Pillars of Ita

Square Plover used red and blue pencils, compasses and rulers to draw lines on the nautical chart. On October 9, the Seven Seas Traveler crossed the southern edge of the Assuna Sea and arrived at the Gray Whale Islands. It then crossed there and headed east into St. Hughes. After a brief stop in Luflin, it continued north to bypass Kintalos Island and went deep into Cape St. Hughes.

The Asuna Sea is located southwest of Nognis. It is the third largest offshore sea in Kaolin-Ishurian adjacent to Istania. It is far away from the Asuka Rainforest. The Kaolin Navy entered this place in the Second Age and established an anchorage in the Gray Whale Islands, which later became Luflin.

It was occupied by rebels and pirates, and later liberated by the Chosen Ones and returned to the kingdom, where it still exists today. Since the Corrin-Ishurian Alliance lacks control over the area south of the Old World Stairway Mountains, this has always been a free anchorage, allowing the Seven Seas Traveler to be resupplied smoothly here.

They stayed here for twelve days, repairing all the major and minor hidden dangers on the ship before continuing to sail north, passing through the Peto-Kalki Strait between Cape Ka-Cuilan and the Gray Whale Islands. The ancestral home of the Ishurian Lizardmen, Kintalos Island, is located just north of the Gray Whale Islands.

A branch of the Tada lizard tribe lives here. They fled from the holy land of Coltitlan during the "Great Turmoil", including priests and astrologers. Later, they split into the Asuka and Ka-Cuilan lizard tribes of Ishurian. Fang He had seen one of them before.

He had an agreement with one of the Tada priests and had originally planned to go deep into the Ka-Cuilan Isthmus on a whim. However, after more than two months, the communication between the two worlds was still chaotic, and he could not contact the lizards in the rainforest, let alone find the Tada tribe's settlement, so he had to give up.

It is said that Tenarik once brought him a message. With the extinguishing of the Sea of ​​Light and the coming of the Blood Moon, the Lizardmen of Ataria faced two choices - to stay away from the world or to cooperate with the Empire. The Lizardmen of Ka-Truilan might have already closed off contact with the outside world.

Passing the easternmost side of Kintalos Island, Cape St. Hughes was within sight, and the land edge of Caulin-Ishurian once again came into the sight of the Seven Seas Traveler. It was a landscape very different from that of the Empire, with vertical cliffs, lush vegetation on the rock walls, cascading waterfalls, and flocks of flat-billed crowned sparrows flying over the mountains - a type of seabird unique to the sky and sea.

"We will reach Freeport in about two days if we sail further north," Alyssa put a map down next to Fang Heron and said, "Catherine said that the privateers have a secret anchorage near Cape Lavia, where there is a shipyard."

"Then let's go there and take a look first." Fang He replied without raising his head.

"Ms. Sylvie, have you heard of that place?" Elisa looked at the ship officer again.

The latter looked up, smiled and nodded. She put down the quill in her hand, tucked it into her notebook, closed the emerald-colored title page with gold edges, and introduced: "The indigenous town is called Navarta. It is a mixture of local indigenous people and colonists who went south from the Long Lake area to explore. There are about a thousand people living there. It is an officially recorded stronghold. I didn't expect it to be one of the bases of the royal privateer pirates."

"But isn't Cape St. Hughes a paradise for pirates? I heard that this is a place that lawless people yearn for. Ordinary people will also settle here. Aren't they afraid of pirates?" Tianlan was also in the captain's room, sorting out her music scores. After listening to the conversation between the two, she couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Not only that, there are quite a few," Sylvie replied softly, "Since 421, people have settled in Saint Hugh's. Of course, it was after that that pirates became rampant here. And Tianlan, guess where the pirates came from?"

Elisa added: "Saint Xuan is far beyond the control of the kingdom. Poverty and ignorance are the breeding ground for pirates. The indigenous villages are so poor that even pirates don't care about the wealth in them. Compared to being trapped here for a lifetime, young people born here all yearn for the excitement of the open sea."

She paused, "—and the only practical way they could get access was by becoming pirates."

Tianlan blinked, "The kingdom doesn't care?"

"How can the kingdom manage this?" Sylvie smiled, as if mocking the king whom she despised. "The Corin royal family can't even command the southern border, and the dwarves of Elderon only care about the minerals under the holy mountain. The elves, the Is people, and the desert people only care about their own affairs. But your people have been infiltrating the south over the years, trying to change this side and rebuild the ancient Saint Xuan route."

