In the Healing Corruption Church, Sister Ilois was outside her wooden hut boiling hot water. The church was modestly equipped, with few amenities available to offer guests, but today’s guest surely didn’t mind.
Inside the prayer hall, the benevolent gaze from the Mother Goddess Statue divided the space into two halves—one side seated Fisher on a wooden chair, while Valentina and her subordinates occupied the other.
Schwali Scholar Balzac surveyed the surrounding scenery. As a scholar well-versed in the history of the Northern Realm, he understood the reasons behind the establishment of a Mother Goddess Church in this region. Attracted by the traces of time on the surrounding walls, he unconsciously began searching for any connection between the church and the Moon Rabbit Orphan they were seeking.
The Lion-man, Philis, was also looking around, but upon finding no shimmering objects inside the church, she retracted her gaze with a hint of disappointment and leaned back on her chair, idly doing nothing, casting wary and skeptical glances at Fisher occasionally.
Among the four on the other side, only Valentina and her subordinate Helldor were attentively listening to Fisher’s explanation.
"The situation is roughly as follows," Fisher recounted how he had come ashore, arrived at this church, and caused Sister Ilois’s belly to swell—all while repackaging his initial purpose of coming ashore, presenting his desire for the Demi-human Girls Completion Manual as a research interest in demi-humans.
Valentina didn’t respond immediately after listening; her fingers lightly rubbed a ring, seemingly pondering. Instead, Helldor, standing behind her, let out a puff of steam and turned his head towards Sister Ilois, who emerged from behind the statue carrying hot water. He spoke on behalf of Valentina,
"Szz... I’ve heard that female Moon Rabbits can experience false pregnancies. I used to work near Nebalon Kingdom. Only those with illnesses or under severe stress would exhibit such symptoms. It seems that this Moon Rabbit Orphan isn’t in good health."
"Szz... But it’s not something too severe. She should recover slowly on her own in a week or two, without any lasting effects."
It seemed that the cause of Sister Ilois’s false pregnancy was similar to what Fisher had presumed. He didn’t know much about her health condition, but it must have been caused by the shock of seeing Dalasgon, hiding behind her in the moonlight last night, combined with her long-standing poor nutritional status.
Fisher glanced at Sister Ilois, who carefully carried the hot water out. The Demi-human Girls Completion Manual burning against his chest seemed to signify an advancement in his biological research.
"Well," questioned Ilois after distributing hot water, sitting not far from Fisher and looking apprehensively at Valentina before her, "you keep calling me ’Moon Rabbit Orphan’... why is that? Though I am of the Moon Rabbit Species, my parents weren’t anything special and have been deceased for a long time... I mean, it’s possible you have the wrong person."
Valentina, holding the warm cup, her originally pale skin flushed pink from the heat, took a gentle sip before slightly lifting her eyes,
"You may not be aware of the current situation in Nebalon Kingdom after you left. All known Moon Rabbits have vanished, apart from some distant relatives near Snow Mountain. You are the last known direct descendant of the Moon Rabbit Bloodline."
Valentina’s statement was calm, yet Ilois’s expression stiffened upon hearing this, seemingly incredulous. She shook her head, murmuring,
"No... that’s not possible. I remember things from my childhood. There were many of my kind by the seaside, in the cities, and during festivals, my father would even take me to visit their homes... Even if my father and I experienced a maritime accident, they should still be... alive."
Valentina shook her head, her expression also seemed regretful,
"Unfortunately, that is the truth. Over the past decade, the number of Moon Rabbits in Nebalon Kingdom has declined sharply. Most died mysteriously at night. Even those who left Nebalon couldn’t escape their fate... You must also be aware of the ancient mythology in the Northern Realm about the Frost Phoenix. The Moon Rabbit Species once paid allegiance to the Phoenix, known for their ability to see hidden things in the night..."
"Therefore, I can’t help but suspect that the demise of the Moon Rabbits was caused by something they saw at night, undoubtedly related to the legendary ’Frost Snow Phoenix Tree.’"
Fisher, sitting beside Ilois, wore a grave expression. He hadn’t expected that among the current Moon Rabbits of the Northern Realm, only Ilois remained... This also sparked a doubt within him on whether his luck had been too extraordinary to have been washed ashore during the storm, right outside the Healing Corruption Church, where Ilois found him.