Pillars of Ita

After she finished speaking, a pair of cold hands clamped Fang He's hands, and the strength was so strong that it didn't seem like the gentle and elegant bachelor lady at ordinary times. She raised her head, hoping to see a trace of panic in Fang He's eyes, but to Olivia's disappointment, she only saw a pair of eyes that were too calm.

Fang He's eyes appeared calm in the moonlight, as if he had expected this scene. With anger in his eyes, he stared at the dark gaze, as if trying to find the shadow of the girl he was familiar with.

He let Olivia grab his hands without resisting. Olivia was slightly startled, but she didn't care about that at this time. Black flames rose on her jade-like skin under the moonlight. The flames rose higher and higher, forming a shadow that swallowed the light. It was like a human figure, rising from Olivia's head, crossing the distance between the two of them, and pounced towards Fang He.

Fang He let the shadow cover him. The black flame had no temperature, but rather was a little cold. Then an even colder and more sinister will seeped into his spiritual world. He heard a hideous laugh. The voice did not belong to Olivia, but was still a woman's, with a sharp and thin tone.

But the woman's hideous smile suddenly stopped, and turned into horror: "What's in your consciousness!?" She screamed hideously and saw a spark born between the shadows.

Mars slowly fell into the center of the shadow like a speck of dust. When it arrived, she saw a pair of wings that covered the sky and a pair of golden eyes opened from the darkness.

A beam of dragon flame pierced her body like a sharp sword, causing her to scream. She finally felt frightened and retreated out of Fang He's body in a panic.

The black flame detached from Fang He's skin in an instant and rose back into the air. She circled in the air for half a circle, trying to return to Olivia's body.

But a giant dragon stood between her and Olivia. The woman saw the metal claws, the azure light revealed between the cracked chest, and the skull-like face with a pair of red-glowing mechanical eyeballs embedded in the deep eye sockets. It was lowering its head and looking down at her condescendingly.

"Dragon Queen...Mar...Garita..." Her voice almost crackled in the cold wind at the top of the canyon, as if her soul would fly away at any time.

She finally remembered the traitor who was sealed in the metal body, the legend circulated among the dark dragons, the name that could not be mentioned.

But it should obviously not be sealed under the Thousand Spears of the Pillar of Stars, so why is it here?
"Call me Alessa."

The Dragon Queen said coldly.

The pale-faced girl sat on a rock behind her, looking at the shadow lady in the air with some irony. Her eyes seemed to have returned to the familiar look that Fang He was familiar with, lively and cunning.

After seeing this, the woman finally realized that she had been fooled. Olivia's teasing look was like uncovering a shameful scar, making her even more angry and ashamed.

She clearly remembered the other person's words:
"He is different from the others. I can make a bet with you. If you don't believe it, you can try it yourself."

Now it seems that it was not just sharp words, but a trap. She jumped into it willingly without knowing it and was sold out by the other party.

But she was more confused and even a little bewildered - how did they get connected?

She was watching her every move, every thought, every word, and there was no chance for her to convey any information to these people.

"But talking isn't the only way to convey information," Olivia replied, as if she had guessed what the black cloud was thinking. "The more you talk, the more you explain. Too much is as bad as too little, and it will reveal your true thoughts."

"I just believe that Ed knows me very well and knows what I want, so he will be more aware of the anomalies."

She smiled weakly, "That's all."

"You guys..." The voice sounded like it wanted to say something unpleasant, but her upbringing prevented her from saying it, and in the end she could only swallow her anger.

She was still looking for a chance to escape. It was impossible to control the girl again, and returning to Fang He's body was even more impossible, as there was something more terrifying than the Dragon Queen in his body.

But at this moment, she saw Fang He took out a silver box, but Olivia stopped him, "Ed, don't kill her."

Fang He was slightly startled, and the black shadow took the opportunity to fly up, wanting to fly high into the sky and escape, but Alessa just snorted coldly and froze her along with the space.

Fang He looked up at the frozen space and the black fog in it, then looked at Olivia, wanting to ask for her opinion from her eyes.

Just as Olivia said, her proactive behavior on the ship was in no way like what a bachelor lady should have done in the past, and those repeated actions made him suspicious.

But what really made him certain was the conversation in the storm. Olivia told him that they had different paths. He longed for the sea of ​​clouds, while she longed for knowledge.

She would never say that she envied the path he was taking. The bachelor lady appeared weak on the outside, but was determined on the inside. Before leaving Kapka, she had invited him to go on an adventure with her, but Olivia had firmly refused.

After that, she returned to the White Tree Society.

How could such a person show such a weak side?

Then, during the brief opportunity today, he confirmed the characteristics of the Shadow Man from the Dragon Queen. In his impression, only the Shadow Man could control and dominate the consciousness of others and disguise himself as someone familiar to them.

But Alessa's advice to him was simple:
You can give them a try.

Others may fear them, but not you.

