Pillar of Yita

”But that trusted aide didn’t have much ability, rose to position through connections, and wasn’t well-liked, so was quickly driven away by the Fenris people, who are known for their arrogance. Now the Fenris people are united in seeking autonomy and have pushed the old regent to the forefront as the administrator of Cloud Harbor.”

”However, unlike the southern rebellion, the Fenris people at least still acknowledge the kingdom’s rule over them. The Prime Minister’s faction can’t possibly open another battlefield in the north while being deeply mired in the Southern Region quagmire. The Fenris people have their own fleet, which although suffered some losses in the catastrophe, remains unharmed in essence.”

”The ships you see are the Fenris people’s fleet. They’ve painted the ships red to symbolize never forgetting the blood of those who have passed, with blood ships representing revenge until they find Toragotos and avenge the hero.”

Briana looked at him: ”The Fenris people have rebuilt vigorously after the disaster. Now they have risen to become a notable force on the Cloud Sea, even the Ancient Tower People give them three points of deference. Do you have any connection to this?”

She paused slightly, teasing: ”Our hero?”

”I still don’t quite understand,” Mei shook her head, ”What does this have to do with Mr. Ade?”

”Because—”

Fang Hong interrupted the princess, ”Wait, let’s discuss it once we’re ashore, the pilot ship has arrived.”

Princess Briana looked at him somewhat amusedly and nodded.

Mei, understanding, saw the pilot ship sent by the Ancient Tower People had indeed approached, so she closed her mouth and stopped asking questions. It’s thanks to Miss Knight; if it were Tianlan, she would have made sure to get to the bottom of it.

Everyone returned to the cabin. Before disembarking, everyone had to pack up their personal belongings. Although generally, someone would stay on the ship to watch over things, the watchman couldn’t ensure against accidents, so it became customary for sailors to pack up personal items before leaving the ship.

Fang Hong returned to his captain’s office and packed the books copied from Crosswind Harbor into the glass cabinet one by one, closed the door, locked it with a key, and inserted a crystal into the array on the lock. A grid of shimmering hexagons appeared before him.

Only then did he nod, turn toward the desk, swept small knick-knacks into the drawer and locked it. The navigation log and other documents were similarly packed and put in the filing cabinet. But when he picked up a stack of papers from the desk, he couldn’t help but pause.

Fang Hong held the heavy manuscript and looked at the illustration on it—a girl slightly closing her eyes, tranquil, her long hair cascading, the artist’s sketching skills profound, capturing the girl’s delicate demeanor with a few strokes. Yet the background contrast was stark, surrounded by thorns, snakes hissing, bare feet stepping on stark white bones, as if breaking through a path in a bed of thorny roses.

The girl held scales, with moon, sun, and stars arranged atop, as if symbolic of strong religious significance.

This illustration in his notebook has been viewed countless times, each time evoking different senses, sometimes of compassion, sometimes of fear, sometimes eerie, sometimes sacred and inviolable. It seems there is a voice in the picture, compelling him to delve deeper, but when he touched the icy brooch sent by Anluose, it had no further reaction.

If this was merely his illusion, he had seen the same statue in Dika’s Phantom Realm, what does the illustration truly represent—an evil god’s holy elephant?

But in folklore, Dika does not appear like this.

However, looking at this manuscript now, he has a different mindset. Not long ago, all sorts of things Su Changfeng told him seemed to swirl back to his mind; nothing in the past days had made him forget those events, forget his parents’ deaths.

Why did his parents die?

Why did the Dark Followers create that catastrophe?

Were they the ones who brought him to this world?

What is their ultimate goal?

One immense enigma after another, like endless shadows, surrounded his heart. Though he outwardly pretended to have let everything go, to avoid worrying others—de facto, he constantly mused over it all.

The conspiracy lurking behind it was like a horrifying ghost, devouring his soul, rendering him mentally exhausted, and somewhat paranoid and sensitive.

If it weren’t for Miss Tata—

Miss Tata, connected with his soul, always manages to pull him out from the spirals of darkness at the most critical moments.

Of course, there’s Nini.

”Papa.”

Seeing her father daze off again, Nini remembered her sister’s reminder, stood up, and nudged Fang Hong’s shoulder, chirping softly.

Only then did Fang Hong come to his senses, realizing he’d spaced out once again. He looked at the manuscript, ultimately put it back at the bottom of the filing cabinet, closed the door, locked it. He glanced at Nini on his shoulder, nudged her little cheek with his finger, causing her to giggle.

Fang Hong exhibited a trace of indulgent expression, and thus forgot about prior matters.

...

Eternal Night stood on the dock, looking at the ’blood ships’ anchored in the harbor. He hadn’t expected not to be the only one here; as soon as his feet arrived, others followed closely behind.