Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1284 First Star III
It's that same room again.

Patches of sunlight streamed through the clean glass of the window, and countless glittering dust particles floated in the dim room. Memories of the past flooded my mind like a tide. Outside the window, lush greenery enveloped the scene, and the marigolds my mother planted grew wildly year after year, their molten gold petals seeming to burn in the sea breeze.

Selgios couldn't understand why the rusty memories kept finding him. Everything should have been as he had closed the book and sealed the withered flowers under the title page of the "Biography of Perahvin".

As the young man crossed the courtyard, Elaine was waiting for him on the other side of the road, under the dark elm tree. The dense canopy of the tree partially obscured the shadows of the carriage and the people beneath it, with only the emblem of the Bronze Bell House standing out in the shadows.

The girl's face was pale and filled with grief. The crowd around her remained silent. She looked at him, opened her mouth, and her gray-blue eyes were filled with pain: "Father, he..."

"Mr. Casimir's body is in the car, Sel, alas..."

"How did he die?"

People remained silent, and no one dared to answer his question. After all, the "curse of the Gios family" meant that "those who bear the blood of dragons" always died in bizarre ways.

Legend has it that the dead will see the shadow of a dragon in their final moments.

Kazimir Gios, the most respected captain in all of Polahvin, was found dead on the deck of the Icebreaker in a gruesome manner. His body and bones were twisted in a strange way, and blood seeped into the cracks of the wood, which could not be wiped away.

The timid workers tried to scrape off a layer of deck, but the deep wood still revealed a frightening dark red color, and the parliament finally had to order the Icebreaker to be re-decorated.

Kazimir died the night before he was to lead the Saltbone Fleet back to port, which should have been a great success for a trade voyage. Parliament argued that a victory banquet should be held for the heroes, but this bizarre accident cast a shadow over the entire port and deprived the banquet of its rightful host.

“Sair, we are also saddened by Mr. Kazimir’s death. The Parliament has promised to catch the murderer as soon as possible.”

“Mr. Glensall, you know that’s not what I’m asking. Why isn’t my father lying in the ‘hero’s chariot’ that Parliament promised? Why can’t I smell laurel branches, only the sour smell of preservatives?”

“Well… we promise a grand funeral soon, worthy of Mr. Kazimir’s status and his contributions to the Parliament.”

“Sail”.

Elaine choked out, her voice trembling. Their mother had left them years ago, and now only she and her brother remained in this vast courtyard.

The courtyard seemed to be filled with the bitter scent of marigolds and rosemary baked by the sun. Under the interlacing shadows of the black elm trees, the silent, fearful gazes of the crowd fell upon the slender girl.

That strange curse meant that only the eldest son could survive, while the rest of the family would die one by one. So, next up would be the second daughter in the family.

Using his position to block everyone's view, Sel stepped in front of his sister and looked at the parliamentary official, "I understand, everyone. My sister and I still need to handle our father's funeral arrangements. Please leave."

The official chuckled awkwardly, the gold thread on his cuffs shimmering as he raised his hand. "The council's promise will arrive soon. See you in a week, Mr. Sel."

The plague broke out a year later.

The plague came on strangely, but the bizarre appearance of the dead reminded people of the events of a year earlier. The name of the curse spread like wildfire in the Gulf region, and the promised funerals never came to pass.

However, he had no hope for that funeral anyway, since his father had already been buried and a person cannot be buried a second time.

The parliament tried every possible method, but under the blade known as the 'curse,' countless nobles and dignitaries, whether poor or rich, prominent or obscure, perished in that plague.

In the end, everything had to return to this source, and the parliament had to knock on this door, "Sel, your father once quelled another plague before his death, and now the fate of Perahvin has once again fallen on your shoulders."

"What I want is not fate, but responsibility, Your Excellency Glensol. Please restore my father's honor."

Glensol's puffy eye bags hung down with a bluish-gray tinge resembling lividity, and his fingers nervously scratched at his cuffs—where once gold thread had been embroidered, now only worn-out threads remained like festering blood vessels.

A year later, the official, who had miraculously escaped the plague and looked much older, stood before the once-cursed son and had no choice but to lower his once-noble head.

