Chapter 8: The Scarlet Moon

  "Burp~ Daddy, Yaya is full!"

  With a soft and affeate voi Matthew's mind, the newly awakened and well-fed Yaya led back down tentedly.

  Matthew gently picked her up, clearly feeling that she was much heavier than before—at least 25 pounds now.

  As for where the 20 pounds of jerky she just ate went, Matthew simply thought, "A dragon's appetite is something you should ry to guess."

  He carefully pced Yaya ihe carriage, proteg her from the soon-to-be-shining moonlight.

  Matthew took the thick cloak hao him by Steward Ralph, skillfully draped it over himself, and looked up at the sky.

  Beyond the yers of distant clouds, a twisted dark red hue was slowly rising.

  "Remember, never let any part of your body be exposed to the moonlight. Keep your hood and mask on, and don't take off yloves."

  "If you notiy damage to your panion's clothing or armor, immediately them in a cloth sad tie them up. The person iion must not resist!"

  "Rest assured, even if exposed to moonlight, we have holy water and sing potions on hand to treat mild aberrations."

  "But everyone must be vigint. The success rate of sing isn't 100%, and it's very expensive. Even if you only bear half the cost, it will still be very painful."

  "If we enter anyone else, no matter who they are, do not approach them lightly. They may have already undergone aion. No tatil they’ve been ied..."

  "Also, remember that all moving creatures are potentially deadly. Keep your shields ready and stay protected."

  "Only the guards and outpost soldiers are allowed to use ons to avoid actal injuries..."

  Steward Ralph's arras were meticulous, even earning a nod of approval from Matthew, who quietly took notes.

  At the same time, Matthew reflected on how, in another world, the moon raised and longed for by tless poets, yet here it had bee a symbol of curse aru.

  Although he didn’t know what had happened on the moon, the fact that its light could have such a terrifying effe the eerial pne was chilling to think about.

  After donning thick gloves, retying his pant legs, and cheg his clothes, Matthew skillfully put on his mask.

  Through specially crafted light-blog lenses, Matthew could clearly see his surroundings, parable to an enhanced version of night vision from another world.

  Such was the wonder of alchemy and magic!

  Ralph meticulously checked everyowice, ensuring there were no hts, and after exging a gh Old John, who was iing the horses and vehicles, he raised his voice:

  "Let's move out, head home!"

  An inexplicable power resonated in Ralph's voice, making everyone feel a surge of strength from within, making them feel more eid their movements lighter.

  "Level 1 Spell: Inspire!"

  Uhe daytime, the oved silently at night, advang cautiously on the slightly hardened dirt road.

  This time, Ralph led the group from the front, vigintly reminding everyoo watch out for every puddle and mud hole on the road.

  After all the effort it took to transport these supplies here, losing them tonight would be heart-wreng.

  Though he had some experieh night marches, Matthew could distinctly feel that tonight's Scarlet Moon was pletely different.

  The thin mist and clouds in the sky dispersed.

  A gigantic blood-red moon hung in the sky.

  At the ter of the moon was a rge dark red spot, resembling a terrifying eye, casting a cold, terrifying gaze that altered a fell upon.

  Even with fn objects and masks blog it, Matthew could still feel a rea.

  A deep sense of dread, stemming from the fear ingrained in his very being, reminded Matthew to avoid letting any part of his body touch the moonlight!

  The entire Misty S was bathed in a crimson hue.

  Looking around, the swirling mist resembled a sea of blood, ing with twisted blood waves.

  Everyone in the voy breathed heavily, silently keeping their heads down and moving forward.

  "Enemies!"

  Ange looked in the dire of the sound, keenly spotting the enemies and preparing to draw her bow.

  Matthew raised his hand to stop her, meeting her gaze through her silver mask, and said calmly:

  "Your strength is important; serve your energy and focus on direg the battle."

  "Let them e closer. We’ll have to ehem sooner or ter, so let’s start getting everyone used to fighting."

  Ange lowered her bow, drew her sword, and loudly called out to the soldiers on the voy's perimeter:

  "All teams, be alert! The enemy is approag, maintain a tight formation."

  "bat unit members, watch for enemies leaping at you. Keep an eye on both the ground and the sky!"

  Twenty warriors, along with a few wandering sves with profession levels, were divided into froups to protect the voy from all sides.

  They vigintly watched the red mist, occasionally catg glimpses of gray shadows darting around and hearing eerie howls.

  The sounds were filled with pain and despair, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

  What was once a silent Misty S had turned into a terrifying killing field.

  Matthew, having witnessed far more horrifying ses, remained calm, even thinking with i:

  "This immersive horror se and sound effects, if recorded, could be used in many horror movies."

  Whether it was the voy's rge hat brought deterrence, or the aberrations not fully taking effect yet, the voy traveled for about half an hour and covered a quarter of the distance before entering the first substantial attack.

  The ing blood mist parted as a shadow over a meter tall lunged out, bringing with it a strong stench of blood.

  It was a blood-soaked bck wolf, a on sging predator in the Misty S, with a challeing of 2+.

  Its abdomen and back were covered in wounds, but the wounds were slowly writhing, giving an incredibly disturbing impression.

  It howled and leaped towards Steward Ralph.

  A fsh of silver light streaked through the air.

  A sharp rapier pierced through the bck wolf's clouded eye socket aed through the back of its head.

  The wolf’s howl tly cut off.

  Strangely, even with its brain fatally wouhe wolf’s limbs tile, g deep furrows into the soft mud.

  Its twisted mouth gnashed fiercely at Ralph.

  With a swift step forward, Old John swung his long-handled sword, chopping the bck wolf's head off, finally putting ao its thrashing.

  Ralph expertly pried open the wolf's head, his eyes lighting up slightly as he carefully used his rapier to extract a clump of gray-bck flesh.

  "Basic Flesh Essence, inated. After purification, it be used to craft magical items and ons, with a market value of 10 gold s."

  Familiar information appeared in Matthew's mind, and the detailed data-driven prompts brought him a pleasant surprise.

  The aberrant bck wolf’s tenacious vitality had clearly put pressure on the soldiers, which Matthew noticed.

  Seeing Ralph about to hand him the Basic Flesh Essence, Matthew shook his head and said loudly:

  "As you see, while aberrant creatures are dangerous, decapitating them will take them down pletely."

  "Additionally, aberrant creatures often have valuable magical materials ihem, worth quite a bit."

  "For example, this Basic Flesh Essence is worth 10 gold s. The distribution will be 30% to those who kill, 25% to those who deal heavy damage, 15% to partits, and the remaining 30% will be split among all batants."

  "Old John receives 3 gold s and 75 silver s, Steward Ralph receives 3 gold s and 25 silver s, and the remaining 25 batants split 1 gold and 50 silver s!"

  "This is how the spoils of battle will be distributed going forward. I hope you all fight bravely but also avoid getting hurt!"

  Upon hearing this, Ralph's face grew anxious as he was about to speak up to dismiss what he thought was an absurd idea from Matthew.

  "All the territory's gains belong to the Lord! Rewarding them with a good meal is enough. Only those who perform exceptionally should receive real rewards. How we distribute the profits like this?"

  The other soldiers wideheir eyes, their breathing growing heavier, though many still couldn’t quite believe it.

  After all, it's not unheard of for o go ba their word!

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