Fang He had some doubts in his heart, but he finally chose to trust her. That was why he had the previous scene, where he deliberately sent Alyssa away to give her a chance to be alone.

He didn't expect that this shadow was so gullible and he was fooled. With Alessa as his backing, he didn't believe that these creatures, who also came from the world of death, could cause any waves.

"Her name is Eleusis," Olivia said, "She is the niece of Duke Hawke. Her mother is Duke Hawke's sister, the former queen of the Oshur people."

Fang He was almost confused for a moment before he remembered who Duke Hawke was, the owl eagle with whom he had crossed paths in the Oshur Empire. He had thought at that time that he would fight against the other party and the Seven Wizard Families, but he did not expect that the series of events ended abruptly because of the stabbing of the Duke, and it even seemed a bit anticlimactic.

Later, he experienced a series of events in the empire. Over time, the grievances between him and the Seven Wizards became secondary conflicts. The final breakup in the Holy King's Hall directly pushed him and the Seven Seas Brigade to the opposite side of the empire. By this time, the Duke of Owl Eagle had completely become a word of the past.

But Fang He suddenly realized something. Duke Hawke's sister married the Emperor of the Ossuaries. Although the Queen was deposed after the assassination, the original owner of this black shadow must be the eldest daughter of the magic king.
A flash of inspiration flashed through his mind - they had encountered two Imperial warships for inspection in the Volaticus Islands, and those two Imperial warships did not open fire on them because they seemed to be in a hurry to search for the whereabouts of something.

Fang He couldn't help but look at the black shadow in the air. At this time, Alessa had already released the ban on her, but Eleusis obviously knew that she could not escape, so she didn't try again for a while.

"The person the Empire is looking for is this lady," Olivia continued, "She escaped from the Empire in two ships and came to this place, but disappeared not long after."

"She disappeared because she ordered the two ships to be sunk, secretly killed everyone on board, and then transformed into a shadow person and came to the White Tree Society."

"And she came to you?"

Olivia nodded. "It was just a coincidence that I met this lady. It just happened that we were both investigating the legend related to the Fountain of Youth. She needed a body, so she chose me."

Fang He was a little confused. From what he had seen, the shadow man would devour the consciousness of the original owner, but Eleusis and Olivia seemed more like a symbiotic relationship.

Because of this, she had the opportunity to warn him in a special way. And Eleusis had her own identity in this world, so how could she become a shadow person? Could it be that the top leaders of the empire were secretly undergoing a transformation - this was their way to gain immortality?
This thought made him shudder. After all, he had seen with his own eyes what happened to the previous world that the Shadows came from. The Ossuians, especially the upper echelons of the empire, were courting their own destruction.

Didn't Friston realize this, or did the Magic Emperor ignore the Craftsmen's Association from the very beginning and push this matter on his own?
Who is behind him? Is it the Seven Wizards Family? There are only so many forces in the empire. Apart from the Craftsmen's Association represented by Friston, the Seven Wizards Family is the only force that can be regarded as a counterpart.

After losing their leader, Grand Duke Hawke, this force had actually been taken over by the Magic Emperor. Or rather, the assassination of the owl eagle originally involved forces within the Seven Magician Families.

Under normal circumstances, a monarch needs to balance internal forces, but the current situation of the Oshur Empire is obviously running wild under abnormal circumstances.

"She wants to borrow my identity, but she's worried about being discovered by the White Tree Society." Olivia replied calmly.

"After all, Miss Eleusis is just a transformed shadow person, and even this transformation is not complete. She fled the empire in a hurry to avoid her consciousness being annihilated."

"The Emperor's attitude towards the Grand Duke is well known to everyone. As his niece, her mother is the Duke's sister. Even the Queen was deposed. How could she not consider the safety of her own life?"

"But the transformation ritual did help her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to escape so easily. She couldn't completely control my will, so she reached an agreement with me."

The shadow in the air snorted coldly, apparently Olivia hit the nail on the head.

But Eleusis obviously didn't intend to say more. The idea of ​​escaping was still in her mind. As long as Alessa and Fang He relaxed a little, she would take the opportunity to escape.

But the Dragon Queen obviously didn't give her this opportunity.

"Does this agreement include getting close to us?" Fang He now had the opportunity to sit down and sort out his thoughts. He wanted to find out whether the whereabouts of the Seven Seas Brigade were leaked before or after that.

"The reason why she approached you is simple," Olivia replied, "If Miss Eleusis wants to seek revenge on the Emperor, the only power she can rely on is her identity."

Fang He was slightly stunned for a moment before realizing that Olivia was talking about her identity as a shadow person. Her identity as the duke's niece was not worth mentioning in front of the ruler of the Oshu Empire. As for her other identity, the emperor's eldest daughter?
The problem now is that her opponent is her own father.

"Miss Eleusis," Olivia said at this time, "If you want to survive, you'd better show your worth. I ask Mr. Ed not to do it, but this does not mean that you are safe."

