Pillars of Ita

Beryl opened her eyes abruptly, and the familiar scene before her eyes was still there—this office located beneath the Twelve Pillars of the Stars, with a long walnut table on which lay the little things she was used to: a quill pen, an ink bottle, parchment scrolls, and a star tracker.

The ground was trembling slightly, causing the golden orbiter on the star tracker to sway. In the fireplace opposite the desk not far away, the flames flickered. This state was normal on the Spine of Creation, where 'that thing' was sealed, but as the seal weakened over time, tremors occurred from time to time.

But why am I suddenly having dreams?

A hint of doubt flickered in her golden, fiery eyes. Dragon knights couldn't grant immortality, but she had undeniably become a legend of the Temple for three hundred years, alongside several others, such as the Holy Sword of Huaiyan and Knight Serwin. Without exception, they had all experienced that great war.

Since then, she has never dreamed of anything from the past.

In that dream, she not only saw the old battle, but also saw them turn the tide of the war after their crushing defeat. A blurry figure of a young boy entered the crucial battle, leading a knight who radiated pure white light, and in that impossible adversity, he completed a reversal of fate.

When she woke up, everything seemed like a different world, leaving her unable to distinguish whether it was real or an illusion.

"Ever since I drank the Golden Flame, I haven't had a dream again..."

"What the hell does this happen?"

She glanced at the table instinctively; it was empty. The warrant must have been issued not long ago—Serwin must have stopped Livegard and the wanderer Maryland ahead of time, under the guidance of 'that woman'.

But who exactly is that woman whose memory is gradually fading?

and also--

“...Ed, Ed Adrian.”

Beryl read it softly.

In her dream, the boy fought alongside her, together rewriting the outcome of that great battle. Those memories, which had haunted her dreams countless times, were so real, as if they were replaying themselves, until she awoke—

She actually recognized the name; apart from the unfamiliar surname, everything about it matched the person in the rumors.

Not long ago, Gonzalez privately nominated a chosen one as a candidate for the Holy Son, a move that caused quite a stir within the Temple, and she had naturally heard about it. However, it was Marlan's instruction, so people couldn't openly oppose it. Nevertheless, given the enormous interests involved, some were destined not to let the matter rest.

Including that 'big shot' who was exposed not long ago.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg in this murky water, and Beryl knew it very well.

She unconsciously raised her right hand, but the golden flames dancing in her eyes seemed to freeze, and a look of shock gradually appeared on her face:
The curse... has vanished!?
Beryl suddenly stood up.

……

As soon as Serwin's figure emerged from the drizzling rain and gradually came into view, the whispers of the Rota'o people—on the Flamebringer's ship—ceased abruptly. The knight of the Rock-Bearing Sword silently surveyed the deck, then with a flick of his wrist, tossed the barely recognizable prisoner over:
"Take this man away and keep him under strict guard. He is a serious criminal among the Twelve Pillars of the Stars."

Everyone recognized the man lying on the ground as the unfortunate Sir Corbelflick. It was said that before the fleet set sail, he was a rising star favored by a certain important figure, with unlimited potential.

However, not long ago, a warrant was issued from the headquarters of the Flamebringer's Oath, signed by Lady Beryl, one of the Twelve Pillars, imprisoning this man and the Bishop of Baldoma behind him. They could almost imagine the earth-shattering changes taking place on the other side of the cloud sea at this moment, and the big shot behind this unfortunate knight had obviously also fallen.

No one sympathizes with a fallen man, but before another of the Twelve Pillars of Knights, people remain silent—forced to suppress their questions. Yet some are still unwilling to give up; the treasure of Jenesar is right before their eyes—who wouldn't be tempted?
"Lord Serwyn, Vo-Salastiel..."

"Under the arrangement of the saints, it has returned to the trajectory of destiny."

Serwin gave a curt reply.

He turned around, his gaze piercing through the rain and landing on a lone boat on the edge of the floating fortress, a hint of complexity occasionally flashing in his calm eyes.

……

But the scene inside the Seven Seas Storm was quite different.

Time flowed slowly in the hourglass, the silvery sand passing through its slender neck to the other side of the glass container. An eerie silence filled the room, as if no one had had time to process the news from before. Alessa sat alone in a chair on one side of the captain's cabin, the dragon queen rhythmically tapping her fingertips on the table.

