Pillars of Ita

"When did you figure it out?" Alindor did not launch an attack at the first moment. He put one hand on the hilt of the elven rapier and asked Fang He with his eyes fixed on him.

But the surprise in his eyes soon disappeared, as if he suddenly realized it: "I see, Melfina informed you of the plan in advance, but did not tell me. The north and south routes have always been a cover-up. Her real plan is to build a plank road to let you set off in advance-"

Elindor placed his three fingertips on the hilt of the rapier, his little finger hooked around the hammer handle, and his thumb pressed against the hilt. He spoke each word with emphasis: "So from the beginning, I was exposed, right?"

Fang He shook his head: "Even earlier than that, Mr. Elindor."

The Elf Lord watched the young man's little action. The other party secretly reached his hand behind him - but he didn't care at all, just looked at him with some surprise, as if waiting for something.

Fang He held the information gem hanging there, looked up at the other party and said, "Didn't Mr. Elindor feel that he had gone too far in the Hall of the Former King?"

Without waiting for the Elf Lord to answer, he continued, "The Guild Alliance's goal is the Sea Witch, but this matter has nothing to do with the Elf Court. Even Princess Melfina didn't think of this, but Mr. Elindor acted more anxious than Halsey and the others."

Elindor said sternly, "But that is His Majesty's order."

"Mr. Elindor is now the Lord of the Shadow of the Sun. He is no longer the young man from Dorindor who had just arrived at the Elven Court two hundred years ago and was full of curiosity and a sense of justice."

Alsana's voice went over Fang He, "Don't you understand what your father means? The Elven Court won't help either side, and your father just wants to gain some benefits from it."

"He left the decision to my sister, but when Lord Durin acted on my sister's orders, you acted as tough as an imperial man."

"Although you are upright and never go against the interests of the Elven Court," Alsana looked at him and said, "but Uncle Alyndor, you have never been such an impulsive and irritable person. Father once trusted you so much and even regarded you as his only friend -"

"It turns out that the flaw had already been exposed since then. I really thought that everything was perfect as they said." Facing Alsana's somewhat angry questioning, Elindor just shook his head, "But I guess it must be Melfina who discovered this."

He seemed to be talking about something very ordinary: "Because only she would be so suspicious, and she has never liked us lords outside. I am afraid that she was already suspicious when I rashly returned to the Elf Court from the Shadow Land."

Arsana remained silent because the facts were just as the other party said.

"But whether you believe it or not, I have not betrayed the interests of the Elven Court, Your Highness Arsana," Elindor replied, "Because as I said, the Holy Tree is the only interest of the Holy White Clan. When the Holy Tree falls, everything will be gone. As for your father, he parted ways with too many 'close friends' in his life, and I am just one of them, because he only cares about his own ambitions, but the elves just want to live, that's all."

"You are not the same as him, and you are not the same as your sister, Arsana. Do you think you are the same as them, but they just want to use you. Have you forgotten your father's other 'best friend'? They used to have the same ideals, but in the end they both became strangers. The sword that guards the long night has never changed. It is your father who has changed——"

Arsana thought of the sword master described in the forest poems, the time when the twins walked side by side on the hill of giant trees, and the shadow she had seen in her childhood.

Elindor looked at the princess and said, "He has become unrecognizable to all of us, a stranger, and even sacrificed his own daughter. Which side do you think I should stand on blindly, Princess Alsana?"

"If I say no," Alsana also looked at him and said softly, "But Uncle Elindor, will you let me go and let the Saint's Society go?"

"Alsana," Fang He couldn't help but say, "You can't trust him."

But the elf girl walked up to him, held his hand, shook her head at him, and signaled that he didn't need to worry.

But to Fang He's surprise, Ailindor shook his head and said, "You know, Alsana, I don't lie. This is one of the few times I lied, but your sister saw through it at once. But I don't care about it, because it was all just a plan of those humans."

