It was indeed a walk.

The two of them walked quietly.

Compared to daytime, the temperature on Dark Moon Island was slightly cooler at night. Ophelia put her hands in the pockets of her local attire. The special feature of this attire for women was that it had a pouch-like pocket in the front, similar to a kangaroo pouch.

In the early years, when the living conditions on Dark Moon Island were difficult and there were no other industries, it was mainly men who went out to sea for fishing while women were responsible for processing the fish. However, due to the unique geographical environment of Dark Moon Island, they often obtained some special stones while fishing. These stones came in various varieties and were often ingested by the fish. When the fish were gutted and processed for pickling, these small stones would be taken out and put into the pouch in front of their chests.

In fact, these stones were not of great value and were considered ordinary materials for magic. But for the women of Dark Moon Island at that time, it was an additional income that could not be ignored.

Nowadays, this type of work is generally handled by mermaids and people from other islands. Local women from Dark Moon Island rarely engage in this work anymore. However, the so-called local attire often reflects the characteristics of the previous production mode, so this design has been preserved.

"Are you cold?"

It was Ophelia who asked this question, not Karun.

"Not cold."

The two of them continued walking, bypassing the hot spring area and walking out through a side door.

The hotel was located on the mountainside, and after circling around to the other side, a bustling street appeared before their eyes.

It was hard to imagine that a magnificent hotel was so close to this lively civilian street filled with fireworks.

However, when they came out earlier, they saw many guards on that road, indicating that it had been deliberately isolated.

Of course, ordinary people wouldn't walk to the hotel from here. They could just come up from the other side of the mountain.

"This is the old street of our Dark Moon Island. Local people usually choose to come here to play and eat. The area near the town's pier mainly caters to sailors and the like."

"Meaning, that place is where they fleece outsiders, and this is where you locals like to come?"

Ophelia nodded and smiled. "It used to be more distinct, but now the boundaries have become blurred. But if you want to find the really delicious places, you still have to come here. Next time when you bring your fiancée to Dark Moon Island, you can bring her directly here to taste the local flavors."

Karun looked at her. Because she was walking in front, the streetlights projected onto her profile, giving her a special and hazy texture.

"Actually, we just finished eating not long ago."

Although the food at the Vine Cuisine wasn't delicious, they had prepared a large table for him with great enthusiasm. Coupled with the fact that he had slept for too long and was very hungry, he ate quite a lot.

"I'm hungry."

Only then did Karun remember that Ophelia hadn't eaten much, and her appetite was quite large.

"You can choose."

"Shouldn't it be the host who chooses?"

"The guest chooses."

"Then, let's go to this one."

Karun pointed to a restaurant with the sign "Missing Taste". The reason for choosing this restaurant was not because of its special name, but because Karun noticed that the other shops had barbecue grills outside, but this one didn't.

Actually, Karun wasn't very interested in barbecue. In his previous life, he had a weak stomach, so he rarely ate barbecue or shellfish. Sometimes, he couldn't avoid it during gatherings, but he would only have a little taste.

This habit had been retained until now.

The steps at the entrance of the restaurant were downward, and the inside of the shop was expanded by hollowing out the mountain, resembling a cave.

The space inside was not large, it was narrow and long, with a good atmosphere. The middle-aged boss was responsible for cooking, and there was a young female waitress. The two of them had somewhat similar appearances, probably father and daughter.

"You're here. It's been a long time since I last saw you," the boss greeted warmly.

"Sister, you're here," the girl also greeted Ophelia.

They should know each other, but they didn't know Ophelia's true identity at the moment.

Ophelia ordered a lot of dishes. Karun saw the boss flipping through the menu three times when recording the dishes, but the boss didn't ask if they could finish or if they had ordered too much. Obviously, the boss was experienced.

For business owners, they would definitely have a deep impression of customers with such high average spending.

After ordering the dishes, Ophelia and Karun found a corner seat. Ophelia faced inward, while Karun faced outward. Obviously, she didn't want anyone who knew her to come in and disturb her quiet meal.

The first to arrive were two cups of drinks, bright red in color, with a piece of fish skin covering the top.

Karun couldn't figure out whether it was a drink or a soup for a moment.

Ophelia picked up the cup and took a sip, then let out a satisfied sigh.

Karun hesitated and picked up the cup, blowing away the fish skin with his mouth, then took a sip. There was no fishy taste at all, but instead it was sweet, not the kind of sweetness filled with sugar, but a refreshing sweetness.

"It's delicious. What is it made of?"

