Colar of the Moon: Fragment of a Shattered Utopia

Luo Shu took a deep breath, feeling a sense of unprecedented ease. The sensation was an elevation that transcended human nature, as if he had become an all-knowing, omnipotent deity…

Well, that was an illusion.

He closed his eyes and pondered, recalling the piece "Coral of the Moon" by *Nao Mushrooms.

*(TL/N - The true Creator of Lunar Colar/ Coral of the Moon is Kinoko Nasu. But in the translation, it seems to be this, idk if the author did this intentionally.)

As the saying goes, to lift the pen, one must first immerse oneself in the subject.

With continuous adjustments, restarts, and meticulous refinements…

Luo Shu slowly opened his eyes, his expression sorrowful. His pale fingers rested on the keyboard.

---

The Final Fate of Humanity · Part Two: Coral of the Moon

"The stars shine brightly, the sea whispers, and the coral speaks of its love for humanity."

The sky is imbued with water, the water fills the sky, and the moon unfurls a shattered ocean.

Beautiful illustrations flashed across his mind.

A melancholic, ethereal background track played softly.

It was like longing, like mourning, like weeping, like confiding. The aftertaste lingered, delicate and continuous.

"After the policy to immigrate to the moon was enacted, humanity suddenly lost all its passion."

"This included the passion for exploration, the thirst for knowledge, and the drive to procreate…"

The tension in the words penetrated the paper, soaking one's heart with a deep sorrow.

Just by witnessing a few sparse sentences, one was struck with an unparalleled impact.

This wasn't some housewife complaining that her son was a shut-in; no, it was the entire human race losing interest in everything.

Humanity…

Had lost its future.

This cold fact ran through everything.

But this was not the end of the story…

In the end, people on Earth had sent nearly all their cultural achievements to the moon.

Because the people on the surface could survive without civilization, but the people on the moon would perish without it.

"It is your responsibility to preserve the crystallization of human wisdom. We are already quite fed up with it."

"The Earthlings grumbled, impatiently passing the burden onto the people of the moon."

At this point, Luo Shu sighed slightly.

In the world of Type-Moon, humanity would always face an inevitable end.

Humanity, centered on magic, marched toward "The Steel Earth" due to the excessive exploitation of planetary resources.

Centered on technology, humanity lost all its passion and marched toward the "Coral of the Moon."

However, the style of Coral of the Moon was far too gentle…

Like a knife coated with candied fruit, making people savor the sorrowful sweetness of its tone.

…

…

"Damn it, when will The Steel Earth be updated!?"

In the room, Shiba Yuka muttered, clearly displeased with Merlin's lack of updates.

Ever since she discovered this masterpiece, she had been unable to think by day or sleep by night, logging in four or five times a day to check if Merlin had updated.

And then...

There was nothing more.

Merlin's conscience must have gone off to enjoy himself, and there was just one lonely post about The Steel Earth.

Yuka was furious.

How could you leave such a good story unfinished?

Unethical author, don't let me catch you!

Otherwise, you'll regret it!

"Doo doo doo—."

The girl frowned, looking down to see the chat group on her social media constantly flashing.

That group was made up of Merlin's hardcore fans.

Ah, no…

To be precise, they were fans of The Steel Earth, a group of netizens from all corners of the world, where every day they whipped Merlin for digging a hole without filling it, all the while hyping up The Steel Earth.

The messages were coming in fast—was something happening?

Curious, Shiba Yuka moved her mouse and clicked on the group.

[The Steel Earth Update Request Group - No. 67 (Full)]

[Fallen Saint Black Cat: "@Everyone, holy crap, the old thief updated!"]

[Online Love Interest Can't Be A Girl: "@Fallen Saint Black Cat, really?!"]

[Never Back Down: "Holy crap, The Steel Earth came back from the dead!"]

[Your Highness: "Unfortunately, I went to check Merlin's homepage, and he hasn't updated The Steel Earth. Instead, he started a new project called 'Coral of the Moon'..."]

[Chaos Moment: "Merlin's conscience really should die, can't he have some dignity…!!"]

[Thousand Feathers and Dust: "Digging a hole and not filling it, you...!!"]

"Merlin!!"

Looking at the chat records, Shiba Yuka was fuming.

This guy started yet another new project.

Can't you have a little decency? At least finish The Steel Earth!

She quickly ran to Merlin's homepage comment section, cursing and frantically typing on the keyboard. Her pale fingers left trails of motion as she hammered out two thousand words.

When she was finally out of breath and slightly panting, the girl gave a hum and stopped her rant.

Cursing aside, the new story Merlin started still had to be checked out.

Coral of the Moon?

What a beautiful name.

Filled with anticipation, she clicked on the new story.

"Although it sounds a bit ridiculous, my grandmother seems to be from the moon."

"This year, it is finally coming to an end."

A sorrowful BGM melody began to play, and the familiar standard instantly drew her in.

Shiba Yuka's eyes lit up.

There was no mistake. This novel was indeed a masterpiece penned by Merlin himself.

Though the old thief often left his readers hanging, there was no denying his storytelling skills.

With satisfaction, she put on her headphones, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile as she hummed a cheerful tune.

---

An hour later.

"…"

The beautiful background music suddenly stopped, and Shiba Yuka silently removed her headphones. Her eyes were red, and a drop of crystal-clear tear fell with a soft plop. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Merlin...

Do you even know what you've written?!

Why must it be so heartbreaking?

Why use such gentle words to tell such a cruel story?

It was too tragic…

It felt as if a beautiful utopia was collapsing, as if all romanticism and idealism had been strangled at the throat, suffocated by desire… and ultimately died because of it, with humanity's civilization quietly vanishing.

As a reflection of the times, the protagonist of Coral of the Moon did not fare any better.

The girl, not meant to be human, transformed into one.

The one without emotions, who came to understand love.

A one-sided love, an arrogant decision, and all they prayed for was the other's happiness.

What an unfortunate yet, in a way, fortunate pair they were...

Perhaps in the end, the merchant's journey was meant to prove that the Earth and the Moon had not abandoned each other, responding to the call of the coral with the light of the moon.

However, Shiba Yuka didn't quite like this ending, which left behind most of the memories. It felt sad.

That desolate feeling could travel through the orchestra, passing through your hands, your arms, your spine, rushing straight to the top of your head!

The change in the BGM midway was even more stunning.

The subsequent madness seemed to accuse the happiness of humanity's past life.

After finishing, there was a sense of despair, as if it were the pain of being abandoned, forgotten, and the helplessness of being swept along by the tide of the times.

"This is... the end of humanity?"

She muttered to herself, her gaze unfocused. For a moment, she couldn't pull herself out of the story.

The Steel Earth Update Group was also eerily silent…

It took quite a while for everyone to recover.

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*(TL/N - i cant find a raw chinese version of this that has chapter 54+. If you guys want me to continue this by using mtl and fixing some of its grammar as much as possible, please do leave a comment so i can decide.)