Pillar of Yita

”Ambassador, the target has been located.”

”At the time of the incident hostile forces intended to kidnap the target; we had no choice but to engage. We have annihilated the opposition; currently, the target is unharmed, our side suffered minor casualties, but it is unclear from which faction the enemy comes. They don’t seem to be Invokers. Our coordinates are located at...”

Listening to the sudden report over the communication channel, Ambassador Liao, sitting on the sofa, straightened up, placed the document in his hand onto the metal low table in front of him, and his expression suddenly turned serious as he replied, ”Well done, ensure the lady’s safety and please have her join the communication channel—switch immediately to Fenris underground.”

In the dark underground, Fang Hong, the Papalarians, and the Lizardman Prince were crossing the desolate long bridge.

The golden fire of flowing lava was blocked by the huge pyramid behind, leaving only a glimmer of light in this direction. The rustling steps were walking on the bridge set in darkness; upon closer inspection, the bridge’s surface was not made of obsidian, cherished by the Xinsas Serpentfolk—it was a gray stonematerial, pale under the glow of Parker’s torch crystal, like calcified bones.

Perhaps the Serpent People deemed obsidian too precious; it was rarely seen on the surface of Fenris, only deep in the heart of the earth where it could be mined, and only the Holy Sanctuary and Ancient Royal Tombs were built with it. In this rigorously tiered society, ordinary structures were not deemed worthy of the precious ’Holy Stone.’

Nevertheless, the gray bridge seemed somewhat out of place in the surrounding environment.

Add to that the misty haze, the abyss below was bottomless; the Lonely Bridge seemed to hang in midair, occasionally stones would tremble off the edge, plunging into darkness, as if swallowed by an open maw, breeding the unknown, and the unknown often instilled fear.

At that moment, Parker’s crystal flickered, its light dimming considerably.

He shook the crystal vigorously, causing the light to brighten up a bit, but as if depleting its Life Force, in just a moment, the crystal’s light flickered a few more times before completely darkening, turning back into an ordinary man-made crystal.

In the darkness, Parker finally spoke up to complain, ”The Magic Power is used up.”

Torch Crystals are one of the most basic creations of Alchemy, also known as Illumination Crystals. These man-made crystals produce a light source through the low content of Ether Magic Power within them, a very safe cold light source.

However, its simple structure meant that it could not be recharged, typically unnecessary to recharge as it was ubiquitous in the surface world, just replace it when used up.

”Don’t we have Torch Crystals in the supply?” Fang Hong asked, ”Why not bring more?”

”It’s in the hands of those from Silver Weslan; this one is my own,” the Papalarian said, throwing the crystal into the darkness and patting Little Fatty’s hand in response.

Fang Hong watched this scene, and it was quite a while before the sound of the crystal shattering echoed from the darkness below; it seemed to have hit something solid beneath the bridge, shattering on the spot.

”Forget it,” he finally shook his head, ”If the supply drop from the Colin Ishurian Artisan Association can be accurate later, we’ll pick some more then.”

”Is there still time for them to send the supplies?”

Parker expressed doubt.

Fang Hong wasn’t too sure himself either.

But at that moment, both of them saw Tainaric stopping behind, looking down into the darkness below as if something there warranted his focused attention.

This action made Fang Hong feel slightly uneasy, so he too stopped and asked, ”What is it?”

”There’s something below.”

Tainaric’s deep voice was characteristically concise—

The Lizardman Prince stood motionless, his diamond-shaped pupils seeming to penetrate the darkness to survey the environment beneath the bridge; however, the dense mist made it unclear; he only quietly described, ”It’s very big; I’m not sure if it’s still alive, but I think I saw it move just now—”

Fang Hong was slightly stunned; the great presence beneath the darkness—he couldn’t help but recall the ancient legends of the Blood Sacrifice Temple in the southern Numelin Forest, where beneath the Abyss existed a massive Feathered Serpent Holy Icon, and many had seen the immense Feathered Serpent rising from the darkness.

This place was also an ancient Xinsas Ruin, eerily similar to that location—the Abyss, Ritual Hall, and the realm of the powers of Sun Gods.

The unresolved mysteries left behind by this ancient empire were indeed too numerous.

The powerful Sun Gods and the Orlin Pantheon differed, reputed to be deities of this world, walking the earth, leaving countless miracles and legends behind.

As this thought flashed through his mind, Fang Hong suddenly heard a high-pitched sizzling sound, raising his head just in time to see Tainaric urgently calling out to him, ”Get away from this place!”

This was the first time Fang Hong saw such an expression on the other’s face.

In the next moment, all three felt the Lonely Bridge slightly shake beneath their feet, different from the previous tremors, more like it swayed side to side; Parker almost tumbled off the bridge, but Tainaric, with his fast reflexes, lunged forward and pulled the Papalarian back in time.

Then, Fang Hong also realized that now was not the time to ponder these matters—whatever was below, if it woke up, it likely wouldn’t be too friendly towards them, the ’Outsiders’ who trespassed into forbidden territories.