Pillar of Yita

But he had just stepped into the hall when he saw a Ranger staggering in, the excitement and thrill in that person’s eyes flashing as he looked at everyone else, panting as he said:

”People from Orca are here, they’ve already reached the forward camp.”

Fang Hong knew this Guild called Orca; they were the main players in this incident. The hall fell abruptly silent, then burst into an unbelievable cheer:

”Really?”

”How many of them came?”

”When will they get here?”

The people who stayed here had turned a few battles around these past days, but leaving the mining zone was still not an easy thing; in fact, any team that ventured deep into the mining zone would run into Crystalysis Beasts besieging them.

That wasn’t even the worst of it; what truly brought Despair was the existence of those high-level Crystalysis Beasts called Disorderly Supervisors. Compared to them, even a Disorderly Guard wasn’t worth mentioning, and the Disorderly Minions were so frail they were like children.

In fact, on the very day they repelled the Crystal’s probing attack, a team had tried to go out and scout, but ended up losing more than half their people before retreating.

People seemed to have noticed a certain fact as well: the Crystal wasn’t helpless against them; it was merely refraining from striking with full Strength because it feared something.

Moreover, the other side was clearly highly intelligent; unless it had absolute confidence it could badly maim those who left, it would not dispatch its army. Once ambushed by it, the outcome would basically be identical to that of the previous team.

So even though people were here grinding reputation with the Tree People, they still couldn’t help but doubt at times—could they really leave this place alive? Sure, they could resurrect after dying, but no one actually wanted to throw their life away here, especially those who had already paid one-fifth of their Starlight as the price; they were even more worried about this.

Everyone seldom talked about these ominous matters, but they still hung over everyone’s heart like a layer of dark cloud. The arrival of reinforcements at this moment was like a shot of stimulant into everyone’s veins; suddenly, it felt as if the light outside had grown several degrees brighter.

Even Ground Walnut and the others were infected by this high morale—Zaozi, Titanium Pea, and several others were currently sitting together in a corner of the hall, and the Big Cat People were there keeping them company. They had been stuck here for days, unable to go out and enter Combat with the Crystalysis Beasts, and were already bored enough to rust.

But Reed was here to protect Fang Hong; worried about any sudden incidents, the Seven Seas Travel Group had to keep an eye on one another whenever they went out.

Looking at everyone in the hall celebrating as if their hats were flying off, Titanium Pea couldn’t help saying: ”They finally made it. We’ve gotten quite a lot of Earth Origin Crystals; we should finally be able to leave this damned place.”

But Reed shook his head.

”What’s wrong, Mr. Reed?” Ground Walnut obviously shared Titanium Pea’s thoughts. Seeing the Lion Paladin shake his head, he couldn’t help asking curiously: ”Do you think there’s some problem?”

”I felt a trace of something strange in the Wind.”

”Where would Wind come from down here?”

A head popped up between them; the Papalarians had a greasy chicken leg clamped in their mouth—clearly this person had just taken another stroll through the kitchen.

The Big Cat People answered in all seriousness: ”That’s exactly the problem, Parker.”

Ground Walnut and the others looked at each other.

But Fang Hong, who had just walked back, clearly understood what the Big Cat People meant. The arrival of reinforcements might not be purely good news; it was just that most people here hadn’t yet realized this.

The Crystal had launched three probing attacks in succession; although each time it was clear the other side hadn’t used its full Strength, that wasn’t because it couldn’t, but because it feared the power of the Heart of Chongshan.

And now that reinforcements had reached the forward camp, there was no way the Crystal hadn’t noticed. With its level of intelligence, it would surely understand that this was its last chance; otherwise, the further things went, the more the situation would turn against it.

It might well stake everything on one throw.

”Mr. Reed,” Fang Hong asked, ”do you think the Crystal will launch a full-scale attack?”

”I never said that.” The Big Cat People took out a pipe and tapped it on the tabletop, gave him a glance with gray eyes, and answered offhandedly.

Fang Hong stared at him wide-eyed.

Only then did Reed say: ”The Wind told me.”

Fang Hong: ”...”

...

But this day clearly wasn’t going to pass peacefully—

Shortly after they returned from the Hall of Trees to the inn, Fang Hong received another message from Cuiye.

The message was very brief, but the amount of information it contained was enough to shock anyone:

”Regarding the matter you commissioned me to investigate, I’ve got a lead. I’ve heard that a few miners may have seen the people you mentioned. I’m not sure if those people are still in the Grey Forest, but as far as I know, a few of their friends are still here. So the chances they stayed are pretty high. Wait for my news.”

But after seeing a message like this, Fang Hong couldn’t possibly stay put. The reason they remained here, besides looking for Earth Origin Crystals, had another primary factor: this quest Moenyalit had commissioned to them.

Originally they had no clue at all; the mining zone over there was firmly occupied by the Crystal, and since the Seven Seas Travel Group couldn’t stay here too long, Fang Hong had almost been ready to give up this quest.

He hadn’t expected that, at the last moment, that fellow would actually prove this capable—if all of this was true, then this really was the biggest surprise the other side could have brought them.