Pillar of Yita

The residual water from the storm had not yet fully receded, but as autumn approached, Cloud Harbor already bore a hint of chill. The poet played the lyre softly, as some fuel was added to the fireplace on one of the walls. A thin flame burned, light filtering through the hall’s dull pine floors and onto the faces of those gathered around the long table.

Atira still sat in the place of honor—which was the result of everyone’s unanimous concession—but their gazes mostly fell on the young man beside the Elf Miss, Fang Hong. He still wore a beige long shirt with a leather vest over it. His soft hair fell across his forehead as he looked around at everyone—

Miss Atira, Mr. Big Cat, Luo Yu, Tianlan, Gita, Miss Hilveld, and her maid Xiesta, not one was missing. Xiangzi and Parker had also arrived; the young man had changed his attire, but still looked so chuuni, while the latter wriggled restlessly in his own chair.

At the other end of the table, there was an uninvited guest, Princess Brili-Kalanxilan. The Elf Princess sat leisurely, her eyes brimming with gossip as she watched him and Miss Hilveld.

Next to her was another mysterious guest, with head bowed and face obscured by a hood, only two strands of hair visible over the chest. Fang Hong had a vague idea who it might be, yet he kept silent.

Then there was a tall, one-eyed man—today he was without his turban, dressed in a grubby coat, leaning against a pillar, subtly protecting the direction of Fang Hong and Miss Hilveld—one was his captain-to-be, the other was the daughter of the lord he had sworn loyalty to.

Fang Hong had come to know that this big man was called Bakins, a subordinate of Hilveld’s father, who had once been a bosun and gunnery officer aboard a ship, possessing considerable skills. That Miss Hilveld kept only him after deciding to join their squad, despite dismissing everyone else, showed his importance.

Of course, her joining process did not suffer much resistance; everyone agreed to this Noble Lady’s request—with Tianlan looking as if she would die with anyone who disagreed. Fortunately, there was no dissent, not even from Luo Yu, who typically held objections; this time, even he voted in favor.

However, to call her a Noble Lady now was somewhat inappropriate, as she had chosen to leave behind her past identity. In the future, she would be their intelligent and beautiful Miss Ship’s Officer.

In terms of level, Bakins was around level 15, his experience distributed in a pure War Profession—Musketeer, a profession that combined melee and musket shooting, skilled with a Curved Blade, Sting Sword, and Handgun. Of course, his level was actually much higher in his early years, but due to a permanent injury sustained in battle, his level had significantly decreased to what it was today.

Miss Hilveld said that her father, Sir Mawei, had once suggested helping the man, but it was politely declined. Prideful and solitary, perhaps these were the traits of the sea wolves. But Bakins’ joining had added a third high-level combatant to their team, aside from Mr. Big Cat and Xiesta.

The distribution of professions within the team had actually changed to a certain extent since Fang Hong and the others had met. For instance, the Elf Miss had subtly stepped back from her original frontline combat position to become the team’s manager, mainly in charge of logistics and the daily affairs of the team.

Her Druid and Cook identities actually made her more adept at these duties than before.

And Parker had shifted from his original scouting and scouting roles to become the team’s main Archer, while Fang Hong took over the duties of the Papalar with his Clockwork Fairy, taking on the Scout’s responsibilities.

Of course, for more professional teams, Nightingale and Rangers were more suited for this role. After all, compared to frontline Scouting (Scout and Vanguard), a Combat Artisan was actually better placed as a control type Observer, since they indeed have a broader field of vision but lack countermeasures to the ambushes and assaults of hidden enemies.

However, at lower levels, this was not so much of an issue.

As for the subordinates of Miss Hilveld’s father that she had dismissed, there was no need to worry, as Princess Briana had promised she would handle the matter of their placement. Having been a hero of the Battle of Bain, this was but a small effort for her.

Hanging above was a transparent wooden cabinet with a black pine frame inlaid with six panes of glass, inside which was a five-pillar brass and Crystal lamp, emitting a glow that illuminated the tabletop, making everything transparent.

The long table was covered with a light red checkered cloth, on which plates and cutlery were neatly arranged. In a basket, local fruits and croissants were placed, along with Fenris sour cheese on a tray, and in the center sat a piping hot roasted potato and a salted, pickled fish.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Cloud Harbor’s resources were not plentiful.

But the aroma of the food still made everyone’s throats tingle with anticipation. Having been unconscious for nearly half a month, Fang Hong hadn’t eaten much and wasn’t injured, but his body system was already reminding him urgently to eat.

Everyone at the meal had an understanding of each other, hardly making a sound other than the occasional clink of fork and plate. Only the Papalar ate noisily, creating a mess, but everyone was used to it by now and found nothing amiss.

Without such a scene, they might even feel a bit unaccustomed.

On the tablecloth, beside the vase, lay a bunch of dried dill, next to the Transmission Crystal.