Pillars of Ita

"Trishis, the captain asked us to split into two groups to check the Seven Seas Traveler again. Balossa..." Luo Hao said as he opened the door, but the words on his lips stopped when he saw the situation inside the cabin. Originally, there was only Traishis on duty in the hangar, and the condition of this alchemist lady was extremely abnormal at the moment.

Cui Xisi was clasping her hands tightly, her fingers were trembling and bloodless from the excessive force. She raised her head and looked at Luo Hao with a shocked look, her throat making a gurgling sound due to excessive tension.

"Cui Xisi?" Luo Hao's hair stood on end. There was a faint red light in the alchemist's eyes, as if reflecting the red moon outside - but the hangar had no portholes at all when the main cabin door was not opened.

"That... is not a blood moon..." Cui Xisi squeezed out a sentence to Luo Hao with great reluctance, and the paleness spread across the girl's face: "That is..."

"The star of misfortune——"

……

Tianlan jumped off the boat with a thump, and looked at Fang He and the others anxiously, shouting with a look of despair, "Brother Ed, it's bad, Sister Sylvie and Traci have both fainted!"

Fang He's face was gloomy. Without waiting for her to finish, he raised his hand and fired a hook towards the side of the ship. With a 'bang', the rocket fist hit the side of the Seven Seas Traveler. Holding on to the railing there, he leaped and flew towards the Seven Seas Traveler.

But just as he landed on the deck, a silver light appeared in front of him. Miss Tata looked at him with a look of half awakening, and in her calmness there was a rare concern, "Mr. Knight, your heart is in turmoil."

"I……"

Fang He took a breath.

Luo Hao brought him news that Cui Xisi and the ship officer's lady had lost consciousness one after another. When Hilvid lost consciousness, Shesta was next to her. Except for the changes in the moon phases in the sky, nothing unusual happened.

Although it cannot be ruled out that it was Balossa's doing, what is more worrying is what Cui Xisi mentioned before she fell into a coma. The Red Moon is not the moon, but the shadow of the evil star.

  But what does all this have to do with her and the ship officer's coma?

It was not until the moment Sylvie fell into coma that he realized the pivotal position this girl held in his heart. It felt as if the whole world suddenly collapsed in half, and the remaining half was only shaky.

The shock of the conscious world even alarmed Miss Tata. Even Nini appeared, flying beside her "sister" with her tail curled up, looking at Fang Plover curiously.

Only after seeing the face of his 'little daughter' did Fang He calm down a little, but his heart was still pounding.

"Mr. Knight, Miss Sylvie is fine. As a captain, you should stay calm at times like this."

Fang He looked at his Miss Dragon Soul. She rarely advised him in a warning tone. If it was anyone else, he might lose his temper, but in front of this fairy lady who had been with him for many days, he really couldn't bear it.

"Ms. Mia and I have checked them," Tata looked at him with his emerald eyes, "Ms. Trixie is just in a deep sleep, and Miss Sylvie's is a little more complicated, but still within the normal range."

"So, what's going on?" Fang Yu asked patiently.

"I'm afraid it has something to do with the blessing of the Naga tribe left by Narsu," Miss Tata thought for a moment and replied softly, "I don't know much about the residents of Hanrui Sea, Mr. Knight, but Miss Mia seems to know a little. She thinks that the mark left by the sea tribe on Miss Sylvie was brought into being by some mysterious power..."

"That blessing has revived again?" Fang He was slightly stunned.

When a god dies, the world takes away most of the marks they left behind. Even the statues made for them often become blurred over time.

At first, the news of their death will spread widely in the world, but more and more people will gradually forget it all, first ordinary people, and finally believers and fanatics, until a new god is born and completely replaces the former's position.

After Narsu's death, the blessing - or curse - that she had left on Sylvie lost its effect. Although the disappearance of divine power is far from a one-day job, the marks belonging to the Naga clan are indeed disappearing day by day.

First the phantom scales on her forehead, then the scales on her hands began to fade.

Fang He followed his Miss Dragon Soul down the deck and into the infirmary, where the maid and the boatswain had temporarily set up two beds. Cui Xisi was lying on the left, and his ship's officer was on the right.

Just as Tata described, Tracis was sleeping soundly, with her eyelashes drooping and her eyeballs twitching, obviously she was in a dream. The others tried to wake her up, but with little success. On the other side, Sylvie was not so calm. She frowned slightly, as if she was going through a nightmare.

Fang He saw at a glance that the beautiful phantom scales had reappeared on Sylvie's forehead, and the silver scales on the back of her hand even extended to her forearm, which was even more conspicuous than when Narsu's blessing her.

