Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong looked ahead somewhat helplessly.

Tang Xin was holding Ai Xiaoxiao’s hand, walking at the front of the line as if he were air, immersing herself in the surrounding sights and sounds without sparing him a glance.

The rest of the group lagged far behind. Except for Atira and Gita, who appeared concerned, the others were watching with glee. The Big Catfolk were grinning, and Parker and Xiangzi were already lost in a heated debate—

As to what the two were arguing about, Fang Hong couldn’t hear and didn’t want to know.

Tianlan, on the other hand, would occasionally send him a seemingly innocent message like: ’Brother Ade, why isn’t your sister responding to you?’, ’Brother Ade, go and comfort her.’, ’Brother Ade, hang in there!’. These messages appeared to show concern but actually stirred up trouble, like adding fuel to the fire.

Making Fang Hong wish he could grab this annoying girl and give her a good scolding.

Only Hilveld walked beside him, and seeing his awkward state, couldn’t help but smile slightly. Fang Hong noticed her expression and turned back, feeling a bit embarrassed as he looked at her.

Hilveld had a smile in her eyes and just shook her head to indicate she was fine, then signaled subtly in that direction.

Fang Hong understood her meaning, nodded, and then reluctantly gathered his courage to approach, gently calling: ”Tangtang.”

Whenever he fell into a cold war with his cousin due to arguments, whenever he softened his stance and called her by her nickname, she usually forgave him.

But this time, the issue was obviously more serious. Tang Xin only gave him a cold glance and said with a sharp tone: ”Now you remember to call me Tangtang? Sorry, my name is Tang Xin, you got the wrong person.”

”Wow, Tangtang, you look terrifying right now.” Ai Xiaoxiao, beside them, turned pale with fear.

This made Tang Xin furious as she retorted: ”Ai Xiaoxiao, if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll break up with you!”

So the little girl could only look at Fang Hong helplessly, stick out her tongue, as if to say there’s nothing she could do, hoping her older cousin takes care of himself!

”Tangtang,” Fang Hong could only cautiously look at his cousin: ”Don’t be mad anymore, didn’t I say before? I will definitely come to Eteliria, I remember telling you.”

But this wasn’t the aspect of Tang Xin he feared the most. What he truly dreaded was seeing her eyes turn red, tears falling like money meant nothing.

He recalled the only time he made his cousin cry her heart out was when they were very young. His uncle and aunt didn’t scold him, but it left a lasting impression on him.

Because Tang Xin never shed tears in front of others.

She never cried like that again afterward, but even thinking of it now, Fang Hong was deeply afraid of seeing her cry.

Fortunately, she didn’t cry this time. Instead, she turned back with her lips tightly pressed, giving him a cold, hard stare. ”Pigeon Fang, you’ve really grown bold, saying you’ll come to Eteliria, so you must come, right? Do you remember what you told my parents?”

Fang Hong felt very wronged: ”That’s, it’s Heng, not Pigeon.”

With a snort, Ai Xiaoxiao finally couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. But seeing Tang Xin’s unsatisfied look, the little girl quickly waved her hands defensively: ”Tangtang, it’s not my fault, it’s just that your cousin is too funny.”

Actually, Tang Xin was almost amused as well.

But she bit her lip in anger, glaring at him: ”Didn’t you say you were going out for a stroll? You went all the way to the Stargate, several thousand kilometers away, Pigeon Fang, isn’t your stroll a bit too far?”

Fang Hong felt a little embarrassed recalling his own ’feat,’ scratching his head: ”But you know, if I spoke the truth, there’s no way my uncle and aunt would let me leave. They really don’t want me to become an Invoker, be reasonable, Tangtang, what’s wrong with becoming an Invoker?”

He took a light breath: ”Everyone has their dreams, Tangtang, and so do I. I have always been grateful for how your family has treated me; my uncle, aunt, and you, I’ve always seen you as family. But chasing dreams can’t be wrong, can it? I haven’t done anything particularly wrong.”

Tang Xin was taken aback at seeing him like this. But she quickly shook her head, feigning indifference: ”So you lie? You deceive those who trust you the most, have you thought about how I and others feel?”

She paused slightly, with a hint of disappointment: ”Moreover, the money your uncle and aunt left you was meant for something more meaningful. Pigeon Fang, you used it to contact a Snakehead for illegal immigration, really impressive.”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got, her chest heaving with emotion.

Fang Hong knew he was in the wrong; in the heat of the moment, he hadn’t considered the consequences, just wanting to follow his ideals. Looking back, it was indeed reckless—he was much more mature now and understood how much trouble his impulsiveness had caused.

He suddenly felt it was necessary to meet with the military officials. Since he had caused the trouble, he should bear the consequences, no matter the outcome, as running away was not a solution.

He lowered his head, staying silent.

And seeing him like this, Tang Xin couldn’t help but feel somewhat pitying. She too couldn’t quite understand why her usually open-minded parents were so inflexible about this; her cousin’s love and yearning for the world beyond the Stargate were quite obvious: