Pillar of Yita

In the history books of our era, those studying modern history will inevitably delve into the exploration and conflicts of humankind following the Stargate Era and the series of treaties that ensued, among which, as creators of the ”Suva Treaty”, our first forward bases in the New World were born under such historic conditions.

Third Combat Zone, Stargate Port Special Preparedness Division troops, Unit 40113, Sidewind Port—

As the Republic’s first major logistical base after the Stargate, Dragon’s Land, also known as Fleet Bay, this precariously established floating harbor at both sides of the fjord boasts a glorious tradition and history. Its construction dates back to the very moment the Star Bridge was opened, as this location was the ’γ’ synchronization point where humanity first entered the Stargate.

Commonly known as the ’Third Star Bridge’, the combat zone also derived its name from this feature.

Although later discoveries revealed more star (luminescent) pathways between Earth and Eteliria through permeation theory, this primary Star Bridge remained one of the most important main channels for Earth to enter Eteliria, with only a Republic reserve fleet radiating across the entire Cloud Sea and a military Invoker training camp remaining here now while the main forces had all moved to the second world.

It was a season of frequent changes in the Cloud Sea; in the north, a fierce cyclone was passing south of Rainbow Bay, hitting Fenris Isle with heavy rainfall and storms.

But a thousand miles away in the southern Old Continent, the weather was clear, cloudless, and not a breath of wind could be seen from either side of the fjord renowned for its sidewinds. Between the cliffs hung several sixth-rank escort ships with idle sailors aboard, their sails languidly hanging, dazzlingly bright under the sunlight.

The scorching sun baked the earth, and on the training field, a fat man used a shield to cover his head, plopping himself down on the ground, drenched as if pulled from water, gasping like a dog too exhausted to even stick out his tongue. If you could still recognize him, you would remember his identity—Luo Hao, who had gained even more weight than a month ago, dishearteningly as though a month of military training had had no effect on him whatsoever.

However, he did pass the old world’s physical fitness test, and hence, he along with other military trainees, were sent here to Sidwind Port for a three-month provisional intensive training, eliminating about two-thirds of them, while the remaining would become true Invokers.

During the training breaks, rest periods were only five minutes. Luo Hao had learned to seize the moment to replenish his stamina quickly; he took a sip of water and then squinted at the military personnel coming and going in the square.

The shield on his shoulder was unreasonably heavy; Luo Hao gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He did not want to be a Shield Warrior, what good was Iron Defender? A brutish profession, meat shields in the eyes of others, peasants, never the hero in any scenario. He, of course, would have liked to be a Combat Artisan—at the very least, a Natural Historian, a national treasure, wealthy and beloved, but previous test results had mercilessly ended all his fanciful dreams.

He then realized his ’theoretical knowledge’, which he prided himself on in the community, was of little use in the New World; even barely managing to control a Clockwork Fairy nearly cost him his life, only succeeding in making the fairy stagger around before colliding with something.

Being a Natural Historian was even less likely—he wasn’t gifted in languages.

Fortunately, the only consolation was that he was increasingly making a career as a Shield Warrior, with unstoppable momentum. Even the instructor believed he had great talent as a Melee Heavy Warrior, and the chances of becoming a real Invoker were very high.

Yet, this news could hardly make Luo Hao happy.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered a video he had seen two months earlier, envying the dual-control Clockwork Fairy operator, albeit begrudgingly admitting to himself he was only growing more jealous of the other’s talent.

He gulped down another sip of water.

More and more military personnel were appearing in the square, which puzzled Luo Hao—he knew that in the storm season, the main fleet would head further south to Ishurian for shelter, and usually, the base was nearly deserted except for a few trainees like him and a handful of big and small cats.

Where were all these people coming from?

Was there an emergency mission?

Just then, atop the six silver high towers positioned on opposite cliffs simultaneously lit up a magic array that slowly spun above the spires—suddenly, beams of Light Spears rose from the array, shooting towards a specific point in the sky.

When Luo Hao saw this, he almost choked on his water, coughing uncontrollably.

He stumbled to his feet, with his mouth wide open and stared dumbfounded at the six dazzling pillars of light piercing the heavens, each capped with a halo resembling a rainbow, disappearing into the depths of the Cloud Sea.

”Campaign Level Magic!?”

Luo Hao’s mind exploded at the realization. He hadn’t seen the military use magic of this rank for many years, what was happening? Was the Empire invading again, or had humans declared war on the Natives? But either scenario meant only one thing to him—

Trouble!

Luo Hao’s first instinct was to activate the recording function in the Summoners System, but he quickly realized the system was locked, alerting him that the base had entered its highest combat readiness state. He threw down his water bottle and ran back toward the barracks as fast as he could, and soon saw a fellow Trainee from his squad urgently waving at him.