Pillar of Yita

”That sister is so beautiful...” Gita couldn’t help but sigh.

The girl heard the voices and turned around.

She saw Fang Hong and nodded politely to the group. She seemed to have forgotten that she had met him in the square earlier and Fang Hong felt a mix of emotions, unable to decide if he should feel relieved or disappointed.

As he got closer, he noticed a noble heraldry on her suitcase. A blue and white shield adorned with a crimson phoenix leaf garland, a copper helmet ornament, with torn capes falling from both sides, and two unicorns as the shield beasts.

Beneath the drapery, there was a Colin maxim written in Ishurian Dwarf script—”Time flows like water, wisdom grows with each passing day.”

While he was still in a daze, they passed by each other.

It was then that Gita turned her head and asked softly, ”Brother Ade, do you understand heraldry?”

Fang Hong gently shook his head, but he always felt that he had heard such a phrase somewhere before.

It was Luo Yu on the side who shook his head, ”I find that woman quite suspicious, we had better stay away from her.” His words made both of them turn around and look at him in surprise.

Luo Yu was stunned for a moment, looking at their eyes meaning—Why are you looking at me?

Gita said earnestly, word by word, ”Luo Yu, no wonder Miss Fuli said privately that you are a—”

”A what?” Luo Yu was taken aback.

”You know, a gay.” Gita explained with a blush.

The latter seemed to choke all of a sudden, coughing violently.

Fang Hong couldn’t help but laugh softly. For some reason, after laughing for a while, he suddenly found it hard to laugh.

The three walked through the corridor and entered a small hall in front of a tall arch. Two servants stood by the door, pushing open the thick wooden gateway for them. Amid the squeaking and creaking, splendid lights shone into the trio’s eyes.

What came into their vision was the Dragon Horn Hall.

Fang Hong instinctively raised his head and, sure enough, saw the grim and dreadful dragon horn extending across the entire ceiling of the great hall.

It was a black dragon horn, and now you could no longer find such a gigantic horn; the Dark Giant Dragon lineage had vanished after the Giants war. Legend has it that the last Dark Giant Dragon was killed by the Dwarf Dragon Slaying Hero ’Valit’ in the Dead Marsh, and its huge skeleton is still on display in Sanctified Forge Hall.

The light fire was reflecting off every rough outgrowth of the dragon horn, strange shadows swayed on the dome above, twisting and deforming, as if transforming into a giant dragon screaming and spreading its wings to cover the sky.

Fang Hong seemed to hear a strange shrill scream, coming from deep within the soul, chilling to the bone.

All the lights suddenly went out, leaving only a silent darkness, fog swirling, a colossal figure standing behind the spreading mists, and in the dark, it seemed as if a pair of blood-red eyes were looking down at him.

”Pale Glory.”

A deep, cold laugh came from the darkness.

That voice seemed full of contempt and disdain, carrying a pride that was unrestrained, like a thunder rolling in the distance echoing in Fang Hong’s deep consciousness, thundering incessantly.

He felt that entity coming through the fog to face him.

A bone-chilling cold had already seized his body, freezing his blood and rendering him immobile. The shadow was coming closer and closer, but suddenly a calm voice echoed in his mind:

”Awaken.”

It was Miss Fairy’s voice.

Fang Hong jerked awake, and the darkness abruptly receded, the surroundings once again illuminated brightly. The splendid lights dispelled all the shadows, and the twisted shapes receded like tide water.

He was still looking at that elongated and terrifying dragon horn, which still hung motionless on the ceiling.

There was no change around him, people were bustling in the hall, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of food.

Everything that had just happened seemed like a hallucination—

An anxious voice was calling him from the side, ”Brother Ade, what’s wrong with you?”

It was Gita’s soft voice.

```

Fang Hong turned around and saw the other person looking at him with a worried face, ”Brother Ade, you’ve been spacing out for quite a while, is something wrong?”

Fang Hong shook his head.

It was only then that he noticed that someone had appeared beside him at some point—an elderly man. His silver hair was immaculately combed, and he was dressed in a butler’s outfit: a white shirt, a black vest, and perfectly straight trousers, one hand behind his back, his frame was slightly hunched.

Yet this hunch in no way detracted from his demeanor; the elder carried himself with a serene composure, and within the deep-set sockets of his eyes, his silver-gray pupils were gazing intently at Fang Hong.

He suddenly asked in an elderly voice, ”What did you see?”

Fang Hong knew this voice well; it belonged to the man called by Tianlan as ’Mr. Shayek.’ His gaze made Fang Hong feel vaguely apprehensive, and he answered with forced calm, ”Nothing much, just got a bit lost in thought... That Dragon Horn is really huge.”

”It is indeed large,” the old man looked up at the imposing Dragon Horn and said, ”Even in that dark age, you would hardly find a dragon larger than it.”

”It...?”

”Don’t ask too many questions, young man,” the elder said, ”The Dragon Horn is a tradition here, but the death of a Giant Dragon is not a good omen, and its shadow is an even worse portent, for the legend says that only those near death can see the dragon’s wings within the shadow—”

His tone was somber, causing Fang Hong to shiver involuntarily.

”You scared me, Mr. Shayek,” Gita said with her heart pounding in fright, voicing her complaint.

Only then did the old man turn back, ”I apologize, that wasn’t my intention. The dinner prepared for everyone is ready, do you wish to start dining now, or should we wait for Miss Atira to return?”

”Let’s wait for them,” Fang Hong said very reluctantly, ”We’re not in a hurry anyway.”

The rich aroma in the air seemed to grow even more robust, the thickness of gravy mixing with the melted cheese, and it felt as though the ground was covered with a layer of minced nutmeg and finely chopped cinnamon, soft and fluffy.

His vision started to grow dark.

Mr. Shayek looked at him, then nodded his head, ”Then I shall take my leave first.”

”Wait a moment, Mr. Shayek...” The normally silent youth suddenly took the initiative to speak, ”Is there still... a seat available closer to the front today?”

”Certainly,” Mr. Shayek replied, ”Mr. Luo Yu, I am aware of your preference, and have prepared a table for you in advance, leaving a spot for you in the third row.”

”...I really can’t thank you enough.” Luo Yu thanked him, not knowing quite how to express his gratitude.

Honestly, this was the first time Fang Hong had seen that the guy had any expression other than a serious face.

The elder bowed slightly, then said his farewells and left.

Luo Yu and Gita made their way through the crowd to the front, while Fang Hong called out to his Dragon Soul twice in his mind but received no response. He also vaguely felt the back of his hand heating up; lifting it, he saw that the half crown emblem there was faintly glowing.

Fang Hong was stunned for a moment and then vigorously rubbed it with his hand, but to no avail.

He tried various methods, but the glow grew weaker and finally disappeared. By this time, Gita was already calling his name from the front: ”Brother Ade, our seats are over here!”

Fang Hong had to put the matter aside for the moment and walked over.

When he reached them, he remembered Luo Yu’s words and asked in a low voice, ”Is there something special about this seat?”

”You don’t know, Brother Ade?” Gita looked at him with some curiosity.

”Know what?”

”The Elpaxin Craftsman Challenge,” she said.

”Wha, what challenge?”

”The craftsman challenge,” Luo Yu turned back, correcting him more seriously than usual: ”The competition organized by the Artisan Association of the Elpaxin Region, the final stage of which takes place at ’Traveler’s Rest,’ and the prize is Mr. Mazak’s most proud work of his life, the ’Ring of Golden Flame’.”

As he spoke, he paused for a moment.

”Mr. Ade, you’re a Combat Artisan, right?”

...