After Tang Xin and the Elf Lady left, there were no more serious healers on the ship. The one sitting there now was a girl with a pair of pointed silver ears, who was looking at her 'rival' calmly.

Then he turned around and glanced at Fang He.

"Ms. Miya..."

"She's fine," Mia replied, "Just blessing her to revive."

"How could the blessing be revived for no reason?" Fang He asked, "Could it be that the Naga tribe has chosen a new god?"

"I don't know," Mia thought for a moment and shook her head directly, "But gods shouldn't be born so easily. The priesthood of storms must be elsewhere, but the protector of the Naga tribe may not necessarily fall on the same god."

Fang He thought so too. The Tarkin Lizards had lost their god for thousands of years. How could the Sea People give birth to another god so soon? In Ataria, whether it was faith or obsession, a strong will was never a necessary condition for the birth of a god.

It is the law and the way.

"In fact, if it was just the blessing left by Narsu, Miss Sylvie wouldn't have ended up like this," Miss Tata said at the side. "The key is that when the blood moon rose, another blessing on her body also reacted."

"Another blessing?"

"Yes," Miss Tata nodded gently, "In fact, Miss Cui Xisi's situation is similar. Another blessing took effect on her, causing her to fall into a deep sleep."

Fang He reacted immediately. His ship officer did have another blessing on her body, and the origin of that blessing was indeed related to the blessing on Cui Xisi. "The blessing of the elemental tyrant Alphonse?"

"As expected of Ed," Mia looked at him quietly and said, "Have you thought of this?"

Fang He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Miss Miya had returned to her conversational tone with him, but since she had given him hints to this point, how could he not guess it?

He just couldn't help but think of what Trishis had told them in the underground of Nospis, that the empire was preparing for an unprecedented disaster, and the blessing they had sought to steal played a vital role in it.

And that series of blessings does not only refer to the elemental blessings. The original power comes from seven thrones, four of which are still in existence, and three have been lost. Among the four remaining original powers, elements are one of them.

The throne of rule - elements.

Narsu'er is the god of darkness. The blessing she gave to Sylvie might be one of the seven original powers, because the seven thrones all came from the seven dynasties of the Sinsas snakemen, and most of these dynasties were destroyed in the abyss of darkness.

Their guardians, the gods of the sun, have mostly fallen into the form of dark saints. There have long been rumors that the power of the three lost thrones may be in the hands of these evil gods. They may not be complete and exist in the form of fragments.

And if Cui Xisi really fell into a deep sleep because of the blessing, then the ship officer was most likely the same. After realizing that this power would most likely not harm the two of them, Fang He felt slightly relieved.

  But why did the blessing suddenly resurrect?

Fang He subconsciously looked out of the porthole. The strange moonlight cast a faint red color on the window edge. Cui Xisi believed that the empire was preparing for an unprecedented disaster, and that disaster was actually no secret in everyone's mind.

The third evil star.

"So what Luo Hao said is true," Fang He said, "Cui Xisi told him that the blood moon..."

"The projection of the evil star?"

Miya shook her head gently: "Humanity is a latecomer. We have not seen the last catastrophe, which happened a thousand years ago. Moreover, the manifestations of the arrival of a calamity star are different. The signs before the first and second calamity stars came were very different."

Fang He looked at his dragon soul, and Miss Tata also shook her head: "Mr. Knight, Miss Mia is right. The Green Advent recorded in history is completely different from what we see now. You have also read those documents, so you should be able to tell the difference between the two."

"However," she also whispered, "there has never been a blood moon in Attalia."

And there was no reason for Cui Xisi to tell a lie that would be exposed at a glance.

Fang He thought.

If the shadow of the red moon is really a sign before the arrival of the third evil star, then all the strange phenomena that the Seven Seas Traveler had encountered before might be explained.

The mysterious fog, the giant ships and insect swarms in the fog, the missing townspeople of Varta, and the missing pirate king Balosha may all be related to this, but where did those people go?

  Is all this a sign of the disaster to be brought about by the third evil star?

Fang He looked at the beautiful sleeping face of his ship officer and fell silent for a moment. He never expected that the arrival of the third disaster star would come so early, even before they had time to go to the second world.

Although the projection does not mean that the real star of disaster has arrived, it at least shows that the disaster is like a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head.

The world was probably going to be in chaos, but what made him anxious was that there was no sign of the communication between the two worlds being restored - with the change that had happened to Attalia, his uncle and aunt in Stargate Port were probably extremely worried.

……

Tenaric slowly walked up to the top of the pyramid and solemnly placed the stone slab on the altar there. The red moonlight shone on it, falling on the feather crown, the jade-like scales, and the sharp spear tip. It was the ceremonial attire of an Andrasok warrior, which once represented the pinnacle of the Age of Stars. After the dynasties represented by the seven thrones fell one by one, the former servants became the rulers of the new empire.

