Pillars of Ita

The violet moonlight dyed the night sky, the first star was nailed on the sky, the huge shadow of the Seven Seas Storm covered the harbor, and the towering mast was like a wizard's spire, reflected in the silvery white clouds.

The landing point was chosen in the depression of Crescent Bay. The beach was covered with a layer of glowing blue moss. The poet lady stepped barefoot on the soft spots of light, and the seven-stringed feather harp tinkled. Luo Yu stood not far away, with the Holy Staff of the Sun's Death lying beside him. There were several crabs of the genus Feather Crab under the reef, with feathers under their large claws, which was one of the typical characteristics of the Sky Island crabs.

"Now I want to tell the story of the stars, how they nailed their light to the curtains of the night." Tianlan went crazy, and then amused herself, laughing so hard that her laughter penetrated the forest and startled a few parrots. The air was filled with the strong smell of spices. The sailors set up pots. White cardamom and phoenix eye peppers could be seen everywhere in the jungle. The island was rich in resources and rarely visited. They even hunted a Drakirim peccary with typical spotted features and weighed 80 kilograms. The sailors removed the hair and gutted it with boiling water, roasted half of it, and used the other half to make soup.

The chef was Marigold, a fellow countryman of the poet lady. She was tasting the soup with a spoon, adding carrots, onions and sea salt one by one. She turned around to look for other ingredients in the box that could be used. Ian and Forest Praise sneaked over, eagerly taking out pieces of meat from the box to taste, and commented:
"Marigold, you should add some mushrooms to your soup."

"Don't touch my stew pot!" The blonde female wizard was peeling potatoes with a knife. Next to the chopping board was a pile of pickled meat barrels that were turned out from the cabin. She picked up a meat fork and ran over. The two of them quickly fled.

Fang He knelt on one knee at the edge of the tide line. The high tide in the empty sea was not as dangerous as the real intertidal zone, but the cloud waves would still cause some trouble. He pushed up his goggles, his fingertips touched some claw-like grooves on the beach, and turned his head: "Alyssa, what do you think?"

Miss Nightingale half-knelt immediately, her leather armor straps tightening her shoulders. "It's not a bird... It looks like a saurischian dinosaur, with two feet on the ground, a stride of three meters, and a shoulder height of at least two and a half meters."

The main island is about 60 square kilometers in size, with multiple layers of vertical ecology. There are large herbivorous biological groups on the island, and naturally there are also upper predators. Ancient creatures that have become extinct on Earth are not uncommon in Etalia. Although they may not be relatives of the former, at least the difference in morphology is not big.

Fang Plovers had seen dragons similar to the Dromaeosauridae in El Pahin, so it was not surprising to see them here.

"Maybe it's a giant sea turtle coming ashore to lay eggs."

Alice sat on the chalky coral reef, somewhat unfazed by the tension between the two.

"Unless this turtle is more than a man tall."

Perhaps realizing that her previous assumption was a bit too perfunctory, Alice added, "So what is it, a velociraptor?"

She swung her legs, the heels of her boots tapping rhythmically on the rock.

Alisa was somewhat helpless about her sister's ignorance. "They are not that big. They look more like theropods. Allosaurus?"

"Crocodylus." Fang He had already come to the conclusion that the dinosaurs of Etalia were mostly related to true dragons and were completely different from the ecology on Earth.

Ordinary people like to distinguish them by their appearance and give them familiar names, but in fact they have a special genus in Etalia - sub-dragons. This is a genus of dragons, which is actually very different from real dinosaurs. It is better to say that the two have no blood relationship at all except for the convergent evolution of appearance.

But he couldn't help but frown, thinking of the conversation with the Dragon Queen Alessa during the day. Since that time, the lady appeared on the deck for a short while and then she was never seen again.

This island has many secrets buried in its long history.

