Pillars of Ita

The plan that Selgios told him was to sever immortality with the curse of dragon blood.

Those who drink dragon's blood have a seed planted in their blood, a seed passed down through generations like a smoldering wildfire, never to be extinguished. Their name is—the one who slays the dragon; he and his descendants will one day transform into evil dragons.

After the war with the dragons ended, the dragon blood gradually slumbered with the Oathkeepers as they went into hibernation, and the seeds of the curse were buried deep in the human world.

Until a single spark reignited the flames of suffering.

Besides villages like the ancient guardians of Galapea who clung to tradition, secluded themselves from the civilized world, the descendants of the Oath Keepers also branched out and gradually lived normal lives, similar to the Sons of the Bay and the Flame of the Pivot.

The former rebuilt civilization in a corner outside the civilized world, erected a clock tower in the midst of a storm, and let the sound of bronze bells travel through the air and sea. Over time, they even built a parliament and shaped their own unique culture.

The latter, however, swore an oath to protect the secret, making a vow under the ancient flames of Rotao, thus forgetting his painful past and becoming a guardian of the ancient power in a new guise.

This power comes from twisted dragon blood, hence it is also known as blood-derived magic. The name of blood-derived magic spread quickly across the wasteland overgrown with white grass, and the Flamebringer's Oath Court got its name from this.

However, as time passed, humanity gradually forgot that terrible war. The curse of dragon blood sometimes spread and sometimes subsided, and the distortions caused by blood magic intensified in the territory controlled by the Oath Court.

Aside from ancient traditions, people have long forgotten where they came from, and in the thousands of years, no one has ever truly transformed into a dragon as the legends say.

Therefore, the curse was also regarded as a plague, which was just a disease that spread in the bay, bringing and taking countless lives at fixed times, and then quietly disappearing.

In some eras, heroes will bring back the legendary Fountain of Youth, but even if they don't, after a plague that lasts for years, everything will return to normal.

There have only been two instances in history where the plague of dragon's blood nearly destroyed the entire Gulf region, one of which ultimately led to the downfall of the Bronze Bell House.

But both times, the water was eventually calmed by the ancient spring.

But ultimately, what is the truth behind all of this?

Elisa's voice sounded somewhat cold in the biting wind:

"It's because Livegard was on the verge of death, and only one person can become a dragon under the curse of dragon blood. It's impossible for two flowers nourished by blood to bloom from the same seed."

"We have witnessed the power of the Dragon Witch firsthand, but the power of the Golden Flame Ring has always been passed down in one person, from the Dragon Witch Eve to Lady Misu—"

"The one who drinks the dragon's blood gains power from it, but is also cursed by the master of the dragon's blood. When the source of the blood is cut off, he will become a new 'king,' just as there can only ever be one person wearing the crown on the throne."

She was looking up at the ruins hidden under the snow, her gaze seemingly passing through their era and seeing the passage of time over the past few centuries.

The towering shadows they had seen from afar had all vanished.

Amid the wind and snow, a deafening roar had not long ago been heard, just as Maryland Rogers had said—no, just as the young wanderer Art had said.

Beyond the vast expanse of white snow, beyond the ruins beneath the tower, a dragon was battling another man. After both were severely wounded, they retreated.

Elisa saw the shadow of Livegard behind the intertwined wind and snow.

The young people following closely behind them couldn't figure out who could possibly stand against a dragon, or who was a guardian wielding a holy sword.
In the past, it was he who wielded the holy sword called Moa and brought the shadow of death to that snow-covered bay.

But within these fragments of time, everything is destined to be rewritten.

Amidst the biting, knife-like wind, another voice asked:

"So, that's Livegard, the dark dragon king?"

"The curse of the Gulf region has been passed down for centuries, yet no other dragon has ever been born from it. The blood plague sometimes erupts and sometimes subsides, precisely because it is still here?"

