Pillar of Yita

They saw Hilveld’s smiling gaze, falling on someone in their team. How could they not know what’s happening? Mulan couldn’t help but give Fang Hong a push and asked, ”Native? Heavens, where did you find such a little fairy!?”

She paused, ”Wait a minute, is she really here for you?”

Fang Hong scratched his head, well, it seems like she is.

But Mulan pulled him and couldn’t help but lower her voice, ”What’s with that Little Princess of Silver Weslan, Ade, you, you’re two-timing!?”

Cui Yu and Hawk-Beak Bean listened, both looking at Fang Hong with a bit of admiration, unable to tell whether it was envy or jealousy.

Only Fang Hong looked speechless, ”Miss Mulan, what are you thinking? Didn’t I say, Miss Sophie and I are just friends.”

Mulan looked at him with disdain, her expression clearly saying — do you think I’ll believe that?

At this time Fang Hong was already explaining to the staff, these people were his friends. Only then was Hilveld allowed to come close. Fang Hong barely paused from joking around with Mulan and couldn’t help but ask her, ”Why did you dye your hair again?”

”It’s not really dyed, just a spell,” Hilveld said with a cheerful smile, flicking a strand of silver hair, ”There are a lot of people here who recognize me.”

Fang Hong then understood.

But Hilveld leaned closer, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, ”But I can also howl like a wolf, ooh ooh—”

Fang Hong’s mouth dropped open, feeling as if his heart nearly stopped.

Mulan was also wide-mouthed watching the two of them.

Hilveld then squinted her eyes and smiled, changing the topic, ”Just kidding, originally everyone planned to come watch you compete tomorrow, but someone was looking for you and couldn’t reach you, so we came to deliver a message specially.”

It’s necessary to turn off the Communication Crystals during a competition, so it’s no wonder they couldn’t reach him. Fang Hong finally realized, his face cooling down slightly, but who could it be? While taking out the crystal, he pondered with some confusion, ”Who could it be?”

From memory, only a handful of people knew both his communication number and those like Tianlan.

As expected, Hilveld then spoke, ”Miss Sicape.”

”Miss Sicape?” Fang Hong was taken aback; he had previously sent Miss Sicape a message, but there had been no response. He had heard there were minor issues at Stargate Port, and was always worried about matters there. He didn’t expect a reply from her at this time.

Thinking of this, he pressed the Communication Crystal with his hand, imbuing it with Ether Magic Power to activate it.

The crystal lit up faintly.

...

At the same time, among the crowd, Diket was checking his pocket watch, then looked up and said to the two girls behind him, ”It should be over here, but we were a bit late, and the first round has already ended. I guess my young friend should move on to the second round, do you want to...?”

He suddenly stopped, his eyes lighting up, ”I see him, he’s over there.”

But before he finished speaking.

Behind him, Ai Xiaoxiao suddenly called out softly, ”Ah!”

The girl almost stepped back in surprise and excitement, gripping her friend’s sleeve with force, ”Tangtang, look quickly!”

Tang Xin was slightly stunned, her gaze was sifting through the crowd, only turning back because of Ai Xiaoxiao’s words. Not yet reacting, she replied instinctively, ”What’s wrong with you, crazy girl—”

But she stopped at once. She let Ai Xiaoxiao shake her vigorously, meaningless words repeating from her mouth, ”I found him, I found him! It’s that Alchemist, remember?” But of course, Tang Xin remembered, the big fool she had lived with for more than ten years.

How could she forget?

But her gaze was just falling on Fang Hong and Hilveld’s interlocked hands, the delicate fingers of the noble girl entwined with that big fool’s, and neither’s attention was on this side — the big Pigeon was looking down at something as her semi-closed eyes watched.

And watching this, Tang Xin felt a burst of unnamed fire rush up within her.

She gritted her teeth, saying nothing.

And for some reason, still feeling a tinge of bitterness.

Beside her, Ai Xiaoxiao was oblivious to her friend’s feelings, still bouncing with excitement, ”Quick, let’s go find him for an autograph!”

But Tang Xin pulled her back, ”Are you crazy,” she unusually angered, ”There are competitors over there, how are you going to get across?”

Ai Xiaoxiao paused, realizing that was true. She finally looked to Diket on the side, thinking the native must have some way, right? She finally asked, ”Mr. Diket, I know one of the competitors, I’ve been looking for him for so long, can you take us to see him?”

Diket finally drew back his gaze.

He hadn’t realized the person they recognized was Fang Hong. He thought for a moment and then nodded, ”We might be able to see them behind the field, there’s time before the second round starts, the competitors should be resting there.”

Tang Xin heard this and finally calmed down a little, just looking at Fang Hong on stage, gently clenching her fist.

On stage, Fang Hong sneezed heavily.

He also looked around curiously, simultaneously indicating to Hilveld that he was fine, while glancing at the message on the Communication Crystal, and Miss Sicape’s reply was very brief, just a single sentence — Ade, reply to this message when you see it.

Fang Hong then input on the crystal, ”I’m here, Miss Sicape.”

After a while, the crystal lit up again, revealing Miss Sicape’s somewhat serious expression, ”Ade, some things happened before, so I hadn’t contacted you. There’s something here I wanted to inform you about but couldn’t.”

Fang Hong was slightly puzzled, asking, ”Miss Sicape, is everything alright on your side?”

Miss Sicape shook her head, ”No major problems, it’s just that we were worried someone was investigating the Morning Dawn Star, so we didn’t contact you.”

Fang Hong finally put his mind at ease, asking, ”What’s the matter over there?”

Miss Sicape thought for a moment before replying, ”I’m not sure if this is good or bad for you...”

Fang Hong blinked in confusion, asking, ”What exactly happened, Miss Sicape?”

”It’s like this,” Miss Sicape said, looking at him with a peculiar expression, ”I’m here in Stargate Port, you remember, right? But not long ago I seem to have met your cousin—”

”Ah!?”

Fang Hong was instantly dumbfounded.

”...Her name is Tang Xin,” Miss Sicape replied, ”That’s her name, I remember mentioning it to you.” She spoke while taking something out, ”I secretly took a photo at the time, see if it’s her?”

Seeing the girl in the photo among the two, Fang Hong felt his vision darken a bit.

As for the other girl, he actually recognized her too, Tang Xin’s desk partner friend, seemingly called Ai Xiaoxiao. Wasn’t that his cousin in the photo?

A sense of unease crept in his heart, and he couldn’t help but ask in a trembling voice, ”M-Miss Sicape, when did you meet her?”

”About a few months ago, I think?”

A few months...ago?

Fang Hong suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.

...