In the days before the Green City came to Ataria, and perhaps before the Númerin elves had even established their empire in the forest, and before the Two Sacred Trees cast shade over the entire Sea of ​​Clouds, the bones of this giant beast were already exposed in the Sea of ​​Faults.

The sub-dragon creatures living here also proved this point. The last time they saw these dragon creatures was in El Pashin. The well-known Fanna Forest is also closely related to the ancient dragons. The mountains to the north of there are called the Dragon Roar Mountains.

It was once the place where the dragon wings were shielded.

The Dragon Witch flew across the sea of ​​clouds to Dolifen, and her soul finally rested there. She had lingered there more than once in her lifetime, mostly to explore the secrets of the place.

But most of the secrets under the elf ruins have been revealed now. In order to fight for the ancient heritage, the Rainbow Alliance and the descendants of Flor had fought a great battle there. It was also the beginning of his many journeys afterwards.

Although it is only thousands of miles away from home, this island also has a similar wonderful ecology.

Fang He couldn't help but look back in that direction. The canyon under the moonlight blocked the huge dragon bone on the other side. The main island was silent under the night, and mountains of different shapes grew in the forest.

“But there’s no need to worry too much.” Alice clapped her hands and jumped down from the reef. “As long as we arrange the manpower properly, those predators won’t cause any trouble.”

Fang He nodded. The sub-dragon feather-crowned dragon was only about level 30 or 40 and lived alone. As a wild beast, it was no match for the Chosen Ones of the same level. And generally speaking, predators would not actively charge into a crowd.

The parts removed from the Seven Seas Storm were spread out on the shallows. Lark, Pasha and others were evaluating which parts were worth repairing and which parts needed to be completely replaced.

The moonlight pressed on those cold machines like a piece of cold iron. The two-meter-long crack on the left side of the main magic engine was particularly clear at this moment—new scratches spread from around the rivet holes, like a broken mirror.

The mirror reflected the lark's frowning brows.

The port side magic engine cover was open, the surface of the heat pipe was covered with elemental crystals. The moonlight climbed over the twisted copper blades, weaving a shadow between the gear sets.

As an assistant mage, Leila was holding a notebook and recording the damage to the main magic engine.

“If it really can’t be repaired, just give up.”

Fang He walked over and said to the three of them. "But, Master," Pasha couldn't help but say, "there are no spare parts for the main magic engine."

They had just held a meeting before disembarking and agreed on plans for the next few days, but even though the plans had been made, the Seven Seas Storm might not be able to move.

"Then we'll wait for the Seven Seas Silver Coin to come over and join us. Luo Hao and the others will bring materials to repair the ship."

Fang He glanced at the scrapped main engine and said, "There are still small boats on the Seven Seas Storm. The main island of Drakirim is less than 120 miles away from here. We can send an advance team to sail along the islands and conduct some reconnaissance there first."

He had already decided on the personnel for the advance team. Apart from the sailors, they didn't need too many. He, Alyssa, Catherine and Luo Yu were enough. The others could stay here for now.

But at this moment, Fang He caught a glimpse of a figure. It was Olivia from the White Tree Society. The bachelor lady was walking towards this direction alone, with her hands folded in front of her, and bowed to him:
"Ed, can you go for a walk with me?"

Fang He was slightly stunned.

"There's still a lot of time before dinner, and I want to explore the surrounding area," Olivia had already taken the initiative to express her intention. "After all, the Fountain of Youth could appear on any island in the Turbulent Zone. There's no need to go deep into the island. There might be some clues around."

Fang He couldn't help but look towards the mountain not far away. He was actually a little curious. Alyssa was about to say something, but Fang He turned around and told her:

"Alyssa, you stay here and look after the camp."

"What about the others?"

"I'm enough on my own," Fang He interrupted her, "Miss Olivia just needs someone to protect her. We won't stray too far from the camp."

Elisa frowned and looked at him suspiciously. She had a lot to say, but after thinking for a while, she didn't say it out loud. In the end, she just nodded silently.

