Mu Sichen had already destroyed two Pillars. According to his agreement with Qin Zhou, he had fulfilled his promise. Wasn’t it time for Qin Zhou to arrive in Bright-Eye Town?

Mu Sichen instinctively looked toward Yao Wangping and the octopus plushie. To his shock, the plushie was gone.

Yao Wangping had regained consciousness. Beneath him, a massive totem of Qin Zhou had appeared. Yao Wangping was muttering something under his breath as he pressed his palm against the pattern, but the totem remained unresponsive.

Mu Sichen approached him. “Are you summoning Qin Zhou?”

“Who gave you permission to speak the General’s name so casually?” Yao Wangping replied, his voice flat and hollow.

To reach this Breeding Ground, Yao Wangping seemed to have discarded what little remained of his emotions, leaving behind nothing but his devotion to Xiangping Town and his faith in Qin Zhou.

“Is the summons working?” Mu Sichen asked.

Yao Wangping shook his head.

Mu Sichen frowned. If Qin Zhou couldn’t enter Bright-Eye Town, how had Shen Jiyue managed it?

He didn’t dare look at the sky for fear of corruption. Instead, he focused on his “Self” totem, which was already half-eroded. The patterns of sky, sea, and earth had been replaced by phases of the moon—crescent, half, and full—all cradled by the wing-like hands. It was as if his own totem had become a vassal of the Moon, acting as a shield to guard its descent.

Nearby, Yao Wangping pressed his hand against his totem again. Still, nothing happened.

Mu Sichen forced himself to stay calm. It was then that he heard a faint, needle-thin sound. He focused, realizing it was the system’s voice, though it sounded like it was coming from miles away.

[Player has used one Pillar-grade Self-Sticker. Energy remaining: 100%. Please use your final Self-Sticker wisely.]

Mu Sichen was stunned. Usually, the system’s prompts roared in his head; now, it was barely a whisper. Was Shen Jiyue’s power so immense that it could suppress the system itself? Or was his own mind so heavily influenced that he was losing touch?

Regardless, he had one Pillar-grade sticker left. If he used it on the moon-tainted totem, could he pave the way for Qin Zhou?

Mu Sichen raised his pickaxe. He prepared to strike the totem, but his hands wavered. The system’s faint voice was looping in his ear.

[Please use your final Self-Sticker wisely.]

[Please use your final Self-Sticker wisely.]

Why repeat it? The system was usually a miser with words. Why emphasize “wisely”? Did it mean he shouldn’t use the sticker on the tainted totem?

But he couldn’t exactly use it on the moon in the sky. He was only human; no matter how high he threw his pickaxe, he’d never touch the stars. He slowly lowered the tool. He had only one shot. He had to think. Where did this sticker truly belong?

The first time he’d heard the name “Master of Nightlight” was from Chi Lian. She had found a diary in her room belonging to someone from Chimai Town—a place that worshipped this “Master of Nightlight.” Mu Sichen had been wary of a third power in Bright-Eye Town ever since, but he had never seen a trace of them.

He realized now that he had been watched from the very first moment he stepped into the game, the second his reflection hit that mirror in the apartment. He had felt a gaze then, but because he was looking at himself, he had dismissed it as a trick of the glass.

As he retraced his steps, more doubts surfaced. If Shen Jiyue had noticed him so early, why hadn’t He stopped him from taking the first Pillar at the Sanitarium?

Based on Yao Wangping’s behavior, while breaking a Pillar created a gap for other Gods to enter, it was always better to keep control of the Pillar for one’s own side. Qin Zhou had an agreement with Mu Sichen; the moment the second Pillar fell, Qin Zhou should have been able to enter.

He had no such agreement with Shen Jiyue. So why did the Moon God let him roam free? Why provide clues? Why help him at the Sanitarium? Without the mirror-vision Shen Jiyue provided, Mu Sichen wouldn’t have been able to borrow the Big Eye’s power to convert patients into volunteers and farm Self-Stickers.

Wait. That was it. He had borrowed the Big Eye’s power through Shen Jiyue’s ability.

Shen Jiyue was a master of disguise and deception. Nothing He said could be taken at face value. Any “oversight” He left behind was a trap. Shen Jiyue wanted to corrupt him, to turn him into an Apostle of the Moon. Earlier, before the Big Eye woke up, Shen Jiyue had spent an unnecessary amount of time chatting, explaining His plan, and “patiently” waiting for Mu Sichen to volunteer.

For a God, a single glance is enough to corrupt a human. He didn’t need to talk. He didn’t need time. Unless… He couldn’t do it yet.

The pieces clicked. Shen Jiyue hadn’t corrupted Mu Sichen because He didn’t need to.

Mu Sichen had been tainted long ago, silently and invisibly.

Mu Sichen yanked up his shirt, exposing the Self-Tattoo on his lower back. He couldn’t turn his head far enough to see it, but his left eye—the one that saw the invisible—could. He closed his eyes and focused. The image appeared in his mind: the tattoo on his waist, once a symbol of his own will, now featured a crescent, a half, and a full moon cradled by wings.