He peeked through the crack in the door and saw Elaine: the girl was placing freshly picked marigolds into a ceramic vase, molten gold petals brushing against her scaleless wrist. The sight pierced his eye like a poisonous thorn.

"The curse has been transferred... those bastards of the Geos family used evil magic to pass the dragon plague on to us!"

He thought maliciously, but uttered sweet words: "Your father has never lost his rightful reputation. Mr. Casimir has always been the most respected explorer in the Parliament."

"Now your father's position is still reserved for you. You have come of age, and the command of the Saltbone Sons fleet can now be returned to you. Go and help the council find that fountain of youth."

The fountain of eternal youth doesn't actually make people ageless.

But it can quench the smoldering fire ignited by dragon blood, calming the erupting curse and allowing it to lie dormant over time.

He was Casimir's son, who took up the fleet's flag and sailed into the distance. Just like his father, he brought back the fountain of youth from that misty sea.

He restored the honor of the Gios family, became the most renowned captain and most respected commander in the Gulf region, and saved Perahvin, becoming a hero in the eyes of the people.

Years later, he became the most legendary adventurer in the history of the Gulf.

But what did he lose?

Ten years after his sister Elaine's death, the shadow of dragon blood still caught up with his most beloved sister. Before her death, monster-like scales covered the girl's entire body.

She lay on the hospital bed, barely able to make a sound, but a trace of longing for life remained in her gray-blue eyes, a gaze that reminded Selgios of the scene under the black elm tree.

“Sel, this is what you owe her.”

"If you hadn't brought back the Fountain of Youth, she wouldn't have died."

The faint sound was like poisonous fire, constantly burning his soul.

"I must end the source of all this curse."

But another voice inside him said, "No, brother, this was all my own choice. Don't look back, don't go back to Vol-Salasti."

That voice was like the lingering fragrance of the past, like the bitterness of marigolds scattered in the wind. She was Elaine... and who was Netali?

Who is...

Your own sister?
……

Selgios reopened his eyes and focused his gaze on the boy not far away, as if he saw his former self in the boy.

His grey-brown eyes were distinctly different from his sister's. In those years of rampant rumors, people said that the siblings' abnormality was a curse brought by dragon blood.

But later, people had long forgotten all of that, and forgotten that in that old courtyard there once was a complete family, like the leaves of the black elm tree, scattered and gone in the wind.

Only the names of heroes remain, while even the Bronze Bell House has been reduced to ruins over time.

Fang Zheng had just snapped out of his reverie when Sel's words were like a spark igniting the darkness in his mind—another story of dragon blood and the holy sword:

This involuntarily brought back memories of the Dragon Witch, the wanderer Art, Garcia, the lord of Idus, and the story of Shuyod and the girl Eve.

There are indeed many similarities between the two, and they even have something to do with purple fire—and shadows—such as the Fountain of Youth that Eleusis longs for.

He had just recalled a strange dream he had in the underground of Aimo Fortress. The dream was so long ago that it was somewhat hazy in his memory, but he still clearly remembered one scene:
It was a wasteland engulfed in flames, where the reddish-brown temple spires were turning to ashes under the dragon's shadow.

It was a harbor shimmering with silver light, with countless white sails coming and going. Fang Zheng only remembered the dazzling light, the halos of light hanging down from the sky.

In the light, there seemed to be a figure talking to him.

The figure reappeared in another scene, but Fang Zheng couldn't make out his appearance no matter how hard he tried—he was talking animatedly, his mouth opening and closing. Behind him stood three figures.

One was old, one was overweight, and there was a woman.

He thought the temple in the sea of ​​fire was the former Idus, but now he realized it wasn't. Where would the Idus have had any temples standing tall?

And that port—

Fang Zheng stiffly raised his head and looked at the shadow that blocked out the sun. Wasn't that exactly—or rather, what Vo-Salastiel used to look like?

That floating fortress was built by the elves to fight against the verdant green.

Everything seemed to fit together by coincidence, but what was the connection between this port, which was thousands of miles away, and the Dragon Witch of Colin-Ishri, and the Roger family?

Fang Zheng couldn't help but look at the great explorer beside him.

According to Selgios, the fortress did not exist at a specific point in time, but rather Lebos's curse dragged it into a series of time flows.

This is why countless reflections of time are trapped in this illusion.

