Pillars of Ita

Like a ray of light among thousands of lights, it fell from the dark hole, passed through many vines and glittering dust, and landed on a quiet and peaceful statue of a girl.

She was the most famous saint in the history of Autumn Woods, the maid of the goddess, the speaker of God, the guardian of the woods, and also the first mistress of the White Woods and the Holy White Tree.

Lian Arsana stood under the statue, with intertwined light and shadow draped over her like a veil. She walked barefoot among the vines and branches, like a fairy in the woods, silently.

"Mr. Ed," Princess Alsana was not as depressed as Fang He had imagined, but rather more determined. However, she was still a little surprised when she heard that Fang He and his group were coming to visit, and then she was pleasantly surprised, "I didn't expect you to come."

She was not placed under house arrest after returning to the Elven Court.

Her Royal Highness the Princess actually knew her father's thoughts very well, so she chose to go directly to the Holy White Woods.

But before she arrived there, she was blocked on the road by people sent by Melfina and then asked to go back.

This matter was planned by Melfina, but they arrived at the Elf Court with Her Royal Highness the Princess, and Melfina also asked them to come and see Alsana.

It's hard to say whether this is a bad taste or not.

Faela and Ellowin were not with Alsana at the moment, leaving the little princess feeling somewhat isolated and helpless.

But she seemed optimistic, "I thought Mr. Ed wouldn't come to see me."

Fang He was a little embarrassed, but he didn't hide anything and told her directly about his group and Melfina, even including the part about Gus Grey Region.

He had asked the eldest princess for her opinion beforehand, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I know you came back with my sister," Arsana smiled. "Although I am very happy that Mr. Ed is willing to discuss this frankly, it is actually okay for you and my sister to join forces. I know Mr. Ed has his own principles, and my sister can really do what she promised you."

Fang He looked at the princess with some surprise. He was worried that she would be devastated by this.

But Alsana shook her head. "But after arriving at the Sacred Forest, things may not be as simple as you think. The relationship between the Elven Court and the Sacred Forest is delicate, and the Elders will have their own ideas. If it's just to take you to the Sacred Forest, my sister can do it easily."

"But she didn't do so because she knew that the elders would not easily let you see the teacher. The king's order of the Elf Court has no effect on the Temple, especially when it comes to the oracle of the goddess."

Fang He didn't expect that Alsana would worry about them in return, so he couldn't help but ask, "So what should we do?"

"Waiting for a formal opportunity. A catastrophe has occurred in the Gus Grey Region, and the Death Plague is still spreading across the continent. It is reasonable for the Holy Forest to explain all this to the outside world."

Arsana replied softly, "And the most suitable one to ask questions to the Sacred Forest on behalf of the Giant Tree Hill is the Radiant King's Court. At that time, the Council of Elders will have no choice but to ask the Saint Lady to come out and explain everything."

"So the Elven Court will send an envoy to the Holy Forest," Fang He guessed it almost right, "Does Melfina want to seize this opportunity?"

"Yes, but for father, the later the better," Arsana said, obviously knowing something about this struggle. "It's best to wait until the final showdown with the Sacred Forest."

"But that may not be the case for my sister. Whether it is out of the need to keep Mr. Ed's promise or her own purpose, she hopes to persuade father to express his position to the Holy Forest earlier."

Fang He didn't think that the princess would give up her own goals for others. "So why?"

"Because of time, my sister's competitors are not only in the Elven Court. She must race with the Silver Wind Watchers and win the victory over the Disaster Realm before the Silver Wind Harbor Council."

"Only in this way can she rightfully win the crown."

"For me, resolving the Gray Disaster crisis and restoring the natural balance of Giant Tree Hill is my goal and my wish. But for my sister, it is just a means, and this is also the biggest disagreement between me and my father."

"And my sister went a step further. She believed that the elves should strive to return to the era of the Two Sacred Trees and pursue the glory that belonged to the past. She worshipped the one who brought back the light, the first Elf King Kwenral."

"But the era of the Descendants of Light has passed. Whether it is the changes in the Sea of ​​Light or the will from the Goddess of Nature, now is an era more suitable for mortals. We should strive to integrate into this world and find a new round of balance."

"The consequences of a broken balance are before us. I heard that the Empire is taking another path, but I think the people of the Holy Tree should not repeat the same mistakes."

Fang He didn't expect that Her Royal Highness the Princess had such lofty ideals. That was because the Yaoguang Royal Court was not Oshu, otherwise the Giant Tree Hill would be another empire.

"Your sister has another plan," he said.

"I know," Arsana nodded. "In order to prevent me from getting in her way, she will do her utmost to help me inherit the throne of the Saint. This is also my wish, but I do not agree with the methods she and my father are using, especially since it will hurt our teacher."

"But Princess Alsana," Sylvie said, "ideals and reality are often in conflict. If you don't learn to compromise, you'll end up with a broken head."

