Pillar of Yita

That is the First Continental Bridge.

The Heaven Stairway, leading to the gateway of the Second World.

Fang Hong looked at that place.

He had long lost count of how many times he gazed at this place, imagining one day he could cross it to reach that world he yearned for.

But he remained silent. Kalatu didn’t expect him to respond either. He put down the crystal he was holding, and the light in the room dimmed slightly. The archmage sat on the chair by his bedside, intertwining his fingers as he began to narrate:

”The origin of Colin’s two holy relics is yet another lengthy story.”

”The Hand of Philosophy of the Osh People was created by the Knowledge deity Angina, granting spellcasters supreme power. All the magic emperors of Osh have worn this divine artifact glove while facing the armies of the Naga and the giants on the battlefield.”

”The Eternal Insignia of Rotao was half born from the hand of the Goddess of Nature Ameya, and half crafted by that romantic poet, protector of artists, the Half-Person deity Paviwala. It is a holy relic of protection and healing, hence rarely seen directly on the battlefield.”

”As for Colin People’s two holy relics—”

Kalatu spoke as he took out an insignia from his sleeve and placed it on the bedside.

Fang Hong saw that it was actually the emblem of Colin Ishurian, and the design on it was profoundly familiar to him—Colin Kingdom’s emblem is divided in two, featuring a blue and white diagonal shield, adorned with three morning stars, one large and two small, matching those on the Colin Crown he had seen. Below the stars is the body of the Hailin Crown.

On both sides, beneath the Shield Beast, Gryphon, and Lion-Tiger Beast, lies a black anvil, with the Dwarf God Tarot’s Iron Forge Hammer and the white Morning Light Holy Sword—Anvil below, Iron Forge Hammer atop, the white Morning Light Holy Sword at the center, with scattered sparks representing the dwarves of Aithelin.

Below, the emblem’s banner is inscribed with an ancient Colin adage: ’Majesty through justice.’

This emblem already explained everything.

”The Hailin Crown and the Morning Light Holy Sword were both forged by Tarot. The fairies later sealed the Dragon’s Scripture within the latter, thus the Holy Sword Morning Light became one of the five Dragon Slaying Holy Swords, existing as the sword of the Dwarf King Valit.”

”So, the three holy relics are all divine artifacts. Adding the divine artifacts of Ilien and Cuirel, the Elf Holy Grail, there are four supreme treasures in total.”

”Even in the era of Numelin, they were sacred relics among the elves.”

”But why did the elves decide to hand these holy relics to mortals when leaving Eteliria?”

”To this, there’s a widely-spread legend among various nations—”

At some point, the Big Cat People pushed open the door and entered.

Reed leaned against the door, holding his pipe in one hand, but he didn’t light it, just silently listened to Kalatu’s narration.

”...Today’s mortal realms were actually the successors chosen by the Numelin Elves. As the elves were about to leave Eteliria, yet the verdant power still lingered in this world, and the threat of the Dark Giant Dragon to Eteliria was not yet eradicated. Hence, they had to choose a successor to oppose the dark forces...”

”Thus, they not only taught mortals alchemy, allowing those without magical aptitude to grasp powerful forces. Furthermore, to enable the then-weak mortal kingdoms to stand their ground in war, they also gifted the three holy relics to the only three mortal kingdoms of the time.”

”Colin, Osh, and Rotao.”

”Our current history seems to have emerged from here—”

”This might sound incredible, yet it aligns with historical logic. For just over three thousand years ago, Xinsas similarly aided the Numelin Empire—now the Serpent People Empire no longer exists, and even the Numelin Elves have vanished from the world.”

”But the trajectory of history remains unbroken.”

”Yet, what does this signify?” Kalatu unlocked his fingers: ”Since the turmoil in Aithelin, Colin People’s history has never ceased, and so too with the Osh People and the Wilderness People of Rotao.”

The archmage glanced towards the Big Cat People behind him.

Reed nodded, indicating agreement.

”Thus, the record of past history holds a certain credibility,” Kalatu suddenly questioned: ”Yet over nearly seven centuries, people rarely ask this question—Why does history revolve this way?”

Fang Hong opened his mouth.

But he hesitated for a moment, realizing he couldn’t answer.

Why did the vibrant Elf Empire choose to leave on its own and leave all its heritage to the then-weak mortals? After the Seven Kings Chaos, the Xinsas Serpentfolk seemingly vanished suddenly, conceding the empire’s territory to the elves.

Even though there are serpents that still exist today, today’s serpent folk and those of the Xinsas Era are completely different species. Just as after the departure of the Numelin Elves, beings like Miss Atira, the Forest Elf, and Princess Briana, the Avenquin Elf, are still around.

Yet among the three, there is no commonality.

Where did the Numelin Elves and Xinsas Serpentfolk actually go?

Only Gita timidly raised her head, answering weakly: ”Although the elves left suddenly, they didn’t leave without any information for the mortal kingdoms at that time. As far as I know, after leaving Aithelin, mortals were no longer a scattered force... So, so...”