Retracing their steps, they returned to that empty village. Quinn entered the room with the red 'Double Happiness' character pasted on the door, picked up the baby garment, and examined the "Keane" character embroidered on it.
When your heart is troubled, you lose clarity. The first time he came here, Quinn was affected deep inside and couldn't calm himself for a long time, so he failed to notice any clues.
The items Apothecary brought, and the Keane character on the baby garment, were almost identical—like they’d been traced from a template. But if you looked closely, you could still spot a few differences.
Quinn had learned calligraphy and painting from Deaf. If he could calm his heart and look with an ordinary mind, he could see that the Keane character on the baby’s garment was slightly different from the one on his jade pendant.
It was just that his emotions had been so turbulent—joy and sorrow in quick succession—that his judgment was clouded at the time.
Now, examining it closely, Quinn saw that the Keane character on the baby garment must have been carefully traced and then stitched on, one thread at a time. It was indeed different from the character on his jade pendant.
Meanwhile, the others in the village crowded around Village Chief and the Patriarch, asking about what they’d encountered on the ship. Village Chief shook his head and said, “It was too dangerous inside. We didn’t go deep—just circled the outskirts and nearly died. Thankfully, Mute Smith was with us, or we wouldn’t have gotten out safely.”
Everyone immediately turned to Mute Smith, asking how he’d found the safe path and managed to lead Village Chief and the Patriarch in and out.
Quinn stepped out into the courtyard, sharing the same curiosity.
Even the Nethervault Demon King said that, if his true body descended, it would take at least a year or two to find a safe route into that shattered giant ship. So how had Mute Smith managed to get in so easily?
They pressed Mute Smith for a long time, but he said nothing—just gave a simple, honest smile, and when pushed, grunted twice.
Everyone immediately looked at Deaf. Deaf and Mute Smith were close friends, and Deaf was best at understanding Mute Smith’s intentions—he often translated things nobody else could grasp.
But this time, Deaf was just as lost—clearly, he had no idea what those two grunts meant either.
“That Mute Smith—never says a word!”
Granny Sue huffed, “One day you’ll choke to death!”
They rested in the little village. The Dragon-Qilin stuck close to the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch, and now that beast had gotten lively, rubbing up against the Patriarch again and again.
The Patriarch pretended to hit him, finally shooing him away a bit, but the next moment the Dragon-Qilin was back, flicking his tail full of reverse scales and tearing the Patriarch’s clothes to shreds.
“You’ve gotten way too fat!”
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch wailed, “I’ve told you already, I’m getting old and about to die. I don’t want you anymore, so stop rubbing up on me… Don’t even think about jumping into my arms—I can’t carry you now! Shoo, shoo, go away!”
Grandpa Blind kept pestering the Nethervault Demon King, asking all sorts of numerology questions. The Demon King was a bit afraid of the villagers, but did his best to answer—though he only answered Grandpa Blind’s questions, never volunteering deeper secrets.
Apothecary bustled around, tending to everyone, checking their injuries and treating them.
Quinn stepped into the house. Even though this probably wasn’t his parents’ home, being here made him feel strangely peaceful.
Mute Smith entered as well, looking around. His rough hand stroked the little wooden horse, then picked up the baby clothes. For a moment, this burly, rugged man’s eyes softened.
Quinn glanced at him. Mute Smith turned, grinned at Quinn.
"Time to go!"
Granny Sue urged, "Back to the village for New Year! Patriarch, that pig you’ve been raising is fat enough—we’ll slaughter it for the holiday! Butcher is a master with a knife, and he’s not half bad at cooking. We’ll have two full tables of good food!"
"Don’t you dare!"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch cried out nervously, "Don’t even think about it! Since you first saw my Dragon-Qilin as a kid you’ve been scheming to eat him… Get away, stop rubbing against me, I’m not petting you! Enforcer Elder, drive him off!"
The Enforcer Elder herded the Dragon-Qilin over to Quinn. The Patriarch watched as the beast waddled over, its round backside jiggling with every step, looking like a chubby water rhino.
"That rascal must’ve been mooching food off the Cult Master. He eats well, too! When I first met him, he was no bigger than a cat—always trying to scam snacks off me. The more I fed him, the fatter he got, and then he just stuck to me and wouldn’t leave…"
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch sighed. Back then, the Dragon-Qilin was so small he could hold him in his arms and pet his head.
"What a massive ship!"
They arrived in front of the Lunar Ark and couldn’t help but marvel. Crippled Joe immediately started scheming to steal it, but Granny Sue scolded him, "You old fool, even if you could steal it, where would you put it? If you park it in the village, I’ll break your leg!"
Crippled Joe had to give up and asked Quinn how he’d managed to pilot the ship here. Hearing Quinn describe the process, Crippled Joe’s mind started spinning again. "So if you become the Moon Warden, you get godlike power?"
