Pillar of Yita

”Miss Afeifa, we will escort you to this place.”

ZXC said politely to the young Arcanist.

A manor stood ahead, looming in the darkness, concealed behind rows of palm trees.

The members of the Shield of Lufu stopped behind him, as Afeifa temporarily stayed in a residence of Count Nulman in the Royal Capital with the count’s daughter. She was unaware of this arrangement, thinking only that Lord Ebene had made the arrangements, and that soon the Arcanists would come to take her back to the capital.

She turned around and slightly bowed to everyone to express her gratitude.

After the banquet, Fang Hong originally intended to have Elisa escort her back. However, since Shield of Lufu’s members were heading the same way, they took on the task.

Moreover, she was already acquainted with a few of Shield of Lufu from the Dawood Ship, so they were not strangers.

”We’ll see you again someday, Miss Afeifa.” ZXC nodded gently.

”May the sacred fire bless you all.”

Afeifa watched as the group walked away, letting out a gentle sigh.

The events at the banquet were mostly new experiences for her; Prince Aleph was entirely different from what she imagined, and it turned out she shared the same name as a princess—what an unexpected coincidence.

Of course, she understood it was all because of Mr. Ade—reflecting on everything that had happened these days, escaping from Bain Fortress, encountering a major dust storm, and the Dawood Ship’s crash—it all seemed like a dream. Is this what an ’adventure’ is?

She felt a sense of novelty but vaguely understood that this wasn’t the life she sought—comparatively, she preferred the peaceful and quiet days at the Cloud Lighthouse, where she could read at leisure and comprehend the world from between the lines. Adventure, she realized, was still too distant for her.

Only someone as remarkable as Mr. Ade could fearlessly weather storms, surmount various challenges, and relish the trials?

She felt some envy.

But no yearning.

Watching Shield of Lufu’s members disappear into the darkness, she turned around, quietly etching the day’s events into her heart, knowing she might never forget them, and then walked back into the courtyard. But today, the courtyard seemed unusually quiet, the wind rustled the palm leaves, and there was no tumultuous voice of the count’s daughter berating her maid—

Is Miss Lavali not here today?

The girl looked in that direction, the manor was engulfed in darkness, completely different from its usual brightly lit appearance. Amid the shadows, only the leaves gently swayed, lurking like strange shadows, silently watching her. Afeifa felt a slight unease—why did it seem like there was no one in the manor?

She hesitated a moment before taking out a Light’s Crystal, but before she could light it, the crystal slipped nervously from her hand to the ground.

In the darkness, a few figures slowly emerged.

”Miss Afeifa.”

”We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

The leader spoke in a hoarse voice: ”If you don’t mind, come with us, someone wishes to see you—”

The girl’s mind jolted, and she turned to run.

She prepared to shout while running—if ZXC and his group hadn’t gone far, they might hear her. But before she could make a sound, a powerful hand seized her arm from behind, causing Afeifa to cry out in pain and nearly fall.

Then another hand reached out from behind to cover her mouth.

The girl felt darkness envelop her vision before losing all consciousness.

...

Inside the inn—

Pasha stepped forward and took out the parcel from his arms. Fang Hong watched the young boy earnestly unwrap the package layer by layer, retrieving the dusty notebook, feeling both amused and moved. He gently ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled, saying: ”You don’t need to be so formal.”

Pasha looked up, puzzled. Miss Atira had instructed him to bring this notebook from Tansnier, saying it was something the Captain needed. The journey had him worried about losing it, but thankfully, he managed to deliver it safely.

Seeing Pasha’s expression, Fang Hong understood the boy hadn’t grasped his words, so he changed his tone: ”Thank you, Pasha.”

Only then did Pasha break into a happy smile.

He smiled shyly and lowered his head bashfully.

But Tianlan was not so ’reserved’, giving Pasha a pat: ”Well done, Pasha!”

Fang Hong then picked up the notebook, looking at its dusty cover. But before opening it, he glanced at Hilveld. Hilveld had notified Miss Atira to send this notebook through Pasha, always meticulous, anticipating Fang Hong’s needs.

Hilveld merely smiled lightly, her gaze implying that this was within the Ship’s Officer’s duties. Fang Hong, though unfamiliar with the affairs of the ship, felt that Ship’s Officers typically weren’t in charge of tasks like these...

Tang Xin observed the flirting pair from the side, feeling a pang of jealousy as if she had consumed ten lemons.

Hilveld noticed this and amusedly gestured to Fang Hong to pay attention to his sister’s mood.

But Fang Hong misunderstood, remembering something, he turned to Tang Xin and said: ”Right, Tangtang, come check out this notebook.”