Pillar of Yita

”Mr. Knight is thinking about Miss Atira?”

Tata sat on a soft pillow, watching the cool moonlight filter through the clouds and the porthole onto the wooden planks, and quietly asked a question.

Fang Hong nodded, ”Miss Atira seems very depressed.”

The huge hammock swayed slightly as the Berio sailed through the clouds.

The wind howled outside the window, and occasionally, one could see a small floating island flitting through the clouds in the blink of an eye.

The dark horizon flowed into a pale blue hue, dawn was rising from below the horizon, but starlight still adorned the sky above, twinkling.

Those ancient constellations, nameable and nameless, told stories from before this era, of gods and folk, hunters and beasts, heroes and beauties, and wars of the Ancient Era.

The Golden Star was slowly rising, the last morning star at the end of the long summer, after which everything would wither, waiting only for the arrival of winter.

Above the Cloud Sea, stars sprawled everywhere, sea and sky merged into one, water vapor condensed beneath the clouds, remotely reflecting the starlight in darkness.

Some were the winding lights on the ground, cities, villages, and ports, possibly located on some island over which the Berio did not stop.

The gently swaying ship was like sailing through a tranquil and peaceful dreamland.

But beneath the calm, unease lingered.

Every quarter hour, rhythmic tapping sounds transmitted through the communication tubes; the sailors were using their specific codes to communicate, the sound spreading across the whole Berio more frequently than usual.

A storm was gathering along the northern route, and the barometer predicted that it would arrive in a few hours.

The swifts flying through the Cloud Sea did the same.

In the north, Colin called these tiny creatures storm messengers, often bringing with them torrential rains and fierce winds,

Fang Hong’s dizziness subsided somewhat after midnight, the Elf Princess’s nanny—an old elf woman whose appearance was as cragged as tree bark, dropped a mixture of rare tree sap and Belladonna liquid onto his nose, painfully stimulating him to nearly convulse, but fortunately, as ’bitter medicine cures well’, the effects greatly alleviated the symptoms of being intoxicated with Ether.

After that, Briana had him drink some black goat milk for calming, which sounded like some form of witchcraft and allowed him to barely sleep for two or three hours, then he woke up amidst the natural jolts.

He was not sleepy at this moment, his eyes brightly reflecting the starlight outside the window.

He quietly recalled the previous events in his mind and took a while before responding:

”No one wants their loved ones involved in a massive conspiracy. Her brother embarked on a journey of exile from Giant Tree Hill Sanxiak, ending up dead in a foreign land, his soul shattered, all due to the people spreading those rumors behind the scenes, creating this tragedy.”

”Both my parents also died in an accident, although it wasn’t human-caused, but I understand her feelings.”

”This feeling is a bit sour, and a little lonely, as if all the past times were sealed in a yellowed photo, only reachable by recall,” Tata gently shook her head: ”Unfortunately, I cannot understand this feeling.”

She sat up straight and gently covered Fang Hong’s eyelids with her tiny hands.

Fang Hong was surprised but kept his eyes closed, not moving to avoid hurting her.

He heard Miss Fairy’s gentle voice from the darkness: ”People often say that a fairy’s palm has the power to soothe the heart, although I’m not a real fairy and don’t know if the rumors are true, do you feel at peace now, Mr. Knight?”

Fang Hong felt a touch as light as a thin feather, and it seemed to truly calm his heart; he had actually forgotten the events of his childhood, remembering only the warm care from his aunt’s family.

There was a ticklish, slightly warm feeling on his eyelids, that was the warmth from Miss Fairy’s palm.

”Thank you, Miss Tata.”

”You’re welcome, Mr. Knight.”

The hammock’s net swung slowly and rhythmically.

The cabin was filled with a silent quietude, like many fairy tales, all of which rushed into Fang Hong’s mind. He remembered the bedtime stories his aunt used to tell him and his sister.

Just like this moment.

After a long, long time, Miss Fairy finally said softly:

”Actually, I have something I want to tell Mr. Knight.”

”Hmm.”

”Mr. Knight, have you noticed that at that time, that Lady Noble seemed a bit unnatural?”

”You mean Miss Hilveld? Do you think she’s involved in this matter?” Fang Hong turned over and asked, ”Speaking of which, both she and Princess Briana seemed to care a lot about the Goddess’s matter.”

”Maybe you could ask her,” Fang Hong became somewhat despondent: ”But she might not tell me anything, can you tell what kind of person she is, Miss Tata? Miss Hilveld has always been somewhat inscrutable to me.”

”I can only sense that she’s curious about you and likes you. You feel the same, Mr. Knight—though with an annoying element, because you feel too awkward in her presence.”

”You’re right,” Fang Hong nodded: ”Miss Hilveld seems very outstanding to me, yet she’s like a puzzle.”

”Don’t worry,” Tata looked up at him: ”Curiosity is the beginning of animals drawing close to each other, they’ll sniff each other’s scents, probe further, until they confirm that the other is harmless.”