Pillars of Ita

A sudden drop in temperature covered the forest floor with white frost, like another kind of cell, with a thick layer of hairy frost needles. The night in the gray area seemed particularly cold, and even the climate became abnormal. There were still a few hours before dawn, and the night was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you. The darkness seemed to swallow up the light of the stars and the moon, leaving only the light of a dancing campfire.

The crystal forest became extremely quiet, as if the elves' attack had ended. There were no birds singing in the woods, and no insects could be heard. There was only a dead silence, complete silence. Miss Nightingale wandered outside the hall, frowning, looking towards the cave entrance from time to time - her footsteps occasionally crushed dead branches, making a tiny sound, as if that was the only sound in the silent night.

Fang He woke up two hours before dawn. Hilde was watching him, gently placing her hand on his forehead, and watching his light and shallow breathing.

The wolf-like girl finally gave the job to her. She raised her head and looked at her sitting quietly in the darkness, staring at everyone around the campfire with sharp eyes, especially the elf princess who was worried.

Noticing Sylvie's gaze, the girl looked in that direction, and her silver eyes seemed to become somewhat tolerant, with a hint of curiosity.

Mia stared at the snow-white neck, as if she was considering how to bite it, but actually she was just looking at the crystal pendant. Sylvie became a little nervous, but still forced a smile at her.

"This is a gift from Ed. Does Miss Mia like it?"

"Ah."

"…Then I'll give it to you?"

"Ah."

The daughter of a noble family held the pendant with her hand, feeling a little reluctant to part with it. It was a gift from Fang Yu. But after spending some time with her, she already knew the nature of this sea witch, who was straightforward and didn't like to beat around the bush.

Miya was her savior, and the three of them were connected to each other in the sea of ​​light. She knew very well that the other party had a simple and straightforward character and had no ill will towards her.

Melfina sat aside, listening to this strange conversation with some curiosity, and looked at the uneasy young lady naturalist beside her. She didn't quite understand the relationship between these young people.

This was the scene Fang He saw when he woke up. The campfire cast long shadows on people, swaying in the flickering flames.

He felt himself resting on Sylvie's legs, his nose filled with the familiar scent of cypress and lily. He coughed softly and said weakly, "Ms. Mia, if you like, I'll give you another one."

"it is good."

Mia looked at him, and didn't seem too surprised that he woke up.

There was some surprise in the officer's eyes, but it was fleeting, light and calm, just like the lake in her eyes, always flowing with the luster of wisdom.

She seemed to want to say something, but Fang He reached out and held her hand, wrapping the crystal pendant around her hand, wrapping her hand with warmth, and gently replied, "I'm fine."

Sylvie smiled faintly, like the golden light rippling in the lake, the lake bottom is clear and visible, reaching the soul. She said softly: "You finally woke up, Jita cares about you very much, and Ms. Melfina is also waiting for you to wake up."

Fang He was stunned for a moment, then he looked at the naturalist lady beside him. He was not a wooden man, and he knew very well the other's secret feelings for him. That feeling was not passionate, but it was persistent, like a stream in the darkness, silent and long.

But it was precisely because of this that he could not refuse. He owed too many emotional debts, and Miss Mia alone made him feel at a loss. He hoped that Jita would one day come out of it and realize that it was just a longing, not true love, and she would go further and find better things.

But although Miss Naturalist appeared weak on the outside, she was extremely determined in her heart, just like how she held her own spellbook in her hand without saying a word, and eventually stood out from the countless competitors of the Oak Knights and truly became its owner.

Fang He still remembers the days when she carried the heavy wooden book with them on adventures. Luo Yu and the Papara people always said they could help lighten her burden, but Jita never refuted or agreed.

He seemed to see the girl's heart through his huge round-framed glasses, and thanked her softly: "Thank you, Jita."

A blush instantly appeared on the face of the naturalist lady. She hurriedly covered her magic book, and finally adjusted the frame of her glasses with her hand to pretend to be calm, "I... I'm fine..."

"Captain, I'm glad you're awake." Only these words sounded sincere. She placed her hands on the title page of the huge magic book and breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Hao was talking with three military summoners. He heard about what happened here and came over. Luo Yu and Daryl were with him.

Fang He looked at the other people who had gathered around him, and sat up with the help of Hilvid. He was still a little weak, but that weakness was mental.

He looked at everyone and asked, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Three hours," Luo Hao replied. He looked at Melfina beside him. "After Ms. Melfina broke the seal, the space in the secret passage changed to a certain extent."

"We were all trapped in a fog and attacked by a strange insect. It was the lady who found you first and brought you back."

"Not long after that, the strange insects retreated, and we began to investigate here. The current results are not optimistic."

He was indeed a seasoned forum warrior, and he narrated what had happened before in a clear and logical manner, inserting one or two of his own opinions.

