forward, and Mond also approached Xu Yang, extending a claw to shake his hand, its scales cold as frost.

"All in all, Xu Yang, Farosa," it nodded, "you are my honored guests today, and I must provide you with proper hospitality. Please, follow me."

It led Xu Yang and the others towards a clearing in the middle of the woods where a silver gazebo had already been erected, with a complete set of tables and chairs for a banquet, Mond having prepared well for their reception.

Mond momentarily left the clearing to prepare, his slender tail slapped the grass once, and then he vanished amidst the twinkling stars.

"What a bizarre experience," Xu Yang tried to sit down on one of the stone chairs, "Moonlight Garden."

"This was carved out using the Sand of Stars in the vast expanse of nothingness," Farosa observed the barrier-free void at the garden’s edge, "Every Ancient Mystic has such a private domain, and Nangong Island is ours. If we can find new Sand of Stars, it can continue to expand."

Xu Yang looked towards the forest beyond the clearing, where the circular trees stood tall, and the horizon was shrouded in endless fog, obscuring everything, all of it isolated behind a curtain crafted by the Mystics.

He noticed that the forest was filled with innumerable crystals, and hundreds of different creatures were imprisoned within, showcased like specimens, which sparked great interest in Xu Yang.

What is imprisoned inside the crystals...

Unsure of where Mond went to prepare, Xu Yang decided to leave the pavilion for a while and went to observe those crystals.

Through the misty haze, Xu Yang saw that the crystal cages contained a semi-transparent sprite, odd and ferocious in appearance, glaring malevolently at Xu Yang and Farosa outside the crystal, constantly trying to ram the crystal prison, attempting to escape.

"Magical Life," Farosa noted as she observed, "This creature is completely made of magic."

She unfolded the brilliance of her Rainbow Cloak, and the sprite instantly became very submissive and even somewhat reverent, quietly sinking to the bottom of the crystal, worshipping Farosa’s divine might.

"This is a retinue created by an Empress five thousand years ago," Mond suddenly appeared from the moon-white radiance, "Her magic was to forge legions of sprites, creating tens of millions of magical creatures, ruling the era."

"Five thousand years?" Xu Yang looked at the crystal, where years were compressed into a tiny space.

"It has solidified time," Mond boasted of his own control over space-time, "This is one of my crafted artifacts, and there are many more in the forest."

Child’s play. Farosa thought to herself.

"You are not yet an Empress," Mond seemed to see through her, observing Farosa, "You are still at the level of the Supreme Witch."

"A matter of time," Farosa said dismissively.

Xu Yang turned and saw another crystal that imprisoned a tall humanoid, with an appearance very similar to humans but exceptionally robust, at least 2.5 meters tall, with pale, hairless skin, profound eyes, and well-defined muscles adorned with beautiful lines, completely athletic, like... a higher form of human. It was also trapped in a crystal crafted by Mond, immobile and seemingly close to death.

"This is..." Xu Yang observed.

"An Old One," Mond expressed fondness for this work of art, "I caught a surviving Old One and have kept it here, silent for three thousand years, proud as their race may be."

Proud enough to take refuge in a Giant Tower, resisting the emergence of witches among their people. Xu Yang thought to himself.

The Old One saw Xu Yang and Farosa, its brow furrowing slightly within the crystal, but it remained silent.

"Come, I have prepared food for you both," Mond beckoned them back, taking big strides towards the pavilion.

Farosa and Xu Yang followed Mond.

"This dragon was once a slave bred by us."

A faint whisper suddenly arose in her mind, Farosa frowned and turned to Xu Yang, who also nodded slightly, having heard the same voice. When they turned back, they saw that "Old One" looking at them. It can use our language. Xu Yang thought to himself.

They also saw the sprite kneeling devoutly at the bottom of the crystal, watching Farosa leave as if seeing the glow of the former Empress within her.

In the pavilion, Mond had already prepared a table full of food this time, with moon-silverware as exquisite as art pieces, and strange beasts raised by the Moon Dragon Race were butchered and cooked into succulent steaks, with rich red wine in goblets, blood-red in color. Magical herbs grown through secret techniques took the form of salad dishes, emitting a mysterious fragrance.

"Now, once again, welcome to the Moonlight Garden," Mond invited Farosa and Xu Yang to sit down, "Farosa, I suppose you’ve proudly become the Witch Goddess, but the real gods are far beyond that."

"How can one truly become the Witch Goddess?" Xu Yang inquired.

"As you roughly understand," Mond said, "most gods affirm their power by devouring a certain concept. Yan Duo is of the Zenith, I am of the Moonlight, and Mack is of deception."

Dilnai occupied good and evil, and Orcian took the seas. Farosa thought to herself.

"...So," Xu Yang speculated, "the current Farosa is far from being able to completely devour the very concept of ’Witch’."

"Yes..." Mond nodded, "So, the answer is forthcoming—if one wants to truly become the ’Witch’ Goddess, one must accomplish an earth-shattering feat, proving her influence and dominion over witches worldwide. Otherwise, she cannot prove that she possesses such power."