The next day, after having breakfast together with the women in the palace, Carl and Lily headed to the moon.
...
They arrived at the area where Enel and his mechanical puppets were located.
Lily narrowed her eyes, scanning the surroundings carefully, then suddenly grabbed Carl's hand and led him toward a corner.
Carl followed her without saying a word until they reached a flat clearing.
Lily stopped, staring at the ground for a while. Then she raised her foot and stomped hard. Rings of translucent ripples spread out from where her foot landed.
Immediately after, two silver pillars rose from the ground.
Carl studied the pillars and asked,
"This is the space teleportation device made by the Lunarians? Just two pillars?"
Lily nodded.
"That's right. I don't even know if it still works..."
She bit her fingertip and let a few drops of blood fall onto one of the pillars.
Carl blinked. Was this... some kind of blood-recognition ritual? Sounded like something out of a fantasy story.
But after waiting for a while, nothing happened. The pillars stood motionless except for the few bloodstains Lily had just left on them.
Carl turned to her.
Lily spread her hands.
"Looks like it's broken. Probably too old to function anymore."
Carl thought for a moment.
"I don't think so. The machines supplying oxygen to the entire moon have been running for eight hundred years. There's no reason a crucial teleportation device like this would break down."
Lily paused, realizing he had a point.
"Then what do you think the problem is? I saw them activate it before—always by dripping blood."
Carl's eyes lit up.
"So, it's basically blood recognition, right? Is it possible... your blood isn't pure enough?"
Lily shot him a beautiful glare.
"Are you trying to say I'm not a true Lunarian? The whole concept of the D clan only came after leaving the moon! We're all Lunarians! If my blood isn't pure enough, what about yours—diluted for who knows how many generations?"
Carl pinched her nose with a grin.
"Look at you getting all worked up. I'm saying the Lunarians who made this device might not have set 'Lunarian blood' as the activation condition. Like you said, there were factions among the Lunarians."
Lily froze for a second. That... actually made sense.
Seeing her expression, Carl couldn't help but smirk.
"If I'm not mistaken, this device was made by those so-called elites, right?"
"Uh... yeah..."
"And wasn't my Figarland family among the top elites back then? If the condition is the blood of elite Lunarians, my blood should work."
Lily fell silent for a long time, then muttered under her breath, clearly unwilling to admit defeat,
"That's just your guess..."
Carl only smiled and wagged his finger.
"Then let's test it. It won't cost us anything—just a few drops of blood."
As soon as he said it, a drop of blood slowly formed on his fingertip and shot onto one of the pillars.
As a Mythical Zoan user, Carl obviously didn't need to bite his own finger. That would be so... low-tier.
Lily widened her eyes, staring at the pillars. Carl looked calm on the outside, but inside he wasn't so sure either.
The pillars remained motionless.
Carl's mouth twitched slightly.
No way. Was all that analysis just nonsense?
Lily's lips curved into a smile. She was clearly ready to mock him hard.
But just as the tables were about to turn, a blinding light suddenly erupted between the two pillars.
Carl, with the Lunarian bloodline in his veins, quickly adapted to the glare and looked directly into the light with a wide grin.
"Hahaha! Lily, I told you I was right!"
Lily squinted, looking like she'd lost all hope, and let out a faint hum.
Under their watchful eyes, the light between the pillars slowly condensed into a swirling, bright-white vortex.
Obviously, this was the true medium for spatial teleportation.
Carl rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.
"Where does it lead, I wonder? Another dimension, maybe? Tsk tsk, a 'one-way trip,' huh..."
Lily glanced at him irritably.
"You're not seriously thinking about stepping through it, are you? Those people on the other side aren't easy to deal with. And what if you can't come back? What about all your women?"
Carl shot back immediately,
"My women? Aren't you one of them?"
Lily stiffened, wanting to argue, but the words wouldn't come out. She turned her head away.
"Anyway, you'd better give up this crazy idea. It's not worth the risk!"
Carl smiled.
"What if I insist? Will you come with me?"
"Of course not! You can die on your own!"
Carl put on a wounded expression.
"So heartless... and after what happened yesterday, too."
"...What happened yesterday?! I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Carl sighed dramatically, then suddenly started walking toward the vortex.
Lily's eyes widened, and she grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't!"
She instantly regretted it when she saw the teasing smile on his face.
Fuming, Lily let go and snapped,
"Fine, go get yourself killed! I won't save you this time!"
Carl chuckled.
"Why would I kill myself for no reason? Life here is way too good to throw away."
Lily pouted, crossing her arms angrily.
"Then what do you plan to do with this teleportation device?"
Carl smiled faintly, raising one hand wrapped in dense black haki.
"Destroy it, of course. It still works, which means it could bring trouble someday.
This... is my world."
Lily froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed her arms and nodded.
"That's more like it..."
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg