Pillar of Yita

He knew that was an old Fox. The Elpaxin Governor’s clear-cut distinction from the Silverwind Knight Order was nothing more than a facade; the moment an opportunity presented itself, the other party would not hesitate to strike. The only thing he could count on was the Knight Order’s reputation among the Elpaxin populace, which might make the enemy hesitate to take action.

With the time he had fought for, he would seek the real solution to the problem.

Elpaxin had the branches of Ishurian Dwarves and Avenquin Elves, as well as behemoths like the Colin Commerce League and the Artisan Association, but Agar made a choice that seemed incomprehensible to others.

He set his sights on the power of the Invoker.

”Sir,” his Clerk hastened his steps, catching up from behind. ”I have asked, and the person is still a child. Are we really going to all this trouble to find a child? If this offends the Artisan Association, might it not be a loss not worth the cost?”

There were some things he didn’t say, after all, everybody in the Knight Order knew that there were those lying in wait, eager for them to slip up.

Agar caught the subtext of his deputy’s words, and merely took out a ping-pong ball-sized crystal from his chest and tossed it over.

The Clerk caught the Crystal Ball and looked at the fluttering light and shadow inside with some surprise. It was a silent image, recording Fang Hong’s performance in the previous competition.

”This...” After watching, he couldn’t help but inhale sharply: ”If it weren’t for the fact that you gave this to me, sir, I might really think it’s a magic-made fake image—the abilities of the Invoker are truly beyond belief.”

”This is not the ability of the Invoker,” Agar replied, touching his own curly beard with his hand. ”Have you heard of the Abyssal Sea Scroll?”

The Earl’s voice was not loud, but as he mentioned that term, it seemed as if even the space around became dimmer, emitting a chilling coldness.

The Clerk was silent as if struck by frost.

For those in the know, Colin Ishurian has two absolute taboos that must not be mentioned: one is the Dragon Witch incident a hundred years ago, and the other is the Battle of Bain thirteen years prior.

Silence returned to the surroundings—

Seeing that his young deputy was overly frightened, Agar shook his head. ”Don’t overthink it; that’s the business of those outside. We are only responsible for helping to find the person.”

”Those people... Can they really help us?” The Clerk couldn’t help but ask.

”You underestimate them too much,” Agar replied. ”I’ve heard from my grandfather about the great war forty years ago. Their first generation of Invokers was far more powerful than you can imagine—only limited by their numbers and because the misunderstandings were finally cleared up, we were able to sit down and make peace.”

The Clerk shook his head, feeling that the Invoker wasn’t as fearsome as the Grand Commander had said. Among those people, there might be some outstanding individuals, but there were also not a few geniuses among the Natives—not to mention that they had a population base far superior to their opponents.

Furthermore, the Invokers had one major flaw: their power would decline sharply after the age of thirty-five, but they did not have this concern.

Seeing that he did not believe him, Agar did not explain further.

Because what he really valued was not the strength of the Invokers. In his long-time observation, he found a characteristic— ’those outside’ seemed to have an unusually smooth transition of power, and their purposes and methods tend to remain consistent over time.

Unlike the Kingdom, where changes in the political power center often had profound effects, the rise and fall of noble families often depended on the whims of those above. This sense of instability had gradually made him weary, and he began to be fascinated by the stability ’outside.’

That he would make this decision at this time was certainly partly due to the pressure from Earl Shanduo, but it was also undoubtedly a long-held expectation.

Unbeknownst to many, the Chosen had already become an important player in the political landscape of the Kingdom.

Passing through the corridor, he entered the courtyard.

Agar’s first sight was Rosetta roaring like thunder—the old fellow still had such a fiery temper at his age. The Earl couldn’t help but shake his head, thinking that sooner or later this Old Dwarf would die from his own bad temper.

And the Dwarf being scolded was Aquitez, who upon seeing Agar shouted as if seeing a savior: ”Ah, Sir Agar, you are a bit late, the competition is already over—”

Rosetta glared at him, then turned his head, and said grumpily to Agar: ”Human boy, what are you doing here, come to see my embarrassment?”

Agar shrugged; this Old Dwarf had been working in the Elpaxin Artisan Association since he was very young and given the longevity of the dwarves, the moniker ’Human boy’ thus took root.

He didn’t mind and casually replied: ”I’m not so idle, old friend, I’m here to find someone.”

Although he didn’t mind on the surface, Agar still pronounced the word ’old’ distinctly clear with special emphasis, very deliberately.

”You’re here to find someone too?” Rosetta was taken aback.

”Too?” Sir Agar looked around, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy: ”Does that mean someone has already beaten me to it?”

”Ha ha,” the Old Dwarf seemed to have heard something particularly amusing, his anger dissipated, and he couldn’t help laughing: ”Let me guess, human boy, are you also here to find that little guy?”

”Little guy?” Sir Agar’s ominous premonition intensified. ”Old fellow, you’d better clarify, how do you know who I’m looking for? And who dares to take away the person I’m looking for before me?”