Exploring the temple was a good way to get Dallion’s mind off things. Sadly, the success was only partial. Each unexpected element that was found in the tunnels and isolated chambers only reminded him that maybe this was the last time he’d see them. The only hope was—as Nil had theorized—that Dallion might be invited for the final run in a few months’ time. The thought only further fueled his regret.

“What’s wrong?” Eury asked.

“Just a bit tired. The plains and then the fight… it took a lot out of me.”

“Hmm…” the gorgon replied. If her face eyes were open, she probably would have been frowning now. Even without music skills, her perception was high enough to tell that Dallion was lying.

“I learned that I might only last for a few expeditions,” Dallion admitted.

“Who told you that?”

“Does it matter? When I was invited, I thought that I’ll be here until the item’s destiny was fulfilled. Now I learn that I’m here for just a few rounds.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

There was genuine surprise in Euryale’s voice. That was the usual practice in the world. There was no indication that it would be any different. Even with Sphere items, it wasn’t always guaranteed that the awakened team that took the item would be the one to clear it. Dallion himself had to finish a lot of started items. It was the result that mattered. No one in the guild, or outside of it, had a list of the items they fulfilled. And yet, he had come with that assumption.

Sometimes being a completionist really sucks, Gen said.

“I don’t know,” Dallion said. “I just thought… I want to see what’s in the end of the world. Don’t you?”

“I’m a hunter.” Eury shrugged. “I get to do missions that bring money and that’s it. There was a time I kept searching for a way to get back to my world, but that’s gone. There’s no point.”

Interestingly enough, that was something that Dallion hadn’t considered. Other than a few instances early on, he hadn’t seriously considered going back. Even finding others that came from Earth was no longer a priority. There were too many things he wanted to do in this world—possibly too many for him to handle—before even considering returning.

“Does it really matter that much?” The gorgon placed her hand on Dallion’s shoulder. “I can talk to March about it. Maybe she’ll—"

“Thanks, but no,” Dallion cut her off. “This is my fight. I need to figure out what to do about it.” Or do nothing at all.

“If that’s the way you want it, but really, I can ask. At worst, she can say no.”

The gorgon’s optimistic attitude made Dallion smile. That was one of the things he liked about her, she was always direct and not afraid to go after what she wanted. After all, she had gone after him pretty much the moment she saw him.

“Anyway, let’s get back to this before March shouts that we need to get moving again.” Dallion turned towards the carving on the wall. This one was quite similar to the past in the sense that it had eight Moons, but there was something different about it.

If this were a game, the carving would tell the next part of the story of some event. Alas, that was nowhere near the case. The pictures focused mostly on dryads and them praising the Moons. However, there was one thing of particular interest: a size comparison of the eight Moons. According to it, the blue Moon was by far the largest. With the exception of the Red Moon, all the rest were half its size. As for the eighth Moon, it was even smaller, half the size of an average Moon. The Green Moon, interestingly enough, appeared to be the third largest.

“Blue, Red, and Green,” Dallion said out loud.

“Mostly Blue and Red,” Eury laughed. “Never thought that was the case looking up.”

Dallion had noticed that as well. If this was the actual size of the Moons, it means that some liked to be closer to the world than others. Maybe that had to do with their influence over the world?

“Know anything about there being a war between the Moons?” Dallion asked casually. The moment he did, he noticed a streak of fear emerge within the gorgon.

“Never ask that in the open,” she whispered. “The Order doesn’t like such talk.”

“What are they going to do?” Dallion’s rebel nature ticked in. “Kill me?”

“They don’t have to. They have the power to seal your abilities, cap your level, or even erase your name.”

Dallion’s confidence suddenly vanished. Those were some pretty serious powers. So far, he had always thought of the Order as a large and mostly annoying organization that liked to spread their beliefs and make a lot of money by letting people level up at their shrines. Back during his time in Dherma village, the monks of the Order were always benevolent, passing by every now and again. Sometimes they would tell stories, sometimes they would leave a thing or two behind. Dallion’s own aunt had urged his family to put Dallion in the monastery at the time. As it turned out, that had been the only way to escape the former village chief’s rule, and the limiting echoes that he placed within the minds of people. However, that didn’t guarantee the Order was good.

“Do you think they might know?” Dallion whispered.

“I’m certain, but it’s not something they’d tell anyone outside of the Order.” Several clusters of the gorgon’s snakes moved about. “Keep this to yourself for now.”

Dallion nodded.

Shield, did the Order exist back in your day?

Definitely not, the dryad replied. There were a few equivalents, but no one bothered with them much. I guess it's different when you have a Moon to talk to. Besides, taking the Star’s advice to take over the world doesn’t make for a great relationship.

Probably not.

Using the established method, Dallion made a mold of the carving, then unsummoned it back to Gen to take care of the rest. According to his words, the echo had done a pretty good job. At some point Dallion was going to check.

The exploration done, Eury and Dallion returned to the main hall of the temple, only to be grumbled at by Vend. This was starting to become somewhat annoying, especially since the elite didn’t seem to act like this on other occasions, possibly with the exception of his interactions with Estezol.

