Pillar of Yita

And it was precisely because of this dismissive attitude that he found an opportunity to escape from that den of evil.

Fang Hong set down the few pages of paper and returned to the main topic: ”Mr. Alvan, you must already know that before the Princess arrives in Tansnier, those slave traders have already fled in advance. The clues are lost here, and in order to rescue more people from their clutches, the only thing we can rely on now is the information we can learn from you, who have been in contact with them.”

The old man nodded: ”The Princess has already briefed me on this matter, so I understand well. Whatever you want to know, feel free to ask me. I’m not bragging, but even at my age, my memory is still quite reliable.”

Fang Hong then said: ”If they were ordinary slave traders, finding them might still be troublesome. However, these people are said to be connected with the Great Thief Mazahar and have received a batch of ancient manuscripts from him, indicating unusual motives. Hence, we plan to start from this angle.”

”A wise choice,” the old man replied, ”but I must correct you, they aren’t just ancient manuscripts; they are the Abyssal Sea Scroll.”

Fang Hong looked at the other with some surprise.

The old man merely smiled lightly, and then the kettle on the iron rack in the fireplace boiled, letting out a humming sound.

He stood up, picked up an iron hook, took the kettle off the rack, and then took some teacups from a wooden shelf on the wall, pouring the light red tea into each one.

The room was filled with drifting smoke for a moment.

”In the north of Colin Ishurian and in many parts of Osh, people are more accustomed to making tea,” the old man put down the teapot and leisurely said to the others, ”I’ve heard that this is somewhat similar to your custom.”

Fang Hong nodded, indeed, in Colin Ishurian, the tea-drinking habit is very similar to that of his hometown. However, Colin people prefer fermented black tea.

”But in Istania, brewing tea also has its own unique flavor. Since we’re in this place, naturally we must adapt to the local customs.”

The old man placed the teacups on the low table before them, without any hint of awkwardness, assuming the demeanor of a host—despite the fact that this place was merely within a dungeon.

Having placed the teacups down, he said: ”Achilles should have introduced me to you, but scholars from the Silver Tower come from varied backgrounds, each with their own school of thought.”

”When I was young, I was an apprentice under the great scholar Hailinde. The ancient languages of Xinsas and Numelin were precisely my research focus, and I have a deep interest in the Abyssal Sea Scroll.”

He took a sip of tea before continuing, ”If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have recognized these ancient manuscripts and taken the risk of stealing them from those slave traders.”

Fang Hong couldn’t help but be greatly surprised.

All these days he had been searching for someone who could help him decipher the Abyssal Sea Scroll, but unfortunately, in this small place of Tansnier, even finding some ancient texts in the library was difficult, let alone someone skilled in this field.

But unexpectedly, the person he needed was right here, underground in the Grand Princess Manor—the very person he had an appointment to meet.

If it weren’t for the current task of finding those slave traders, he would have eagerly discussed the Abyssal Sea Scroll with the old man right away.

Nonetheless, he took the initiative to ask: ”Mr. Alvan, since you are so familiar with the Abyssal Sea Scroll, do you know why Mazahar gave these things to those slave traders?”

The old man pondered the question seriously for a moment before replying: ”I think it might be related to the Dragon Worship Sect.”

Fang Hong was slightly taken aback, turning to exchange a glance with Hilveld. The noble lady managed to maintain her composure, but he was somewhat puzzled and asked again:

”What do you mean by that?”

”As far as I know, aside from the scholars researching them, only the alchemists and craftsmen, and these cultists are interested in such matters.”

”But we and the alchemists can’t possibly acquire the Abyssal Sea Scroll from the slave traders secretly. Apart from the Dragon Worship Sect, I can’t think of anyone else doing so.”

Fang Hong pondered for a moment; this was contrary to the conclusion he and Hilveld had reached, but it made sense. After all, it was what he initially thought too.

He asked again: ”Mr. Alvan, besides scholars, alchemists, and the Dragon Worship Sect, is there anyone else who might be interested in the Abyssal Sea Scroll?”

”Why do you ask?” The old man, evidently quite perceptive, asked back: ”Do you think this isn’t related to the three mentioned?”

Fang Hong shook his head. Although he and Hilveld had other theories, he wouldn’t reveal anything prematurely until he was sure of the enemy.

Even Achilles was the same.

He pondered carefully before he was about to respond.

However, Hilveld spoke up with her pleasant voice:

”Mr. Alvan, for safety reasons, we can’t always come to you, so we need to ask thoroughly once. Please don’t mind.

Although the Captain and I have our suspicions, we can’t be certain, and you are well-informed and have deep research into the Abyssal Sea Scroll—so we hope to fill any gaps on this issue.”

Her words were flawless, and the old man couldn’t find any fault, just nodding: ”Let me think. Right, there indeed was such a thing, but I think it’s unrelated to the current matter.”

”Whether it’s related or not,” at this moment, Achilles also spoke up: ”Mr. Alvan, you can tell us so that we can discuss it together, and perhaps there might be some clues.”

”That I understand,” the old man then slowly began to speak of a matter, ”it was something over ten years ago.”

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