Chapter 67. Moonflower temple Holy books

Chapter 67: 67. Moonflower temple Holy books

AT THE MOONFLOWER TEMPLE

XAVIER

"THE MOONFLOWER’S LOST CROWN PRINCE’. was a name in that novel. I have never heard of that name before, so it is rather weird.

"I have never heard of that novel."I said.

"Neither have I."Mei Lin slowly shook her head.

"Then how can it exist?"Han Jin looked between us.

"I don’t know." Mei Lin admitted.

Isolda said nothing. Instead, she turned toward one of the ancient shelves lining the temple wall.

"Perhaps it is time you saw the source."She said.

She lifted her hand, silver light gathered around her fingers. One of the enormous stone doors opened, behind it was a hidden library. My jaw dropped, there were thousands of books. Some were ordinary looking, others were covered in silver metal, glowing softly beneath the darkness. Isolda walked toward a particular shelf. She pulled out a massive ancient book, its cover was white. A silver Moonflower was carved into it, there was no author name, no publisher, no date, only a title. ’THE MOONFLOWER’S LOST CROWN PRINCE’.

"This is not a novel."She carried it toward us.

"It is the Holy script of the Moonflower."She placed it carefully on the table.

"The Holy script?"I blinked.

"The sacred record of the Moonflower bloodline." Isolda nodded. "It records prophecies, bloodlines, chosen heirs, and events that have yet to occur."

"So it isn’t fiction?"Mei Lin stared at the book.

"No." Isolda opened the cover.

Silver letters immediately illuminated the pages. My heart began pounding.

"Then why does the system call it a novel?"I asked.

"Perhaps because your world interpreted something sacred as a story."Isolda looked toward the empty air.

"ERROR. ERROR. HOLY SCRIPT DETECTED. CLASSIFICATION CONFLICT. NOVEL DATA: CONFIRMED. HOLY SCRIPT DATA: CONFIRMED. SYSTEM DOES NOT KNOW WHICH ONE IS REAL."The system suddenly appeared.

"You are supposed to know everything!"I stared.

"Apparently not."A system said.

Mei Lin snorted, Han Jin covered his mouth. Isolda slowly turned another page, then something even stranger happened. A second book appeared beside it. I immediately recognized the title. ’THE LYCAN EMPEROR’S SECRET MALE CONCUBINE’.

"That one."My stomach dropped.

"The novel I remember."Mei Lin stepped closer.

"The Holy script and your novel are connected."Isolda nodded.

"What?" I asked.

"The first tells what was supposed to happen."She placed both books beside each other. She touched the first book. "The second records what actually happened." She touched the second. "And now..." Her eyes moved toward me. "Both records are changing."

"DING! NARRATIVE CONVERGENCE: 87% HOLY SCRIPT INTEGRATION: 64%. ORIGINAL NOVEL INTEGRATION: 73%. CURRENT WORLD STATUS: UNSTABLE. WARNING: HOST IS AT THE CENTER OF BOTH STORYLINES."The system violently flickered.

"Of course I am." I rubbed my forehead.

"DING!"The system suddenly made another sound.

"RELATIONSHIP STATUS. LANG LI and Wei: 55%. Wei and LANG LI: 60%. SONG HUE and Wei: 21%. Wei and SONG HUE: UNKNOWN. MEMORY INTERFERENCE DETECTED. MEI LIN and HAN JIN: 91%. HAN JIN and MEI LIN: 93%. JAN WIN and Wei: 5%. REASON: CULINARY INTEREST. ROSALE and Wei: UNKNOWN ISOLDA and Wei: CLASSIFIED."A system said.

"Classified?"I slowly turned toward Isolda.

"Yes."She looked remarkably calm.

"Can you not?"I asked.

"No."Isolda said.

"Why is my relationship percentage higher than Wei’s?"Mei Lin stared at the screen.

"Because you love me more."Han Jin smiled.

"I do not!"Mei Lin said.

"System says otherwise."He grinned.

"Stop enjoying this!"She said.

"At least Wei’s situation isn’t that bad."Ana suddenly whispered from behind us.

"Really?"I looked at her.

"His is sixty percent."She pointed toward Lang Li. "His is twenty one."Then she pointed toward Song Hue. She pointed toward Jan Win. "Five."

"That’s not helping."I stared at the screen.

"ADDITIONAL DISCOVERY. HOLY SCRIPT RELATIONSHIP DATA DETECTED. CURRENT RELATIONSHIP VALUES MAY NOT MATCH DESTINY VALUES. DESTINY MATCHING: LOCKED. SYSTEM SUGGESTION: DO NOT LET THE HOLY SCRIPT CHOOSE YOUR PARTNER. SECOND SUGGESTION: DO NOT LET TWO PRINCES ARGUE OVER YOU IN A SACRED LIBRARY. THIRD SUGGESTION: ESPECIALLY NOT NEAR ANCIENT BOOKS."The system suddenly flickered again.

I looked at Lang Li and Song Hue, both were already staring at each other.

"Oh no."I said.

"What?"Isolda calmly closed the Holy script.

"They’re about to ignore the third suggestion."I pointed between them.

"I simply wish to speak with Wei."Song Hue stepped forward.

"So do I."Lang Li immediately moved beside me.

"I was speaking first."Song Hue’s eyes narrowed.

"I don’t care."Lang Li said.

