Pillar of Yita

”This village doesn’t look inhabited.” Not far from the village, Fang Hong suddenly stopped; he looked at the silent settlement, a low wall in front of them, and spoke.

”Indeed, it wasn’t like this when we were here before, quite strange.” A ranger from Silver Weslan flipped over the wall with one hand and took a few steps forward, then suddenly bent down and let out a ghostly scream: ”What in the world is this!”

The group followed his gaze to the ground beneath his feet, where the gray soil was covered by a layer of swirling black smoke, flowing like water patterns and reaching just over the ankles. The smoke continued to spread out towards the distance—the direction of the Andrett Ratmen village.

Xi’s face changed, and she too vaulted over the low wall and dashed forward. She entered the village and froze on the spot as if bewitched.

Seeing her expression, an uneasy premonition welled up in the hearts of the group, who all climbed over the wall to follow her. Fang Hong, walking last, stepped over the wall behind Xiangzi and Tainaric, deliberately lifting his foot in the black smoke, which dissipated with a sticky resistance as if a rotting hand was clutching at his ankle.

But in a blink, the phantom realm vanished, and he could move normally again, although each step took more effort than before.

He looked up; the physical strength of the others far exceeded his, and this slight difference seemed unnoticeable to them. Only a few of the Priest Invokers lingered behind, exchanging strange glances with each other.

Muffled exclamations of disbelief came from the people ahead.

”How could this be!?”

”O’Ante!”

”Miss Dan Loni!”

Xi walked to the center of the village with a pale face. Beneath a red pleated umbrella mushroom tree lay the lifeless body of a Rat Person. Her plump body was dressed in a human-styled gray short skirt, which looked somewhat clumsy. However, her bulging black eyes stared at the sky unblinkingly, empty and silent, yet unable to evoke laughter.

Fang Hong parted the crowd from behind, coming closer as people made way for him and Sophie to see the corpse. Covering her mouth, Sophie’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her.

Fang Hong crouched down, opened the mother Rat Person’s mouth to reveal her front teeth and pulled out her sticky tongue. The people from Silver Weslan stirred, and the ranger seemed like he wanted to intervene but was held back by a few Priests.

”Don’t interfere,” they murmured softly.

”What are you doing!” Sophie also called out uncomfortably, but suddenly, she noticed with Fang Hong’s manipulation, a wisp of black smoke abruptly emanated from the mother Rat Person’s nostrils and mouth.

Fang Hong quickly waved his hand, and the black smoke immediately dispersed. He merely frowned slightly at the sight.

Sophie stared at this, taken aback initially but gradually regained the composure expected of her royal status. She apologized to Fang Hong, ”I’m sorry, I was just a bit...”

”No worries,” Fang Hong said calmly, ”I understand. Who is she?”

”Her name is Dan Loni,” Sophie took a deep breath, ”I met her three years ago and she was fine. She offered me Luminescent Wine she brewed herself, and I, I gifted her this skirt... I didn’t expect she would still be wearing it. She must have really liked it, she must have really liked the outside...”

She covered her mouth, blinking back her reddening eyes, tears glistening, unable to continue.

”I’m very sorry,” Fang Hong said softly, but he could understand such feelings: ”But I must tell you, she was actually still alive until recently.”

He gently lifted the Rat Lady’s delicate hand, which hung limply, then used his other hand to lift her eyelid; deep within her dark pupils, not a glimmer of starlight shimmered. Parker exclaimed ”Ah” behind them, stepping back, almost bumping into Xiangzi.

Without turning his head, Fang Hong asked, ”Does it look familiar?”

”Just like Miss Atira’s brother!” Parker said with a trembling voice, his teeth chattering from fear: ”When we saw his body from Black Goat Commerce Association, it was just like this, with pitch-black eyes, like two holes!”

”Exactly like this...”

”The starlight was depleted...” Sophie, striving not to appear too weak, said, ”How could this happen? Could so many similar incidents have occurred in such a short time? Why didn’t they leave, who could be so cruel!?”

”I’m afraid not,” Fang Hong replied, muttering, ”And it’s the same as Dolifen—”

”Dolifen?”

Fang Hong didn’t answer her question. Standing up, he looked toward the others and commanded firmly, ”Go check the rest of the village, see where the others are, and if anyone else is alive.”

The people from Silver Weslan were taken aback, seeing Fang Hong, who seemed transformed, radiating an invisible pressure quite different from before. They exchanged looks but eventually nodded slightly and dispersed—

Beside Miss Dan Loni lay another Rat Person, a male named Ottan, whom Fang Hong turned over to reveal a fatal wound on his back: a narrow sword wound.

Miss Dan Loni had the same kind of sword wound on her chest.

Gently, he propped up the two ’people’ against the mushroom tree, covering their eyes with his hands. Xi and Sophie watched his actions silently, somehow feeling that the figure of this young boy had become much steadier.