Pillar of Yita

Fang Hong tore open his robe, wrapped it around his hand twice, and hastily picked up the scorching Non-Attribute Crystal—the smell of burnt cloth instantly permeated the air. He ignored it completely, took an unfinished Clockwork Fairy out of his pocket, opened the shell, removed the Fairy's construct, leaving only the part that controlled the hinges.

Then he removed the firing mechanism from the Magic Guided Gun, swiftly installed it inside the shell of the Clockwork Fairy, connected it to the hinges, tore open the catalyst's paper pack, and filled it in. At last, he firmly placed the overheated Magic Guided Crystal in the socket originally meant for the vision connection crystal.

Having done all this, he stood up.

Outside the window below, two warriors were looking at their comrade's corpse, dumbfounded.

They thought Fang Hong must have already fled, but it was problematic that someone had inexplicably killed one of their own. While inputting into a crystal pendant, they said, "Captain, we've found members of the Morning Dawn Star Mercenary Corps."

Guzhou: "Morning Dawn Star? I don't have time for this right now..."

But after a while, he sent another line of text: "Hold on, why would they be here? Have you dealt with them?"

"Reportedly, they were separated, but we were unlucky, letting the kid escape."

Guzhou: "Idiots, why aren't you chasing after him?"

"Don't worry Captain, one of them is seriously injured; they can't have gone far, but we need to apply for battlefield scouting rights."

Guzhou: "Granted, I'll speak with Kaka."

If it's Kaka, then it's naturally no problem.

The warrior couldn't help but excitedly touch his bald head. Kaka was the most talented newcomer among the summoners groomed by the club, reported to be able to adeptly control Clockwork Fairies even without being a Combat Artisan. Such talent was rare even in the history of a club like BBK.

As he pondered how to build a good relationship with the elite summoners in the guild, he heard a shout: "Watch out above!"

It was the Healer's voice.

The two warriors simultaneously looked up, just in time to see Fang Hong coldly observing them from the window. "Go to hell." He exerted all his strength and threw the Clockwork Fairy downward.

"Clockwork Fairy?"

The bald warrior was slightly taken aback.

But Fang Hong had already pulled down his Wind Goggles.

The hinges drove the firing mechanism, which accurately struck the chip cap on the other side of the shell. The Alchemy Formula on it ignited instantly, causing the catalyst to burn fiercely, channeling magic power into the central Non-Attribute Crystal.

And the Non-Attribute Crystal, already overheated as Sicape had once warned him, expanded violently and then exploded.

The blast wave tore apart the fragile shell of the Clockwork Fairy, slashing it along the alchemic engraving into countless tiny pieces, spreading in all directions.

All of this happened in a mere instant—

Accompanied by two unbearably shrill screams.

...

A kilometer away—

The young man suddenly lifted his Wind Goggles. He vigorously shook his head, with a face that could not be older than fifteen, tousled black hair that looked malnourished like withered grass, a face devoid of energy, and heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"What is it, have you found them?" Guzhou now looked far less dashing than before, covered in dust, his bright red cape singed at the hem, his fancy sword lost, leaving only a magnificent Sword Sheath.

This appearance could hardly be described as destitute, but it was not far off.

However, the only thing that could be said in his favor was that, at least now, he still managed to appear composed— even after being perfectly ambushed by that legendary 'All-Seer of the Battlefield'. Then again, how many Commanders within the country hadn't been ambushed by that man?

But Guzhou did not see this as an honor; he felt it was a tremendous disgrace.

The youth shook his head, "Found it, but it's not much use."

He described what he had seen.

"Combat Artisan?" Canghai Guzhou cried out in disbelief, "Could you be mistaken? That Adventure Group is barely noticeable in Kapuka and Rodell's area. How could they possibly recruit a Combat Artisan?"

The youth scratched his head, looking somewhat indifferent as he replied, "Then I must have been mistaken."

His tone was like those half-baked Alchemists that Canghai Guzhou had seen, but Heaven knows this was the future star cultivated by the club at great cost, even holding a higher status in the Guild than him. He shook his head, helpless against the youth's lethargy, "You continue to keep an eye on that guy, and don't lose him."

The youth nodded.

It was only then that Canghai Guzhou lifted his head to address the most pressing issue before him—

Within his vision, people in silver battle robes appeared sporadically in three directions amidst the ruins. Yes, they were surrounded, and he had fully believed that 'Mr. Legend' couldn't possibly guess his intentions.

But not only did the other party guess them, they guessed them accurately.

He gritted his teeth and glared at the person in the crowd—The legendary figure of the Silver Forest Crown, the All-Seer, KUN. As much as Canghai Guzhou didn't want to admit it, he had completely lost this battle.

"It seems like they have stopped, Captain?" someone suddenly said.

Canghai Guzhou also paused for a moment, noticing that the attack from the Silver Forest Spear had halted, which was totally illogical. Then he heard a voice, amplified by magic power, resonate over the battlefield.

"I would like to ask, who is the Commander of Jiefulite?"

KUN's voice was calm, neither loud nor hasty.

It was only at this moment that people remembered that this gentle man was not just a top-notch Commander, but also an Elite Summoner from the second world, as well as the only Dragon Knight of the Silver Forest Crown.

Canghai Guzhou felt his face flush with embarrassment.

But he still stepped forward responsibly, "That would be me." He looked across, expecting mockery from the others, but he was wrong; not a single person laughed out loud.

At that moment, Canghai Guzhou felt a great sense of disparity, even more uncomfortable than being mocked.

Because he realized that being defeated by that man wasn't something laughable in the eyes of others—it was to be expected.

He was momentarily dazed until a hand pressed on his shoulder. The hand was thin, but long and strong. Canghai Guzhou was startled and then realized who it was.

"Qiaoli?" KUN's voice also paused, "I didn't expect to find you here; no wonder this battle was a bit more difficult than I imagined."

'A bit more difficult.'

Canghai Guzhou felt the heat on his face, wishing he could bury himself in a hole.

But Qiaoli shook his head, "This battle was fully under our Commander's control, I contributed nothing."

KUN looked somewhat surprised at the young man—by the standards of a Summoner's career, he was no longer very young himself. "A fine command," he complimented, "It seems BBK is also on the rise."

Canghai Guzhou was completely stunned, but the legendary figure of the Silver Forest Crown had other concerns. He shook his head and said, "Commander, I propose a truce."

"A truce?"

"Because spies have infiltrated both sides, someone has already entered the core area beneath the ruins."

"What?" Canghai Guzhou exclaimed in shock, "...that thing?"

Before he could finish, the ground of the entire forest began shaking violently.

...