Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1186 Stolen Things

The secret passage was between a group of mountain walls. When the moon rose from the valley, the moonlight shone on the mountain walls, appearing a distinct bright silver color. The stone walls were made of rough limestone, and the surface was full of cracks and uneven lines due to years of erosion, like the wrinkled skin of a giant.

The silver-gray giant guards the silent secret. The unusually lush mosses and vines growing on the stone wall are its thick hair. Several thick vines hang down from the top of the mountain, hiding an inconspicuous entrance under a huge rock. The branches of the vines are covered with small thorns, like a natural barrier.

Fang He took out a knife and cut the vines, and Paparar reluctantly crawled in. He complained, "Be careful, I don't know if that big guy can recognize me."

A few minutes ago, he had called the displacement beast "Fat Cat".

But since entering this valley, he changed his name to "big cat", and after a while it became "the big guy".

Everyone was not surprised and bent down to enter one by one. Only Fang He turned around and said to the princess: "Miss Lian, why don't you and Miss Merrill stay outside?"

He couldn't really imagine what it would be like to sneak into a mountain lord's castle with an elf princess, but the elf girl volunteered to come.

"So Mr. Ed still cares about my identity," Lian replied in a gentle tone, "but it is this identity that is the reason why I asked to join. I have met Ina Xiaoyu once. If anything goes wrong, I can use my identity to vouch for you."

"Besides, does Mr. Ed intend to leave Meryl and I here alone? Or does he intend to leave someone else to look after us?"

Fang He was speechless and could only ask the princess to be careful and stay with Sylvie at all times.

Merrill looked at him and the Princess with some admiration, then lowered her head and followed.

Fang He brushed away the vines on her head to prevent the thorny branches from entangled in the elf girl's hair. He looked at the two brave unicorn girls and sighed.

In fact, Meryl didn't know why she was here. This adventure seemed to have nothing to do with her, but she had nowhere to go.

Returning to Silverwind Harbor is already a luxury, as it will only bring danger to Fanny, Ailuoya and the others. However, there is not much she can do if she stays here. Her abilities are limited, and she is not even comparable to that of Her Royal Highness the Princess.

However, neither Her Royal Highness the Princess nor the captain let her leave, which made her feel a little embarrassed about her identity.

She was neither a member of the investigation team like Marian and Maester Arian, nor a close confidant of Her Royal Highness the Princess, nor a member of the Seven Seas Brigade.

Fortunately, Ailuoya was with her, which made her feel a little more at ease.

Going deeper into the cave, there is a dark and rugged road. It seems that only the footsteps of the group are echoing among the stone walls. The air is becoming more dull and cold, and every step seems to be going deeper into the unknown darkness.

However, Fang He, Jita, and Sylvie have already gotten used to this environment, and the Elf Princess also behaved very well. Only Meryl was a little uneasy.

She was clenching her wicker holy emblem in her hand, using her firm belief to dispel everything.

Suddenly, the road ahead became wider and a man-made staircase appeared in front of them.

And just as the Paparars stepped onto the stairs, a pair of golden eyes appeared in the darkness above the steps.

The pair of eyes flashed with a cold and sharp light, like two gems embedded in the darkness, looking down at them, with a look full of scrutiny and vigilance.

This scene startled Jita, and the naturalist lady instinctively took a step back, bumping her shoulder against the square plover.

Fang He steadied her, gently supported her shoulders, and signaled her not to be afraid. He raised his head and recognized the owner of those eyes.

That was none other than the guardian of the Aina Laughing family. The tall displacement beast looked like a sturdy black panther. It emerged silently like a ghost, and its silver-blue hair glowed in the darkness, like the twinkling stars in the night sky.

The displacement beast leaped lightly and landed on the stairs in front of them. It seemed to recognize the Papara people in front and restrained the hostility in its eyes. It only twitched its ears slightly, but when it looked at other people, it was still obviously wary.

"It's me, big guy," the Paparar purred, "Don't worry, they mean no harm."

The other party looked at Fang He and the others doubtfully, and responded with the same low and gentle purr.

