Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1258 The past year and travel

Fang He looked at Miss Tata on the railing. The fairy lady was wearing a tailored silver long skirt, with her bare feet sticking out of the railing, swaying gently in the sea breeze.

The clear sea of ​​​​sky stretched as far as the eye could see, with accumulated clouds towering like peaks. The lighthouse on his left penetrated into the sea of ​​​​sky for about 1.3 air miles (nearly 3 kilometers). The cape formed a long and narrow stem, and the rugged rocks below stood out like sharp teeth.

Some gulls are nesting on the rocks. Locals call them Xyphiros, which comes from the ancient Sky Sea language "wind weaver". Taxonomists have given them a new category, Aerocephalopoda, which is said to be birds, but in fact it is more like some kind of soft plankton.

This group of semi-vertebrate creatures, unique to the sky and sea, has a skeletal system composed of hollow air-cavity bones and a gelatinous outer membrane covering its body surface. It can control buoyancy by adjusting the density of wind elements within the membrane.

They are widespread in the sky and sea, and the square plover has observed this creature up close in El Pashin, where they nest on rocks and use their sharp beaks and arms to catch microscopic plankton from below the clouds.

It gets its name because its descent and ascent resembles that of a seabird.

The Netafis Mountains run through Heimvol, dividing the Black Forest that runs across the Scar of Asa, isolating the scar from the bay south of the Sea of ​​Candlelight, forming a peaceful coast here.

The rolling hills were the end of the mountain range. They passed through Heimwor a month ago and encountered the warm hospitality of the moon elves while walking through the ancient forest.

These are a clan called Wild Elves by the Giant Tree Hill. They ride in arrow-shaped sailboats, have dark skin, and war patterns painted on their bodies. Their ears are longer and pointier than those of ordinary elves. The men are strong and mysterious, and the women are warm and generous.

Many people in the Seven Seas Tours were treated to bold courtship by the Moon Elf girl, but there were no natives on the ship, and most of the men were already in a relationship.

Therefore, not many people went into the moon elf girl's tent.

Although the moon elf girls are generous, their traditional view of marriage is very loyal, and revenge is Heimwol's tradition. Fang He does not want one of his men to die on the ship for unknown reasons one day in the future.

I also don't want the Seven Seas Brigade to get into trouble because of this.

The Seven Seas Storm remained there for two weeks, and the Moon Elves led them into the bay from the west of Helm'wor, through the pass of the mountain, and arrived at this place.

The superstructure of the Moon Elves is ruled by the Three-Ring Council. The inner ring is the Night Council, the middle ring is the War Priests, and the outer ring is the Root Assembly. The elders of the inner ring council are responsible for receiving them - the Sons of Night, the Night Speakers of the Lady of Withering.

The domain of withering is very special. The Shadowtree Temple does not obey a fixed oracle, but guards the ancient seal from Heimwol, and is in balance with the nature and paleness of the forest.

There, Fang He also met Daryl's sister - yes, Miss Muppet has a sister, which was beyond everyone's expectations because she had never mentioned this unilaterally.

But it was not surprising. Fang He soon understood why. Her sister liked to play tricks on people too much. Not only did she call her "kitty cat", but she also teased them around.

But in the end, Taliel drew his sword in a rage, interrupted the other party, and asked him to say something serious.

However, the moon elf lady didn't seem surprised at all. She just told them with a smile that after the new oracle was born, the Shadow Tree Temple soon calmed down.

'The moon elves don't seem to believe in a fixed god, they value ancient traditions more.'

'There are verdant fragments buried beneath Heimvor.'

Fang He also discovered this. Guarding the seal of Heimwol is of vital importance to the Moon Elves. Guarding the balance between nature and the pale is precisely to prevent the Grey Disaster from happening again.

When the Gray Plague spread, the Star of Evil began to stir. He roughly guessed the reason why the Moon Elves left the Elven Court that year, they were the Oath Keepers.

