Chapter 846: Fourth Moonstone

Chapter 846: Fourth Moonstone

The lake turned platinum the moment Dallion touched it with the tip of his harpsisword. Ripples formed, spreading along the surface in perfect circles.

Looking at it for a few moments longer, Dallion bent down and put his hand in. Instantly, the surface hardened in an attempt to trap his hand. Thanks to his reaction trait, Dallion easily pulled his hand out before that could happen.

Sneaky. He smiled.

Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure that the item was protected from without and within. The proper way to claim what was hidden was to swim down through the lake, face the guardian, then hope to have enough health left to deal with any remaining surprises. Of course, there were alternatives.

Nox, Ill need your help for a bit, Dallion said.

A dull meow from his realm let Dallion know that the enthusiasm wasnt shared.

Itll just take a moment.

A crackling puma emerged in the realm beside him. The creature was twice the size of a human, its pitch-black body covered with eyes. This was the first companion familiar Dallion had obtained back when he was still in his home village. Since then, it had grown quite a bit, yet its dislike of water remained the same.

With a yawn, the large puma stepped away from the edge of the lake, waving its tail in annoyed fashion.

GUARDIAN CHALLENGE

Nox has challenged the guardian of CHALICE on your behalf!

The guardian has no choice but to respond to the challenge.

Thanks, buddy. Dallion patted the crackling behind the head, proceeding to scratch behind its ear.

Nox looked away indignantly, pretending to be too old for such foolishness, yet never fully moving away.

Large black tentacles emerged from the center of the lake. They were soon followed by a humanoid body with almost as many eyes as the crackling.

A Scylla? Dallion wondered. It made sense come to think of it, although it had been a while since hed faced one. Want to stay around and he began, but before he could finish the sentence, Nox had already disappeared. Guess not, Dallion sighed.

CHALICE GUARDIAN - FUOCO

Species: SCYLLA

Class: SHADOW

Health: 84%

Traits:

- BODY 50

- MIND 70

- REACTION 30

- PERCEPTION 40

- MAGIC 40

Skills:

- ATTACK

- GUARD

- ATHLETICS

- ACROBATICS

- SPELLCRAFT

- CARVING

- ARTS

There was a moment in which Dallion wondered whether it would change into something else. Of course, he knew better. Moon platinum was the rarest metal there was. For there to be anything beyond that, it had to have divine qualities; rather, even more divine qualities.

The guardian disappeared in a cloud of glowing dust, taking with him the flaming lake. With the main feature of the realm gone, it resembled a bowl still shining in a bright white. If anything, the light was a lot stronger than before and how couldnt it be, since it held one of the greatest treasures the world had to offer: a white Moonstone.

Theres no need to remove it from the chalice, dear boy, Adzorg said. Its valuable in its own right. Why not simply take it?

Why not both? Dallion made his way to the chunk of shining white crystal and placed his hand on it. The next moment, the treasure was gone, moved into his own personal realm. That makes four.

He was still a long way from getting all of them. Supposedly, other than their appearance, there was no difference between one Moonstone and another. Initially, Dallion thought that they would affect the respective trait of the Moon they belonged to, but from what he could tell, they all emanated the same type of divine magic. Also, he had noticed that keeping them within his realm tended to boost his magic and awakened powers.

What do you think, Harp? Dallion looked at the harpsisword. Any remarks?

No, the nymph guardian replied.

Ever since the return of her species, she had become a lot quieter. Dallion couldnt blame her. At first, he had spent several times per day visiting her tower in the awakened realms in an attempt to cheer her up, or at least find out her concerns. Yet, no matter the approach, the result was the samea lot of silence and a vague promise shell tell him later.

Well, I guess all thats left to do is go back to the real world, grab the chalice and

Collect the stinky mess you left in the chamber, Vihrogon interrupted.

Crap! Dallion said. He had completely forgotten the viscount.

Yep, that would be the result, Vihrogon chuckled. As both of you pointed out, you cant kill him.

Sadly, that included leaving him in the ruins vault. With the spells in effect, there was no way that the noble would make it out of here on his own. Dallion would have no choice but to carry him, which was going to end up being a bit messy.

You have no choice, dear boy. Adzorg chimed in. Youre allies after all.

With allies like these I dont need Nevermind. He left the realm, returning into the real world.

Some of the scholars of the world claimed that everything in a persons life was perfectly balanced. The more hardships one went through, the greater level he was expected to obtain. That was only partially true. Indeed, the awakened did all the serious fighting, but they enjoyed a far higher level of comfort. In this case, though, Dallions shiny moonstone came with a diarrhea plagued noble that he had to save and carry back to the imperial capital. The only positive in the situation was that hed enjoy seeing the reaction of the Mizovys upon seeingor rather smellingthe state of their dog.

The trip back to the capital was long and arduous. Even with spells, the viscount proved to be a handful. When he wasnt dealing with his status effect, he was actively trying to kill Dallionwhich, after having his artifact trinkets removed, turned out to be an impossible task.

When, a week later, a crimson cloud fort descended from the sky, Dallion was all too happy. The fury captain in charge of the fort conveyed the usual warning from the emperor, but that had long lost its significance. As long as he continued to play the role of a spoiled fool, there would be no serious punishment.

On the way back to the capital, the fort came across a dozen more coming from the front. Despite the effort the furies had put into patching up the forts exteriors, it was obvious that they had suffered heavy casualties. The war near the coasts was getting more costly by the month. Supposedly, the Alliance of Steel and Stone was taking on the brunt of the nymphs attacks, but Dallion was starting to have his doubts. More and more awakened joined the provincial armies, and few emerged to replace them.

After another two days, the imperial palace became visible in the distance. Known as the greatest city in the world, it shined brightly like a star in the night. No longer feeling tired, Dallion went to the top of the cloud fort to enjoy the breeze and the view.

Almost as soon as he did so, a green butterfly flew up to him.

Hey, Dallion whispered with a smile, as he grabbed the creature.

The butterfly burst into a ball of vapor, which then transformed into a scroll.

New losses. Im fine, but want to see you soon.

Eury

New losses, Dallion thought. He wasnt worried that his fiance couldnt handle herself, but if things continued like this, in about a year, thered only be two powers in the world: the empire and the Azure federation. He had to find a way to level up fast and reach the sixth awakening gate.

Reading the scroll once more, he transported it into his realm.

Theres no point in keeping her letters, dear boy, Adzorg grumbled. Technically, youre not supposed to even talk to her.

Technically, this isnt talking, Dallion replied.

Sure, be a smart ass.

At least thats better than the alternative, Vihrogon wasnt able to keep himself from saying.

The comment earned a chuckle.

Count Elazni. A crimson fury approached him. The emperor has ordered you to go to his gardens alone.

Of course. Alone? That wasnt the most encouraging sign.