Pillar of Yita

The bright bonfire leaped into Fang Hong’s vision.

Warm light spread across the expansive open field, and the roaring sound of the flames had long been drowned out by people’s conversations, interspersed with the occasional shrill scream and laughter of children, but at this moment, nobody bothered to admonish them.

Fireflies danced over the dark surface of the lake, and at this moment, a witch doctor dressed in a yellow robe stepped down from the distant platform. The crowd quieted a bit, making way for him as the old man slowly approached the bonfire. In the firelight, mysterious patterns were painted on the witch doctor’s bronze face, one hand holding a staff adorned with bone fragments, the other holding an ancient slate.

Fang Hong had learned the general procedures of the celebration from the clergy at Marlan Temple.

First, the Firestarter would ignite the Holy Fire, then a Master of Ceremonies would come forward to recite the prayers, praying to Androma for more life to be born in the desert, and for the shadows of the flames to take away decay; after the ceremony, the King of Sand, Barbaltan, would appear and accept the audience of his people, followed by an audience with Colin Ishurian’s emissary and the gift presentation segment.

Once all this was over, there would be revelry, dancing, and feasting, with the celebration continuing into the late night, and those unwilling to leave could even stay until dawn.

Only then would the guards disperse the remaining people and close the gates of the Royal Palace.

This old witch doctor was evidently the Master of Ceremonies.

Fang Hong had no mind to listen to the lengthy prayers recited by the other party, turning his gaze elsewhere: more and more people were gathering on this open ground, the bonfire’s light illuminating only a small circle beneath the high platform, while in the distant darkness was a vast Sea of Light like a starry sky—the sparkling light was actually the Light’s Crystal held in people’s hands.

The radiance in the darkness extended beyond the Royal Palace.

At this moment, the majority of Quistack’s residents should have gathered here, and outside the Royal Palace, there was an even larger square, which should also be equally spectacular now.

The Guests entering the Royal Palace were mostly nobles or merchants of some status, not purely commoners. Fang Hong had Aleph’s hand order to gain entry. Ordinary people lacking qualifications would gather at the square outside the Royal Palace, where there were more and larger bonfires and various performances.

Outside, the Royal Household would distribute food, fruits, and exquisite wine so that even the poor could partake in this annual celebration.

Contrarily, the nobles needed to bring their own food—

Fang Hong thought this was quite humane; after all, what the royal attendees needed was merely a social occasion, uninterested in minor refreshments, with enough servants to bring enough gourmet food and beverages to host a banquet.

Apart from these two locations, all the Great Holy Temples would also be open today, allowing believers to perform evening prayers and share a sacred meal within the temples. Before Fang Hong left Lady Marlan’s Holy Temple, he witnessed preparations underway for the grand celebration tonight.

However, this celebration was grandest only in Quistack; in other regions of Istania, preparations typically were individual, without parades and revelries, unlike the Winter Festival in Colin Ishurian, which was widespread from north to south, even held in places like Fanric that didn’t have snow.

Fang Hong redirected his gaze as the prayer of the Master of Ceremonies finally concluded.

”May Androma bless the Silver Sand Sea.”

The other concluded with a benediction.

Guests in the square responded in unison, their prayers rising and falling like ocean waves.

To the Istania People, the Sand Sea and they were one, this millennia-old homeland carrying the life and civilization of the Desert People.

This benediction was spoken in Colin’s language, which is why Fang Hong could understand it; this obviously was not so in the past, but with Istania’s joining of Colin Ishurian, the influx of tourists and Invokers had compelled this ancient kingdom to ’when in Rome’ and adjust and innovate.

Fang Hong once again surveyed the surroundings, wondering how many of the guests present were Invokers.

The Royal House of Penelope invited some non-nobles to participate in this celebration at the Royal Palace each year, mostly Invokers—more precisely, tourists. Just as you’d imagine, there’s business involved, the number of invites and who to invite is naturally a private transaction between the Royal Household and major travel agencies.

Each year, roughly three hundred slots are distributed to major travel agencies, precisely the ’cross-boundary travel agencies’ Fang Hong had heard of. The sightseeing passage at Stargate Port wasn’t operated by Stargate Port itself but by over a hundred global travel agencies, big and small.

In the Third District, there were about twenty-seven such travel agencies, with three of considerable scale. Ai Xiaoxiao, together with Tang Xin, had come to Eteliria through one of these three, the ’Starlight’ travel agency, including the Festival of Sand among its classic sightseeing projects, which Ai Xiaoxiao mentioned more than once.

However, the sightseeing tour was divided by season, and Ai Xiaoxiao’s original itinerary didn’t include this celebration. In fact, if the Stargate hadn’t been postponed, her family alongside Tang Xin would have returned to Earth and naturally missed this celebration.

When Ai Xiaoxiao mentioned this, there was a sense of regret.