"Thank you." Olivia thanked both of them, but it was unclear whether she was thanking Fang He or her.

Alisa didn't comment or even reply to her.

Another Miss Nightingale watched this scene with great interest. When the two walked away, she teased, "This lady seems to be provoking you——"

"Larguable."

"Hey, I'm doing this for your own good," Alice was overjoyed. "Silly sister, if you like someone, you should take the initiative."

Miss Nightingale turned around and rolled her eyes at her sister, "What do you know?"

Her opponent is not her opponent.

"Indeed," Alice nodded, "your two opponents are much stronger than this lady, but I thought you would stop them."

Alisa hesitated for a moment before saying:
"He's the captain."

Although she seemed to be sharp-tongued, there was only one person in the team who could really make the decision. At that time before, she understood the look in Fang He's eyes.

In the woods, Fang He seemed somewhat silent.

He looked back at Olivia, who seemed to be observing her surroundings, and had almost forgotten the last time they were so alone.

When he was in Kapka, he also accompanied her to do some field research, which was called work, but in fact it was almost like traveling. They encountered some troubles during the journey from one town to another, which could be regarded as a short adventure.

They had met many people and come into contact with many things at that time. In his impression, the other party was a polite but lively girl, which was very different from the current situation.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Olivia looked in that direction, her eyes reflecting the starlight in the forest, like a crescent moon, and she smiled at him.

But in the girl's heart, two voices are fighting:
"See, all men are the same. If you use any tricks, they will follow you in a daze. Without that annoying Nightingale, there will be a good opportunity next." But Olivia was not in a hurry. Instead, she smiled slightly. "But Ed is different. I can bet with you that if you think this is an opportunity, you can give it a try."

"If that's not the case, then why did you bring him out alone? To relive the old times?"

"He and I don't have that kind of relationship." The girl shook her head. "I'm not lying. I came out just to investigate the situation around me."

"Do you really think your goal is the Fountain of Youth?"

"At least that's one of the purposes," Olivia replied, "Don't you want to go back too? As for your purpose, I can give you my body if you really want to give it a try."

The voice fell silent, and after a long while it asked, "Really?"

"I never lie, you know."

The square plover was parting a cluster of leaves. The jungle ecology on the island was very different. The tall trees formed a vertical ecological layer. Some starlight could still be seen at the edge of the camp, but the deeper you went inside, the darker it became.

Clusters of huge, curly roots hang down from the forest floor, covered with fluorescent ferns, but most of them are not so easy to deal with. The predatory plants use light to lure flying insects into traps.

He was turning back to ask the girl: "Miss Olivia, what do you want to investigate? How much do you know about the Fountain of Eternal Life in this area?"

Olivia nodded slightly, "Ed, most of what the Sons of the Bay said is true. They didn't lie to you."

"The legend of the Fountain of Youth is closely related to the curse of Sergios. Throughout history, it has saved the city-states of the Gulf from danger many times."

"But the origin of the curse itself is confusing. Most of your guesses are correct. Ser Gios' curse is actually related to blood magic."

"The source of the curse is in this turbulent belt in the fault sea, located on the many islands in the Giant's Foot in the north of the Red Whirlpool. It appeared with Vol-Salastiel and disappeared with him, with a cycle of thirty years."

"There were traces of blood magic on these islands," Olivia narrated softly, "so as long as we find them, we can probably determine the true whereabouts of the Fountain of Youth."

Fang He lit up a fluorescent crystal and asked the clockwork fairy to hang it up and fly in front, like a firefly.

He turned around and reached out to pull Olivia from behind. In this dense forest of tangled bushes, the bachelor lady was truly fragile.

"How are we going to find them?"

Fang Plover asked.

He knew that the White Tree Society must have other intentions in asking Olivia to come and look for the Fountain of Youth, but no matter what the intention was, Olivia must be quite familiar with this place.