He rushed onto the ship and touched the giant pillars, but nothing happened. Disappointed, he trudged back.
The Great Ruins holds countless unsolved mysteries—the Lunar Ark is just one of them.
They left the invisible barrier. Outside, the sun hung high—it was noon. The air was chilly, and at some point it had snowed again. The ground was blanketed in white, crunching underfoot, and the mountains were dusted with snow as well.
A few bears were holed up in a hollow in some ruins. The mother bear cradled her cubs, sound asleep. When she saw Quinn and the others suddenly appear, she blinked in surprise but didn’t stir—just shifted a bit and went back to hibernating.
Quinn looked back. The barrier was gone, along with the unimaginable giant ship, the Lunar Ark, and the intricate cube-shaped seal. All had vanished without a trace.
In their place was the vast, endless forest of the Great Ruins.
He guessed that only at nightfall would that mysterious seal reappear.
"Let’s go. Time to head home for New Year," Village Chief said calmly.
They set out for home. Oldridge Village was still far away—a day or two’s journey—and the New Year had technically passed, but at least everyone was safe.
By dusk the next day, they finally reached Oldridge. Quinn, Granny Sue, Grandpa Mark, and the others bustled about, hanging lanterns and preparing the New Year’s feast.
Quinn brought out red paper; Crippled Joe wrote couplets and 'fortune' characters, then called Quinn over to paste them on everyone’s door.
"Put one on the chicken coop too. And paste a 'door-opens-to-joy' charm on the old tree at the village gate," Granny Sue instructed.
After all their hard work, the whole village finally sat down together, eating, drinking warm wine, laughing. The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and the Enforcer Elder joined in, and this belated New Year’s Eve dinner was full of warmth.
Early the next morning, the Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch and Enforcer Elder said their goodbyes. "There are endless secrets in the Great Ruins. To explore them before I die is a joy. No need to see us off." With that, the old and the young set off, crunching through deep snow.
The Nethervault Demon King looked at Quinn. "Cult Master, it’s time you kept your promise."
Quinn grew serious. "Don’t worry, Demon King. I keep my word—I’ll set you free."
Grandpa Blind, Crippled Joe, and the rest crowded around. The Nethervault Demon King grew nervous, shouting, "Cult Master, are you planning to release me just so they can catch me again? You’ve got guts!"
Quinn felt awkward and shook his head at Crippled Joe and Grandpa Blind.
Crippled Joe muttered, "He’s a good helper. If he stuck around, I could steal a lot more stuff…"
Quinn smiled warmly. "Don’t worry, Demon King. Once I remove these seal-runes, you’ll be free."
He carefully undid the seal-runes on the Demon King’s idol-body. The Demon King finally relaxed. "Quinn, Nethervault and this place are different worlds. Once we part today, we may never meet again. You mortals live such brief lives—just a snap of my fingers and centuries pass. By the time I remember you, you’ll have been dead for ages. It’s a bit sad, really…"
Quinn laughed. "Demon King, I can always reach you—Redcrest Mountain Sect’s Spirit Command Seals, I know how to use them."
The Demon King laughed. "Your world is far too dangerous. Even if you summon me, I won’t come. I’m going back to find a new world where my people can survive."
Quinn finished removing the last seal. "You’re free to go, Demon King."
The Demon King tested his freedom, found the seals truly gone, and relaxed. "Never contact me again!" With that, his wisp of consciousness shot into the void and vanished.
Quinn looked up at the sky and smiled. "Who can say what the future holds?"
The Demon King’s consciousness returned to Nethervault, merging with his true body. The mighty Demon King instantly grasped all the memories, shuddered, and let out a heavy sigh. "What a dangerous world—watched by gods. It’s no place for my people. Time to seek a new world…"
"Quinn, come here," Village Chief called.
Quinn hurried over. Village Chief hesitated, then said, "I’ve thought it over—there are things you need to know. On that ship, I found not only many Keane characters, but something else. Apothecary, bring it here."
Apothecary hesitated. "Is it really the right time to give it to him?"
Village Chief shook his head. "My lifespan’s nearly up. If not now, then when?"
Apothecary produced a mirror and handed it to Quinn.
Quinn took the mirror and looked into it, but saw nothing unusual. Village Chief said, "This mirror is actually a map—the route to Carefree Haven. We found it on the ship. Don’t bother checking now, I’ve sealed it. When you’re strong enough to break my seal, you’ll see the route. That place is too dangerous—I don’t want you rushing there yet."
Quinn fell silent, then suddenly knelt and bowed to Village Chief.
Village Chief hurriedly said, "Get up. There’s one more thing. You already carry so much—the young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, orphan of Carefree Haven—maybe adding my burden won’t be too much. Today, I formally accept you as my disciple and entrust my burden to you. From now on, you are the next…"
"Human Emperor!"