The voice belonged to the Duchess, Eleusis. Her voice was indifferent, as if she didn't care about the plight of the Children of the Gulf, for they had only themselves to blame. If they hadn't come here and established a kingdom, they wouldn't be suffering like this.
For a thousand years since the end of the Dragon War, apart from the bizarre Dragon Witch incident in the Kingdom of Corin, no other place has been known to experience a dragon plague.

Five holy swords severed the dragon's head, but since the age of sword forging, mortals have forged more than five dragon-slaying swords, and countless sworn men have drunk dragon blood, but to this day, only the dragon witch Eve has transformed into a monster.

Moreover, the Dragon Witch was also a man-made design.

The ancestors of the Sons of the Gulf established themselves here, perhaps to completely eliminate the threat posed by the Dark Dragon King Livegard, or perhaps out of a desire for power.

But this is precisely what led to their tragedy over the next thousand years. The Blazing Court was no better off. After the era of war passed, most of the Oath Keepers chose to seal away the Dragon Slayer Sword and the power within it.

However, their obsession with the source of that twisted power led to the numerous calamities in Fagard, forcing them to address the problem at its root.

However, like all humans who fantasize about the supernatural powers of darkness, they ultimately failed.

Following a major event, the Temple of Miro ordered the Blazing Court to completely sever the power of bloodline magic. Since then, the Blazing Court has no longer been one of the many paths of the Pillars of the Stars.

In Eleusis's view, this is the so-called truth of history: if mortals were not greedy, how could there be any unexpected disasters? And isn't the same true for empires?

She looked at her materialized hands, shadows flowing beneath her skin, and realized that she was no different. But greed is not a sin, but rather the driving force behind human progress.

If we had not been greedy, our ancestors would still be eating raw meat and drinking blood on the wilderness of alfalfa fields, not much different from many other barbaric tribes.

The Numelin elves may have chosen us to inherit the future of this world precisely because they saw the ambition of mortals. Ambition caused the world to fall into a sea of ​​fire, but without ambition, mortals could not survive.

So she accepted this gift of power with a clear conscience. Some people snatch gold from the flames, while others burn themselves and turn to ashes.

Those are fools, the sons of the Gulf, Geos and the Flame of the Tower are such fools.

What if you fail?

“Then I won’t fail,” Eleusis said smugly.

Elisa scoffed—she scoffed at the duchess's self-important logic, this arrogant woman.

“I know what you’re trying to say,” Elius sneered. “If I fail, I’ll just be one of the fools, so what? There are always more fools than wise people in this world, and I won’t be the only one.”

These words impressed Miss Nightingale, who couldn't help but glance at the Duchess again.

What are you looking at?

"I just didn't expect Miss Eleusis to admit her shortcomings."

“Hmph, this is not what you call inadequacy,” Eliussis scoffed. “It is simply the Empire’s belief, nothing more.”

"In this world, if you don't do something, you won't fail; if you don't do something, you'll never make a mistake; but if you don't take that first step, you'll always remain stagnant."

"The Imperials are known for their ambition. We will always leave those who mock us behind. To be afraid of being ridiculed and not dare to take a step forward is nothing but cowardice."

She said with some pride, "If there were no fools in this world, how could the extraordinary qualities of the wise be highlighted? The empire's maxim says that the empire is both a foolish people and a descendant of the wise."

Elisa never expected to learn about such an empire from this duchess, an empire whose spiritual dimension was something that Chosen Ones like Trissy and Juno could never reach.

She understood this deeply: only those who grew up here and were deeply influenced by the imperial culture could reach such heights.

To put it bluntly, Eleusis was first and foremost a noblewoman, born the daughter of a duke, and herself a grand duke. What she saw was far removed from the lives of ordinary people in the empire.

Elisa had witnessed firsthand how the lower classes of the Empire lived in Ain Block's empire; the dream of the empire was ultimately torn apart from the aspirations of the common people.

It came from the wilderness, the first spark of mortal civilization, chosen by the elves, grew up under the shelter of the four-leaf clover plains, defeated powerful enemies, and finally engraved humanity's beliefs on the glorious history.

Ordinary people planted this seed with small ambitions, and eventually reaped the harvest hundreds of years later.

