Chapter 338 Selfish Expectation
West Fortress was a project Moku created to test the real-world application of Pandava. With Pandava, Moku could create anything as long as his imagination could provide detailed specifications. However, this didn't mean he could replicate the exact properties of the original object.
For example, he could create a mutated animal's mana organ in Pandava, but he couldn't give that mana organ the same power as the actual one. Despite using detailed imagination, achieving this level of complexity was extremely difficult.
However, what if he supported his imagination with dragon prana, just like when he used Vivid Dream's abilities? This way, Moku could replicate anything as long as he had enough dragon prana.
Moku could have directly created The Burrow and The Great Hall using Pandava. However, the required level of imagination was extremely complex and strained his mind to the point of exhaustion. Thus, he settled for creating replicas of the necessary materials and asked the arions to help assemble them.
Unfortunately, these replicas couldn't last long and would disappear once their dragon prana was depleted. To address this, Moku attempted to seal his dragon prana within the replicas, similar to how he sealed mana organs during the early stages of Vithaen Possession Art.
Although this method extended their lifespan, the results were not entirely satisfying. The dragon prana within the replicas would still be used up, causing them to vanish eventually. Thus, Moku needed an energy source to sustain the dragon prana and prevent the replicas from disappearing.
Moku conducted experiments to create replicas capable of absorbing mana from their surroundings, mimicking the mana flow within the mana species' bodies.
After various trials, Moku succeeded in creating replicas with exceptional durability. Their endurance possibly even exceeded that of the original objects.
Moreover, by emulating the spell fusion concept of the mana species, Moku could give these replicas properties similar to specific Spell Factions. For instance, the stones used to construct The Burrow and The Great Hall possessed the hardness of Earth Spell Faction spell, surpassing ordinary stones.
With the successful creation of these replicas, Moku could replicate mana organs limitlessly. However, he remained hesitant to use them in Wilwatikta Kingdom. Thus, he created West Fortress as an experimental stronghold built with replicas from the use of Pandava.
The structure of The Burrow resembled that of Orc's Burrow, with four floors, three underground and one above the surface as a Pillbox. The distinguishing factor lay in the ballistae used.
The ballistae in The Burrow were replicas capable of shooting poison or fire arrows when infused with dragon prana or mana. Unlike conventional ballistae, The Burrow's ballistae could fire continuously without the need to reload.
As for The Great Hall, it possessed a unique ability called "Fear Aura." When activated, enemies near The Great Hall would experience the mental attack of fear and dizziness.
Hidden compartments on the roof of The Great Hall housed additional ballistae, similar to the ones in The Burrow. When foes succumbed to the effects of the Fear Aura, the arions could shoot them from above using the ballistae.
Like Orc's Burrow and The Burrow, The Great Hall also had four floors: three underground floors and one above ground, designated for events and welcoming guests.
The second floor served as the sleeping quarters. Currently, there were only a few bedrooms available, not enough to accommodate all of Moku's wives. However, this was not a concern as The Great Hall and West Fortress were not their actual residences; they were merely camouflage for their plans.
On the third floor, there was a storage room where Moku kept his replicas. He had already created enough replicas to form three Great Halls and a thousand Burrows. Moku continued to experiment with the power of Pandava, aware that this ability held many secrets yet to be discovered.
As for the fourth floor, it remained empty and its purpose undecided. Moku planned to use it as additional storage for his replicas once the third floor became full.
"Moku, you're back? What happened earlier?" came Nevare's voice, or what should be called back by Anna now. Her footsteps slowly ascended the stairs from the second floor, drawing closer.
Moku quickly snapped out of his thoughts and refocused on his act. After all, he wasn't sure if this plan would succeed. In the worst-case scenario, he would simply have to leave West Fortress and go back into hiding in Wilwatikta Kingdom for a while.
"Anna, come here quickly and see who I've brought with me!" Moku exclaimed with a smile as he hurried to go in front of the stairs that lead to the first floor of The Great Hall.
He glanced towards Artur, whose face clearly showed surprise. He seemed incredulous at what he had just heard, yet a hint of jealousy flickered in his eyes. Perhaps it was because Anna had called Moku in such a gentle and concerned tone.
"This boy is sick. No matter how beautiful Anna is, she's still his own sister," Moku cursed silently to himself.
