76: Chapter 14 Full Moon

In Backlund, on the night of the full Moon, the clouds were as thin as gauze.

The clear moonlight pierced through the clouds, pouring down, plating the winding Hoi River in a deathly pale color, and firmly locking onto the long-abandoned Textile Factory in the River Bay District.

The windows on the second floor had long been nailed shut with rusty iron sheets, cutting off the view from inside and outside, but they could not block the sinister spirituality surging from underground.

On the roof of the old apartment in the East Borough, the night wind was cool.

Lu Li crouched on the edge of the cement rooftop, his figure hidden in the shadows of the building, minimizing all his spiritual fluctuations to the extreme.

He took out the last remaining spatial perception rune of the Apprentice Pathway and gently stuck it onto the lens of the brass telescope.

A faint blue light lit up for an instant, then quickly faded, merging into the depths of the lens.

The next moment, the view behind the telescope changed completely; the mundane scenery faded, and the outlines outlined by spirituality emerged clearly.

The basement of the abandoned Textile Factory was in full view.

A regular and complex twelve-pointed star array had already fully formed, covering the entire underground space, with dark, bloody spiritual light flowing within the lines.

In the center of the array, an old copper incense burner stood quietly, its flame flickering, burning with a glaring dark red light.

There was no incense or wax in the burner; what burned was only fresh human blood, and strands of bloody spirituality spread and settled along the array lines, nourishing the entire altar.

Around the array, six figures were crouching in scattered positions.

Five of them had turbid and shallow spirituality, with Sequences between 9 and 8.

They were low-level Beyonders raised by the Aurora Order, their heads lowered, fingers flying, meticulously calibrating the details of the array lines and filling in the gaps of the runes, doing the finishing work for the final ritual.

The sixth person stood independently directly above the center of the array.

His posture was upright, and his aura was cold and oppressive, far exceeding the other five.

A heavy, deep blue cloak covered his entire body, and his wide hood was pulled very low, covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with bloodshot red, with madness and indifference surging at the bottom of them.

He tightly gripped a fragment of a dark green crystal core in his palm, and the ghostly green fluorescence lurking inside the fragment resonated precisely with the blood-colored flame of the incense burner, the rhythm of light and dark matching perfectly.

This was one of the last core fragments of the Aurora Order's backup runes.

This person was the frontline leader planted by the Aurora Order in downtown Backlund, with a true Sequence of at least Sequence 6, and was the leader of this blood sacrifice ritual tonight.

Shifting his gaze, in the shadows of the alley behind the Textile Factory, a cargo carriage was parked quietly.

The coachman crouched lazily beside the wheel, holding a clay pipe in his mouth, with dark red sparks flickering in the deep Darkness.

He seemed to be puffing smoke carelessly, but his eyes swept over the nailed-shut iron window on the second floor every few seconds, vigilantly controlling the movements around him; he was the dark sentry on the periphery of the ritual.

Lu Li turned the telescope barrel, casting his gaze toward the dock area downstream of the Hoi River.

Under the clear full Moon tide, dark currents surged on the river.

A very faint, almost invisible dark red light band was clinging to the surface of the river, slowly spreading upstream along the river, penetrating the port area all the way to the River Bay District.

That was the remote blood sacrifice pulse released by the Storm Cape ocean-going black sail ship, borrowing the power of the full Moon tide.

The spiritual pulse propagated along the river network, echoing from afar with the twelve-pointed star blood array in the basement of the Textile Factory, the resonating spiritual fluctuations penetrating the soil and bricks, weaving an invisible evil network in mid-air.

The scheme of the Aurora Order was now revealed.

The black sail fleet at sea released the blood sacrifice pulse, using the natural channel of the full Moon tide to penetrate the inland river network of Backlund, activating the underground backup runes and the complete blood array, finally tearing open the Spirit World barrier above this metropolis, opening a temporary channel, allowing the main forces of the Aurora Order and the Church of Storms at sea to directly airdrop into downtown Backlund via the Spirit World rift.

Meticulous, ruthless, and long-planned.

Lu Li slowly put away the telescope, his movements light and silent, without stirring up any wind.

He took out the copper compass given by Old Eye from the hidden pocket at his waist.

This was a low-level spiritual instrument that had stripped away the limitations of the Beyonder Pathway, which could be driven without Apprentice characteristics.

Its detection range was only a few meters, not exquisite, but enough to cope with the current situation.

His fingertips gently rubbed the edge of the compass, and the pointer immediately trembled slightly, steadily deflecting toward the Textile Factory.

Compared to yesterday, the deflection was greater, and the spiritual resonance was becoming more intense—the blood array was ready to go, and the ritual could be fully activated at any time.

After confirming all the intelligence, Lu Li withdrew the last trace of spiritual signal from the tracking rune, cut off all connections, then got up, followed the secret route that had been repeatedly practiced and was absolutely safe, quietly evacuated from the River Bay District, and walked slowly toward Mingde Street.