That’s why Shen Jiyue hadn’t appeared during the three-way fight. He couldn’t enter the Breeding Grounds yet. It was only when Mu Sichen converted the Pillar into his “Self” totem that he inadvertently opened the door. By “Self,” he had invited the Moon. He was the bridge that had let Shen Jiyue in, and it was his own tainted domain that was blocking Qin Zhou.

The last sticker had to be used on himself.

Mu Sichen tossed his pickaxe into the air, where it hovered horizontally. “Attack me,” he commanded. “Just… don’t kill me.”

The pickaxe began to spin, glowing with a fierce silver light. It circled him once and then delicately tapped the tattoo on his lower back.

A wave of warmth flooded Mu Sichen’s body, chasing away a bone-deep chill.

[Player has used 1 Pillar-grade Self-Sticker. Obtained 10,000 EXP. Congratulations! Level 15.]

[Achievement Unlocked: “Five-Level Streak.” Obtained one “Ultimate Purification.” Use now?]

“Yes,” Mu Sichen whispered.

An invisible pulse rippled out from his body. The three moons on the Breeding Grounds’ totem were erased, replaced by the sky, sea, and earth. Far away at the Sanitarium, the blurred totems cleared, and the patterns on the hearts of the townspeople grew vivid and sharp.

In that moment, every soul in the Sanitarium saw a vision: Mu Sichen standing in a vast field, reaching out to them. They stepped out of their rooms, finding no barriers. They were free to walk the town.

[Congratulations! Newbie Quest 2 Complete: Occupied the Food Processing Plant. You can now feed your followers.]

[Followers’ hope rekindled. Sanitarium Pillar restored. Gained massive trust.]

[Received Hope Energy: 100 points * 367 people. Total: 36,700 Energy. Please use wisely.]

As the factory totem was restored, the full moon in the sky was forcibly repelled. Once the “Nightlight Master’s” corruption was purged, even a God couldn’t easily loiter in another’s domain.

Mu Sichen breathed a sigh of relief, but it was cut short by a roar of fury from the sky. The Big Eye was awake.

A searing pain erupted in his left eye. A vision flashed before him: a grand building with a sign that read “Xinmu Library.” The letters began to shift, bleeding into “Xinyue (New Moon) Library.”

Then, a terrifying, shivering full moon rose from the library’s roof.

The moment he saw it, Mu Sichen screamed. His left eyeball shattered.

It was the true form of the Master of Nightlight. The Big Eye, as a God, could look at the Moon, but Mu Sichen—connected to the Eye’s vision—could not withstand the weight of such divinity. Even though the Eye absorbed most of the pressure, the fraction that reached Mu Sichen was enough to destroy his eye.

As he writhed in pain, a flood of information poured into his brain.

Shen Jiyue. Grade: Sun-Eclipsing. Titles: Master of Nightlight, Tide-Bringer, Mind Controller, Night Sovereign, Eyeless Moon.

The Big Eye and the Moon shared the domain of the sky. To reach the “Heavens-Covering” grade, Shen Jiyue had to consume all rival powers of the same attribute. Because He was the “Night Sovereign,” the Big Eye was forced to sleep during the night to hide. This duel had been inevitable since the Great Catastrophe.

Mu Sichen was the variable who had disrupted the plan. By purifying his own mind and using the town’s domain to expel Shen Jiyue, he had forced the Moon God to seize a third Pillar—the Library—to manifest His true descent.

The pain faded, but the crisis remained. If Shen Jiyue consumed the Big Eye, He would use the link between the three Pillars to reclaim the entire town. Mu Sichen was powerless to stop Him now.

He pulled himself up, clutching his bleeding eye, listening to the Eye’s death rattles. Is this it?

Then, Yao Wangping, lying on the totem, spoke in a low, melodic chant:

“You are the Master of Reason. You are the Great Curtain that veils the sky. You are the Guardian of Humanity. Hear the call of your most loyal servant, and descend upon this world.”

The totem beneath Yao Wangping erupted in a brilliant, alien light. He looked up with a face of pure, holy peace.

“You finally answered me,” Yao Wangping whispered. He raised his mechanical stump and gently kissed it.

His body began to dissolve into golden particles, melting into the totem. From within the light, countless invisible arms reached out. A towering, majestic figure began to manifest.

Mu Sichen squeezed his eyes shut. He knew what was happening.

Qin Zhou.

The octopus had told him that Gods couldn’t leave their thrones easily. To descend, they required a sacrifice. They required the life of an Apostle.

A pillar of absolute, overwhelming power shot from the totem toward the heavens. The Big Eye and the Eyeless Moon, locked in their struggle, froze as a shadow that could cover the very sky descended upon them both.

Author’s Note:

Qin Zhou (reaching out with tentacles): Sichen, I’m here! We can finally meet in person!

Qin Zhou (confused): Wait, where’s Sichen?

Mu Sichen: Currently a puddle of trauma from looking at a God. Do not disturb.