Fang He could not help but say, "Hilvid, Stargate Port just thinks that this stable route is more beneficial to Saint Hugh'an, Cowlin, and Ixurian."

Sylvie did not refute him, but only said, "It's your people from Stargate Port. Others are not like this. They are much more aggressive in Xintaan and Giant Tree Hill. We have also seen the details in the Empire." She smiled, "In fact, I don't object. I even admire it. This is how ancient politics is. It's just that Corin-Ishurian himself can't do it."

"Sister Sylvie is amazing. How come she knows everything?" Tianlan exclaimed. "But isn't Princess Brian opposing that annoying King? Maybe after he steps down, Corin-Ishurian will get better."

"I hope so."

Sylvie responded with a smile, and looked at Fang He with a pretty look, "Maybe it depends on what your captain thinks?"

"Me?" Fang He was stunned. Why was he involved again? "Do I have such a big influence? You have overestimated my influence in Princess Brianne's eyes. We have only met her a few times."

"Her Highness will definitely teach you a lesson after hearing what you said," Alyssa couldn't help but say, "Although she has only met us a few times, she truly considers us her friend. And do you think you can stay out of the Corin-Ishurian affair? Although the Southern Territory Warlock Alliance, the Istanias, Elpahin, and Fenris each have their own political views, they are all gathered under the same banner because of you."

Fang He shook his head. Although this seemed to be true, he didn't care too much.

He had done favors to the Istania people, Fenris, and Elpahin, but how much was favor worth on the political scale? Except for Princess Rupert, Cloud Dragon Mileuthemis, and Teacher Ander, who supported him sincerely, most of the others just used him as a banner.

But what he needed before was just the function of this flag.

"We will consider the domestic affairs of Kaolin after the communication in the realm is restored," Fang He said. He then turned to Miss Nightingale and asked, "Has the communication with the Star Gate improved recently? What about the Crystal Tower network?"

"Nothing." Alisa shook her head. "Jita has been in charge of this matter, but there has been no progress."

Fang He couldn't help but be silent for a moment. The cross-border communication was interrupted for more than two months, which was somewhat meaningful. The Seven Seas Traveler was eager to know what happened in the outside world, but they had no way to do so at the moment.

Previously, when we were in Luflin, there was also no contact with the outside world, and only a regular ship that ran once a week maintained contact with the nearby port, but the port on the Isthmus of Ka-Cuilan was also in communication silence.

Speaking of Miss Naturalist, Fang He couldn't help but remember the injuries she had suffered in the previous battle: "Is Jita's eyes better?"

"It's not a big deal. The shrapnel rubbed against her eyebrow and cut a hole, but it didn't hurt her eye," Elisa replied, "It just left a scar there. She was a little distressed. Tianlan told her that she wouldn't have a scar the next time she was resurrected. Our naturalist lady was so angry that she cried."

Fang He glared at the poet lady. Is there any way to comfort someone like this?

Tianlan quickly stuck out her tongue and lowered her head to do her own thing. She meant well, but always did bad things.

Cui Xisi was looking at the scene outside the porthole. The golden light of the setting sun was sinking under a series of winding land edges to the east of Cape Lavia. The clouds on the horizon first restrained their color, becoming as golden as flames, a pale red, and then gradually dimmed.

After the golden-red light faded, only a faint azure remained, and finally the deep blue turned into a dark purple. A few lonely stars hung above the clouds. They were very sparse before nightfall, but became unusually bright as the last ray of light jumped into the sea of ​​clouds.

The surrounding scenery quickly became dark, the cliffs in the distance became blurred, the shadows of the woods became deeper, and the occasional howling of forest owls was a bit creepy even from a distance on the boat. She saw an unusual fog rising in the distance - foggy weather was common near the edge of the continent, but the fog seemed to be glowing.

Cui Xisi turned around and was about to say something to the others, but at this moment, the door of the captain's room was pushed open, and Catherine, who was sweating all over, walked in from outside. She took a towel and wiped the sweat off her face as if she was on her own ship, and then said to everyone:

"It's foggy, guys."

"fog?"