It does indeed resemble Dolphin somewhat.

The taint and curse of Lebos haunted this place, causing the fortress and the island to fall into a rift in time, making everyone who arrived thereafter a point in its timeline.

From the Silverchain Isles and the Scepter Coast to the Long Bay region, Fang Zheng felt as if he had somehow grasped the true clue—it was Solastil, the last duel between the elves and the Verdant since the Age of the Two Sacred Trees.

Afterwards, the sacred tree burned to ashes, and the Numelin elves traveled from north to south, bringing the seeds of Terraka to the Hill of the Great Tree, thus freezing the fortress in this series of timelines.

"Mr. Sel, so your purpose is?"

"I need your help—I am just a shadow of the past, returning to the starting point of everything again and again when I wake up from my dream, tasting the bitterness of failure in endless reincarnation."

Selgios's gaze was intense as he spoke slowly and confidently: "But you are different, young man. You and it both truly exist at this point in time, just like I did in the past."

“I need someone to end the curse. Although we are just false echoes from the past, you are the real ones who can reach the future. And even though I am just a phantom, I still want to witness the end that I have never reached.”

“And this,” he said slowly, “is precisely why I invited you here.”

"But why me?"

Countless people have reached this place throughout history, but why him?
"Because you know the art of creation."

Selgios was concise and to the point.

Fang Zheng looked at the other person with some surprise.

How could he be so certain, when he himself had never shown it?
I am not a Corinthian, and not every Corinthian-Ishrian craftsman has undergone the High Tower Trials, nor does every craftsman who has passed the High Tower Trials possess the art of creation.

According to Professor Anloser, only a handful of people have mastered the art of creation over the past seven hundred years. And in the past three hundred years, he is the only one who has truly mastered the art of creation.

Of course, that was before he spread this alchemy, but even after that, he was the only one who could truly say that he had mastered the core of the Creation Method.

It's not that he's keeping secrets, but rather that most people haven't really learned it, including the members of the Lilac Alliance. Only Trish has gone the furthest down this path.

Secondly, there is Shui Wuming.

"Because you carry the aura of Milylium."

Sel Gios began, "Actually, I noticed it from the first moment I saw you. I mentioned that pirate lady just to make you overlook this."

"Don't forget, I am also a dragon knight. The questioning at the stone fortress was actually just a test."

Fang Zheng was taken aback, then suddenly realized. He had overlooked something.

No matter how much one knows, one's view of the world is limited. One's understanding of the world is confined to the first fifteen years of one's life, forgetting that three hundred years in Aetaria is but a fleeting moment for a dragon.

Teacher Milylium is considered a young generation of dragons, but he should not be much different from him three hundred years ago.

"Anloser and I were good friends, we used to be."

Fang Zheng then realized that Selgios must have recognized his and Olivia's clumsy lie long ago.

Besides, since he had seen people from the future, how could he not recognize his clockwork fairy? He deliberately used this as an excuse only to test whether he came from Colin-Ishrien.

How could a craftsman from Colin-Ishriyan, who also carries the aura of the cloud dragon Milius, not know the art of creation as his student?

Is it possible to achieve this through a method of creation?
The experience of the Dragon's Golden Eyes incident made Fang Zheng very clear-headed—severing the curse of dragon blood is not as simple as it sounds. If it were that easy, how could there have been tragedies like Eve, Joshua, the wanderer Art, and the Dragon Witch?
Besides, he hadn't lost his mind. The great explorer in front of him was a dragon knight, and how could the Rotao, Ancient Order of Knights, and the Flame Court at their peak three hundred years ago be easily defeated?
But what was the outcome of this great battle?

Perhaps this is a reflection of the tragedy of Selgios' life.

Fang Zheng couldn't help but touch the Golden Flame Ring in his pocket, but unfortunately, the Dragon Demoness was long gone, and the golden ring was cold as ordinary iron. Now, the reborn Nini naturally couldn't tell him everything from the past.

Even the Dragon Queen Alessa has disappeared without a trace, but this lady has always been free to come and go. However, when Eleusis needed her, the Duchess was nowhere to be found.

Aside from the Oathkeepers and the dragons, the only other people who knew about the Dragon Witch incident were probably the Shadow People, who were connected to the Wanderer Art and the Demon Lord Andro.

