Pillar of Yita

He looked at Fang Hong, ”Do you understand, little guy?”

Fang Hong shook his head.

”It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. One day, when you become a real man, you’ll understand.”

The Big Catfolk looked up at the sky, the purple night sky sparkling with the many stars worshipped by Rotao’s Wilderness People. But in their ancient legends, every person only had one guardian star that belonged to them.

Which star was his? He never told anyone.

”I killed him four times, and he still wouldn’t say. I think he plans to take that answer to the grave.”

The Big Catfolk mumbled to himself, not caring if the two others beside him could understand.

Fang Hong and Luo Hao, indeed, didn’t understand, only looking at each other in confusion.

But the Big Catfolk had already turned back to the two and said, ”If the scouting is about done, let’s head back. The night is still long.”

Fang Hong could only nod.

He asked Pasha, who was nearby, to pack up things and prepare to leave. While the three of them talked, Pasha had been staying far away by himself. Fang Hong asked if he felt bored, and the little boy shook his head.

The four of them returned to the camp, and when Bunigu heard that they had plans for the night, he came over to find them.

This chubby merchant looked at Fang Hong expectantly and asked, ”Are you adventurers sent by the King?”

Fang Hong shook his head; what did they have to do with the King?

”Then you accepted a commission from the Adventurers’ Guild to deal with those Blood Shark Sky Pirates?”

”No, not that either.”

”Then you must be handling matters here; otherwise, why would you infiltrate Idus?” Bunigu was getting anxious.

Fang Hong looked at him in surprise and asked, ”Who told you we are infiltrating Idus?”

”That Papalarian in your team,” Bunigu quickly added, ”Captain, you can’t fool me; I paid to get this information from him!”

Fang Hong glanced in that direction, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

The desert night cooled rapidly. Parker was sitting by the campfire and suddenly shivered.

Fang Hong decided to teach that guy a lesson later—he planned to tell Atira about this—but for now, he couldn’t quite deny it outright, so he vaguely said:

”We do have such an idea, but we may not necessarily infiltrate. The Blood Shark Sky Pirates are heavily guarded, so we plan to first scout the area.”

Bunigu didn’t take in half of the words but eagerly asked, ”Captain, can you take me with you?”

Fang Hong looked at him surprised—why are you trying to join in?

Bunigu then realized he had misspoken and quickly corrected himself, ”No, I mean, I can be your lookout.”

”But we don’t need a lookout.”

”But I can safely get you into the city, Captain, please rest assured, I won’t interfere with you. I will wait for you at the hidden passage—”

Fang Hong suddenly realized, staring at the chubby guy: ”A hidden passage?”

”Yes, a hidden passage,” Bunigu quickly responded, ”Idus has a vast underground network, and my ancestors...traded for generations, so I’m quite acquainted with these passages... Though it’s been many years, I might be able to find some based on the records I remember.”

He spoke somewhat hesitantly. Fang Hong suddenly realized that the so-called ancestral trade generations probably meant smuggling; otherwise, why would he know such things?

Smugglers, though primarily evading Colin Kingdom’s heavy local taxes, are mostly not good people, often connected to bandits and thieves.

A ’glorious’ ancestral career like that, no wonder it was hard for him to admit. However, Fang Hong didn’t mind this much, only asking:

”Are you telling the truth?”

Bunigu quickly nodded.

”What’s your purpose in doing this?” Fang Hong asked again.

But he soon understood what the other party was after—

After hearing Bunigu’s story, Fang Hong looked at him somewhat incredulously, ”You’re asking us to help you find your goods?”

He almost wanted to leave right then. He wasn’t without a way to enter Idus; he agreed with the other party because he had other ideas about the ’hidden passage’ mentioned.

But the demand was a bit too outrageous, expecting them to help find his goods? Never mind how much cargo a merchant group might have or even manage it out, finding his goods in large Idus is a fantasy.

Fortunately, Bunigu’s following words dispelled his doubts, ”Captain, I’m not blinded by greed...I understand the risks involved here. I’m not asking you to bring the goods out, just hoping you can help me find one thing.”

”One thing?” Fang Hong looked at him suspiciously.

”It’s my family heirloom, a ring,” Bunigu said, taking out a ring and handing it to him, ”This ring can sense the presence of that one. I can lose everything else, but this ring, the legacy of my family, cannot be lost here... I wouldn’t dare trouble you all if I had any other way...”

”If you find my goods, everything except the ring is yours...consider it prepaid. ”Bunigu said, somewhat embarrassedly, ”I’m sorry, these are the only things I have now.”

If finding a ring and it could be located, Fang Hong thought it wasn’t unacceptable. But to be sure, he mentioned, ”We’ll only ensure to do our best—”

Even so, Bunigu seemed overjoyed, nodding repeatedly.

Despite feeling there’s something strange, Fang Hong considered how he endured staying with the Blood Shark Sky Pirates here instead of reviving at Lady Roman’s Holy Sanctuary. It seemed for this ring’s sake, so he felt relieved.

He didn’t think too much since there were more things to prepare, like selecting people—

The upcoming infiltration plan was really just about finding out what the Blood Shark Sky Pirates were hiding in Idus. Therefore, Fang Hong didn’t intend to take everyone along to cause trouble.

Among the Seven Seas Travel Group, the many spellcasters not good at stealth action were the first to be eliminated. Along with the front-line melee fighters, the remaining were the infiltration pair—Elisa and Parker.

Additionally, the Druid-slash-Hunter Elf Miss, who was also skilled in infiltration.

Adding the Big Catfolk, Bakins, and Hilveld, who complements Parker and draws maps, these were the people Fang Hong selected for his stealth team.

Though newly joined, the ranger Ai Xiaoxiao ideally fit the mission, her level was too low, excluding her.

This quite disappointed Ai Xiaoxiao.

Before the moon fully rose, Bunigu led everyone to a valley north of Idus. Steep cliffs in this direction blocked the moonlight entirely. He looked at the pitch-black bare cliffside, then turned to everyone and said:

”The entrance to one of the hidden passages should be around here if it still exists... my family hasn’t been here for many years.”

”I understand, just find the entrance first.” Fang Hong looked around and replied.

Bunigu then stopped, hesitantly asking:

”Captain, about my request.”

...