Pillar of Yita

She lifted her head, tilting her snow-white chin upward.

Droplets of water hung crystal clear on the vines, the surface’s arc light reflecting the situation inside the room.

Hilveld dried her damp, light golden hair, and with a casual shake, spread it out like a spread of pure gold tassels, beneath which was her slender and smooth neck.

Fang Hong had never seen her hair casually draped down like this, which made her look innocent and lovely, like the girl next door.

”That is a rather unique graduation assessment for trainees on Fenris Isle,” Hilveld replied, ”Within the Green Dragon Mountain Range, there is an ancient underground city, said to be a ruin of the Serpent People Empire. Does the captain know about the Serpent People?”

Fang Hong nodded.

The Serpent People, contemporaries of the Numelin Elves, were said to worship an ancient deity named Kukulkan. However, this deity betrayed the gods of Orlin during the Aithelin Disaster and perished in the Divine Catastrophe, with the Serpent People Empire sinking into the Abyssal Sea alongside Aithelin.

Yet, traces of the Serpent People still exist in Eteliria today; they are divided into two factions. The Black Nagas now dwell within the Numelin Tree Sea between Giant Tree Hill and Saint Hugon Corner.

The Red Nagas reside in isolation in Harnaray, and both factions continue to view the civilized world with hostility, with the latter even forming alliances with Giants and Nagas to raid the western coasts of the Osh Empire.

There are also legends stating that Lizardmen and Nagas are branches of the Serpent People Empire.

However, today’s Eteliria is home to a diverse array of Lizardmen, and the Shark Lizard People are even sworn enemies of the Serpent People, leading many to disbelieve the earlier part of these rumors.

”But there are ruins of the Serpent People Empire here?” Fang Hong asked.

The Serpent People Empire sank into the Abyssal Sea along with Aithelin, which is now the largest Sky Sea among the Eteliria Continent Group—The New Sea.

Between the Colin Ishurian (Cloud Sea) Continent Group, the Giant Tree Hill Continent Group, and the Osh Continent Group in Eteliria, these three continent groups form three vertices; the airspace between these vertices is where today’s New Sea is located.

Along the edges of these three continents adjacent to the New Sea, there are the three major forests of the First World—the Sea of Ancient Trees in Tarun, the Numelin Tree Sea in Giant Tree Hill, and the Harnaray Forest Sea of Osh, thus leading to the theory that these forests were the borders of the former Aithelin Continent.

Presently, these three major forests contain numerous relics from the Numelin Empire and Serpent People Empire, although Fang Hong had indeed never heard of the existence of such ruins on Fenris Isle.

”There’s a theory that, aside from Rota, the continents of Osh, Cloud Sea, and Giant Tree Hill once belonged to a supercontinent, which gradually fragmented after the Aithelin Disaster, forming today’s configuration,” Hilveld said casually as she sat down.

Indeed, Luo Yu had long ago remodeled the other side of Saddle Bridge, removing the lookout tower and building a new room there.

However, Hilveld still preferred spending time in this room, sitting quietly on Fang Hong’s bed reading her peculiar books or using his desk to draw maps.

”But at least changing clothes should be done in one’s own room.”

Fang Hong even felt a bit embarrassed when he brought this up, ”If it weren’t for my alertness, I would have walked right in.”

”Is Lord Captain very reluctant? Would you like me to change in front of you again?” Hilveld replied with a mischievous grin.

Fang Hong was utterly overwhelmed by her bold response and stammered, ”No, it’s not like that.”

The noble girl then bent over with laughter, ”My room is too cramped, and I’ve had Xiesta lay out the carpet; I don’t want to mess everything up while changing. You know my habits; let it slide a little, Lord Captain.”

Are you going to leave my place in chaos then?

Fang Hong was left speechless.

He said, ”At least show some consideration.”

Hilveld’s eyes gleamed like crescent moons, ”There’s nothing to consider, I am your ship’s officer, Lord Captain. Onboard, the ship’s officer is supposed to reside next to the captain’s quarters. If it weren’t for the lack of space here, I should have added a hammock in this room to get you used to it sooner.”

Fang Hong jumped in shock, ”That won’t be necessary.”

Hilveld continued to chuckle.

”Scholars generally believe that Fenris Isle was originally part of the Tarun Ancient Forest, making the presence of Serpent People ruins reasonable here,” Miss Tata quietly took over the conversation from Hilveld.

Since the noble girl already knew she was there, Miss Fairy didn’t hide her presence, sharing this small, closely guarded secret among the three of them.

Hilveld naturally sat on the edge of Fang Hong’s bed, holding a small mirror and combing her soft golden hair, while continuing, ”This place is the birthplace of the Green Dragon ’Meijeli.’ ”

”So that’s the underground city,” Fang Hong suddenly realized.

Green Dragon ’Meijeli’ is the nominal lord of Fenris Isle, that fabulously wealthy legendary Green Dragon. ’Meijeli’ is a name humans gave him, and it sounds the same as a legendary merchant in Eteliria’s history. As for ’Meijeli’s own name, it is a long, peculiar symbol.

Eteliria’s Green Dragons, before reaching adulthood, often prefer to use abandoned caves or ancient ruins as their lairs, and Green Dragon Meijeli was no exception.

However, the underground city it inhabits is particularly famous, as it was from there it inherited some aspects of ancient alchemy that today bolster its status in the Colin Ishurian Alchemy Realm.