A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 237: The Moon Goddess
Chapter 237: The Moon Goddess

After hearing Arix’s plan, Cassian and Drexel exchanged a look.

Both of them thought that Arix’s idea might be a bit too bold. The idea of pretending to be the Moon Goddess was something most people wouldn’t even dare to think of.

They were worried that if the Moon Goddess Temple found out the truth, they’d definitely be in big trouble, likely facing a relentless chase to the ends of the universe.

In the end, Drexel carefully suggested, ”Arix, maybe we should come up with a safer plan. The Moon Goddess Temple probably has ways to tell the real Moon Goddess from a fake one. If they find out, we won’t even make it out of the temple.”

Just thinking about what could happen if they got caught made Drexel’s legs start to tremble. He hadn’t even gotten married or had a career yet—he wasn’t ready to die young!

Seeing Drexel’s pitiful expression, Arix rolled her eyes and said, ”Don’t worry, there’s no way we’ll get caught.” After all, she was the real deal.

Drexel was speechless. He wondered where Arix got all this confidence from.

Seeing that he couldn’t change Arix’s mind, Drexel turned his gaze to Cassian, hoping that Arix’s fiance could stop her. But Cassian, after his initial surprise, just smiled at Arix.

”Arix, do whatever you want. I’ve got your back,” Cassian said, looking at the young woman with a mix of affection and deep emotion.

Drexel’s face immediately went blank. He realized he had made a mistake by relying on someone so lovestruck.

”Thank you, Cassian,” Arix said with a bright smile. Then the three of them started putting their plan into action.

First, Cassian carried Arix, who had transformed into Sylvana, and deliberately appeared near a well-known paparazzo. After letting the paparazzo take a few blurry photos with his poor stalking skills, Cassian and Arix quickly disappeared from sight, hiding their success.

”Will this really work? What if the people from the Moon Goddess Temple don’t check the interstellarnet?” Drexel, who was waiting nearby like a scared puppy, fretted.

”Don’t worry, even if they don’t see it, I’ll make sure they do,” Arix said confidently, raising her head, which now had two small horns.

Cassian, clearly charmed, affectionately patted Arix’s soft, fluffy head, his smile showing just how happy he was.

”Alright, as long as there are no problems,” Drexel said, not pressing for details since he knew his sister wouldn’t tell him anyway.

As expected, the paparazzo immediately uploaded the photos to the interstellarnet. At first, the people of the Empire were captivated by Cassian’s stunning looks. Only a few noticed the figure Arix, whom Cassian was holding in the center of the shot.

- ”BirdsOfAFeather”: ”Huh, what breed is this pet? I’ve never seen one like it before.”

- ”LightsOutMonk”: ”Doesn’t matter what it is, it’s so cute! I want one too!”

- ”MysteryInTheTrunks”: ”Wait, doesn’t this pet kind of look like our Moon Goddess...?”

The commenter sounded hesitant, but their words made the chat go silent for a moment.

Then, an interstellarnet historian pulled up a photo of Arix and compared it with an image of the Moon Goddess. The 100% similarity instantly caused a huge uproar across the Empire’s interstellarnet.

- ”FlatAsAField”: ”OMG, OMG, OMG, I actually saw the Moon Goddess! Am I dreaming, folks?”

- ”SchoolIsGoneSunIsBright”: ”Whether we’re dreaming or not, why is the Moon Goddess with the royal family? Shouldn’t she be in the Moon Goddess Temple receiving worship?”

- ”GirlsRuleOrGetDitched”: ”Good point! I asked my cousin, who’s a follower at the Moon Goddess Temple, and they don’t know anything about this. Is the royal family trying to keep the Moon Goddess for themselves?”

News that the royal family had found the Moon Goddess spread like wildfire throughout the Empire. The entire nation was buzzing about it.

The Moon Goddess Temple got wind of the news too. Though they were initially skeptical, their doubt quickly turned into joy, and they rushed to the palace in a flurry of excitement.

...

In the lush gardens of the royal palace, Cassian cradled Arix in his arms, a troubled expression on his face.

”There must be some mistake,” he insisted, with an innocent face. ”This is just a pet. How could it possibly be the Moon Goddess you’re searching for?”

Three priests from the Moon Goddess Temple had arrived at the palace, led by Vezgor, who maintained a calm demeanor. However, the other two couldn’t take their eyes off Arix from the moment they laid eyes on her.

Arix was now a stunning mix of tiger, white deer, and white wolf, complete with a pair of wings.

To the priests, there was no doubt—this creature was their Moon Goddess.

After a brief, knowing glance between them, the two priests began urging Cassian to hand over Arix so they could return her to the temple. But Cassian stubbornly maintained that they were mistaken. Finally, after much hesitation and a show of reluctance, he handed Arix over to Vezgor.

”No matter if Snowy is the Moon Goddess or not, she’s my friend. Please treat her well,” Cassian said, putting on a convincing display of heartbreak.

”Rest assured, Prince Cassian,” one of the priests replied. ”The Moon Goddess Temple has ways to verify her identity. If she isn’t the Moon Goddess, we will return her to you, unharmed.”

”That’s a relief,” Cassian responded, waving them off as if overcome with sadness. ”You may go now.”

Having accomplished their mission, the priests didn’t linger. They bid Cassian farewell and prepared to take Arix back to the Moon Goddess Temple.

Just before leaving, Vezgor shot Cassian a meaningful look. Cassian, unfazed, watched them depart. Once they were out of sight, he muttered under his breath, ”The rest is up to you.”

...

Arix kicked off her mission with a clear goal in mind.

The plan? Spread some carefully crafted fake news to fool the Moon Goddess Temple into thinking the royal family had truly found the Moon Goddess.

When the temple came to retrieve Arix, she’d have her chance to figure out how to push Scion and her grandfather out of the temple for good.

To pull this off, Arix had to fully embrace the role of a haughty, commanding Moon Goddess. Anytime a priest displeased her, she’d lunge at them with her claws. But just before making contact, Arix would pause, softening her strike to merely rip a few threads from their clothes.

By the time they made it back to the Moon Goddess Temple, only Vezgor’s outfit had minor tears, while the robes of the other two priests were practically in shreds.

Strangely, the priests didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, they fretted that their garments might’ve hurt Arix’s claws, grinning and falling over themselves to please her.

Arix, fed up with their groveling, turned away, choosing to ignore them.

Vezgor watched all this unfold with a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Their destination was the grand hall of the Moon Goddess Temple. Word had already spread, and the hall was packed, including almost all twelve Cardinals—a rare sight.

As Vezgor and his group entered, every eye in the room locked onto him. No, not him—onto the small creature cradled in his arms.

There was no mistaking it—this was their Moon Goddess!

Seeing this, excitement flared in the eyes of every priest.