Occasionally, Fang Zheng seemed to see a fleeting dark golden light on it, like dragon scales—since absorbing Livegard's power, the aura of a dark dragon on this dragon queen had become increasingly intense. Two long dragon horns grew from between her black hair, shimmering with the light of the starry sky.

Nini was tirelessly circling around Alessa, as if Alessa had been radiating a familiar aura ever since she regained her powers, making Nini sniff curiously and wrinkle her little nose adorably.

Alessa watched the scene with gentle eyes, occasionally stroking the top of the girl's head with her index finger, feeling the warmth of the little girl's flame-like long hair, which made the latter make a comfortable gurgling sound.

Until someone broke the silence:
"Gentlemen, the authorities at Stargate Port have asked us to wait and see..."

It was Elisa who spoke, holding a communication crystal that was flashing red. "The ship that contacted us is the Friendship Pass. The Empire has invaded Heimwall, unilaterally creating a fait accompli of war. The Americans claim to be unaware of this, but that's not actually the case. The First District is already deeply bound to the Ossyans."

She looked at everyone and said, "But this matter is none of our business. The Kingdom of Colin-Ishri is an observer in this war. As for how the Second District will respond, we will need time to find out. Stargate Port cannot act unilaterally. The Lanyu Ship and the Friendship Pass Fleet have already retreated to the Stormy Seawall."

"So the Empire has actually blockaded the northern seas?" Luo Hao rested one hand on his shield and glanced at the sea chart. "Stargate Port can't take action, so aren't we trapped here?" "Theoretically, yes," Miss Nightingale nodded. "The Empire doesn't seem interested in moving south. Heimwald and Long Bay have formed an alliance, and the Gulf War looks like it will continue for some time. But we can't return to Silverwind Port through the blockade either."

Fang Zheng frowned slightly. He had already learned from Alysa the Empire's true purpose—the second fragment of the star buried beneath Heimwald. He didn't yet know if the Ossyans had succeeded, but the importance of the Scar of Alysa was undeniable, especially after the White Tree had experienced the Ash Bane. The elves would certainly not allow the Empire to attack the seal at this time.

Therefore, regardless of whether the Second District supports it or not, the Elves—and even the Silverwind Harbor Council—will definitely respond to the Empire's war.

'Air-Sea War'—and this familiar yet terrifying term inevitably came to mind.

The reason they were familiar with the battle was that another air-sea war had taken place sixteen years ago after the Stargate, namely the Battle of Byrne between the Imperials and the Colin-Ishrians. Most of the people present were from the Colin-Ishrians, so they were naturally very familiar with this once-fierce battle.

The reason it was unfamiliar was that among the people present, including the oldest group, very few had actually experienced that great battle firsthand.

Strictly speaking, the Battle of Byrne wasn't a true 'air-sea war' because it revolved around the remains of a saint, arriving suddenly and ending abruptly. With the sky island sinking into the abyss once again, the war's progress was artificially brought to a halt.

This proper noun has been used to describe those epic battles that swept across the entire continent of the Sky Sea. It has only happened a handful of times in history—aside from the time when the Stargate opened, the most famous one in history was the 'War of the Hammer', in which the Imperials broke with the Colin-Ishrians.

That was the first war since the War of the Giants, marking the beginning of a new division among humankind. It swept across half of the Cloud Sea, and the scale and power involved were unprecedented. That war completely reshaped the geography and culture of the northern continent of Ishri, and much of the second sinking since the era of the Two Sacred Trees also occurred during this period.

It was that war that rewrote the political and war rules of Aetaria for more than seven hundred years. The exclusion of dragon knights, as extraordinary powers, from wars in the mortal world was also one of its effects.

The captain's cabin was unusually quiet.

The Imperials have rudely broken the rules of the game. In fact, there have been concerns about this ever since the Aushus started their war with the Lizardmen in the rainforest, but now it has only been confirmed. Does His Majesty the Emperor have something to rely on, or has he gone so mad that he doesn't care about anything anymore?
“If we drag the Hill of Giant Trees into the war at this time,” Luo Hao couldn’t help but mention, “the calamity may be accelerated. We have already investigated from the readings of Guy Crystals in various places that the situation on each continent is already precarious.”

