Pillar of Yita

”I think the truth of the Dragon Witch incident from a hundred years ago lies between these two matters.”

Hilveld wasn’t surprised at all after hearing this. She glanced at the others and then turned back to ask, ”Lord Captain, don’t you intend to meet with us first for a detailed discussion? Acting in haste might be a bit too rushed, don’t you think?”

Fang Hong shook his head, ”Among the Blood Shark Sky Pirates, there are Dragon Knight-level figures. The Dragonfire Guild and the Rain Listener are not easy to provoke either from the perspective of the Seven Seas Travel Group. But with the appearance of the Descendants of Flor, while they are holding both sides’ top combat power on the battlefield, it’s the perfect time for us to act.”

Hilveld wasn’t really opposing.

It was more about reminding her captain, as a conscientious Ship’s Officer, not to act recklessly. Seeing that Fang Hong still had a clear mind, she nodded, ”Alright, leave this to us. Although some of the sky pirates have entered the tunnels, their main site is still above ground. It shouldn’t be much of an issue for us to sneak in again.”

”Then be careful.”

The noble lady’s eyes flickered slightly with a touch of gentleness. She stayed silent for a moment before softly saying, ”Lord Captain, please take care too.”

Fang Hong nodded.

He didn’t say much after that, only sought out Bunigu to roughly determine where the Idus Municipal Hall once stood. In fact, both Hilveld and Gita had read relevant documents and could easily point out its location, but when it came to the Underground World, they couldn’t compare to the descendants of smugglers with ’ancestral knowledge’.

However, Bunigu only had a rough idea of the place, stammering as he told Fang Hong that it wasn’t far from where the ’Dragon’s Initial Scale’ was located. The municipal hall’s underground passages weren’t quite the same as others, as they were originally the underground black dungeons of a fortress where the kingdom’s praetor was stationed, hence not connected to the outside.

Bunigu mentioned that there was a large Hidden Arsenal Cave and underground fortress there, but all the surrounding entrances were sealed, making entry not easy. The only possibility might be that the tunnels collapsed during the disaster a hundred years ago, creating other entrances.

This possibility was significant. Along the way, Fang Hong encountered many such passages that didn’t originally exist, but due to parts of the tunnels collapsing during the disaster, new passages were formed. Of course, there were also original paths that had become dead ends.

Thus, he couldn’t completely rely on this hope. If there was indeed no other way, going back to the surface and entering the ruins of the municipal hall, then finding an entrance to the underground from there, was also a method. But the latter would naturally be much more dangerous, especially since the Descendants of Flor were fiercely battling with the Blood Shark Sky Pirates on the surface.

It was already the latter half of the night, only a few hours away from Liming.

Therefore, after the division of tasks was completed, they didn’t waste any more time and immediately set off in different directions.

Fang Hong, with Atira, left the natural cave where the ’Dragon’s Initial Scale’ was located. Before leaving, he took one last look at the pitch-black underground river behind him, memories of his recent confrontation there with the Descendants of Flor alongside the Dragon Witch still vivid.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, things had changed.

He silently thought of Miss Sicape. Back then, it was also just him carrying Miss Sicape out from the tunnels beneath the Elf Ruins. But who would have thought that would be his last memory of the Morning Dawn Star, now like time flowing backwards—

Yet the enemy was still the Descendants of Flor.

Only now, there was the additional Dragon Worship Sect.

Fang Hong was silent, saying nothing.

But he silently resolved in his heart that, no matter what, he at least needed to provide Eve with an explanation. To see what truly happened a hundred years ago and why she has remained here all this time—why Kalatu and Yoshude chose to leave the ’Dragon’s Heart’ in this place.

Was that Dragon Slaying Hero really just longing for the girl in his heart, which made her wander in this dark underground for so long? But if so, why would he leave Eve here alone for a century, when he promised his beloved he would return?

The two walked out of the underground river, into an outer hall. In truth, Fang Hong still harbored a sliver of hope—but the square hall was silent and dark at this moment, without a gentle girl singing upon the tall rock.

Even the single beam of cold light on the dome had disappeared.

Fang Hong lit an Illumination Crystal, finding nothing but his broken Screeching Banshee in the chaotic hall. He silently picked up the Flexible Construct, brushed off the dust, and stowed it in his backpack.

The two exited the hall, reaching the secret door they had previously entered. The scene beyond the door was exactly as Atira had described. The ground was littered with dark, stacked Crystal Shards. Fang Hong bent down and picked one up; it was identical to the shard Atira had shown him earlier.

He took another look around. The hole from which the flames had erupted was still there, only the formerly melted rock had fully solidified now. The purple flame monster seemed to have vanished since he last saw it during the sealing, never to appear again.

Fang Hong had a vague feeling that the creature might be related to the Dragon’s Heart.

As he prepared to take another step forward, the ground suddenly shook violently. Fang Hong lifted his head, feeling a tremor seemingly coming from the surface above.

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