Pillar of Yita

November 6, sunny weather, winds from the northwest.

After several days of preparation, everyone finally set sail on the Berio from Fenris. As the ship passed through the Overseas, through the clouds, everyone saw a new Great Rift Valley stretching from the east to the west—it spanned the bay, marking the most conspicuous scar Leon on the island from the disaster.

Perhaps for a long time to come, people will remember this terrible disaster.

...

November 10, clear skies, North Wind.

Four days after leaving Fenris, the Berio reached the waters off Colin, where the sailors also spotted some near-shore birds; that ancient continent may now be not too far from us.

This voyage was much calmer than the last, the great storms had passed, and the Cloud Sea in the last days of autumn repeated its tranquility and peace. As for the pirates mentioned by the sailors, they never appeared, as if they were just a noun from a distant story.

However, the days at sea are not boring, each day filled with strange and splendid scenery.

...

After writing the last word, Fang Hong put down the quill pen and gently closed the journal.

He lifted his head, staring unmoving at a shaft of sunlight that was streaming through the latticed porthole and falling on the swaying deck, while the desk lamp and the ceiling’s iron cage swayed along, creaking softly and rhythmically.

But he had gradually grown accustomed to this rhythm, as well as the intoxicating scent of Ether mixed with the sea breeze. Since leaving Fenris, Fang Hong had started learning to write a sailing journal, which did not take up much time, but was filled with fun.

He rested for a while before opening a drawer and picking out a golden ring from between a pile of coins and several books, lifting it up to examine closely.

The ring was cool to the touch, with a heavy weight as if crafted from rough gold, its surface sporting some uneven textures, reflecting the sunlight, shimmering in the dark.

But it had once been much brighter than it was now.

When Fang Hong first saw the ring in Dolifen, it glowed like Golden Flame flowing in magma, like a luminous gemstone, constantly radiating intense heat and brilliance.

When it appeared again in the underground of the Black Holy City, it was like a newborn sun, with light and heat erupting continuously, dispelling all darkness and fog.

But not like it is now.

However, in his system, the description above the ring’s phantom remained unchanged:

’A powerful Strength is contained within—’

In truth, Fang Hong knew that this ring contained a powerful Strength—he had absorbed the entire Strength of the Shadow of Nicopolis in Dolifen, and this time it had devoured a manifestation of Toragotos.

Even more outrageous, it had also taken in a part of Salrutaka’s Strength, and after a Deity’s Strength entered the ring, it completely changed its appearance.

It no longer shone as before, appearing to fall into a silence, turning into its current unremarkable appearance.

And the three powerful forces, since entering the ring, had also shown no response, as if the object were a bottomless pit, or perhaps its interior led to Subspace. The only slight change might be that Fang Hong faintly sensed a connection forming between it and himself.

In these days, this was not the first time he scrutinized the ring so carefully.

But equally, when he picked up the ring, in the quiet space, he felt that unique sensation again.

The feeling was indescribable, as if a thought was emerging in his mind, but it was not his own idea. Rather, it felt like a strange will wishing to communicate with him on a cognitive level.

But this thought was not stable. It only appeared for a moment when he calmed down and was slightly lost in thought, and as soon as he snapped back to reality, it would vanish without a trace.

He once thought it was an illusion.

But Miss Fairy’s words not long ago dispelled this belief; she told him that indeed a new ’Mark’ had appeared in his Spirit World.

”A new ’Mark’?”

”Or to put it more commonly, a contract,” Miss Tata had replied at the time.

”A contract?”

”Just like the contract between Mr. Knight and me—”

So Fang Hong started to feel uneasy.

His contract with Miss Tata, naturally, was the Dragon Soul contract, and a new contract similar to it had appeared in his Spirit World, which meant a new Dragon Soul was being born—and its origin was crystal clear to him.

That could very likely be a Dark Dragon Soul.

But he had never heard of such a thing. Could Dark Dragons also leave behind Dragon Souls? And how could a person form connections with two Dragon Souls?

However, regarding this question,

Miss Fairy could only look calmly, making eye contact with him.

Because historically, no one had ever signed two Dragon Soul contracts.

And no one had ever forged such a ring with the Golden Star Pupil, let alone used the Ring of Golden Flame to absorb a part of the Strength of two Dark Giant Dragons and a Dark Deity, therefore no one could tell them.

What exactly had happened inside this ring,

And more importantly, whether this change was good or bad—Fang Hong did not know.

Day after day passed, and he indeed felt more clearly the growth of the gestating Dragon Soul. There seemed to be a barrier between it and his Spirit World, and it kept knocking against that membrane.