Pillars of Ita

Chapter 896 Chapter 220 Act Seven A Story

Even in Xintaan, the starry sky in winter nights is much more lonely than in summer.

A few stars hang in the night sky, flickering erratically.Moonlight shone through the thin clouds.Sitting by the bonfire, Fang Plover looked up at the shining treetops under the moonlight, and at the same time asked Miss Nightingale beside her:

"Miss Alisa, do you think I shouldn't be like this?"

"Wrong, in fact, I think you are doing well," Alisa replied indifferently, while throwing a few dead branches into the bonfire, "The leader was too pedantic in the past."

A burst of sparks exploded from the bonfire, which made Nini, who was feasting beside her, tremble and raised her head.

She looked in this direction in amazement, a pair of golden pupils were flickering, and food crumbs were stained on her small face.

Miss Tata, who was kneeling aside, was still fiddling with her tea set.She put her small hand on the side of the teapot to test the temperature, then picked it up, and poured water into her small teacup lightly, with steam wafting up.

"Really?" Fang Plover thought to himself, Yayue and the others might be right, but he was always in trouble. In order to reduce some troubles, he subconsciously chose that way.

But if those people were not attacking unarmed people, would he still do that?

The answer in his heart is no.Fang Yan thought that maybe he had become mature rather than cold-blooded, and after he figured this out, he was relieved.

Only then did Silvade come over with Jita.

The two counted the spoils on the sidelines, which was actually not much, but it took some time to interrogate the prisoners of war and explain the purpose of the group to the old servant.

In the distance, Parker was bragging loudly about his achievements in the afternoon, and the sound of yelling came from that direction.

But Luo Yu ignored him at all, and lowered his head to treat the wounded - the middle-aged man and the unconscious Chosen One.The former was just some skin trauma, but the latter lost a lot of blood and was very weak.

At this moment, the middle-aged man was looking at them with some fear, and cast a look of help to his father.But the old servant didn't look back, deliberately not looking at his disappointing son.

The old servant came to the bonfire with Sylvaide and Jita, sat opposite Fang Plover, and asked everyone, "So you know Sir Marvey?"

"To be precise," Fang Yan looked at his miss, the ship's officer, "she is the daughter of Sir Marvey."

He introduced himself again: "We are her companions. There are two more people in the afternoon. They are alchemists from the Craftsman's Association, but those two should have returned to Tagri by now."

He was talking about Yayo and his companions.

Miss Tata held the teacup in both hands and took a sip, her emerald green eyes were full of indifference and leisure.

But she and Nini are both invisible at the moment, except for the people in the Seven Seas Brigade, outsiders can't see the two of them there.

"I see," the old servant nodded, with a tone of reminiscence, "I think back to when Sir Marvey came here, it was nearly 20 years ago... In the past 20 years, everything has changed... ..."

"Old man," Sylvaide asked softly at this time, "Can you tell me about your father?"

"Of course," the old servant nodded, "...I still remember what happened at that time. Your father was considered an uninvited guest of the college, and he came to this place because he was interested in the country established by the wizards. .

But Mr. Ash was quite a headache for your father at that time, because he was always worried that Sir would spoil the precious materials in the laboratory.

However, in our memory, Mr. Jazz is talkative, frank and approachable, always very optimistic. In short, everyone has a very good impression of him. "

He recalled and said: "Mr. Ash didn't like Jazz very much at first, but after Jazz helped the academy a lot, Mr. Ash gradually recognized him, and the two gradually became friends, and they became inseparable...

Later, before your father left, he made an appointment with us to visit again. Of course, Mr. Ash was very worried about his own material, so he had reservations about it..."

Fang Yan couldn't help but look at Sylvaide curiously when he heard the words.

This was the first time he heard someone comment on that legendary adventurer.In Corrin-Ishurian, Sir Marvey is a hero that everyone admires, but not many people have actually seen him.

Apart from his enemies in the kingdom's political circles, no one would fail to praise the great adventurer.Fang Plover was already familiar with those stories, including going through the door with the chosen ones and going to the second world.

He is the discoverer, explorer, and legendary explorer.

But this is the first time that Fang Ploy has heard the other side of Sir Mawei from the population, a casual, carefree, and sometimes not so likable adventurer.

What's more interesting is that the daughter of this great adventurer is sitting beside him.

Sylvie blushed uncommonly, "My father... was quite careless when he was young..."