"I have my own opinion," he replied, "but for this purpose, the Holy Maiden Society no longer needs to exist, and even the Holy Forest no longer needs to exist. The Elven Court is still immersed in the past, and everything seems too old, but the times have left us behind and moved on, and we must change with them."

"I will protect you, Princess, but as for the rest, it is not your business to worry about."

"Do you really believe what they say?" The ship's officer suddenly asked, "Mr. Elindor, you are the lord of the Sun Shadow Land. Logically, such naive views should have nothing to do with you. You should understand that half of your bargaining chips come from the authority of the Elf Court and even the Holy Forest, but once these two no longer exist, do you think they will fulfill their promise to you?"

"Then they will face the wrath of a dragon rider." Alyndor said word by word.

"There is a dragon knight in front of you," Sylvie looked at Mia beside her. The wolf girl held her dagger from beginning to end without saying a word, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

But there was an abyss under her feet, which covered both her and Fang He on the other side - at most there would be a female ship officer. Once Elindor crossed that line, what would be waiting for him would be those sharp fangs.

Alindor obviously understood this, so he did not act rashly. He just watched Sylvie finish her words quietly: "Do you think they will change their attitude because of your words?"

She looked at the elf princess beside her.

"You understand that you are somewhat unconfident in saying this, Mr. Lord, or you lack understanding of the Alliance's ability to mobilize resources. You don't understand that those people were able to dispatch five dragon knights to come here while fighting with Ninimer—"

"What do you think those people really want?"

"A throne? Sacred grove? Witch of the sea?"

She shook her head: "Neither."

Elindor fell silent.

The ship officer continued, "What they really want is our world and everything in it. They want to arrogantly violate the promise they made to us and become the master over everyone else."

Even more...

For example, that tempting word.

For example... eternity.

Princess Alsana even looked at the noble daughter in astonishment.

She knew that those humans had been seizing more power, interfering with the Council of Linoril and even extending their tentacles to the Elven Court.

But she didn't think deeper.

Sylvie was even a little alarmist. If the Silver Wind Watcher's ambitions were so great, wouldn't anyone object?
As far as she knew, the world on the other side of the star gate was made up of many countries just like this world.

The various regions have never been a monolithic entity.

"They have reached an agreement," Sylvie said, "At least those people have reached an agreement."

She looked at Fang He. But Fang He said nothing. His expression was not bitter, but calm.

He should have anticipated this.

"But the Stargate Declaration..."

"That's exactly their goal, to tear up the Stargate Declaration," Fang He replied softly, "or rather, they have already been doing that."

Yes, the military's warning at that time had actually reminded him a long time ago.

Whether it is the world on this side of the star gate or the world on the other side of the star gate, both worlds are heading towards division again.

This great schism had already begun, and what the Guild Alliance did was merely a manifestation of the countless powerful wills behind the Stargate.

And that game was heading down a path of disintegration from the very beginning.

Those people are tired of this "affectionate" game, tired of sharing interests that do not belong to them with the weaker parties at the same negotiating table.

The opening of the second star gate only delayed the arrival of that day, but the amount of cake that could be divided was decreasing day by day, and the insatiable desire began to show its claws.

The holy war in the Realm of Turbidity was the beginning of that rift.

The Holy Covenant Mountain only tore a visible tear in the cloth. As for what happened after that -

Perhaps the square plover has not yet reached that height.

But Mia had already told him those stories, and he had seen them with his own eyes in the community.

The Alliance went against the grain and became alienated from the Free Chosen, and in the end they almost parted ways with the military in Corrin-Ishurian.

Who gave those people such desperate ambition and courage?
The First Division has been fully involved in the Empire's expansion at all costs. From Cui Xisi's brief description, he can also see who is fanning the flames.

Or it would be better to say that collusion, collusion, and even alliance are the masters of all this, and they are just following the wishes of His Majesty the Emperor.

Then to the Hill of Giant Trees.

From everything he had seen and heard, the Silver Wind Watchers—the Guild Alliance—had done only one thing, which was no different from what they had done in Corin-Ishurian, the Empire.

