Pillar of Yita

”But the Stars and Moon Council then discovered that this phenomenon appeared not only in Osh but also in Colin Ishurian, Giant Tree Hill, and Rotao, all showing similar signs. Particularly Giant Tree Hill, predominantly made up of followers of the Goddess of Nature, had been prohibited from mining Guy Crystal for years, and should not have been affected.”

”Miss Atira,” Kalatu looked toward the Elf Girl beside him, ”you are one of the Unicorn Girl at the Holy Tree Temple. With your status, you should be aware of these facts, right?”

Atira gave Fang Hong a glance and then nodded.

”Indeed, for several years now, the Guy Crystal at the core of Giant Tree Hill has been naturally depleting. In fact, Giant Tree Hill is sinking into the Sky Sea by two to three centimeters annually, but the temple has yet to find relevant clues, and the Lord Goddess has not given a clear response, so we have not disclosed this to the public.”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but look at the Elf Miss with surprise.

What caught his attention was a detail. Kalatu said it was based on the ’Elf Miss’s status, implying that Miss Atira’s status at the Holy Tree Temple might be higher than he had imagined. This was slightly different from what he originally thought, although he had heard from Big Cat people about the Unicorn Girls before.

Yet, what exactly the Unicorn Girls were, he did not know. That seemed to be one of the secrets of the Holy Tree Sanctuary.

Kalatu continued: ”The situation on other continents is similar, which reminds me of a series of events before the disaster of Aithelin. However, I don’t have more information at hand to prove the correlation between the two, so it’s still just speculation.”

”But if all this is indeed caused by the arrival of the Star of Calamity, then it means the Third Calamity Star’s impact on Eteliria is already quite significant.”

Tang De then entered from outside the door, tapping his cane with his knuckles, and responded in a hoarse voice: ”Moreover, due to the weakening of Guy Power, the Floating Continent is evidently sinking, leading to the emergence of pathways to the Abyssal Sea in many places. Therefore, countries and the powers of the Holy Choosers are pulling strength from the Second World to return to the First World.”

”The reappearance of the Abyssal Sea means that Aithelin, which sank beneath it, along with many Floating Fortresses built by the Xinsas Serpentfolk during the First Era, may re-enter the public’s vision. Aithelin carries the legacy of the Numelin Empire era, and the elves couldn’t take everything from the old continent during the catastrophe day.”

”Thus, the opportunities and hidden treasures down there are unimaginable—”

”More importantly, the numerous Floating Fortresses built during the Xinsas Serpentfolk era have foundations made of invaluable Dimensional Anchor Stones. Finding any fortress from that era equates to possessing wealth that rivals a country.”

Kalatu echoed: ”Just as Tang De said, even though the Star of Calamity has not arrived, signs are already evident. The Abyssal Sea, unchanged for a thousand years, won’t rise or fall without good reason—especially when the connection points between the Second World and the Abyssal Sea have also shown unusual signs recently.”

Fang Hong felt a chilling realization.

He finally understood why major guilds were pulling people back from the Second World to the First World. Mr. Kroid once mentioned this to him, but he didn’t know what had happened then. If it was due to such changes,

the arrangements of the major guilds seemed perfectly justified—

The Second World has now become a place of dispute, while the Third World is hard to find. Who knows if this suddenly appearing Abyssal Sea entrance is a pathway to the New World? Moreover, the wealth beneath the Abyssal Sea, as Tang De said, is enough to tempt these top guilds.

Discovering a Floating Fortress from the Xinsas Serpentfolk era isn’t just about the anchor stone’s revenue; the fortress itself holds immeasurable value.

Also, what the Archmage said reminded him of something else. The situation that the Cloud Harbor Archbishop Tirios privately spoke about regarding Fenris Isle seemed secretly related. He initially thought it was due to Toragotos’s influence on Fenris Isle.

But now it seems it wasn’t just that.

However, these matters are too distant for him.

Whether it’s the Abyssal Sea or the Star of Calamity, what relevance could it have to an Alchemist just over Level 20 like him? He possesses the Strength of Pale Glory, yet he doesn’t know its use, much less its connection to the Star of Calamity events.

But Kalatu seemed to perceive his thoughts and spoke:

”If the elves left the five Holy Relics for the next arrival of the Star of Calamity, then there must be a profound reason for those who can wield them in this era. You came across the Hailin Crown unintentionally, perhaps it’s not just coincidence.”

”Do you recall the story of Dragon’s Golden Eyes?”

Fang Hong glanced at the ring on his hand, slightly dazed.

Kalatu continued: ”My speculation is not baseless. When Guy Crystals began to wane, the pathway beneath the Abyssal Sea resurfaced, and at that very moment, rumors of the elf Obelisks started circulating.”

”Is it chance that this Holy Relic, unknown to the world until now, appears at this time, or part of a premeditated arrangement?” Kalatu queried: ”Ade, ponder carefully, what is the connection between these events.”

A burst of insight flashed in Fang Hong’s mind.

He lifted his head, instinctively meeting Hilveld’s gaze.

One of the seven Spires is located under the Abyssal Sea, and Hilveld happened to have visited that place, with Atira’s brother participating in that exploration. He remembered another matter—one of the seven Spires is beneath Fenris, now eternally submerged in the Abyss.

And he,

should be the only one who has seen the pattern on that Spire.

Is this really a coincidence?

...

```