Otherwise the Sons of the Gulf would not have allowed her to travel with them. As this was an emergency, they would have found someone else who was familiar with the legends to show them the way.

The rulers of Perlachven trust Olivia very much, which means they also know that this young lady probably understands the environment behind the turbulent layer better than they do.

Without her, their only hope would be Catherine, but he had asked Catherine in the afternoon, and the pirate lady didn't know much about Vor-Salastir.

This is understandable.

After all, if she really knew so much, she would have gone alone to find the Overlord Port and the secrets behind it.

Olivia answered irrelevantly, "We are almost there."

Fang He couldn't help but look in that direction.

The two men passed through the dense forest and gradually moved upwards. The woodland in the distance had become sparse, and when they looked outside, they found that they had reached the top of the canyon.

They gradually walked out of the bushes and saw the bay they had passed during the day. A huge skeleton protruded from the cliff, bathed in the quiet moonlight.

Fang He looked at the tall bone bridges and turned around to look at Olivia with some surprise. "Miss Olivia, are these what you want to see?"

The girl nodded slightly.

"Do you know them?"

Fang He shook his head, and Alessa told him that there was a similar aura among those skeletons, but they might not be the skeletons of a giant dragon.

"Those are 'their' bones," Olivia said, "One of the dragons of Ataria roamed here and rests in this place."

Seeing that Fang He remained silent, she asked again, "Mr. Ed, do you know the origin of the blood source spell?"

Fang He shook his head again.

"The blood in the blood spell actually refers to dragon blood," Olivia said, "After drinking dragon blood, mortals will gradually go crazy and lose their minds, and eventually turn into monsters like them."

"The 'they' here do not refer to the dragons that people are familiar with," she turned around, "but the names in history."

The enemy that has passed away will surely return;

The fire of Venus, falling into dust.

That was the mad blood of the dark dragon. After the mortals drank their fill of the dragon's blood, they swore an oath, held five swords, and finally disappeared into the long river of history.

One of them went to Lotao.

They became the ancestors of the Shuyan Oath Court, but after so many years, the oaths they swore had long been forgotten, and the source of the crazy blood had become a harsh form of punishment.

The Oath of Flame in the Pivot Flame Oath Court is the Golden Flame of the Dragon and the commandments of the Golden Flame Ring.

After listening to Olivia's description, Fang He realized that there was such a history behind the blood magic, and then he understood what the curse that was spreading in the bay was.

Dragon blood curse.

He had witnessed the tragedy of the Dragon Witch in Idus and had met Mazak, the master of Traveler's Rest, so he naturally knew what Olivia was talking about.

Dragon blood can turn people into monsters, or even cause them to shed their human bodies and become true dark dragons. Such a tragedy once happened in Corin-Ishurian, and what happened in the Gulf region was just a weakened version of it.

A less pure dragon blood is turning people into monsters, causing them to lose their minds, bleed from all seven orifices and die, eventually turning into the walking corpse.

This is exactly the same tragedy that the big cat man's sister experienced.

The curse of the Gulf region is actually another variant of the blood spell of the Pivotal Flame Oath Court. The two are of the same origin, so they have such similar manifestations.

But the problem is-

What is the Fountain of Youth and why can it lift the dragon blood curse?

And there is a huge dragon bone here. Alessa said that there is the breath of a dark dragon here. What happened in this fault sea area south of the bay in the past?
Why are Vor-Salastir and the Fountain of Youth in this place, and how are they related to the spreading curse and the root of the blood magic?

Fang He couldn't help but look at Olivia. The bachelor lady obviously knew all this, but why did she suddenly tell him this now?

But what he saw was a pair of cold eyes. The tenderness in those eyes was gone, leaving only dark shadows.

The swirling shadow seemed to be about to swallow him up in the next moment.

"I'll tell you why."

"But before that, dear Mr. Dragon Alchemist," the girl said to him in a tone that was not like a human voice, "please become my slave first!"

...(End of chapter)