The Grand Finale: Moon Goddess's Revelation

Sophia swiftly found Marshal Dud on the city walls, where he was directing the battle. With a few hushed words, she clarified the situation, then, glancing at the others who had been dispatched, she lowered her voice and said, “Please, Marshal, come with me!”

Dud’s gaze remained fixed on the battle raging below the city. The Fiendkind army and Undead legion had now besieged Lionheart King City, forcing the vast majority of human forces to retreat and defend the city walls. Only Arges, along with Steve and others who had gone to rescue him, were trapped amidst the enemy ranks. However, Andy and Fire Phoenix were already en route for rescue, with Fire Phoenix blazing a path, sweeping aside all resistance and advancing at an incredible speed!

Dud stated gravely, “In the midst of such a grand war, how can a Marshal abandon his Command Post based on your mere words? If the Moon Goddess wishes to see me, let her come herself, if she is truly the Moon Goddess!” He mused, *His Majesty once said that woman conducted Live Experiments and drained countless young maidens. How can I fully believe her if she now claims to be the most sacred Moon Goddess from our ancient texts? Not only can I not go, but I must also dispatch troops to guard against her!*

Sophia was momentarily stunned, realizing that her sudden appearance claiming to be the Moon Goddess’s envoy would indeed be hard to credit. However, Sophia glanced at the unfolding battle and knew it was also true that Dud couldn't leave his post… Suddenly, Sophia spotted Andy amidst the countless troops, constantly changing forms but occasionally revealing his true Snow Wolf body, and urgently asked, “Is that Chris Andy, the Snow Wolf whom Constantine once misunderstood?”

Dud merely nodded slightly, his voice still issuing a Military Edict, “The Third Legion, continue to consolidate your positions. Du City’s main army, assemble at the city gates… ”

Sophia gazed at Andy for a moment, shaking her head in disappointment, then tried again, “If the Marshal cannot leave, you could send a high-ranking Alliance official with me to see the Moon Goddess.”

Dud pondered for a moment. “Frinda, Annie, take additional soldiers and generals with this person to the Imperial Palace. I grant you the authority to act independently!”

At this moment, Flaying and others were fighting fiercely outside, Liana, as Chief of Staff, couldn't leave, and Deboning and Little Duding were protecting the Tear Source. Thus, only these two women possessed the necessary standing and intellect to negotiate. Upon receiving the order, they immediately followed Sophia through the secret passages to the Moon-Gazing Terrace. Their first sight was of the Lionheart King sitting on the steps, muttering to himself, which made Frinda huff in displeasure, refusing to look any longer. She turned and entered the corridor, but after only a few steps, a woman's shriek of “Ah!” echoed from within the Moon-Gazing Terrace!

Frinda’s expression changed. She commanded, “Someone, seize that wolf first!” Annie, however, gently tapped Frinda, stopping the accompanying soldiers with a look, and then glanced at the dark corridor. “My lady, I presume? To be frank, neither we nor our superiors trust you or your master. A large army is now encamped outside the Imperial Palace. If you wish us to calmly follow you inside, please first give us an explanation—what is the meaning of this screaming reception?”

Sophia let out a wry laugh. “To tell you the truth, my master must, *must* survive by absorbing human blood…”

“Drinking blood?” Annie covered her mouth in shock, while Frinda gave a cold laugh, spitting, “As expected, nothing good ever comes of it…”

“Little girl, mind your tongue!” The Moon Goddess emerged from the depths of the corridor. She demanded clean mouths, yet her own was far from clean; in fact… it was stained with human blood!

The Moon Goddess walked forth, speaking, “It seems Marshal Dud does not trust me. You two are… well, your status is high enough! Listen, what I say is only for you and Francis’s confidantes to know, lest a riot break out, and you blame me!” She gently wiped the fresh blood from the corner of her lips and chuckled coldly, “I am the Moon Goddess, tormented by Prince for a thousand years, and thus can only survive by drinking human blood!”

The two women gasped in surprise, but Frinda scoffed, “Proof?!”

The Moon Goddess’s eyes suddenly burst forth with two silver-white rays of light. Sophia, standing beside her, let out an involuntary howl, her body expanding by a full circle. “Besides me, who else could possess such pure moonlight!? Come inside. Listen, I will only say this once—Prince is a deranged madman. In his pursuit of eternal life…” As she spoke, she walked into her Laboratory. What the Moon Goddess revealed was identical to what Sherine had said, though in some areas, the Moon Goddess’s knowledge was less detailed, while in others, she knew far more than Sherine!

