Pillar of Yita

He suddenly stopped.

A chilling sensation rose in his heart.

There was even a deeper emotion hidden, nauseating, making him clench his fists involuntarily.

Miss Hilveld glanced at him and gently shook her head, ”You don’t have to take it too seriously, Captain. The world has always been like this. It’s close to you, yet far, after all, you are just passing through this world—you will never understand some things.”

”Miss Hilveld?”

The noble girl’s rare genuine expression made her sigh and force a smile, which reminded Fang Hong of the first time he saw her—

By that campfire, the bard, and the maid with the young lady, it was the worry that could not be concealed on the girl’s face.

With such an expression, she spoke softly, ”Who will see justice done for these people? The Royal Household of Colin? They pursue the murderer only to maintain their rule. Do you think they truly care about what happened here? Therefore, they would rather cover up the truth—”

”Or the Elpaxin Artisan Association? But the alchemists are only engrossed in their inventions and creations, the new era they pioneered, high above everything, and you, Captain, are an alchemist yourself—you naturally understand this well.”

”Or the Dragon Slayers? But the Dragon Slayers no longer act for justice; they are only concerned with their clan’s destiny and traditions, seeking honor, not justice, and for this place—”

Miss Hilveld picked up the heavy list.

”All that has been buried behind history, no matter what these people went through in life or the suffering they endured, who would care. The Phantom Realm of Dolifen has been here for thirty years, only adventurers tread here, with some insignificant ’rites of exorcism,’ and for the Captain—it’s just a ’mission,’ a ’scene.’”

She tossed those lists to the ground, fluttering like paper butterflies.

Fang Hong didn’t understand why the noble girl suddenly lost her composure, but he couldn’t help thinking of Hes, who had parted ways with him not long ago.

The somewhat frail girl with the outer appearance of ghastly offerings—the last phase of her life was that?

He even recalled the trembling expression of Tianlan and the words she palely told them:

”Brother Ade, do you understand... she wanted so much to live... yet, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t save her; I could feel it, yet I could only stand by and watch...”

Only stand by and watch those people commit evil—

Those people.

Fang Hong suddenly remembered, wasn’t it the same people who turned this city into a living hell thirty years ago? And what was buried underneath these ruins, was it just the memories of a helpless girl?

This place called the Phantom Realm of Dolifen—

Was intertwined with countless people’s blood and tears, despair, and pleas.

The ghosts who perished in the disaster thirty years ago wandered in this dark illusion, reliving the darkest and most hopeless memories of their lives, day after day, unable to move on.

And those whispers lurking in the dark corners, were they just to recount everything from thirty years ago?

What meaning did it have?

What did the powerful Dragon’s Golden Eyes have to do with them, to warrant this catastrophe? And what wrongs had they committed, to endure such suffering?

Fang Hong sighed, Miss Hilveld was right; they indeed had misunderstood something. What they got wrong was not the trivial errors on this list, but the true meaning of this Phantom Realm—

It was the resentment behind, the fury in revenge.

That was the source of the Phantom Realm’s obsession—

”Aren’t they afraid?”

The noble girl was startled briefly, then turned to look at Fang Hong—

”The people who created all this thirty years ago have come back to this place after thirty years,” Fang Hong said slowly in the darkness, ”Don’t they realize anything at all?”

Miss Hilveld looked at him curiously with a strange expression, ”Hm?”

Fang Hong raised his head to look at the moonlight outside the window, while underneath the Silver Moon lay more hidden darkness.

Invisible changes were always hidden where people couldn’t see.

Fang Hong then turned back and said, ”Miss Hilveld, we indeed misunderstood one thing.”

Miss Hilveld didn’t speak; he chose to continue, ”The awakening of the lost souls may not be just the power of the Dragon’s Golden Eyes—”

”Vengeance?” the noble girl asked softly.

But she shook her head, ”Unfortunately, this Phantom Realm, after all the memories and emotions of life have faded away, is left with nothing but obsession.”

”But this weak, pitiful obsession can’t change anything and might even be exploited by the Dragon’s Golden Eyes.”

”Because that’s the reality of this world.”

”Yes.”

”They can’t.”

Fang Hong replied blandly.

”But we can—”

Miss Hilveld paused and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

After some thought, Fang Hong responded with the simplest words, ”Didn’t Miss Hilveld say no one would see justice done for these nameless ghosts? You were wrong, there is someone.”

”Captain, you?”

The noble girl couldn’t help but laugh lightly, but she looked at Fang Hong with a mix of admiration, as if seeing the shadow of her past self, innocent and naive.