Pillar of Yita

After that combat, the Blind Followers seemed to have suddenly vanished, with no trace left in this secret base—be it their guards or those flesh monsters, all disappeared without a trace.

The group proceeded along the straight underground caverns, immersed in silence and darkness, with only the rustle of footsteps echoing in their ears, like an ancient voice gently whispering. Fortunately, this was just an illusion caused by overly strained nerves; upon careful listening, it was actually the sound of wind from the surface.

Although the ground of the cavern tilted slightly upward, seeming to gradually delve into the center of the edge Land Ridge, Fang Hong could assert that the thickness of the stone wall on one side wouldn’t exceed twenty feet—outside was the Sky Sea—and in the thinner areas, it might not even reach this thickness.

A few meters of rock sounded sturdy enough, but compared to the Istania’s Land Ridge rock layers which reached thousands of meters in thickness, it was merely a thin shell like that of an egg. In the darkness, Anluose’s insignia still hung on his chest, shining brightly in the dim light. Miss Tata quietly sat on the right shoulder, her emerald gaze as calm as ever, only occasionally glancing back at him, looking at her ’sister’—Miss Fang Nini, who was domineeringly handling Gita’s two tufts of hair.

After walking for a while, others finally sensed something amiss. The first to react was Miss Nightingale; she leaned against the wall, took a couple of steps, looked ahead, frowned slightly before quietly retreating, akin to a silent shadow, slipping back and standing before the group.

Fang Hong saw Elisa’s bright eyes glowing in the dark like a cat’s eyes, and looked at him asking: ”Captain, shouldn’t it be a bit too quiet?”

From before until now, apart from themselves, the only living creature she had seen was a lemming crawling over the grey soil layer.

”Yes,” before Fang Hong could answer, Wu Xiaopang couldn’t hold back any longer, interjecting: ”Could those guys have fled? Why is there no sign of activity?”

”Indeed, was fighting back and forth earlier, suddenly it became quiet.”

Someone within the Shield of Lufu also casually mentioned.

In darkness, Fang Hong took out the Communication Crystal, asked: ”Hilveld, how’s it on your side?”

The crackling sound within the Communication Crystal became more pronounced, seemingly a dust storm brewing in the Silver Sand Desert, Aierna had told them that the dust storms within the Sand Sea could greatly disturb the Ether, or rather, such impressive natural phenomena were manifestations of Ether disturbances.

Lady Noble looked at the layer of yellowish sky rising above the Sand Sea, like dusk harbingers of the end times, though the storm’s center was still hundreds of miles away, its edge had already affected the southern Tansnier Port.

She covered her fluttering headscarf with one hand, listening to Fang Hong’s somewhat distorted voice within the Crystal—like that of a big kid—and couldn’t help but laugh: ”No movement at all.”

In the darkness, Hilveld’s voice sounded stretched and fragmented.

”... By the way, Ade, might be starting a storm.”

Fang Hong was slightly taken aback: ”Are you alright over there? If it’s unsafe, you and Xiesta should return to Tansnier first.”

”Still quite far, the storm’s center should be in Istan, won’t reach Tansnier for a while, but the upcoming weeks may be uncertain.”

”That’s good then.”

”Things going smoothly below?”

”Barely.” Fang Hong thought for a moment, and could only come up with this adjective for the current situation: ”Found some spoils of war, but the Blind Followers vanished after only two encounters with us.”

”Tianlan will like to hear this,” Hilveld chuckled, thought again and said: ”No one spotted on the ground, whether Blind Followers or Arcanists, so might need to be more cautious, my Lord Captain.”

Fang Hong agreed, closed the Crystal.

Beside him, Wu Xiaopang’s eyes shone brightly: ”Boss, is she your girlfriend?”

”What?”

”Wow, her voice is indeed beautiful,” Wu Xiaopang, eyes ablaze with gossip, exaggeratedly replied: ”Envy.”

Fang Hong shuddered, instinctively distanced himself a few steps, initially caught off guard by this guy sharing Elisa’s hobby—which he should’ve noticed earlier—and moreover, how could such distorted sounds be perceived as pleasant; history has always shown that sycophants meet an unfortunate end.

However, Little Fatty had no self-awareness, leaned in, whispered, ”Boss is indeed tall.”

”What?”

Fang Hong was even more bewildered.

Wu Xiaopang’s eyes turned: ”And Miss Gita.”

Before finishing his sentence, he received a kick on the butt.

He turned back angrily: ”Who kicked me?”

The swordsman from the Shield of Lufu couldn’t bear it: ”I say, you fat idiot, can’t you distinguish the setting.”

Beside him, Luo Hao coughed heavily, feeling an arrow through the knee.

Fortunately, the topic was pulled back, everyone started discussing their perspectives on the current situation, most opinions suggested—the smugglers might be concentrating their forces, planning to ambush them ahead, giving them a ’surprise’, hence needing to be more cautious moving forward.

Only the Papalarians seemed to have a unique view on this issue. With both hands tucked in his pockets, putting on an assured demeanor, he expressed before the group: ”No, no, no, I don’t believe it’s that simple.”

”Parker, what do you think?” Luo Yu asked him.