“I married Prince in the mid-Fallen Gods era. At that time, I considered Prince a hero who turned the tide, and I didn't mind that he was a thousand years older than me, an old man. After our marriage, I even fully assisted him in developing alchemy, hoping to achieve an everlasting legacy! But one day, my close friend Orbach died in battle on the Great Grassland…”

“Oh?”

“Hm?”

Frinda and Annie were both taken aback. “Close friend?”

The Moon Goddess gave them a side-eye. “Have you not heard that Orbach had a feminine appearance, was not tolerated by male generals, but excelled in embroidery and other feminine arts, and was extremely close with the Alliance’s female generals!?”

Annie was not privy to many secrets, but Frinda, who had been in Du City for years, couldn’t help but shiver. She imagined the peerless Commander with the iron mask and black armor on the city gate… *No, I mustn’t think about it. What would Dud’s embroidery look like?!*

The Moon Goddess continued, “It’s understandable for a general to die on the Battlefield. At the time, I was merely grieving for my friend. Prince was then planning the first combined attack of fourteen Thunder Cannons against the Fiendkind and asked me to join the campaign. But my heart was with my old friend, so I refused Prince and instead went to the now-recovered Great Grassland to mourn Little Orbach. But who would have thought, I encountered another Orbach on the Great Grassland!”

Annie didn’t know, but Frinda did. If Dud was the true Marshal Orbach, who had ‘died in battle’ then, the one the Moon Goddess encountered must have been… Jamis!

“I was utterly aghast at the time, but that ‘Little Orbach’ was utterly bewildered. When I stopped him, he just kept repeating, ‘I am Orbach! No, I am a sinner who killed his master, no, I am Orbach…’”

At this point, the Moon Goddess glanced at the two confused women. “You don’t understand, do you? I only understood it later—the artifact spirits of sacred artifacts are actually human souls, but after being transformed in the Sacred Artifact Furnace, they lose their memories, becoming bewildered tools for controlling the sacred artifact. Yet, no matter what, the essence of an artifact spirit is still a human soul! During a military meeting, Prince proposed using alchemy to improve the sacred artifacts of various generals, enhancing their strength. The generals readily agreed! But in reality, Prince secretly used Spiritual Contracts to control the artifact spirits of those sacred artifacts, making them kill their masters…”

Frinda exclaimed, “The Orbach you encountered… was the true Marshal Orbach’s sacred artifact!?”

“Precisely. That sacred artifact was controlled by Prince through a Deed of Ownership. Prince’s original order to it was to invade Orbach’s spirit on the Great Grassland, control Orbach’s body, and then take Orbach’s body to report to Prince’s welcoming subordinates. That’s exactly what happened; the sacred artifact controlled Orbach and met with Prince’s men, but then an accident occurred…”

The Moon Goddess looked coldly at the two women. “Are you familiar with Beastkin customs? Their traditions of revering their gods!”

Annie nodded. “The Beastkin’s reverence for Orbach and Lynch Baton bordered on fanaticism!”

The Moon Goddess nodded. “Indeed. Although Little Orbach’s sacred artifact controlled its master, having lived among the Beastkin for so long, even though it was bewildered, it still possessed the essence of a human soul. So, hearing ‘Long Live Orbach!’ by day and ‘Praise the Supreme God!’ by night, it had already formed a subconscious belief: Orbach was incredibly great, and pledging allegiance to Orbach was an immense honor!”

The two women nodded, noting that the Beastkin were still like this today.

The Moon Goddess continued, “And so, when the sacred artifact, controlling Little Orbach, was returning to the secret base with Prince’s subordinates, the conflict between the sacred artifact’s inherent worship of Orbach and Prince’s spiritual contract finally erupted… One was genuine, heartfelt devotion, the other was Prince’s masterful Spiritual Contract. The sacred artifact couldn't bear it and went mad! And while it was mad, it was still controlling Orbach’s body. It was bewildered, one memory telling it it was the murderer who killed its master, another telling it it *was* Orbach… Alas, the deranged sacred artifact killed Prince’s subordinates and ran wildly across the Great Grassland, where I happened to stumble upon it!”