"It's a kind of fruit wine, but when brewing it, there are special fish living inside. You can't drink this kind of wine anywhere else."

"I didn't taste any alcohol."

"Because you can choose the alcohol content. I chose a low one."

"Oh, I see."The boss served the dishes quickly. Unlike the last time Karun ate with Lao Lei and the others, the dishes here were not served on large plates. Each dish was delicate, trying to bring out the original flavor of the food as much as possible.

"The dishes here should suit your taste."

"Yes." Karun took another sip of the fruit wine. "Although I usually like some heavy flavors, it's just occasionally for a change."

Ophelia smiled and didn't say anything.

Karun quickly finished his meal, but Ophelia seemed to have just started.

She didn't eat voraciously, but once she started eating, she wouldn't stop. She skillfully peeled and removed the shells and thorns from the food, chewed it in her mouth with a rhythmic motion, not hurried but not slow.

Karun ordered another bottle of this fruit wine, thinking that it would be best to bring a case back when he returned. He wondered if the teleportation array of the Order God Sect would charge for overweight luggage.

At this moment, a young man walked into the shop. The man was wearing the robe of the Reincarnation God Sect. As soon as he entered, he saw Karun sitting in the corner, or more precisely, he saw the Order God robe on Karun.

The man sat down, and the waitress immediately ran over and sat down in front of him. The two of them happily chatted, obviously knowing each other for a long time. From the waitress's body language, it was obvious that she was interested in this man.

Although their voices were not loud, the shop was quiet, so their conversation was still clear.

The girl asked the man about interesting things outside, and the man kept telling her. In their conversation, there was a hint of meaning that they would be together in the future.

It seemed that this guy was planning to take the girl away when he left.

He was progressing really fast.

Karun turned his head and saw the boss sitting behind the counter, wiping glasses with a somewhat lonely expression.

After a while, the girl walked into the back room, changed her clothes, and came out happily with the man from the Reincarnation God Sect. They should be going on a date.

The man never said a word to the boss, even when he took away his daughter right in front of him.

Karun picked up the bottle and walked to the counter. "Boss, fill it up again and seal it for me. I want to bring it back for my friend to taste."

"Oh, okay." The boss smiled and filled the fruit wine for Karun, then carefully sealed the bottle. He asked, "Do you need a cup?"

"No, thanks."

"Alright, take it. It seems like you really like drinking this."

"Yes, it's very delicious."

"My daughter Lema also likes drinking this, but she might find it hard to drink in the future."

"Is that your daughter?"

"Yes, she is my daughter. She is in love with someone from the God Sect, and that person wants to take her away. She is happy, and I... I am also happy. I hope she can be happy."

There was deep reluctance in the boss's tone.

But for the residents of this island, especially for young people, material conditions were secondary. The boss's family was not rich on the island, but they were definitely comfortable. However, young people, driven by love and curiosity about the outside world, often spared no effort. If given the chance, they would grow wings and fly away immediately.

Karun himself was no exception, otherwise why would he not want to stay in the funeral society at home?

"I wish her happiness."

"Thank you. But I will prepare money for her return ticket, and I have some points saved up here. I will let her take them with her. Actually, I am reluctant to let her leave me, but I can't stop her. Can you understand?"

"I can understand."

At this time, Ophelia also finished eating. She took out a few gold coins and placed them on the table, stood up, glanced at Karun, and walked outside.

Karun followed her out, and Ophelia stood on the steps at the entrance, waiting for him. The two of them walked towards the way back.

"Is it always so lively here?" Karun asked.

"No, because of the incident a few days ago, many people were scared, so the places to spend money have been particularly lively these days. Everyone is willing to spend money."

"Oh, I see."

When they reached the side door of the hotel, a carriage was already waiting there for Ophelia.

Karun stood still and waited for Ophelia to get on the carriage.

Ophelia didn't rush to get on the carriage. Instead, she turned around, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Karun.

After a while, Ophelia smiled.

Karun was a bit puzzled.

"Are you cold?"

This was the second time today that Ophelia asked him the same question.

"I'm not cold."

"I don't want to go back yet. Stay with me for a while longer."

"It's getting late."

Ophelia raised her fist and shook it in front of Karun, asking, "Will you come or not?"

Karun didn't say anything.

Ophelia turned around and walked towards the other side where there was no road, which was the forest in the mountains.

Karun hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he followed her.

Ophelia walked in front, and Karun followed behind. After walking deep into the forest, Ophelia sat down on a stone and patted the empty space beside her. Karun also sat down and placed the fruit wine he brought on the ground.

