Pillar of Yita

Some of these people might very well become true star Invokers in the future, core members of the next generation of that legendary dynasty from the China Competition Region.

Being on the same level as them, even if only temporarily, is enough to be proud of.

However, Fang Hong thought about it and didn’t mention this to the others. A good start doesn’t dictate future outcomes. The man who guided Xiangzi to this world, his mentor from the Lonely White Field, was a prime example of this.

There was also the talented young Alchemist from the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team who fought alongside him at Pegasus Bridge. In Fang Hong’s view, their talents were no less than that of the legendary All-Seer KUN from the Silver Forest Crown, yet it was the latter who went to the Second World, creating a legend of his own.

There are too many examples in both the First and Second Worlds where the choices people make lead them to vastly different outcomes.

And those Free Adventurers, destined to miss the Grand Guild, would have access to even fewer resources, making their attitude and effort even more important—it was only after going through so many events that Fang Hong gradually understood this—and also the true meaning behind what Miya had told him in the Elf Ruins.

Because the New World behind this Stargate isn’t that different from the world outside of it.

But Fang Hong wasn’t really in a position to summarize any insights. At most, he just wanted to put a little pressure on Xiangzi, understanding that he himself was also under a lot of pressure, but he always saw it as a source of motivation.

As for whether Xiangzi would one day be crushed by this pressure, Fang Hong didn’t think too much about it, but it was his basic duty as a Captain.

The battle between the Silver Weslan and the Corpse Ghosts and skeletons below was somewhat lackluster. Even without their support, those Adventurers could have handled the Undead; it would have just taken a bit more time.

However, the latter’s involvement certainly sped up the process.

In Eteliria, the Undead driven by Dark Forces exhibit a variety of negative emotions, such as rage and greed—but they notably don’t experience fear. Therefore, they fell to the ground like logs being chopped down by the advancing Silver Weslan, only to continually charge forward in waves to meet their deaths.

Until the last skeleton was smashed to pieces, turned to dust.

Chopping down enemies naturally requires stamina, and even the Silver Weslan members are no exception. They were all still under Level 15, their Equipment might have been significantly better than average, but their Attributes were not that much higher. Thus, after the battle, everyone sat on the ground gasping for air.

Faring just a bit better than a few Adventurers sprawled out on the ground.

The leader of those Adventurers was clearly the human Priest—apart from Dwarf, he was the oldest one in the team, around thirty, which in Invoker’s terms, is nearing retirement.

Staying in Eteliria, one either continues the struggle for a couple more years to save a bit more, getting by in some mediocre second-string teams, or they switch to becoming Guild managers like Grant. Despite the decline in synchronization with Glow Materials, it doesn’t hinder non-combat work.

The human Priest clearly belonged to the latter category, occasionally casting a few healing Spells in combat with little effect, but more often responsible for command. In Fang Hong’s observation, his command skills were not shabby.

Of course, Fang Hong’s own command skills were just average; he was better at situations like this—exploration, analysis, and finding clues. He only arrived at this conclusion by parroting—since it was Sophie who told him so.

As he approached, led by a Silver Weslan Knight who cleared a path through the crowd, the Invokers showed visible excitement—especially the tall Elf Ranger, who boldly sized him up, while the others, including Dwarf, wore expressions of curiosity and admiration.

Fang Hong was well aware that they had misunderstood, thinking he was one of the Silver Weslan members. He understood what they thought, as he himself was once a star chaser.

Only the human Priest was more subdued, with age his fervor had subdued, and he was the first to stand and express his gratitude, ”Speaking of which, we haven’t thanked you yet. If it weren’t for you, we would have been in trouble. True to the name of Silver Weslan.”

”No need to be polite,” replied a Knight from Silver Weslan, then turned to look at Fang Hong.

Fang Hong nodded, but he didn’t correct the misunderstanding. His actual concern was why these people were here—he had always thought that only members of the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team were ahead of them, but it appeared that this was not the case.

After thinking for a moment, he looked around and asked, ”These are Corpse Ghosts. From what I’ve read, they should be quite rare at this level. How did you end up attracting so many?”

What he didn’t expect was the look of relief on their faces in response to his question. They murmured as though they had survived a great ordeal, ”Thank goodness it’s only these Corpse Ghosts. If those things had stayed behind, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have lasted until you got here.”

Fang Hong paused briefly, a notion forming in his mind, ”Those things?”