The Moon Goddess smiled bitterly, “At the time, I didn't know any of this. After stopping Little Orbach, I was still cursing the military report as erroneous—Little Orbach clearly wasn’t dead! Damn it. Then, foolishly, I took Little Orbach to Prince, dreaming of Prince saving him. You can imagine what happened next: Prince pretended to treat Little Orbach but secretly attacked me, capturing both of us and taking us back to the Scarlet Army’s base! He then announced to the outside world that I, the Moon Goddess, had died in battle!”

The Moon Goddess’s expression turned cold. “But I wasn’t going to simply wait for death! At the Scarlet Army base, I feigned a desire for eternal life, defecting to Prince. And since Prince and I had been husband and wife, he also wanted me to accompany him into eternal life, to become a sacred artifact alongside him! So, we worked together to separate Little Orbach and his sacred artifact. Little Orbach and the other Alliance generals previously captured were imprisoned in the Battle God Prison…”

Frinda interrupted the Moon Goddess, asking, “What about Marshal Orbach’s sacred artifact, the one that had gone mad?”

“Though the sacred artifact was separated from Little Orbach, before that, it had been immersed in the conflicting thoughts of ‘I am Marshal Orbach’ and ‘I am the one who killed my master.’ Having followed Orbach since childhood, it naturally knew all of Orbach’s experiences. Even after separation, it remained a madman, still deeply entangled in the clash of these two ideas!”

The Moon Goddess paused for a moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

“Some time passed like this, and I gradually convinced Prince that I was genuinely with him in his pursuit of eternal life. It was then that the plan for the first combined attack of fourteen Thunder Cannons against the Fiendkind went awry—you probably know that Miki Goddess supposedly lost the Fourteenth Trigram Thunder Cannon, but the truth is… all fourteen Thunder Cannons were human-to-artifact conversions! However, Prince’s technology wasn't mature then; only nine people successfully became Thunder Cannons, and due to varying degrees of transformation, their strengths also differed! The other five, during the process of becoming Thunder Cannons, had their souls and spirits annihilated, becoming true sacred artifacts of war!”

The Moon Goddess sneered, “But who knew, that the Fourteenth Trigram Thunder Cannon wasn't truly a failure; rather, an anomaly occurred during the human-to-artifact conversion process—I just said that Prince’s inspiration for human-to-artifact conversion technology came from the Sacred Artifact Furnace, and souls passing through the Sacred Artifact Furnace have their memories wiped, essentially undergoing rebirth. The Fourteenth Trigram Thunder Cannon was like this; it didn’t fail, but was nurturing a rebirth. Prince merely thought it was a failed product… As a result, the Fourteenth Trigram Thunder Cannon finally broke out of its cocoon during a mission with Miki Goddess. I don’t know its ultimate whereabouts, but Prince, for the sake of this Thunder Cannon, hastily left the Scarlet Army base at that time!”

Frinda thought to herself that the Thunder Cannon had been alone in a maze for a thousand years, and due to lack of interaction, still maintained a childlike mentality as if 'just born'. It eventually ended up in Du City, now at the bottom of Du City, guarded by Little Duding… But after some thought, she didn’t voice it; she still couldn't fully trust the Moon Goddess!

The Moon Goddess continued, “I took advantage of Prince’s absence to feign a request to interrogate Orbach and his mad sacred artifact, ordering Prince’s subordinates to bring the two to me. Then, I escaped Mount Wanliu with them. But unexpectedly, Margaret had long been colluding with Prince. Upon receiving the Scarlet Army’s alert, she immediately brought troops to blockade the exit of Mount Wanliu. In that critical moment, Little Orbach told me that since I was risking my life to save him, he couldn’t implicate me…”

With a helpless sigh, “Little Orbach forcibly took my battle armor and sacred artifact, wearing my full-body armor to impersonate me. And although his sacred artifact was mad, it still held some value—I guided this madman, using methods like the Thunder Cannon, which can transform into a human form, to make it into a soft-bodied man, then armored it heavily, and had it impersonate Little Orbach, following Little Orbach who was wearing my armor… As a result, Little Orbach and that sacred artifact indeed attracted Margaret, allowing me to successfully escape Mount Wanliu!”

Why Orbach was later sealed on Silvermoon Island, and why that sacred artifact became Jamis, were beyond the Moon Goddess’s knowledge! Although the Moon Goddess escaped, she discovered days later that Prince had not fully trusted her; the Divine Emperor had long since placed a potent poison on her body…

Speaking of this, the Moon Goddess gave a bitter smile. “It wasn't until the poison flared up that I realized Prince had never truly believed me. If I didn't eat the ‘enhanced’ meals he ordered for me within a few days, I would die immediately! Prince wasn't worried about any consequences if I escaped!”

