Pillar of Yita

The flying claw, blown by the wind, veered far off course and struck a sharp rock somewhere unknown, creating a brief spark in the darkness. Fang Hong’s scarf covered his face, the cloth flapping wildly in the fierce wind. He pursed his lips as he watched, letting out a sigh for no apparent reason.

Though he had anticipated the flying claw would be difficult to control in such conditions, he believed he had a fair amount of confidence in handling Flexible Constructs, but he realized he was still far from it. He looked up at the murky dark sky, the wind and sand shushing against the wind goggles, and then lowered his head to retrieve the flying claw. The small Magic Guided Winch had movable components and jammed twice due to sand ingress, which took him some time to rectify.

Looking southwest from the city wall, one could see the entire view of the Inner Court, but only on clear days. At present, one could see nothing more than the rooftops of the barracks within twenty meters. Below, some lights flickered, with an Iron Wind Lamp swaying on a corridor pillar, blown by the wind.

Turning back, he found a gear inside his gloves had finally jammed completely, rendering it useless. He had to pull and tug to drag the gloves hanging over the city wall back up. Upon inspection, he discovered they were filled with sand, cascading down like gray-yellow waterfalls when tilted downwards, seemingly beyond repair.

This was the glove Nether had given him. It was somewhat ill-fated, having been damaged once before, and now again shortly after its repair.

He dismantled the glove, storing it within the Information Crystal, since it was also a Flexible Construct, it could be digitized. Saving resources had become a habit, so the first thought was to salvage it after cleaning the sand, rather than discarding it.

Moreover, this was a gift from someone.

At this moment, the others gathered around him, mimicking his actions. Luo Hao raised his Heavy Shield, planting it with a thud, opening a small wind-sheltered area for them. Given the headwind and the duststorm muffling all sounds, there was little worry of being discovered by guards on the other side.

Wu Xiaopang didn’t have a scarf but simply wrapped his neck and above with a bandage, resembling the clumsy bandage of a trainee medic or perhaps some form of performance art, paying homage to mummies. Though Istania had deserts, it lacked pyramids and mummies.

His muffled voice came from beneath the bandage, ”Boss, aren’t we stuck here?”

”Of course not,” Fang Hong replied, tapping the Information Crystal, summoning the Energy Angel. Luo Hao’s tower shield conveniently blocked the faint blue Flash, although whether it could pierce through dozens of meters of wind and sand remained a question. Fang Hong held onto the Energy Angel’s arm with one hand, telling everyone, ”Wait here for me.”

Then Silverlight flashed, in the eyes of everyone, he and the Energy Angel elongated into a ray traveling forward, disappearing into the murky wind and sand in an instant. Perhaps vaguely, a heavy glow seemed to flash under the city wall dozens of meters away, but vanished quickly.

The Energy Angel is a well-known Variant Construct; its blink ability no longer stirred curiosity among them, especially since Wu Xiaopang had seen it more than once.

But he blinked at that direction, the chaos beyond the wall seemed to him a path to a void, he couldn’t fathom how anyone could stand on such perilous cliffs. After a moment, he drew breath and asked:

”Do you... always act like this?”

Luo Hao raised the shield and shook his head, ”Don’t look at me, I’m not familiar either.”

Wu Xiaopang glanced at Luo Yu and Xiangzi, as Luo Yu pondered, recalling how the Seven Seas Travel Group’s yesterday was alike today, having gone through countless dangerous situations. From the start, they had been embroiled in the Dragon Worship Sect’s plot. Ever since fleeing Traveler’s Rest that night, tonight seems no less.

He nodded silently.

Wu Xiaopang paused, then asked, ”How does the boss plan to get us across?”

This time Luo Hao replied, ”Just wait.”

Fang Hong had the Energy Angel teleport him multiple times, first doing so on Fenris Isle underground when he acquired the construct, using it to narrowly escape various perils. Over time, he became well-acquainted with the Energy Angel’s skills.

Still, merely second to the Clockwork Fairy.

Yet, in such harsh weather, one wrong move could plunge into the Abyss, shattering bodies. It’s a test for both the construct and its controller. He was aware of the risks, but tonight’s entire plan was risky. If not him, then who would take the risk for the plan?

That familiar sensation of traversing a space tunnel returned, yet the Energy Angel’s blink was a short distance teleport, only a fleeting moment, with the stretched light and space around him resetting, like a distorted image reassembling before his eyes.