"This might be the reason why the Imperials are taking such a risk."

Alice leaned against the window, answering without turning her head. In her gaze, the Rotao fleet was receding into the distance—whatever the reason, the Flamebringer's Templars seemed to have abandoned their intention to attack.

As she gazed at the silvery sails gleaming in the clouds, she said flippantly, "I've read through your voyage log in Oshu. Hasn't the Empire already been preparing for this? They want to elevate the entire continent to the Second World, which requires an enormous amount of Guy Crystals. These crystals were not originally something that continent could provide, nor could the Lizardmen's Grand Council."

“Therefore,” she replied, “the only thing they can do is plunder, and besides that, the Empire is also concerned about that prophecy. The Emperor seems to have gone mad; he not only wants to save his own country, but also to completely resolve the disaster brought by the Third Calamity.”

"Then what should we do?" The Paparaar man was sitting in his chair, which was as tall as him, forcing him to cross his short legs and dangle them in mid-air. He spread his hands and said to the crowd, "Should we just sit here and wait to die, and watch the Empire do what they want?"

“Stargate Port told us to wait and see,” Elisa glanced at her sister and repeated what she had said earlier. “We can’t solve the predicament of Tree Hill on our own. The Empire has sent two fleets. The other fleet belongs to the Second District, but the Americans don’t acknowledge that.”

She looked up again at the Seven Seas Storm, "So with just our numbers, we can't change anything, not to mention the Seven Seas Traveler isn't even here. We only have two small boats at our disposal. The Friendship Pass will continue to monitor the Empire's movements. We should be able to use this time to rest and wait for the situation to change further."

"So we're stuck here?" the Paparallar asked again. "How long? I don't think this war will end anytime soon."

“Parker wasn’t wrong this time,” the large cat-man with a pipe finally spoke. In the cramped room, Reed didn’t light his pipe, but just squinted as he said, “This war will likely last a long time. Perhaps, judging from your analysis, Ed, it’s more likely the beginning of this historic upheaval—”

It raised its paw and stroked the mane on its chin. "But Miss Elisa is also right. The situation is bound to change further. The Heimwall elves and the Long Bay people are now on the same side. The Imperial invasion could very well lead to another alliance between Autumnwood and the wild elves, a feat that has not been seen in centuries."

"The Empire is powerful, but it is impossible for one to fight two. Don't forget that they are still fighting another war with the Grand Council, and the other regions may not remain indifferent. Once Silverwind Harbor and Autumnwood choose to intervene, the situation will change accordingly."

"However, during this period, we don't actually have to sit still and wait to die. There are still many things we can do here."

“For example, this fortress,” Miss Nightingale nodded, “Actually, this is also what Stargate Port wants. The Imperials are still unaware of what is happening south of Long Bay. The legendary fortress of Vo-Salastiel can play a lot of roles in our hands, but it will still take time to transform and rebuild it.”

“With just this many people?” Parker couldn’t help but retort in a shrill voice. “You’ve all gone down there and seen it. Apart from the ruins of Livegard, there’s a real city down there. Clearing the ruins and making this fortress usable again will probably take more than a year or two. We can’t possibly stay here that long.”

Elisa didn't answer, but looked at Fang Zheng beside her.

Fang Zheng had been lost in thought for quite some time, but his mind wasn't entirely on the war. Ever since Alessa told him about the truth of this world, those thoughts had been lingering in his mind.

If everything at the Stargate is merely a facade, and this disaster and everything that is happening are simply part of that Great Filter, then the future of civilization is not only related to him, but also to everyone who is about to experience all of this, not just Etalia, but also to the other side of the Stargate.

The saints led him here, but what can he do with this fortress?
If it were merely a fortress, merely something to be used to defeat the Empire, the goddesses wouldn't need to go to such lengths. He closed his eyes, and the thought that had come from the Empire, from the three geniuses, and from the Continental League grew stronger, as if he were once again passing through those thousand doors.

After that, he saw the sky full of stars for the first time, and a ray of starlight among them.

The light finally landed on a shimmering milky-white crystal.

This finally dispelled the gloom in his heart.

He raised his head, met everyone's gaze, and said, "Everyone, I have an idea."

...(End of this chapter)