Pillars of Ita

The Elf King was tall, with a silver robe that dragged all the way to the ground. He walked forward slowly. The road leading to the Spring Dawn Tower was paved with snow-white marble, passing through a garden with birds singing and flowers blooming. Green vines hung down from the white arches, with dewdrops hanging from the buds, reflecting the holy white spires in the distance.

The sound of the bells echoed here, and in the distance, rows of sycamore trees formed a green wall, which seemed to extend infinitely forward to the high tower at the end of the valley. The spire was also holy white, shining with dazzling light. It was different from the ones Fang He had seen in the forests of Nievad and Abednan. It seemed to have been built in that era, when the two holy trees of the elves still stood, and the holy tower was still surrounded by faint songs.

Kuvenlar looked at the spire and asked, "Young man, what do you think of this epidemic?"

Fang He was slightly stunned. He thought for a moment and shook his head frankly, "I don't know, Lord Kwivenlar. The only clue we have now is that the epidemic came from the changes in Gray Tree Ridge, but I know nothing about what happened in Lady Aimaya's kingdom."

"So you plan to go there, just for that saint?"

"Yes, just for Miss Attila." Fang He nodded.

Kwenral said nothing.

Fang He looked at the Elf King and said, "Mr. Quvenlar, what do you think of this epidemic?"

Kwivenlar paused for a moment and did not answer directly, but instead told another story.

The Most Holy One had a plan in place at a time when no mortal man had yet done anything on earth.

Every era is doomed to destruction, and only fire can last forever. Civilizations join hands to resist disasters, but the elves make a mistake.

After hearing this, Fang He looked at the other person in confusion, thinking, why don't you tell me riddles?

But Kwenlar turned around and looked at him, his eyes calm, his silver eyes were exactly the same as those of Alsana and the eldest princess. He asked, "Do you remember the story I told you?"

Fang Plover nodded.

There was once a black meteorite in the sky, and the snake people regarded it as their destiny star.

The Black Throne sent two envoys, and so the 'first generation' came into this world. Their agreement with the Star Gate was to save themselves, which was also salvation.

When the first generation leaves after accomplishing their mission, they will hand the world back to the people to whom it belongs.

But the story did not develop like this after that. The seven snake-men dynasties indulged in their past glory, which led to a great war. Finally, the dynasties collapsed and the gods disappeared into darkness.

That’s the story of the first generation.

"Then, the second generation—"

Kuiwenlar said slowly:

"They were called Numerin, the Chosen of Light. They led us out of the darkest times and joined forces to defeat the second scourge, Verdant."

"When they left, they handed this world back to mortals. That was the beginning of the Third Age."

“But there will always be people who are unwilling to accept this. We claim to be the descendants of light, the last descendants left in this world. Some people miss the glory of the past, so they stole a tree seed from the ruins of the Twin Sacred Trees.

And plant it on this land.

Kwenral suddenly stopped.

Because the elf lord had walked to the gate. The heavy magic pine wood door was more than ten times taller than two people, like a city wall. Only at the bottom of the tower could one look up at its scale. The white tower reached straight into the sky, like a thin line connecting the sky and the ground.

Kwivenlar stopped talking and just stared at the tower's exterior. Its surface was not rough, but rather looked like it had been carefully carved and polished. There were sculptures of various shapes and colors on each floor, like works of art. It stood there day and night, making it impossible to imagine who built this spire.

But what the Elf King saw on it was not only magnificence and beauty, but also time and years. It was as if endless time had repeatedly washed over the spire but left no trace.

That was their era.

"We are extremely eager to return to that glorious era and continue to lead the mortals of this land to the next glory. But that is ultimately just the fantasy of a few people—"

"The treachery of taking away polluted trees from the sacred groves caused suspicion, causing the people of the wilderness to no longer associate with the people of the forest, and even the sacred symbol of nature was lost."

"After that, the Elven Court was closed for thousands of years and became a self-contained entity. Even today, there are still people who want to return to the era of the Two Sacred Trees. But the stolen tree species still confirmed the prophecy of the past. It was polluted in the black tide, and everything now is just the retribution for our willfulness at that time-"

Fang He found it a little unbelievable. "So the root of all the problems is actually that seed?"