Including after the fog cleared, they went deep into the ceremonial site and holy water well below, and finally found a door into the ash forest and the sprouting branches of disaster.

After listening to this, Fang He fell into silence. He looked at the eldest princess beside him - this was essentially the elves' plan, and they were only here to explore the gray area in the Scar of Yasa.

Their original plan was actually to go to the sacred forest, but they didn't expect to encounter such a thing on the way. He wanted to hear the elven princess's opinion and what the original plan of the elven expeditionary force was.

Melfina was not complacent and answered, "The current situation is somewhat unexpected. Our original plan is basically useless."

"But this offensive was not a complete failure. We successfully resisted the attacks of the Gus Bane Tree in two directions, and one of the three armies sent into the Gray Region achieved its goal."

"We have now pushed the battle line to the outskirts of the Gus Disaster Area, laying the foundation for the next attack. As for what we have gained along the way, it is purely an unexpected gain."

She looked at Fang He, "Of course, this is all thanks to you. If it weren't for Mr. Ed, I wouldn't have been able to do this smoothly. Although the situation is a little critical right now, at least it allows us to be prepared in advance."

"But we just need to bring this news back to the Elf Court. We will always have time to make other preparations and contingency plans. As long as we are prepared, it will never be the worst choice—"

"Ms. Melfina, are you talking about the second branch of disaster?"

Melfina didn't shy away from it and nodded.

At this time, Sylvie said, "So this is the real purpose of Your Highness the Princess, right? Compared to the advancement of the battle line, this intelligence is more critical right now. You are the only one who has first-hand information about it, so you will naturally be fully responsible for it. Dealing with the disaster branch is not a trivial matter, and your position in the Elf Court will naturally be more important. As long as you have the support of the Elf King, it will be difficult for others to object."

"But if this happens, Princess Alsana will be even less able to compete with you. There are only two heirs to the throne. If Your Highness performs brilliantly in the war against the Bran, there will be no dispute over its ownership. Your Highness's only weakness is actually her birth as Ivan Quinn, but that was given to you by your mother. You have no choice, but you can choose to shut up those who doubt you."

She looked at Melfina with a gaze as clear as a lake. "But Princess Alsana is also our ally. This would be a little unfair to her."

"Arsana is also my sister," Melfina sighed but did not refute. "You are right. I am determined to get this position. My father also supports me, but there are always some upper-class nobles in the Elf Court who value bloodline and oppose it."

"I don't want to make excuses, and there is no need to make excuses," she shook her head. "Even next time, I still hope to get your help. At least I don't want to become enemies with you. Alsana may not understand me very well, and she and I have never been on the same page, but I promise you that I will try my best to protect her."

Sylvie replied with a hint of feeling: "Your Highness, being too obsessed with a certain goal can sometimes lead people to take the opposite path."

She looked at Fang He, as if she remembered her own experience - hatred and obsession would gnaw at people's hearts until they became strangers to themselves.

If she hadn't met the Nanami Riders, she might have taken a completely different path. Hatred would have changed her until she wouldn't even recognize herself.

But fate gave her another choice, allowing her to find a place in this world again.

When she saw the princess, it was as if she saw herself. They had the same mind, were equally deep-minded, and were both willing to do anything to achieve a goal.

She was just trying to protect the one she loved, so she said softly, "We have no intention of interfering in your family affairs. We just hope that one day, Your Highness will remember our promise today."

"Of course I will remember," Melfina looked at her and replied, "But we have to bring the news back to the Elven Court first. You should have heard that the Council of Elders has blocked the Holy Woods. Even I can't easily enter that place at this time."

"But whether I have the final say or bring this news back to the royal court, we have reasons to pry open that tortoise shell, and then you will naturally have the opportunity to meet Her Majesty the Saint." Her logic was clear. The Seven Seas Brigade had come all this way so they would not be unable to wait for even this little time. Although Fang He was always a little worried when he thought of the scene he saw in the illusion.

But there was no point in worrying. Although in the illusion, Attila asked the Council of Elders to receive them, judging from their attitude, they would most likely just perfunctorily deal with the matter.

But this is also a way. After going to the Elf Court, we can get some information. What if the Council of Elders is in awe of Ms. Aimaya?

After he thought about these plans, he nodded to Melfina.

But the Elf Princess looked at him and said, "Mr. Ed, if it's convenient for you, I want to talk to you alone about something."

At this time, a ball of fire burst out from the bonfire, and it seemed that the flame burned one of the crystallized branches, making a "crackling" sound, and sparks bounced to Fang Plover's feet.

There were rustling footsteps outside the hall.