However, this also explains the Moon Elves' enthusiasm for them. In a sense, Fang He is now the keeper of the seal, serving as the dual oracle of Aimaya and Youbulaya.

Away from the elves' territory, the narrow bay south of the Netafis Mountains is governed by a group of humans who call themselves the 'Gulf Alliance'. They were originally composed of fishermen and sailors living here, and later developed into an alliance of three city-states.

This is the political fringe of Giant Tree Hill and is still controlled by the Elf Court, but the humans here are more familiar with the Moon Elves on the other side of the mountain.

However, the moon elves ignored these humans and only occasionally traded some necessities with the trade teams they sent out. Over time, the two sides developed a superficial connection. Some unique magic items of the wild elves also flowed out from here, flowing to other places in the Giant Tree Hill, and even to the continent across the sea and sky.

The port where the Seven Seas Brigade is currently located - Perlachven, is the first of the three cities of the Gulf Alliance. It is generally considered by the outside world to be the capital of Candlelight Bay. Sailors call it the "Thousand Pillars Port" because of the basalt columns that rise and fall beside the port.

They arrived in February of the following year. The Seven Seas Storm entered the port silently, which did not cause as much sensation among the Moon Elves as it did, because although the Gray Plague was also spreading here, it was not as widespread as it was in Silverwind Harbor.

However, the sailors brought back news about Ravenrell in the north, so the locals also prepared and strengthened their defenses, ready to fight the enemies in the gray disaster. However, new news later came that the gray disaster seemed to have dissipated, leaving the locals a little confused for a while.

When they arrived, some people came to inquire about the situation in Silver Wind Harbor and the Elf Court. Fang He told them the truth about what happened after the disaster, and the other party looked obviously relieved.

Because they brought good news, they also received gifts - a salted shell, which the locals called "blood anchor". It is said that when food was scarce in the early days, sailors used this shell as currency. Of course, it has now become an ancient tradition.

He let Elisa taste it. It was so salty that Miss Nightingale wrinkled her face in disgust and rolled her eyes at him. "What is this?"

"Salt shellfish, blood anchor, these things are not tasty. Next time, don't just accept other people's food of unknown origin, sister."

Alice laughed so hard that she fell backwards. Her laughter sounded like a string of silver bells falling on the deck. "He is using you as a trial and error."

Elisa glared at him and Fang He smiled embarrassedly. He didn't think too much about it, it was just that this thing looked a little bit difficult to eat.

"Mr. Knight doesn't have that many thoughts." Miss Tata sat on the railing and spoke quietly in defense.

"I know, but don't protect him, Miss Tata." Alice knew Miss Longhun's details very well. "Mr. Ed may not think so much, but some people are born to be mean."

Alyssa originally planned to throw away the salt shells, but after thinking for a moment, she put them away and said, "I'll let Tianlan taste them later."

"Did Tianlan offend you again?" Fang He looked at the other person with some fear.

"I had a quarrel with her," said Miss Nightingale bluntly.

"why?"

"It's because of budget issues."

Fang He immediately kept silent. It seemed that the Seven Seas Brigade never had enough money to spend, even with investments from the Elf Court and the Mirror Temple.

Of course he knew who the culprit was. If he continued to talk about this topic, he would probably have a quarrel with Miss Nightingale.

Although he became the Son of God of the Temple of the Sun, Fang He understood that this position came too easily. The Master of the Mountain of Light could decide many things with a single word, but he could not decide people's hearts.

On the one hand, he was unwilling to be too deeply tied to the Temple of Mi Luo before he understood the risks behind it. Investment is also a kind of favor, and favors will also turn into responsibilities.

Because this was planned by Ms. Roman, he certainly couldn't refuse the favor of the Knights of the Ancient Order, but the strategy he planned was to let nature take its course and not take the initiative to get closer to Rotao.

Everyone else agreed with the idea.

Alice watched Alisa wrap the salted shellfish in cloth without revealing her thoughts. After the two sisters separated, they were no longer as close as they used to be.