Dallion was told, as usual, to get some rest to be in form for the next part of the expedition, while Eury was urged to see March on some unspecified matter. There was a slight exchange of words, but ultimately the gorgon replied; she was nothing but a hire after all. As for Dallion, he went to sleep, hoping for another interaction with the Green Moon. Sadly, this time, there was no such thing. When Dallion woke up, he was given his backpack, now filled with new food rations courtesy of the recent hunts, and told to keep up. The expedition went on.

With forests, hills, and plains behind them, it was now time to head for the mountains. From what Dallion had learned, this was the great mountain that divided the world. During the first expeditions, the entire area was filled with packs of cracks, requiring that March and her party spend months dealing with them, until the last trace was destroyed. From a world point of view, this was good—it improved the condition of the sword itself, while making travel far easier. However, Agnii remained of the opinion that it had been a mistake. As far as artifacts were concerned, she was vehemently opposed to messing up realm ecosystems, believing that it would create more complications in the long run. The minotaur tribes appeared to be proof of that.

On the way to the mountains, there were several instances during which the party came across small minotaur groups. Thanks to the prisoners March had released, all of them knew better than to tackle the expedition party. What was more, they were even willing to trade and exchange information.

Apparently, the guardian beyond the mountain had stopped releasing minions in the last few years, making it possible for the tribes to travel from the great sea further tipwards. The reason for the change remained unknown, though it was believed to be the result of the cracklings vanishing from the area. Personally, Dallion expected there to be more to that. From everything he had seen, guardians didn’t just stop guarding, even when the odds were clearly against them. His greatest fear was that the Star might have had something to do with that.

Should I warn March? Dallion asked.

That is a question only you could answer, dear boy. Personally, I think that any danger, no matter how unlikely to happen, should be shared, especially with the expedition leader. Given your recent experience in the plains, though, I fear that might cause the warning to be further ignored.

That sounded stupid, but Dallion feared it to be the case as well. One thing about people never changed regardless of world—the information remained only as good as the messenger that brought it.

Either way, I don’t think doing so now would be ideal, the echo continued. Keep your eyes open, wait till the party gets closer to the mountain, then share your fears.

What if it’s too late by then?

Well, all you have to do is make sure you have that conversation before the point of no return.

That’s another lesson, isn’t it? Dallion frowned. You know what the correct course of action is, but still won’t tell me. Is it because you can’t or because you don’t want to?

Frankly, it doesn’t matter. I can tell you anything you want and it still won’t make a difference. You seem to think that just because the person you’re talking to is an echo or guardian, they are more truthful. That’s never the case. I hope to have proved my sincerity, but it’s never good policy to take anything for granted. And to a large degree you believe me, otherwise you’d have linked every cup, dish, and knife to your realm already. You’d be surprised at the amount of people that do, some for sentimental reasons.

So, you’re saying that I must follow my gut?

Judgement, Nil corrected. You must follow your judgement. Everyone else is just an advisor.

The closer the party got to the foot of the mountain, the more Dallion felt the weight of his lack of decision. It wasn’t that he was worried what March might think—he had already dealt with that flaw of his several levels back. Rather, he wasn’t sure which course of action would bring the best result. It didn’t help that the area was filled with animals, making the captain focus on hunting and food gathering. Finally, when the party reached the mountain itself, Dallion decided he couldn’t delay any longer.

“Why aren’t there any settlements here?” Dallion asked, choosing to take the roundabout approach. “I’d thought there’d be mining villages or something.”

“Other side of the mountain,” March replied. “The guardian must have preferred it this way.”

“The guardian,” Dallion repeated. This was perfect. “Why do you think he stopped protecting the area lately?”

“Stopped?” March looked over her shoulder, somewhat surprised by the question.

“I mean, from what you said the minotaurs—"

“I know what they said.” The captain didn’t let him finish. “And that goes only as far as they were concerned. I’ve had to fight the guardian three times. The first time I lost. If it thought something was a threat, it would have acted appropriately.”

An unexpected sliver of emotion appeared in March. In general, this was quite rare.

“The guardian doesn’t consider them a threat, so it lets them pass. The moment they start causing problems, things will change.”

The reaction was unexpected, making Dallion doubt his Star theory. Maybe there was no need for him to get involved in this? It was easy to take that as an excuse and end the conversation here. Dallion, however, didn’t.

“I think the Star might be involved,” he whispered. This caused March to stop in place, then slowly turn around, inviting him to continue. “Or a chainling. I know I don’t have the experience of most of the party, but all the times I’ve seen guardians behave differently was because the Star was involved in one way or another.”

“Are you suggesting that the guardian might have been destroyed?”

“I’m not sure,” Dallion admitted. “But do you know another reason for the change? The Star’s already messed with two guild artifacts so far, why can’t it do the same with this one?”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“Let’s keep going.” March turned around. “If there’s Star spawn waiting for us in the next temple, I don’t want to keep it waiting.”