When passing the bakery at the corner of the East Borough, the night was quiet and deserted.

He raised his hand and gently placed three pence on the cold windowsill, silently making up for Old Kohler's credit for the day.

This was his long-standing habit, always settling this meager expense for the financially strapped old porter before dawn broke.

At the same time, at 15 Mingde Street, the detective agency.

Sherlock Moriarty sat upright at his desk, the warm light of the desk lamp spilling over the table, with the entrusted file of the dock shipping company spread out.

After a night of verification, the truth had come to light.

The stolen voyage log was not stolen by an outsider, but by an accountant within the company who had been secretly bought by the Aurora Order.

This person had long been tampering with and deleting shipping records, deliberately erasing the tracks of the Storm Cape black sail ship, clearing traces and covering up the movements for the other party's secret operations.

Sherlock folded the completed investigation report, put it into a kraft paper envelope, and waited to deliver it to the client tomorrow.

He got up and walked to the window, his cuffs moved slightly, and a small paper figurine quietly slid into his palm.

On the gray-white surface of the paper figurine, a line of pale handwriting from the gray fog slowly emerged, clear and distinct:

"The abandoned Textile Factory in the River Bay District, the Aurora Order's backup blood array, will start on time tonight during the full Moon."

The handwriting faded in an instant, leaving no trace.

He put the paper figurine back into his cuff, put on his black top hat, pushed the door open, and walked into the deep night.

Walking to the fruit stand at the corner of Mingde Street, the night was quiet, and the evening breeze was blowing.

A slender figure happened to walk slowly from the direction of the East Borough, a dark gray trench coat making his figure look neat, an old canvas backpack slung over his shoulder, his steps steady, neither fast nor slow.

The two met silently in the shadows of the street lamp, without the need for extra small talk.

"The basement blood array is about to take shape, guarded by six Beyonders, one of whom is Sequence 6 or above, holding the last batch of backup rune cores," Lu Li said first, his voice steady and waveless, accurately stating the core intelligence of the investigation.

Sherlock nodded slightly, his tone indifferent: "The Mandated Punishers team of the Church has already been dispatched in full force, rushing to the River Bay factory area. The main force of the Church of Storms has assembled in advance tonight, sealing off the entire area. The Sea Patrol has completely blocked the mouth of the Hoi River, cutting off the transmission path of the tidal pulse."

He raised his hand and handed over the kraft paper envelope in his hand: "The identity of the mole in the shipping company has been verified, and the copy of the log and all evidence have been handed over to the Church in advance."

"Net closing on both land and sea, the timing is just right."

Lu Li's gaze swept over the deep night in the distance, his eyes without any ripples: "The core reliance of the blood array activation is, firstly, the tidal pulse of the black sail ship at sea, and secondly, the backup runes underground. The full Moon window tonight is completely locked, the pulse is cut off, and the runes are removed; the black sail ship loses its signal response and will never approach the sea rashly."

"After this full Moon ends, all the backup dark arrays laid by the Aurora Order in Backlund will be completely cleared."

While speaking, he took off the old backpack on his shoulder, took out the empty jiaowei sealing box from it, and handed it to Sherlock.

"Keep this for yourself. The miniature insulation runes on the surface of the box are still intact. Remove them and stick them on the inside of the agency's window frame; it can isolate all low-level spiritual detection, and the concealment is sufficient. I won't need it after I leave Backlund."

Sherlock tapped the box with his fingertips; the touch was cold and hard, and the faint spirituality remaining in the runes was clearly discernible.

He raised his eyes to look at the young man in front of him and asked softly: "Are you leaving?"

"Yes." Lu Li nodded frankly, his tone calm and determined, having already made a comprehensive plan, "The dark arrays in Backlund can be cleared to zero, but the main force of the black sail ship at Storm Cape is still lurking near the sea, and the hidden danger has not been eliminated. That ship hides the core spiritual supply source of the blood altar and is also the energy foundation of all backup runes. If the source is not completely destroyed, the Aurora Order will make a comeback sooner or later."

"Besides that, the Apprentice Pathway characteristics I left at the ruins have been stripped. I need to visit various places to re-collect promotion materials and fill in the foundation of Sequence 9."

"These two things are difficult to accomplish in Backlund; I must travel far."

He took out the old copper compass and handed it over: "Help me return this to Old Eye. By the way, remind him that the sealing runes on his locker have aged, and there is a risk of leakage; they must be replaced soon."

"Is the destination set?" Sherlock took the compass and put it away.

"Not yet." Lu Li shook his head gently, his gaze looking toward the unknown night in the distance, "Most likely heading south to the Southern Continent, or rushing to the coast of Storm Cape. The specific destination depends on how many clues about the black sail ship the underground intelligence network can track."

