Chapter 281: Treasure Hunters
Chapter 281: Treasure Hunters
Luna hummed a song as she lightly patted Selene's body.
It had been a day since the battle against the Giant Black Snake and, yet, Ethan was still asleep.
Selene also reverted to her original form, which was a Carbuncle.
A creature that looked like a hybrid of a cat and a fox, with a blue gem on its forehead.
These creatures were usually hunted down for the gem on their foreheads, which could be used to create many magical artifacts.
According to Selene, the full moon inside the Domain lasted for four days. This meant that both of them would be able to use their full powers during that time, which was a good thing.
Selene would usually transform into a little girl if she had to fight with everything she had.
But there was no need to fight anyone anymore, and she had also picked fruits in the forest and piled them beside the sleeping Ethan as if making an offering, so she finally reverted to her original form.
This scene made Luna, as well as the others, giggle. They noticed that, for some reason, Selene was afraid of Ethan.
When the angelic beauty asked her why, Selene just shook her head repeatedly and wouldn't say a word.
However, everyone noticed that she would glance at Ethan from time to time before shuddering.
They weren't aware that the Carbuncle was able to see Ethan's Other Half, who was smirking at her, making her body uncontrollably shudder.
'I mustn't offend that being no matter what!' Selene thought. 'Although it's a pity that I can't tell Luna about the creature lurking inside Ethan's body, staying alive is much better than staying dead!'
Seeing the adorable Carbuncle purr on Luna's lap, Bridget and Sefarina weren't able to stop themselves from asking Luna if they could pet her.
"Can I pet her?" Sefarina asked.
"Me, too!" Bridge looked at the cute creature with sparkling eyes.
Before Luna could even answer, Selene glanced in their direction and nodded her head.
"You can," Selene replied. "But be gentle, okay?"
After getting her permission, Sefarina and Bridget took turns lightly patting Selene's body.
Not long after, the Carbuncle, who was as big and as long as two adult hands started purring, melting the hearts of the two girls.
Emma was also very tempted to pet Selene, but she held herself back.
However, there was someone who was unable to do that and that was Ace.
"Can I pet her too?" Ace asked.
"No!" Selene replied. "I won't allow myself to be touched by males!"
Ace, who had received a firm rejection from the adorable creature, could only sigh in his heart.
He couldn't blame Selene for rejecting his request since it would indeed be inappropriate for him to pet her, especially after she had revealed her demi-human form.
While the ladies were busy petting the newest addition to their team, Ethan stirred from his sleep and slowly opened his eyes.
His body was still a bit sore, but his injuries had mostly healed thanks to Illumina's healing magic.
Luna had also injected his body with Moon Magic by kissing him in his sleep, allowing him to recover faster as his cells soaked up her magical power.
The first thing that Ethan noticed was the pile of fruit on his chest, the sight of which made him blink his eyes in confusion.
Seeing this scene, Luna giggled and greeted her confused lover.
"Good afternoon, Ethan," Luna said. "Those fruits piled up around you came from Selene. It seems that she wanted you to get better soon, so she picked fruits for you."
Selene, who was enjoying everyone's attention earlier, jumped off Luna's lap and approached Ethan anxiously.
'T-These are offerings for friendship,' Selene said through telepathy. 'I hope Lord Ethan accepts them.'
Although Ethan was still unsure of why the adorable creature was afraid of him, he decided to nod his head and accept her offerings.
"I accept your offerings," Ethan replied. "I hope that you will continue to protect Luna and become one of her closest friends."
"T-That's what I want as well!" Selene stated. "I want to be with Luna and be good friends with her."
Ethan nodded. "Good."
He then picked up one of the apples lying on the makeshift bed beside him and took a bite of it.
Since he had woken up and hadn't eaten anything after falling unconscious, he was feeling quite hungry, so he ate three more apples. Selene saw this and was very happy.
After eating, Ethan lightly patted her head, which made her tail swing from side to side.
Ace and his brother, who saw this, only glanced at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
Selene had stated that she wouldn't allow any male to pet her, but it seems that their Master was an exception to this rule.
The Carbuncle didn't shy away from Ethan's touch, afraid that if she rejected his gesture, she would get eaten!
It was for this reason that she endured his touch.
However, it didn't take long before she realized that Ethan's touch was quite soothing, making her feel refreshed and happy.
She didn't even notice that she had subconsciously climbed into his lap, allowing Ethan to pet her more conveniently. Seeing this, Luna smiled.
After a few minutes, Ethan stopped petting Selene. It took half a minute before the ball of fur regained her senses.
The moment she realized that she was sitting on Ethan's lap, she jumped away as if she was electrocuted and hurriedly went to Luna's lap, seeking the protection of the handsome young man's lover.
"Can you guys tell me what happened after I fell asleep?" Ethan inquired.
"Allow me to answer your question, Master," Emma replied. "Selene has chased all the Wizards and Witches out of Janga Valley, and so far, none have ventured here since then."
Ethan nodded. "How many days do we have before the Legacy Gate closes?"
"At least two weeks, Master," Bridget replied. "A portal will appear in Abel Plains, leading us outside of the Domain once the time is up. Of course, we can also use our Escape Runes to return instantly if we want to."
Ethan pondered for a while before looking at Selene, who was lying on Luna's lap.
"Selene, you can sense the treasures inside the Janga Valley, right?" Ethan asked.
"Yes, Lord Ethan," Selene replied.
"Don't call me Lord Ethan," Ethan said. "Just call me Ethan."
"Understood, My Lord," Selene commented.
The handsome young man could only scratch his head. It seemed that Selene had no intention of just calling him Ethan. Since that was the case, he simply allowed her to do what she wanted.
"Can you also sense precious gems and metals?" Ethan asked. "Something like gold and silver?"
Selene pondered for a while before giving her reply.
"If My Lord is talking about those things that are buried under the ground then yes," Selene replied. "There are those shiny things under the ground. They have different colors, and some of them are the size of a human's head."
Silence descended inside the cave after hearing Selene's words.
Although Ethan expected that she would be able to detect treasures within the Janga Valley, he didn't expect that she could also detect precious gems and minerals buried underground.
"Selene, can you help us gather those precious gems and metals?" Luna asked.
"Un!" Selene nodded. "I built my nest in one of those places. Follow me!"
The Carbuncle then jumped off Luna's lap and ran in the direction of the cave.
Ethan and his group followed behind her.
Now that they no longer had any competitors inside the valley, every resource inside it was now theirs for the taking.