Pillar of Yita

”Please convey my apologies to your uncle and aunt,” Su Changfeng replied, ”but they should be able to return soon.”

”Is the Stargate fixed?”

”It was never broken.”

”No, but you said...?”

”The Stargate has had some issues,” Su Changfeng replied, ”but not all problems are malfunctions—”

Fang Hong felt bewildered, but Su Changfeng had already turned off the communicator, leaving only one sentence before departing: ”Prepare well, Ade.”

Prepare for what?

He was even more puzzled.

However, the restoration of the Stargate passage is definitely good news. Not long ago, many in the community were worried the Stargate had disappeared, fearing they would be stranded in this world. Such remarks were initially ignored, but over time, they were enough to incite panic among the people.

Once the Stargate is restored, these panic-inducing statements will naturally be debunked.

But upon second thought, does this mean Tang Xin and Ai Xiaoxiao will leave this place?

Although the military granted the two the Invoker status, saying the choice was in their hands—yet, his cousin still has her studies on Earth, and Ai Xiaoxiao’s family was here for tourism, they can’t indefinitely stay in this world.

Becoming an Invoker means the best years of one’s life are tied to this world; even if they return to Earth in the future, it’s unlikely they will engage in other professions. After all, during the golden twenty years from ages fourteen to thirty-five, while you leave your mark in this world, others are striving for their dreams on Earth.

Twenty years will create a divide, separating people of the two worlds—in reality, even if Invokers return to Earth, with the help of psychological counseling, it takes a long time to reintegrate into life, not to mention other aspects?

Of course, over the past half-century, the Stargate itself has supported countless industries, involving countless jobs.

Even retired Invokers don’t end up with the fate of old soldiers. Commercialization naturally brings various benefits.

But no one casually decides their future—

In Fang Hong’s impression, Tang Xin has never been too fond of this world, of Super Competitive. Even if the choice is in her hands, his cousin may not stay, especially considering her uncle and aunt—will they support Tang Xin staying?

Fang Hong imagined his own experience and felt it was unlikely.

Ai Xiaoxiao’s parents are considered successful people; they might not resist Eteliria, but they probably won’t let their daughter become an ’Adventurer.’

Due to deliberate promotion, Invokers have high prestige on Earth—especially top Invokers, who enjoy great reputation among ordinary people.

But to the upper class, Invokers are seen as adventurers—perhaps even akin to gold miners of the 19th-century gold rush—gamblers, con artists, and desperados. Ai Xiaoxiao’s parents probably don’t want their daughter to become such a person, and it’s likely that his uncle and aunt oppose him coming to this world for this reason too.

Just thinking about the two possibly leaving makes Fang Hong feel a bit regretful.

Almost half a year has passed since the battle at Fanric, and during this time, the Seven Seas Travel Group has gradually gotten used to these two new members.

Tang Xin has helped Atira quite a bit in daily affairs, and she and Hilveld have recently been less confrontational; the two even have some tacit cooperation—they are both outstanding, a fact Fang Hong never doubts, and Miss Ship’s Officer is no less impressive. Their strong alliance rarely encounters anything difficult.

As for Ai Xiaoxiao, although ”not very capable” in her own words, everyone likes her, and she has a good relationship with Tianlan. If the team suddenly lost someone like her, they might all feel things become too quiet.

Any member recognized by the Seven Seas Travel Group leaving is regrettable.

This is probably Fang Hong’s feeling at the moment.

...

Returning to Bain’s time was actually much earlier than Fang Hong anticipated.

Probably because the dust storm had ceased, the journey from Quistack back felt much shorter compared to the last time.

It wasn’t just an illusion; he traveled with a Merchant Group to Bain and even helped them drive off sand thieves once on the way—fortunately, they were only petty thieves. Had they been true desert Great Thieves, Fang Hong worried he might have perished there. Desert travel is always fraught with unpredictability, and natural disasters are just one type.

The Merchant Group’s leader told him they chose routes near oases due to dust storms. But returning as the storms had quelled, they could traverse the Sand Sea directly without fear of getting lost.

This saved a lot of time.

Standing beneath Bain’s ancient city gate, Fang Hong felt somewhat sentimental.

He looked up at the gate built of gray-white stones—the same color that forms the city’s main palette: gray-white towers, gray-white rooftops, even the distant crimson cliffs adorned with gray-white fortresses.