As Anna reached the last step of the staircase, heading towards the first floor of The Great Hall, Moku gazed at the person who had once captured his heart. Her long, silver hair cascaded down to her hips, and her petite face exuded charm and cuteness, making it irresistible to stare at.
She was dressed in a blue gown made from the beautiful fur of a mutated animal that Moku had gifted her. This particular animal had exquisite fur, and Moku had skinned it to create the gown, enlisting Lina's help for the tailoring.
Moku recalled the jealousy of his other wives, Nezena, Nerphyl, and Nedira when he presented the gown to Anna. As a result, he had to find another mutated animal with equally stunning fur.
In a way, Moku was grateful that his wives had formed factions, with the Main Queen as the leader of each faction. This meant he didn't have to give dresses to his other wives individually and only had to deal with the jealousy from the four Main Queens.
Seeing Anna looking so beautiful, Moku felt himself falling in love all over again. Well... perhaps every time he looked at Anna or Nevare, he would experience that feeling of falling in love.
Moku approached Anna and hugged his wife tightly. Nevare's height was around two meters, so hugging her like this was not an issue. However, Anna's height was only 160 centimeters, making her appear as though Moku was carrying a small child.
Moku gently kissed Anna's forehead, and she closed her eyes with a smile on her face. Perhaps she felt the same way as Moku did at that moment. Though they couldn't read each other's minds, their gazes conveyed what was in their hearts.
Her serene smile made her look even more adorable, prompting Moku to kiss her cheek as well. Anna giggled, feeling ticklish, and she truly seemed like a little child in Moku's embrace.
Their eyes locked again, and Anna instinctively caressed Moku's cheek. Her hands might not cover a quarter of his face, but their warmth was unmistakable.
As their faces drew closer, almost about to kiss, the onlookers behind them couldn't bear it any longer.
"EHEM!!"
Moku and Anna stopped their affectionate display as they suddenly realized they were not alone. In fact, Moku had been completely unaware that others were watching them.
Feeling a bit annoyed, Moku set Anna down from his lap. Nevertheless, they had successfully executed their first plan to showcase affection between a human woman and an arion to their audience, especially to Gathjee and Artur.
"Ah, forgive me. This is my wife, Anna," Moku introduced Anna to them.
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to West Fortress," Anna greeted in a noble manner, curtsying gracefully.
"Ahem... ahem... hmm... may I ask if you are truly Anna Morris?" Gathjee inquired with narrowed eyes.
Anna nodded, "Yes, I am Anna Morris."
Gathjee scrutinized Anna from head to toe, "Are you a human?"
Anna tilted her head, "Hmm? Of course, I am a human," she answered, seemingly puzzled by Gathjee's question.
Before Gathjee could continue his inquiry, the silver-haired man behind him couldn't contain his emotions any longer.
"ANNA!!!"
His shout startled everyone, and all eyes turned to him. Artur's face turned red, and he seemed to be breathing irregularly. His fists clenched as he stared at Anna with a mix of emotions.
Anna turned to Artur and waved casually, "Hi, Artur. It seems like you're doing well, thank goodness," she said nonchalantly.
Moku fought back a laugh seeing Artur's stunned expression when Anna greeted him so casually. He knew Artur's mind must be filled with various things, making him feel like he was about to explode. And that explosion was what Moku was waiting for.
"Hi? You're doing well? Thank goodness?" Each question made Artur's trembling intensify.
"Is that all you have to say? Just that? Don't you want to ask about our family? Don't you want to ask if Cila is okay? Don't you want to ask if Gerald is okay?"
"Oh? Are Mom and Dad okay?" Anna innocently inquired.
"YOU!!!" Artur's eyes widened as if he had been struck by lightning.
Moku wasn't sure what Artur expected from their reunion with Anna. Did he envision a meeting like a Hero rescuing a princess? Or perhaps a main character leveling up upon seeing his family being killed?
But one thing was certain, none of his expectations were becoming reality right now. The Anna standing before him appeared so beautiful, healthy, and happy.
And when those high expectations were not met, what would happen next?
"YOU!!! WHO ARE YOU? YOU ARE NOT THE ANNA I KNOW!!! HOW DARE YOU PRETEND TO BE ANNA!!!"