Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 294 - 273 Ancient Moon God

Chapter 294: 273 Ancient Moon God

Hu Family Village?

This trio of characters struck me like a pebble into a lake, rippling through my heart. The voice emerged from the other side of the counter. I immediately cast my gaze in that direction, and Mazao did the same at the same time.

The Hu Family Village was the destination of Dong Che. Although unrelated to the purpose of our current journey, Hu Family Village was the site of strange events in the region of Moon Concealing Mountain, and it was hard to guarantee that these would not affect us.

Furthermore, Dong Che was very likely already bound to us by the gravitational pull of the Broom Star Physique, pulling us into its web of odd destinies. In other words, regardless of our willingness, the strange events tied to Dong Che might very well entangle us in the end. Hence, when relevant clues surfaced, we had to dig deeper with the mentality of preparing for the unexpected.

Thinking positively, since Hu Family Village was in the vicinity of Moon Concealing Mountain, it could very well be linked to Yinyue and Changan we were searching for. The sudden emergence of this clue - Hu Family Village - might be Mazao’s strange luck at play, delivering to us the leads connected to Changan and Yinyue.

The person who mentioned the Hu Family Village seemed to be a regular customer seated near the counter. My sudden glance in this direction, along with Mazao’s, had caught the attention of both him and the shopkeeper. They stopped their chatter and exchanged looks, clearly unaware of why Mazao and I had reacted this way.

"Excuse me, did you just mention the Hu Family Village?" I asked.

"What’s the matter, young man?" the shopkeeper inquired, "Do you have a particular interest in it?"

"Could you tell us about Hu Family Village?" I probed.

The shopkeeper frowned, glancing at the regular before him, who shook his head. It was evident they were reluctant to address my question.

Since they were discussing Hu Family Village in such a public space, it indicated that it was not a secret that couldn’t be mentioned under the broad daylight. I figured their uncooperative demeanor was mostly due to the inconvenience.

In my previous investigations of supernatural events across the country, I often involved local cultural customs and needed to consult the locals. Some would explain enthusiastically and hospitably, while others couldn’t be bothered to waste that much breath. Even besides using my current twelve-or-thirteen-year-old boy’s appearance, when I conducted strange investigations in other areas at fifteen or sixteen, I was frequently disregarded. They probably wanted to brush me off this time.

I couldn’t blame them for being unkind; finding me bothersome was only human nature. It was naive of me to expect to prompt complete disclosure with a simple question.

In the past, I’d have been at my wits’ end about how to get them to talk, but now I had a more convenient method.

I produced the Fake Water Moon and handed it to Mazao. Understanding what was needed, she accepted it and channeled her Mana into the Fake Water Moon.

A ripple of spiritual power spread.

Then, I repeated my previous question. Miraculously, the shopkeeper changed his attitude and willingly shared with me information about the Hu Family Village.

Hu Family Village was a small community situated on Moon Concealing Mountain, and was also the origin of Moon Concealing Mountain Town.

Over a hundred years ago, our nation was amidst chaos and war, leaving countless people displaced and reduced to refugees. One group of refugees chose to escape the turmoil by hiding in a deserted forest, which was located in the distant Moon Conceiling Mountain.

However, it didn’t take long for the villagers to realize that as a sanctuary, Moon Conceiling Mountain was not ideal. The land was unfarmable, the water was poor, and there were many venomous insects. Come winter, the temperature turned excessively cold.

Naturally, relocating was the best option since Moon Conceiling Mountain was unsuitable. But most of them had lost the spiritual power and the will to continue with such a grueling journey, and they feared the conflicts of the outside world. Although some did leave the forest, many more chose to stay. Despite Moon Conceiling Mountain’s numerous disadvantages, it was unparalleled as a hiding place.

That said, their plight of hunger and cold did not change, leaving them in a state of slow death, enduring pain as if being cut by a blunt knife. Yet one day, a turning point arrived.

The shopkeeper began recounting dubious legends since he wasn’t an eyewitness - tales say that the refugees encountered a God.

In the legends, that deity was the Ancient Moon Goddess, possessing the power to fulfill all wishes.

With a sweep of her hand, she conjured endless food; with another, she created an inexhaustible water source. Today’s freshwater stream outside Moon Conceiling Mountain Town is said to be created by that very deity back then.

Even the harsh, cold climate of Moon Conceiling Mountain changed under her divine influence to a consistent spring-like environment, and overnight, the refugees’ fate of abject despair was altered.

The Ancient Moon Goddess made a simple request to them.

The request was straightforward: they just needed to worship her devoutly.

The refugees, facing such a once-in-a-lifetime fortune, couldn’t possibly miss out. They knelt and worshipped the deity. Furthermore, they established a village within Moon Conceiling Mountain and named it "Ancient Moon Village."

However, as time passed, the fervor of devotion eventually waned.

The new generation of villagers hadn’t experienced the war or hunger. They hadn’t witnessed the goddess manifesting. To them, the stories of the Ancient Moon Goddess from the elders were only beautiful legends. The climate of Moon Conceiling Mountain, they believed, had always been as it is, and the creation of riverside was an embellishment of water source discovery tales.

After external conflicts subsided, they no longer saw reason to remain in seclusion. Many villagers left the forest, some entering other cities, while others started anew, gradually establishing a new village on the plains at the foot of the mountain.

The new village expanded and evolved into what is now the Moon Conceiling Mountain Town, whereas the Ancient Moon Village on the mountain came to be referred to by the townspeople below as "Hu Village" or "Hu Family Village". Whether there’s actually someone with the surname Hu at Hu Family Village is a separate matter.

When the shopkeeper reached this point in his story, the regular chimed in, "But it seems there’s another version of the story... I heard it from my parents. It’s said that the Ancient Moon Villagers didn’t leave the forest because they didn’t want to continue their seclusion or because they disdained the Ancient Moon God’s faith, but because of fear..."

The shopkeeper seemed to make a connection but still inquired, "Fear of what?".

"Well, this... I’ve only heard some bits and pieces, not a clear recollection, but it’s said that they were quite afraid of something..." the regular said vaguely.

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