After a pause, he added: "I have settled all the aftermath in Backlund. Old Kohler has moved to the vicinity of the Mingde Street church with his daughter. Although the rent is a bit higher, he has found a permanent full-time job at the dock, and his income is stable; he no longer needs to rely on sporadic porter work to make a living."

"The previous usury debt to Barov has also been automatically written off because Barov was arrested by the Mandated Punishers in the warehouse raid case, so there are no more hidden dangers."

Sherlock listened quietly, a glimmer of realization flashing in his eyes.

He finally saw it clearly.

Everyone knew that there was a diligent, cheap, and ordinary porter named Lu Li in the East Borough, and a mysterious detective who saw everything and was unparalleled in wisdom on Mingde Street.

No one knew that these two threads, walking between the light and shadow of Backlund, were the meticulous layout of the same person from beginning to end.

All the foreshadowing, all the forbearance, and all the seemingly unintentional arrangements were calculated step by step, without a shred of coincidence.

He was silent for a moment, and finally just nodded slightly, turned around, and walked slowly toward the direction of the church blockade, rushing to the final battlefield of the net closing.

Lu Li stood at the corner of the street, silently watching the other party's back dissolve into the depths of the night.

The next moment, from the direction of the mouth of the Hoi River in the distance, there was a sudden burst of powerful steam whistle roaring, piercing the night, echoing endlessly.

That was the signal that the Sea Patrol had completed the full-area blockade, completely cutting off the transmission link of the tidal blood sacrifice pulse.

Almost at the same time, from the direction of the abandoned Textile Factory in the River Bay District, a dull loud noise came, the sound of bricks breaking and iron doors collapsing was clearly audible—the Mandated Punishers had already stormed in and were officially clearing the blood array.

The dark red spiritual light band spreading along the river lost its source of supply, like fading blood stains, slowly fading and dissipating on the river surface.

The full Moon game that shrouded Backlund for an entire night, amidst the roaring whistles and the sound of breaking doors, quietly came to an end, and the dust settled.

Lu Li pulled up the strap of the backpack on his shoulder, stopped lingering, turned around, and walked toward the East Borough apartment.

When passing Warehouse No. 4, he saw Old Kohler squatting at the door at a glance.

The middle-aged porter was holding a piece of coarse wheat bread in his hand, chewing it slowly in the bright moonlight, his expression relaxed, no longer having the financial strain and panic of the past.

Seeing Lu Li coming, he immediately smiled and waved to greet him.

"The Moon tonight is really bright; it's the 'Ship Moon' in the words of the old Sailors." Old Kohler looked up at the full bright Moon above his head, his tone carrying a bit of simple reverie, "The older generation said that on such a full Moon night, it is easiest to attract dirty things from the sea. The last time there was a Ship Moon, a ghost ship stopped at the Old Wharf. Tonight, will it come again?"

Lu Li paused, looking at the peaceful and simple man in front of him, and replied softly: "It won't come again."

All Darkness and haze ended tonight.

Old Kohler nodded honestly, broke the remaining bread in his hand into two halves, carefully wrapped the larger piece in an old newspaper, put it into his arms for his daughter, and chewed and swallowed the small crumbs slowly.

"My girl told me this morning that there is a road sign guided by an angel hanging on the old oak tree at the church entrance." His eyes were soft, full of expectations for his daughter, "She said that no matter where she moves in the future, she won't get lost. A twelve-year-old girl, thoughtful and sweet-mouthed, will definitely be more promising than me in the future."

After speaking, he patted the dust on his trouser legs, smiled and waved his hand, turned around, and walked slowly toward his new home, his back steady and solid.

Lu Li stood still, watching his figure disappear into the gentle night at the end of the alley.

The evening breeze blew, and the clear light was everywhere.

He stepped on the bright moonlight all over the street, walked back to the East Borough apartment step by step, locked the door behind him, and cut off all the noise from the outside world.

The room was silent, and only the moonlight from outside the window penetrated through the window gap, pulling a long, bright strip of light on the floor.

Lu Li sat on the edge of the bed, took out his black notebook, and his fingertips flipped to the page containing the formula for [Sequence 7: Swindler].

The digestion progress mark on the page was clearly visible, having already steadily advanced nearly halfway.

The tragic price of abandoning the jiaowei seal and stripping the Apprentice characteristics had been exchanged for the permanent stability of the ruins' seal and the complete clearing of all his worldly debts.

This grand game that wagered his own foundation had an acceptable ending.

The path ahead was clear.

Fill in the Sequence foundation of the Apprentice Pathway, steadily digest the Swindler characteristics, take every step firmly, and move steadily toward Sequence 6.

He slowly closed the notebook and raised his hand to extinguish the lamp.

The clear light of the full Moon outside the window spilled quietly, and the residual echoes of the steam whistles on the river in the distance gradually subsided.

The noise dissipated, and the long night returned to silence.

The full Moon belonging to Backlund ended, and the brand-new journey belonging to Lu Li began from this moment.