Chapter 240: Lift the Anchor

The rules of the first floor, where Echo was suppressed, applied to gate creatures as well. This also matched the recorded message Lyncarter had left for Moon.

The ancients had made it so that the first floor, the base and the very root of the Tower, became an energy-deprived place.

Regardless of the nature of that energy, Moon understood from the crimson status window that the Echo ascenders used and felt around them was also a form of energy by the standards of these people.

This matched the entire assumption perfectly.

Yet, there was one thing that didn’t add up.

What were the means of opening these gates?

How could gates be opened without any energy?

What did they use to open the gate... Was it something that didn’t apply to the rules of Energy, or was it something else?

This led to another question...

Wasn’t the gate that led to the trial zone also another form of energy being used?

Moon’s mind drifted to another problem...

If all forms of energy were suppressed by the rules of the first floor,

How could he even exist?

Echo was suppressed entirely; thus, Death Echo could not form inside the bodies of the dead.

Not to mention, a living body, warm with a heart beating strong like his own.

The trap that Lyncarter built to capture necromancers sneaking into the second trial was gone now; thus, there might be necromancers around.

This alone made Moon feel like something was wrong...

Moon was constantly on the lookout for any necromancers that might have sneaked into his group under his nose.

One thought led to another in an unstoppable stride of a mind that couldn’t slow even if desired.

There was also that place...

(A brisk thumb drag across strings - a warm, open chord that hums against the vast woods...)

Where does the cloud-line run tonight,

(A sharp upward pluck on the high string)

When the sky turns pale, and the moorings bite?

Moon turned his head around to the unusual sound that was both calming and beautiful. A girl with orange hair holding a round instrument with four strings. She was looking down with both eyes closed as if hugging the instrument.

(Two measured strums falling into a gentle, rolling fingerpick pattern)

Will tomorrow find the lantern lit,

Or an empty cradle where shadows sit?

Discussions died out; everyone turned their gaze, focus and attention to her.

(The tempo lifts, four strings driving a light, bouncing rhythm)

Oh, lift the anchor, let her fly,

No chain can tether an unmade sky.

(A clean pinch of the outer strings, holding a shimmering natural harmonic... then a heartbeat of silence)

Ask the wind what the light will bear,

A wreath of smoke... or an open square?

(A final descending four-note pluck, the vibration muted under the heel of a palm.)

Oh, lift the anchor...

The song ended, and the music died out gradually.

"Hooooo, that was awesome," someone said loudly from afar.

Applause~

A few stood and clapped.

A girl next to the singing girl poked her with her elbow. "Camilla, that was too beautiful," she said cheerfully.

"Your voice and music could only be said to be beautiful."

"A beautiful song indeed."

Moon listened with confused eyes... He didn’t know what singing or music were... It was his first time listening to something like this.

If anything... He wanted to listen to it again.

It was then that his eyes met the girl named Camilla. For a brief moment, she smiled and nodded at him.

Only then did Moon notice his face was a mess, and he instantly straightened it, nodding back at her sternly.

By the time they were done eating and resting, the light of the sky was stolen in an instant, turning into a complete cover of darkness.

The music had calmed Moon’s mind a little, unknowingly. He was no longer under thoughts chasing one another into a brutal, nearly self-destructive loop.

Gustav and Talia approached him; their faces were rather heavy.

"I think we should camp here tonight," he said to Moon.

Talia turned her gaze to Gustav. "Sir Gustav, I mean no offence, but why isn’t there any means of transportation in the kingdom?"

For Talia, who came from a high background, there were countless means of transportation. She was fine with moving on foot initially, but the size of the kingdom now seemed bigger than she had anticipated.

The woods were draining to the ascenders as well, making things both hard and slow.

Gustav matched her gaze. "It’s not something we decide; the use of mechanical and arcane technologies is based on treaties per region."

He exhaled. "The second floor is vast, very... Each region has a set of rules governed by agreements that would be enforced by the System. And this region had a prohibition on almost all kinds of technologies..."

He looked away at the ascenders moving around, getting ready to spend the night here. The number was anything but small.

"This region was developed with the aim of peaceful lives without any complications." His voice trailed off.

Moon scratched his head and said nothing. They were going to spend the night thanks to the meat they had to sit and eat.

The creature turned out way bigger than expected, even. They were left with too much meat, so Markala started slicing it apart and hanging it on the tree branches.

Everyone found a spot to sit, sleep or chill under the faint campfire light.

Moon found a tree with large enough branches to hold his weight and climbed it. Hanging his bag, with Mishu’s head still popped out.

He leaned down and stretched his body on the large branch, staring into the darkness.

He said, "Night isn’t so dark."

Since he had been in the branch, his vision was improving rather slowly... Very slowly. He could see at most times.

But now, it was different.

He wasn’t simply able to see... Moon felt like the night itself wasn’t as dark as it used to be.

Moon looked at his own hands. ’How much more?’

Though it was a pleasant change for any ascender, Moon felt worried.

Mishu jumped off the bag and landed on his chest, coiling himself into a doughnut to sleep.

Moon didn’t react; he simply closed his eyes to sleep. The murderous cat who had once tormented him was slowly becoming a source of assurance and solace at times like this.

With a soft purr radiating into his chest, Moon accepted the peace and let his mind drift into sleep.

"BOSS!" Moon twitched.

"BOSS, WAKE UP!" Moon scratched his face randomly.

"BOSS, IT’S MORNING ALREADY, WE GOTTA MOVE!"

Moon’s shoulders twitched; he felt like it was enough sleeping on his back, and it was time to sleep on his right side.

Thus, he turned.

"AH FUCK!" Basil screamed, watching Moon fall off the tree.

Yet—

Thud~

Moon landed perfectly on his feet, half-crouched. His sleepy eyes opened, startled.

His eyes met Basil’s, who was staring at him.

Basil came closer. "Boss, teach me how to be cool like you!"

Moon’s groggy mind was still in the process of comprehending that he had been asleep on the branch up there.

Slowly, Moon started coming to terms with what had happened; he started looking around.

"Where’s Mishu?"

Moon was afraid he might have dropped the orange cat.

He knew Mishu was strong, too strong; this fall wouldn’t hurt him, but he was also vengeful and might take revenge on him soon.