They had spent the New Year in Roshar before. This was Fang Plover's fourth year in this world. He spent his first New Year in Kapka, then in Beikaolin, then to the Empire, and then here.

Before they knew it, the Seven Seas Brigade had already traveled to three floating continents, and he was no longer the ignorant boy he once was, but had grown into a mature young man and an outstanding captain.

Alice and Alisa stayed in this world longer, one for six years and the other for seven years. They saw the gorgeous fireworks in the fairyland, but they both recalled the time they spent in Listening to the Rain.

In the blink of an eye, all the people and things of the past seemed to have said goodbye.

However, Fang He and Tata did not find her mother there. The "Great Saint" went somewhere unknown, and she did not return to Heimwor.

Lolo and Miya set out from Silver Wind Harbor and headed for Corin-Ishurian. They agreed to meet again in half a year. Before Shang Wangyou took Miya away, he promised him that he would deal with everything as soon as possible.

He sent New Year greetings to his uncle, aunt, cousin, Ai Xiaoxiao and Miya respectively. Miya looked very calm on the other side of the screen.

She was at the outer sea of ​​the Silver Chain at that time and would soon arrive at Corin-Ishurian. She took out her terminal and took pictures of the sky and sea for him. The sea was pitch black on New Year's Day, with no starlight.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked Sister Shang to let you stay at Giant Tree Hill for the New Year." Fang He felt a little guilty.

"It's okay," Mia shook her head, "Xiaobai gives you my regards."

Fang He was stunned for a moment before he remembered who that was. He almost forgot that Bai Hua was Miya's younger brother, and the two of them were related to Bai Jia by blood.

Bai Jia also sent him New Year wishes, and asked him implicitly whether Miya was here. He told her the truth about her current situation.

That was originally the military's business.

"I'll take good care of her for you," Bai Jia breathed a sigh of relief. This troublesome sister had made her sleep poorly for a while. "Send her back to you as soon as possible."

She asked tentatively, "You and that ship officer?" "Sister Bai Jia, Miss Miya and I are just normal friends."

Bai Jia gave him a meaningful look and said, "As for matters concerning you young people, you should make your own judgment."

"Sister Bai Jia is also very young."

"Why, you are interested in me too."

Fang He wanted to go back to the past and annihilate the self who spoke without thinking, "That's not what I meant."

The beautiful lady on the other side of the screen laughed, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Happy New Year, little one."

As for his uncle and aunt, they seemed calmer, but were a little worried about him and repeatedly reminded him to be careful.

They seemed to be unaware of what had happened to Tang Xin, so Fang He thought about it and decided to keep the matter secret. Since Tang Xin didn't want to make them worry, he chose to acquiesce.

Besides, telling the two of them about this would not change the current situation, but would only make them scared in vain. The authorities should have been protecting their family in private, so he didn't have to worry too much about the safety of his uncle and aunt.

As for Tang Xin, she frankly admitted his thoughts, "Brother, I am now attending a military training camp. I definitely can't continue my studies. The situation has changed. I will go there to meet you as soon as possible."

Her voice was gentle, and rare and serious, just like the girl he protected when she was a child. Ever since she started calling him "pigeon" when she grew up, she hadn't called him brother for a long time.

Fang He seemed to have his softest spot touched. That was his precious sister. Although Shang Wangyou told him that she had performed outstandingly in that incident—

But in fact he understood that Tang Xin must have been scared at that time.

He only regretted that he was not there at that time. He had promised his uncle and aunt that he would protect his sister.

He nodded gently, "We'll talk about it after you get here."

"Don't tell mom and dad."

"I know."

Tang Xin smiled at him and said, "Thank you."

On the contrary, Ai Xiaoxiao was acting mischievous, as if she had completely forgotten about that incident and was extremely excited.

"You know, brother-in-law, I got a spot, too."

