Pillars of Ita

"Etienne, are those people doubting you?"

"No, not at all. That guy just came to me to ask about the location of the crystal tower. Humph, idiot." The Night Walker craftsman shook his head and looked back in the direction of Fang He and Cui Xisi.

He looked at his somewhat nervous companions and said, "Don't worry about them. The Son of Light is blindly arrogant, and so are those people. They have no idea what's going on."

"But the nightingale was watching us very closely..."

"Then remember to be more secretive. We must make sure that Selvana and Aimaya are not playing any tricks."

An inspiration suddenly flashed through the craftsman's mind. He felt that he had missed something unconsciously, but when he distracted himself to think about it carefully, he could not grasp the name no matter how hard he tried.

That fleeting name was like a rootless duckweed, floating on the sea of ​​consciousness for a moment, and then being swallowed up beneath the dark sea.

He came back to his senses and looked at his companion. That person seemed to realize something, but he also looked confused.

"Etienne..."

"Don't worry about it. It's that woman's trick. But that lady can only change the wording on the contract and can't affect our plan." He said word by word.

He looked around.

The other person looked at him nervously, but there was an open space nearby and there was no place to hide near the foundation that the craftsmen had built on the construction site.

The two looked around and felt relieved.

But just as they withdrew their gaze, the shadow not far away suddenly swayed and merged into the shadow of a craftsman passing by nearby. When the other party approached the edge of the forest, the shadow flashed and disappeared into the woods.

Then it stopped at a crystallized tree, rising from the ground little by little, gradually forming the shape of a cat, and hunched its body to look around, preparing to leave, but a dagger flew from the side and hit its torso.

The beast didn't even have time to let out a scream before its entire body disappeared like a shadow and finally fell to the ground as a withered wooden tumor.

Miss Nightingale's shiny long dagger was stuck in the wooden tumor.

Alyssa came over nonchalantly, bent down to pick up the thing stuck in the dagger, took a look at it, and then took out the communication crystal and lit it up, "Ed, there is indeed something wrong with those two people, but I found something interesting."

On the other side of the woods, the Night Walker's craftsman seemed to be aware of something. He raised his head, but there was nothing there. His eyes stayed there for a moment, and then he looked back into the silent forest.

He stared silently for a while, as if he could see through the earth there, and saw the intertwined etheric veins beneath the roots of the Holy White, which converged deep into the earth and intertwined into a cocoon.

But everything was fleeting, and all illusions disappeared. The forest was still a forest, like a sculpture growing on the glass ground, gray and silent. The twisted branches merged into the endless darkness.

"The operation on the Ninimeier front should have begun."

he thought.

……

Derek Elwood was standing in the crowd, only occasionally lifting his hat and looking up at the sky, where he saw a few faint tracks passing by.

A large number of high-ranking warriors gathered here, including nearly one-third of the Silver Wind Watchers at the Silver Rank, and seven Dragon Knights, many of whom were wind-adaptable. The Council was almost extravagant enough to use the Silver Rank to deliver messages, but if not, it would not be able to keep up with the changes on the front line that were changing three times a day.

The black spots hanging in the sky are three converging fleets. The main force comes from Silver Wind Harbor, and the other two also patrol here all year round.

Derek silently looked at the moving fortress, but it still looked small in contrast to the towering gray branches. The shadow cast by the giant tree was like the current situation of this land - hope was slim. He just stared at that direction silently for a moment, then sighed softly.

Derek shook his head. The Chosen Ones around him were still discussing the messengers who had delivered the messages, and every word they said entered his ears.

"Those are the people from the Twelve Iris. There are so many Silver Ranks. Could Halsey be among them?"

"You are stupid. The Dragon Rider of the Twelve-Colored Iris is in Nianlot."

"That's Cang Gang. It looks like they are about to launch a new round of attacks."

"The offensives have been getting more frequent recently, and I heard there's good news from the front."

People whispered, and the one who seemed to have the news shook his head, "I hope so."

Such scenes were not uncommon in Ninimere, although just a few months ago, this place was just a corner of the dense forest south of Linoril.

The 'Death Plague' spread throughout Giant Tree Hill in less than half a year. The Star Gate's call for troops took effect three months ago and has continued to this day. During this period, almost the entire Second Division has been mobilized.

Since the elves of the Radiant Court refused most of the aid, the Chosen were mostly gathered on the front lines of Ninimere and Nianlot.

However, it seems that some unknown changes are taking place here, but the changes may not be good. In the past, the parliament has always adhered to a cautious strategy.

The Gray Region has a strong regenerative capacity, especially the stubborn "death plague" in the Ninimere area. What made these people change their strategy? Those old guys will not be easily shaken.

The bearded man thought.