Frinda asked, “How did you ultimately survive?”

“It was my Divine Pet, the Divine Wolf Xylon!” The Moon Goddess sighed wistfully. “I had two great aids—Dragon God Muto and the Divine Wolf Xylon. When I was captured by Prince, Muto had already died in battle years ago, and Xylon was leading a Wolf Clan army in battle against the Fiendkind. After escaping Mount Wanliu, I thought Muto was dead and there had been political changes in the Dragon Clan; though they verbally pledged allegiance to me, there was still a layer of detachment, making their loyalty hard to guarantee! So I went to find Xylon… Xylon was fiercely loyal. He gathered his four sons, and together, father and sons formed a battle qi vortex no less potent than that of the Imperial Divine Beasts, absorbing the poison from my body.”

Annie gasped, unable to bear it. “Poor Xylon, so loyal… What happened to him and his children in the end?”

“What else could happen?” The Moon Goddess sighed repeatedly, reminiscing, “Xylon absorbed the most poison, dying on the spot. Of his four children, two were severely wounded, one died, and the remaining one, though lightly injured, became a cripple—a Divine Wolf without battle qi is just a Snow Wolf! Alas, the Divine Wolf clan declined from then on. I couldn’t bear to burden them further. After bestowing the Moon Goddess Vessel Art, a secret technique for survival, upon the crippled child, I left them…”

Frinda was startled. “What is the Moon Goddess Vessel Art?”

“There is an Enigmatic Link between the Wolf Clan and Silvermoon; they are affected by moonlight—don’t the Wolf-men on the Great Grassland strengthen and transform under moonlight?” The Moon Goddess sighed, “My Moon Goddess Vessel Art utilizes this principle to leave a Moon Vessel within the Wolf Clan’s bodies, enhancing their absorption of moonlight and increasing their combat strength. However, the effect of this method is inversely proportional to the Wolf Clan’s rank; a First-rank Wolf Clan member can be enhanced dozens of times, becoming a Sixth or Seventh-rank Aberrant Beast, but a Tenth-rank Wolf Clan member can only be enhanced by thirty to forty percent. At Xylon’s Fourteenth-rank level, it was of little use…”

Frinda suddenly raised an eyebrow. “But what about a Thirteenth-rank Snow Wolf that can be enhanced dozens of times by moonlight, becoming a Fourteenth-rank Wolf-man?”

The Moon Goddess snorted, “Impossible! A pathetic race like the Snow Wolf could never advance to Thirteenth-rank, and even if it could reach such a height, due to the characteristics of the Moon Vessel, it wouldn't be able to be enhanced dozens of times under moonlight!”

Frinda retorted, “Why impossible!? Francis’s Divine Pet, Andy, can!”

The Moon Goddess, disliking Frinda’s assertive personality, angrily demanded, “Then tell me, how does he transform!?”

Frinda immediately explained the situation, and the Moon Goddess was taken aback. “This… I can understand Andy advancing to Thirteenth-rank through Composite Aberrant Beasts, but a Thirteenth-rank Wolf Clan member being enhanced dozens of times…”

Annie, with a smile, interrupted their argument, chuckling, “May I try to explain Andy’s state? Andy’s body is actually composed of five powerful Aberrant Beasts, plus a First-rank Snow Wolf. So, from the perspective of moonlight, couldn't one say… a normal Thirteenth-rank Wolf Clan transformation is like this—the moonlight looks, ‘Hmm, you are Thirteenth-rank, alright, according to the Moon Vessel law, I’ll strengthen your body just a little!’ But Andy’s transformation process is… the moonlight looks, ‘Oh? This peculiar fellow’s body is quite complex, but his Snow Wolf part is First-rank, that’s correct, so I’ll strengthen his body dozens of times!’ The result… *chuckle*, Moon Goddess, this is probably the combination of the Composite Aberrant Beast’s physical characteristics and your Moon Vessel law creating a wonderful misunderstanding for the moonlight!”

The humorous and witty explanation immediately drew laughter from everyone. Annie seized the opportunity to change the subject, smiling as she asked, “Moon Goddess, what did you do after detoxifying yourself?”

