Pillar of Yita

”They’re about to come up, wait, another woman has arrived, seems like a Druid; they’ve stopped, as if they’ve discovered something.” At the top of the pyramid, a Ranger hid behind a pillar of the altar, watching from above the base of the pyramid outside, while whispering into a Communication Crystal in hand.

Behind him, within the square space of the altar, a towering Spire Crystal floated above the ground, renowned for its surface etched with Ether Patterns. The crystal was a dull gray, restrained by a set of precise instruments. Corresponding to it on the ground was a huge concentric Magic Array with several smaller circles on the periphery, marking the positions for the participants of the Ritual Magic.

But contrary to what Fang Hong had imagined, the site didn’t buzz with Elementalist involved in spell preparation; instead, although there were a few casters on the Array, they neither performed any spell casting motions nor softly chanted spells. In their expressions, it seemed every action paid close attention to the movements outside the pyramid.

There were other people hidden behind the pillars, differing from the members of the Red Cloak Team outside – almost every one of them had a high level and appeared to be exceptionally skilled.

The Ranger waited a moment, the voice of Guzhou came through the Communication Crystal: ”Don’t rush, wait and see, we’ll be there soon.”

”Understood,” the Ranger replied, ”But I don’t quite understand, Captain, who exactly is that person that we’re foregoing casting spells to capture alive?”

”It’s related to that battle at the Elf Ruins.”

The Ranger seemed surprised: ”The remnants of the Morning Dawn Star?”

”Be careful not to slip up, this is a Guild secret. Everyone’s watching us, and we are quite passive in that matter.”

The Ranger hastily nodded in agreement.

Outside the pyramid, Fang Hong and Baihua stared at the newly arrived Atira: ”An ambush?” Fang Hong asked after a moment of surprise.

Atira replied somewhat gravely: ”Just now, I sensed a surge of Ether Magic Power flowing within the altar above, but after you approached, that sensation disappeared. Something is not right; the people inside might be waiting for you to come up.”

Fang Hong and Baihua exchanged glances, their actions astonishingly synchronized as they released a Clockwork Fairy, which flew along the stairs behind them toward the other side of the pyramid. They both raised their hands, and two beams of golden light rose from there, flying into the altar above from an unnoticed corner.

Both activated their wide field of vision mode, Baihua suddenly turned around: ”I’ll take the left, you take the right.” It was the first time he had taken the initiative to speak. Fang Hong gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

The faint buzzing of the Clockwork Fairy’s wings was drowned out by the thunderous cries of battle, so the people in the hall remained utterly unaware. Baihua swiftly spotted the Ranger conversing with Guzhou, gestured in the air, and shared the captured scene through the Summoners System.

A page of ethereal shadows appeared before them – only visible at a certain angle, where others would only see a jumble of light from any other direction – the Ranger’s voice came from it.

”They still haven’t moved forward, Captain, but they haven’t left either. The visibility isn’t good from this angle; I can’t see clearly what they’re up to.”

”Let them stay put until we get there, get ready for an encirclement from the front and back.”

”The main target is that taller young man; remember, we must capture him alive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, he might have important clues about the Hailin Crown; according to upper management, he was the last person to see the Witch of the Sea that day.”

”There’s more I can’t tell you, but the military’s looking for this person, so be careful not to make trouble by killing him.”

After hearing this conversation, Baihua cast a curious glance at Fang Hong.

As for Fang Hong, he stood there petrified on the spot, drenched in cold sweat. They had recognized him, and the situation was more serious than he had imagined – the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team was indeed beginning to doubt his connection to Miya on that day.

And then there was the military; just hearing those two words gave Fang Hong a headache. He no longer had time to ponder how he had been recognized. He simply realized that his consideration might have been lacking, as many Jiefulite elite members who had crossed paths with him that day at the Elf Ruins were here now – he should have thought that these people might recognize him.

Fortunately, Baihua’s Clockwork Fairy had captured this moment, or the consequences would have been unimaginable. Fang Hong cast his gaze to the side, only to see the handsome young man sizing him up with a curious gaze as if he had heard something unexpected.

This realization sent a shiver down Fang Hong’s spine – the other party had understood the conversation. He was not an outsider clueless about the past events; otherwise, he would not have shown such an expression. Neither Jiefulite Red Cloak Team nor Silver Forest Spear would advertise being outwitted by a woman like that.

And everything about that day was known only to himself, Miya, and the members of those two Guilds, not to mention the Morning Dawn Star might have been involved. But in fact, including Miss Sicape, no one knew the secrets behind that day.

Where could the leak have come from?

What happened next caused even greater alarm in Fang Hong. Baihua looked down, his gaze unexpectedly falling on Fang Hong’s right hand, which was enveloped in a thick glove. But in Baihua’s silver eyes, Fang Hong read a clear message – as if he was seen through.