"Nedira, are you ready?" Moku asked.
"I think so."
Nedira stepped out of the room with another female goblin. There was nothing different about her appearance, except for the silver wig she was wearing. However, the silver hair of the wig looked remarkably real.
"Hmm... I feel uncomfortable using Sister Nevare's hair. Is this okay, Moku?" Nedira asked, stroking the silver hair.
Nevare's hair on top of her head was so soft and emitted a lovely scent. Nedira couldn't help but think that maybe this was why Nevare was always Moku's favorite wife. Because of this, she felt a little jealous.
"We don't have any other choice. The stalkers will be approaching the camp soon, and it seems like the demons are getting suspicious too. We need to bait that person into attacking the camp as soon as possible. Otherwise, our next plan will become difficult to execute," Moku said, gently caressing Nedira's cheek.
He didn't want to touch the silver hair on Nedira's head. He knew that she was feeling jealous of Nevare's hair.
"Why don't you just transform me with Pandava? Wouldn't that be more efficient than Nevare having to cut her hair first?" Nedira asked, still feeling a bit uncomfortable with the wig.
Moku sighed, "Pandava can't transform someone's appearance that easily. Essentially, Pandava can only transform something that was already there or had an existing connection."
"For example, why Pandava could transform an asura back into its orc form. It's not because Pandava can mimic the orc's appearance, but it just reflects the asura's thoughts back into the real world. That's why a hobgoblin transformed back into a goblin by Pandava wouldn't feel any mana inside its body."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNedira nodded, starting to understand Moku's explanation.
"Is this also a concept from the Mind Realm?"
"Exactly. Though in the Mind Realm, an asura can create anything, those creations are just external imitations. For instance, when they create an apple in the Mind Realm, the apple will appear. However, the apple won't have the same smell and taste as a real apple."
"What about the Vivid Dream: Bhayangkara Squad that you showed when fighting Raiden before?"
"Vivid Dream is a new ability I developed to make what's created in the Mind Realm have the same properties as in the real world. To support this, I use the dragon prana as a foundation for my imagination," explained Moku.
However, he felt that Vivid Dream: Bhayangkara Squad wasn't as simple as just an empty body filled with dragon prana. He still remembered how Jayabaya and the Bhayangkara squad reacted when they saw him.
They were clearly like ancestors testing their grandchild's abilities. Moku didn't know what was really happening, and he didn't want to dwell on it too much. Every secret would be revealed as his power grew, Moku believed in that concept.
"So that's why I need Nevare's hair to truly become Anna, right?" said Nedira.
Moku nodded, "Exactly, with Nevare's hair, my imagination will have a foundation to form a shape that closely resembles the real Anna."
"Ugh... Do we really have to go this far to deceive that person?" asked Nedira.
While they were traveling through the cave, Moku called Nevare to meet them. Then he asked Nevare to cut her hair and give it to Nedira. Of course, Nevare was reluctant to fulfill Moku's request.
Though she could grow her hair again with the help of dragon prana in her body, her hair was still a woman's crown. She couldn't just give it away without a clear reason. However, when Moku explained his reasons, Nevare immediately cut her hair without any hesitation. As if she wanted to prove that she was no longer connected to that person and that she was Nevare, not Anna.
"While this may seem excessive, I prefer this plan to proceed flawlessly. Although there are other ways to make our stalkers attack this camp, I believe this is the most appropriate method. Anna's existence is the key to that person's vengeance and hope. I learned this after hearing Anna's story about that person."
Moku answered with a cunning smile on his face.
"Alright then. Quickly transform me before the demons start searching for this place," said Nedira while adjusting her wig.
"Okay," Moku channeled his consciousness into Pandava and activated Orb Intent, "[Vivid Dream: Anna]!"
Instantly, Nedira's body changed. She appeared shorter, with a smaller body than a hobgoblin, becoming a human woman. Finally, Moku could once again gaze upon the woman who stole his heart. The pearl among the dirt.
Her short white hair gracefully flowed to the edge of her chin, revealing her round and radiant face. Her shining brown eyes were nestled in their sockets, gazing into Moku's red eyes fearlessly. She wasn't just showing fear; in reality, she was seeking openings, weaknesses, and opportunities to exploit.
Her chubby cheeks seemed slightly scratched, probably from the thorns in the Bog forest. There was something mysterious about her, perhaps due to the undying flame of hope in her eyes.
"Hello, Anna. Nice to meet you again after so long!" Moku said with a grin.
"Hello, Moku. Unfortunately, I am not the Anna who made you fall in love. I am Nedira, your fourth wife! So stop calling me Anna before you completely miss the chance to suck on my breasts for the rest of your life!" Nedira retorted, squinting her eyes threateningly.
Moku burst into laughter. This time, it was truly his mistake; he mentioned another woman's name in front of his wife. So he simply patted Nedira's head without showing any indication of wanting intimacy. After all, Nedira was currently inside Anna's body, and if he were affectionate with her, his wife might think he was being intimate with Anna.
"They have arrived. We should prepare the stage for you to be a good bait. Although our current target can be easily enticed with your appearance now, it will be in vain if he cannot see it clearly," Moku said, holding 'Anna's' hand.
Simultaneously with the humming of Moku's dragon prana, both of their bodies slowly turned translucent and became invisible to the naked eye. They transformed into the Mind Body forms and leaped through the ground beneath them.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmTechnically, an asura could not transform a non-asura into a Mind Body form. However, there was an exception for their wives. Inside an asura's wife, there was her husband's dragon prana, allowing him to use that energy as a channel to transform his wife into Mind Body form.
Moku and Nedira resurfaced once again. The demons who were previously fighting over the human flesh seemed restless now, and suspicion towards the monsters carrying the carts filled with human meat began to arise. Some of them started moving towards the underground dungeon where the monsters were being held captive.
"They can monitor this camp now. You should start revealing yourself there. I'm sure that man is checking with his own eyes to see if Anna is not present in this camp. Act like Anna, naturally," Moku instructed Nedira.
"What is Anna like, anyway?" Nedira asked.
When the Goblin Tribe joined the Dawnmist Tribe, Anna had already transformed into Nevare. So Nedira never knew how Nevare used to behave when she was still human. As a Valkyrie, Nedira understood that there were behavioral changes when regular humans turned into monsters.
Moku stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm... She's like Nevare, but more reckless," he said with a small laugh.
"I see," Nedira nodded before releasing her hand from Moku's grasp and ran to the location he had indicated earlier.
Suddenly, her body became visible to the naked eye again, and of course, the man they were targeting also saw her. However, at this moment, the man only saw her back and hair, so Nedira intended to turn around to show her face.
But before she could turn, Moku said, "Nedira, the target is already hooked," and once again held her hand, transforming her back into Mind Body form.
"Eh?" Nedira was surprised.
She hadn't even shown her face, so how could the man be convinced that she was Anna? If that's the case, she didn't need to go through the trouble of fully transforming into Anna with the help of Pandava. Perhaps she just needed to wear the silver wig, and their target would be hooked.
Seeing his wife's confusion, Moku invited Nedira to jump onto the wall for a better view. From there, they could see a young man running rapidly towards this camp. His sword was drawn from its sheath, and his eyes locked onto the camp as if he wanted to burn it with his gaze.
"Moku, is the relationship between Anna and this man really just that of Sister and Brother?" Nedira asked, a little stunned.
"According to Nevare's story, yes," Moku nodded before turning to Nedira and inquiring, "Why do you ask?"
"His gaze... His eyes are the same as yours when you saw Nezena return with half her body missing. It's the gaze of a husband seeking revenge for his beloved," Nedira said.