Pillars of Ita

"The Danzhou ship sent back news that the Salt Bone Fleet is indeed patrolling in the north and seems to be confronting the pirates. They also said that the pirates have been behaving very abnormally recently and are gathering together, and they may be making some big moves."

In order to ensure that the intelligence provided by the Sons of the Gulf was reliable, Fang He asked Elisa to send a message to the fleet mentioned by Su Changfeng. Unexpectedly, the other party actually replied.

The reply letter not only gave the exact location of the Salt Bone Fleet, but also informed them of the pirates' movements. Fang He took the reply letter from Miss Nightingale and read it for a moment.

There was a moment of silence in the captain's room.

The Seven Seas Storm was in a stable stratum. The wooden lamp stand on the ceiling was shaking slightly. The light of the candle was reflected on the nautical chart. The pencil was rolling from one side to the other and passing the edge of the Volaticus Islands.

Fang He placed his thick gloves on the nautical chart, took the pencil, held it up and drew a line on it, then stared at that position in a daze for a while.

Elisa's eyes also fell on that line. "The pirates are gathering towards the turbulent layer. Is it the Saltbone Fleet that is blocking them?" she asked in surprise.

The Navy would be well aware of the relationship between the Seven Seas Storm and Catherine, so they naturally also understood the grudge between this legendary female pirate and the Blood Shark Pirates.

'They' kidnapped the pirate king by mistake in the Fleet Islands. Although he finally escaped in the fog, for some reason, Balosha did not seem to return to his Blood Shark Pirates.

But in any case, the Blood Shark Pirates had old grudges against them, and at the instigation of the Imperials, they launched a revenge attack on them in the Volaticus Islands.

But now it seems that the problem is more complicated than imagined.

Fang He tapped the table with the tip of his pen, thinking - the pirates they met in Volaticus seemed to be just a coincidence:
Judging from the information provided by the navy, the pirates had acted earlier than they had arrived, but the Saltbone Fleet blocked their way and prevented them from moving south.

That's why the pirates took the route through Volaticus. The local pirates of Volaticus were just the vanguard of this pirate fleet, and then they happened to run into the Seven Seas Brigade.

"But how did they know we would be there?" Elisa couldn't help asking, "We are clearly encountering spies from the Empire."

"Don't forget the people from the Pivot Flame Oath Court," Fang He's thoughts became more and more meticulous. "According to what those pirates said, it was the people from the Pivot Flame Oath Court who sold our information to them."

He gradually connected the whole thing together. There was no doubt that the Empire was behind this matter. It was the Imperials who lumped the Blood Shark Pirates together with the local pirates of Volaticus.

The other party seemed to be preparing to carry out a plan in the turbulent zone.

But what exactly is this plan?
If it wasn't Vor-Sarastil, then could it be related to the Fountain of Youth? This also seemed to indirectly prove the attitude of the Port of Perlachven and the Saltbone Fleet.

But Fang He couldn't imagine why the imperial people would fight for a mere fountain of youth. The fountain of destiny was not as effective as the legends said.

If it can lift the curse, then what does this curse have to do with the Imperials?
He thought along this line of thought, and the Seven Seas Brigade just happened to arrive in Perahvan at this time and entered the vision of some people.

But when they arrived?

Or is it when the Seven Seas Storm leaves the port?
Fang He couldn't help but think again of the armed merchant ship of the Shuyanshiting in Qianzhu Harbor - the other party left the port before them.

About seven or eight hours later, they encountered the pirates' spies.

In terms of time, if the pirates' fleet was already in the area of ​​Volaticus at that time, then the reaction time of seven or eight hours would not be fast for the other side, but slow.

But if you take into account the time it takes to deliver the message, it's just right.

He couldn't help but frowned slightly. If his logic was correct, then what role did the Shuyan Oath Court play in this?

Why would the other party pass on news about them to the pirates?

Assuming that the Triumvirate had long been in collusion with the Imperials, and that the Rotaos and Osshus had secretly formed an alliance, that would explain why the Triumvirate's fleet also appeared in the turbulent layer.