"No, miss, your father is a really great man," the old servant shook his head and denied. "Careless is just his informal side, but he never cares about other people's faults, and he always treats people with respect." Tolerant, optimistic and uplifting, and still able to maintain the original intention in difficult times..."

He was silent for a moment, and sighed: "Even Mr. Ash is not as good as your father in this respect. It would be great if he could be as good as the Sir. Back then... maybe now he won't..."

Sylviede could hear it.

The noble daughter stared blankly at the bonfire for a moment.

Her father left a lot of impressions in her mind, and gave her all the love and protection. In her heart, her father is not only a hero in others' mouths, but also a tall arm that shields her from the wind and rain...

But that impression was both clear and vague.

It was a good father, but not so competent, although he found her a good teacher, a reliable lady, and a guardian who devoted all to her.

But that man has been traveling all year round, and he always spends less time with his daughter——

So much so that her impression of her father seemed fragmented, and she had to describe his image from the descriptions of others.

Is he the hero in the eyes of others?
Or his own father?
Sylvie was also a little confused.

Alyssa glanced back and saw that her captain was still sitting there in a daze, she couldn't help being a little speechless for a moment.

She couldn't help poking the opponent's elbow with her hand, thinking, what are you still doing here, didn't you see that your miss the ship officer needs a shoulder to rely on now?
But Fang Plover turned around and looked at the other party with questioning eyes, thinking what are you doing?

Miss Nightingale couldn't help but rolled her eyes.

And this time Sylviede finally came to her senses.

She turned her eyes and saw the interaction between the two, and couldn't help but smile.

But her face was slightly red again, and she lowered her head, not knowing what to think of for a moment.

She quickly calmed down, and then asked the old man again: "I want to ask what happened in the past 20 years. My father thought that Holfen College had a great hope of winning that competition. What's the matter, or is someone behind the scenes carrying out some conspiracy against Holfen Academy?"

"I don't know too well," the old servant sighed. "Even if there was something, how could Mr. Ash tell us? The rest of the Lynn family wouldn't talk about it to servants like us. Not to mention 20 years ago... 20 years ago...

...It's not wrong to say that at that time... your father would have seen it that way.After all, who didn't think Holfen Academy would win the competition back then?No one knew how things would turn out like that. At that time, many people believed that Mr. Ash would be the greatest wizard in the history of the Principality.

And even after Mr. leaves, the school he left behind, his students will guide the twelve families of the Principality to move forward.Everyone thought that, after that would be the beginning of a glorious era for the Principality...

But who knows, it will end up like this? "

"So what was the final contest between the Stag Principality and the Empire's magician world?" Fang Yan couldn't bear his curiosity and couldn't help asking.

The old servant shook his head, and replied: "...I just heard people talking about it, so I don't necessarily guarantee the authenticity. I remember that there were fifteen competitions at that time, and in the end only the wizards of the Kestrel Academy won one , while Holfen Academy did not win a game.

Of Mr Ash's nine students, three abstained from the game.There are four other people who didn't show up on the day of the competition, one died unexpectedly on the field, and the remaining one..."

He seemed to remember something unbearable, so he stopped talking.

Everyone had high hopes for Holfen Academy and withstood many voices of doubt before the game.The principality's mage community also generously sold most of the places, but the performance of the academy undoubtedly disappointed all those who supported it.

And of course, expectations turned into disappointments;
Disappointment turned to resentment, and resentment turned to suspicion.

Voices of doubt ensued.

But in the end, the straw that crushed everything was also a student of the college. The last student directly stood on the opponent's side, publicly pointing out that the Holfen School is a scam, and the great wizard Ash is just a deceitful person.

The new type of magic that he researched is nothing but tricks mixed with alchemy.

The rain was about to come, so the storm gathered and formed in Targri.

Many people left Holfen Academy directly, especially the junior apprentices who were easily influenced by the outside world.The mage families were also worried about letting their offspring study in such a notorious academy, so the nobles left.

More people also choose to leave.

Only a few people are still persisting, but those people are gradually unable to maintain the operation of the academy.

What's more, in this world, there is always jealousy that breeds in the shadows. A poisonous snake that walks in the shadows cannot bite people in the sun, but whenever a storm comes, it will reveal its sinister fangs——

Even if it was Holfen College, people like Ash Lynn would not be without opponents in the Stag Principality, and the enemies were always willing to use the most despicable means to attack their opponents.

Rumors arose.

"Originally," the old servant sighed, and continued, "Mr. Ash has no chance to prove himself. We all believe that his magic is true. After all, those words that slander him can't deny that he is a great demon." The status of a mentor is obtained in a dignified way...