But it immediately turned around, revealing a long tail, and nimbly jumped to the upper steps. It looked back at them, and its figure quickly disappeared.

"It keeps us up," Parker replied, glancing at the others.

Tianlan would be greatly surprised if she were here. And Fang He did not expect that Parker was so familiar with this displacement beast - he could even communicate with it.

He couldn't help but wonder, how many times had this guy come to this castle? Could he be a habitual thief? So they brought a habitual thief to the victim's house for an "exploration", no wonder Parker was so resistant.

He didn't even dare to think how 'warm' the welcome from the castle owner would be if they were accidentally discovered.

Fang He couldn't help but begin to doubt the rationality of his decision, but that thought disappeared without a trace in an instant. They followed the guardian of the Ina Laughter family up the stairs, but not long after, the big cat disappeared without a trace.

The people of Papara were not surprised by this. The displacement beast god was elusive, and the 'fat cat' sometimes was not hungry and was unwilling to go to the castle with him.

"It just let us in like that?" Merrill was a little surprised.

Given the elf girl's serious personality, it was hard for her to accept that the guardian of the Aina Laughter family would neglect his duties like this.

She couldn't help but start to worry about the unguarded back door of Ina's Laughing Family, even though that had nothing to do with them.

The Elf Princess was also a little puzzled and couldn't help but look at Fang He.

But when Fang He saw that Parker seemed unwilling to answer, he could only mean that he was an exception. The displacement beast was very wary of them.

He had a vague feeling that the Paparar people had not yet fully told them something, but after thinking about it, it did not seem to be a glorious thing.

But that was all in the past, and if they had the chance, they could actually talk to the mountain lord about compensation.

If the other party is not involved in this case.

Fang He thought of the dagger again and began to have a headache. He didn't lack this little mithril now, but the symbolic meaning of the dagger seemed to be greater.

The stone steps spiral upward, with somewhat worn edges. From time to time, there is an iron lamp stand on both sides, with ever-burning crystals on them, emitting a dim light.

This stone staircase leads to the underground and warehouse of the castle, separated by a stone door. The stone door naturally cannot stop the displacement beast, nor can it stop a Paparar people.

Parker pulled a switch on the side of the stone door with ease, causing it to slowly move to the side. A lot of dust fell on it, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

"No one must have been here for a long time since I left."

Everyone else looked at the Paparars with strange eyes - it felt like they were not here to sneak into the castle, but rather to return home after a long time.

Lian Lian couldn't help but look at Fang He again. Although it doesn't mean that an upright person must be surrounded by upright people, she actually... can understand Nightingale's profession.

However, considering the education that the princess had received, it was a little difficult for her to accept the idea of ​​treating someone else's residence as her own home.

"Well, actually Parker hasn't done anything like this since he joined us."

Fang He coughed lightly and explained somewhat awkwardly.

He found this kind of thing a bit hard to accept. Although they had done some sneaky things before, at least their opponents could be said to be not good people.

Lian nodded without questioning anything.

The Paparar people did not hear the following conversation, and only reminded, "Be careful, there are guards in the castle, and I don't know if their patrol plan has changed in such a long time."

He walked in one direction, but Sylvie, who had been silent, stopped him and said, "Wait, Parker, which direction is that?"

"What, kitchen?"

Under the stern gaze of the ship officer, the Paparar slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, sorry - I'm used to it."

"Where should we go?" At this time, the Elf Princess also realized this problem and asked Fang He beside her.

Fang He closed his eyes silently, and he quickly confirmed that the heart of the Holy White Tree was in this castle, but it was still difficult for him to determine its exact location.

It was approximately above their heads, in a room to the southwest.

When he pointed this out, everyone perked up, but their faces quickly turned serious again, which meant that the Mountain Lord was really related to the mastermind behind the incident.

At least one of them, maybe even both.

As for the location pointed out by Fang He, they could only wait for a certain "King of Nightingales" to answer, and everyone once again turned their eyes to Parker.

