Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1166 Saint Lady Meeting

"Luo Yu, have you got the final exam report card? Let me see. You did well, but you can't be complacent."

“Teachers all think you are smart, but you should use your intelligence where it should be used and don’t let it go to waste.”

"You want to study history? No, what's the prospect? It's good to have ideals, but this world is very realistic. Have you considered the pressure of employment? Your father and I are doing this for your own good. You will thank us in the future."

"Your father and I asked many people to help us get this letter of recommendation. If you go to Tapolis as a youth trainee, you can get the official qualifications of the alliance. After the secondment contract ends, we will find a way to arrange for you to work in the Stargate Association."

"Work hard while our relationship is still useful. We are paving the way for you so that your life will be smoother in the future."

Luo Yu let go of the magic wand in his hand without saying a word. Most of the rails on the elemental wand were corroded and broken, and it was as mottled as an antique. It rolled to the ground with a dull sound, like a piece of rotten wood.

At this moment, the black shadow of the clay sculpture dissipated like smoke, and a stone-paved road appeared in front of him again, but not far away there was a person, no, a snake. It was wearing a green and gold robe, with smooth scales showing from under the robe. Its curved snake head was raised high, and a pair of dark green snake pupils looked down at him condescendingly, with its snake tail swaying behind it.

Luo Yu's eyes fell on the ironwood staff in the other person's hand. The obsidian pieces on the top of the staff formed a circle, like the dark halo of the dark sun - the Death of Many Suns, the Tonamiqui (Tonamiquiztli, snake language) holy staff. This person is Xochitl, the master of the staff of the Dark Throne.

"Interesting experience," the shadow of the Lord of the Staff Xochitel stared at him with his narrow pupils, spitting out a snake message, "In our time, those who hold power do not need to work for themselves, because we have more noble plans to accomplish. We leave all matters to slaves."

"But the slaves betrayed you. They turned against you, and the dark sea finally submerged Kunarnoor. The resentment born from the hearts of the people accelerated the demise of the empire. The glorious dynasty collapsed and disappeared overnight."

The boy replied calmly.

Xochitel sighed quietly, "Snakes don't need temperature. When the cold wave comes, we curl up and sleep, waiting for the moment of awakening. Day after day, year after year, the long time makes us think we are approaching eternity; so we abandon empathy and explore history and the future with only cold eyes. Therefore, it is not snakes that kill us - but arrogance itself."

It reached out its hand and gently grasped the young man's arm. "Now that you have learned about our history, do you still want to accept everything from us?"

“Knowledge itself is rational.”

Xochitel smiled and did not refute, "We used to think so too."

A black shadow surged from its hand towards Luo Yu.

"——Recorded in the year without light, the 10641st winter, the end of time."

'To future explorers, our civilization ends here;'

Just like flower buds no longer grow in rocks, the cold stone monument stands under the starry sky.

What Luo Yu saw first was black and white, the intertwined forces of life and death. The power of destruction was flourishing, like a huge star that endlessly poured out its light and heat, the flames sowed seeds in the ocean, and the plants grew new branches from the soil;

The birth of all things symbolizes the death of all things. The jungle is lush, and tall predators walk among the shadows, swallowing tiny prey. The most subtle forces in nature are passed step by step to the top of the food chain;

Then, everything came crashing down.

"Power cannot be returned. The more you use, the more you lose—"

'This is creation and destruction.'

It seems like a prosperous scene, but it consumes the energy of the star itself. When the source dissipates, everything will be gone. Creation is like an illusion, casting a shadow of destruction behind it. The more complex it creates, the less efficient it is.

All the starlight comes from the same source. They converge into one place and create everything, but creation is just an illusion of starlight. The source will eventually dry up, and the world will return to silence at a certain moment. All prosperity is an illusion.

"How do you escape?"

a voice asked.

Luo Yu had sweat on his forehead, but his voice was still steady: "What about the creation side?"

Creation is to return everything to its source, cold and silent, it will return time to the beginning, annihilate itself, and make up the whole world; the useless things that are born are scars of the world, the more complex they are, the weaker the world becomes——

Therefore, civilization is the ultimate cancer of the universe.

Let the world return to its essence, and the starlight will become eternal.

