171. Dropped Standard

He hadn’t seen them yet, but he could already hear their voices.

Uchiha Gin heard the coquettish sounds from afar and couldn’t help feeling secretly delighted. Could it be that his lucky day had finally arrived?

He quickly took out a mirror from his bag, tidied up his appearance, and flashed what he thought was a charming smile.

Flicking his curly bangs to the side, he waved leisurely at the approaching figures, calling out, “Ladies~ Here I am! Take a good look, beauties!”

As the figures in medieval-style robes came closer, Uchiha Gin, who had been eagerly looking forward with a grin, finally saw their faces in full detail thanks to his enhanced vision.

A bone-chilling cold surged from his brain down his spine.

Cold sweat broke out on his back, his playful smile vanished, and his eyes widened in terror as if he had just seen some ancient demon.

While he was still frozen in shock, the owner of the voice stood before him.

“Oh~ handsome boy, where did you come from? Where are you headed?”

The woman at the front, her small, beady eyes scanning him from top to bottom multiple times, couldn’t suppress her smile as she asked with her hand covering her mouth.

“Uh... Ahem. I’m a humble monk from the East—ah, sorry, wrong lines.”

Hearing her question, Uchiha Gin, finding her voice oddly familiar, instinctively started a response, only to catch himself mid-sentence.

He quickly waved his hands to withdraw his words.

The women’s gazes reminded him of a lamb being eyed by hungry wolves.

Reflexively, Uchiha Gin took a few steps back, putting some distance between them.

He clutched his collar protectively, not wanting to invite any unwelcome interest.

“Ladies, I’m just a passerby who accidentally ended up here. Is there any way I can return home?”

Uchiha Gin gave the women in front of him a quick once-over. Aside from the woman at the front, the others, although a bit older, were not unattractive.

He averted his gaze, maintaining a calm expression as he lied through his teeth.

“Oooh, look, he’s blushing!”

The leading woman mistook his avoidance as shyness, laughing heartily as she turned to the others.

“Hehe, how long has it been since we last saw such a young and vigorous man?”

“Must be at least ten years, right?”

“No, it’s been twenty since I saw a strapping lad like this~”

The women in the back launched into an intense discussion about men, finally reaching some kind of consensus.

Their red-glowing eyes locked onto Uchiha Gin, as if ready to consume him, leaving not even the bones.

Thanks to his exceptional sensitivity, Uchiha Gin could sense their not-malevolent-but-somehow-more-frightening intentions.

He clamped his legs together, mentally preparing to defend his honor.

“Handsome boy~ Since you’re lost, why don’t you come rest at our palace and have some tea?”

The woman at the front waved to calm her tribe’s eager looks, inviting Uchiha Gin with a laugh.

Despite her attempt at restraint, desire was unmistakable in her tiny eyes.

“Um... I guess I’ll accept your kind offer.”

Hearing her invitation, Uchiha Gin, already having a plan in mind, slowly turned back, smiling politely at the lead woman as he indicated he indeed needed a rest.

“Alright! Off we go, ladies!”

The leading woman, unable to hide her delight, flashed a wide grin.

Facing her smile, Uchiha Gin felt his stomach churn, but he forced himself to smile politely in return.

“Whoosh~”

With a command, several floating boats adorned with ornate carvings and a sun-like emblem on the side flew in from the horizon.

Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow, recognizing the emblem—it was the Otsutsuki clan’s symbol.

“Hop on~”

The woman leapt onto one of the boats, her considerable weight making it creak in protest.

“Thank you so much! Without you all, I wouldn’t know what to do!”

Putting on a grateful expression, Uchiha Gin jumped on board, and with a signal, the boats slowly floated upward, heading towards a cluster of floating islands in the sky.

“So, handsome, how old are you? Married yet?”

On the way, the woman, resembling some kind of nightmarish princess, struggled to turn her thick neck, asking in a bird-like, high-pitched voice to Uchiha Gin, who was deep in thought behind her.

“Huh? Age? Oh, I’m just... just eighteen!”

How old was he again? Since Uchiha Gin triggered the longevity bug, he hadn’t cared much about his age.

He vaguely remembered he was around thirty-six now. But to play it safe, he’d say eighteen!

“You do look... quite mature.”

“Mature for my age, you could say~”

“And marriage? Any partner?”

“No, none.”

Uchiha Gin replied confidently—no marriage certificate meant he was single!

“Hehe, that’s wonderful, truly wonderful~”

Hearing his response, the woman smiled in satisfaction, her head turning forward. The boat accelerated as her anticipation grew, bringing them closer to his destination.

Before long, they arrived at a floating island cluster, densely packed with islands of all sizes.

The woman’s status appeared high; she guided the boat directly to the grand palace at the center before stopping.

“Oh dear! I was so excited I forgot to ask for your name, handsome! I’m Otsutsuki Akemi.”

As they stepped off the boat, the woman in front, suddenly realizing she didn’t know his name, turned and asked.

“Oh, Sister’s name suits her perfectly.”

Suppressing his urge to retort, Uchiha Gin forced down a laugh and sincerely praised her.

“As for me, just call me Gin, Sister.”

After all, it wasn’t like people on the moon could track him down, so using his real name wouldn’t matter.

“Gin~ you rest here for now. I have to step out, but I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Leading Uchiha Gin through the opulent palace, Otsutsuki Akemi finally brought him to a large bedroom. Reluctantly, she stood up to leave, looking at the handsome young man in front of her.

“Someone will bring you our specialty dishes soon. If you need anything, just ask the butler.”

With that, the woman heaved her enormous body and disappeared down the palace corridor.

“Phew~ does this count as a successful infiltration?”

Once he was sure she was gone, Uchiha Gin collapsed onto the spacious bed, rubbing his sore eyes from the memory of her face.

“When did the Otsutsuki clan’s beauty standards drop so low? I thought they were supposed to be all handsome men and beautiful women?”