Pillar of Yita

Xi unexpectedly blushed fiery red, looking at her Princess in a hesitant manner. The crowd clamored, yet few truly believed it. Within the Guild, the relationship between these Twin Stars Knights was considered merely a sisterhood.

...

Fang Hong was walking to a side of the hall when he suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind.

He turned his head and couldn’t help but be taken aback, for what he saw wasn’t anyone else but the young man from the Shadow Throne. Fang Hong frowned at this person; apart from the matter with the Shadow Throne, he hadn’t forgotten that this man had incited Ragnarok to cause trouble for the Seven Seas Travel Group.

”Mr. Ade, we had some misunderstandings before.” The young man surprisingly appeared humble at this moment, looking up at him as he replied.

”I don’t consider that a misunderstanding,” Fang Hong responded coolly.

He felt there was nothing worth discussing with this person.

Moreover, he was unwilling to involve himself with the Shadow Throne at this time. Although it seemed the Shadow Throne was thriving in the south, he knew it didn’t have many days left.

If this were a usual day, the young man probably would have been gnashing his teeth, leaving in a huff, and quietly plotting revenge. Yet at this moment, the man acted as if he hadn’t heard Fang Hong’s words, meekly replying, ”...Mr. Ade, you overstate it. I’m not here to cause trouble but have important matters to discuss. May I borrow a step to speak with you?”

Fang Hong instinctively wanted to refuse but heard the man say, ”Someone wants to meet you; it’s someone from Ragnarok. Mr. Ade, aren’t you on good terms with Ragnarok Guild? Why not see what they have to say?”

Fang Hong was taken aback, frowned in thought, and recalled previous matters. Could it be that the Shadow Throne has spies within Ragnarok? That’s not impossible; Ragnarok is so large, there must be some traitors or miscreants among them.

Considering this, his thoughts changed.

Odin selflessly gave him a chance to enter the Hall of Thousand Doors, and now was a time to return the favor by first finding the traitors within their Guild, preventing Odin’s divine Guild from getting embroiled in the ensuing tumult.

The young man saw his silence and thought he was weighing options, his eyes revealing a hint of smugness.

Fang Hong saw this fool as someone unaware of looming danger, maintaining a neutral expression without revealing any emotions on his face; for the net against the Shadow Throne hadn’t been cast yet. He couldn’t alert the snake prematurely. He decided to feign acquiescence with this person, then nodded with a stern face—but immediately realized it was unwise. He agreed too quickly without pretended hesitation.

Besides, the stern face was too unnatural.

Fang Hong couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly, thinking how Hilveld would have deceived such a person effortlessly if she were here. Even Tianlan was better than him.

But he glanced at the man, who seemed to be a simpleton and hadn’t noticed anything amiss; as they both jousted clumsily, it was complementing each other’s ineptitude. The young man even thought he had succeeded and motioned him to enter from this side.

Only then did Fang Hong drop his unnatural expression and follow along.

He was somewhat curious about who the Ragnarok person was, but the two walked to a corner of the hall, where someone sat at the table. At a glance, Fang Hong’s disappointment surged as the person was entirely hidden under a hooded cloak.

He couldn’t see their face at all.

However, it made sense; as an insider, there must be some basic acting discipline. Why expose oneself to outsiders without cause? The identity might be shared because they assumed he was merely an outsider to the Ragnarok plot.

Secondly, if they hadn’t declared their identity, he wouldn’t have agreed to come.

He told himself to remain calm internally, suppressing his disappointment, only considering the person and waiting for them to speak first.

These people who summoned him weren’t bringing him over just to idly waste time.

Sure enough, the person spoke — the voice somewhat low, seemingly not of a young person but of a somber middle-aged man: ”Mr. Ade, hello. You needn’t overly concern yourself with my identity. I asked this gentleman to invite you over but haven’t disclosed everything to him. I’m registered with Ragnarok Guild, yet that isn’t my entire identity.”

While speaking, the person took out a metallic plaque and slid it toward Fang Hong.

On that plaque, Fang Hong saw the words—Stargate Port, Super Competitive General Alliance.

He couldn’t help but look up at the person in surprise, pondering whether Sophie had submitted the evidence and why Super Competitive Alliance officials were still with Shadow Throne people?

Yet he didn’t think extensively, only facing a Super Competitive Alliance official closely for the first time, and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat tense due to the institution’s decades-long stellar reputation, as well as due to his own identity.

Being a Stowaway, it’s hard not to feel apprehensive before officials.

But that person clearly wasn’t seeking him for that reason and continued: ”Mr. Ade, now you understand my identity. Super Competitive Alliance has always taken the responsibility of protecting the interests of Invokers. But these interests not only include visible, tangible things but also the reputation of Invokers and the order of the entire system.”

”Mr. Ade, you are a Free Summoner, and Super Competitive Alliance respects all Free Summoners. Yet you must understand that freedom isn’t without limits—Stargate Declaration is the baseline we all need to uphold. Consequently, the ongoing task of the Super Competitive Alliance is to endeavor to root out those lawbreakers violating the Stargate Declaration from the ranks of Invokers.”