Pillar of Yita

It was just after that illusory encounter ended, the two never met again.

The middle-aged man took off the cloak from his body and hung it on a row of wooden hooks on one side of the wall: ”Is it time?”

Mazak nodded.

He carefully placed the sword on his knee, then closed the sword box with one hand and replied: ”Last November was supposed to be the time set by the other party, but the incident with Dolifen disrupted the plans of the Dragon Worship Sect believers, which led to a series of subsequent events in Charter City.

Nikopolas has always been wary of us, and several times I went to Charter City to no avail. However, recently I’ve received some news that they should be ready.”

The middle-aged man teased, ”I thought it was us who should be ready.”

”I was ready twenty years ago,” Mazak replied flatly, ”but without absolute certainty, it won’t appear.”

”Indeed, she is such a person.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

”Do you remember our last dealings in Rodell?” he asked, ”We were just one step away. If it weren’t for that failure, we wouldn’t have to wait until today.”

Mazak replied calmly, ”But if it weren’t for that failure, we might not succeed this time either.”

”That’s true.”

The middle-aged man replied, ”After all, she is your sister.”

Mazak shook his head lightly.

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then said, ”Recently, I’ve heard that many people are venturing into the depths of Traveler’s Swamp, searching for the non-existent ’Spire’. Last month and the month before, an adventure group each went missing.”

He paused for a while, then continued, ”There are also similar rumors from the Holy Chosen side. I inquired about it and found it was in Bamedir—there, already under the shadow of the Dragon Roar Mountains, it would take at least two months to reach that place.”

He looked around the hall again and spoke once more, ”Are you really planning to leave Shayek behind?”

”He’s getting old, and such long journeys are no longer suitable for him,” Mazak nodded, ”Shayek has been by my side for many years but does not belong to the Oathkeeper lineage. He was born in Rodell, but he spent the longest part of his life here.”

”I’ve already discussed with those people, he will remain here and continue to manage this inn until the end. The Praetor of Elpaxin will guarantee this contract, and for the sake of the Royal Household, it should hold until the end—”

”Very thorough arrangement,” the middle-aged man replied noncommittally, his gaze falling on the letter on the table: ”That letter?”

”A letter from Ade.”

At the mention of the name, the middle-aged man’s stern face showed a hint of surprise: ”I remember them.”

”In Dolifen?”

The middle-aged man—or rather Luen Linxiu—nodded.

However, he did not seem inclined to delve into this topic further, only asking, ”So everything is ready, when do you plan to set off?”

Mazak picked up the sword in his hand, the blade shining brightly under the moonlight.

He stood up, carefully sheathed the sword, then turned to Luen and replied lightly:

”Now.”

...

”Lady Kuisu!”

Fang Hong looked delightedly at the person appearing in front of him.

Recently, he had been so busy with a pile of his own affairs that he almost forgot about the matter with the other party and his woodworking team. On one hand, the investigation regarding the slave traders had stalled since the search of their stronghold.

The evidence he had was not enough to trace their whereabouts after leaving Tansnier. He only reported the letter and his speculations to Stargate Port, but just as he expected, without key evidence, they only instructed him to continue investigating.

However, Su Changfeng evidently didn’t trust the Descendants of Flor either and privately told him that while Stargate Port couldn’t make any moves without sufficient evidence, the military could provide assistance if he encountered any trouble in this regard.

Fang Hong thought for a moment and asked if they could keep a closer eye on the recent movements of the Descendants of Flor toward Istania and analyze the contents of that letter—especially regarding the mentioned ’Mr. B’.

To this, Su Changfeng readily agreed.

After resolving this matter, he then made a request to Princess Rupert, inquiring if they could arrange a meeting with her birth mother’s side—the Queen’s former maternal family. This wasn’t a small matter, as he had guessed, the Queen’s former maternal family was also a well-known noble family in Istania.

But fortunately, according to the Grand Princess, they too had been investigating everything that happened that day over the years. Therefore, with this as a reason, there was a chance they could meet with the other party.

Of course, they couldn’t just show up unannounced, so now all they could do was wait.

For all these trivial matters, he had practically run all over Tansnier in recent days, even putting off the shipbuilding business, and naturally couldn’t think of anything else.

In fact, earlier today, he had already received news from others saying that an airship from the north had arrived in Tansnier. Although Tansnier is one of the busiest ports in Istania, between May and July each year, with the prevailing westerlies, ships coming south from Colin Ishurian are often rare.