"I thought you wouldn't come back to the manor."

Puerh, sitting in the passenger seat, said while playing with her tail.

Karun turned his head and glanced at the hearse behind them through the rearview mirror, asking, "Why not go back?"

"It's awkward, guilty, and troublesome..." Puerh counted on her paws one by one, "and then I just wanted to escape."

"I don't feel any of those things you mentioned."

"Oh, okay. Then why did someone ask about the weather today?"

"Isn't that the usual way of communication for the Vein people?"

"Okay, so you've turned back into a Vein person now?"

"Ophelia came to Vein."

"Ah, right."

"She wasn't originally in this district, just got transferred here, probably to prepare for receiving the delegation from the Moon God Sect."

"Generally, there's often no friendship between the same sects. Instead, they fight fiercely, just like the churches that split after the Sea God Sect. It's been quiet in recent years, but back then, it was almost a bloodbath."

"Oh, and you mentioned the two guardian sculptures you encountered in the Conjes tomb. The Dark Moon is also a goddess, and it's very likely that she has a blood feud with Artemis."

"It's not about blood feuds now, but the arrangement of the Moon God Sect makes me doubt the true purpose of Ophelia coming to receive."

Puerh spoke, "The fruit is ripe now, I suppose."

"So the Moon God Sect sees Ophelia as a ripe fruit?"

"Why not you, who has the Dark Moon Eye?"

"Me?"

"Be careful, Karun. No, you don't need to be careful, you've been ordered."

"Are you saying that the person the Moon God Sect is looking for is me?"

"Just like the group of Bright Remnants who stayed with Piaje waiting for the chosen one, I always felt that the chosen one wasn't Bede, but you."

"Well, that makes things interesting." Karun smiled. "I have to go provide close protection for them."

"Stay safe."

"I know."

"Hehe, I mean, pay attention to safety measures. Look, last time, protecting the Dark Moon Island princess made her leave pregnant. This time, protecting the Moon God Sect's godchild, you can't let her leave with a baby in each hand, can you?"

"For the next month, you won't be able to eat fish."

"Meow!!!!"

...

Upon entering the manor, they found that there were no changes inside, no special preparations, and no gathering of all the male and female servants for a welcome ceremony.

Puerh muttered, "Anderson is so clueless."

Karun reached out and rubbed her head, laughing, "And you have the nerve to say that others don't know how to behave?"

The second-hand friends and the hearse both arrived at the back of the castle, and Old Anderson stood there with his family to greet them.

Although Karun had said on the phone that most of the people he brought this time were young masters and young ladies, Old Anderson still prepared to welcome Karun in the usual way.

"Young Master Karun, welcome back." Old Anderson was very respectful to Karun, and looked at Puerh in Karun's arms with flattery.

"These are all my friends."

"Yes, the young master's friends are the distinguished guests of the manor, and we will definitely treat them with great care."

Old Anderson waved to the people around him, indicating that they should go and entertain the young master's friends, and he himself walked upstairs with Karun, not staying to inquire about these distinguished guests.

When they reached the second floor, Old Anderson stopped and whispered, "Princess Ophelia should be waiting for you in the patriarch's study."

"Okay, I got it."

Instead of going to the study, Karun went to Unis's room first.

When the two maids at the door saw Karun coming, they immediately saluted and stepped back.

Before pushing the door open, Karun put Puerh down from his arms and warned, "If you peek again, you won't be able to eat fish for the rest of the year."

Puerh complained, "You can't always use this to control me, it's really unfair!"

"I'll do what I say."

"I'll do what I say too, I won't look. Hmph, I've seen enough, I really don't understand what's so interesting about touching someone's legs."

Puerh pouted and turned to run back. She was going to find Old Anderson to arrange her afternoon tea.

Karun straightened his clothes, pushed the door open, and walked in, but he was stunned. He saw a woman sitting behind the desk in the bedroom, but it wasn't Unis.

The bedroom door had materials to block probing, but this kind of blockage was only better than nothing. The main reason was that Karun wouldn't have probed inside before pushing the door open. It's good to keep a bit of mystery, right?

But in reality, it's better to be cautious in the future.

Ophelia turned around, and today she was dressed in equestrian attire, highlighting her already very impressive figure.

"I think even out of respect for a friend, you should try to hide the disappointment in your eyes at this moment."

"I'm glad to see you, Ophelia."

Karun walked up and opened his arms generously.

"Hehe."

Ophelia smiled and stepped forward to hug Karun politely.

At this moment, Unis, wearing a black long dress, walked out of the compartment, holding a teapot in her hand.

Ophelia pointed at Karun and said to Unis, "See, I told you, he's best at pushing people away in a very polite way."

Unis also smiled, apparently, the two women had talked before, but it's not clear how much they had talked.

Karun walked up to Unis and helped her take the teapot, naturally putting his arm around Unis's waist, and asked, "Did I wake you up?""I'm still a little sleepy, but I'm awake more often than before."