The young man gritted his teeth, but if he didn't choose civilization, what meaning would the world have to him? If the price of making the starlight eternal was that the world and all things returned to silence, then he would rather choose destruction - he believed that Fang He would definitely make the same choice.

Xochitel laughed loudly. There was no surprise in his laughter, but his voice was calm and quiet: "... Hey, we made the same choice in the beginning."

Creation is to return everything to the starlight.

Destruction means burning out the star.

"Creation or destruction is up to you," the shadow of the Lord of the Staff gradually faded, "You are on the same path we once walked, and you will face the same end as us. I am very curious, the ones who come after you——"

"What answer would you give?"

All the illusions disappeared, Luo Yu was still standing alone in the darkness. Everything around him was weathered into ashes. The elemental magic wand was covered with rust, and his pale forehead was covered with sweat. Everything he had seen was like a nightmare.

Everything he saw at the end of that time was reflected in his dark pupils, like slowly drifting sand and dust. He gently raised his right hand, and there was an imprint of a black sun on the back of his hand.

……

Because of the rampant gray matter, the streets have become ruins. The elves call everything that accompanies the gray branches gray matter. The monsters born from the gray branches are gray matter creatures. They are like a reflection of the real world, but they are decaying all the time.

Fang He followed the bounty hunters and their group, looking at the devastated scene, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. This was the largest port in Giant Tree Hill, and if Silver Wind Port was like this, what about other areas?

When Forin and his team left Giant Tree Hill, there was little mention of the "death plague" in reports about the Second Division, and it was impossible for the Chosen Ones not to spread all of this in the community, which only meant that the situation had deteriorated faster than anyone imagined.

It may not seem noticeable at first, but it affects every corner of the Holy White Tree in a blink of an eye. A sudden interruption of communication between the two worlds happens to cover up this disaster, making it impossible for the outside world to know what the Giant Tree Hill is experiencing.

  Not to mention Tianlan and Parker, who was disguised as Ms. Papamo, even Daryl and May, who had just left the Giant Tree Hill, looked at this scene in disbelief. Lian Kuiya Alsana stood behind the two elven guards, looking worried:

"When I left, only a few thin branches were able to penetrate the Silver Wind Harbor barrier. Now even elite gray branches have appeared in the city."

"Are there still different levels of gray branches?"

Fang He turned around and asked, they also encountered some gray creatures along the way, most of which were dead tree people, but he didn't need to "take action", he asked the "guards" to go up and quickly solved the monsters.

This made several bounty hunters respect him even more. Even his guards were so powerful, so he must be from a prestigious family or be incredibly strong. The Hill of Giant Trees was in a critical moment, and being strong would naturally win a lot of respect.

No matter whether this strength comes from himself or the family behind him.

They offered to go ahead and explore the way. Fang He was naturally happy to have some peace and quiet, but he asked Miss May to follow them in case anything unexpected happened to them.

Unfortunately, the bounty hunter also left some people behind, probably because they were afraid that something might happen to him and they couldn't explain it. After all, they couldn't be sure whether this noble young man was of noble birth or had extraordinary strength. Fang He felt helpless.

"Yes," the elf girl nodded, "the most common ones are the thin branches, which can be found everywhere in the forest. They are harmless, but they will accelerate the spread of the 'death plague'. Then there are the slightly thicker normal branches, which will produce gray matter and bring monsters and insect plagues."

"Insect plague?"

"They're those silvery grey bugs, which aren't very harmful themselves, but if you don't deal with them, they'll turn into new grey branches."

Fang He couldn't help but think of the insects he had seen in the fog. Is there any connection between the two? But those insects looked more like longhorn beetles, so it seemed they were not the same species.

"Further up, there are elite, disaster and nightmare levels, and there are several special cases above them, all of which have their own names... The one in Silver Wind Harbor is at least elite level, and it can already bring many very difficult monsters." Suddenly, there was a sound of fighting in front. Fang He's communication crystal lit up, and Miss May's head was projected on it - short-range communication can still be used, "Leader... Master, there are a lot of people blocking the street ahead, and there are monsters here."

She said the wrong thing and her face turned slightly red, like a rosy apple, so cute.

Fang He nodded, "We'll be there soon."

He put away the communication crystal and asked the remaining bounty hunter, "What is that place?"

