Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1293 First Star XII
Chen Yuanhang put down his binoculars. The torrential rain streamed down his black trench coat, overflowing the water-repellent material and gathering into thin streams along the crevices.

Silver water splashed on the wooden planks, propelled by the sloping deck, and cascaded over the other side of the ship, splashing back into the sea through the gaps in the hull.

The clouds were moving rapidly, and the ship quickly tilted from one side to the other, but the people on the deck were rooted to the spot, watching the clouds and lightning converge into a wall on one side.

Chen Yuanhang glanced down at the time on his pocket watch, the dial covered in water droplets—less than two hours until dawn. On one shoulder, a low-visibility armband displayed the Stargate Port Fleet's cosmic sword emblem, and above that, a shoulder insignia with two bars and a star.

The Friendship Pass ship was faintly visible to the side and rear of the Orchid Island ship, less than a mile away. In the parallel direction was the Namtso Lake supply ship, which was a relatively large sailing vessel.

In addition, there were the forward-departing ships 'Huining' and 'Heshun'. As agreed, the two ships would contact them regularly—he looked down at the clock again; the last communication was a quarter of an hour ago.

Chen Yuanhang wiped the water off the dial. From this direction, only the tail of the Saltbone Sons fleet could be seen. The echo information detected by the detector in the early morning should belong to the Saltbone Sons fleet's light three-masted sailing ship 'Iron Kiss'.

The types of ships in Aetaria are diverse, and different countries have different classifications. For example, the Rotao people confuse capital ships with dragon knight warships, while the Ossy people, who have a more rigorous division of naval roles, have a clear distinction between them.

On Earth—including those 'warships' since the Stargate era—they are quite different from those on Aetaria. Applying modern classifications to Aetaria's windships is clearly incongruous.

Therefore, from the early Stargate era, the Chosen Ones used the classification rules of the Age of Sail to define the windships of Aetaria. Although it could not be a one-to-one correspondence, it was not a big mistake.

According to the 1817 British Royal Navy standards, HMS Iron Kiss should be roughly classified as a light frigate, with twenty-four guns and a small α-shield generator.

The number of cannons is slightly less than that of light frigates, but the firepower and maneuverability of the magic cannons far surpass those of the muzzle-loading cannons of the sailing era, and the presence of shields also raises the survivability of sailing ships by more than one level.

Chen Yuanhang was intimately familiar with these data. The reason he was appointed as the commander of this escort fleet was twofold: firstly, the wind element detector on the 'Lanyu' ship was more advanced, and secondly, his experience was more extensive.

They temporarily drew personnel from several other ships to form an operational intelligence center. His partner was an old acquaintance, the political commissar Zhou Xiangran, who had been transferred from the 'Jingxi' ship.

He raised his binoculars again—but the real trouble wasn’t the Gulf people themselves—a faint shadow on the horizon once more came into view.

Judging from the flag, it was a Gray Fielded ship, a two-masted sailing ship. The Ausyrians called this type of ship a sea-defense ship, which had only a single-deck and discontinuous gun deck.

Its design is somewhat similar to the light patrol ships of the Kingdom of Kaolin, and it is generally used for reconnaissance and communication missions.

The ship had maintained a distance from them since before nightfall.

"Is that ship still there?"

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Chen Yuanhang nodded and handed the binoculars to the visitor, "Old Xiang, come and take a look at the situation."

“My surname is Zhou,” Zhou Xiangran complained, took the binoculars and looked at the scene through the lens, which was a blurry mess under the sea conditions.

"This old relic needs to be replaced." He wiped the water off the lens with his hand before picking it up again.

“There’s no way out,” Chen Yuanhang said, spreading his hands. “The Equipment Department has tried to find a solution, but the problem of ether absorbing specific waves remains unsolved, and the amount of elementary charge can never be accurately measured. We are basically at a loss when it comes to advancing related technologies.”

Zhou Xiangran shook his head.

In fact, in the early days of Stargate, governments of various countries did consider making large-scale modifications to Aetaria's technology, but the technology remained in the conceptual stage, and the related experiments were always incompatible with alchemical equipment, so the project was eventually abandoned.