For a long time, the two of them didn't speak. Ophelia just looked up at the dark moon in the sky, which was not full, and Karun looked at the leaves on the ground.

"Are you cold?"

"The robe can maintain body temperature."

Karun was a little confused. This was the third time she asked him this question since they met.

Ophelia leaned forward, supporting her cheek with her hand, and looked at Karun.Karun spoke, "You've been acting strange today."

"Mm, you finally noticed."

Search "pawread.com" for the original.

"Is it because of the recent events on the island?"

Ophelia nodded, then shook her head, "It's not just the things happening on the island, but also the things between you and me. It's like we can meet each other every other day, something that other girls may never experience in their lifetime."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?"

"Normally, it should be called fate's arrangement. You intentionally didn't mention this word. I've noticed that whenever we're together, it's like you're intentionally holding back, as if we're in a battle and you're always sparing your strength. I don't really like this feeling. Can you tell me why you've always been like this?"

Karun pursed his lips. The objective reason is that there is someone named "Neo" behind this series of coincidences, but the secrets involved cannot be revealed. However, besides the objective reasons, there must also be subjective factors.

Seeing Karun's silence, Ophelia continued to ask, "My father has many women and many illegitimate children. I'm not angry about it, maybe because I grew up in such an environment. But you're different, you have a fiancée, so you've always had principles, right?"

"It's not just that."

"Oh, not just that? Then what else?" Ophelia asked.

Karun decided to express his true thoughts, "Because when someone of the opposite sex expresses affection for you, you can't help but feel happy and enjoy it. I'm sorry, it's unavoidable."

"Is it because of that?"

"Mm."

"So, deep down, you still have some feelings for me, right?"

Karun honestly replied, "Yes, I do."

"Okay, I understand. You want to stick to your principles and enjoy the feeling of me liking you." Ophelia reached her hands forward and said, "It's like roasting by the fire. You like the warmth it brings, but you won't and can't actually put your hand into the fire because you know it will burn you. How's this metaphor?"

"It's very fitting."

Ophelia raised her fist again and placed it in front of Karun, shaking it, "I just ate, so I have plenty of strength now."

"What are you planning to do?"

"I'm not planning to do anything, hmm..." Ophelia propped her chin up with one hand, "I really like the stories and poems left by our ancestor, Bernard. I've liked them since I was young. Almost every native of Darkmoon Island grew up listening to the stories of our ancestor Bernard."

"I know."

"In our eyes, our ancestor Bernard is pure and flawless. His life, his emotions, everything is like that."

"Mm."

"But because of Mr. Philias' incident, I saw another side of our ancestor. Also, recently I've spent time reading Mr. Philias' and our ancestor Bernard's diaries. The image of our ancestor has changed in my mind. It has fallen from the heavens to the earth and has been stained with a lot of dust."

"Before you came to the island this time, I tried to imagine our relationship as a version of the love story between our ancestor and Miss Pall, even though there is a great distance between us. I felt like our relationship was a replica of that love story."

"And then?"

"And then, when the image of our ancestor was no longer so perfect in my mind, I looked back at the love story between our ancestor and Miss Pall that he wrote. I felt a... a sense of disharmony. It's like there's a line that cuts through each love story, as if they have all been torn apart."

"Do you know, I even started to doubt... I started to doubt whether there really was... something between Miss Pall and our ancestor..."

Ophelia bit her lip and then let go, "I've always imagined myself as our ancestor Bernard, and I've always imagined you as Miss Pall. And then, it's this feeling that's hard to describe. Yesterday, I spent the whole day replaying our ancestor's love story in my mind. I tried to unravel that line that felt disharmonious."

"In the end, I felt... I felt... sigh. I felt like I really understand our ancestor. In each story, the first half is the real development of the scene, and the second half is the beautiful imagination."

Karun was stunned. He didn't expect Ophelia to suddenly say this.

"Ah... it's all things from over a hundred years ago. There's no need to take it too seriously because maybe it's not about recording events, but rather about depicting love, right?"

Ophelia deliberately looked at Karun, as if she wanted to get an answer from him. She repeated, "Right?"

Karun's palms began to sweat slightly at this moment because he understood the meaning behind Ophelia's words. She seemed to have seen through the fog and "understood" the love lies that Bernard had woven for himself.

But now the question is, if the story between Bernard and Miss Pall is a lie, then what is his own identity? How did he, as a descendant of Pall, come into existence if Bernard and Pall didn't end up together?

