Twin Moons and Black Wind Fang

It looked like a string of meaningless words, possibly some kind of cipher.

But why would Pastor Mog hand her such a letter? Since the other party wanted her help with something, why speak in riddles?

Or perhaps, the other party was certain she could understand...

That is, this was related to Dark Dawn. But in truth, Li Wen didn't know much about Dark Dawn either. Back during the Candle Sun Campaign, she hadn't yet joined the Strategy Group.

Thinking this over, Li Wen examined the gold coin again.

It was a denomination she had never seen before, much heavier than the gold pounds issued by the Kingdom of Arthur. One side bore a prominent crown, while the other featured two crescent-shaped patterns separated by a line.

Li Wen pondered. The letter mentioned "Twin Moons," and the coin also had a "Twin Moons" pattern. What did this mean?

In the world of World Tree: Origins, there was only one moon. The term "Twin Moons" seemed more like jargon.

Just as ancient alchemists used the sun to refer to gold and the moon to refer to silver.

Some among the Umbral Lineage worshipped the moon, believing it to be the most exalted darkness. The Night Path was one of the most widespread paths within the Umbral Lineage, and even a fringe group like Dark Dawn, which believed light and dark originated together, had traces of it.

From this perspective, the Moon Worshippers and Dark Dawn should have a connection—or at least, it would make sense, since the moon is often interpreted as the sun's shadow.

Among moon-worshipping sects or orders, the Twin Moons were a symbol of special significance, representing the Day of Ritual Return for the lunar deities. The two moons, one above and one below, were the twin gods of the lunar phases: the white moon Urielna of the Mortal World and the black moon Naleka of the Shadow Realm.

Li Wen vaguely recalled that this so-called Day of Ritual Return didn't refer to a specific date but was part of a unique calendar system. She had once consulted a native who was well-versed in astronomy for some matters and learned from them how to calculate this calendar.

According to the calculation, in this year of the game world, there were thirty-four Days of Ritual Return. One of them happened to be today—more precisely, at 11:11 PM tonight.

With that, the time was set. If the letter's "the time has come" was taken as the event, then "Black Wind Fang" might represent a location.

This location could be a landmark, perhaps very conspicuous or well-known, even known to most natives of Ake Town, since, in theory, this was Li Wen's first time in Ake Town.

Thinking alone was useless. Li Wen stood up and pushed open the door. Practice was the best way to verify—she just needed to find a local resident to ask.

*

The Candle Sun Church in Ake Town was truly small. Li Wen hadn't walked far before she spotted the nun.

"What are you doing?"

Hearing the voice, the little nun looked up, and when she saw Li Wen, a clear confusion appeared on her face.

"Ah, Miss Mephit."

"It's Mephisto." Li Wen corrected.

The nun, who had mispronounced the name, was momentarily flustered. She quickly changed the subject: "My name is Luna, one of the only two nuns at the church. I think I forgot to introduce myself earlier! I'm so sorry!"

"I see." Li Wen nodded perfunctorily, indicating she didn't mind. "What are you doing now?"

"Farming." The little nun happily pointed at the vegetable patch with her dirt-stained hands. "Look, these are the potatoes I planted, and these are..."

"I'm not interested in that." Li Wen quickly cut off her urge to elaborate. It wasn't like she had never been a farmer—she couldn't even recognize that? After all, the first job she took after her transmigration was helping someone tend their fields.

"Do you know about Black Wind Fang?"

Perhaps the topic was too abrupt, and Luna's not-so-bright mind froze for a few seconds before she replied, "Ah, it sounds like the name of a beast, but I don't know much about animals..."

"Animals?"

"Yeah, there are lots of animals in the woods outside. They often attack nearby villages and towns. Merchants from outside buy their fur and teeth from people. Some idle outsiders risk hunting those beasts and sell them to the merchants. They even call themselves mercenaries and use the beasts' names to refer to themselves..."

Mercenaries?

Li Wen had a new lead.

"You know quite a lot. Doesn't seem like something a nun would know."

"Not really. I heard a lot when I worked in the countryside, and Pastor Mog tells me things too." Luna blushed slightly, a little shy. "Pastor Mog is really a good person. He often teaches us things. He even taught us how to farm... Huh? Miss Mephisto?"

Li Wen had already turned and was walking toward the church entrance.

The sun was nowhere to be seen now, only a trace of deep red hanging at the edge of the sky, while a thick blue-black dominated the heavens.

But at the church entrance, players still lingered, hoping for luck. Some even tried to approach Li Wen. It wasn't entirely their fault—player names weren't displayed in the game, so telling whether someone was a native or a player could only be inferred from behavior and speech.

If a player was too immersed in the game world, it was hard for others to tell, let alone someone like Li Wen, who had experienced a transmigration event.

But Li Wen wasn't about to waste time on them. These players neither put in effort nor did anything but rely on luck. They didn't even have any money, letting their health drop until death when hungry—there was nothing worth exploiting.

Quickly dodging them, Li Wen plunged into the flow of the merchant caravan and disappeared.

The nun Luna's words gave her an idea. Black Wind Fang might be the alias of some organization or person, and anyone using such a name was certainly no law-abiding citizen... Uncle Regan had said that if she needed to find someone, she could go to the Hop Tavern in the West District, where the most common patrons were drunkards and criminals.

But Li Wen clearly couldn't just go like that. Even going into a dungeon required gear. She had nothing, and if someone got tangled up with her, it would be hard to break free.

Li Wen planned to get a weapon first, preferably by buying one outright. Ake Town had a well-developed smelting and forging industry, thanks to the Black Dragon Territory's abundant mines. Many villages and towns made a living from mining.

At this point, there was a key issue: money. Li Wen had just started the game today, her pockets empty, and even the city entry tax had been paid by Mr. and Mrs. Regan.

But Li Wen wasn't worried at all. She might not have money, but others did.

When she emerged from the flow of the merchant caravan, a few shiny silver coins had already appeared between her fingers. With the traits "Nimble Hands" and "Professional Pickpocket," Li Wen could easily transform into a top-tier thief among mortals, effortlessly lifting what she needed from others' pockets—like money.

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Signed the contract. Will add extra chapters depending on the situation.