However, some of the Chosen Ones actually quite enjoy these old-fashioned gadgets. To command a sailing warship, one must use a monocular telescope, and it has to be a brass-cased one—that's what makes it authentic and stylish.

Zhou Xiangran was speechless.

Fortunately, although the eyepiece was blurry, he could still make out the other person's outline. He wiped the water off the lens again and asked:

"Do you think that's a Gray Field ship?"

Chen Yuanhang shook his head, "The investors behind Gray Field have little to do with military industrial groups. They won't easily get involved in this kind of thing; it's probably just a sham."

"You think it's the person on the other side?"

Chen Yuanhang nodded.

Zhou Xiangran smiled knowingly.

The Stargate Fleet—but those over there are their counterparts, yet also their old rivals, which is exactly his assessment.

After all, the two sides are too familiar with each other, so these little tricks won't fool anyone. Although that ship is flying the banner of the First Division, it's highly likely that it has little to do with the Super Arena League.

"What do you think those Americans are up to this time?" Chen Yuanhang asked again.

But Zhou Xiangran shook his head. "Actually, I'm more concerned about the Aushuts' purpose."

"The Ossy are at war with the Great Council, but news from the front lines indicates that the lizardmen's resistance is not fierce, and the battle lines are advancing rapidly. The lizardmen of Gudasol are suffering defeat after defeat..."

Even amidst the fierce fighting, the Empire still had the resources to spare a fleet to the Saltbone Bay region, which arrived in two phases.

According to intelligence, the Imperials initially appeared to be searching for something, and later they directly clashed with the fleets of the Flamebringer's Oath and the Sons of Saltbone, respectively.

The conflict led to a standoff, which escalated further after Ausyrian reinforcements arrived.

The two men's escort flotilla was originally on a mission in the nearby waters when they were temporarily assigned to form a fleet and come to this place to assist 'external forces' in completing their mission.

The so-called external force is, of course, the Seven Seas Brigade.

Regarding the Ossyans' purpose, the command initially concluded that they and the Flamewreath were there for Vor-Salastir, which was exactly what the Saltbone Fleet needed.

Although the Sons of the Gulf no longer devote unlimited manpower to the search for Vor-Sarastil after the Bronze Bell Parliament became history, it still regards it as their exclusive domain.

"So you think this is the reason for the conflict between the Ausyrians and the Sons of Saltbone?"

Chen Yuanhang interrupted, "But if that's the case, why did they entrust our people with this?"

Zhou Xiangran replied, "I guess the Council of the Sons of the Gulf never believed that the Seven Seas Brigade could find Vor-Salastiel. They were just hoping that the Dragon Alchemist could help them search for the Fountain of Youth."

As he spoke, he put down his binoculars and covered the lens with his hand. "After all, the legend of the Numerin Elf Fortress is ethereal, but the Fountain of Youth is a real place."

Zhou Xiangran turned around and said, "During this period, they have not only commissioned the Seven Seas Brigade, but also many fleets, including the Flame Oath Court, to enter the Fault Sea."

"But the Imperials just can't do it?"

"The Imperials also entered the Fault Sea, but strangely, they later clashed with the Flame of the Tower and the Sons of Saltbone, which is why the current situation has occurred."

“That’s not quite right,” Chen Yuanhang glanced at him and shook his head. “Perhaps there’s another possibility.”

"Go ahead," Zhou Xiangran said. He knew that although his old partner often spoke nonsense, he was quite sharp-minded and meticulous, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to this position.

“Assuming we’re all wrong,” Chen Yuanhang licked his lips, and couldn’t help but think of the legendary Dragon Alchemist—the Imperials had suffered losses at his hands more than once.

Even he admired this somewhat, because as old rivals, they had had their share of conflicts with the Empire. Although they hadn't really gone to war, some competition was inevitable.

Even he had to admit that the Ossyans were indeed the strongest in this sea and sky.

"...The two Imperial fleets did not actually have the same goal; they were just pretending to take advantage of the Sons of Saltbone's attention to Vol-Salasti."

