Pillar of Yita

Faced with the ambassador’s inquiry, Fang Hong thought for just a moment before nodding seriously.

Seeing this, Ambassador Liao turned to look at Su Changfeng beside him. The latter took out a stack of documents from his pocket and gently placed it between the two.

He pressed the stack of documents with his hand before speaking: ”After all, today’s transparency of Stargate Port’s affairs is far greater than before. Although all countries maintain a unified stance on the stowaway incident, quite a lot of information has actually leaked out—”

”Moreover, officially, we use ’tourist disappearance’ to refer to this incident. Since the information has been made public, frankly speaking—it is not that easy to send you back quietly.”

He lifted his head and looked at Fang Hong: ”Therefore, leaving you here is actually a simpler method. After all, your uncle and aunt wouldn’t want you to be caught up in a media frenzy, would they?”

Fang Hong looked at the three people.

Of course, he understood that these words weren’t meant for him, but for his uncle and aunt. With such an excuse, the military would have every reason to let him stay in Eteliria.

However, he looked at the amiable-looking ambassador, the sharp-eyed Su Changfeng, and the cold-faced Zhang Tianmiu beside him and understood in his heart that there is no free lunch in this world.

He asked in a low voice, ”What’s the price?”

”Special orders—”

About the special orders, Fang Hong had already learned during the Artisan Competition, but as an ordinary person, he had only heard the name and didn’t know the specific content.

He couldn’t help but look at the ambassador and Su Changfeng.

Yet Ambassador Liao seemed to sense his intention and smiled: ”I heard you still have studies to complete in Eteliria?”

Fang Hong was slightly startled, not understanding why the other party would mention this. But after some thought, he still nodded: ”It’s about the investigation of Giant Tree Hill and Eteliria’s ecology.”

Ambassador Liao laughed: ”We shouldn’t delay a young man’s studies.”

Fang Hong felt a stir in his heart at these words.

Ambassador Liao also frankly said: ”Let’s offer you a few choices, Mr. Fang Hong. First, join the Stargate Port Special Preparation Team. I think you should have heard of this team and are somewhat familiar with it.”

Fang Hong nodded.

”Second, return to Earth, and we will try to ensure that you are not too affected—after all, although the stowaway incident is not trivial, you have behaved well while in Eteliria and made outstanding contributions to the Invoker’s cause. We can pardon you.”

After listening, Fang Hong remained silent for a moment before asking, ”And the third?”

”Third,” this time Ambassador Liao did not reply, but Su Changfeng spoke: ”On the surface, you will maintain the identity of a Free Summoner, but privately, we need you to help us complete some tasks.”

Fang Hong was taken aback.

In fact, he had anticipated these three conditions somewhat. Setting aside the second condition, the first condition is truly to join the Stargate Port Special Preparation Team, and with such an identity, the military could classify him under military trainees.

Thus, due to the military’s training program bypassing the Super Competitive League and the confidentiality agreements, his status as a stowaway might not be known to people for many years.

This doubtlessly solves his immediate pressing concern.

However, Fang Hong himself wasn’t considering this option—because after joining the special team, he would lose more freedom. A soldier has a soldier’s duties, and the possibility of him going to the Second World becomes negligible.

Not to mention most Free Summoners cooperate with the military through the third way.

This is the origin of the third option.

It’s well known that the military would form a collaboration with the Free Summoner teams, backing them and providing some support, while the Free Summoning teams would complete certain tasks for the military.

However, military tasks usually avoid direct contact with the Summoners’ Guild or the Natives and focus more on border patrols, cultist investigations, or exploring unknown territories.

There are quite a number of Free Summoner teams cooperating with the military in the Second World, and Loofah’s team is undoubtedly the most famous one.

The partnership between the Free Summoner teams and the military began with the China Competition Region. In the early years, governments and the Super Competitive League headquarters voiced opposition. However, these voices subsided due to the Chinese military’s consistent non-interference policy regarding guild conflicts and native political struggles, making such cooperation a norm in Eteliria.

In fact, in recent years, various governments have gradually started cultivating their own teams.

But the condition Su Changfeng proposed at this time greatly surprised Fang Hong.

After all, the difference between the official and unofficial is significant. He wasn’t foolish and couldn’t help but look at the ambassador and Su Changfeng with some uncertainty.

The latter didn’t shy away, nodding: ”You might have guessed, we want you to help investigate some things, matters that are not convenient for us to handle directly.”

Fang Hong took a deep breath, feeling that indeed this was the case.

He couldn’t help but look weakly at the two, somewhat terrified that if he refused, they would give him some fabricated punishment and lock him up.

Never to see the light of day again.

Su Changfeng couldn’t hold back a laugh: ”Don’t overthink it. We’re not asking you to do anything disgraceful. Actually, choosing you is the result of careful consideration.”

Fang Hong was dumbfounded by what he heard, looking at the other with curiosity. Although he had shown some potential, potential after all is unstable. The future is only an expectation. There are many fallen geniuses along the way in Eteliria.

If the military wanted to find someone more capable than him, there were plenty. Even with his current capability, he couldn’t compare to someone like ’Qin Zhi,’ who he had met in passing, let alone those in the China Competition Region who surpass Qin Zhi by miles.

So why did they choose him? To say he’s inconspicuous, now many people are focusing on him.

Only then did Su Changfeng slowly open his mouth: ”Your and Sophie’s investigation into the Dragon Worship Sect went entirely through my hands, so I have a say in this matter.”

He paused for a moment, and then his tone suddenly became much more serious: ”Fang Hong, what do you think of the Super Competitive League?”

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