Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong dimmed the crystal lamp and looked out through the lattice window at the twilight-covered forest. The forest lay under a blanket of snow, a gray expanse, with occasional flickers of light, belonging to the ’things’ that had been following them for several days.

They weren’t wolves; Tibial Creek got its name from the undead creatures that haunted the area. No one knew where they came from; some said they were from a nearby lone fortress, while others believed they came from a town that giants massacred long ago.

In the dark ages, giants marched along the Kudi Mountain Range, and after Laine was defeated, the remnants of the army fled into the forests. To this day, you can still see the descendants of those dwarf giants in the mountains — trolls.

The overcast sky, with the gradually darkening twilight, the intermingling wind and snow, and the distant and nearby howls of wolves, all seemed to cast a mysterious hue over this forest. Otherwise, Tianlan wouldn’t be clamoring to sleep with Gita, claiming it was to protect the latter, but in reality, it was just being too afraid to sleep alone.”

But this forest is indeed eerie. People walking in the falling snow make no sound. Locals call it the Silent Forest. In the forest, there are not only wolves but also werewolves. They move silently, following travelers like shadows, waiting until the campfire embers are about to go out to kill people in their sleep.

After leaving Golande, they traveled southward for about half a month. After leaving a mining city located in a canyon a week ago, they found themselves in the wilderness; it was the first day of the New Year in Eteliria, and they even had a small celebration, during which Miss Poet sang a song that nearly killed half the crew.

It was his first New Year in this world.

At times like these, Fang Hong would think of his uncle’s family, recalling the days of celebrating the New Year together. Leaving without saying goodbye seemed quite inappropriate in retrospect. He looked up his cousin’s communication ID but found she was not online.

Fang Hong glanced at the map spread out on the table under the lamplight. The dim light reflected off the slightly curled waterproof parchment. The map was drawn by Hilveld, with meticulous and detailed annotations in elegant handwriting.

Dulun was still far south of the Great Canyon, but the nearest stop was less than half a day’s journey away. There was a small town called the Masongke Creek outpost, which was actually a pioneer camp established by loggers who ventured deep into the area in earlier years, gradually forming a settlement.

In these mountain forests, among the several adjacent small towns, strange incidents occurred every year, with workers disappearing being a commonplace event. Locals claimed these forests were haunted by spirits, and once lost in the woods, there was no chance of survival.

However, this place boasted the best logging team. Many Invokers practicing the Life Profession of Woodworking also came here to form groups. Fang Hong had long decided to hire suitable people above these towns to venture south through the Great Canyon, in search of the reddish-brown lumber they needed.

After reading, he covered the journal with the map, took a coat off the wall, and put it on, buttoning up the brass buttons from top to bottom before turning off the lamp and leaving the room.

The workbench in the workshop held a half-built Magic Guided Reactor, the Emerald Bird β model. Due to inadvertently acquiring a batch of Violet Gold, he made some design adjustments to suit himself at the start. However, these adjustments made it difficult to continue the production.

There was no issue with the general framework, but a key proposal was missing, and the material was another problem. The originally ordered materials for the Ether Magic Power output device were no longer suitable. He searched through the materials sent from Tabopolis but couldn’t find the ideal lightweight material that could be paired with Violet Gold.

For the past half-month, his main work was creating Magic Guided Conductors and verifying the design ideas of the Magic Guided Reactor. Things went smoothly on the Tabopolis side, as the materials sent by Yugudola far exceeded his original expectations.

In addition, he helped Mr. Bakins craft a curved blade named ’Ice Track’, which was much better than the standard Magic Guided Conductor he had bought from some workshop before. However, the client’s firearm was a masterpiece, something he could never match—

He also helped Gita and Luo Yu make two professional Magic Guided Reactors, which made Tianlan’s eyes light up. In truth, Fang Hong had made one for the young girl too. However, he had no clue how to resolve the matter of this Miss Poet’s Invoker identity...

There was no point in considering negotiations with the Twelve-Colored Iris.

As he moved to the other side of the workshop, he saw Miss Ship’s Officer, covered with an overcoat, asleep on a few scattered maps. The warm glow of the crystal lamp traced along her cheek, her long eyelashes casting shadows like a crescent moon, serene and beautiful.

Fang Hong was taken aback, not expecting to see Hilveld in this state.

The Noble Lady in his mind, was always efficient and capable, as if she possessed endless energy, combined with sufficient attention to detail and calmness. No matter how urgent the time, she always completed her tasks before the deadline, never making any mistakes.

In her daily interactions and attire, one couldn’t find a single flaw, as if she were a perfect person.

But not in this fragile, endearing state.

Yet this appearance now seemed more genuine.

After falling asleep calmly, she seemed to take on a new form. Ever since leaving Golande, she had let her golden hair down again, as she was now, her loose hair like flowing gold, shimmering under the lamplight.