The Moon Goddess collected her thoughts, smiling bitterly. “Prince’s poison was incredibly potent. Xylon and his sons sacrificed several lives to drain the toxins from my body, but I was also severely weakened! At that time, I couldn't trust the Dragon Clan, nor did I want to burden the Wolf Clan, so I could only seclude myself to recuperate alone. Ultimately, although I saved my life, I could only prolong my existence by one method—absorbing the essence of the human body: blood!”

The other two women frowned. Frinda said disdainfully, “You must have killed many people, right?”

“So what? I had to live to get my revenge!” Saying this, the Moon Goddess walked to the central pool in the Laboratory and scooped up a handful of Dibola Flowers. “However, many years ago, I discovered that the Life Tree covered Mount Wanliu with its essential branches and leaves, and these Dibola Flowers grew there. With Dibola Flowers formed from the essence of the Life Tree, my frequency of blood-drinking has been… very low in recent years!”

Finally, the Moon Goddess said, “Later, I cooperated with the Fiendkind to acquire Primordial Military Branch technology, and then settled in Reno due to the Lionheart King’s infatuation with me… Let’s gloss over these matters! Alright, that’s all I have to say!”

Frinda frowned. “The appearance of Dibola Flowers on Mount Wanliu also means the Scarlet Army and the Life Tree have allied… Moon Goddess, we largely understand your experiences. Tell us, what plan do you have to deal with the Scarlet Army, to deal with Prince!”

Annie, however, said urgently, “Never mind all that for now, Francis disappeared in Mount Wanliu last night. Moon Goddess, you know the Scarlet Army very well! So, do you think Francis has truly fallen into the hands of the Scarlet Army!?”

The Moon Goddess glanced at Annie, thinking, *This girl only has one man in her heart, not the safety of the world?* However, the Moon Goddess was unaware of the Scarlet Army’s energy crisis that occurred centuries after the Fallen Gods era, nor did she know about Sherine’s ‘artifact turning human’ concept. Thus, she naturally couldn’t answer Annie about the experiment Du Chen was currently facing.

The Moon Goddess approached the experimental table, picked up several palm-sized bronze mirrors, and sneered, “I developed this using Primordial Military Branch technology; it’s called the Moon Goddess Mirror—the Scarlet Army’s strength primarily lies in its Thunder Cannons, and the Moon Goddess Mirror can interfere with the Thunder Cannons’ aiming system! And look at this; it’s called the Moon Soul Needle. It was adapted from a weapon within the Primordial Military Branch used to attack Spiritual Power. The Scarlet Army members are all artifact spirits transformed from humans, and the Moon Soul Needle is specifically designed to attack their souls…”

Displaying a series of excellent items, the Moon Goddess finally sneered, “I just received a secret message from Bonis. The Scarlet Army is currently most concerned about the Tear Source. So, let me see the Tear Source, and I will use the alchemy knowledge accumulated over a millennium to create an identical replica for you. Then, we will use this fake Tear Source as a trap, and with the Primordial Military Branch, strike swiftly, annihilating Leiming and others in the Scarlet Army. By then, Prince will have no choice but to show himself and meet his doom…”

To see the crucial Tear Source? The two women looked at her suspiciously.

The Moon Goddess chuckled, “I admit, I once sent Sophia to demand the Tear Source, but at that time, I wanted to become Number Three of the Undead legion, using the Undead legion to increase my capital for revenge. But now… we are on the same front, so do I still need to seize the opportunity to steal the Tear Source and betray you?”

The two women exchanged glances and nodded. But Annie said, “Francis may truly have been captured by Prince. Please, Moon Goddess, divide a portion of your Primordial Military Branch technology and distribute it to our secret units. We need to prepare for His Majesty’s rescue!”

Soon after, the Moon Goddess, Frinda, and Annie emerged from the Moon-Gazing Terrace with a large quantity of equipment. Seeing them, the Lionheart King was overjoyed. He rose proudly, saying, “You finally agree to see me! There’s no need to elaborate on the current situation. Whatever you need me to do, just say the word, and my Thundercloud Iron Cavalry will carry it out!”

The Moon Goddess coldly ordered, “There are many secret weapons beneath the Moon-Gazing Terrace. Tell your Retainers to bring them out. We go for revenge!”

Seeing the Lionheart King’s appearance, Frinda thought to herself, *Does Alonso truly love the Moon Goddess, or has she placed some Deed of Ownership or curse on him? It’s hard to say, truly hard to say. The Moon Goddess… she doesn’t seem like a good person either!*

However, the truth about the Lionheart King’s ‘aging’ would probably remain a mystery forever if the Moon Goddess didn’t speak.

