CHAPTER 670: CHAPTER 127: THE MISSING HOLY RUNE

Qing Pu’s words helped Yue Jinghua unravel a thread from the tangled mess of her thoughts.

The Moon Goddess Lighthouse has stood on the shores of Fandi Port for hundreds of years without falling, thanks to the brand new Divine Rune composed of one thousand and eight Holy Runes.

To be precise, the thirteen-story Goddess Tower was merely a facade; what truly functioned was that one Divine Rune.

Its existence is like the famed ceiling fresco of the Sistine Cathedral of later generations, the pinnacle of artistic achievement.

The fresco at the top of the Moon Goddess Tower can be considered an immortal masterpiece in the history of Holy Runes on the Canglong Continent.

More than eight hundred years ago, those few Tattoo Masters of the Dragon Clan, possibly young or with heads full of white hair, looked up laboriously engraving each Holy Rune with tattoo needles as fine as cow hair, as if it just happened yesterday.

In the depths of Yue Jinghua’s heart, a thrum of awe emerged, a sincere admiration from within.

It was less a lament for those few Tattoo Masters and more a praise for their persistent and painstaking craftsmanship.

Compared to the Dark Array, Divine Runes can absorb Heaven and Earth Xuan Qi, without needing any extra Dark Pill, and are endowed with higher stability and endurance.

An inherited divine creation, even Divine Pattern Sha Yan could never assemble such an exquisite Divine Rune.

As Yue Jinghua felt this admiration, her brows furrowed once again.

Logically, once Divine Runes are engraved, they should not automatically fail unless purposely damaged. Captain Ya Lei also mentioned earlier that Sea Beasts could hardly approach the Moon Goddess Tower, and there were always people stationed below it year-round. Before and after the lighthouse’s anomaly, the guards could confirm that the lighthouse had not been subjected to any sneak attacks.

Having looked all day, Yue Jinghua did not find any signs of damage among the one thousand and eight Holy Runes.

"No damage, not a single one of the one thousand and eight Holy Runes is damaged. Why did the Divine Rune, originally maintaining its defensive effect so effectively, suddenly fail without reason? Which one of the one thousand and eight Holy Runes is problematic?" Yue Jinghua, still holding a half-eaten Baozi in her hand, paced back and forth at the spot like an ant on a hot pan.

When Chi Xi came to deliver a meal and saw her like this, she spat out, "Captain, you can’t eat overnight Baozi."

She snatched the Baozi from Yue Jinghua’s hand and casually threw it out of the lighthouse.

Yue Jinghua stood stunned for a moment, looking at her empty hand as night fell, then looked up at the fresco on the top of the tower. She grabbed Chi Xi excitedly, "Auntie, I know it, I know why the Moon Goddess Tower suddenly failed. One thousand and eight, but one is missing. There are only one thousand and seven Holy Runes at the top of the tower. With one missing, the Divine Rune failed."

Chi Xi, seeing the captain laughing and shouting, looked utterly baffled.

After discovering the missing Holy Rune, Yue Jinghua immediately called Captain Ya Lei.

The one thousand and eight Holy Runes of the lighthouse, though seemingly independent, were in fact an indispensable whole.

Upon Yue Jinghua’s guidance and another recount by his men, Captain Ya Lei indeed found that one Holy Rune was missing.

"Does the Sea Defense Army still have the Tower Map from when the lighthouse was built? If we could find the complete Tower Map, I could restore that one Holy Rune," It might be somewhat difficult for Yue Jinghua to complete one thousand and eight Holy Runes alone.

But if there is only one Holy Rune missing and with the Tower Map on hand, then Yue Jinghua is more than 90 percent confident she can restore that one Holy Rune and allow the Divine Rune to regain its effect.

"I will send people to search for it. We really owe you this time," Captain Ya Lei, who had been frowning for days, relaxed a bit and warmed up considerably towards Yue Jinghua and the others.

He originally thought that these Southern Expedition Army officers, being so young, must also be unreliable in what they do.

But who would have thought, just two days after their arrival, they had already solved many of his difficulties.

The officer named Qian Luo has redrawn a Transmission Array at a safe location in the port.

Although this Transmission Array cannot directly transport goods and people yet, it can now communicate with several nearby counties.

Captain Ya Lei has entrusted the military reports of the current situation at Fandi Port to the defense commanders of other counties to disseminate.

It is believed that before long, both Miss River Valley Village and Imperial City will receive the relevant news.

Ji Yun and Long Rui help the Sea Defense Army patrol around Fandi Port during the day with their Bat Dragon and Lake King Dragon, aiding in clearing out the Sea Beasts that have appeared around Moon Beach.

Once the Transmission Array was established, Qing Zizhu also helped the local chamber of commerce to contact the nearby Yanyue Chamber of Commerce branches to transport some emergency goods into Fandi Port, assisting in maintaining the local commercial order.

Things are not always going smoothly; after some investigation, Captain Ya Lei discovered that the plans of the Moon Lighthouse had been destroyed in a major fire years ago.

Despite the Sea Defense Army’s best efforts to contain the news, word of the Bruce Blue Fishing Boat’s misfortune at sea has still spread.

Panic, like an invisible hand, is choking the throat of the entire Fandi Port.

Those wealthy enough began to sell their properties, dragging their families to relocate to other counties.

Those civilians rooted locally and incapable of leaving immediately started to hoard rice and grains, causing local prices to skyrocket, and incidents of theft and banditry have occurred from time to time.

This has made the already strained military force of the Fandi Port Sea Defense Army even more stretched.

Captain Ya Lei had no choice but to deploy military forces to guard the port, while on the other hand, intensifying local defenses.

In the absence of hope to repair the Holy Rune, Yue Jinghua and others also joined the ranks of the Sea Defense Army, helping with patrols day and night, contributing their humble effort.

Meanwhile, in Dawo Village and Miss River Valley Village, Yue Minzhi and Long Jiuzun, who had been anxious for many days, received reports from Fandi Port one after another.

"Huahua has arrived at Fandi Port?" Yue Minzhi turned worry into joy, and under Cheng Ying’s Purple Gauze, a long-missed smile also appeared.

"What, that group has already reached Fandi Port?" Surprised, Long Jiuzun was even more astonished, "Fortunately, Ruru is also unharmed. Even if they’ve gone to Fandi Port, what big scene can they possibly cause with just a few of them."

Apart from their surprise and joy, both sides also learned of the current situation in Fandi Port, which was much worse than they had expected.

After a moment of contemplation and consulting their subordinates on whether to report back to Imperial City immediately, Yue Minzhi and Long Jiuzun did not hesitate and immediately ordered their men: "There’s no need to notify Imperial City, head to Fandi Port at once."

These two young and rising generals from Imperial City, although they hold different political views, they do share one thing in common.

They both have the talent for leadership and are hot-blooded men; the more critical the situation in Fandi Port, the greater the opportunity for them to accomplish feats.

In Fandi Port, whether a rebellion or a Sea Beast outbreak has occurred, as long as it is handled properly, upon their return to Imperial City, what awaits them will be supreme glory.