Pillar of Yita

Having watched the two bipedal flying dragons fly away, Fang Hong cautiously stepped out from under the shade of the café.

”Were they... looking for me?” he said, not quite sure as he looked back. Miss Hilveld was sitting by a white round table enjoying tea, with Xiesta standing by— the porcelain tea set, containing Black Tea from Giant Tree Hill, glistened under the noon sun.

Fang Hong still hadn’t recovered from the series of sudden incidents. It seemed as if the young lady had led him here, then he discovered that people from the Silverwind Knights were looking for him everywhere. ”...But what’s all this about, Miss Hilveld?”

”You don’t know?” Hilveld put down her teacup; her skin pale as snow shone against the white porcelain. She stood up, and Xiesta pulled back her chair. ”Your performance in the Continental League had taken everyone by surprise.”

”Me, in the Continental League?” Fang Hong furrowed his brows in recollection, then suddenly his expression changed and he exclaimed, ”Oh no, you’ve got to be kidding!”

Hilveld slightly curled her lips, seemingly amused by something interesting yet pretended not to know and asked, ”What’s wrong?”

”Those damn Ishurian Dwarfs, I’ve been tricked!” Fang Hong was extremely frustrated. ”I made it very clear that I was going to take part in a craftsman assessment; how could they do this without consulting me!”

”So, you’re saying you never intended to participate in that competition?”

”How could I? I hadn’t even taken part in the previous matches; those damn Dwarfs were cheating!”

Hilveld smiled slightly. ”Dwarfs are always crafty. However, this cunningness is ingrained in their nature; they are actually quite impulsive, sometimes even to the point of recklessness.”

”This is more than just recklessness; it’s downright unreasonable. They’ve been plotting against me from the start!” Fang Hong finally realized.

He was so lost for words; if Aquitez, that old fellow, were here right now, he would definitely punch him in the face. He now understood why the Silverwind Knights had come looking for him—the Knight Order had long been closely involved in business transactions with Colin Commercial League, and the Colin Commercial League was the Chinese Government’s most important partner in the Cloud Sea Region. It was clear why they had come.

It must have been because his stowaway situation had been blown wide open!

”But isn’t fame a good thing, especially for you?” Hilveld’s gaze was probing as she closely observed the young man.

”Uh, maybe, but I’m a bit special,” Fang Hong didn’t know how to respond and eventually, all he could do was let out a long sigh. If only he wasn’t a stowaway. However, wallowing in self-pity was never his style, he was accustomed to pushing forward even when on the brink of despair—what if there was light at the end of the tunnel?

Even though a certain annoying little girl often scorned him as a barbaric simpleton.

With these thoughts, Fang Hong gradually calmed down and thanked Hilveld: ”Thank you so much, Miss Hilveld. You really helped me out a lot this time; I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

”Then we’re even, Mr. Ade,” Hilveld playfully blinked her clear blue eyes: ”But aren’t you curious how I knew about your situation?”

Right, how did she know? Fang Hong was taken aback; he hadn’t really thought about that, but upon deeper consideration, doubts began to rise. ”Right, Miss Hilveld, how did you know the Silverwind Knights would be there?”

Hilveld couldn’t help but smile lightly. ”Because I’ve seen your video; that’s what you call these kinds of recordings, right?”

”A video?”

”The very first one.”

Fang Hong thought about it then suddenly recalled which the first video about himself was, and was startled: ”That... that video, does that mean you recognized me back in Dragon Horn Hall?”

”Not at that time,” Hilveld shook her head: ”Mr. Ade, you were wearing a mask then, but I recognized you later when you were unconscious.”

That was just a few days ago, and Fang Hong naturally remembered. But he was still somewhat confused: ”But... ”

Hilveld looked at him amusely, helping him finish, ”But why would I know that they would target you, right?”

Fang Hong slowly nodded.

”Mr. Ade, you’re a stowaway, aren’t you—Isn’t that how your people refer to it?”

Fang Hong jumped in shock, staring wide-eyed at the girl. Hilveld looked unconcerned and smiled lightly: ”Don’t lie to me. I’m quite familiar with your laws; after they opened the tourist channels, people like you were referred to as illegal entrants, right?”

Faced with such a clever and insightful girl, who knew the Suva Treaty so well, Fang Hong was at a loss for words. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her that the content of the Suva Declaration was only part of Earth’s laws and statutes.

Did she have some misunderstanding about the laws on Earth?

Yet, meeting the girl’s somewhat mischievous, clear gaze made it so Fang Hong couldn’t utter a single word. What Hilveld said next made his heart race even more. ”Mr. Ade, I think I know some of your secrets.”

”Secrets?” Fang Hong couldn’t help thinking, what other secrets could he have beyond the biggest secret that he was a stowaway?

”You know,” Hilveld blinked at him again, playfully: ”Mr. Ade, you had some kind of adventure at Elf Ruins, like obtaining an ancient Dragon Soul, didn’t you?”