Chapter 521: Splitting portion
A wave of joy and pride rushed through the gathered Evolvers. Hearing their saviour compliment their work made them proud of their work and time spent.
Rowan cleared his throat slightly.
"Boss. There’s something we’ve been waiting to handle. We held back on splitting the war bounty until you returned, like you ordered last time. So everything Layla’s inner circle had is still sitting in the secure storage rooms. The beast cores, the equipment, all of it."
Moon raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue. "Tell me more."
Rowan briefly walked through the framework the group had agreed upon. Those who had contributed the most during the assault would receive the largest shares. The next tier would receive significant but smaller portions.
The lowest contributors, those who had joined late or fought in support roles, would still receive enough to set them up comfortably for the next year of their evolution.
The families of those who had died during the operation would receive the entire share their loved one would have earned, sent to Earth through trusted intermediaries.
Moon listened carefully. The system was fair. Generous, even. Rowan had clearly given the matter serious thought, and the rest of the group had agreed on it together.
Rowan paused. "Also, the largest share belongs to you. You’re the reason any of this exists. The antidote, the freedom, the entire operation. Without you, every person in this room would still be a slave. We’ve set aside the most valuable items from the haul for you specifically."
Moon was quiet for a moment. Then he shook his head.
"Split my portion among everyone else."
The chamber went quiet.
Rowan’s brows furrowed slightly.
"Boss?"
"You heard me. I don’t want my share. Divide it equally among everyone else in the team. The families of the fallen included."
A murmur spread through the gathered Evolvers. Some of them exchanged confused glances.
"Boss, you don’t have to do that." Rowan said carefully. "You earned the largest share. Nobody here would dispute that. We are more than pleased to give you the entire share if you want."
Moon shrugged casually.
"I already got what I wanted out of Layla and her circle. The other things you have stored, the gold, the equipment, the side treasures, they’re not particularly useful to me. I have my own resources. I have my own equipment. I have my own path forward."
He looked around the chamber, meeting the eyes of the Evolvers gathered.
"But all of you, your power and path has been hindered by years because of what you’ve been through. You need more resources, more strength, and better recovery. You will need to grow stronger if you want to fight spirits. Besides, how will you protect this base, and the spirit base if you are not strong enough?"
He gave a small smile.
"So proceed with the original split, but add my portion to everyone else’s. The families included. Spread it the same way you did earlier."
Rowan stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he said, "Yes, boss."
The rest of the chamber expressed their greatest thanks. Not because anyone had ordered it. They did because they wanted to. Because in that moment, every single Evolver in the room felt something deeper than gratitude sprout into their chests.
"Get it done. I’ll be in the Sanctuary hunting for the next few hours. When I return, I expect everyone to be celebrating." Moon patted Rowan on his shoulder.
Rowan straightened up, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"It will be done."
Moon arrived outside, the strong wind of the floating island brushing against his face. The sky above was the same overcast grey it always was.
He sent a silent command through his cursed beast connection.
A few minutes later, a small figure padded out of the underbrush at the edge of the clearing.
The fox.
The same small beast that had played dead during the spirit pavilion’s arrival, that had crawled through the rubble of the meditation chamber, that had crushed the pavilion spirit’s core between its teeth and changed the outcome of the entire battle.
"Hello, buddy. Long time no see."
Moon crouched down to its level, a smile crossing his face. He had grown fond of this little one.
The fox was unique among his cursed beasts. Where most of them operated on simple instructions and instinctual aggression, this fox could follow a little more complex commands. It could think. It could improvise. It had been the one piece of the puzzle that had made killing the pavilion spirit possible.
The fox gently rubbed its head against his palm. Moon’s fingers ran through the soft fur along the back of its neck, scratching behind its ears.
The fox closed its eyes briefly, savoring the touch.
Then Moon stood, calling Mirage from the beast taming space.
The white steed appeared beside him, hooves touching down on the rocky ground with a soft thud.
Mirage immediately let out a low, pleased neigh and pressed his head against Moon’s face.
Moon smiled and ran his hand along the horse’s powerful neck.
"Sorry, partner. You’ve been in that space for a while now. I haven’t had the chance to let you out. The tournament’s been keeping me busy, and the situation back on Earth doesn’t leave a lot of room for stretching your legs."
Mirage huffed softly against his ear, conveying his understanding.
Moon swung his leg over the horse’s back and settled into a comfortable seat.
"But soon, everything is going to change. We just need to be patient. Get through the tournament. Survive what’s coming. And then..."
He looked out across the rocky terrain of the floating island, his eyes drifting toward the distant peak where the spirit pavilion still stood, now empty and his.
"Then we’ll have all the time in the world."
Mirage tossed his head and gave a soft, decisive neigh.
<...Alright.>
Moon nudged Mirage gently with his heels. The fox also settled on Mirage’s back alongside Moon.
The three of them set off across the floating island, ready to hunt.
The two Second Star beasts that Moon had were a little far from the base hunting, so he decided to make his way to them.