"Because of what happened, my parents can't object to me anymore, hehe."

"You have no idea. Tangtang was so amazing back then. Wow, she was just like a knight. If I were a princess, I would definitely marry her."

"Aren't you a princess, little one?"

"Wow, Sugar, you're eavesdropping!"

The two of them were screaming and fighting at the other side of the screen. Fang He smiled knowingly when he heard it. Unfortunately, the military's communication time was limited, and they only had time to wish each other well.

He also sent New Year greetings to Su Changfeng, Sophie, Miss Scarpe, Quirod, and even R and Shana.

There was no response from Su Changfeng. Sophie was probably carrying out a new mission. She did not show up, but after a while she sent him a text message:

"Happy New Year."

Even Qian, who was with her, sent a message. It seems that the two went to the second world together and are still together now.

He asked about the other party's recent situation, but Sophie told him that she was very busy recently and only had some free time during the New Year.

During the closed training period, the guild cut off her external communication channels, and she only got this information back after someone passed it on to her personal terminal.

However, now that he knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Silver Vislan was fine, he felt relieved.

Moreover, it seemed that the other party didn't quite know what happened in the first world. She was even a little surprised why the people in the guild gave her a personal terminal.

"Not everyone will give this face. Have you done anything in the First World recently?"

Fang He thought that he had done too much, and it seemed that Silver Vislan had also received the news.

But it was a long story, and he only promised to tell her next time he had the chance.

Sophie said it was a deal.

R and Shana also replied to the message. The latter just sent a general New Year's greeting, while R asked in detail about his recent situation.

Fang He was somewhat surprised that his teacher seemed to know his whereabouts very well and asked him where he had been after leaving Yinfeng Harbor.

This made him realize something immediately, "Teacher, have you returned to Ataria?"

R: "Hey, you're quick to react."

"Is this true?" Fang He was shocked. He knew that the other party was a retired player, also known as the Sky-breaking Swordsman.

He later looked up relevant information and found that all information about this title on the Internet had been deleted and blocked. Only through a few words of discussion did he realize that this name might be related to the second Covenant Hill incident.

He recalled that it seemed that it was at that time that he met R in the community and became his student by accident.

But this may not be surprising. What really surprised him was that he had never heard of a former professional player who left Star Gate being able to return to Ataria again.

Did the other party return as a tourist?

"That's true," R replied, "some changes have taken place in the Stargate, but for some reason I can't tell you directly."

"But it doesn't matter. You have close contact with the military, and they should tell you this information soon."

"In the end, you really didn't disappoint me, little guy."

R looked at the flickering light screen and smiled.

"To be honest, I never really agreed with it in the past - because I was returning from Ataria at that time, feeling depressed, and I just happened to meet an interesting little guy by chance."

"I was just in the mood at that time, but I didn't realize that I had accidentally picked up a pearl in the sand sea. To be honest, I am not a professional craftsman. Many of the things I taught you came from the suggestions of my companions."

"But even under such circumstances, you have still grown to where you are now. You shouldn't thank me, you should thank yourself, Ed."

"If you are still willing to call me teacher, then you are my student, Ed - Happy New Year."

Fang Yu was silent for a moment, then wrote:

"Happy New Year, teacher."

The dazzling glow is rising from the night sky.

R put away his personal terminal with a lazy smile. Shana looked at him in confusion, "What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing," R said with a smile, "There are many injustices in this world, but there are still people who are willing to believe in sincerity and beauty."

"nerve."

Fang He sent blessings to everyone he knew, including Ming and Bai Xue, as well as Halsey and Odin, Xishi and Ms. September.

Most people responded one by one, but there were a few IDs that he thought had been silent for a long time and would not respond this time either. He sent messages just out of habit.

But suddenly, he saw one of the IDs light up, with a line of Russian accurately marked on it, which was transliterated as follows:

Scape.

Fang He was stunned. After nearly two years of silence, Miss Scarpe finally sent him a reply again.

……