After hearing her words, Fang He turned around. There was an arched window at the rear of the captain's room. The sailboat was about one mile away from the edge of the land, but the glowing mist could be vaguely seen.

Fang He had never seen fog of this form before. Light occasionally shone from the fog, illuminating the rising fog itself in gray-green. The gray-green fog rolled continuously, as if it were real, and gradually spread towards this direction.

Fang He took a look and found that it was difficult for the Seven Seas Traveler to avoid it. He immediately contacted Tata in his mind - and Miss Longhun had already taken the initiative to speak, and her soft voice came, "Mr. Knight, that fog is not ordinary."

"Ms. Tata, do you recognize that fog?" Fang He asked, "I have never seen such fog before."

The fairy lady closed her mouth, as if searching for something in her memory, and shook her head after a while, "There is no matching description in the Silver Library." The closest description should be the ghost ship that people have seen, but there is no record of ghost ships appearing in this area."

She frowned slightly and said, "Ed, that fog doesn't look like something from our world. It's blocking my perception of the Sea of ​​Aether."

Fang He was surprised. The fairy dragon souls were actually etheric creatures. Their entities were just projections of the ether sea in the material world. Therefore, Tata and Nini had the ability to block all prying eyes.

The material world of Attalia and the Sea of ​​Ether are reflections of each other. Everything in the world comes from starlight and elements. Ether creatures can dive into the Sea of ​​Light even in the dead zone. Can it block their perception of the Sea of ​​Ether?

  What is that fog?

He immediately asked Catherine, "Ms. Catherine, when did you notice the fog?" Catherine shook her head, "I was outside teaching the swordsmanship to Hexian and Luo Hao. About a quarter of an hour ago, when it got dark, fog started to form in the fjord."

Fang He had tacitly agreed that this female privateer pirate should take on the job of the big cat person, and she was better qualified for the job. Her Silver Rank strength was enough to withstand the joint attack of most people on the ship, and she could see through the unfamiliarity in their coordination.

She had a high opinion of the people on the boat. Box, Luo Hao and the Papara people were more or less able to handle her attacks, while the other group, May and Daryl, had similar strength. She even had to work hard when the maid and Alyssa took action.

The three echelons on the ship were more than enough to deal with ordinary enemies, and they were also enough to be her confidants in her own fleet. There were more people in Corrin-Ishurian's privateering fleet, but in terms of elite troops, they were far less than these.

What's more, there are two out-of-specification people on the ship.

Catherine put down the towel and looked at Fang He. She had also fought with Fang He once. Although she won in the end, if she had let Fang He go in an open place - instead of on the Seven Seas Traveler, the result would have been hard to predict.

Moreover, that battle exhausted her greatly. It was not like she had not fought with combat craftsmen before, but she had never seen such an endless stream of flexible constructs, and the opponent had not yet used his trump card - the Grey King's Seraph.

She paused for a moment before continuing, "I am very familiar with this area. Fog often forms in the fjord at night, but it rarely spreads to the sky and the sea, let alone such a far place. I came to inform you because I noticed something was wrong."

"That is to say," Fang He asked, "Ms. Catherine doesn't know the origin of the fog either?"

Catherine nodded.

Fang He had already walked out and came to the deck - Luo Hao, Xiangzi and Paparar were all here, lying on the side of the ship looking at the thick fog. The latter two were a little surprised, but Luo Hao had already noticed something was wrong.

He turned around and looked at Fang He, but Fang He did not respond. Instead, he directly released a group of clockwork fairies. The clockwork fairies flapped their wings and flew over the crowd, diving straight into the mist, but after just a moment - they lost contact with him.

Fang He only felt a black screen in the camera. It was a situation he was very familiar with. He had lost the etheric connection with the clockwork fairy.

His heart tightened. If the fog could block the connection between the Sea of ​​Ether and the material world, he was worried about whether Miss Tata would be affected. He couldn't help but immediately asked, "Miss Tata, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Knight," Miss Tata said gently, "The fog just blocked my perception. What we need to do now is to protect the Seven Seas Traveler. It's too late for us to exit the fog. I'm worried that we won't be able to control it."

Fang Yu felt relieved.

"I understand, Miss Tata. We should try to get closer to the land edge," he said decisively. "If the worst happens, we should find a way to make the Seven Seas Traveler run aground on the nearby land. That way, we still have a way to deal with it."

