Pillar of Yita

”Seven years ago, my father was officially commissioned by the Colin Ishurian Royalty to search for the Second Star Bridge.”

”It was also the third attempt by Colin Ishurian in two hundred years to send a Large Ship Group to find the entrance to the third world, and it was the most well-prepared one to date.”

”Thus, before departure, my father took me to the place where he and my mother first met—the Eimeya Sanctuary in Elpaxin, on the edge of that forest. He pointed at his flagship and confidently told me that it wouldn’t be long before he would bring back thrilling news for everyone.”

”But nobody expected that the fleet’s departure would last seven years. Afterward, I was fostered in the house of a very knowledgeable lady, from whom I learned the Knowledge of our family and the nobility, and slowly grew up.”

”As spring gave way to winter, the elderly King Abidian did not live to see my father’s return and soon passed away. Amidst the chaos in the heart of the Kingdom, a New King was crowned. And Prince Coleman, once a staunch supporter of my father, gradually found himself removed from the center of power—”

”As a result, people gradually forgot that in some corner of the kingdom, a less conspicuous young girl was waiting for the return of her father. Perhaps it was her daily prayers that had an effect, for one day, news of her father’s fleet’s return from the second world arrived...”

”But fate is often cruel, and the fleet that returned intact was only one of the four sub-fleets that had originally left Elpaxin. They brought back news that was a mix of good and bad.”

”Some of the sailors claimed that shortly after arriving in the Murky Domain, my father mysteriously disappeared with his First Sub-Fleet—and before his disappearance, he mentioned to his second-in-command, Sir Royal, more than once that he had found clues about the Second Star Bridge.”

”After my father’s disappearance, Sir Royal went to look for him several times to no avail, and eventually could only lead the remaining three sub-fleets back home. However, during their journey through the Gate of the World, they encountered a rare dark storm. Sir Royal himself, along with the Second and Third Sub-Fleets, disappeared within the storm, and to this day, their whereabouts are unknown.”

”The survivors only brought back Sir Royal’s notebook, which recorded all the research data my father had on the Obelisk during his journey. His conclusions indicated that the diagrams on the Obelisk were a map to the Second Star Bridge, and such maps were scattered around the world.”

”However, this precious notebook cannot speak for itself, nor can it prove whether my father’s mission was ultimately successful. Instead, it became a pretext used by the new faction to criticize Prince Coleman. The grand plan that started with much fanfare seven years ago has now come to such an outcome, naturally failing to convince the public—”

”Its failure seems to highlight the incompetence of the project’s leader even more.”

”And that leader is, obviously, Prince Coleman—using this as an excuse, the Prime Minister, trusted most by His Majesty, has imprisoned a large number of the Prince’s loyalists and even stripped them of their noble status, leaving their fortunes in ruins. Meanwhile, he has reappointed my father’s arch-enemy—Sir Judd Charlemagne, attempting to use my father’s notebook to find the whereabouts of the Second Star Bridge.”

”To glorify his own achievements.”

”But there is a flaw in this plan, as the Albert Family may be dwindled, but at least my father has a daughter like me, as well as many old subordinates loyal to him.”

”Therefore, under the Prime Minister’s direction, a team set out to the castle of the lady who took me in, and I was supposed to ’disappear’ in an ’accidental’ fire that happened a year and a half ago.”

”Unfortunately, I was secretly rescued by my father’s old subordinates, costing that poor lady her life—I heard that on that night, she was taken from her own castle and has never been seen again.”

Hilveld paused.

”When I was young, my father often joked saying it was a pity that I was a girl because there was no precedent for a female explorer in Colin Ishurian history; otherwise, I could have followed in his footsteps.”

”It was only that day that I understood he was right—I am his only daughter, and no one is more qualified than I to represent him and to prove all of this. So I made up my mind, as long as I found the gate to the Third World before the Colin Ishurian Royalty, people will never forget the honor of the Albert Family, nor my father’s achievements—”

”So from that moment, I started to plan this.”

After saying this, she looked at Fang Hong with bright eyes.

”My father was right, I am a girl, and among the male-dominated navigators of Colin Ishurian, I do not have the advantage. But I also understand that compared to those people, I have my own strengths—I knew about my father’s research on the Obelisks from a very young age, and over the years, I have never ceased to study relevant knowledge and to consult the notes my father left.”

”Therefore, at this moment in Colin Ishurian, no one should understand my father’s past research better than I do, and this is my greatest advantage.”

”At the same time, before my father left, he also mentioned something to me,” Hilveld replied, ”He was quite regretful that the design for the ’Traveler of the Seven Seas’ had not found a suitable person to start construction—yet the design for this ’Great Ship’ was a legendary idea passed down from my maternal grandfather’s generation.”