"But the teacher never compromises," Alsana looked at the two of them and said seriously, "She is a saint from the Greenhill family, but she never neglects those who come from outside the Autumn Forest, even if they are from different ethnic groups and have different cultures."

"But she treated everyone equally, with the same consistent and equal attitude. She was known for her gentleness and approachability, so much so that outsiders often forgot that she had the title of this generation's genius saint."

The elf girl looked back at him and Sylvie beside him, "The teacher is my role model, Mr. Ed, you have also come into contact with her, do you think my idea is right?"

Fang He was unable to answer, and had no intention of commenting on the private affairs between the two princesses.

However, Miss Attila is indeed that kind of person. Her temperament easily makes people overlook her other identity, so much so that no one in the Seven Seas Brigade realized that Miss Elf had such an identity.

That was exactly what she expected -

But Fang He knew more clearly the essential difference between Miss Atila and the princess. Miss Elf was actually a person who lived in peace with the world. She had her own opinions, but she would not force others to stick to them.

But this princess is different.

"I understand," Lian Alsana smiled helplessly when she saw his expression, "Mr. Ed is indeed the same person as the teacher. No wonder she values ​​you so much. But I am the daughter of the Elf King after all, and I have a responsibility to this land."

Fang He looked at Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Her origins were an honor, but they also constrained her.

The other half of the princess' plan was actually to eliminate the threat to herself, because that plan sounded gentle, but in fact it was just as risky.

The Council of Elders was not unaware of the Elven Court's plans, but since Attila had nominated the princess herself and the Holy White Tree had also given the order, they had no choice but to bow their heads.

But the risks still exist. The struggle in the Elf Court is not much gentler than that of mortals. The elves have only seen more of the methods that the mortal world has over a long period of time.

In other words, Melfina watched her walk into the fire pit, or rather, she reached out and pushed her sister from behind.

But Arsana didn't seem to care. "Mr. Ed, you don't have to pity me. This is the path I chose. I don't care much about my sister's ambition, because that is also my goal, to follow the teacher's footsteps and succeed the path of the saint—"

"Your Highness, do you want us to take you into the sacred forest?"

"Mr. Ed has seen through it," Lian Alsana winked playfully and smiled a little embarrassedly, "I am indeed not good at using these methods, but I have a request that can also help Master Attila better."

"You want to enter the kingdom of God in Emaya?"

The Elf Princess looked at him with some surprise.

But the answer is actually not surprising. One of the two saints must enter the gray forest. If she can enter the holy forest instead of the elf lady, then everything seems to be perfect.

The elf princess will have one less opponent and will be able to enter the sacred forest earlier. If Alsana can make everything go smoothly with her sacrifice, then her sister Melfina will be the biggest winner.

As for them, Miss Atila was able to successfully clear her suspicion and thus was able to step down from the position of Saint. No matter who the next Saint is, it will have little to do with her, the former Saint.

As long as she could do her best, the accusations against the Holy Maiden Society would disappear, at least proving that those accusations were not the source of everything and were just groundless.

"Mr. Ed, there is another benefit to letting me take you to the Sacred Woods."

Arsana continued to talk. Her voice was soft but clear, as if she was well-educated and not ambiguous. "I am also a Unicorn Saint recognized by Lady Aimaya. Although I am a candidate, the Council of Elders will consider the influence of my status to some extent." "You can accompany me by then. By then, the Council of Elders will not be able to stop you from meeting the Saint."

She said, looking at him and Sylvie.

Fang He was somewhat tempted. This was indeed the most likely solution. After all, Melfina's solution was still facing various risks. Her goals were not consistent with those of the Elf King. Would the King agree?

What’s more, the envoys from Silverwind Harbor have already arrived at the Elf Court. How much time do they have left?
But Fang He suddenly realized, was this really what she thought?

He couldn't help but look into the eyes of the elf princess, the answer was clearly written in that look.

It turns out that this is why Melfina asked them to come see her.

The two of them might have had a long conversation before.

No wonder the princess's speech today seemed a little abnormal; she was usually firm and sincere, and rarely expressed her intentions in such a complicated way.

"Ms. Alsana, do you remember what I said to you?" Fang He said.

Alsana raised her head, her silver eyes like a pair of gemstones, flashing with surprise, "What's wrong, Mr. Ed?"

"Do you know what has happened in the gray forest?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"I know a little bit," she nodded. "The Elders Council actually knows some inside information. I can roughly guess something from it. The Holy White Tree cannot become diseased for no reason. The manifestation of the real world is often a reflection from another world. The sea of ​​light has changed."

"The Holy White Tree is not only the holy tree of the elves, but also the tree favored by the goddess. That is why people believe that shadows are spreading in the forest. Before the severe winter comes, everything that will be revived in the future has already met its end of death. Even apoptosis itself has perished, and the balance of nature has long been broken."