The prophecy revealed on the ancient stone tablets predicted an era of rainforests and stars that would last for three thousand years.

The empire in the jungle flourished until the end of the First Era, and declined at the end of the First Age of Doom. Ten thousand years had passed until the elves rose up, the Holy White Empire was born under the Twin Trees, and the Green Doom returned.

Now, between the vines and cracks of those ancient buildings, the dilapidated scenery of the holy land only bears witness to those fragmentary prophecies - the sea of ​​light has been extinguished, the world is sinking into a sea of ​​fire, and the ancient wisdom has ushered in new challenges. The wise men of the Lizardmen have to discuss once again what to do next.

The scarlet moon is like an eye, passing through the clouds, quietly gazing at the earth.

Countless eyes fell on the prince from the White Skull Clan, one of the Electors of Gudarsok, but the rain forest had been divided. The Red Lizard Clan, the worshippers of the God of Death from Zuko, were dissatisfied with the Great Council's decision to grant the throne to a challenger from a weak clan, so they openly opposed it and joined the Empire.

The priests of the Blind Star Clan and the Rain Snake Clan proposed to seal off the Great Council permanently, just like the end of the First Era, and the Lizardmen would once again hide from the world until the catastrophe was over and the world welcomed its masters again. However, this proposal was not unanimously approved.

The priests of Ka-Treilan and the ancient guardians of knowledge, the Dragonblood Clan, all opposed this proposal, but Tenerik understood where he was being tested and for whom he should speak, not to mention that that was his own wish.

It couldn't help but think of its human brothers.

"You have passed the test," an old voice sounded, "Prince of Tussock, according to ancient tradition, you brought back the holy object, which means the king of the rain forest."

Tenaric was very familiar with the old lizardman who spoke. He and Fang He had met him in Fenris before - the old wizard of the Dragonblood Clan. However, the old wizard's expression was more serious at this moment. "Where do you think we should go?"

Tenaric said, "After the seven thrones fell one by one, many gods have perished. Andrasok and Asuka have not been bathed in the glory of the saints for many years, but the ancient prophecy has already foretold this day."

'The forest has died, and a new feather god is about to be born'

"Those chosen by the sea of ​​light will return to the destiny that Tahs has determined."

Tenerik looked up.

Its lizard-like head was pointed towards the red moon in the sky, and its angular pupils reflected the meteors streaking across the sky - that was not the comet in the ancient prophecy, but the scene of the sea of ​​light going out. The Imperials were drawing power from the Ethernet veins, thus accelerating the process.

The shadow of the evil star has already appeared.

Tenarek raised his lizard-like head towards the red moon in the sky, and his angular pupils reflected the meteors streaking across the sky - that was not the comet in the ancient prophecy, but the scene of the sea of ​​light going out. The Imperials were drawing power from the Ethernet veins, thereby accelerating the process.

The shadow of the evil star has already appeared.

'Under the seven obelisks, where the twelve stars shine together'

'The eternal prophecy, the final destination'

The old priest from the Dragon Blood Lizard Tribe looked at him with dull eyes and nodded slightly. "Take the Holy Grail and leave the Great Council. From now on, the rain forest will no longer bind you, but you must bear the fate of the king, the fate of Andasok."

Tenerik said nothing.

Meteors are falling from the sky.

It gradually transformed into many rays of light, lighting up the night sky of the Far South Continent. It was the rain of light cast by the Empire. Countless airdrop craft were crossing the border where the Oshus and the Grand Council were confronting each other, and falling into the rainforest like raindrops.

On October 1108, 10 in the Third Era, the Oshur Empire officially declared war on the Great Council of Gudasok. The Tokin, the Red Lizardmen of the Tah-Hess, the Rain Lizardmen, and the Blind Lizardmen all turned against the Empire and joined the Empire.

Four months later, the Grand Council fell.

……

With the help of others, Max took off his heavy black armor and walked into the dimly lit room. Many people had been waiting there for a long time. He looked at these fellows one by one. Most of them, like himself, were still wearing the Imperial Army uniforms that they had not had time to take off.

"The first batch of blessed ones have completely adapted to the new environment. The Death Moon 'Tafitos' led them to complete the first round of transformation. These people are the prototypes of the future 'Silver Order' and can now be deployed in the war."

"But the plan of the Court of Swordsmen seems to have suffered some setbacks. I heard that the people of SOLID were unable to get back the ether node. Unfortunately, the Magic Emperor did not alienate them because of this. They are lucky."