"Ed, maybe it's a curse," Alyssa suddenly said, "Don't forget that Sergios' curse is related to blood magic, and the birthplace of blood magic -"

It is the Shuyan Oath Court.

The deck shook slightly, which meant that the Seven Seas Storm might have approached the edge of the continent. The changes in the flow belt were monotonous, and complex meteorological conditions only appeared near the edge of the continent.

Fang He reached out to hold onto the drawing table and asked:

"But blood magic has long been extinct in Lothal. Are you saying that the Imperials and the Primus came here for this purpose?"

"I'm not sure, but I think this is the only possibility." Elisa replied, "But it is not ruled out that their target is also Vor-Salastir."

“But it still comes back to the key question.”

Fang He glanced at Miss Nightingale, and they both seemed silent for a moment.

If the Imperials and the Rotaos formed an alliance, then who would attack the Primus and the Empire?

Is there a force in this foggy sea that can defeat the combined fleets of the Primus, the Empire, and the Pirates?
If this fleet was neither the Saltbone Fleet nor from Corin-Ishurian, and the Hill of the Giant Tree had just suffered a heavy blow.

Fang He really couldn't imagine that there was a fourth force in the First World that could accomplish this. It couldn't be the Lizardman fleet?

But all the fleets of the Grand Council are currently engaged in a decisive battle with the Oshurs and are currently at a disadvantage. They should not be able to ambush another fleet in this place.

"Master, the Sons of the Gulf obviously know something," Alyssa suddenly said, "They stopped the pirates and took the initiative to involve us who were unaware of the situation."

"And the people of the Pivotal Flame Oath Court obviously learned the news in advance, so they passed our information to the Imperials," she said.

"So, there is the whole story before this."

Fang Yu pondered for a moment after hearing this.

He looked out the window—the Seven Seas Storm left a long wake in the clouds, and there was a distinct fishy smell in the air.

That's the smell of salt crystals.

Salt is not widely available in the empty sea of ​​Etalia, and people cannot make salt from it, but the situation in the bay is special.

Due to the existence of the rheosphere, the wind veil layer will precipitate a large amount of salt crystals from the lower layer of the elemental layer, and sometimes even form salt islands in the empty sea.

The Salt-Bone Fleet got its name from this. Salt industry is an important industry in the Gulf region and the economic lifeline of the three cities of Qianzhu Port.

The Sons of the Gulf consider the turbulent layer south of the Gulf to be their territory, and perhaps this is why the Saltbone Fleet prevented the pirates from moving south.

But the Empire obviously didn't come for this little thing.

"It doesn't matter, actually." Fang He shook his head slightly. After all, they didn't completely trust the Sons of the Gulf.

The cooperation between the two parties is just to get what they need. He replied: "After all, our goal is to find the fountain of youth."

Then, traces of the port of Wo-Salastir were discovered.

However, once the fountain of youth is found, making an offer to the other party is another matter, since the basis for fairness in the transaction between the two parties no longer exists.

If the Son of the Gulf wants to get the Fountain of Youth, he can, but the price is another matter.

But now it seems that they were lucky to have encountered that storm.

Fang He suddenly realized that his premonition was accurate.

The Seven Seas Brigade was not aware at that time that the pirate fleet was in Volaticus. If it had not been for the storm that happened to come, they might have run headfirst into the pirates' encirclement.

If they had taken shelter in the port of Nimbel-Cetus and waited out the storm, they might have encountered the same situation.

Fortunately, they made the right decision at that time - to sail through the storm, which should be enough to satisfy the two ladies.

Maybe the lady of the storm, Youbulaya, wasn't angry at them, but was doing them a big favor.

This bought them valuable time.

The key next is how they should make good use of the extra two days.

Originally they planned to meet up with the big cat people first, but now it seems that the plan has to change.

Luo Hao set out from the port of Nimber-Cetus, which also meant that the storm had dissipated, and they might arrive in the turbulent layer at the same time as the pirates.