He actually didn't need to verify it. He had roughly guessed what happened since he left Silverwind Harbor, but was he pursuing pure justice? Derek asked himself and shook his head.

He took one last look in that direction, put his hat down, and walked forward.

Just as he entered an alley, he was blocked by seven or eight people. The tall man in the lead raised his chin and looked in this direction, saying to him, "You have crossed the line, my friend."

Derek didn't seem surprised by this scene. He even looked at everyone present and touched his chin. "Do you know who I work for?"

"Of course we know," the other party was also not surprised. "No. 48 Silver Wind Harbor, you serve the parliament, to be exact, the Disaster Investigation Department. Your minister is that Kalandir, but his reputation is useless here. Your Excellency, this is a military zone."

"You don't look like soldiers." Derek smiled and asked nonchalantly.

"This has nothing to do with you," the man said, a little angrily. "Someone asked me to tell you to stay away from other people's business, but I know that people like you are unlikely to listen to honest advice, so I plan to make things simpler."

"indeed."

"That's easy," the tall man grinned. "That gentleman was just suggesting something, but I actually have a simpler solution. After all, I don't ask you to be knowledgeable. Why don't you come with us? This is not an invitation, but you have to do it."

Derek looked up. Although the intertwined flames of war had turned the Ninimere front area into a hellish scene, this place was still far away from the front line.

In the rear, the Chosen Ones and indigenous mercenaries who gathered here have transformed this place into a small town with a strong sense of life, but the temporary settlement is inevitably messy.

The intricate alleys were like a spider web, and inward was an endless expanse of heavily guarded military camps. It was impossible to move forward any further.

What's more, there are seven or eight people blocking him here.

"It seems like you guys are well prepared," Derek said indifferently, "Aren't you worried that someone might notice something if I disappear?"

"Naturally someone will inform that gentleman," the man also smiled sinisterly, "You are a smart man and you know the players behind this game very well. Why bother asking? I might as well remind you that someone is always paying attention to the situation here. If you plan to play any tricks, there is no need to do so."

"A silver rank," Derek nodded. "You guys are really good at this. I know my own level very well, so I don't plan to put up any futile resistance. But I'm just a little curious, when did you notice me?"

"Since you left Silverwind Harbor, the case has been handed over to that famous minister. Do you really think we will ignore you, Mr. Derek?" The man shook his head. "In your line of work, being too famous may not be a good thing."

Derek smiled.

In other words, these people had anticipated this from the beginning and that the other party was well versed in parliamentary procedures, which in itself is enough to explain the problem.

He does not need to verify it, but sometimes seemingly irrelevant information can itself point to the correct logic.

Derek thought for a moment and raised his hand nonchalantly, "Well, at least I don't have the character of fighting to the bitter end. It's not my style to do something knowing it's impossible."

He looked at the other man, "But how long do you plan to hold me captive until the plan against Ninimeier is completed?"

The man's eyebrows jumped, and then he looked at Derek with a gloomy look, and his face was a little ugly. He warned word by word: "Too much talk will lead to mistakes. You are a little too smart, sir."

"I didn't say anything."

The man calmed down again, probably realizing that even if the other party guessed something, he would not be able to convey the information effectively.

But he didn't dare to say anything more. This 'hyena' was famous outside and had an amazing sense of smell. He was afraid that he would make mistakes if he said too much.

Although he had the means to put him under house arrest, he did not intend to cause any trouble. He waved his hand and said, "Take him away."

A crowd of people came around, and Derek let them hold him down, but his mind was as clear as a mirror. Sometimes not answering is also an answer, and the other person's expression can tell everything.

He smiled inconspicuously.

……

At No. 41, Fog Wind District, Miss Elf pushed the door open as usual, packed up her things gracefully, and then placed today's information on the table - there were investigation reports on various disasters, documents from the parliament, notices from other departments, and administrative orders, a thick stack.

The routine official documents of the past have now been gradually replaced by more and more disaster reports. People are clearing out the gray areas everywhere, but the gray areas are still becoming more and more.

As the 'death plague' spread further, from the edge of the forest to the civilized areas, engulfing farmland, villages and towns, and causing damage, twisted creatures rampaged in the wilderness, and the tone of official documents became more serious day by day.

However, after seeing so much, I became numb. The Giant Tree Hill lost almost one-third of its land in just half a year. It was difficult to realize the seriousness of the situation when I saw the reports of the fall of one place after another. But when I looked back, I found that a vacuum zone of thousands of kilometers had almost formed between the area where Ninimere sprouted and the Nightingale Forest. A large number of settlements fell, and refugees poured in like a tide, gathering in the north and west of Sanshak, causing a large number of public security problems. The administrative department was overwhelmed by this, and the disaster investigation department was relatively relaxed, but only relatively.