Zhou Xiangran frowned, realizing that the other party wouldn't make such a judgment without reason. "What's the reasoning behind this assessment?"

Chen Yuanhang took out a communication crystal from his pocket. "I just received a message. Take a look."

Zhou Xiangran took the crystal and projected the information onto the rain. His brows furrowed quickly, then relaxed. "An imperial princess on the run?"

Chen Yuanhang nodded. "Their identity is sensitive, but not enough to make the Empire send a fleet to confront the Son of Saltbone. The Son of Saltbone also has no reason to turn against the Ossyans for the sake of a runaway princess."

“But this does match the intelligence we received earlier,” Zhou Xiangran said. “So the two fleets sent by the Empire were not one after the other, but just a coincidence?”

He looked at the other person again, "So what exactly are the Ausyrians doing here?"

Chen Yuanhang looked at the dark sea. "The Ausyrians took advantage of this information gap. The origin of the curse spreading in the Gulf region is also very strange. At least the timing is too coincidental."

“Let’s think about why the Seven Seas Brigade came here. Is it because news of Vo-Sarastiel has resurfaced? But this news can be spread artificially.”

"With the curse in place, the news of the Fountain of Youth and the old fortress becomes a reality, because the female pirate was with them, so there's a high probability that the Seven Seas Brigade came here—"

"The Imperials made us believe they were coming for Vol-Salastir and that Dragon Alchemist. Everything seemed so real and believable that the Saltbone Fleet had to head north to block their southward route." "There's another piece of news," Zhou Xiangran said. "The Ossyans have increased their stakes within a week. Another squadron has been added to the fleet that has gathered here. According to intelligence, seven ships in this squadron come from 'over there.'"

"I know that."

Chen Yuanhang nodded.

He certainly understood what that meant.

Like them, the US Stargate Fleet also arrived in this region.

The two-masted sailing ship not far from them was one of them—the Free Creek. The two had already guessed the identity of the newcomers.

What is the true purpose of the Empire?
The two had long been familiar with the situation around the bay and the long strait. After silently sketching out the forces of each side on the nautical chart in their minds, the doubt in their minds suddenly became clear.

Chen Yuanhang looked at his partner.

"Heimwald—"

His old partner had already called out the name immediately—Son of Saltbone was transferred north, and a large number of civilian forces, including the Seven Seas Brigade and the Flame Oath Court, entered the Fault Sea.

In fact, a huge gap has appeared in the long fjord region of the Gulf, in the direction of the Volaticus island chain, and if another fleet were to appear there at this time...

They could cross the bay directly and venture deep into the heart of the Great Tree Hills, their route pointing directly towards the sealed land guarded by the wild elves for generations.

Heimwall

The two men's expressions changed drastically, as if they suddenly realized what the Empire was up to—the Ausyrians had gone mad, and their target was the Scar of Asa.

This is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Hill of Giant Trees.

But if the Imperial Navy really succeeds, I'm afraid Autumnwood, Silverwind Harbor, and even the entire Second District will be unable to spare any resources to cause trouble for the Empire for a long time.

The second division is likely in serious trouble.

The audacity of the Imperials was astounding. Chen Yuanhang sensed a strong sense of crisis. In fact, from the moment the Empire stormed the Grand Council, those with foresight had already foreseen the current situation.

But they still didn't expect the situation to deteriorate so quickly, and Chen Yuanhang immediately realized that if the Empire succeeded, their troubles would probably be considerable.

That means Colin Ishurian, and even the Third Division, will have to face a powerful enemy alone.

"We must not let the Ausyrians succeed."

“But our strength is far weaker than theirs,” Zhou Xiangran said with a furrowed brow. “One wrong move could trigger a full-blown conflict.”

“We still have to try,” Chen Yuanhang said decisively. “In short, we need to report the intelligence to our superiors and request the authority to take the initiative. At the very least, we must contact the Saltbone Sons’ fleet and get them to react.”

Zhou Xiangran nodded.