"Sir, the front is Wind Chime Lane. Tourists must be stranded there."

Fang He said no more and led everyone to rush over. Miss Nightingale just rolled up her skirt and tried to catch up, but when Cui Xisi looked at her, she had to patiently stop and gritted her teeth: "Cui Xisi, how can I participate in the battle if this continues?"

"Miss Alisa, just do your job of gathering intelligence," Trixie pushed up her glasses and answered. She played the role of a scholar and consultant, the craftsman in the team. "We have the box, Jita, and Miss Daryl to fight with. It's not like they can't handle it."

  Sylvie looked at the two of them with a slight smile. She played the role of a female relative to the others very well and her temperament was superior to the others. Even the bounty hunter couldn't help but take a second look, wondering which family this noble daughter came from?

When Fang He arrived at the place, he found that there were other teams - a team of Chosen Ones and three indigenous temple guards, mostly girls. When he saw the elf girl leading the team, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at Lian Kuiya Alsana not far away -

The elf girl was also wearing a long robe and seemed to be from the White Tree Temple. However, there were branches of the temple in various places on the Giant Tree Hill, and there was not just one unicorn girl. Apprentice saints were selected from all over the place.

Although most of them will never become true saints in their lifetime, they can still serve as clergy in various places.

The elf girl was dressed as an apprentice unicorn girl, and was fighting side by side with the team of Chosen Ones with her two companions. Their opponents were seven withered tree men, and there were three or four corpses of the same withered tree men next to them.

Miss May was on the other side of them, suppressing a huge, half-melted humanoid creature by herself. The thing was like a candle giant, covered in silver wax, glittering and extremely powerful. It let out waves of earth-shaking roars and tried to attack everyone. Miss Knight didn't want to reveal too much of her strength, so she had to be patient and entangled it to prevent it from harming others, fighting it on equal terms.

The bounty hunters with her blocked the street intersection on the other side to stop the dead tree men that kept appearing there.

When Fang He arrived, a shop nearby had just collapsed. Several withered tree men had just joined the battlefield and appeared on the side of Miss Knight. "Be careful!" The Chosen Ones all looked in this direction and warned loudly.

When Fang He saw this scene, he raised the magic wand in his hand without thinking. A gravity well fell from the air and appeared next to several dead tree men, making their movements as if they were trapped in mercury. The collapsed buildings made several cracking sounds, and even the smoke and dust turned into sand and sank.

Several crystals rose from behind him, shooting out beams of scorching rays. The damage caused by those rays was terrifyingly high - at least for people at their level. They penetrated the silver-gray bodies of the withered tree men like molten gold corroding iron, and the high temperature turned them into torches.

Several Chosen Ones almost dropped their jaws. The bounty hunters were also quite surprised to see this scene, but at least they had expected it. They looked at each other, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised, glad that they had behaved respectfully enough before.

Bounty hunters like them were just completing commissions and doing things for others. Knowing one more important person meant one more way out. Although this young wizard with a high "birth status" might not look up to them, at least they had become familiar with him.

Another group of withered tree men came around from behind the alley, but it was not Fang He's turn to take action. Daryl stretched out his hand to protect him and stood in front of him. Without even unsheathing his sword, he rushed into these tree men like a flash of lightning.

With their participation, the rest of the battle was no big deal. On the other side, the people from the White Tree Temple and the Chosen Ones quickly dealt with their opponents. The bounty hunters rescued some ordinary people from a shop nearby, half of them were indigenous people and the Chosen Ones.

Those who were mainly the living professionals among the Chosen Ones were stranded here because of the sudden disaster. Compared with the elves who were showing panic, they were much calmer. Some even used the system to shoot the scene -

After the elf girl of the White Tree Temple calmed down the remaining people with kind words, she finally had time to walk over to thank them and said, "My name is Meryl, thank you all for your help."

Four Chosen followed behind her, two men and two women, with melee, ranged and mage configurations - the remaining one was a healer. After Meryl finished speaking, she paused and looked at May with some curiosity.

After all, being able to fight against the gray spirit alone is not an ordinary skill.

She asked, "You are a team that came from another area. Has the situation there been contained? ... Are you from the Silver Wind Watchers or the Star Ring?"

