Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong lowered the curtain and turned to say, ”I have some thoughts, but before that, I need to confirm something. Miss Red Leaf, can you tell us the situation inside before we entered?”

Red Leaf hesitated for a moment, ”To talk about what happened inside the Phantom Realm, I must mention our mission which is actually divided into two parts.”

”Two parts?”

Red Leaf nodded, ”If we fail to stop the Dragon Worship Sect from entering the Phantom Realm, we are to continue creating trouble for them within the realm. That’s also why we entered the Phantom Realm after the attack by the Dragonfire Guild,” she clenched her fist. ”I originally thought they were after the three relics of Dolifen, and the attack on us was just a coincidence, but I didn’t expect these bastards to be so ruthless.”

”They won’t have it easy,” Fang Hong murmured comfortingly.

Those words were not just lip service, as the Tabopolis Oak Knights were not only strong in their own right, standing out among the Free Guild but they were also a part of the Rainbow Alliance with an attack and defend pact with the Silver Forest Spear in the Elpaxin Region.

In comparison—no, it’s more fitting to say that the Dragonfire Guild could not even be mentioned in the same breath as these two behemoths. The Silver Forest Spear also had real-world foundations, and if it were confirmed that they had colluded with the Dragon Worship Sect, it would truly be a sky-piercing scandal.

Red Leaf gave him a look that said she didn’t need such clumsy comfort before continuing, ”At the time, our entrance into the Phantom Realm was quite sudden, due to the unexpected factor of the Dragonfire Guild, and the Dragon Worshippers managed to take away the Martyr’s Mark of the Steadfast in the commotion.”

Fang Hong and the others listened silently, without interjecting, as the golden-red light of the sunset shone through the gaps of the curtain onto his face, like thin threads of gold.

”However, when they headed toward Grey Oak Square, we ambushed them there with the help of the terrain. Both sides suffered considerable losses in that battle, after which they retreated to the Lower City Area, and we lay in wait around the City Hall.”

”The Martyr’s Mark of the Steadfast is in their hands after all,” Tianlan sighed softly.

But Fang Hong asked carefully, ”What was the situation like when you first entered Lady Tengye’s inn on the first day?”

Red Leaf answered without hesitation, ”It was the same as usual. After the Dragon Worshippers got the Mark, they escorted the mission target out of the inn.”

”Then you ambushed them at Grey Oak Square, and the mission was interrupted?”

Red Leaf nodded.

”What happened after that?”

”After that, they tried to approach Grey Oak Square several times but were repelled by us,” Red Leaf said somewhat frustratedly, ”If it weren’t for the Dragonfire Guild meddling again today, coupled with your unexpected involvement, we wouldn’t have failed.”

Fang Hong shook his head, ”We didn’t enter by chance, Miss Red Leaf.”

Red Leaf looked at him, puzzled.

”Sister Red Leaf, we actually entered with an Adventure Group. Although there was nothing wrong with the group itself, the person who hired them is likely a Dragon Worshipper. Everything that happened in the square was orchestrated by that person, and Mr. Hudi was probably the factor that nobody anticipated,” Gita finally added softly.

”Are you saying they had everything arranged in advance?” Red Leaf pondered for a moment before realizing the intricacy of the plan. She paced back and forth, biting her lip, ”Despicable, those bastards from the Dragonfire Guild.”

This wasn’t just her displacing her anger. If not for the Dragonfire Guild’s motives seeming too inconceivable, they wouldn’t have so greatly misjudged the Dragon Worshippers’ actions.

After all, if the actions of the Dragonfire Guild were based on coincidence, it would be difficult to realize their tacit cooperation with the Dragon Worship Sect.

Fang Hong was in no hurry. He waited for Red Leaf to calm down before asking again, ”So does that mean, two parts of the task involving the three relics of Dolifen have already been completed?”

Red Leaf calmed down and nodded.

Fang Hong continued to ask, ”So your task is actually to prevent the Dragon Worship Sect from completing this mission as much as possible?”

”Within the specified time,” Red Leaf added.

”Specified time?”

”By December, to prevent anyone from entering Dolifen and completing this mission.”

Fang Hong paused before responding, a bit apologetically, ”Is it okay for you to tell me this? I will keep it a secret.”

Red Leaf shook her head, ”It’s nothing, we notified other guilds in the alliance and some familiar large Adventure Groups after accepting the commission. After all, it would be nearly impossible to complete this task otherwise.”

Fang Hong understood what she meant. The Tabopolis Oak Knights did not dominate in Elpaxin alone. To control an ’output area’ (Invoker terminology, referring to a region with abundant adventure resources) for several months without the alliance with other guilds would be quite a feat.

His expression then turned serious as he said, ”Then I have two last things to confirm. Does a completed task reset?”

Red Leaf looked at him with disbelief, ”Of course not. Although outsiders can still enter the Phantom Realm through Lady Tengye’s inn, in reality, the tasks there are already gone. Didn’t you also fail to get the Martyr’s Mark of the Steadfast?”

Hilveld, who had been deep in thought, lifted her head and asked, ”Are there no tasks left, or is there nothing at all?”

Red Leaf glanced at her and affirmed, ”Yes, it’s completely empty, there’s nothing left.”