I think the same is true for Lotao.

All they did was to go beyond the Stargate Declaration and stop being content with the limits set for them by the rules.

Those people boldly or arrogantly crossed the dangerous line and stepped over the red line, but this time they did it more covertly and chose to collude with the upper echelons of the indigenous people.

"…What would happen if they really took control of this world?"

Facing the elf girl's gaze, the noble daughter's tone did not change much.

She seemed to be calmly calculating the pros and cons for the elf lord. This reminded her of the past days when those accusers from her mother's family had treated her in the same way.

But she just looked at those people calmly, "They paid the price of their lives, and there must be support from the countries and entities on the other side of the star gate. They have gained the authority of a world, and it is definitely not to bring us goodwill."

"So, do you think, Mr. Elindor, that by that time, they will change their plans because of what you said?"

"Alsana is a princess, the daughter of the Elf King and the second heir to the throne. She is a student of the Saint and has the power to rule the Holy White Forest." "She is--"

"That's enough," Alindor interrupted her, "I know you are always eloquent, Albert's daughter. I have met your father, and he has a good daughter."

But the Elf Lord shook his head. "But what do you have? The victory or defeat in this world will not be biased by justice or injustice. I have seen a longer history than your family, human lady, and I will no longer believe in those naive things. You described them as powerful, but this is exactly why I made this choice-"

"We have a bottom line," Sylvie looked at the boy beside her, "and this is the biggest difference between us and them."

Elindor fell silent, and looked at his sword involuntarily. There was no extra expression on his face, but there were already waves in his heart.

This was one of the few times in his long life that someone was able to convince him, but it was not because Sylvie was eloquent.

But he understood that what the human girl in front of him said was true.

But he suddenly raised his head in one direction, and his long pointed ears moved slightly, as if he had heard the whistling sound coming from the forest.

Ailindor held his sword, his expression changed:

"But it's too late, Your Highness. When you left the Elf Court, someone had already spread the news that their spies are not only in the Elf Court, and they will arrive soon."

He looked at Fang He and the Sea Witch standing by and said, "They can't escape. The other party has set up a dragnet for this. Their goal is to bring back that crucial node at any cost."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"If necessary," Elindor paused, "they will even withdraw troops from the Ninimer front."

Fang He and Hilvid looked at each other. The alliance really mobilized a large force this time, but it also showed that the other party was serious. No wonder Halsey was so ruthless when facing Tianlan.

Perhaps it was because the other party also understood that even if he objected, it would be meaningless. The Silver Wind Watcher could let him lead the arrest, or he could replace him with someone else, or even send another of the Ten Kings.

Even the Silver Wind Watchers did not play a leading role in this capture operation. After they finally determined the exact location of the Sea Witch, the Alliance finally took full action.

"So their other side's inside line," Fang He looked at the lord, "is actually the Holy Forest, right?"

Ailindor looked at the young man in astonishment, "Since you already knew this, why..."

But Fang He did not answer him, but turned around and asked:

"Who is coming?"

"Avani, the dragon knight of the empire," there was no need for Elindor to answer. Mia said calmly, "There is another person behind him, probably Zuliana. She is even stronger than Avani. She was a blade knight of Lotao before. She has a good relationship with Ming, but in this situation, she probably won't hold back -"

Her silver eyes looked over calmly: "Ed, do you want me to take action?"

But Elindor took the initiative to speak: "They are just here to delay you. Once they confirm that you are here, the follow-up joint fleet will arrive."

Fang He looked at him and shook his head: "There is no follow-up, Mr. Elindor."

The lord of the Sun Shadow Land was slightly startled and looked at the group of people in surprise.

Lian Alsana said at this time: "Uncle Alindor, since I know your plan, I will not let you achieve your goal easily."

The Lord of the Sun Shadow Land raised his eyebrows slightly:

"So you and Melfina have already reached an agreement? She actually came to talk to you. I thought that with her personality..."

