Chapter 207: Was that too much to ask?

He wanted to see a little affection in those eyes.

It was such a small expectation, yet he had still held on to it.

He could have moved on and treated Rio’s awakening without feeling repulsed by him.

His demands had always been very small.

In his old world and in this world, what had he even wanted?

He wanted to see a little affection in his father’s eyes, eyes that had never looked directly into his own.

He wanted to be recognized, just like his brother.

He wanted, at the very least, not to be hidden deep inside the servants’ courtyard.

Even after being transported to another world, he had only wanted to look into someone’s eyes and feel that they wanted him.

He had never demanded that they love him unconditionally.

He had never asked them to give him everything they had.

He had only wanted to know that he mattered to someone.

And yet, even that small wish seemed so difficult to fulfill.

Was that too much to ask?

It wasn’t as if he had rejected them.

Rio... could have just kissed him once...

[Moon...]

The Goddess’s voice rang in his mind, but he couldn’t hear anything.

It felt so distant.

"Moon?" Lupine called out.

"Moon?"

"MOON!" Xiao Hong shouted.

When she shook him vigorously, Moon suddenly jolted awake.

He saw two pairs of eyes and a black hood looking at him with concern.

"What were you thinking?" Lupine asked.

Moon’s gaze darted around in a daze before landing on his lap. He saw that his palm was wet with tears and suddenly felt ashamed.

’Damn... Did I just start crying again?’

He didn’t say anything.

Xiao Hong looked at Lupine, then at Ghost Master, who had also come out when they saw Moon swaying in the air with his head drooping.

"Let’s relax a little, shall we? Do you want to take a stroll? Should we bring Leo out?" Xiao Hong asked gently.

She pressed Moon’s head against her bosom and began to pat him.

"There, there... Why are you so sad? Did you see something?"

"No," Moon finally said, pushing Xiao Hong away a little.

He rubbed his cheek and sat cross-legged.

"I’ll meditate for a while. You can all leave."

He said this and closed his eyes.

In his mind, he cursed himself ten times over.

’The hell! He still affects me. Thank goodness the Goddess reminded me. Otherwise, if I had faced a full-blown soul attack, I would have cried for an entire day.’

He slowly calmed his mind before opening his eyes again.

Then he looked toward the place where Rio had disappeared.

"Master, we should find him. We don’t know this Lost Realm well, and there’s also that strange thunder attack," Moon said to the three who had pretended to go back but were still sitting nearby, having set up their obsidian luxury chairs, table, and tea.

"Don’t worry. Bane can find him," Xiao Hong reassured him.

Moon nodded, then remembered something he had been curious about for a long time.

"Frostbane... why was he cast out?" he asked.

"Obviously, it was because of me," Xiao Hong said without trying to hide it.

"Tsk! So full of yourself!" Lupine snorted.

"They just eloped together, and Xiao Hong happened to die," Ghost Master said indifferently, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Ayia... Hollow, you should shut your mouth. Saying too much will get you buried underground for another thousand years!"

Moon heard every word and noted it down, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

He had already figured out a few things.

This Lost Realm was most probably a scattered part of the cultivation world, and the rules of the Dao were still lingering here.

For some reason, those wandering spirits were forbidden from mentioning anything related to their former world.

Moon pushed away his negative thoughts.

His heart still felt a little colder, but it was manageable.

He took out his cauldron and ingredients.

First, as usual, he refined some pills he already knew how to make, practicing his hand seals to improve his proficiency.

He refined more poison pills for the workers and also made rejuvenation pills.

Then he took out the ingredients for the face-alteration pill.

Last time, he had failed.

But now his flame power had increased, as had his spiritual qi.

So he wanted to try again.

Moon spread his palm and looked at the tiny ember spark resting in his dantian.

It was still small, but compared to before, it had become much stronger.

The flame no longer looked as though it would disappear with the slightest disturbance. There was also a faint warmth surrounding it, which made Moon feel a little more confident.

’Let’s see if you can do the job this time.’

He took out the Mirror Shade Root first.

The root was dark and twisted, with a faint reflective sheen on its surface.

It didn’t look particularly special, but Moon knew that appearances could be deceiving.

This was one of the main ingredients, and its essence was responsible for helping the pill alter a person’s appearance.

Next came the Rainbow Flower that Ugo had found in the Lost Realm.

Its petals carried several faint colors, which shifted slightly whenever spiritual qi passed through them.

Moon had examined it many times, but he still found it fascinating.

He then took out the small piece of Bone-Softening Crystal.

Finally, he brought out the pure moonlight dew.

Only one drop was needed.

Moon carefully placed the ingredients in front of him and checked them once more.

He had already studied the formula, so there was no need to waste time going through it again. What he needed now was a steady flame and enough spiritual energy to control the process.

Moon lit the cauldron.

The tiny ember spark rose from his palm and settled beneath it.

A faint flame spread across the bottom, gradually heating the cauldron.

He began with the Mirror Shade Root.

His hand seals changed, and spiritual qi flowed into the cauldron.

The root trembled slightly before its outer layer began to soften. Moon carefully extracted its essence, separating the impurities from the pure portion.