"This is just my personal guess," Kwivenlar turned around and looked at him, "After all, I was an eyewitness to all of this, and it was also my responsibility to bring the seed back."

"What are the changes in the gray forest?" Fang He couldn't help asking, "Mr. Kuvenlar, so you actually know what happened?"

Kwenral shook his head.

"No one knows what happened in the Lady's Oracle Forest. Lady Aimaya may be suppressing something, but the root of everything should be that seed."

Kwenral continued, "During the Dark War, nearly every teraka was tainted by the Verdant, and even the Two Trees were burned."

"The ones we brought out at the beginning were only the purest part, but they were still inevitably invaded by the dark power. We thought we could suppress it, but in the subsequent dragon war, part of the verdant remnants crashed on the Giant Tree Hill, causing an irreversible disaster -"

Fang He then understood what had happened to the Scar of Yasa and why it was so deeply connected to the Gus Grey Domain.

"Then..." He couldn't help asking, "If all this is true, does Mr. Quvenlar have a way to eradicate the pollution?"

Fang He believed that the elven monarch found him for a reason.

Since the other party gave me that token and let me go, it shouldn't be without purpose.

As expected, Kwivenlar said slowly: "If you want to completely eradicate the pollution, the simplest way is to use the power of the Eternal Mark. It is one of the four holy objects left by the People of Light and is a treasure that symbolizes nature."

"This was actually our original plan, but no one expected that when we arrived at the Giant Tree Hill, the Eternal Mark disappeared on its own."

Of course Fang He had heard of this legend.

The Eternal Mark was actually taken away by the Wild People. The Lotao people believed that the Sons of Light were treacherous, while the Sons of Light believed that the Wild People had stolen their sacred objects.

But later, the wild people of Lotao also fell into depravity and were no longer looked upon kindly by Aimaya. The mark was accidentally stolen by an elf nightingale.

That is the original origin of the title of Nightingale King of Giant Tree Hill. In fact, the throne of the Nightingale King among the Ten Kings is also related to this folk story.

That is why when Halsey was elected as the Nightingale King, she gained such high prestige in Giant Tree Hill.
But the question is, hasn’t Eternal Mark returned?
The Elf looked at him, as if he could see what he was thinking. "Little guy, what do you think the Eternal Mark should be like?"

Fang He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. He found that he really didn't know. Some people said that the Eternal Mark was an eternally shining gem, while others said it was a ring.

But in fact, since the elves and the people of the wild parted ways, no one seems to have a clear idea of ​​what the Eternal Mark is. It was once hidden deep underground in the Land of the Twelve Pillars.

And ever since it was stolen by the nameless nightingale, no one has seen its true appearance since.

"The four relics actually have their own origins, Eddard," said Quvenlar. "They are not only relics, but also keys, which is why I asked you to come here."

"As for why, you'll understand in a moment."

He placed his hand on the pine door and pushed it gently. The huge pine door seemed to sense the force and automatically opened backwards slowly, making a dull sound.

The Tower of Spring Dawn is located deep in the Valley of the Ancient Kings. It is the holy place of the Elven Court and the resting place of the ancestors. Since Kwivenlar, four elven kings have been buried here over the past thousand years.

But in the heart of the valley, only those holding the holy sword can enter this place, or they must be recognized by those with royal blood.

That's why Princess Melfina promised him the right to enter the Tower of Spring Dawn. Her intention was to win over the Seven Seas Brigade to form an alliance with her, but Fang He declined.

He was curious about the Tower of Spring Dawn, but did not want to get involved in the political struggles of the elves. However, Melfina convinced him with another argument in front of Miss Nightingale.

She didn't need him to do anything, but meeting Her Majesty the Saint meant that they couldn't get away from this vortex. She used this reason to convince him to go to the Tower of Spring Dawn.

But he didn't expect that things are unpredictable, and he actually came here because of this elf ancestor.