That would be too passive for the Seven Seas Storm and not in line with his aesthetics.

"Alyssa, ask Ms. Catherine to come over," Fang He suddenly threw the pencil in his hand back on the table and said, "I have something to ask her."

……

On the other hand, although it might not be possible to wait to reunite with the Shining Silver Coin, the Seven Seas Storm's top priority right now was to stop for repairs.

This is not a calm sea. The climate in the turbulent zone is complex and changeable. The next storm may come at any time. And this warship converted from an old merchant ship may not be able to withstand the next test.

Not to mention the storm, a sudden crosswind could completely shut down a magic engine that has been overloaded for a long time.

Although overhauling the engine is not a complicated task and can be done by Lark, Pasha and several military craftsmen, the prerequisite is to find a quiet place.

Fortunately, they did not stray too far from their course.

In the afternoon, the lookout saw the first piece of land through the clouds - a long chain of islands broke through the clouds and stretched across the front of the sailboat.

That kind of bridge-like island chain has a specific name in the fault airspace in the south of the continent:

The bridge of the continent.

These island chains, which look like broken land bridges and collapsed towers, can be found everywhere in the turbulent layer. The bard has a vivid metaphor for them - the Giant's Stairs.

And from the perspective of geographical terminology, they are indeed called the Steps of Heaven.

In contrast to the Pearl Island Chain and the Stairs of the Sea in the Second World.

However, this is only the edge of the turbulent layer, and most of the land bridges here are just broken "fragments" and do not actually point to the sea area where the Heavenly Steps are located.

During the Age of Discovery, explorers conducted in-depth explorations of the fault seas and eventually discovered a total of twelve land bridges that could lead to the door to the world.

These twelve continental bridges are the real stairs to heaven, while the others can only be called giants’ toes.

The one in front of them was actually the Toe of Drakirim, one of the island chains located in the north of the Red Vortex.

It is also known as the Drakirim Island Chain.

With Ian's reminder on the watchtower, Fang He raised the telescope in his hand and compared the shapes of the island chains, and he already had a rough idea in his mind.

This should be the northeastern edge of the Drakirim Islands. The northernmost island is called Mmukur Island, which means the place where the halberd was broken in the local language.

Although the name is a bit unlucky, it is because the locals regard the whales above the empty sea as the halberd of the Storm Lady.

Therefore, the place where the enemy failed can be called the Whale Sinking Bay. There is a whale tomb under the bay there.

Fang Plover returned to the nautical chart and drew a circle at this place with a compass.

This place is about a day and a half's sail from Rust Time Bay, and the fleet of the Central Flame Oath Court passed by this place not long ago.

Although there was still a possibility of running into Imperials and Rotaos in this place, he could not guarantee that the fleet of the Primus had definitely left the turbulent layer or was still staying in this area - but that bay was a natural anchorage.

It was also the closest place they could find to dock.

The Seven Seas Storm was slowly approaching the land bridge.

The legendary Giant's Toe finally revealed its true appearance - seven emerald floating islands gathered in the shape of claws, and under each island grew an inverted mountain range that pierced the clouds.

Lush vegetation hangs down from the edge of the island, revealing the cliffs below covered with spiral patterns formed by wind erosion. Straits are formed between the islands, and the Seven Seas Storm is slowly sailing in the canyon.

The seven islands rose one after another like piano keys, with milky white clouds floating on them, forming a layer of colloid. The sailors believed that it was the spirit of the gray whale that dissipated after its death, but in fact it was just an elemental substance.

Tianlan and Alice were taking pictures on the deck. A huge whale bone was exposed from the rock wall, forming a crescent-shaped dome.

They had to look up high to capture the entire picture of the skeletons.

The corpses of that kind of giant beast are everywhere here, but they obviously do not belong to the cloud gray whale. The floating island whales in the second world cannot grow to such a large size.

