Pillar of Yita

Although Fang Hong was skeptical about whether becoming an Invoker in this world had anything to do with physical growth and nutrition, the care of the Elf Miss still gave him a faint warmth, reminiscent of his time at his uncle’s house.

After he finished his soup, he used a piece of bread to wipe the bowl clean, staring at the empty wooden bowl in his hand for a long time. When he was with the Morning Dawn Star, there were no cooks in the Adventure Group, and Miss Sicape would never deign to undertake such a task; thus, they resorted to drawing lots. Whether it was bad luck or something else, he ended up cooking eight out of every ten days.

However, what he cooked could only rightly be called swill. He still didn’t understand why the simplest ingredients and methods could produce something so vastly different in quality.

”Are you full, Ade?” Atira sat opposite him, watching intently as he finished his soup, her emerald eyes filled with a gentle expression.

”No more, no more,” Fang Hong felt like he was about to burst, not knowing if one could get fat from eating too much in this world, but he guessed if he was raised the way Atira did on Earth, he would soon turn into Little Fatty.

He glanced at Elf Miss and suddenly asked, ”Miss Atira, do you know about the Dragon Flame School?”

Atira shook her head, curious, ”What is that?”

”Dragon Flame Culinary School, an advanced culinary school. Their theory involves using special ingredients to create dishes with unique effects. I’ve heard that on the second world, many ship crews’ chefs are from this school, or from the Fairy School, which specializes in preserving fruits and brewing wine—by the way, Miss Atira, have you ever tried fairy wine? It’s delicious.”

As Atira listened to him digress, she couldn’t help but laugh softly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling unexpectedly happy. ”Ade, are you hoping I’ll always stay with the team? But I’ve told you before, after things settle here, I’ll return to Giant Tree Hill.”

”Ah, I didn’t mean that, but...” Fang Hong suddenly felt melancholic as he thought about it. Yes, Miss Atira and Mr. Reed would eventually leave, and Tianlan and everyone else couldn’t stay in the team forever. The happy days of being together with everyone would eventually come to an end.

What his teammates would be like then was still an unknown—

Seeing his expression, Atira felt a twinge of compassion. She hesitated for a moment, and finally, she replied, ”If this is something Ade wishes for, I will seriously consider it, but I can’t promise anything.”

Fang Hong looked up at her with a hint of surprise. ”Thank you, Miss Atira.”

The Elf Girl smiled gently, as if melding her smile with the sunlight. She stood up and said, ”Of course, I’ve tried fairy wine, you silly boy. I am a Forest Elf, after all.”

Fang Hong opened his mouth wide in surprise.

He suddenly realized he was indeed a bit foolish. How could a Forest Elf not have tried fairy wine? They were the best neighbors to the fairies.

Although the resting time was joyful, the moment soon arrived when they had to hit the road again.

Upon learning that they were heading to Dolifen, workers came forward to caution and bless them for a safe journey, each person earnest and touching. Chris then came to ask if anyone had previously been to Dolifen.

This unexpected question almost stumped everyone—according to Gita, before the city was abandoned, it had a population of ten to twenty thousand. Eteliria’s buildings were generally not tall, and Dolifen was not a high-magic urban area like Elpaxin, so a town with twenty thousand inhabitants covered a substantial area.

Without a proper guide, it was really hard for someone visiting for the first time to find out where places like Lady Tengye’s Inn, Grey Oak Square, and City Hall were.

And to find the traces of those mysterious people in such a large city was not an easy task either. Unless the other party really had blockaded the city’s main entrances and exits. Although that was highly likely, one must always prepare for the unexpected—this was one of the lessons Fang Hong had learned in Elpaxin.

They all shook their heads. Chris then suggested they ask the workers at the lumberyard if there were any willing to guide them to that place. Although the place was dangerous, these workers’ lives had been saved by others, and many were willing to guide them voluntarily.

However, it turned out that none of the workers had been to Dolifen. Chris couldn’t help but laugh and cry when he found out the reason; his father had forbidden his workers from getting near that place, but he had not expected everyone to follow the order so well.

Just as everyone was feeling somewhat at a loss, a somewhat steady voice came from atop the Beast of Burden:

”I’ll take you.”

Fang Hong turned in surprise and saw the older Knight, leaning on the railing on the platform looking at them. The latter had fainted from blood loss and exhaustion during the combat with the Undead earlier, but had evidently awakened at some point and appeared to be all right, albeit a bit pale.

He repeated, ”I have been to Dolifen, I’ll take you there. You saved my life, and I should rightfully serve you.”

”Friend, your health—” Reed asked, looking up. Being a fellow knight from Marlan, he naturally felt a special affinity and couldn’t help warning him.