Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong counted, there were a total of eleven people in this group. Five were riding on beasts of burden, while the rest were on foot. The captives, on the other hand, totaled seven, including men, women, and a child.

Could it be a merchant group hijacked in the desert? He couldn’t help but wonder. Since ancient times, where there are merchants, there are bandits, and no trade route is exempt. But why would a merchant group come to Idus, when the nearest trade route is at least dozens of miles away?

He couldn’t recognize the hijackers, so he looked away and relayed the situation to the others.

Upon hearing Fang Hong’s description of their attire, the gaze of the Big Cat showed a meaningful expression. Bakins, beside him, firmly responded: ”They’re the Blood Shark Pirates.”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but be taken aback.

He looked at Reed, not expecting such a coincidence, having just mentioned this matter a few days ago, and now encountering it. But thinking about the information Elfendo gave them, which indicated that the Blood Shark Pirates were active in this area, it seemed logical to run into them.

The Big Cat simply stroked his chin lightly, looking at Fang Hong and saying, ”Don’t look at me; times have changed. I’m a member of this team now, so naturally, I’ll follow your lead, little guy.”

”Brother Ade, should we rescue those people?” Gita asked softly.

”Of course, we should rescue them,” Tianlan answered matter-of-factly. ”How pitiful they are, caught by those vicious individuals; surely nothing good will come of it. Besides, they’re merchants, so if we save them, we should get some benefit, right?”

She suddenly paused and looked at the others: ”Why are you all looking at me like that? Isn’t rescuing people supposed to come with some reward?”

”But it’s not about the reward now, Tianlan,” Elisa replied. ”It’s about whether it’s worth alarming them.”

Fang Hong also frowned. This is Eteliria; they could rescue people, but they couldn’t stop the Blood Shark Pirates from reviving. Once they made a move, the adversaries would be aware of their presence, become more vigilant, and might even send people to search for them.

After all, this is near Idus, not in Panier Canyon, closer to the possible ’stronghold’ of the opposition. Moreover, there aren’t many places to hide. And let’s not forget, there aren’t just Blood Shark Pirates here but also members of the Dragonfire Guild.

Tianlan’s eyes were sparkling; she looked at the others incredulously: ”But those are several lives, Brother Ade! We won’t just stand by and watch them die, will we?”

”They might not necessarily die. Isn’t there still the possibility of resurrection?” The Papalarian muttered under his breath.

”Shut up, Parker.”

”Alright.” The Papalarian spread his hands.

”Tianlan, don’t interfere with Ade’s decision-making,” Atira quietly reminded.

”Sister Atira, that’s true...” Tianlan glanced at Fang Hong, also realizing that taking action would be troublesome. Although she seemed unwilling, she eventually closed her mouth.

Ai Xiaoxiao then looked at the others from behind, couldn’t help her curiosity, and offered her opinion: ”But can’t we just tie them up? As long as they don’t die, they won’t revive, right?”

Tang Xin was speechless at her friend’s suggestion: ”Won’t they just commit suicide?”

”But Tangtang, if we tie them up and gag them, isn’t that solved?”

”My Little Princess, is suicide that simple in your mind?”

”Oh, isn’t it?”

Hilveld shook her head with a smile, then explained to her. In Eteliria, people could cut off their starlight themselves. Unless using some special creations or magic, imprisoning someone can be very troublesome.

For example, Anchor Stones can isolate starlight coordinates, forcing people to revive in place upon death. But except for the Xinsas Serpentfolk, who would use Anchor Stones to build dungeons? People often choose a more affordable material:

Eternal Stone.

In fact, this crystal-like rock is widely used to build sanctuaries, serving as the base point for the Resurrection Altar’s coordinates.

Building a prison on this principle is simple: the prison itself is a Resurrection Altar, under the jurisdiction of the God of Law and Terra Wotu, the city’s guardian, or the territory of the Hell Goddess Moyadimas. When people say that Eteliria’s prison is an alternative ’Holy Sanctuary,’ they’re not entirely wrong.

Even the dark prisons of cultists often worship dark saints or demon lords with imprisonment functions, achieving similar effects.

It’s just that they don’t have Eternal Stone on hand. Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t be able to build a prison quickly—when creating a platform, Fang Hong never considered it. But now he realized that the Seven Seas Traveler should have such a ’Prison Sanctuary’ on board in the future.

Otherwise, encountering such a situation right now is really troublesome.

Ai Xiaoxiao just let out an ’oh’ and meekly went back.

”If you want to take action, Ade,” Atira spoke once more, ”I might be able to help a bit.”

Fang Hong looked at the Elf Miss in surprise, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

”That’s right,” he realized suddenly, ”Miss Atira, you’re a believer of Ameya!”

”Strictly speaking, a Saintess of the Unicorn,” the Big Cat said. ”As the Forest Goddess, Ameya’s believers are naturally responsible for expelling and punishing unwelcome intruders. Therefore, the forest itself also carries part of the divine office of imprisonment.”