Pillar of Yita

But Princess Rupert didn’t even look at them.

She addressed Aleph directly, saying, ”Ignore these people, their previous collusion with the Blind Followers is enough for them to die ten times over.”

”And the Colin People?” Aleph asked.

”The Colin People are preoccupied,” Princess Rupert said calmly, ”I just received news that a full-blown rebellion has erupted in Colin’s southern region. Starting from the White City, thirteen towns have already declared independence. They can’t bother with us now, a great war between the north and south is on the verge of breaking out—”

The hall was deathly silent.

No one expected such a thing to happen at this crucial moment.

The nobles present, upon hearing this, collapsed directly to the ground, their faces pale, shivering with fear. The courage they had mustered because of the Colin People dissipated instantly.

In the midst of the silence, Saisheer finally spoke, ”Your Majesty, we must immediately inform Ade and the others.”

Aleph turned back, and the old clan leader of the Oathkeeper Clan finally spoke, ”The Colin People are well-prepared. Although few know Mr. Ade’s whereabouts, if Laval intends to investigate, I’m sure it won’t take long for them to know where the Seven Seas Travel Group went that day—”

He had just finished speaking.

From outside, a messenger hurriedly ran in. Upon entering the hall and seeing the situation inside, he was startled, and stood there somewhat at a loss.

Aleph signaled the messenger to come forward with a glance and asked, ”What happened?”

The messenger immediately lowered his voice and said, ”Your Majesty, as you instructed me to monitor the movements of the Colin People, I discovered that their airship went south not long ago.”

South—

Aleph immediately turned around, exchanging a glance with his elder sister, in the direction of Tansnier.

The Colin People’s actions were surprisingly swift.

At this moment, Saisheer was suddenly alarmed, ”Princess, Your Majesty, this is not good... if I remember correctly, due to the recent dust storm, the Colin People have a fleet resupplying near Tansnier...”

”If they bypass us and issue orders to the Arcanists...”

Both Aleph and Rupert’s expressions changed simultaneously.

...

Fang Hong locked the door, opened his storage locker, and looked up. His gaze softened as he glanced from left to right. In this small cabinet, there were a few books, a dagger, a jar filled with colored sandstone, some specimens, a handgun, and a variety of odd things.

Underneath each item, there was a small note indicating its origin. That basic book was a gift from Hudi, a foundational text on Alchemy. The colored sand was collected from the southern coast of Dolifen, a work of the Papalarians.

The specimens were from the beetles and fungi on Fenris Isle, the handiwork of Miss Natural Historian. The Lion Handgun was the first gift from Hilveld. Besides these, there was an alpha crystal, some souvenirs bought from Golande, a bundle of holly branches, and pebbles from the shores of Long Lake.

The contents were records of the Seven Seas Travel Group’s journey from Elpaxin to the present, each small item carrying memories of different times. His gaze lingered on one compartment, where there was a greyish crystal.

Fang Hong looked at the crystal for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh silently. The little girl Tianlan was still incorrigible, never able to learn her lesson. He lightly shook his head before placing the record crystal in his hand onto the shelf next to it.

Then he attached a label that read: ’Recording of the Seven Seas Traveler.’

Underneath the greyish crystal, there was likewise a label: ’Recording of Mr. Greyrock.’

Fang Hong looked at the two crystals for a moment before closing the cabinet and locking it again. He smiled once more, and although these recordings couldn’t be made public, they might become a valuable memory for every member of the Seven Seas Travel Group in the future.

In some respects, Tianlan’s actions were indeed useful. He decided to end her two-day grounding before tonight’s gathering.

He turned around, surveying his captain’s room— which was far more luxurious than the previous one. The spacious interior not only had a desk but also a thick, intricately patterned handwoven carpet on the floor, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

On one side was a row of long bookshelves and some specimen display stands— though there was nothing on them yet. Behind the desk were rows of long windows with two sets of curtains. Opposite was an astrolabe, though he wouldn’t use it; it was ’professional equipment’ for Miss Ship’s Officer.

The other side had the curtains drawn, behind which were his bed, a cabinet for personal belongings, and a private washroom.

Fang Hong was somewhat satisfied as he looked around— then he took a coat from the rack and walked out. Outside was his new Alchemy Workshop, similar to the previous one but now equipped with a Magic Furnace and some new Magic Guided Devices.

On the other side was Hilveld’s room, but looking towards it, he noticed that Miss Ship’s Officer seemed to be away.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the workbench not far away, where lay a grey-white crystalline object, some components, and an opened letter.

The letter was sent by Tang De— the crystal was something he and Kalatu helped him find, the last piece of the beta crystal puzzle. With this, replacing the next generation of non-attribute crystals was a mere formality.

Only time remained as the final factor.

As expected, Kalatu had left Istania for the Second World. Tang De departed without explanation, only leaving notes on things to pay attention to without saying where he went.

However, Fang Hong felt that Tang De was likely chasing the tracks of the Wanderer, the one who killed his sister years ago.

This separation, the next time they would meet was unknown.

His gaze lingered on the workbench for a moment before moving on. The gamma crystal was not yet complete, but in recent days he had no time to handle matters here. The Tansnier Crafting Association had promised to send a Magic Guided Cannon, and today was the expected delivery day—

Moreover, he needed to apply for a batch of personal Combat Constructs from the Artisan Association, specially allocated from Quistack, a privilege granted by the Princess.

He had long awaited this so-called ’gift’.

With the coat draped over his arm, he walked from the Alchemy Workshop out onto the deck, only to be confronted by the hurriedly approaching Elisa.

Fang Hong instinctively stepped back, fearing the inquisitive Miss Nightingale might probe into his privacy again. However, Elisa appeared in no mood for that.

Her brows were furrowed, and she signaled to him:

”Ade, something’s not quite right outside.”

...