Pillar of Yita

”Did you tell the military about the Dragonfire Guild appearing around here?” Elisa released her hand, causing Nini to cheer. She chuckled, waited for the Big Cat People and Fang Hong to finish their conversation, then asked.

Fang Hong nodded.

When they were cleaning up the battlefield in the afternoon, he notified the Silver Weslan’s princess and Su Changfeng. The former even joked about him only reaching out when he needed something, having not contacted her for a long time, which left him quite embarrassed. Fortunately, Sophie generously overlooked the matter and only asked about her father, which reminded Fang Hong of the task she entrusted to him, leaving him stammering and unsure of what to say.

Seeing his expression, Sophie couldn’t help but laugh and say, ”Looks like he really did ask you.”

Fang Hong was puzzled, ”How did you know?”

”It’s written all over your face, you fool.”

”Is it that obvious...?”

Sophie gave a knowing glance, ”I bet you were stammering just like now, unwilling to give a straight answer, right?”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but get a little angry when he recalled the matter and replied in frustration, ”How am I supposed to say anything about such a baseless rumor...?”

The Silver Weslan’s princess remained unbothered and instead giggled, ”But Xi and I are so pitiful, you won’t refuse to help, right? Besides, it’s not our fault that my father is such a relic; we’re victims too.”

”That’s true, but what does that have to do with me?”

”But aren’t you friends with Xi and me?”

Fang Hong thought about it and agreed, then said, ”But I have to discuss this with Hilveld.”

”Suit yourself,” Sophie rolled her eyes, ”your Miss Ship’s Officer really hit the jackpot.”

Fang Hong didn’t catch the sarcasm in her words and asked again, ”By the way, are you and Xi really...?”

Sophie uncharacteristically nodded seriously.

Fang Hong was both surprised and unsurprised, but couldn’t help but ask, ”Wouldn’t your fans be heartbroken if they found out?”

”They wouldn’t,” Sophie scoffed, well aware of what kind of fans the guild had cultivated for her, ”they’d probably be so excited they wouldn’t sleep for three days and nights. Otherwise, do you think the club executives would allow it?”

Fang Hong wiped the sweat off his glistening forehead, ”Is Silver Weslan really that dark?”

”That’s nothing,” Sophie said with a gossip-style look, lowering her voice slightly, ”Silver Weslan is one of the better ones. Back in the day, the God Slayer broke up Sister Nether and our Chairman—of course, it wasn’t entirely as the rumors say. They had their own reasons too...”

Fang Hong didn’t expect to overhear such a shocking piece of gossip, but upon thinking about it, he realized it was likely true—star players groomed by major guilds rarely considered personal matters before retirement.

As for dealings with the military, it was, of course, far less dramatic.

Su Changfeng didn’t bring up his daughter’s matter again but instead inquired about Luo Hao’s situation. As for the Dragonfire Guild’s activities near Idus, the military had already received intelligence from other sources, not just from the Seven Seas Travel Group.

Su Changfeng further informed him that the military was unlikely to take immediate action. For one, the Dragonfire Guild’s base being in Idus was still just conjecture. Even if the military sent a Floating Ship, it was unlikely to force the Dragonfire Guild to reveal themselves and might instead alert them prematurely.

The second reason, naturally, was that the military could not involve itself too deeply in the Southern Region’s affairs. Combating cultists was one thing, but investigating cult infiltration was another. The nearest Native forces to Idus were, of course, the Southern Region Alliance, and the military had long since informed the council, awaiting further verification from them.

However, since Fang Hong had made some discoveries, Su Changfeng suggested he continue following this clue. If he could identify the exact location of the Dragonfire Guild, the military could send the nearest Floating Ship to support them at any time.

Fang Hong had no objections; the military had given the Seven Seas Travel Group many benefits precisely to facilitate their identity for conducting private investigations into matters between cultists and the Dragonfire Guild. If they left everything to others to solve, what use would they serve?

He naturally understood the implications and, thus, directly nodded.

Reflecting back to reality, a lightning bolt flashed across the night sky in the distance, illuminating the canyon’s landscape in a snowy white gleam. The rain poured down in torrents, turning into straight lines under the electric light as Fang Hong watched the lines of water trickle over the eaves, splattering on the ground.

The streams flowed down the deck, coursing past not far from Miss Atira’s garden, and from the grooves there, forming little vortices, flowing into the drainage system beneath, eventually merging once more into the rain curtain from the platform’s side.

This was the first thunderstorm to hit Colin’s southern region as summer arrived. The rain came after nightfall, seemingly to wash away the last traces of blood from the canyon, carrying the blood-stained soil into the rushing streams, erasing the final marks of battle.

The rain began as a light drizzle, gradually becoming a heavy downpour, reminding Fang Hong of the Long Lake to the east. The Fishmen crisis that had just stabilized might flood again. This year’s Southern Region indeed seemed fraught with disasters.

Another lightning bolt streaked across the sky, accompanied by rolling thunder.