It was most likely some unknown sea beast. Such giant beasts were not uncommon in the fault sea area. It was obvious that it was not just the whales that used this place as a cemetery.

They also saw gray whales. A group of gray whales were swimming under the floating island, but they obviously did not intend to stay here and soon disappeared in the distance.

Passing through the graveyard of this giant beast is the calm anchorage, located in a verdant bay and a natural haven.

But the bay is very small, and ships like the Seven Seas Storm can only accommodate two. Fang He looked around the place and felt relieved.

There must be people on the Imperial and the Primus' ships who are familiar with this sea area. They should not bring the two fleets to this place.

This anchorage cannot accommodate the Imperial fleet.

The Seven Seas Storm lowered the sampan and prepared to land on the island to see the situation there. The Seven Seas Storm would have to stay here for at least a day, not only to inspect the magic engine, but also to repair the planks.

If possible, they would be able to replenish some ship repair materials on the island and find out whether there are any dangers on the shore.

When the Seven Seas Storm stopped, Fang He actually saw an unexpected person on the deck - Dragon Queen Alessa.

The latter was looking up at the skeletons, with a hint of interest in his golden eyes, a little incredible, but also a little excited.

"Those are dragon bones," Alessa suddenly turned around and said to him, "I am familiar with the smell of those huge bones."

Fang He looked in that direction and was not surprised. The "dragon" was the most powerful creature in this world above the sky and sea.

When they were alive, they were the most powerful creatures between heaven and earth, and after death, they could sign contracts with mortals with the power of their souls alone.

Let the dragon's knight become the master of the sky.

All the efforts of mortals are just to compete with these natural creatures. Their innate affinity with elements and magic is the eternal pursuit of mortals.

Because of this, many powerful creatures in this world are actually related to "dragons", and the floating island whales in the second world also have the blood of dragons.

Most of the giant beasts in the sea are their descendants, some have pure blood, while some have mixed blood, that's all.

However, Fang He was somewhat curious that Alessa was not a dragon born and bred in this world, but came from another world.

That green world.

In this world, people really call them the Dark Dragons, the enemies of the past. It was they and the giants who swept in and destroyed the era of the Numelin elves.

"In your world," Fang He couldn't help but ask curiously, "is there a connection between your world and the giant dragons in our world?"

"Strictly speaking," Alessa replied, "this is not your world either. As far as I know, there are no creatures like dragons in your world."

Fang He nodded. This was indeed the case if the Earth behind the star gate was included.

"Dragons are special beings in the world dominated by Ita," Alessa replied, "They are beings related to eternity."

"In our bloodline memories, before the world was born, there was already such a giant dragon between heaven and earth," she said, "that was the world itself."

"It was Ita who tamed it and made the evil dragon bow its head, so this world was born. This is your creation myth."

"And precisely because of this, we are born as the blood of this world, fragments of the world's will." Alessa stretched out her hand and gestured with her metal fingertips, "Therefore, elements and magic are just parts of us."

"But that's just a legend, Lady Alessa."

In that legend, mortals prayed to dragons for strength and eternal life.

This is where the Dragon Cultists come from.

But in history, no one has ever truly achieved eternity, no emperor has ever been immortal, and even the dragons themselves died in that war.

Fang He knew that what Alessa was talking about was actually the belief of the Dragon Cult. They worship dragons and believe that dragons are everything in this world.

Alyssa didn't deny it either, and it was obvious that she might not necessarily look down on those poor creatures.

"Indeed, but once you pass through that star gate, on this side of the world, in every world with dragons, there are certain commonalities between dragons."

"You have also seen Tolagatos and the end of the brass dragon Ravenriel. A good dragon can eventually degenerate into a dark dragon because their essences are the same."

She took one last look at the giant skeleton and said, "That is also a dark dragon."

Fang He was slightly startled, and looked at the huge skeleton on the cliff in disbelief. The flowing wind and clouds had left marks on the skeleton, and it must have been tens of thousands of years.

And before it rested here, greenness might not have even been born.

...(End of chapter)