"The Mark has returned to the Elven Court," Kwenral said, "but only a part of it, just as the star dagger in the witch's hand is to the Crown of Hellin, and even that is only a part of it."

"The missing key can no longer open the keyhole, so it can only stay there day after day, year after year. In order to maintain its orthodoxy, the Elf King's Court has no choice but to declare that it has found the Eternal Mark."

"But what they got back was just an empty shell, a symbol, not its power. They can't use the power inside to eradicate the pollution, so they have to find another way."

This sentence gave Fang He a flash of inspiration. He suddenly realized what the holy object Forin and his men had asked the empire to return was. It was a projection in the Silver Tower, with a copy of each holy object in the forest.

Since it was Anjiana who did it, it was considered a counterfeit of the holy relic. They brought back the projection of the Eternal Mark from the Silver Tower and intended to use it to solve the troubles in Giant Tree Hill.

It was like a missing link that connected many clues. I'm afraid the Silver Wind Watchers' demands go beyond this. They want more than just fame.

If they can master the Eternal Mark, then they can further master the power of the White Tree, and then everything makes sense, why the Guild Alliance is so confident that they can master the power of the Ash Branch.

Why do they need unicorn girls for their experiments?

Because the power of the unicorn girl has the same origin as the mark of nature.

Isn’t the legendary natural mark the heart of the world tree?

But now there is still a question.

Fang He couldn't help but look at the Elf King, "Since the power of the Natural Mark can eradicate pollution, why doesn't Ms. Aimaya do it herself? Why does she have to suppress the changes in the World Tree so hard?"

"The logic is simple, Ed," Quvenlar seemed very satisfied with his sharpness, "The four holy relics and the Holy Grail of the Elves were left by 'them'. Who do you think built the star gate?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

It was as if a flash of lightning flashed through Fang He's mind.

To Saint Ita.

"You are the ones blessed by the Most Holy One," Quvenlar nodded gently, "Sometimes I envy you immensely, but everything you do is just to return this world to us, so the Star Gate is always fair."

"You have qualities that even the saints cannot achieve," the Elf King continued, "that is everything that the Star Gate has given you. The four holy relics were left by the second generation of the Chosen Ones, so Ms. Aimaya cannot reproduce them by her own strength."

Fang He finally understood why the four sacred objects were so unique. No wonder the Guild Alliance valued them so much.

But in other words, what about Seven Thrones?

Is that a sacred object from a previous era?

He shook his head and put aside these useless thoughts. He finally remembered the purpose of this trip. "Is this all related to the Spring Dawn Tower?"

Fang He looked up at the tall tower that connected the sky to the earth. The white spire was so unique that it did not look like one of the Tower of Four Seasons.

Instead, it looked like the ruins he saw at the end of the continent in his dream of the Silver Tower.

"Yes," Kwenral said, releasing his hand from the pine door and turning back.

However, the Elf King did not rush to explain. Instead, he first introduced the origins of the four Towers of Four Seasons.

The Towers of Seasons were first built in the age of the Two Trees. They were originally nodes used by the Númerin elves to guard the Ethernet. Later, they stored the elven secrets in these spires and used them as libraries.

The great library of the Silver Tower later built by mortals was also intended to imitate these four spires.

Among the four Towers of Seasons, the locations of two have changed. The first is the Tower of the Elves, which collapsed after the Twin Sacred Trees were burned, but the Elves rebuilt it here after secretly planting another sacred tree.

This is the one that Fang He saw in front of him.

The other is the Autumn Dusk Tower in Lotao. The Autumn Dusk Tower sank under the abyss during the turmoil in the Land of the Twelve Pillars and has since disappeared.

It's just that over the past hundred years, people have often claimed to have seen it. Its whereabouts are uncertain, sometimes in the First World, sometimes in the Second World.

Later, the Holy Guards of the Mir Luo Temple in Rotao rebuilt the Tower of Autumn Dusk and stored the original backup data and volumes in it. However, a lot of data in the Tower of Autumn Dusk was lost in the disaster, so the training of craftsmen in Rotao has always been the worst among the four continents.