"The situation is getting better."

"Yes, I can feel it clearly."

Karun sat down on the sofa, and Yunis began to pour tea. Ophelia sat down opposite Karun.

"What happened to your forehead?" Karun pointed to Ophelia's forehead, where there was a scar that had previously been covered by her bangs.

"It was cut by a dagger, with some poison."

"You didn't treat it? Or are you intentionally keeping it as a statement?"

"I had an appointment for restorative surgery, but then I was ordered to go to York City. I'll have the scar removal surgery when I get back."

"They assigned you such a dangerous task?"

The wound in that location, if it's a little deeper, could be used for brain surgery.

"I volunteered for it. Training requires going to more dangerous places, otherwise it's not worth it."

Karun picked up the teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Guessed it?"

"Yeah." Ophelia nodded calmly and also picked up her teacup. "It's not hard to guess. Both you and I know that we've been here before, and you've described your fiancée to me many times."

Yunis brought some snacks and sat down next to Karun.

"Your Highness has been here for two days, and we've been getting along very well. She's helping me design a saddle."

"I'm planning to bring a few unicorns to the island, and Yunis happens to like riding horses."

"Thank you," Karun said.

"It's not just for your sake. It's a friendship between me and your fiancée. Don't underestimate a two-day friendship. Some people seem to have a natural ability to make others feel comfortable. If I were a man, I wouldn't be able to leave her."

"But I heard that you don't come back often."

"Karun is very busy, and the things he does are very dangerous," Yunis said.

"Yes, yes, but you can't always be so gentle. It's like making a movie, it's easy to have no lines and no presence."

Yunis smiled. "But I'm here."

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Ophelia heard this and nodded with a smile.

Yunis said to Karun, "Grandfather woke me up early when he found out you were coming back, so now I'm really tired. I'll go to sleep first, and when I wake up, it'll be dark, and I'll make you a midnight snack. I've learned some things during this time."

"Okay."

Karun stood up and said to Ophelia, "Let's go to the study. I need to talk to you about the Moon Church delegation."

Ophelia stood up and said to Yunis, "We're going to the study. He needs to talk to me about the Moon Church delegation, hehe."

Yunis also smiled.

Ophelia left first, and Karun helped Yunis lie down.

Yunis looked at Karun and whispered, "Does my presence make you feel restricted?"

"What are you talking about?"

"For example, do you feel constrained by me?"

"It's not you who constrains me, it's the family rules of the Inmoleis family. No matter when, family always comes first."

"Do you know, Mother has always been puzzled as to why Father hasn't had a lover for so long. Sometimes she feels a little embarrassed about it."

"When your mother says these things, she must be smiling."

"I'm not being sarcastic."

"Neither am I."

Karun lowered his head and gently kissed Yunis on the forehead. "Rest well. I'll come back to see you tonight."

"Aren't you tired?" Yunis blinked with some concern.

"I came after getting enough rest this time. I just finished a mission and I'm on a short vacation, so I can handle a few more tonight."

Yunis bit her lip and curiously asked, "Won't you get tired of it?"

"I'll only get tired of the style and color."

Karun stood up, helped Yunis lower the bed curtain, and then left the bedroom.

In the clan leader's study, Ophelia was admiring the portraits of the previous clan leaders of the Allen family on the wall.

She had definitely been here before and had seen them, but now she was just passing the time in this awkward waiting.

After Karun walked in, he sat down behind the desk and pressed the desk bell. He believed that the attentive Alfred would bring him pure water and ice right away.

Then, Karun took out a cigarette from the box and lit it.

"I remember you didn't smoke before," Ophelia said, walking to the opposite side of Karun, pulling out a chair, and sitting down.

"The smoke can cover the awkwardness and ease the tension."

"Hehe."

"You'll also be participating in the reception task this time. I want to know your level of involvement."

"I've been instructed to accompany and protect. I don't know the specific details and measures yet."

"I'm in charge of their security, so you may be temporarily assigned to my security team."

"Oh, I see. I'm not very familiar with some of the rules in the Order of the Moon. Should I stand up now and say, 'Captain Karun, please take care of me'?"

"I'm not joking. You need to be careful this time."

"Hmm?" Ophelia restrained her smile.

"Has the Moon Church always had designs on the Dark Moon Island?" Karun asked.

"The Moon Church is the orthodox faith of the moon system, and it has designs on all moon-related faiths. It's just that the Dark Moon Island was too weak and hadn't developed yet, plus the peripheral area of the sea where the Dark Moon Island is located is under the influence of the Cycle.

However, after the defeat of the Cycle, their influence contracted, and the Moon Church did become more 'enthusiastic.' But after the peace conference, the island made its own choice to rely on itself."Actually, this is almost a consensus among the elders on the island, because we naturally have an aversion to the Moon God Cult."