Even some of Mr. Ash's most trusted students think so.They are real big men who don't have the same confusion as us servants about what is true and what is false.

We all thought that all Mr. Ash needed was time..."

"But..." The old man's voice was full of regret.

He doesn't need to say anything later.

But Fang Plover and several members of the Seven Seas Brigade had already guessed it.

Only four years later, the great wizard died under heavy blows.

In the following ten years, there were several more competitions between the Principality and the Empire's mage world, but since the death of Ash Lynn, the stag duchy's mage world has gone from bad to worse, and it is no longer able to produce a leading figure.

Several colleges fell one by one, and others chose to move out of the principality to avoid the damage of its reputation.

The Stag Principality, which was founded by magicians, is now declining because of magicians.Only half of the twelve families in its heyday were left. A country that used to be famous for magicians is now unknown.

It's no wonder that during the journey of the Traveler of the Seven Seas, there were not many people who had heard of Holfen Academy in the countryside.

After all, people are always ashamed to reveal their scars.

Over time, they have also forgotten the glory and glory of the past.

Fang Plover couldn't help but looked at each other with Sylvaide and Alyssa. They were just looking for the old friend of Miss Ship Officer's father, but they didn't expect to hear such a story with ups and downs.

As for what the old servant said was true or false.

In fact, everyone can't judge.

After all, due to the limited information obtained, almost everyone can only state what happened at the beginning from their own subjective point of view.The other party may not intend to deceive, but there is no guarantee that everything they say is true.

What happened to the history has been sealed under the history of the past 20 years. Unless there are people who know what happened back then, no one will know what happened back then.

It's just embarrassing to think that this happened in just ten years.

People are always willing to believe those close to them, even Fang Plover and Sylvaide are not exempt, but at least Sir Mawei once described his own views 20 years ago in his notes.

So they would rather believe what the old servant said, and maybe there is indeed a credible side.

At this moment, Fang Yan suddenly had a thought. He remembered what he had heard from those callers before, and couldn't help asking: "So the manuscript of Mr. Ash that those people said is about the new magic he studied. Guidance?"

A new kind of magic?

Although I don't know if it's true or not, it still aroused Fang Zhi's curiosity.Although he is an alchemist, whether it is alchemy or magic, it is all about the study of the sea of ​​ether.

What's more, the magic wands of the wizards are also the alchemy achievements of the alchemists.

"I didn't lie to them, I don't know the whereabouts of the manuscript," the old servant shook his head, and said frankly, "Shortly after Mr. This sad place. Even if Mr. Ash really left any manuscripts, of course they were taken away by his relatives, how could it be in the hands of a little servant like me..."

Fang Plover thought so too.But most of them were those who couldn't find Lynn's family, so they had to find a way with the only servant left.

But since those people are so swearing by the manuscript, it may also explain from the side that this matter has a certain degree of credibility.

He turned back and asked, "So what are those people's identities?"

"A local guild," Alisa interjected, "I can't find its name in the top 20 rankings in North America, but it's in the top three in the Stag Principality. Actually, I checked, and this guild didn't exist [-] years ago. , I don’t know where they found out about the manuscript.”

Fang Plover glanced at her appreciatively.

In terms of investigating teams and guilds, Miss Nightingale was unrivaled in the group.

At this time, the old servant also spoke: "...Because those Holy Chosen Ones were instructed by the Hailfa family, and behind the Hailefa's house is the Iron Thorn Academy. Those people thought that we were with us before Mr. Ash was alive. Holfen Academy took away their status in the principality that originally belonged to them.

They brought down Holfen, and squeezed out the Kestrel Academy, and now the family dominates the Stag Principality, but behind those people, they actually hooked up with the wizard family of the empire, which is also the end of the empire's magician world that stabilized the principality. s reason……

Few people like them, but they dare not speak out.After all, after the Kestrel Academy left, there is only one voice left in the Stag Principality. "

"But what about the Lynn family?"

Fang Yan asked: "Even if Holfen College is gone, wouldn't the Lynn family still be there? This is not their property, how could you allow outsiders to bully you like this? Seriously speaking, aren't those people coveting Mr. Ash's manuscript? ?”

The old servant shook his head, full of respect for the great mage, but he couldn't help showing a trace of resentment towards the rest of Lynn's family, "I haven't seen them for many years, in fact, many people want to contact them." People from the Lynn family, after all, this is the property of the Lynn family. But they never came back, nor contacted me, leaving me alone as an old servant to take care of this place."