Therefore, the most important thing about the Four Seasons Towers is not the spires themselves, but everything stored in the towers, which is the ancient alchemy passed down by the Numelin elves.

"The four Towers of Seasons were built using different techniques, as they all look different. The one in Corrin-Ishurian was built by the Oathkeepers and the good dragons who allied with humans, while the Winter Solstice Tower was built by the occultist."

"This one of the elves was built by the goblins and us. Although their appearances are different, the interiors are roughly the same. The goblins used magic to stabilize the space inside, from the entrance hall to the corridor to the Hall of a Thousand Doors, most of them are similar."

Kwenral pushed open the door and walked forward slowly - he held the holy sword in his hand, the tip of the sword against the ground, drawing a bright line on the marble floor.

As the line moved forward, the entire dark hall became brighter, allowing Fang He to see the familiar scene:
There was a long table with uneven chairs on both sides. There seemed to be a hole above the hall, and the upper part of the bricks and columns were sucked into the void. Countless bookcases and volumes flew into the air and froze there.

This is the entrance hall. He had been here once by himself and once with teacher Anloser. Now the ancestor of the elves brought him here again.

"Among the four spires, the Numelin elves each left behind a unique technology in the last room of the Hall of a Thousand Doors."

"So the people of light designed the most stringent conditions. Only the most perfect person can be selected to be the successor of that technology."

"That final room can only be entered once. Once that technology is activated, the final door in the Hall of a Thousand Doors will disappear forever."

When Quvenlar said this, he turned around and looked at him, "Your sacred art of creation comes from this, right?"

Fang Plover nodded.

"The sacred art of creation is actually the method of creation," Kwivenlar stretched out his other hand and lightly pointed forward. It was as if he had tapped a layer of water in the darkness, and circles of silver ripples appeared in the space.

The ripples intertwined with each other, forming natural and harmonious magic arrays. The magic arrays were like branches growing from a white tree, with lush branches and leaves intertwining with each other, and finally forming an elf chess piece in his hand.

The elves of the Autumn Forest love this chess game, from the upper to the lower levels, and even in Ivan Quinn, there are many elves who like this game. Princess Brianne knows a thing or two about it.

But what Fang He saw was completely different.

He was stunned. What Quvenlar used was the art of creation, but his technique was many times more proficient than his.

But... no one has ever said that this Light Leader is an alchemist. Isn't he... isn't he a Sky Knight?

What's more, the chess piece flashed with charming luster in Kuvenlar's hand. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a mithril chess piece.

So far, the square plover can only use local materials to create some earth and stone structures, which look impressive, but in fact the structural strength is vulnerable.

"Don't be surprised," Kwivenlar flicked the chess piece in his hand and it disappeared like smoke, as if it had never existed.

"These are just some tricks," he suddenly stopped again, holding the holy sword in one hand and looking into the darkness ahead, "Do you know what the law of creation is?"

Fang He shook his head slowly. In fact, the name of the Creation Technique was given by him and Anloser, because it has the ability to create all things, hence the name.

"It is not unique to the Numelin elves," said Kwivenlar, "nor was it created by us. Like your Blue Radiance, it comes from an older existence."

"Or rather," his eyes sparkled, "your Blue Glory is originally of the same origin as it."

The Elf King suddenly raised the holy sword in his hand high.

"Ed," he began, "You want to see the Evermark? It's right here."

Quvenlar raised the holy sword in his hand and slashed it downwards lightly. Fang He suddenly felt his chest beating. The gray gem turned into a ray of light and shot out from his heart into the hallway in front.

The light seemed to hit an imaginary door, and then the heavy doors opened one by one, like a key being placed in a lock, and after the last door.

A tall shadow appeared.

When Fang He saw the shadow, he couldn't help but screamed "Ah". Not only him, Miss Long Hun also appeared at the same time, looking at the towering shadow with an inexplicable familiarity.

It was a dragon rider.

It stood quietly behind the thousand doors, holding a holy sword, with its head lowered, wearing snow-white armor, as if sculpted by the light.

"——White Knight."

Miss Tata blurted out.

...(End of chapter)