If we go deeper, the Darkmoon Blade... without any bloodline to rely on, how did he manage to use it?

What exactly is his identity?

Expanding further, what's the meaning behind the gravestone of Miss Pall in the Allen Manor and the touching words written beneath it?

Finally, even the recent series of events on the island can be deduced based on this, leading to conspiracy theories.

Karun placed his palm on his knee and thought, "Damn it, Captain, you've really got me tangled up..."

Because he truly likes Karun, Ophelia was able to truly imagine herself as our ancestor Bernard and "understand" the long string of love stories left behind by Bernard...But because of this, she discovered a secret, or rather, a truth.

All it takes is a tiny crack, and all the disguises will be completely pried open through this crack.

And Karun's mask, it seems, always loses its effect in front of those who are truly close to him.

"I don't know."

In the end, Karun gave this response, with a sense of "whatever".

Because he couldn't possibly kill Ophelia here to silence her, he couldn't and wouldn't do such a thing, he didn't even have such a thought.

Ophelia stood up, adjusting her skirt as she spoke:

"Karun, do you know, you should be grateful that Mr. Phelias ultimately gave up on revenge, and you should also be grateful for what you just told me about your feelings for me, that you like this feeling.

You should be even more grateful, that I like you.

But I really can't understand, the first time in my life I've fallen for someone, why should I suffer this indignity, I really don't want to.

So, I really want to beat you up, but suddenly I feel it's meaningless, the most important thing is, well, you've been very obedient today."

Karun was silent, so that's what she meant by her previous words.

So, every time she raised her fist before, she really wanted to find a reason to hit him?

"I will still go to the Order Church for training, but I won't choose to go to York City, I will choose to go to other major areas of the Order Church.

Because I enjoy the feeling of liking you, but just as you have your fiancée, you have your principles, I also have my Dark Moon, it is my principle.

For my family, I need you to help me pretend, so I can avoid the trouble of being married off in the future.

Finally, apologize to your captain for me."

"Captain?"

Was the captain also exposed?

"If I go to York City, he will help me form a team from his own squad, and then he can be promoted to a captain managing three squads. Now, he can't be promoted."

Karun: "......"

Ophelia crossed her arms and said softly, "I'm cold."

Karun stood up, but before he could say or do anything, Ophelia said, "Take me back to the carriage."

"Okay."

The two of them were still walking one after the other, but this time, Karun was in front, and Ophelia was following behind;

The light of the Dark Moon shone through the leaves onto Karun, casting a mottled shadow, but also outlining his departing footsteps.

The atmosphere between the two was becoming more and more oppressive.

But at this moment, the intertwined panting of a man and a woman from the pile of leaves nearby broke the silence.

They must have used a concealment formation, but this concealment formation only has a concealment effect at a slightly farther distance, at close range, it has no effect, of course, perhaps they themselves feel that a completely silent environment would reduce a lot of their pleasure, they need each other's voices to accompany.

Karun was about to walk away, but the people inside had already finished, the man came out while dressing, looked at Karun and Ophelia, whose figure was completely hidden behind Karun, and laughed:

"Friend, you finished quite quickly."

This man, Karun remembered, was the Reincarnation Church man who had entered the restaurant for dinner, and what he was now adjusting was also the Reincarnation Church's robe.

The woman who stood up behind him waved her hand and removed the simple barrier she had set up earlier, came over and took the man's hand, saying:

"Let's go, I'm hungry, I want to taste the local specialty dishes of Dark Moon Island."

"Okay, I'll take you there right away."

The man waved at Karun and said:

"Goodbye, hehe."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the outside of the forest with the woman's hand, Karun noticed that the woman was the restaurant owner's daughter, Laima.

"Wait a minute." Karun called out.

The man stopped and looked back at Karun, laughing:

"What, can't the people of Order take a joke?"

Karun pointed to the girl and said, "You've swapped her soul."

Hearing this, the man's eyes narrowed slightly and he said:

"I don't think we have any reason to have a dispute here over a Dark Moon Island commoner, do we?"

Hearing this, Ophelia was about to step forward, but Karun grabbed her wrist.

Even if the one who was targeted was a person from Dark Moon Island, Dark Moon was not suitable to take action, because those who could use the soul contract were definitely not ordinary members of the Reincarnation Church, so if there was to be a conflict, it would be better for it to occur between the two churches.

Karun took two steps forward, completely blocking Ophelia behind him, and said, "There is a reason."

"Oh, what reason?"

"The food her father makes, is delicious."