I closed my eyes. The Holy script suddenly began glowing beneath Isolda’s hand. A single page opened by itself. And on it appeared three words: ’THE CHOICE APPROACHES’.

My eyes widened. The system went completely silent, which was somehow much more frightening than another notification.

The tension in the temple hall had become almost unbearable. I was still staring at the strange "Holy script" books when Isolda suddenly clasped her hands together.

"Enough mysteries for one moment."She said.

Everyone blinked.

"What?" I asked.

"You have all traveled a long distance." Isolda smiled softly. "And judging by everyone’s expressions, we desperately need food."

"I agree."Ana immediately raised her hand.

"Strongly."Hin nodded beside her.

"You two agreed remarkably quickly."Lang Li glanced at them.

"We have priorities." Ana said.

Isolda laughed quietly and turned toward the inner doors.

"Come. The dining hall is prepared."She said.

We followed her through another enormous corridor. Ancient silver lamps illuminated the walls, and Moonflower carvings seemed to glow faintly as we passed. When the dining hall doors opened, I stopped.

"What..."I stared in shock.

A huge table stretched across the room, covered with steaming dishes. There were roasted vegetables glazed with honey, fragrant rice, crispy dumplings, delicate pastries, braised meat, steaming soup, fresh fruit, golden buns, and dozens of dishes I couldn’t even identify. The smell alone made my stomach growl.

"Please eat."Isolda smiled.

Everyone sat as I cautiously picked up a dumpling. I took one bite, and my eyes widened.

"This is incredible."I said.

"I am glad."Isolda’s smile became warmer.

"This is officially my favorite temple."Ana immediately attacked the pastries.

"Same."Hin was already reaching for another bun.

"This is better than most imperial kitchens."Song Hue tasted the soup and looked genuinely surprised.

"Not better than Wei’s."Lang Li glanced toward me.

"Why are you comparing everything to me?"I nearly choked.

"Because yours is better." Lang Li calmly continued eating.

"I disagree."Song Hue narrowed his eyes.

"Nobody asked." Lang Li replied.

"I am merely expressing my opinion."Song Hue said.

"You express it frequently."Lang Li said.

"Please don’t start."I covered my face.

"You really are surrounded by interesting people."Jan Win quietly laughed from across the table.

"Unfortunately."I said.

"Fortunately."She smiled.

I stared at her as Lang Li’s chopsticks stopped moving. Song Hue slowly looked toward Jan Win.

"Oh, this should be interesting." Hin whispered.

Ana nodded enthusiastically, meanwhile, Isolda simply watched us with an amused smile. For the first time since entering the temple, the atmosphere finally relaxed.

"DING. HOST CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING: PEACEFUL DINNER."Then the system suddenly flickered above the table.

"Finally."I smiled.

"WARNING: PEACEFUL DINNER WILL NOT LAST."The screen immediately changed.

My smile disappeared.

"Of course it won’t." I muttered.

The warmth came suddenly. I froze with my spoon halfway to my mouth, a strange heat spread through my lower belly, gentle at first, but unmistakably unusual. I lowered the spoon slowly and pressed one hand against my stomach.

"Are you alright?" Lang Li immediately noticed.

"I... think so." I swallowed.

"What happened?"Song Hue leaned forward.

"I don’t know." I frowned. "My stomach suddenly feels warm."

"Warm?"Jan Win’s expression changed slightly.

"Yes." I nodded. "Like there’s something glowing inside."

Isolda, who had been calmly drinking tea, suddenly put down her cup. Her expression became serious.

"Wei."She said.

"Don’t move."I looked at her.

That was probably the least reassuring sentence she could have said.

"Why?"I asked.

Isolda stood and approached me. She placed her hand a few inches above my abdomen without actually touching me. A faint silver light immediately appeared beneath my clothes. Everyone gasped.

"DING." The system appeared. "ANCIENT MOONFLOWER ENERGY DETECTED. LOCATION: HOST’S LOWER ABDOMEN."The screen glitched.

"Why there?!"My eyes widened.

"ENERGY SIGNATURE: UNKNOWN."A system said.

The silver glow pulsed once, then twice.

"I thought this was impossible."Isolda’s eyes widened.

"What is?" Lang Li demanded.

"WARNING: FIRST HEAT ACTIVATING."Before she could answer, the system violently flickered.

"What heat?"I stared at Isolda.

I looked at my parents and saw my mom cover mouth with her hand.

Isolda’s face turned serious.

"Your heat has begun, Wei." She spoke quietly. "It is the natural mating period of your body. The warmth, heightened sensitivity, and sudden discomfort are all signs."

"My... heat?" I whispered.

"Yes. You need somewhere private and comfortable until it passes." She nodded.

"Then he will have whatever he needs." Lang Li immediately stood.

"So will I help." Song Hue frowned.

"Absolutely not." I immediately covered my face.

"This dinner just became awkward."Ana stared at both princes.

"Very awkward."Hin nodded solemnly.

"DING. EMERGENCY CONDITION: HEAT ACTIVE. SYSTEM RECOMMENDS PRIVACY, REST, WATER, AND COOLING HERBS."A system said.

"At least you’re useful for once."I stared at the screen.

"Come, Wei. We will prepare a private chamber."Isolda gave a small smile.

I nodded, still embarrassed, while Lang Li and Song Hue continued glaring at each other.

"ADDITIONAL WARNING: TWO JEALOUS PRINCES DETECTED." The system suddenly flickered again.

"Oh, no." I groaned.