Pillar of Yita

”Is it okay to sit here?”

The young girl looked at the sea of snow-white flowers, and at the crowd surrounding her with varying expressions. She raised her head and gently nodded to Delan beside her. In this ruined world, this flower sea seemed to her like the only pure land.

Among the crowd, Aleph unconsciously took a step forward, but someone held him back from behind. ”Your Highness, they are still waiting for you to host the affairs at Kashan Palace.” He seemed to recall the night he bid farewell to the members of the Seven Seas Travel Group, and for a moment, he stood there in a daze.

...

Outside Kashan Palace, Saisheer looked down at the pocket watch in his hand. He raised his head and looked at the heavy clouds in the sky. Guards patrolled the palace walls, and the wounded were carried under the tower, where there was a grove of palm trees and some temporary tents had been set up.

The tents were bathed in the misty morning light and remained silent.

He turned back to look at the white dome of Kashan Palace, the flag representing the royal household surprisingly in tatters, as if burnt by fire. Only then did he remember that after that day of Starfall, no one had attended to these matters here.

The bright moon of Istania had long since set, perhaps never to rise again—distant urgent drumming sounded, smoke signals hung on the horizon, and soldiers in robes, holding long halberds, ran hurriedly past, leaving a trail of scattered footsteps.

A small hand grabbed his coat hem, shaking it twice. The youngest prince, with eyes dark as night, seemed to flash with light. ”Lord Saisheer, can I go to the front to join the combat?” Saisheer placed a hand on his head and gently patted it.

...

Barbaltan suddenly stopped, a tremor passing through his heart.

All the guards turned their heads to look in this direction, while the King of Sand raised his head to look at everyone, his expression as calm as ever: ”Why are you stopping? Keep moving forward, our hero is waiting for us to support them.”

”Father?” Affia also looked over with some concern.

A faint smile appeared on Barbaltan’s face, responding to his daughter with gentle eyes, as if remembering many years ago when she and her sister were just so little. ”What’s the matter, Affia?”

”Just a bit worried.”

”Nothing to worry about, you should trust your sister and Aleph; aren’t you two the closest?”

Affia bit her lip and nodded lightly.

Barbaltan gently grasped the reins, gazing into the boundless sand, which was precisely the land where the Istanian people had dwelled for generations.

...

”Find me that runaway from the Morning Dawn Star!” The sharp voice of the Big Sister of the Dragonfire Guild echoed through the Holy Sanctuary.

Fang Hong wasn’t sure how the people of the Dragonfire Guild had appeared here, but he patted the Grand Princess’s arm, then gestured for her to rise and walk out with him.

Princess Rupert was a bit surprised but seeing him already leaving, hesitated for a moment before grabbing her sword and following.

The Big Sister of the Dragonfire Guild, upon seeing the two, stopped speaking abruptly, apparently not expecting them to appear voluntarily. Fang Hong also examined the dozen or so people before he asked, ”Why are you here?”

This question hit a nerve for the Big Sister, who after a momentary daze, revealed a smug expression: ”You didn’t expect this—” but before she finished speaking, a person in a gray cloak behind her yanked her back.

That person, with cold eyes, looked at him and the Grand Princess and said quietly, ”Enough talking, capture him!”

The members of the Dragonfire Guild immediately drew their weapons.

Countless figures suddenly appeared in the courtyards on both sides, a glance showed there were hundreds.

But Fang Hong calmly looked at the longbow in the person’s hand, realizing that this was the Ranger who had previously shot at him and the Grand Princess. The opponent’s skill should be slightly inferior to Qin Zhi’s Silver Shadow.

Not getting the information he wanted, he wasn’t too disappointed, just extending his hand to block the Grand Princess behind him: ”Follow me, Princess.”

”Aid, those are Holy Chosen, I’ve heard about some of your adventures, you probably don’t want to reveal the Dragon Soul in front of these people, do you?” Princess Rupert, holding her longsword, looked quietly at the Dragonfire Guild’s members. ”Leave this to me, I can handle these people.”

”There’s more than just these people,” Fang Hong looked around, ”Besides, to deal with these, I don’t need to use the Dragon Knight.”

The princess gave a slight pause, turning back to look at him.

Fang Hong whispered, ”Miss Tata.”

The Clockwork Fairy nodded gently.

A flash of silver light appeared behind him.

The members of the Dragonfire Guild, advancing, all came to an abrupt halt, disbelief in their eyes. ”Damn it!” someone couldn’t help but curse, seeing a silver matrix rising behind Fang Hong.

Each node of the matrix was a light gate, from which silver spindle-shaped constructs emerged, one after another. Fang Hong raised his left hand, and from each point of light shot a red beam aimed at the Dragonfire Guild members.

Everyone looked up at this scene.

They were hundreds, thousands of Clockwork Fairies.

The Big Sister of the Dragonfire Guild seemed only now to realize Fang Hong had been probing her with his words before, and she hadn’t even clearly seen what was before her—a bit of irritated embarrassment filled her as she cursed under her breath.

But suddenly, the person in the gray cloak shoved her aside, her cursing was abruptly cut off, only managing a sharp cry as she fell into a nearby flowerbed.