Miss Nightingale was rushing over. She got the news from May, who was on shift change. When she saw Fang He sitting up among the crowd, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief:

"Are you awake?" Alyssa shook her head gently. "When will the captain be able to put our worries at ease? Miss Sylvie and Jita are very worried about you."

"Elisa, please help me."

"Hmph," Miss Nightingale turned her head away, "Just stop causing trouble."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Her eyes finally fell on Melfina who was standing beside her, and then she saw Fang He who was being helped up, and asked, "You guys want to go out?"

Fang He nodded, "Ms. Melfina has something to say to me alone."

"Is this the captain's current state?" Miss Nightingale shook her head. "I will go with you."

Fang He looked at Melfina standing beside him.

The Elf Princess hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Please keep it a secret, Miss Alisa."

"Ah."

Alisa nodded slightly.

She walked to Sylvie and took Fang He's hand from her, "Ms. Sylvie, I'll take the leader away."

The noble daughter smiled at her and said, "Thank you for your help, Miss Alisa."

The Papara people looked at the three people leaving and couldn't help shaking their heads, "Is this guy so popular?"

Luo Hao didn't bother to pay attention to this guy. "Keep an eye on it," he pointed out. "Be careful that the bug comes back to attack again. We haven't found it yet. I still have some things to explain to those people in the military."

"Speak as if you weren't."

"Shut up," Luo Hao glared at the guy, "If you say less, no one will think you are dumb."

"You haven't become the deputy leader yet. I have been in the team much longer than you." The Paparar man said sarcastically again.

"That's not what you said to Miss Aina," Luo Hao said, "She left me a contact number. Why don't we ask her?"

"No," Parker surrendered immediately, "Wait, did she really leave you her contact information?"

"No, I just said it casually. Why are you in such a hurry?" Luo Hao said, "The crystal network hasn't been restored yet."

"Asshole, you—"

The Paparars immediately saw the rich experience of the forum veterans.

……

The strange changes in the holy water well did not keep the Seven Seas Brigade for long.

Fang Hezhi and Luo Yu simply checked the entrance to the gray forest there, but that door only existed in theory. Through calculations, it was found that there was an abnormal point at the convergence of the etheric pulse flow.

But generally speaking, only the Holy Forest has a way to enter the divine domain of Aimaya. Although they can find the abnormal point, they cannot get in.

They had no means to deal with the sprouting disaster branches, and they never found the escaped strange insect again. Fang He heard their description of the insect, which was not consistent with what he saw in the illusion.

In addition, they were actually in the middle of a military operation planned by the elves, and around dawn, Melfina told them that it was time to return to the team.

Although Fang He has not fully recovered, this is not a big deal for a combat craftsman, not to mention that he has Miss Tata to assist him.

A few Lancers would be enough to take everyone back.

The forest in the Gray Domain became unusually quiet after the sky gradually brightened. The elves' offensive seemed to be clearing the area. Not a single Gray Domain creature was seen during the return journey.

But Melfina knew that this was only an appearance. It was unlikely that a one-night offensive would completely eliminate the enemies in this area. Moreover, they still had not figured out how the creatures in the gray domain were generated.

They could sprout from the ground like spores, appearing in all kinds of undetectable corners, so that every time they attacked in the past they would always encounter an unexpected enemy on their backs.

But the abnormality now is disturbing. The silence of the disaster tree may be planning something in secret, just like what they saw at the holy water well.

There is a second disaster branch in this disaster area, so what about the third one?
The changes in the gray forest are also disturbing. What exactly is the Holy Forest hiding from the Elf Court? The Elf Princess can still remain calm on the surface, but she is actually full of doubts in her heart.

It took them two hours to return to the guarded valley, which was much faster than the time they came here. It was already noon, and the fortress built in the valley was almost completed.

Two magic turrets were installed and erected. Even if the gray creatures attacked again, it would be difficult to break through the defense line. However, the forest was quiet, and the battlefield outside the fortress was still in a mess after last night.

There were some elves there cleaning up the battlefield, and it seemed that everything was still peaceful here since they left.

The newly built fortress had no rivals and could only stand alone at the mouth of the valley.

At this time, almost a day and a night had passed since the elves launched the attack. Scattered elven troops had arrived at this place, and an unfamiliar force appeared in the valley.

After they returned to the fortress, they received news that a reinforcement force had arrived and the main force of the Sons of Light was also staying nearby.

"Why is the main force here?" Melfina was a little surprised. "Something happened. The battle line shouldn't be around here."

"The Silver Wind Watchers' reinforcements have arrived," the craftsman told him, "The commander has gone to join them."

"Silver Wind Watcher?" The elven princess was slightly startled. "Why are they here? It's just right." She turned around and looked at Fang He and the others. "I'll take you to see the commander and Master Ailin."

Fang He could only nod.

They have no other choice.

...(End of chapter)