And then there's that strange lich Tangde, but unfortunately, he's unlikely to be here. He should be with Karatu, Xing, and the others, searching for the Shadow Society.

“Mr. Kosel,” Fang Zheng asked, “Teacher Anloser also knows creation magic. Since you are his friend, why don’t you ask him for help?”

“It’s very simple,” Selgios looked at him, “because history doesn’t repeat itself, young man.”

Fang Zheng was stunned. The answer was written on the riddle itself, and it was so simple: the person here, Sel, was just a fragment of history. He could not foresee the future, so he could not ask Anloser for help.

However, the historical Sergios returned to the Fault Sea several times until the end of his fate. He could not repeat the same mistake again and again, but unfortunately, it seems that the outcome has not changed.

Fang Zheng didn't know whether his teacher in history, Milius, the Lord of Holy Bow Peak, had actually intervened. If he had, why didn't the outcome change?
But if he didn't take action, then why? Unfortunately, he couldn't go back to ask his teacher, and it seemed unlikely that the Imperials or the people from the Flame Court outside would give him that time.

However, Sel saw through his thoughts. "I can roughly guess what you want to ask, but the answer is I don't know—I don't know either. Because I can't be sure what I will do in the future, or what will happen."

"Given my relationship with your teacher and the secrets of the Dark Dragon, he would probably have intervened, but I don't know why the outcome remained unchanged."

The great explorer said slowly, “But that’s not a reason for me to stop. The vastness of the sky and sea lies precisely in its countless directions. Since possibilities lie before me, we must give it a try—”

His grey-brown gaze fell on Fang Heng once more, calm and composed: "So what is your answer, young man? And why are you here?"

Fang Zheng sighed.

“I…” He hesitated for only a moment, then nodded slightly, “I can give it a try.”

In that instant, he seemed to rediscover his former self. This matter, in truth, should have been none of their concern, but finding Vo-Salastir was a promise the Seven Seas Brigade had made to Catherine.

He wouldn't let the Seven Seas Brigade take unnecessary risks, but their due responsibilities were clearly not included in this, and besides, Fang Zheng did agree on one thing—that is, before everything was settled.

Nothing is settled yet.

There are always footprints that need to be taken by the first person, there are always roads that need to be explored by predecessors, there are always results that have no answer before trying, and there are always things that require someone to take a gamble.

That's the gambling spirit inherent in Kūkai's sailors.

It can also be seen as the stubbornness of these men and women who braved the storm and refused to bow to fate. Sel nodded slightly, seeing for the first time in this young man some shadows similar to those of the past.

"He doesn't seem like a Chosen One."

"But it's people like us."

he.

Nittali.

And people like his father.

He remembered that name again; that ambiguous memory churned in his mind, as if it had truly existed.

But he shook his head, turning away from his admiring gaze, and finally looked back at the floating island in mid-air, a lingering shadow seemingly remaining in his eyes.

The great explorer left only one sentence behind him:

"Then come with me."

"Wait a minute," Fang Zheng was completely confused. What was going on here? He couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Sel, where are we going?"

“Go see our ‘allies’,” Selgios replied, looking toward the beach. “They’ve come at our invitation and should have just arrived, but they’re ready for a fierce battle.”

"And we are the same, naturally."

He spoke as he walked out of the cave. Fang Zheng then remembered, where were the sailors who had been with him?

He still had a lot of questions, but just then, a black bird suddenly flew out of the void and landed, flapping its wings.

"A familiar?"

Fang Zheng subconsciously thought that Olivia had contacted him again, but when he opened the note on the bird's claw, a look of surprise appeared on his face—it was Gita.

Scholars and Luo Hao arrived, bringing with them the giant cat-man.

It seems they've also entered this spacetime turbulence. This is truly an unexpected bonus; he was just worried about not being able to contact the rest of the Seven Seas Brigade.

Fang Zheng carefully put away the note, released the bird, and was thinking about how to reunite with the other person. But at that very moment, on the other side of the spacetime turbulence, Miss Nightingale encountered an unexpected situation:
You said your name is Maryland?

Amidst the ruins, Alice frowned as she looked at the blood-covered sailor before her and asked in surprise.

……