Pillar of Yita

The group had yet to figure out the reason behind everything happening, but Red Leaf couldn’t help but speak up, ”If it weren’t for that dragon, I’d even prefer to stay here a bit longer.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Fang Hong.

The others felt pretty much the same.

The inn was now dead silent. The density of monsters summoned by that dragon was just too great; guests and adventurers alike either perished or fled, and now it seemed only a handful of them were left.

If it weren’t for the fact that their team coincidentally consisted of combat artisans with terrifying combat strength, plus Fang Hong as a ’Fairy Master’ with his own Dragon Soul, their fate probably wouldn’t have been much better.

”This seems to be a special kind of monster,” Fang Hong thought for a moment and replied, ”Miss Atira mentioned before that they are Dark Creatures, but we don’t really know what exactly Dark Creatures are. Has Eteliria ever had a monster category like this before?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Especially Wu Di and Red Leaf among others, who came from the Grand Guild. If they had known there was such a special monster category worth several times the experience of regular monsters, the first and second worlds would have been turned upside down long ago.

”A new category of monsters.” Wu Di and Red Leaf exchanged glances, clearly understanding what this meant.

Luo Yu and the others looked towards Atira. But the Elf Girl also shook her head: ”I only know this much, these are the Divine Oracles of the Goddess.”

”Does the Goddess issue Divine Oracles for other monsters?” Fang Hong asked curiously.

Tianlan couldn’t help but reach out and touch his forehead, asking, ”Are you feverish, Brother Ade?”

Among the group, only Hilveld and her servant did not speak. Hudi, who had seen Fang Hong’s complete Fairy form, seemed to be pondering deeply at the back alone.

Only Fang Hong looked at him with some concern.

”Are you okay?”

Hudi shook his head.

Liuli Yue, on the other hand, seemed quite impatient, scratching his head and saying, ”Forget it, the premise is that we could forget that damned dragon. But, we haven’t totally shaken it off yet, not to mention our magic power reserves are running low too.”

His rare bit of plain speech left the others in silence.

It had been quite a while since they left the hall, and although they hadn’t encountered that dragon again since then, everyone had the feeling that it wasn’t too far away from them—

”That dragon is really bizarre,” Red Leaf couldn’t help but say, ”Are we the only ones left in this inn?”

”Most, most likely.” Fang Hong replied, somewhat uneasily.

And Liuli Yue’s other point was even more pressing.

After killing the remaining Dragonmen in the black mist, the Magic Storage Crystals on Fang Hong’s Magic Guided Reactor finally ran out. He pulled out the completely transparent crystal column with a ’click’ and threw it on the ground.

Then he said to the others, ”Out of magic power.”

Wu Di immediately tossed him a Magic Storage Crystal. Fang Hong caught it with both hands and saw that about a third was left—thankfully, this place was full of Alchemists and Combat Artisans, and nearly everyone had spare Magic Storage Crystals.

However, Wu Di added, ”It’s the last one.”

”We better make a breakout before it’s used up,” Fang Hong replied while inserting the Magic Storage Crystal into the Magic Guided Reactor, lighting up the Emerald Bird αAE-type Reactor again.

But his words were more of a self-reassurance.

Everyone knew the situation outside the inn remained unclear.

Traveler’s Rest wasn’t situated in some major city—

After the Dragonmen were wiped out, the spacious hall ahead was left with only the rustling sound of their footsteps.

The Papalarians held torches they’d seemingly swiped from somewhere; the flickering flames lit up the surrounding darkness, revealing scattered utensils, overturned candlesticks, and torn-down curtains.

After rounding a corner, the kitchen behind the dining hall came into the view of everyone.

In the corner were rows of ovens still emitting an orange-red glow in the darkness, with smoke vents climbing upwards to the ceiling where bunches of smoked meats and sausages hung on hooks, beside piles of barrels, boxes, and bags of flour.

Some barrels had already been opened, overturned on the ground, the Northern Lands potatoes they contained sprawling everywhere.

The crowd carefully walked around the scattered potatoes. These scenes at least proved that the famous kitchen thief, Mister Papalar, had once again excellently displayed his racial talent.

Liuli Yue couldn’t help but click her tongue upon seeing this, ”I didn’t expect you to be quite skilled, shorty.”

However, this praise clearly did not satisfy the latter. He grumbled loudly, ”I’m not any shorty; I’m actually tall among the Papalarians. The Lord of the Mountain from Sanxiak is only as tall as us—or maybe just a little taller.”

He even raised his short and chubby hand, gesturing—about this tall.

Liuli Yue lowered her hand to the height of the Papalarian and then shifted it back, comparing it against her own thigh, then looking at him.

The meaning in her eyes was clear: you’re only this tall.

This gesture nearly drove Parker mad; he subconsciously reached for his short sword but grabbed at air, recalling it too was gone. Angrily tossing his torch aside, he stood with hands on hips, ”I won’t leave. Let the Papalarians die here, for we have been greatly slandered and only blood can wash it away!”

Gita couldn’t help but facepalm, almost losing his glasses in the process. He hastily readjusted them with a little hand.

It was at that moment that Atira’s pointed ears twitched. She suddenly said to everyone, ”Stop for a moment. Did you hear something?”

Everyone paused.

The whooshing sound of wind seemed to come from the top of the hall.

Hilveld and a maid named Xiesta were the first to look up, followed by Fang Hong, Wu Di, and Red Leaf. Little Fatty, who was at the back of the group, blinked his dark, bean-like eyes, turned pale, and stammered:

”A-Atira, you’re pulling this trick again. This time I, I, I won’t believe you no matter what you say. Don’t even think about getting me to go over there!”

He announced boldly, quickly bending down to pick up the torch he had dropped.

The Elf Girl glanced at him and responded, ”I didn’t ask you to come over, Parker.”

She hadn’t finished speaking when a roof tile fell from the dome, landing not far from Parker, shattering to pieces. The little dwarf shrieked and scrambled over toward the others in panic.

But by then, no one was paying attention to him anymore.

”What’s outside?” Fang Hong asked, looking back.

Wu Di pondered for a moment before replying, ”It’s the roof of the ’Traveler’s Rest.’

”I also remember there being no upper structures in the direction of the kitchen,” Red Leaf confirmed.

Right at that moment, a dull thud came from the roof as if something had landed on it, causing the entire hall to shake. Countless roof tiles and debris fell from above.

There was no need for further analysis or deduction, as everyone understood what was on the roof.

”It’s that dragon!” Tianlan yelled in fright, ”Oh heavens, how did it follow us here again!”

No sooner had she spoken than a thunderous cracking sound was heard. The entire roof in that direction collapsed, sending a torrent of sand, tiles, and broken timber tumbling down. Amidst the billowing dust, before anyone could see what had fallen from above, a pair of massive wings appeared.

Familiar grey-scaled, rugged dragon wings unfolded from within the cloud of dust.

Fang Hong didn’t think twice and shouted, ”Run!”

Everyone turned to flee—by this time, no one deluded themselves into thinking they could be a match for the terrifying monster; in fact, the servants it had summoned earlier had nearly driven them all into a desperate situation.

As Fang Hong turned around, he saw that Hilveld and her maid had already made it to the other side of the hall. He paused in surprise, having no idea how they got there so quickly.

But then the noble girl threw a chest forward as if she knew there was a door there. The chest spun through the air and ’bam’ broke through the door.

Only then did she turn back and shout to all of them:

”This way!”

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