“Hehehehe...”
Sophie’s sinister laughter echoed inside the carriage.
She looked at the Moon Goddess curled up in the corner, and the slight guilt she felt over the five hundred years they had missed secretly melted away a little during their playful banter.
Girls snuggling is just the best.
“Teacher, Teacher~” Sophie giggled as she wiggled, trying to crawl over along the blanket.
However, what welcomed her was a tightly guarded counterattack.
Having entered a highly alert defensive stance, Miaoyue spun in the air along with her blanket and immediately kicked out twice with lightning speed.
Her delicate, pale feet left afterimages in the air, landing a precise kick right on Sophie's shoulders the moment she drew near.
One kick triggered a Narrow Defeat, while the other kicked out Blood Essence.
Tumbling like a ragdoll, Sophie rolled back to the other end of the carriage, crashing heavily onto the thick, soft sheepskin blanket.
“Ouch... Teacher, is this also part of the romance training?” Sophie grumbled under her breath as she climbed back up, wincing in pain.
Meanwhile, Miaoyue instantly retracted into her defensive posture after the kicks.
The sheepskin blanket had been pulled into a tight, defensive cocoon. She was completely curled up in the deepest recesses of the thick blanket, not a single strand of hair showing, and she had tucked her feet right back in after kicking Sophie.
All that remained visible was the tightly twisted knot of the blanket.
She was now a quiet, round ball of fluff that utterly refused to communicate.
The Moon of Denial, denying everything.
And she denied giving any response as well.
Sophie snorted softly, climbed onto her seat, and patted the dust off her robe.
Once her dessert stomach starts growling, let's see if the Moon Goddess can still act so arrogant.
Sophie reached out to draw open the closed side curtains, casting her gaze out the carriage window.
Time to enjoy the fun of an Open World.
Let's check out the scenery~
At this moment, the human-powered alchemy carriage was traveling along a wide, dirt post road.
Nearby, the yellow-brown road was deeply rutted by carriage wheels, with the setting sun casting slanted rays upon it, making every tiny pebble and grain of sand glint.
Further out lay vast stretches of neatly cultivated fields where crops grew in lush abundance.
Ears of barley and oats swayed in the autumn wind, stretching out in layers into the distance, showing that this land originally possessed a rich agricultural foundation.
However, in this field that should have been brimming with life, there was not a single head of livestock.
No cattle.
No sheep.
Not even a single common draft horse used for plowing could be seen.
Sophie turned her gaze toward the high, distant sky.
In the deep blue sky, save for a few wisps of drifting clouds, there was not a single trace of a bird.
The entire wilderness was as silent as an exquisite oil painting, devoid of even a single insect chirp or bird call, completely lacking the natural bustle of life.
The curse of the moonlight made no distinction among living things.
Solitary existences would eventually be devoured.
As the carriage rolled forward, the sights in her view began to multiply.
First to emerge were the densely packed settlements on both sides of the post road.
Vast, sprawling networks of closely packed earthen manors and towns practically merged into one another.
These earthen manors were not merely separated by streets.
Vaulted corridors tightly linked the entire settlement together without a single gap.
The outer walls of the corridors were embedded with light gray Moon-Shading boards, and enclosed overpasses could be seen jutting outward at the corners.
They looked like passages prepared for people to transport grain, push handcarts, and exchange warmth and positions during the night.
The ground-floor entrances of some street-facing buildings were extraordinarily wide, with two sets of low berths and shelters aligned side-by-side in front.
Some large buildings resembling post stations were designed as long, narrow, interconnected structures with tall, narrow windows, and their outer sides were reinforced with thick wooden planks and metal clasps.
They did not seem to be keeping out thieves, but rather keeping out the moonlight.
Between these towns and fields, countless children were chasing and playing in the mud.
They screamed and laughed, some rolling in muddy puddles, others brandishing wooden swords to spar with one another.
Although there was no livestock in the fields, the working farmers were so densely packed that the sheer population density was jaw-dropping.
Looking closer, the fields and ridges were absolutely teeming with people.
Young men carrying baskets of fodder, pushing two-wheeled carts, carrying wooden frames to transport water, or wearing short tunics with crude tool pouches hanging from their waists, hurried back and forth between the ridges and village paths.
Occasionally, a brief glimmer of light would flash on someone's shoulder or a cart handle, likely a minor spell used for lighting, preservation, moisture control, or a temporary boost of strength.
It did not feel unusual at all; instead, it was as natural as breathing, as if magic had long since blended into these people's daily lives alongside the soil, the crops, and the rooftops.
Without livestock, the people of Solitude could only cram more manpower, more housing, and more low-tier magic into their lives.
Fortunately, low-tier magic was highly accessible. Compared to the Middle Ages of the Blue Star, people here could use magic to handle many daily chores, making life far more convenient.
“By the way, there sure are a lot of people in Solitude,” Sophie said, resting her chin on her hand. “Even out in the countryside, it's just village after village. There's barely any uninhabited wilderness.”
Compact, enclosed archways were built between the houses to shield them from both the moon and the sun.
These corridors tightly connected every building in the town, allowing people to move freely throughout the settlement after nightfall without ever having to step outside.
“Because nobody has anything to do at night, they have no choice but to engage in the great fusion of life,” a muffled voice drifted out from beneath the blanket. “Over time, the population just boomed...”
Sophie: “I... I see.”
That actually makes quite a bit of sense.
Rate on N.U.