Subsequently, the Empire, the Kingdom of Corin, the Hill of Giant Trees, and Rotao were able to stand tall in the Sky Sea in the new era.

But the traditions that the Empire was once so proud of have now become the source of war after war. They have even turned against what was once humanity's enemy, and with their unbridled ambition, they are dragging Aetaria into another abyss.

“You’ve gone too far,” Miss Nightingale concluded.

“Without looking back at history, who can make such a judgment?” Eliusis retorted. “The Empire has not yet been defeated, so how can others assert that we are the losers?”

"And what about you?" "Me," the duchess said through gritted teeth, "I will go back. This is just a matter of strategy. Once I obtain the Fountain of Youth, the Empire will not admit its mistake."

She interrupted Elisa.

Eliussis began, “So let’s put aside these pointless arguments for now. Whether it’s the Empire, the Sons of the Gulf, or the Flamebringer’s Oath, none of it really concerns us.”

"You want ownership of this island, and I want the fountain of youth. But most importantly, we're facing a dilemma—how do we deal with that dark dragon king?"

“At least on this point, our goals are aligned,” Eleusis asked. “So have you figured out how to deal with it—and what kind of help do you need from me in this fragment of time?”

Elisa remained silent.

Eleusis was right about at least one thing: she didn't really care about the curse on the bay. That was someone else's business, and even if the captain agreed, so what?

All she cared about was the Seven Seas Brigade. Although the island might eventually belong to Catherine, Catherine had promised that she would only fulfill one long-cherished wish.

To become the overlord of the sky and sea, all that is needed is the credential of Vo-Salastiel, but this mobile home port and fortress has a different meaning for the Seven Seas Brigade.

If they had such a mobile floating fortress, the Seven Seas Brigade could truly break free from the constraints of various powers. No matter how excellent the Seven Seas Traveler's performance was, it would still need an anchorage to dock in the end.

As long as they have a place to stop, they cannot escape the surveillance of the Empire, the Guild Alliance, or even Corin-Ishrilian. The only true ally of the Seven Seas Brigade is Stargate Harbor in the Third District, but they cannot always return to the protection of the military.

If Fang Zheng were to set sail, they could not possibly return to Crosswind Harbor again and again, especially since the relationship between Stargate Harbor and Colin-Ishurian was not as harmonious as it appeared on the surface.

Therefore, Vo-Salastiel becomes of paramount importance. If they can bring it to the Second World—or even just leave it in the First World as a logistical base—the Seven Seas Brigade has a chance to become an independent force.

Just like Loofah and her allies.

Therefore, in Miss Nightingale's mind, this elven fortress was far more important than Fang Zheng had made it out to be—not as insignificant or dispensable as he had described. Or rather, she was already determined to possess it.

Therefore, she must clear away all obstacles in her way.

Whether it's the Flamebringer's Oath, the Son of the Bay, that great explorer, or that dark dragon king.

“Have you thought it through yet?” Eliuses urged from the side. “We don’t have much time left. This time frame is actually cyclical. From the moment the star fell, the next time point will be at least thirty years from now.”

Elisa nodded gently.

She was watching the snowstorm, describing the possible scenarios in a calm tone:
“Lifgard probably isn’t so easy to kill, otherwise the Sons of the Gulf wouldn’t have been defeated time and time again,” she had already guessed what happened three hundred years ago, “and it’s probably related to some point in time here.”

Elius asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

"The solution is simple: use the curse of dragon blood to sever immortality."

"Huh?" The duchess was taken aback. She prided herself on her extensive knowledge and was momentarily confused by what Miss Nightingale was saying. "What does this mean?"

"The curse of dragon blood is passed down to only one person; out with the old, in with the new. But if the old king remains entrenched on the throne, clinging to his former glory, then we will create a new king."

Elisa spoke softly, her voice like shards of glass falling into the snow, the rustling sound carrying a chill.

"When the new king is crowned, the old king will naturally pass away. I don't know if the curse of the dragon's blood will be lifted, but this island will naturally change its master."