“But there’s another question,” he began, “why at this particular time? Why did the Empire send the Seven Seas Brigade to this place? I suspect it’s not a coincidence.”

Before he could finish speaking, a messenger came up to the two of them, "Captain, Political Commissar Zhou, there's new information."

"The Imperials and the Sons of Saltbone's fleets have clashed."

Both of them were startled.

……

"The last piece of the puzzle is missing."

On the central spire of Vor-Sarastil.

Inside the hall, the expressions of the two cardinals were frozen, as if they were still in the last moment before time stopped—and the relics of the Cardinals' Oath Court were flying out of their hands:
A mirror-like device floated in front of the two, with copper rails connected to it slowly rotating, gathering rays of light from outside the tower onto the device.

At first glance, this rotating device appears to be drawing in sunlight, but in fact, its beating mechanical heart is connecting with the etheric flow around the entire Vor-Salasti.

Those beams of light were merely an outward manifestation of the flow of fire element, as the element's concentration was so dense that it could be seen with the naked eye.

An ordinary priest dressed in the robes of the Flame of the Covenant stood before Sergios and murmured to him, “As you can see, I haven’t lied to you, have I?”

"Even in the illusions of history, there is truth. After all, this is the sealed place of the Dragon King Livegard. The disturbed spacetime turbulence is just its appearance, while the real seal and barrier are inside."

The priest who was speaking concealed his face with the shadow of his hood, but his exposed hands were still covered with scales—emerald green scales, like jade.

Sel Gios glanced silently at the two cardinals—in his eyes they were just two phantoms, just like in every previous cycle, at the end of time, everything would vanish into nothingness.

He himself was the same.

He spoke quietly:

"So Elaine is there too?"

“I don’t know,” the priest said, shaking his head bluntly instead of using seductive language. “It depends on you.”

"This is your story, Sergios. If everything you've described is true, your sister once sacrificed herself to enter that barrier."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Then she can only be there."

He spread his hands. "All I can give you is a chance to uncover the mystery, mortal. If we can end everything here, then she may be the only reality in this illusion."

“But I must remind you,” the priest began, “that once time begins to flow again, Elaine will be able to travel to the future because of the barrier itself, but you will disappear as a result.”

"If you want to see her, that's impossible."

Selgios was silent for a moment. He had seen that scene countless times in his dreams. He had seen enough of it and no longer needed that false sense of exclusivity.

All he needs is that one true truth.

He gently put down the star tracker in his hand and placed it by the window of the tower. "When do we set off?"

“Don’t rush,” the priest replied, looking up at the magic circle that was slowly taking shape in the sky, and the shadow fire surging from it.

Like a tidal wave, shadow creatures—ascensions of the Dragon Cultists—are engulfing the entire city, and everyone, including the army of the Flamebringer, is in retreat.

But what 'he' cared about was not these shadows of the past, nor even the young alchemist who had ruined 'his' plans, but the 'throne' in the shadows.

His former owner.

He knew all too well the other's cunning and danger; even the slightest oversight could plunge them into utter ruin.

He gently lowered his hand and placed it on the sacred object, looking at Sergios. "Before our plan is complete, I have one last question."

Selgios looked at the other person and nodded slightly.

“In theory, your suggestion to that little guy isn’t entirely wrong,” the priest asked. “If he can manipulate that magic circle to transfer the Dragon King’s power to you, he can achieve the same effect.”

He paused again, "Why didn't you choose him?"

After a moment of silence, Selgios asked, "Elaine, did you also drink the dragon's blood?"

The priest was taken aback, then chuckled softly, "It seems you see things very clearly, which puts my mind at ease. Yes, if you want to protect your sister, cooperating with me is the only option. Otherwise, either side will only see her as an enemy."

“Alright,” he clapped his hands lightly, “the time we’ve been waiting for has come.”

The priest looked up again. Above Vo-Salastiel, the clouds were slowly parting, and the sky was split in two by a beam of light, as if a star was falling from the sky.

The beam of light that cleaved the sky was one of its three comet tails, and also the longest one.

……

(End of this chapter)