The shadow swirled in the air, and finally its gaze fell on the silver box in Fang He's hand. She obviously knew the origin of the box and was extremely wary of it.

"I want to know first what is inside you," the voice said shrilly. "As far as I know, your dragon soul has long been transferred by Olivia to Nimber-Cetus. How come there is still a mark of the dragon soul in your body?"

"Don't try to sow discord," Fang He said. "It was my idea to divert the dragon soul. Otherwise, how could you have the illusion that we had an opportunity? As for what you encountered before, will it be easier for you to attack us again if I tell you the truth?"

“Humph, I don’t bother to attack twice,” the voice said arrogantly, “If you don’t want to tell me, forget it. It’s just two dragon souls. You’re so mysterious.”

She added, "But I can guess why that woman asked you to show mercy. What she cares about is not my life or death, or even yours, but the secret of the Fountain of Youth."

"The fountain of eternal life?"

Fang He was a little confused. "Miss Eleusis, I haven't asked you yet. Are the people from the Empire here for the spring water just like you? Why are you interested in blood magic?"

Eleusis fell silent, obviously not intending to answer the question.

But Olivia at the side said, "Miss Eleusis, if you want revenge, then you should first survive. Do you think the imperial people came to look for you, or for your corpse?"

"I need to be respected," Eleusis said reluctantly, "You can cooperate with me, but not in the manner of interrogating a prisoner."

Fang He couldn't help but frown. This woman had a really bad temper. She was still so arrogant even in this situation and was unwilling to lower herself. This made him think of another lady of the same status. Princess Melfina was much more likable than this one.

"You mean we should bow to you?" Alessa said coldly, "Little guy, I don't think it's necessary to go through so much trouble. Kill her."

Fang He didn't intend to waste time talking to the other party and picked up the silver box in his hand.

"Wait a minute," the shadow finally gave in, saying in a very annoyed and helpless tone, "Can't you respect a lady of noble birth? Dragon blood and shadow people are of the same origin. The Imperials found it for the purpose of the transformation ritual, which is their final step towards eternal life."

"You don't understand blood magic, but I do." She looked at Olivia and dragged her into the water. "This is the agreement I reached with her. This lady didn't tell you that she came here for this purpose. I can take you to find the fountain of youth and unlock the secret behind it-"

Olivia smiled slightly. "It's not that I didn't tell Ed, but I made my purpose clear from the beginning. I'm here to seek the Fountain of Youth on behalf of the White Tree Society, and I'm also interested in it."

Fang He looked at Olivia who was standing beside him: "Olivia, are you also studying blood magic?"

"That is the long-lost history of the Pivotal Flame Oath Court," Olivia did not shy away from this point. "Blood magic comes from the history of the Oath Keepers, and later on, with the gradual development of the Pivotal Flame Oath Court, it was extended to become a specialized magic. Just like astrologers, elementalists, and blood magicians were once very popular in Lotao. It's not surprising that I'm interested in this historical knowledge."

Fang He nodded slightly. This seemed like the Olivia he was familiar with. In order to heal the scars caused by the Gray Disaster on Giant Tree Hill, the White Tree Society wanted to unite with the Bay Area.

They themselves were also interested in the secrets of the Fountain of Youth, and as young ladies who were seeking secrets, it was normal for them to get involved.

During this process, she met Eleusis who was also investigating the Fountain of Youth. The White Tree Society possesses the most complete knowledge system in the entire Giant Tree Hill, so it is reasonable for Eleusis to choose to go there.

And he roughly understood the reason why she investigated the blood magic. Since the blood magic was an indispensable part of completing the shadow man transformation ceremony, she was obviously investigating it to further complete her own transformation and make up for the unfinished ceremony.

Furthermore, she could use her mastery of the secrets of blood magic as a stepping stone to challenge the authority of the Emperor with the help of the power of the Shadow Man.

After all, for the Shadow People, it doesn’t matter who becomes the Magic Emperor. They just need a helper who can help them return to this world.

Fang He had never expected that this impulsive decision would bring him so many benefits. On the one hand, he had finally solved the hidden danger on Olivia's side, and on the other hand, he seemed to have figured out the ins and outs of the Imperials here.

But there are still some questions. Although he understands the purpose of the imperialists and the reason why the pirates appear here, it still cannot be answered:
What force defeated the fleet of the Central Flame Oath Court? What happened in the turbulent zone in the past half month?

The Imperials came for the transformation ritual of the Shadow Man, but what is the purpose of the Court of the Oath of the Pivot Flame? Are they here to rediscover the roots of blood magic?

Although the Oath Chamber has abolished blood magic, it is unlikely that there are no records of spells left within the Oath Chamber. Do they need to come all the way to this place?

And if it wasn't Eleusis, who on earth passed the news about the Seven Seas Brigade to the Court of the Oath of the Flame.

...(End of chapter)