The latter thought for a moment before answering, "That place seems to be the castle's study, but it's very close to the guest rooms."

"Will Ina Xiaoyu use that study?" Fang He asked.

"No, she doesn't usually go there," the Paparar shook his head, "The owner of the castle has his own rooms and study."

"That at least means it is very likely not related to her." Fang He breathed a sigh of relief. Now the suspicion fell more on Walter Stonehill, but it was not certain, because the servants in the castle might also use that room.

But he was a little curious, "How do you know this?"

"Damn it, why do you have so many questions? If you're not satisfied, just ask someone else," Parker said angrily, as if his secrets had been exposed.

He urged again: "Hurry up, I don't want to be caught."

Fang He naturally didn't want to do that either. He placed his hand on his information crystal and projected out several walkers.

The clockwork fairy's wings vibrate when flying, which makes a sound, and it is too easy to be discovered in a closed space, so he bought these walkers.

He used the ash branches to upgrade these low-level constructs, and finally got a design called the "Hidden One". Because it was almost the lowest-level construct besides the clockwork fairy, he only spent an afternoon to complete the modification.

These stealth creatures have simple optical camouflage capabilities and the ability to move silently. Of course, they are also invulnerable to magical detection, but it is enough to use them in such scenarios.

Apart from the protective maze, no one would cast magic on their entire castle. As long as they did not enter some core areas, they were 100% safe.

Fang He originally just wanted to use them to determine the enemy's guard and patrol routes.

He found that by using ash branches as materials to transform constructs, it was easy to obtain stealth-related abilities, and both 'Snake Eyes' and 'Stealer' proved this.

There is only a slight exception in the Ancient King's Guards, but the Ancient King's Guards are the secondary upgrade of the King's Topaz, so they are somewhat different.

He released these stealers and soon found the few guards. The people of Paparar lived a comfortable life and the defense of the castle was not strict.

Moreover, with the guidance of Parker, the 'insider', they easily avoided those areas, came to the upper floor of the castle, and entered a hall.

According to the Papara people, this hall is located in a remote place, and servants usually do not come here. The stairs through it lead to the corridor on the third floor.

From that place, they could easily reach the guest room area.

They had just entered the hall when the crystal chandeliers around them suddenly shone brightly. The sudden strong light in the darkness made everyone squint their eyes.

Fang He heard two clapping sounds, and the next moment rows of guards appeared on the corridor on the second floor, aiming at them with crossbows.

More guards armed with halberds rushed in from the door on the first floor and surrounded them with halberds raised.

Just behind the guards, on the staircase in front of the hall, a little girl with long, soft light golden hair tied into a ponytail on one side was looking at them with her hands on her hips.

She wore a crown on her head, a simple embroidered top, a sash symbolizing power, and a small cape. She looked playful, as the Papara people do, yet elegant.

The girl's eyes were bright and clear, like mountain spring water, with a hint of light green. However, her small eyebrows were raised high, and she was staring at Fang He and his group angrily.

Staring at Parker who was among Fang He's group.

Sylvie looked up and saw at a glance the emerald green gem the other person was wearing on his chest, a hill gem that symbolized towering mountains and green shades. The gem was pressed on a ribbon, and below it was an emblem with an ancient oak tree emblem.

She immediately recognized it as the crest of the Oakshade family, but in fact, she didn't need to say anything, as others had more or less guessed the girl's identity.

  Not only because the displacement beast was standing behind the little girl with its tail erect, but also because it was looking at Parker and spoke angrily:

"You damned thief, give me back what I stole!"

Including Fang He - everyone's eyes were focused on Parker.

Fang He almost slapped himself on the forehead.

He knew it.

He knew it, he had a premonition just now, how could the owner of the castle not be on guard against a habitual thief who had already been caught by them once?

But before he could open his mouth, Aina Xiaoyu didn't seem to notice Princess Lian Kuiya Alsana in the crowd for a moment.

Because the Paparar seemed even angrier, in fact, when Aina Laughter appeared he took a step back in fear.

