Pillar of Yita

”That’s not right, Sister Red Leaf,” Tianlan said with some surprise, ”We clearly triggered a quest there, with those ghosts, and the Morning Knights.”

”What Morning Knights?” Red Leaf looked at them in confusion, clearly unaware of what they were talking about.

Fang Hong extended his hand to momentarily interrupt Tianlan’s words. He pondered for a moment, as if piecing together some clues in his mind, and then he asked, ”This is the last question, Miss Red Leaf, what are your plans now?”

”I don’t know,” Red Leaf said, looking somewhat lost as she shook her head, ”Recall Brother is the commander here. We’ve been separated from him, and there’s no news from the guild community. We still don’t know what instructions will come next.”

”Recall?”

”That’s the Nighthawk Summoner you’ve met.”

Fang Hong felt that he had heard this name somewhere before. He thought for a while and then asked, ”Is it someone from the Unicorn?”

The Unicorn was the core brigade of the Tabopolis Knights Order, with seventeen official members and twenty-two reserve members. In the First World, this was a rather famous brigade, much stronger than Silver Shadow of the Silver Forest Spear.

Red Leaf nodded her head.

Fang Hong continued to ask, ”Then what about your own thoughts?”

Red Leaf thought for a moment and said, ”The third step of the quest is right here. I plan to hold this place first. If the others are not in trouble, they should also come here to meet up with us.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong couldn’t help but lift the curtain and look outside. The golden-red light cast half of his solemn face. Then he let the curtain fall and gently shook his head.

”What’s wrong, is there something amiss?” Red Leaf couldn’t help but look at him. When she first met this young Alchemist at the Traveler’s Rest, she thought he was highly talented but obviously a bit confused. However, at this moment, she hesitated.

At least in the previous conversation, his thinking was very tight, and sometimes, things she had not thought of could not escape this young man’s eyes.

He seemed to be maturing rapidly—

She couldn’t help but look at Fang Hong carefully, and unconsciously, she began to value his opinion—especially after exposing the conspiracy between the Dragonfire Guild and the Dragon Worship Sect, which made her unconsciously develop a sense of crisis.

Fang Hong nodded. ”We already know that the plans of the Dragon Worship Sect and the Dragonfire Guild are meticulously linked together. It’s hard to imagine they don’t have a clue about their next step. Acting in a standard fashion may play right into their hands.”

Red Leaf pursed her lips tightly, her brows knotted together.

Seeing her like this, Gita felt a bit sorry and tugged at Fang Hong’s sleeve, ”Brother Ade, stop scaring Sister Red Leaf. We all know how serious the situation is now.”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He truly wasn’t trying to scare anyone; he just wanted the others to not harbor any illusions.

The Dragon Worshippers had already completed the first two steps of their mission, releasing the Shadow of Nicopolis. Although there was no consensus between the two parties yet, their aims likely weren’t too different.

This meant that the Tabopolis Oak Knights, including themselves, were currently facing an overwhelmingly superior enemy— not to mention the Dragonfire Guild lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.

He did have some ideas, but before he could share them, he needed to make Red Leaf and the others see the facts so they could abandon any fantasies. Otherwise, a lack of unity would only lead to ultimate failure.

Such precedents were too numerous in the Second World.

”Tell us your thoughts, Ade,” Red Leaf finally said, looking up with a voice that was somewhat hoarse.

Fang Hong let out a sigh of relief, looking gratefully at her. She could have completely stayed silent and waited for him to express his views. But by speaking up, she effectively passed the reins of initiative to him.

”This can’t be explained in a moment, but I’ll try to keep a long story short,” Fang Hong began, ”Red Leaf, do you remember what happened at the Traveler’s Rest when we met?”

Red Leaf looked at him strangely. That had only happened a couple of weeks ago. How could she possibly forget? ”You mean that Dark Giant Dragon, Nicopolis?”

Fang Hong nodded. ”Then do you know what will happen after the Dragon Worshipper completes the three-step mission?”

Red Leaf shook her head in confusion. In theory, completing Dolifen’s three-part task was just about taking away those three pieces of equipment. But they were instructed to try to block the Dragon Worshippers, and the Knight Order could only act according to the employer’s requirements. Moreover, the situation within the Phantom Realm was confusing and obscure in recent days; even if she was slow, she vaguely felt something unusual.

Fang Hong saw her expression and understood that they did not know the details. He then said, ”Let me answer this question. The Dragon Worshippers are seeking the true revival of Nicopolis’s strength. They are searching for the lost eye of the Dark Giant Dragon in the ruins from the ancient battle where the hero Xiuyuede fought—”

He slowed his voice, emphasizing each word: ”… If they succeed, the real Dark Giant Dragon will return to the world once more.”

”What, the Dark Giant Dragon!?” This answer shocked everyone, especially those who had experienced the incident at Traveler’s Rest, including Red Leaf.

Red Leaf seemed to want to say something, but Fang Hong stopped her and continued, ”Don’t rush to ask questions yet. You should know that in the epic battle where the hero Xiuyuede fought with Nicopolis, it is described like this—he wielded the Dragon Slaying Sword Galapea, cutting off the evil dragon’s horn and claw, and blinding one of its eyes.”