Pillar of Yita

The middle-aged man in front of me is at least forty or fifty years old. Generally speaking, after the age of thirty-five, an Invoker’s strength significantly declines due to the synchronization with Glow Material, but having personally experienced combat with him, his displayed strength in that battle was at least at the peak level of the First World.

If this is his strength after decline, just how strong was he before the decline?

The Ten Kings probably aren’t even at this level, are they?

At that moment, the middle-aged man was walking and speaking: ”As a fugitive, what I say, you can choose not to believe — in fact, you can choose to listen or not to listen. But this story itself is not really related to me. If you think I am explaining something to you, you just need to listen to the end to understand.”

”About the attack ten years ago?” Fang Hong asked.

The middle-aged man nodded.

He paused, as if recalling something, and after a while, he continued: ”That day when you came to see Ye Hua, I was actually listening from the side. You mentioned that notebook at that time, but Ye Hua did not tell you the origin of the notebook — he actually knew it, but did not tell you. Do you know why?”

Before Fang Hong could speak, the middle-aged man continued: ”Probably because he didn’t want you to get involved in such an affair. Ten years ago, concerning the Seventh Prohibition, everything that happened with the Colin Royal Family and the Istania Royal Family, and your involvement in the disputes between the King of Sand, Barbaltan, and the Grand Princess, he thought it was all a bit too deep.”

”As an Invoker — no, as a qualified Invoker, of course, he didn’t want you to violate the ’Stargate Declaration,’ and that is probably the biggest difference between him and me.” The middle-aged man turned around once more: ”Your name is Ade, right? The same name as the Great Alchemist in history. Let me ask you a question, do you think rules are more important, or is justice more important?”

Fang Hong was taken aback.

Rules and justice, but isn’t the ’Stargate Declaration’ the justice among Invokers?

Seeing his thoughts, the middle-aged man smiled slightly: ”’Stargate Declaration’ is a progress, but the integration and mutual influence between the two worlds were determined from the moment the Stargate opened. And this relationship is destined to become more and more intimate. The way of dividing boundaries by humans will eventually bring new troubles. The ’Stargate Declaration’ only restricted the time back then, but how can it decide everything in the present? Everything from the Battle of Bain thirteen years ago had already revealed many issues.”

”In the era when the ’Stargate Declaration’ was signed, only Earthlings could go to Eteliria, but Eteliria people could go to Earth. Could the ’Stargate Declaration’ foresee such a situation?”

”The mutual influence between the two worlds has already become an irreversible process, unless the Stargate closes once again. In such a situation, do Invokers want to remain virtuous within the framework of the past ’Stargate Declaration’ — or pretend to be noble? It is already outdated.”

Fang Hong silently listened to these words.

Such remarks are not actually new, and in the community, there are often such unconventional voices. Honestly, he didn’t entirely agree with these words, or rather, he didn’t fully endorse the other’s behavior. The ’Stargate Declaration’ signed half a century ago might already be somewhat outdated, but it does not signify that rituals and music have collapsed now, and people can act freely according to their own standards.

No matter how the ’Wandering Alchemist’ in front of him argued, nothing could make Fang Hong feel that his actions at the Sand Lodge were correct.

The middle-aged man carefully observed his change of expression, understanding that this young man’s answer was not the same as his own. However, he didn’t mind, only saying: ”It seems you do not agree with my words, but you don’t seem to completely agree with Ye Hua’s thoughts either. That’s good, young people should have their own ideas.”

He looked ahead and replied lightly: ”The future will be a new era, and everyone needs to find their own path, whether you, I, Ye Hua, or even that young girl called Loofah. No one is absolutely right, but perhaps this precisely fits my ideal, because the past era is already over.”

When Fang Hong heard the mention of Loofah, he was slightly surprised, not understanding how this related to the latter.

However, he actually felt confused throughout, but inexplicably remembered Bishop Faris’s conversation with him not long ago, where his understanding of justice was not yet accurate. But at least he slightly calmed his mind, telling himself that at least there was a clear path.

Just like the Big Catfolk, he would also follow his own path.

The middle-aged man finally left aside these vague topics and returned to the point: ”Actually, I can tell you the origin of that notebook.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong’s heart tightened, and he immediately became more attentive. He had long been interested in that notebook, not only because of the attack from ten years ago, but also because of the story of Hilveld’s father, or — ever since his childhood, in his uncle’s study, the moment he saw that notebook.

The question had already been planted in his heart.

Where did that notebook originate?

The middle-aged man spoke in a reminiscent tone: ”But about the story of that notebook, it may have to start from an even earlier timeline, earlier than ten years before the Queen’s encounter, even before the Battle of Bain. The cause of that war was probably due to the ownership of the ’Divine Body,’ but the real reason was actually deeper, though it all rooted in the discovery of an Adventure Group.”

”That Adventure Group was called Morning Dawn Star —”

”Now very few people remember that name anymore.”

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