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nOf course, William wasn’t so heartless as to forcefully pluck all of Luna’s feathers just to make a fan. That would have been a bit excessive.

n“If any fall out, I’ll give them to you,” Luna pouted, genuinely afraid that William might abruptly force her to reveal her true form and then start plucking her feathers.

nShedding feathers wasn’t an all-at-once affair, where they would all fall out and then regrow immediately. It was normal to lose a feather or two occasionally, and Luna figured it wouldn’t be too bad to collect these and give them to William over time.

nWilliam’s idea of making a fan was more of a sudden inspiration, not something that he necessarily wanted to do immediately.

n“You keep them for now. By the look of things, you probably often trade feathers for food.”

n“You’re the one who trades feathers for food,” Luna retorted, now bold enough to talk back to William after a couple of days of interaction.

nWilliam wasn’t offended but commented, “I’ve seen it twice now. Don’t you have anything else valuable?”

n“Of course not!” Luna said warily, looking at William as if he were some creepy guy.

nA powerful deity wanting to pluck her feathers for a fan?

nIf she revealed her other treasures, who knew what he might plot?

nWilliam didn’t press her further but turned to Erebus, “Erebus, Luna knows to trade feathers for food. Don’t you have something valuable to offer?”

nErebus muttered, “Her feathers fall out, and she has plenty stashed away, so it doesn’t matter. My mane, once it falls, I don’t usually collect it.”

nWilliam’s eyes narrowed, “So, she’s got a stash of feathers, huh?”

nBefore Erebus could respond, Luna jumped forward and smacked his head, “Why are you so dumb? Answering everything you’re asked?”

nErebus realized his mistake and said to William, looking aggrieved, “She only has two feathers stashed away.”

nClearly, this was a deliberate concealment.

nIf it were really just two feathers, Luna wouldn’t have hit Erebus.

nAfter hitting Erebus, Luna turned to William, “I only have a dozen or so feathers in total. Even if I gave them to you, it wouldn’t be enough to make a fan.”

nWilliam replied with a smile, “I wouldn’t ask for your things for nothing. How about this? A hundred feathers in exchange for a special pill.”

nLuna scoffed, “What pill could be worth a hundred of my feathers?”

nAfter a moment of thought, William took out a small glass vial, “This is a ‘Dragon Heart Pill,’ made from the blood of a dragon’s heart.”

nLuna stared at the small glass vial in William’s hand, trying to sense the aura of the pill, but found that the vial completely blocked any scent from the pill.

n“Made from the heart’s blood of a dragon? Are you trying to fool a child?” Despite her skepticism, Luna’s gaze never left the vial, clearly believing what William said.

nGiven William’s identity, it seemed unlikely that he would deceive her.

nWilliam chuckled and put away the pill, “If you don’t believe it, let’s forget it.”

nThe “Dragon Heart Pill” is said to be crafted from the heart’s blood of a mythical creature – a dragon, known for its immense power and mysterious origins.

nLuna, being a creature of extraordinary lineage, might break through to an unprecedented realm if she used this “Dragon Heart Pill.”

nBut how could William possibly possess such a thing?

nThis was the heart’s blood of a dragon!

nIf William really had such an item, why wouldn’t he use it himself?

nEven the god-kings of the Divine Realm would treat such a divine medicine as a sacred object. Yet William was willing to trade it for a hundred of Luna’s feathers?

nHowever, if William really wanted her feathers, with his power, he could easily force Luna back to her original form and pluck her feathers as he pleased, even cooking a dish of roasted phoenix meat.

nConsidering this, Luna eventually believed him. “I believe you! It’s just a hundred feathers,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I’ll give them to you tomorrow!”

nWilliam smiled and gestured with his hand, “They should be this long, I don’t want the short ones.” He had initially made the offer casually, not expecting Luna to agree.

nIn that case, let’s trade the pill for her.

nAfter all, it’s been lying around for tens of thousands of years. It was just something used for alchemy practice experiments back in the day and doesn’t have much use now.

nAs a member of the 13th Bureau, he now needed a more ordinary magical artifact,the items in his spatial storage ring were a bit too frightening to use publicly.

nHe thought making a fan from Luna’s feathers for everyday use would be appropriate. .

nIf Luna knew William’s reasoning, that he considered using her feathers because they were relatively ‘ordinary’, she would surely be infuriated enough to hit Erebus again.

nHow dare he call the feathers of a phoenix ‘ordinary’?

nOn their way home, Luna was conflicted and silent, while Erebus also kept quiet.

nAlmost reaching home, Erebus couldn’t help but ask, “Um… Mr. Johnson, is there anything on me that could be worth something in exchange?”

nWilliam sized up Erebus and said, “Your fur isn’t very useful.”

nErebus was on the verge of tears.

nHe used to mock Luna for having fewer feathers than the mane on his body, but now he realized that it’s the scarcity that makes something truly valuable.

nSeeing Erebus’s pitiful look, William, feeling playful, chuckled and said, “I have two of these pills. How about this: you negotiate with Luna to see if she can spare another hundred feathers, and I’ll give you another pill. What do you think?”

nErebus’s eyes lit up at first, then he looked at Luna with a pleading gaze…

n“Darn servant! What are you thinking? Two hundred feathers? Do you really want to pluck me bare?” Luna instinctively stepped back.

nErebus whispered, “We can just pluck from different spots.”

nLuna glared at him, “Didn’t you hear him? He only wants feathers as long as those on the tail!”

nErebus looked at Luna with starry eyes, not saying a word.

nThe two kids stood in the yard, staring at each other.

nWilliam stretched lazily and said, “You guys take your time to discuss. I’m going to sleep.”

nAfter saying that, he returned to the bedroom, closed the door, and lay down on the bed to sleep.

nHalf an hour later, William heard Luna and Erebus’s voices in the yard.

nLuna: “You’ve chosen the right ones! They need to be this length! Not a bit longer or shorter, don’t waste them.”

nErebus: “Yeah, yeah! I’m looking carefully.”

nLuna: “Ouch! Be gentle when you pluck! Are you stupid?”

nErebus replied, “I can’t pull them out without using more force.”

nLuna seemed to get angry, “Then can you not just pluck from one spot?”

nErebus sounded very aggrieved, “Isn’t that the length you said?”

nHearing their voices from the yard, William smiled silently to himself and drifted into a comfortable sleep.

nWilliam’s actions perfectly embodied the saying: It’s not that the old have become wicked, it’s that the wicked have grown old.

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