But Frinda herself leaned towards the Moon Goddess not having told the truth; it wasn't the Lionheart King’s infatuation, but something she had done to him!

Soon, the Moon Goddess created a fake Tear Source. Then, as Number One spy for the Fiendkind, she sent out a secret message, stating, “I have laid out a plan targeting the Tear Source, and it will soon be in my hands. However, after I steal the Tear Source, it will undoubtedly arouse human suspicion, making it impossible for me to remain in Lionheart King City. So… I will take the Tear Source and a few trusted subordinates through the secret passages to your camp. Be sure to send someone to meet us!”

The one to finally inspect the Tear Source would undoubtedly be Leiming’s Scarlet Army ‘Venerable’. So, when the Moon Goddess and her group infiltrated the camp, it would be the moment to strike swiftly, assassinating Leiming and others, forcing Prince to reveal himself!

Meanwhile, Du Chen had been delivered to Prince’s Laboratory…

Prince’s Laboratory was as large as a banquet hall, with dark walls and a high ceiling, lit only by dim yellow lights on the walls, giving it a sinister appearance. Many cages hung on the four walls, each containing a naked man!

Du Chen, tightly bound by vines, quipped, “Prince, what’s the meaning of having so many men hidden in your room?”

Prince smiled faintly. “It seems Sherine told you a few things. These are all my ‘artifact-to-human conversion’ experimental subjects. Don’t misunderstand, haha!”

With that, Prince waved for everyone to leave and personally began to place Du Chen on an experimental table, setting up a small cauldron beside it. As he worked, he sighed emotionally, “Francis, when Margaret proposed to disable you and Arthur with the Molten Heart back then, I merely made a casual promise, just to satisfy Margaret’s desire for revenge. To be honest, I never expected you two to break through the Molten Heart’s limitations; instead, you cultivated several pairs of symbiotic bloodlines through other methods. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have allowed Margaret to release you!”

He shrugged. “But who knew, you actually did break through the Molten Heart’s limitations, becoming the perfect specimens most suited to my requirements, haha! What a blessing from the Goddess of Fate!”

Prince chatted like an old friend. Du Chen’s mind raced, but he casually replied, “What if Arthur and I hadn’t successfully broken through the limitations!?”

Prince pointed to a body. “See that one? That’s a replica of the Undying Death God Lynch Baton. I also imposed the Molten Heart’s limitations on this body but gave it multiple Battle Qi Inheritances! As long as Lynch Baton’s replica cultivated on its own and broke through the limitations, it could barely meet my requirements—it’s not impossible for the Undying Death God’s body, under my cultivation, to reach this point, is it? Hehe, my experiment with Lynch was almost successful, but then you two…”

A millennium of experimentation, a dream of eternal life—even someone as calculating as Prince couldn’t help but become unbelievably agitated. “How did you two, utterly useless individuals with no capital, manage to break through the Molten Heart’s limitations and give me what is arguably the greatest surprise and unexpected joy in a thousand years!? Alas, looking at Arthur’s perfect body, I couldn’t help but abandon continued cultivation of Lynch’s replica, painstakingly orchestrating this entire setup to capture you two.”

With that, Prince’s gaze swept over the corpses on the walls, and he sighed deeply, “Centuries… for centuries, I cultivated countless experimental subjects, but only you two are the most perfect, Francis. I’ve let Sherine explain your demise clearly. Can you… make me understand eternal life!?”

Du Chen pouted, but answered evasively, “Lynch Baton’s replica, tsk. Are several old Marshals in the Battle God Prison? Why didn’t you use their bodies directly?”

“It’s simple, their bodies don’t have many years left to live. I want young ones. Furthermore… the human-to-artifact conversion hasn’t fully succeeded, and I need them alive to provide energy for the Scarlet Army! Francis, you still haven’t answered my question!”

Du Chen rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. If you want to know, go ask Master Grape!”

“Master Grape? Hmph!” Prince clearly misunderstood Du Chen’s sarcasm. He sighed, “Fine, if you won’t tell me, I suppose I’ll achieve eternal life in blissful ignorance! Come, I’ll dissect you first; that will make it easier for the furnace to melt you into liquid, and then I’ll just drink you…”

With that, Prince pushed aside the vines binding Du Chen and plunged the dissection knife he held into Du Chen’s heart…