In addition, a small part of the remaining information comes from outside the Hill of the Giant Tree. For example, the observation point on Silver Chain Island reminds the parliament to be careful of the unusual movements of the Imperial Fleet.

The report from the foreign affairs department mentioned the progress of the war between the Oshu people and the Great Council. The war is still confusing, but the Council is not as united as it used to be. The Empire's assembled army is advancing into the rain forest in an orderly manner. In other words, the Oshu people may win the war.

But no one had the leisure to care about the situation of the empire far away. Even their old enemies, the Kaolins, were caught in a tangle of their own, with the war between the North and the South raging, not to mention the people of Giant Tree Hill who were even more remote.

Lilithel sorted the reports one by one, putting the important ones on top and the unimportant ones aside, and checked them again with her usual meticulousness, only returning to her seat after confirming that they were correct.

About half an hour later, a certain elven scholar finally arrived. Carandil hung his coat on the hanger by the door and even had time to make fun of today's weather:

"It's raining heavily. This should be the first rain since the Grey Plague. The 'Death Plague' has changed the ecology of the sacred tree and even affected the climate."

The elf lady glanced at him and replied indifferently, "Good morning, Mr. Carandil."

"Good morning, Lilithel," Kalandir came to his desk and glanced across it, naturally passing over the disaster reports - it was not that he was indifferent to it, but that he had no way to deal with it.

The disaster reported had already happened and was reduced to numbers in black and white. He personally had no "force" and could not change the reality of the spread of the gray area.

Rather than making yourself feel worse, you might as well skip it. Statistics are not the responsibility of the Investigation Department anyway. They are only responsible for paying attention to abnormal expansion and newly generated gray areas.

"Where's Derek's letter?"

"It's on the top of the third document on your right hand side," Miss Lilithel replied.

Carandil picked up the letter, without even checking whether the wax seal was intact, opened it, looked at it for a moment, and then put the letter back on the table.

"The Information Department has reviewed this letter." Miss Elf glanced at him and reminded him.

"I know that," the elf shook his head. "Derrick was in trouble. He already had the answer when he left Oak Hill."

Miss Elf looked at him with a little curiosity.

Kalandir looked at his assistant and said, "Don't be surprised. There is nothing written on this letter. It is just a letter he sent before arriving in Devonshire to report that he is safe. Otherwise, it would not have been sent here."

"..."

"The real message is hidden behind this letter," Kalandir replied, "Guess who can make several Unicorn Saints disappear in Silver Wind Harbor without making a sound? It is even related to the Holy White Tree Heart. The current situation is different from the past."

"Are you saying that those people have an insider in Silverwind Harbor, Mr. Minister?" Lilithel frowned. She looked around, stood up, walked to the window, pulled down the shutter, and then turned back and asked seriously, "But you can't say that casually. There are not many people who are capable of signing the pass, including us - the Disaster Investigation Department."

Kalandir shook his head: "Don't worry, those people are well aware of this. Since they dared to let Mr. Derek disappear, they naturally won't worry about this matter being spread."

He shook the letter lightly, "This itself is a warning."

"warn?"

"Warning us not to interfere," Kalandir replied. "They are not worried about the Investigation Department, but about me."

Lilithel was still a little confused, but she knew her boss well, and if she asked, he would probably become even more proud.

So she chose to keep silent.

Seeing this, Kalandir had no choice but to answer: "They are worried that Derek and I will not follow the rules, but don't worry about them..." He smiled, "Why not take a look at what message Derek left for us."

Miss Elf looked at him, "Didn't you say that there was nothing in this letter?"

Kalandir smiled and picked up the letter again. "Some information does not necessarily need to be conveyed through text. This letter actually contains two pieces of information."

"The first one is the old friend's inference. He believes that the disappearance of the saint must be related to something happening on the Ninimer front."

Seeing the elf lady looking at him, Kalandir continued to answer: "Derrick and I agreed to contact each other once a cycle. Starting from Devinsh, the only place we can reach in the next cycle is the Ninimer front. This is why he chose to send the letter from here."

"And the second message is very simple," the elf read the plain words on the letter again, "It is confirmation. Confirmation does not require transmission. The absence of information itself is also a confirmation."

"Confirm what?"

"It is confirmed that he encountered trouble on the Ninimeier front, and the trouble is a kind of proof that his inference is very likely correct."

The elf scholar turned around and asked, "So, is there any recent news from there?"

"There are some." Lilithel pointed in the direction of his elbow. "The Council is currently planning a counterattack against the disaster branch. The offensive on the front line is much more fierce than last month."

"Do you think this is abnormal, Lilithel?" Carandil asked back.