He sighed: "But I don't care anymore, Mr. Ash has treated us well, and I plan to bury my bones here. Even if they forget this place, at least I will always be with this college and everything about it in the past Memories stay together."

The old man muttered to himself.

Everything is in the past, and 20 years is enough to forget a lot of things...

Looking at the other party's appearance, Fang Yan couldn't help but fell silent.

He knew that those people would come back, they would not believe what the old man said, and he had caused those people to lose so many manpower here, they might be angry at this lonely old man.

But the old man's son is like that, and his own life is almost coming to an end, and everything he cherished in the past, those bright and happy memories, are buried here for a long time.

The old man had lost almost everything, and Fang Yan really couldn't bear to see him suffer for it again.

He thought for a while and made a decision in his mind.

He opened the team channel and asked other people in it with a text message, and all of them got affirmative answers.

He looked at Alisa and Sylvie, and they both nodded to him.

Fang Plover thought for a while, and then asked again: "So this academy should also be Mr. Ash's painstaking effort. The people of Lynn's family took everything away, but left this place alone. What reason?"

"It's because Mr. Ash made a will and didn't let them move this place." The old servant didn't like the rest of Lynn's family who didn't guard the college, and said bluntly, "They only took away the valuable things here. And everything else stayed. In the early years, there were Mr. Ash’s students who helped maintain this place, but gradually those people either left or passed away..."

"So Mr. Ash's laboratory is in the academy?"

"It's here, in the basement," the old man was taken aback, "but all the instruments inside have been taken away, and only some materials are left."

"Then Mr. Ash must have some unfinished experiments? I think those things should be of little value to ordinary people. Are they still in the laboratory?"

The old servant thought for a while, probably because his memory was too long, and he nodded affirmatively after a while, "Yes, the people of Lynn's family are not interested in those things, so they kept them together. But I don't know what to do How to maintain those things, after such a long time, maybe they are almost broken..."

That's enough.

Fang Plover smiled.

He asked: "But I'm a little interested in those things. Excuse me, can you give us one or two of them?"

"This..." The old servant hesitated, "Of course, those things are the relics left by Mr. Ash, but they are of no value, and they are just destined to be turned into dust if they stay there. And said Maybe those people will turn it upside down in a few days, and it would be great if you were willing to take them away."

"Okay." Fang Yan stood up.

Before he got up, he reached out and took the half-eaten biscuit from Nini's mouth, in case the little guy ate it into a chubby bun.And by the way, he scraped the biscuit crumbs on the opponent's face with his fingers.

Fang Nini was not dissatisfied with this, she just hugged him and bit her finger, grinding her small fangs.

Fang Plover smiled.

Then he turned around and told Alyssa: "Go and bring that guy here, and wake up the drafter of the first division if possible. They want to find Mr. Ash's manuscript, take them to see it." See what's in the basement."

The old servant was taken aback when he heard the words, "Wait, you..."

Fang Plover lightly brushed off the dust on his body, smiled and looked at each other, saying:
"Old man, we heard a good story today. 20 years ago, the father of my Miss Admiralty and Mr. Ash were close friends.

But there are some things, it happened in the past, we can take it as a story. "

He pointed not far away.

"However--"

Some things happen in the present.

They don't think of it as a story.

While talking, Fang Yan summoned the pride of the lonely king from the information crystal, stretched out his hand, and put it on his hand.

Anyway, what he already has is trouble, so what if those people believe that he took the manuscript?
Does he not believe that those people can stop him?

And some people are afraid of those people.

But he is not afraid.

"Everyone, please...wait a moment," the old servant looked at these enthusiastic strangers in surprise, and he couldn't help but think of everything he saw 20 years ago...

At that time, he was not as old as he is now, and he was still in the prime of life; and at that time, the principality was still as it is today.

At that time, his master, Ash Lynn, the famous great wizard of the principality, had not passed away and was still alive in this world.

It was also then that he once met an equally enthusiastic adventurer.

Carefree, but not afraid of all difficulties, and the shadow on the other party seems to be almost exactly the same as the energetic young man in front of him.

The images of the two of them overlapped in the dark.

The old servant suddenly remembered something, something that he may have forgotten for a long time, something that may be important, but maybe not so important——

"It suddenly occurred to me that Mr. Ash once left something," he tried to recall that incident, "it was one of his experimental items, and later one of his students gave it to me for safekeeping."

The old servant paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "...I think that thing might be useful to you."

……

(End of this chapter)