Pillar of Yita

The carriage interior couldn’t be called cramped, yet it wasn’t spacious either, smaller than the one he had ridden in Golande. However, the carriage’s decorations were quite luxurious, with velvet cushions and a thickly padded ceiling embroidered with exquisite patterns. Between the two of them was a low table made of black, precious wood inlaid with gold thread, pure gold.

A set of teaware was present, with wisps of smoke rising from the white porcelain, the red liquid forming ripples.

Fang Hong sat opposite this Earl, his third meeting with the Governor of Bain, whose presence exuded a faint aura of authority. Still, since that incident at Bain Fortress, that authority had somewhat diminished over time.

The carriage curtains were drawn, dimming the interior — in Istania, various exotic beasts were common, but horses weren’t native — fine-bred warhorses mostly came from the northern Colin Ishurian, thus carriages were rare, mostly owned by nobles.

Nulman was silent at first, merely watching him.

Fang Hong also kept silent, lost in his thoughts.

After a while, the Earl finally spoke in a subdued manner: ”It seems the Princess trusts you deeply.”

”I am the Invoker,” Fang Hong shook his head. ”It’s impossible for me to stay in one place for too long, not about trust, only a covenant relationship.”

”...You must have some inkling of our plans, right?”

Seeing Fang Hong looking at him, Nulman replied, ”Not long after you left Bain, I guessed that Marlan Temple helped you; after all, that miracle in the night was visible to half the city, not hard to guess.”

”Later, I learned your identity from Saisheer, which explained their choice; I’ve heard some tales of the Chosen of the Stars...”

”I imagine Faris has already told you some things.”

Having said this, he raised his head.

His gaze pierced through the curling smoke, looking at Fang Hong.

”Feel free to speak plainly, Lord Earl.”

Everything that happened last night seemed like a Phantom Realm.

At the celebration, whether it was the King of Sand or the Earl, or even others, it was as if the events at Bain hadn’t happened at all. Yet Fang Hong knew clearly that this matter couldn’t truly be regarded as never having happened, especially considering that, while most matters were manageable, Affia was still with him.

He was also unclear about the whereabouts of Luo Yu and his group.

But Nulman shifted the topic: ”Mr. Ade, what do you think of what we are doing?”

Fang Hong looked at him surprisingly, how was he supposed to answer such a question?

Yet the Earl spoke frankly: ”His Majesty intends to resurrect the Queen.”

Fang Hong was taken aback, but he responded candidly: ”From the perspective of Alchemy, this is a fantasy.”

”But the Numelin Elves’ Alchemy—”

”Even the Numelin Elves’ Alchemy cannot do it; the Art of Creation is merely a beautiful wish.”

”Mr. Ade indeed understands Creatogenesis.

Nulman replied coolly: ”It’s not surprising for the inheritor of Numelin Alchemy.”

The inheritor of Numelin Alchemy?

Fang Hong was slightly startled by these words, wondering when he had acquired such a title. Or, could it be that his teaching of Ancient Alchemy at the Elfendo Council had been spread? But he had only taught a small part, with Anser’s permission; his understanding of Ancient Alchemy was nothing compared to the Silver Tower.

He suddenly realized the other’s intention: ”You don’t intend for me to get involved, do you?”

Surprisingly, Nulman shook his head gently.

”You are right; the dead cannot be brought back to life, and there can be no eternal existence in this world; even the gods cannot be eternal, let alone mortals.”

Fang Hong was completely stunned, looking at him: ”Then the King of Sand...”

But Nulman abruptly changed the subject:

”Mr. Ade, in your investigation ordered by the Princess, you must have also learned about the Queen’s life, haven’t you?”

Fang Hong nodded.

The carriage seemed to pass over a raised surface, slightly bumping.

Nulman paused before continuing:

”In days past, His Majesty and the Queen were deeply in love, and their story of acquaintance is one of the popular legends on this Sand Sea...”

”The birth mother of the Princess, in her youth, idolized her elder brother, a famous explorer in their family and a pride of the Istania people. She too loved adventure, even disguising herself as an adventurer with accompanying knights in her girlhood, joining an unknown small Adventure Group.”

”These acts were considered rebellious at the time, yet His Majesty did not mind. The celebration of Quistack is an annual event; about seventeen years ago, His Majesty and the Queen met during such a celebration, even agreeing that one day Istania would also send an Exploration Team to the Second World, like Colin Ishurian, to explore the existence of the Bridge of Heaven—”

”And the leader of that fleet would be the Queen’s elder brother, Istania’s most famous explorer of old, Gayaxi Alzuhjan Laziz.”

Hearing this name, Fang Hong’s eyes flickered slightly.

He then remembered why the surname of the Princess’s grandmother sounded so familiar — it was due to this person. However, compared to the name Gayaxi Alzuhjan Laziz, people generally preferred to call this Great Explorer Sir Gayaxi.