"This..." Miss Elf hesitated and shook her head. She didn't know if this was abnormal or not. "But this doesn't mean anything."

"No, this explains a lot. No event exists in isolation, Lilithel. In this world, there are often universal connections between things. The key is that you need to learn to find this connection." Kalandir shook his head gently. "The dispute between the Parliament and the Radiant Court is an open fact. They are eager to achieve success and hope to open a key gap based on the mistakes of the Holy White Forest. You and I are all aware of the Silver Wind Watchers' criticism of the Saint's Society in the past few months."

"That's one thing, but the opponent's mistakes alone are not enough. Parliament itself must also do something. The victory over the 'death plague' is undoubtedly the best means of publicity. That's the second thing."

"So the Holy Maiden Society, the Ninemer Front, the insider in Silverwind Harbor, and the inaction of the parliament in the two cases, this chain itself can be established."

"It's just not solid enough," Kalandir replied, "So Derek needs to find reliable evidence, and his disappearance itself is a kind of evidence. The old man's strength is obvious to all. Who can make him disappear quietly on the Ninimer front?"

Miss Elf said nothing, as if she was thinking about the meaning behind it.

"So we can boldly assume," the elf scholar tapped the table lightly, "the old guys' plan is to use the characteristics of the Holy White Tree and the Unicorn Girl to launch a plan against Ninimare. They should have a certain chance of success. This is a good thing to kill two birds with one stone. If the battle against Ninimare is victorious, on the one hand, it can boost the prestige of the parliament, and on the other hand, it can also be used to strike a blow against the Saint's Council."

He analyzed the whole incident very accurately, and Lilithel looked up at him: "So what are you going to do, Mr. Minister? Just close the case?"

Kalandir looked at the other person a little exaggeratedly: "Dear Miss Assistant, you lack empathy. Don't you intend to seek justice for those poor girls?"

Lilithel was unmoved and asked calmly, "So our empathetic Minister intends to publicly question the Parliament?"

Kalandir shook his head. "It's not that simple, Lilithel. When you reach my position, you will understand that it is a dereliction of duty for people like us to talk about justice and ideals."

Seeing his assistant roll her eyes, Kalandir didn't care and asked, "Do you remember those people?"

"those people?"

Kalandir tapped the table with his hand.

Some people have forgotten some things, but for the Disaster Investigation Department, the results of the Elite Disaster Branch's investigation are very clear.

Someone brought a seed into Silver Wind Harbor. It was the missing Holy White Tree Heart. At an earlier time, the same person used the same method to allow the Gray Domain to break through the barrier of Silver Wind Harbor.

Earlier, Ninimer was actually planted artificially using the same method.

The common evidence behind both of these points to the same group of people. There is no doubt that someone is deliberately spreading the Gray Domain. So will these people help them defeat the Gray Domain?
the answer is negative.

"But the parliament ignored this," the elf replied. "You should know that the Disaster Investigation Department has submitted relevant investigation reports more than once, but they have all fallen on deaf ears."

"Because some people saw this 'best opportunity', defeating Ninimer could bring rich political rewards, the benefits were so dazzling that the threats lurking in the shadows were ignored."

"Do you think this could be a conspiracy?"

"No, we have no evidence," Carandil still shook his head, "Besides, the public has already formed a blind voice. The lives of those poor girls can no longer arouse anything. We must make preparations for both situations."

"The name Elwin has stood in Silverwind Harbor for three hundred years, and the family motto tells its descendants that risking everything will inevitably lead to a tragic ending," Kalandir said, "I have a bad feeling, but since it is difficult to change, we must reserve a way out for it in advance to prevent the worst result from happening."

Lilithel didn't seem surprised at all: "So what do you need me to do?"

"Go and help me meet someone," Kalandir replied, "We need to rely on external forces. I hope that the Saint Lady will not be as ruthless to her own people as we are."

The elf lady became alert and looked at him: "You want me to leave Silverwind Harbor."

Kalandir shook his head. "The parliament has already formed a unified voice. They didn't inform us, which means that a mere disaster investigation department is nothing. The name Erwin behind me may have some weight, but one move will affect the whole body. Once I stand up in this name, there will be no room for maneuver."

"I'm not worried about the room, but I'm worried that the worst outcome will still happen, so your step is crucial to me. We must get help from outside."

"This is not just for the Disaster Investigation Department, or my family, or even just for the lives lost. Behind this, there may be a whole Giant Tree Hill."

Kalandir looked at his assistant: "So do you understand?"

Miss Lilithel Seraphale was silent for a moment, then nodded, "I understand who I should go see. It's impossible for me to see Her Majesty the Saint at this time of year."

"Alin Ironheart," Carandil replied, "Go find him, and he will take you to see the Saint."

...(End of chapter)