"But the people of the Holy Sacrament Guild are really unreliable. This has greatly slowed down the plan. The Great Holy Land is only a symbol of the rain forest. If we want to capture it and sweep across the entire rain forest, we will have to deploy several times the number of troops."

"Don't worry. The ether node is just one of the insurance policies. Don't forget the experiment we did in Elpahin. Relying on the crystal tower network, the Empire is still able to summon allies to the material world. It just takes some time."

"What we lack is time."

Max was a little annoyed by the buzzing discussions. The managers from various guilds only considered their own interests first, although the fraternity he belonged to was no exception.

But the war was going well, and he would rather hear some good news, or news from Corin-Ishurian, the Hill of the Giant Tree and the Lotao people, rather than the attacks between these people.

The door of the conference room was soon pushed open again.

Max turned around and looked in that direction, and this time, the people who entered were no longer from the Imperial Army, but a group of elves wearing silver-white robes - there were many elves in Ataria, but most of them were divided into three branches.

The elves of Quillasul from the south of the empire, the elves of Aquin from Ishurian, and the forest elves of the Holy White Court, the true descendants of the elves of Numerin from the Hill of the Giant Tree. Although the relationship between the forest elves and the elves of Numerin is so weak that there is almost no connection, it is undeniable that their civilization does come from the inheritance of the holy tree.

The elves that entered the room had conspicuous long silver hair, silver skin, and light silver pupils. These were the typical features of the elven nobles of the Holy White Court. They were the rulers from the Hill of Giant Trees, but most of them were not indigenous people.

The Chosen One.

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

As soon as the elves entered the room, they walked to the long table one by one, then stopped. The leader looked at the imperial people present, and then slowly said, "My fellow imperial colleagues, I don't think I need to introduce myself. Most of the people traveling with me are colleagues from the Nottingham Ship and other top guilds. I don't want to say anything nonsense here. After all, everyone is clear about the current situation. Otherwise, the communication between the two worlds would be temporarily interrupted, and we would not even come here in person-"

Everyone's eyes turned to Max.

Although he was born in the Brotherhood, he was the person with the highest status in the Imperial Army in this conference room—and one of the only two dragon knights in Prometheus. Max nodded and said straight to the point: "The purpose of our invitation to you all is very simple, and it is also clearly stated in the letter."

The other party looked at each other, then frowned and asked: "Max, is your information reliable?"

"There is no benefit in lying to you," Max said lightly, "This was witnessed by the Silver Order of my guild. In addition, Issa and Rudney of SOLID also left behind a video recording. This all points to one thing - the Sea Witch is now hiding on the ship of the Dragon Alchemist."

"In fact," someone added, "maybe she has already joined that team. Don't forget the July War that took place in Dragon Roar Mountains three years ago. That's when the Dragon Alchemist became famous, but don't forget that the Sea Witch was also one of the driving forces behind that war."

"The Hailin Crown," the man said, "Maybe it's true as the rumors say. The Hailin Crown is in their hands, half for each."

This rumor has been around for a long time, but because it sounds too unbelievable, it has not been believed by most people.

But looking at it today, three years later, this possibility not only exists, it may even be quite significant.

"Everyone," Max spoke again, "I didn't invite you here to confirm this matter. Besides, with your style of doing things, there is no need to confirm it. Instead, you should come up with an idea on how to deal with the other party."

"It's just a small free adventure group," the elf said. "Prometheus, SOLID, and the Gray Domain still need our help. What are your plans? Why don't you just tell us? I guess you didn't invite us here just to get a piece of the pie out of kindness. Everyone knows how big the involvement behind the Turbid Domain is."

Max looked at the other party and shook his head: "Everyone, we are not dealing with an adventure group, but the third division behind him. The situation in the third division is now completely out of control. After the opponent's Stargate Port intervened, the one standing behind the Dragon Alchemist-"

"I'm afraid it's one of theirs."

The conference room fell silent again.

The guild representative from Giant Tree Hill seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but frowned.

Only Max still spoke. "So this time, I am not just representing Prometheus, nor SOLID, or the Gray King, but the voices of the people behind me. You can also regard it as the will of the First Division Alliance. We must come up with a comprehensive plan this time."

"My suggestion," Max said, "is to issue a gray warrant for the Seven Seas Traveler from the entire alliance, at least equivalent to the Sea Witch's wanted warrant. Once it is raised to the Stargate Port or even higher, it will inevitably force the other party to make a choice."

"I guess," he paused, "they probably haven't planned to completely break off relations with us. Under such heavy pressure, the price we pay for attacking the Sea Witch will be much lower."

"That Dragon Alchemist is always lucky, but young people always go astray when they are impulsive. Some mistakes can be corrected, but some cannot."

"He'll understand that."

...(End of chapter)