Silver Wind Watcher? Star Ring? Why are there so many terms? Fang He was still confused, but someone spoke before him. It was the bounty hunters who spoke, "None of them, Miss Saint. This gentleman just arrived at Silver Wind Harbor today like us."

"Are you from the Pure Blade?"

Meryl recognized the identities of the bounty hunters. Her eyes fell on Fang He, as if she suddenly remembered something. "Wait, today's date is..." The elf girl raised her head, her eyes flashing with surprise. "Are you Elion de Flin?"

What? I am Elion de Flin? Fang He was stunned for a moment. Is he? He managed to control his expression without much change, but the elf girl had already realized her mistake and quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Elion, I-I didn't mean to be offensive by calling you by your first name."

Fang He certainly didn't care about this and only asked, "Do you know me?"

Meryl looked at him and nodded. "It is rumored that you come from the oldest wizard family, the youngest and most outstanding wizard of this generation of the Elingran family. The parliament invited you to discuss the gray matter issue, and the news has been spreading outside for a long time."

She was a little surprised. There were rumors that this young wizard was difficult to get along with, arrogant, cold, and even conceited, which was a common problem for geniuses of his age. But now it seemed that those rumors were a little untrue.

They were at least exaggerating. Although the other party looked a bit majestic, he was quite easy to talk to.

She thought of what happened before and couldn't help but believe it a little more. No wonder the other party's moves were so clean and neat, and those monsters were simply vulnerable to his spells - if he was the legendary wizard, everything could be explained.

Moreover, only with such a background could the other party be surrounded by guards with such high martial arts skills.

Fang He then realized what misunderstanding had occurred. These people actually mistook him for that Elion de Flin, but why had he never heard of this person? The people of the Elingran family did not have their original surnames, so they seemed to be from a side branch.

However, the council of Silverwind Harbor actually asked the magician family of Corrin-Ishurian to come forward to study gray matter. Aren't the magicians of the elves better? Or is there some other unknown secret?

But regardless of whether it was a secret or not, he had to keep this identity for now. He didn't know whether the unfortunate Elion de Flin himself had already arrived at Silverwind Harbor, but at least this identity seemed to be helpful to him for now -

This was an unexpected coincidence, and he didn't plan to stay in Silver Wind Harbor for long anyway, so he might as well get through it first.

Meryl looked at her companions. The two returning elf girls had also heard of Fang He's identity. She looked at Fang He eagerly and volunteered, "So, Mr. Elion, are you also interested in Gray Branch?"

"No..." She shook her head quickly. "You obviously came here for this, so of course you are not uninterested in it. I'm sorry for my slip of the tongue. What I mean is that we also have to go to the central area. How about we lead the way for you from now on?"

Fang He couldn't help but look at the bounty hunters standing beside him.

The bounty hunters didn't mind, and instead took the initiative to speak: "The people of the Saint's Society must be more familiar with this place than we are. My lord, Miss Merrill's proposal is indeed worth considering."

"Saints' Society?"

Fang He couldn't help but look at Merrill and the people behind her. The four Chosen Ones didn't look like they were recruited by the Adventurer's Guild. Instead, they seemed to be following her orders. Thinking of their identities, he couldn't help but ask:

"So you actually belong to the Temple? Are the people from the White Tree Temple also involved in this operation?"

In his impression, the temple of Aimaya is generally not responsible for combat.

"Mr. Elion doesn't know?" Merrill was a little surprised. "The Unicorn Girls of the Saint's Society participated in this battle at the call of Her Royal Highness the Princess. Now the outside world has some misunderstandings about us. We can only use our actions to prove that Her Royal Highness the Saint is not wrong."

Fang He didn't expect that this group of people could actually be related to the elf lady. He couldn't help but look back at a certain elf princess, but the latter gently tapped his arm from behind and whispered, "Don't look at me, they don't recognize me."

Fang He suddenly realized that he really couldn't reveal the identity of Her Royal Highness the Princess.

As for the request itself.

Although theoretically, his most important goal at the moment is to leave this place and find a way to leave the port, but there seems to be no better chance of escape at the moment. Perhaps it will be better after the disaster subsides and the martial law in Silver Wind Port is lifted.

At the same time, he wanted to observe closely to see what the nature of those gray branches was, because they might have to face these things one day.

So he nodded slowly.

……