Pillar of Yita

”We’ve arrived.”

The knight in the red cloak held the torch crystal tightly in his iron gauntlet, where a faint, pale cold light extended forward, cutting through the end of the corridor and onto the weathered, mottled walls, sketching out the outline of a trapezoidal stone chamber that resembled a tomb or a ritual hall.

Alice’s light footsteps stopped ahead, and she turned to address the others with these words.

The cold light hit the side of Stirling’s face, Captain of the Sixth Division of the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team, as he raised his bushy dwarf eyebrows, surveying the place: ”But there’s nothing here.”

”No, someone will come to receive us,” Alice replied.

”Someone?”

”Someone you know.”

Stirling heard a set of footsteps coming from the other end of the darkness, and he instinctively grabbed onto his Dwarf Combat Axe—but the gesture was purely for comfort. He was the team’s analyst, and his level was even lower than most of his counterparts, which was why this task had fallen onto his shoulders.

But in a moment, the dwarf’s taut face relaxed, and his bulky knuckles involuntarily moved away. From the darkness came a rhythmic clack, clack sound, accompanied by rustling footsteps, growing nearer.

Then an old Night Lizard Person with a staff emerged from there, its head adorned with a massive feathered headdress. Its eyes appeared blind beneath that, displaying only whites, but this didn’t hinder its movement. It slowly approached the group.

The scales on the old Night Lizard Person were dim and lusterless, its frame so gaunt it resembled draped orange peel. It looked hunched, but every Night Lizard Person following behind treated the elderly figure with utmost respect and reverence.

Stirling also let out a sigh: ”Great Prophet Kopan.”

”You are late,” the old Night Lizard Person spoke with a heavy accent, marked by the hissing sound characteristic of its kind, but it spoke in authentic Huì yǔ—a formal language of Colin: ”But it’s a good thing you haven’t delayed us—”

”We ran into some trouble on the way.”

”No need to explain, Salrutaka knows all,” the prophet replied slowly, turning to say, ”Follow me.”

”Miss Alice.” Stirling turned his head back. He didn’t quite appreciate this woman—no one truly admires a traitor, and her actions could hardly be considered switching allegiances. At best, they treated such individuals as mere tools, but the Guild had other plans for her, and it wasn’t his place to burn bridges.

He simply said, ”Would you like to stay here? If you’re afraid of the dark, I can have a few people stay with you.”

Alice laughed without answering.

But the prophet then spoke in a low voice, ”No, she must be with us.”

”Great Prophet Kopan, she is not part of the plan,” Stirling interjected, quick to explain.

The prophet shook his head: ”This is Divine Oracle.”

Stirling looked at Alice with a touch of surprise, not quite understanding why Salrutaka would take an interest in this woman—but he had no choice but to accept this assertion. After all, this time the Night Lizard People were leading the mission, and the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team certainly wasn’t involved in the ceremony to resurrect a deity.

And how alluring was the prospect of resurrecting a deity?

Stirling didn’t know how much benefit the Guild would reap from this mission, but the Night Lizard People had at least promised them ten God’s Choice slots, and that was just the beginning. If there was a deity to rely on, what difference would it make if the entire Jiefulite Red Cloak Team switched to worship Salrutaka?

For the Invokers, it was nothing more than a multiple-choice question, for they would eventually return to Earth.

False Believers were no different to the local deities; they could still provide Starlight faith. Salrutaka, as long as it wasn’t a deity with a psychological quirk like Ameya, would accept them all the same.

He was acutely aware of the weight of his responsibilities.

The top ten Guilds within the country held a massive amount of resources, almost monopolizing them, and the Silver Forest Crown, though rated poorly by many, was also like a centipede that wouldn’t topple easily, and wouldn’t be replaced without several years’ effort.

But several years was too long for BBK to wait; this was their best opportunity, so close to the coveted top ten seats. If they missed this chance, who knew what might happen next?

However, advancing further was easier said than done. Every historical shift in the Guild’s territories on the Stargate records involved some significant event, just as the Silver Forest Crown had risen abruptly after the guild consolidation following the Battle of Bain. BBK didn’t have such good timing and had to create its own opportunities.

As for any questions from the Super Competitive Alliance, Stirling wasn’t overly concerned. He knew the rules of that circle too well.

The seismic disturbances coming from the core of Fenris appeared not to have affected this place much.

Everyone felt only a slight tremor as they followed the Lizardman Prophet through the stone chamber and into another corridor on the other side. Soon, the view opened up, and they emerged from the Pyramid, with a man-made valley appearing before them.

Dwarf Stirling took a deep breath.

Even with some preparation, the grandeur before him was still a bit staggering. Seven or eight giant Pyramids formed the ’mountains’ surrounding this valley, creating a closed space—and stretching as far as he could see, every step of each Pyramid was filled with kneeling Night Lizard People, their heads bowed, worshipping devoutly toward an isle below the center of the valley.