Karun nodded and asked, "Another question, has the Dark Moon never manifested specifically?"

On Dark Moon Island, Karun had not seen any elements of the Dark Moon's manifestation. Of course, those creations that "personify" the Dark Moon did not count; it was mainly about the definition of the Dark Moon royal family.

"No."

"Really not?"

"I answer you as a member of the Dark Moon royal family, no."

"The Dark Moon Goddess."

"Hmm?" Ophelia was initially puzzled, then she froze, and immediately after, she stood up, "What did you just say?"

Karun gestured with his hand to calm Ophelia down, indicating she shouldn't get too excited.

But Ophelia couldn't help being excited. She approached the desk and asked cautiously, "What have you discovered?"

"Let's sit down and talk."

Ophelia took a deep breath and finally nodded, sitting back down.

Her emotional outburst was because she sensed that Karun might have found some secret or clue that could help manifest the Dark Moon, which for a believer, was infinitely more important than finding their own genealogy.

"What I'm about to tell you, you can't pass it back. It needs to be kept secret for now, you have to promise me that."

"I promise, by my lineage, by my soul, by my life, I swear!"

"Good, the legacy of the Dark Moon comes from the Dark Moon Goddess."

"The Goddess?"

"What you inherit on Dark Moon Island is a broken and lost legacy of the Dark Moon Goddess."

"Our inherited faith is incomplete, this is no secret. Researchers on the island have speculated as much, but we lack the ability to trace it back. No, to be precise, we've made many efforts to investigate, but to no avail."

"The mother of the Dark Moon Goddess was once offered as a sacrifice to the Moon Goddess Artemis, and the Dark Moon Goddess and Moon Goddess Artemis are blood enemies. I can vouch for the truth of this statement.

Next, is my speculation. I suspect that the Dark Moon Goddess once sought revenge against the Moon Goddess in the course of history, but she ultimately failed, leading not only to her own downfall but also to the ruin of her Dark Moon Cult.

Strictly speaking, the current Dark Moon Island is very similar to those small cults that emerged after the collapse of the Sea God Cult."

Ophelia's eyes widened. What Karun said could change the religious history of Dark Moon Island.

However, Karun didn't wait for her to slowly digest this news but continued to add:

"There's another possibility, that the current residents of Dark Moon Island and the Dark Moon Goddess come from the same clan, essentially you are all part of a familial faith system, with the progenitor as the source, but it was modified by the Dark Moon Goddess."

Ophelia's face was full of confusion.

"This is just my speculation, I know it sounds absurd, but it's indeed a possibility."

For instance, the Inmorys family faith system he now possessed, with Dis as the progenitor and the first-generation inheritor, and himself as the second-generation inheritor who completed its order, even "Dis" had donned the robes of a temple elder.

Considering that the mother of the Dark Moon Goddess was once sacrificed to Artemis, there might be a factor of bloodline involved, and the image of the Dark Moon Goddess and her father both wearing noble attire suggests that the Dark Moon clan might have already formed a relatively large group at that time.

"I need to properly digest what you've just told me."

"Remember to keep it secret, I'll continue to investigate as well."

"Thank you, Karun, but I still want to ask... are there any documents or relics available for investigation?"

"None."

"Okay, I understand, thank you."

Ophelia stood up, knowing that Karun wouldn't make up lies to deceive her. She bowed to Karun.

"You should be wary of the Moon God Cult's people in your reception tasks, as with the continuous development of Dark Moon Island, the Moon God Cult has renewed its interest in Dark Moon Island, in the bloodline of the Dark Moon clan. It's like going to the market to check the freshness of vegetables."

"You mean, the people of the Moon God Cult want to inspect me?"

Karun hesitated for a moment. From a self-interested perspective, Ophelia was indeed suitable to stand in front and attract attention for him, to take the bullet for him, but he didn't want to do that in his heart.

So, in the end, Karun shook his head and said, "They are likely looking for me."

"I am of the royal bloodline."

"That sounds like a piece of loin meat telling rib meat, 'I'm more tender than you.'"

Ophelia laughed, "You misunderstood me, what I meant was, I know how to ensure your safety."

Karun shrugged, "You also misunderstood me, what I meant was, you just need to do as I ask, that way I can be safer."

"Alright, I understand, Karun."

"Call me captain."

"Understood, captain."

Alfred knocked and entered, bringing purified water and ice cubes.

Ophelia got up and said, "I'll go back to my room to calm down."

"Alright, take care of yourself, I won't call you for the meal."

Ophelia left the study.

Alfred, who was adding ice cubes to the water, noticed his young master deep in thought and asked, "Young master, what's on your mind?"

"Alfred, I suddenly realized something. Maybe Neo insisting on being called 'squad captain' in front of me isn't because he's so addicted to the title."

"Then why is that, young master?"

"He's probably holding back from slapping me when he sees this presumptuous look on my face."