Tata nodded and disappeared.

Fang He then walked to the side of the ship, but the worst situation did not happen. He saw the fog coming in from all directions and completely covering the Seven Seas Traveler, but nothing unusual happened - even Miss Tata was still able to control the sailboat.

However, as soon as her perception extended outside the ship, it was blocked by an invisible barrier.

However, visibility was extremely poor in the fog. To be on the safe side, Fang He asked Baggins and Luo Hao to lower the sails, stop the boat, and continue sailing after the fog dissipated. After all, no one knew whether a cliff would appear in front of them after deviating from the course.

After a few minutes, Miss Tata's voice came from his mind again: "Ed, something is wrong."

"What's wrong?" Fang He asked.

"Our boat was moving, and I felt it was moving in one direction."

This is impossible.

The first thought that flashed through Fang He's mind was that they were having an illusion. Although the Seven Seas Traveler did not drop anchor, the sailboat's own stability was still excellent, and it would be impossible for it to move forward on its own without ocean currents and wind.

But there was thick fog all around, and there was not a trace of wind. Most ocean currents in the sky and sea were also related to air currents, which simply generated the flow of wind elements under the elemental layer. But without either of these, it was impossible for the ship to move on its own.

"Is it inertia, Miss Tata?" Fang He asked in a low voice.

"No," the fairy lady shook her head gently, "Our ship is not slow, and its direction has not changed. Ed, I feel that it is not us who are moving, but the space around us -"

  Fang He felt creepy when he heard this. He had never heard of such a weird thing. Compared with this, those legends about ghost ships were child's play. The fog itself was motionless, but the surrounding space was pushing them in one direction?

Could it be that they accidentally entered a space rift?

"Catherine," he asked immediately, "I need to know what the seabed is like around here."

"Is our ship moving?" Catherine was a veteran and noticed something immediately. "This area is not a suitable anchorage. If you drop anchor here, the anchor stone cannot reach the calm wind layer, so it is meaningless." She also had sweat on her forehead. "Is it possible that we will hit the mountain wall?"

"That might be the best case scenario," Fang Yu said, feeling more and more uneasy. "What I'm worried about are the unknown situations."

There were too many strange events on the sky and sea, especially in the turbulence of space. Wasn't that how Sir Ma Wei's fleet disappeared? They were going to look for Sir's fleet, but they didn't want to be the next victim.

At this moment, the Paparar who was lying on the side of the ship suddenly cried out: "Ghost ship!"

Fang He immediately heard Luo Hao's voice, "It's not a ghost ship, but... it looks like the wreckage of a ship."

He looked in that direction and saw some shadowy things in the fog. From the appearance, it could be seen that it was indeed a ship - with a streamlined hull and a clipped bow, but it was extremely huge, like a small mountain, lying in the fog.

The giant ship seemed to split in two and broke apart. The Seven Seas Traveler slowly passed by its wreckage about a few hundred meters away. It was not until that moment that Fang He confirmed that they were moving, or rather, the space around them was moving.

Compared with the hill-like wreckage, the Seven Seas Traveler was as tiny as a child. The towering sides of the ship that were visible to the naked eye looked like a city wall, but the shape of the ship was very different from that of a sailboat, and there seemed to be no matching sails on top.

The huge wing sails around it are also invisible.

Everyone was shocked by this scene. Tianlan, who came out from the back, opened his mouth wide. Although the thick fog obscured almost all details of the ship, just the outline of a giant beast left a deep impression on everyone.

"What...what on earth is that?" she couldn't help but ask, stuttering.

But no one answered her, and with a "click", something seemed to fall on the deck the next moment.

Fang He couldn't help but look in that direction, only to find that a somewhat strange insect had appeared on the deck in the fog at some point. It was about the size of a palm, and looked like a combination of a longhorn beetle and a cockroach, with three pairs of legs, long antennae, and gray and white stripes on its back.

As soon as his eyes fell on the insect, sounds like rain fell one after another on the deck. More than ten similar insects landed on the deck, wagging their tentacles as if exploring the unfamiliar environment around them.

Seeing this scene, Tianlan was fine - Miss Nightingale's face changed and she quickly hid back in the captain's room, but the next moment - a scream came from the captain's room.

“Ahhhhh——!”

Miss Nightingale screamed heart-wrenchingly.

...(End of chapter)