Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong did not believe he would be the one to unravel the puzzle, but the black spire beneath the Trial Grounds still unnerved him, constantly reminding him of Miss Atira’s matter.

The mysterious forces behind it always gave one the unpleasant sensation of being watched.

Moreover, the entire Eteliria was now in a delicate situation, even someone of Fang Hong’s level could subtly perceive it—reports of rebellion sprouting in the Knight Nation’s Ancient Tower, no news yet from Osh and Rotao, but according to the Lion Paladin, the Wilderness Nation was not stable either. Only Colin Ishurian might still be maintaining a facade of calm.

But ever since the New King ascended the throne, the turbulent undercurrents had not only started affecting the natives but also began spreading among the Invokers; the Battle of the Long Summer between the Descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance was just the beginning. And this journey to Fenris Isle seemed like the first withered leaf before the autumn of Eteliria.

Of course, Fang Hong understood he could not access higher-level information, and could not assert the root of these series of events, which might be coincidences, but he preferred to trust his instincts.

Caution never led to mistakes.

After hearing his words, Tainaric also fell silent for a moment, his reptilian cold eyes reflecting a hint of Recall, ”In Andasok, there indeed exists such legends, the black spire, symbolizing misfortune, Er Ata told us that they contain the strength of Awak.”

”Awak?”

”It is a sacred scripture passed down from the Ancients, the giant god of Xinsas, the great Kukulkan defeated its arch-enemy Oleta in a bloody battle and used the thorns of the Chinman Tree to bind the soul of the Giant Eagle. After Oleta’s death, those Chinman Tree thorns have been referred to as the sacred Awak.”

These words were as good as meaningless; Fang Hong also felt a headache from this style of the Lizardmen’s narrative.

But not all was lost; the black obelisk contains the strength of Awak. Could it be that the eye he saw in the illusion was actually that of the Giant Eagle Oleta? But there were issues—Oleta had been obliterated long ago, and Kukulkan’s era had passed thousands of years ago.

After the era of the Numelin Elves, the Orlin deities were sanctified, and then another era followed the entire lengthy Elf Era. There were no records of these ancient giants, let alone in this century of mortals.

The Elves would not possibly link the Numelin Holy Grail to Oleta; they must have deeper considerations for using the black spire to conceal the information of the Holy Grail. What exactly is hidden on the Elf Holy Grail, and what does it have to do with the prophecy Tainaric mentioned and the impending third Star of Calamity?

Fang Hong had no clue.

He vaguely felt that the mysterious figure behind this knew something; otherwise, there was no need to go to great lengths to hire people to search for the obelisk beneath the Abyssal Sea. And the Dragon Worshippers probably also held some clues, but their lineage came from the Dark Giant Dragon, Nikopolas.

Therefore, neither of these parties would reveal the answer to him.

And the original source of those rumors, who first spread that ancient song around in Rainbow Bay, surely knew this secret and wouldn’t act senselessly, yet it still baffled everyone about their intentions.

Last of all were the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team, Silver Forest Spear, and Miya; Fang Hong gently touched the back of his hand—the Battle of the Long Summer now seemed far from a mere clash over territory and wealth, clearly containing deeper underlying reasons.

Because ever since the battle at the Elf Ruins, both parties had declared a ceasefire, and behind this, Fang Hong felt he might have guessed the answer.

While thinking of Miya, he also thought of Baihua from Traveler’s Rest, number sixteen, a member of Rain Listener; which one was their true identity? The Hailin Crown inside the Elf Ruins, the Dragon’s Golden Eyes at Traveler’s Rest, and here this spire, their actions were evidently consistent.

But was it really related to Miya?

Then there were the conflicts between Rain Listener and Blood Oath Alliance, the disappearance of the high-ranking Guild members seemed also vaguely connected to a map embossed on a spire, all clues twined together like a ball of yarn, making Fang Hong feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Fortunately, he still carried a bit of an optimistic spirit, deciding not to fret over it when he couldn’t make sense of something. By setting aside this layer of concern, his mind naturally became much quieter.

On the bright side, at least he now knew far more, and wouldn’t be left out of the loop about the origin of a strange mark on the back of his hand.

The truth would one day emerge clear as day.

Relaxed now, he finally took a serious look at these ruins.

Just then, Parker turned around and asked, ”Speaking of which, we’ve been going in circles here, where exactly are we trying to go?”

”This is the slave area, the topmost level of the Black Holy City,” Fang Hong then told the others, ”We bought some materials from others, which state that this level has a total of twelve exits, each leading down to the next level.”

”But the first group of Jiefulite Red Cloak Team and Blood Oath Alliance members who arrived probably occupied the nearest exit already, and even the second exit might not be safe if they have enough people.”