"But who will be the new king?" Eliuses was still puzzled.

Elisa looked behind her and saw the young man who was walking unsteadily and looking at them with gratitude.

"he?"

The duchess looked at her with disdain.

But Miss Nightingale nodded solemnly, “Don’t you believe in human ambition, Eleusis? His ambition will help us accomplish many things.”

"Even those 'great achievements' that you've never heard of and wouldn't even dare to dream of—"

If a person's ambition represents the limit of the trouble they can cause, then this young man is clearly about to commit another catastrophic disaster.

In the past, he was called Maryland Rogers, but the name Maryland Rogers will eventually be buried in this snowstorm, and another name will take its place.

The wanderer of darkness, Art.

So, now there's one last question—

A new king has been crowned, but who will kill him?

Elius watched as the Nightingale in front of her slowly came to a stop, and a figure gradually appeared in the wind and snow ahead—none other than Olivia.

The young lady, wearing a warm robe, looked at the two of them without much surprise. Her gaze lingered more on Elisa and gave Miss Nightingale a few more glances.

"I've brought the person you wanted."

She spoke softly, her voice like a string of bells hanging from a stag's antlers, traveling through mountains and forests, through wind and snow, to reach the two of them, clear and melodious.

The person who walked out from behind her was the one carrying the box containing the magic sword Gwendes. The boy was clearly still a bit confused and warily distanced himself from the scholar as soon as he entered the environment.

He drew his longsword, gripping it in his hand. The sword, gleaming with black light, emitted a sharp whistling sound amidst the biting wind, its tip pointing at his former ally, now his enemy.

But when he saw that it was Elisa in front of him, the box relaxed. He looked around suspiciously and said, "Miss Elisa, the captain wants you to meet him."

"Who are you anyway?"

But Eliusis's sharp question came first. If she still didn't understand by now that she had been completely fooled by the scholar, then she would truly be an incurable fool.

“Me?” Olivia smiled. “My identity is irrelevant. To you two, I am merely a scholar who is somewhat interested in what has happened in history.”

She glanced at the box beside her and said with a smile, "Now that we have the Dragon Slayer Sword, what does Miss Elisa plan to do next?"

……

"Using the art of creation to modify the lock that seals Livegard, the power of death is reversed into the power of life, and the power of creation is used to plunder the power of dragon blood into one's own body."

"Then, using himself as a medium, he will bear all the curses of dragon blood until he transforms into a dragon and becomes the new master of that throne. When the new king is born, the old king will naturally turn into firewood..."

Loren watched as a beam of light pierced through the dark stone wall, hanging down from a crack in the ceiling, through which sprawling plants grew, their new green leaves glowing in the sunlight.

A drop of water was falling from a leaf, splashing into the pool with a soft sound, but as he listened to Fang Zheng's bizarre story, he felt only bewilderment.

In the real world, I may have already passed away. This place is just a corner of history, and I am nothing more than a phantom in countless moments of time.
But his first thought wasn't about his own fate, but rather about the outcome of the battle.
"...In his plan—Lifgard is immortal because he is trapped in the corridor of this time and space. But if a new king is born, the newborn dark dragon will certainly break free, but it will no longer be trapped in the reflection of this time and space."

“So that means…” Reed asked.

"It is no longer immortal."

"But all of this is predicated on the premise that the newly enthroned person is willing to surrender. If he is just a shadow of the past, then it doesn't matter."

“But what if it isn’t?” the big cat-man countered.

“That will be a fierce battle,” Fang Zheng replied in a deep voice. “That’s why I asked you to leave that place. The plan was going too smoothly, but I had to leave a backup plan.”

He told the others, "I need to check the condition of every other seal first, and leave some of my mark inside before modifying that lock."

“In other words,” the cat-man said, “even in the worst-case scenario, we still have a chance to kill Livegard—using this half-opened holy sword?”

The lion-man looked at the holy sword in his hand—the holy sword formerly known as the Enemy Slayer, which was dull and lifeless. In the past, it had drunk dragon blood, but did it still have such power today?

...(End of chapter)