"To put it simply, one of the twins of the goddess represents the decay and withering part of life and death. The balance of the cycle between life and death has been broken. The spreading gray area is not essentially death, but life like a tumor. However, the rampant plague will eventually destroy everything, whether it is people or trees—"

"But what do you think?" Fang He asked.

"I don't know," the princess shook her head. "But the Holy Forest asked for help from Lady Aimaya, and Lady Saint went to the Gray Forest to seek the truth. The druids investigated the Gray Disaster and the Scar of Yasha for such a long time, and they did not find nothing. From their conversation, I know that the change must have come from the Gray Forest."

"That's exactly why I must go to the Ashwood."

"Is this also the reason why the Holy Forest sent the Saint Maiden there?" Fang He asked.

Arsana nodded.

Fang He looked at the delicate princess. She was not as scheming and skillful as her elder sister, and even her strength was far behind.

Without the two guards of Ellowin and Faela, she was no different from those ordinary unicorn girls, except that she had the identity of a princess.

But she was obviously not as naive as Melfina said. Based on her identity and insights, she guessed most of what they found in the Gus Disaster Area.

But guessing is one thing, and doing it is another.

"Your Highness," he rarely used this title for the elf lady, "Do you remember what I told you?"

Arsana looked at him in surprise.

"Which sentence did Mr. Ed say?"

Fang He shook his head. "I said, the Silver Wind Watchers may not necessarily win. Although they have a plan, that plan may not necessarily lead to the right result."

"People believe that the Lady of Withering has died. The winter that has spread across the forest is the result of all this. The balance of nature has been disrupted, and the death of the living has become a nightmare for the Hill of Giant Trees."

"But is that really the case?"

"If there is another reason for the changes in the Gray Forest, Ms. Alsana, your entry into it will not help. If nothing changes, have you ever considered the possibility of this happening?"

The elf girl was stunned for a moment.

The color gradually faded from her face and she unconsciously clenched her hands. Although it sounded unbelievable, it seemed that Fang He had indeed experienced something similar with her a long time ago.

She bit her lip, not knowing what to do for a moment. Since being imprisoned in the Elf Court, this conversation with Melfina was almost her only support during this period of time.

She discovered that she was not that strong and her identity as a princess was just an illusion. She could not protect the people around her, nor the girls who were implicated because of her.

All her reliance and calculations are sometimes no match for the denial of reality.

If it was someone else, she might still doubt the other party's intentions. Fang He's words instinctively made her trust him, and he had no reason or motivation to oppose this proposal.

What's more, she thought she knew very well what kind of person the other person was.

But Alsana is not the kind of princess who lives in an ivory tower. She founded the Holy Maiden Society and led the unicorn girls to travel across every inch of this diseased continent.

She was in a trance for only a short while before she calmed down. "Then does Mr. Ed have any better ideas?"

"I didn't," Fang He shook his head. "After all, what I proposed was just a hypothesis, but I believe in Miss Attila."

Although the elf lady is gentle, she has her own ideas. She would never advocate any unnecessary sacrifice. She must have her own reasons for choosing to go to the gray forest.

Perhaps she knew there was something else going on, and all their subsequent actions were actually based on the premise of seeing each other, which was exactly why they went here.

"So Mr. Ed, you still want me to take you to the sacred forest."

"Yes," Fang He said bluntly. He wanted to say something else, but at this moment, a person flashed into the lush courtyard.

As soon as he saw the three people, he immediately said, "Mr. Ed, Your Highness, you are here. Please don't ask any more questions and follow me immediately."

Lian Alsana was slightly startled when she saw the other person, "Wait, you are someone close to my sister... Mr. Du Lin?"

She was surprised to see that the other party was dressed in military uniform, holding a staff in one hand and a dagger in the other. "What happened?"

"I don't have time to explain it in detail," the chief warlock replied succinctly, "Two dragon knights are heading in this direction, and one of them is from the Empire."

Fang He immediately understood what had happened.

It turned out that the Silver Wind Watcher did not come for the Holy Maiden Society, but for Miya.

He immediately understood the other party's plan, and his scalp couldn't help but tingle. The Elf King might hesitate for the sake of the Holy Maiden Society, but he would never hesitate for an outsider like him.

He looked at the familiar-looking elf warlock in front of him, and was somewhat surprised that the eldest princess actually chose to stand on his side at this time.

Princess Alsana was obviously not completely ignorant of the affairs of the outside world, not to mention that she had been adventuring with Fang He and others for a period of time. She quickly analyzed the current situation through the conversation between the two.

She stretched out her hand to stop Fang He and the Elf Warlock, "Wait, it's too late to go somewhere else."

The Elf Princess said, "Let's go to the Hall of Light. Do you still have my sword, Mr. Eddard? With the Holy Sword Tirian, we can hide in the Valley of the First Kings. They shouldn't be able to get in for a while."

Du Lin also looked over.

His eyes happened to fall on the sword at Fang He's waist, and he couldn't help but look at the elf princess with some surprise.

...(End of chapter)