Pillar of Yita

Crackle, the campfire burst into a bright shower of sparks.

The shadows on the faces of the two by the fire flickered slightly, Tata silently watched the ashes swirling upward into the darkness, then looked up as the sparks ascended to the treetops before vanishing.

A half moon hung overhead, casting a cool silver light on distant hills.

On a distant branch perched an owl, its silver-gray feathers unmoving, staring intently in a specific direction. There, darkness reigned, illuminated only by the glowing fuzz on curled plants and fireflies dancing up and down, a sprinkling of lights within the ancient forest.

Fang Hong completed the final step and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He took a biscuit from his pocket, broke off a small piece with a ”snap,” and shared it with her, ”This is tonight’s dinner.”

Tata knelt on dry leaves, turning back curiously to look at him, ”Actually, I can go without eating.”

”But it feels odd eating alone, and besides, you don’t eat much anyway,” Fang Hong said, scratching his head sheepishly.

”We are out of food, right?”

”It’s okay, we can always find food in the forest.”

Miss Fairy held the biscuit in both hands, paused, and then took a bite. She chewed softly, her cheeks sprinkled with biscuit crumbs, then she daintily wiped her face with tiny hands—utterly adorable.

”Is it good?”

”The taste of sugar, very sweet.”

”Have you never eaten before?” Fang Hong asked curiously.

”Dragon Soul does not need to eat,” Tata replied, holding the biscuit and looking up at him.

”Ah?... Will that cause any problems?” Fang Hong grew concerned again, wondering if he had done something foolish.

But Tata shook her head, ”No,” she replied, ”The biscuit is quite nice, thank you.”

Fang Hong then breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been a day and a night since they left the Elf Ruins.

From the position of the sun relative to the Dragon Roar Mountains during the day, the Teleportation Array in the Angina Temple must have transported them to the south of the Sea of Ancient Trees. Fang Hong believed they must be near Elpaxin—meaning they were very close to Rainbow Bay Area.

Basically opposite to the direction of Concealing Spring and Kapuka.

Tata also agreed with this assessment.

Rainbow Bay, located south of the Sea of Ancient Trees near the Cloud Sea, earned its name due to the long, curved coastline it shares with the Floating Continents of Tarun and Ishurian, and the perennially shifting rainbow colors of its cloud cover.

Since it was too far from Kapuka, going in the opposite direction, Fang Hong had no plans to return to Rodell’s region. Instead, he planned to head to Elpaxin first—Elpaxin was the foremost of seven cities in Rainbow Bay, a hub of commerce and trade in the south of Tarun, and also home to the Artisans’ Association of the Sea of Ancient Trees.

Perfect for undergoing the Alchemist’s advancement examination, and then finding a way to catch a scheduled ship to Aquen.

From Aquen to the capital of Colin Kingdom, Golande Port, there was an overland route, and walking would only take half a month.

Golande was where the Morning Dawn Star Adventure Group was registered, which housed a massive differential engine in the Colin Ishurian Geographic and Explorers’ Association headquarters, relying on punched paper tapes to record and store the status of each registered Adventure Group.

He wanted to see which members of Morning Dawn Star had survived. Mr. Kroid and the others, whether they had managed to leave the Dead Silence Zone and escape death—although the chances were slim. The Jiefulite Red Cloak Team even had free time to hunt him down, likely with little hope for the others.

But even if everyone was gone, he at least wanted to perpetuate and register the name.

Because he had promised Miss Sicape to keep the Morning Dawn Star existing forever.

As long as he was in this world for another day—

Of course, Fang Hong also had his own goals.

Becoming a certified Alchemist was just one of them; more importantly, accumulating experience and wealth to prepare his own Floating Ship. An Adventure Group bent on going to the Second World necessitated at least a Floating Ship as basic equipment.

Of course, this goal was somewhat too distant.

A ship of class seven or lower was at least worth over a million Lycel, and such ships were not suited for long voyages. Fang Hong was aiming for at least a class six Escort Ship, that type of winged-structure warship manufactured in Colin Ishurian sold for tens of millions Lycel due to its limited production—monopolized by Colin Ishurian’s navy and various major guilds, effectively priceless.

Fang Hong didn’t have many thoughts about this, only resolving to take one step at a time, and if nothing else, he could settle for an airship-type structure as traveling to the Second World was not an easy task in itself.

He was never blindly optimistic.

Afterward, he also planned to make a detour to visit the legendary Green Dragon ’Meijeli’ on Fenris Isle. Located between Tarun and Aquen over the Sky Sea, right in the flight path of the scheduled ships, rumors suggested this Giant Dragon was a tycoon in the Cloud Sea Region and also the honorary vice-chairman of Colin Ishurian Artisans’ Association Guild.

Fang Hong had long heard interesting tales about this fascinating dragon.

However, the most immediate concern was finding a way out of this forest.

Fang Hong touched his stomach unconsciously; after eating that biscuit, hunger seemed even more apparent. His vision darkening, he looked up at the deep forest around him. Known as ’Egon,’ meaning Lowland Forest, due to its location downstream of Golgon River, the forest was rich in natural resources but exponentially more dangerous than its northern parts surrounded by wetlands and swamps.