But he paused, "She is not in this team, so her plan is... But besides me, there is only one dragon knight left in the Elf Court, what can she do..."

Suddenly he stopped.

Elindor looked at the little princess in disbelief.

And there was a faint light flickering in Alsana's silver eyes.

In the girl's eyes, the morning light was rising from a corner of the Silver Mountains, and the sky over the forest was turning slightly white.

The elf princess took a deep breath and nodded, "My teacher is here."

"Your Majesty the Saint?"

Elindor showed an expression of disbelief, and his eyes involuntarily wandered over everyone - the Elven Court announced the opening of the forbidden area leading to the Holy Forest, and the purpose of their trip was to see the Saint of the White Tree.

But he never expected that the other party had already arrived at the Elf Court, and it seemed that they had already met the Holy Lady.

So……

The ones who were truly kept in the dark were the Silver Wind Watchers and the guild allies behind them.

The Lord of the Sun Shadow Land began to breathe faster, and Melfina's gaze appeared in his mind. He knew that the eldest daughter of the Elf King was 'cunning', but when did it happen...?
But Arsana didn't finish her words:
"My other teacher is here too."

"Another teacher?" A sudden voice came into Alyndor's mind. "Soriya Deepshadow, why is he here too... Wasn't he here thirty years ago..."

"The teacher and the king just have some differences," Arsana replied softly, "but they share the same wish for the sacred tree and the Hill of Giant Trees, Uncle Elindor..."

She paused, "Have you forgotten something?"

The Lord of Sun Shadow Land was completely stunned.

His gaze shifted to Fang He, and he suddenly remembered a fatal oversight - he said dryly: "You..."

That was the first prophecy of the Dark Ages.

The one who led the light told the descendants of the elves that the light would lead them forward until they defeated all darkness and evil.

After that, those who followed him were called the Sons of Light. They were the children of light, the descendants of the Holy White.

He was the first to steal the seeds of the sacred tree from the ashes and bring them to this land.

What expectations does he have for the future of the elves?

And the will left by that person——

"Mr. Ed was chosen," Alsana said softly.

Elindor gave a bitter smile and involuntarily put down the sword in his hand - this was the second time he heard these words, but his mood was completely different.

He forgot, and perhaps even the king had forgotten - the sword that guarded the long night.

It is the seeker of light.

"You win," Alyndor sighed, "but what are you going to do? There are two dragon knights here, but the other side also has two--"

"Two against two," he said, "but this time the other side will no longer care about the face of the Elven Court. If it is really as you said, once the relationship is torn apart, it will be a real battle of dragon knights."

The Lord of the Shadow Land looked around and said, "When all is said and done, everything here will be wiped out."

"That's why we need your help, Mr. Elindor," Fang He said, "Miss Mia, please keep an eye on this lord."

The wolf-like girl was slightly startled, but did not ask any more questions. She just looked at Elindor and nodded silently.

Alindor was also somewhat stunned. He frowned and was thinking, and Fang He turned around and said to him: "Please take action at the most critical moment and make sure to defeat the enemy with one strike, Mr. Alindor."

"Juliana is Sister Ming's friend. She has promised us that she will not force us to do anything if things become impossible," Fang Yu said word by word, "so we have to create such a reason for her."

Elindor stared at the young man. In his long career as a dragon rider, he had rarely seen someone so confident and even arrogant:

"You mean, you want to fight one against two and pin down the two dragon knights while the Sea Witch and I don't move?"

He couldn't help but pause: "Mr. Ed, are you a little..."

But Fang He shook his head and interrupted him.

The young alchemist turned around and looked at the elven lord: "Lord Elindor, I know you are still hesitant. Between me and those people, who can truly solve the blight of the holy tree?"

"Don't you want to see that possibility? What exactly caused all this to happen? Then what's next -"

He paused. "I will prove it."

Fang He stretched out his hand, and what he held in his hand was not the information crystal that Elindor had imagined, but a silver coin.

One——

Coin of fate.

...(End of chapter)