Pillar of Yita

It seems it’s really not under the ancient castle.

So Fang Hong sent a message using his own communication crystal.

Since communication is normal, but he can’t reach his own people, most likely something has happened. However, as long as there is Starlight, revival is quick for the Eteliria people after death, and communication interruptions have many possibilities.

He thought of one among them.

Fang Hong held the crystal and raised his head: ”How far is it from where you came in? Are there any forks in the middle? How’s the situation outside? Which direction is the entrance in the valley?”

The few people exchanged glances.

”What does this have to do with it...” asked the Imperial Guard Swordsman.

”Of course it does.”

”About five or six minutes roughly, no forks in the middle, the mine tunnel slopes downward...”

”Mine tunnel?”

”...Outside is an abandoned mine, south of Aimumu Fortress... We investigated before coming, that’s how we knew about this place...”

Fang Hong thought these people were better prepared than himself, yet they didn’t know there’s an abandoned mine in the valley—though the Seven Seas Travel Group was formed at the last moment and hadn’t planned to come to this valley earlier.

”...Is that enough, sir?”

”Enough.” Fang Hong nodded.

He raised his hand, and a golden light flew to him from the darkness, landing steadily in his hand.

Only then did the crowd see clearly; It was a copper sphere with an exquisite shell, and the hemispherical copper shell was covered with precise mechanisms, wrapped in copper leaves. It extended four thin copper wings like cicada’s wings, gently vibrating as it flew up, circling Fang Hong’s hand once.

”A Clockwork Fairy...”

The few people had seen this little thing before, but rarely had they seen one so agile, indeed admirable. The eyes of the two swordsmen gleamed; Combat artisans of this level are at least professional artisan rank within the Artisan Association.

It’s widely known that the Colin Ishurian adventurers’ guild often collaborates with the Golande Artisan’s General Guild, and it’s quite natural for the Artisan Association to send combat members to investigate.

The crowd assumed Fang Hong belonged to the combat department as a professional artisan of the Artisan Association. Whether he was white or black rank was unknown to them, as their common sense told them that sending a department head to handle such a small matter was unlikely.

Fang Hong certainly wouldn’t say he was just a Golden Star Artisan and not employed in the combat department of the Artisan Association—he only slightly folded his collar inwardly; in the dim light, ordinary people wouldn’t notice it.

He mainly recalled the Clockwork Fairy to recharge it, also giving these people some confidence. Though the Energy Angel stood nearby, generally, people had a more intuitive understanding of the Clockwork Fairy.

Since the Clockwork Fairy hadn’t consumed much magic power previously, it refilled quickly. Fang Hong pointed ahead, and it flew swiftly towards the front, vanishing into the darkness—

”Are you from the Artisan Association?” Little Fatty looked at the scene, still in disbelief: ”Can you really handle that Undead Wizard?”

”I don’t know.”

”We’ll find out.” Fang Hong answered ambiguously.

Just this sentence ironically gave the crowd an inexplicable confidence.

People are like this; blind confidence makes one seem unreliable. But if someone behaves rationally, their words become increasingly convincing.

However, Fang Hong asked those questions not aimlessly. The Clockwork Fairy, due to its inability to emit light and difficulty in equipping dark vision components, was hard to navigate in complete darkness.

But Fang Hong was confident that after grasping the basic terrain information, he could attempt blind flight.

As there was no hope now of contacting people outside, he decided to scout a bit himself. A Level 25 Undead Wizard is not invincible, but the premise is not charging blindly ahead.

That would only lead to a serious collision.

The crowd quieted down; the darkness only occasionally echoed the clicking sound from Fang Hong’s control gloves.

He wore his hood low, so the crowd couldn’t see him wearing wind goggles. But standing motionless, he appeared more elegant, the crowd only glanced at Gita beside him—mistaking her as Fang Hong’s assistant.

The assistant was a Natural Historian.

The Imperial Guard Swordsman marveled, boasting to others how rare and powerful the profession of Natural Historian was, having one as an assistant indicated considerable strength and status. Little Fatty and another swordsman listened intently, even the Miss Priestess couldn’t help but look Fang Hong over a couple of times.

Only the archer urged them to stay quiet, so as not to interfere with Fang Hong controlling the Clockwork Fairy—he too was anxious, wanting to understand the situation outside.

Gita adjusted her glasses and quietly held her magic guided book.

After a while, Fang Hong sent out a second Clockwork Fairy.

He couldn’t help but curse in his heart. The first Clockwork Fairy had crashed against a wall, destroyed on the spot due to too much speed. Blind flying indeed requires some luck; technique is only part of it.

The second Clockwork Fairy flew even faster, almost creating a wind noise.

Yet it didn’t fare much better than the first, crashing into a pillar.

Not until the third Clockwork Fairy did Fang Hong finally capture a glimmer in the dark, he twisted the fairy towards that direction. The Clockwork Fairy of course moved much faster than humans, but after three consecutive fairies, it still took a minute or two.