  But when he saw the displacement beast behind him, Parker's face flushed red, and he almost jumped up, saying angrily:

"Damn you, you greedy fat cat, you betrayed me again!?"

  again?

Fang He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have never asked how this guy was discovered last time?

How he was caught, expelled from Oak Hill, and finally had to embark on the journey with the big cat people.

However, Fang He still coughed lightly. After all, Parker was still a member of the Seven Seas Brigade, and he never showed his night thief side again after that.

He felt that the other party could still be saved, and in fact he had imagined many times how to negotiate with this mountain lord.

Including how to compensate the other party for their losses and return the dagger.

He just had some suspicion that the Holy White Tree Heart might be in the body of this mountain lord, and he did not dare to confirm whether the other party was the mastermind behind the scenes.

But just now, the moment this little girl appeared, Fang He secretly sensed it.

The 'beacon' was not on anyone in the hall, nor was it even in the hall itself; it remained in that position without moving.

If that's the case, he might as well come straight to the point and make it clear to the other party that he has no ill intentions.

Although the way they appeared here...is not so upright.

But for the first time, Fang He felt somewhat fortunate that Her Royal Highness the Princess was among them.

"Ms. Ina Laughter, the truth is not what you see."

Fang He coughed and spoke.

He felt that he should take on the responsibility of a group leader, although the current situation made him feel a little embarrassed.

But he still took the initiative to speak: "We are here for some other reasons, and Princess Lian Kuiya Alsana will explain this to you, but we have no ill intentions-"

Fang He paused for a moment and continued:

"I know my companion may have some 'misunderstandings' with you, but we would rather compensate him for his losses and express our apologies..."

Ina Xiaoyu looked at him with some surprise, then looked at Parker beside her.

Fang He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the other party seemed to have calmed down. It seemed that this mountain lord was still reasonable.

Although she looked like just a little girl, she was also a Papara, and that was the way it should be.

"It's just about that Mithril Dagger..."

Speaking of this matter, even someone as shameless as Fang He couldn't help but blush. After all, it was he who broke the dagger - and the means he used at that time were not so fair.

He said, "Lady Aina Laughter, the dagger may be beyond repair."

"No, it's not that it can't be restored. I can restore it to its original state, but there are no two identical leaves in this world..."

"I mean, what it originally represented, its commemorative significance may never be recovered..."

"No, that's not what I meant..."

"Oh my god, what on earth am I talking about!?"

Fang He couldn't help but scream in his heart. He organized his words countless times, but when the time came, he couldn't use a single word.

He spoke confidently in front of the Naga God and the imperial people, but when he was in the wrong, he found that some things were not so easy to say.

He almost wanted to bang his head against the ground to avoid making a bigger fool of himself.

Lian Kuiya Alsana and Merrill on the side also looked at him curiously. They had never seen the captain like this before.

The ship officer couldn't help but shake her head slightly. Her captain was still the same captain, without changing at all.

She was raising her head, about to speak on behalf of the other party.

But at that moment——

The little girl looked at Fang He with sparkling eyes, then looked at Parker. Suddenly, her eyes turned red and she asked, "So you broke the dagger I gave you?"

what! ?

Fang He was almost petrified on the spot, as if he was struck by lightning.

Everyone else looked at the Papara people in astonishment, including the princess and Merrill.

  So, that dagger was really given to him by the Lord of the Mountain?

So what priceless thing did the other party steal from the mountain lord that made this little girl so angry?

Fang He had already sensed something was wrong, but what surprised him even more was yet to come.

"You, you listen to my explanation first," the Paparar man waved his hands quickly as if he had seen some ferocious beast. Fang He had never seen the other person like this before.

"Wait, stop crying!"

Parker couldn't help but scream.

But bean-sized tears were already rolling down the little girl's eyes one after another. She bit her lips tightly, trying hard to act like a mountain lord and not let herself cry out.

The girl's chest rose and fell, and the grievance and pain in her heart surged into her heart like a tide. She clenched her hands tightly and shouted:

"You heart-stealing thief, give my heart back to me!"

  what?

Fang He was suddenly dumbfounded.

……