Pillar of Yita

Since the Seven Seas Traveler is still being built in Tansnier, Fang Hong didn’t bring the entire Seven Seas Travel Group this time. Even Miss Ship’s Officer remained at the shipyard to continue overseeing the construction work, with Tianlan, Luo Yu, and Gita not making the trip.

Only Xiangzi, Parker, Luo Hao, and Tang De accompanied him. Hilveld had Xiesta accompany him to take care of everyone’s daily needs during the journey, including those of their Lord Captain.

Though Miss Maid still didn’t show a kind face towards him, she diligently attended to her duties without complaint.

Aside from Xiesta, who wore a stern face, and Tang De, who remained dismissive, the group marveled at the palace’s splendor amid the desert. Fang Hong had to repeatedly deter the Papalarians from extending their reach towards the palace’s treasures.

This little fellow’s eyes were nearly dazzled by the jewels and golden artworks within the palace, nearly causing Parker to drool along the way.

Before long, they finally met the person they truly came to see.

However, Fang Hong hadn’t expected that their host would be an old lady with a somewhat stern appearance.

This Madam’s precise age was hard to discern, but her appearance suggested a life of comfort. From her looks, she seemed just over forty, with a head of gray-silver hair cascading down her back, adorned with a patterned scarf draped with a crystal pendant.

She wore earrings with purple crystal pendants, and her skin, well-maintained and fair, bore no marks of age, except a few crow’s feet and a wrinkle or two on her forehead. Her ethnicity and complexion were rare in Istania, resembling more the people of Colin Ishurian without the facial features.

Yet, her gaze conveyed age and wisdom, with a hint of maturity in her light purple eyes, suggesting a life seasoned by trials and wisdom, possessing a profound insight and worldly comprehension.

Upon seeing those eyes, Fang Hong felt that this woman’s true age might far exceed her outward appearance, perhaps by a significant margin.

Princess Rupert was also present.

She had apparently arrived earlier and now sat beside the elderly woman, introducing them in her melodious voice:

”Everyone, this is Lady Farideh Arzhan-Raziz, the birth mother of Queen Parang and also my grandmother. She heard about your situation and wished to meet you.”

Fang Hong had anticipated that someone from the Queen’s maternal family would undoubtedly hold a remarkable status, but he hadn’t expected her to be the grandmother of the Princess, which took him by surprise.

The elderly woman examined them closely. Not fluent in the common tongue of the Colin Ishurian, she turned and whispered something to the Princess before gesturing towards her.

Princess Rupert nodded, then turned back to say, ”Regarding my mother’s affairs, the tragedy of those days is still vividly present. My grandmother is reluctant to discuss it further, hoping you can understand the pain an elder has suffered over this matter. However, my grandmother has something she wishes to entrust to you temporarily, which might provide some clues.”

Fang Hong nodded. He initially wanted to inquire about the life experiences of the Queen before her marriage into the Royal House of Penelope, but upon reflection, many questions pertained to royal privacy, and Istania, being a very conservative kingdom, differed greatly from both Earth and Colin Ishurian.

Certain questions were indeed not suitable to ask.

Of course, if the investigation reached a dead end, he would still ask. But since the other party was willing to offer clues proactively, he was eager to see what it was.

Princess Rupert had a servant bring a low table, upon which sat a small box adorned with jewels on a silken surface. Parker nearly rushed over in excitement upon learning they would be entrusted with this box—had Fang Hong not tripped him, making him fall on the ground.

With slight embarrassment, he glanced at the Princess and the elderly woman, and Princess Rupert simply chuckled slightly and nodded.

She picked up the box, presenting it to the elderly woman, who reached out with a slightly shaky hand and opened it. Only then did Fang Hong see a thin notebook inside.

His eyes lit up slightly. A text record like a diary promised a wealth of information. To them, stagnating without leads, this was like receiving help when needed most. But he also wondered—if this was a record left by the Queen, had the Royal House of Penelope really learned nothing from it?

The Princess, cradling the notebook, said to them, ”This is a notebook my mother left behind in life, but none of us can discern its contents. We’ve even excerpted parts of the ’text’ and consulted several Invokers, but they’ve never seen anything like it.”

Fang Hong hesitated, then asked, ”Do you think the Queen’s notes might be written in Invoker language?”

”The royal family has many scholars,” the Princess replied, ”who are proficient in every language of Eteliria, even including some who know the rare Wood Clan Language. We’ve also invited scholars of Druid and Fairy languages from the Silver Tower, but none recognized the script.”