Pillar of Yita

”Ade...” Sophie seemed to suddenly understand something, ”The Adventure Group you were part of was called Morning Dawn Star, right?”

Fang Hong understood what she wanted to say, but only gave her a gentle smile, ”Do you feel better now?”

Sophie was startled, feeling a bit warm inside, and nodded at him.

”What do you think now?” he asked again.

”I need to avenge them,” she replied.

”Revenge is inevitable, everyone has their own debts to repay,” but Fang Hong appeared quite indifferent, ”but let’s not let hatred blind our eyes, to see more truth, to listen to the details—look at Miss Dan Loni, the killer hasn’t gone far.”

Startled, Sophie instinctively raised her hand to rub her temples. She was always calm, as the Guild also demanded of her. In the face of numerous dangers, she always tried to appear composed, but when the moment truly arrived, she found herself less capable than a young man she had just met once.

But the Little Princess of Silver Weslan would never understand what experiences had shaped him into the man he was today.

The boy who had once been under the protection of Miss Sicape was long gone.

Nonetheless, she was somewhat disconcerted, ”What should we do?”

”Let’s see further.” Fang Hong looked towards the largest building in the village, stood up, and walked in that direction, saying to the others, ”Follow me.”

Tainaric and Xiangzi swiftly followed, and Xi, after receiving a nod from Sophie, also proceeded, holding her Long Halberd. Only Parker hesitated at the back before timidly catching up. Fang Hong ducked as he entered the building, facing a grey-black human face, covered with splotches of decay, staring back at him with hollow eyes wide open, mouth gaping as if to pounce.

Fang Hong was startled, but quickly calmed down, realizing this was the corpse of an adventurer.

Just as he had calmed himself, the corpse suddenly cackled and began to move, lifting itself inch by inch off the long spear that had pinned it to the ground, while reaching towards Fang Hong’s face. Fang Hong reached for his Lion Handgun, but a sword light had already crossed his shoulder, piercing the undead’s throat.

The latter fell backwards, its upper body tearing apart from the lower, collapsing on the ground and breaking into pieces like dust.

Fang Hong didn’t need to look back to know it was Xiangzi’s sword.

”It was the adventurers who passed through here,” Sophie gazed at the corpse’s empty eye sockets, her tone unnatural, ”This must have been a Summoner, but why is there no starlight, where is the Summoners System?”

Besides this corpse, the room housed three other bodies. A Dwarf Crossbowman lay dead next to a wooden frame, his head cleaved in twain; Miss Nightingale was pierced with an arrow through both her brows and heart, lying face up amidst the black smoke at the center of the room.

The Healer’s death was much like that of Miss Rat People outside, struck in the back with a sword while attempting to escape, and lay not far from Miss Nightingale.

Fang Hong walked silently past the three bodies, and Xiangzi behind him dispatched each of the corpses’ spirits with a single stroke of his sword.

At the heart of the room, at the end of the carpet, stood a mushroom throne from which a harsh gasp was heard; an elderly Rat Person was struggling to rise, eyes glowing red, malevolently staring at the five spectators.

It staggered forward, rasping, ”Die, humans! You’ve destroyed everything!”

”Neander Chieftain!” Sophie gasped.

The chest of the elderly Rat Person was splitting open, revealing a blue, ghostly fire inside, looking no longer human. Xiangzi took a step forward to strike with his sword, but Neander swiped his staff, and a blast of invisible force struck the teenager, flinging him backwards.

Parker, hiding in the back, couldn’t help but whistle; it seemed they had met their match, this old Rat Person was also a former Magic Guided Conductor.

The Rat Person then pointed his staff at Fang Hong, but Fang Hong took a step forward, grabbing the staff, and lifted his handgun with his right hand, cocking the hammer and firing, sending the Rat Person rocketing back into the throne.

His right hand also fractured open, clutching with his remaining left at the smoking large hole in his chest, the red light in his eyes flickering as he emitted a raspy scream.

But the screams gradually subsided.

Finally reducing to a few low groans, ”Beware those who tell of doom...”

”Beware the Crows…”

”Beware... that woman…”

”The south...”

”They went south...”

Then, tilting its head, it slowly lost the last vestiges of life.

Fang Hong held his gun for a long time, then tossed aside his wooden staff, which rolled into the darkness.

Sophie was silent for a long time until the towering Lizard Person passed by them, saying, ”It’s dead, don’t trust a dead man’s words. There’s something in this underground, I hear whispers in the darkness, perhaps someone is trying to bewitch us.”

”But...”

”What is in the south?” Fang Hong asked abruptly, no longer looking at the bodies.

”The Nether River,” Sophie came to her senses, speaking softly, ”There’s a ferry there, that river runs through the deepest parts of Andrett, some say it leads directly to the heart of the earth, though it’s never been proven.”

Fang Hong suddenly recalled a legend.

Rat People, Mardalan moles, and Orfen rabbits (a branch of the Orfen Demon Clan, not mammals) collectively formed a widespread Rodent Alliance that worshipped an underground myth across the continents of Eteliria—that all underground rivers flowed to the depths of the earth, where the souls of mountains found their rest.