The Giant Turtle Rock Platform slowed down and cruised over the ruins on the lunar surface, scanning every detail of the city while drawing closer to that crystalline red "land" gleaming like amber. According to the data from the remote-sensing equipment, the red substance was indeed nearly identical in composition to Beinz Blood Lake.
The entire red area was enormous, covering an estimated six million square kilometers or more. It was an irregular oval, making the original Beinz Blood Lake seem utterly insignificant by comparison. Along its edges lay large amounts of corroded and melted wreckage, twisted far more severely than the ruins elsewhere—obviously the result of prolonged contact with the red substance. And along the boundary between the red substance and the surrounding ruins, the most striking features were undoubtedly the tentacles.
The ship found a relatively flat spot at the edge of the red area and landed. Hao Ren had everyone put on life collars, then led several Autonomous Mechanical Units off the ship.
Nangong Sanba bounced in place with particular novelty. "So this is what landing on the moon feels like... It really is pretty floaty."
"The gravity here is actually stronger than on the moon back home," Hao Ren remarked casually. Then he looked up at Lily. "Let me borrow Fire's Delight."
Lily lightly bounced over, conjuring claw blades as she muttered, "Actually, I wanted to rename it the Sword of Damocles..."
Vivian and Hao Ren glared at her together. "No renaming!"
Lily let out two mournful whines, then hugged her tail and ran off to sulk.
Hao Ren carried the warm Fire's Delight carefully across the boundary between the two regions and stepped onto the already-frozen red lake. He scratched the ice with the claw blades, collecting some ice shavings and melted liquid. Its properties