Pillars of Ita

The gathering shadows on the horizon are like a big hole. Looking at the gestating storm from a distance can give people a huge sense of oppression. The heavy black clouds are its claws and scales, and the lightning and thunder are its Dreaming and breathing.

The violent winds and huge waves that arise from wild thoughts are nothing but its heartbeat and pulse.

I don't know what level the wind and waves were, but they formed one mountain-like wave after another on the sea of ​​clouds, and the rain mixed with the clouds poured down on everyone, drenching everyone.

The water mist is swirling, and although it is above the empty sea, it is no different from sailing in the real ocean.

Moreover, the ups and downs on the clouds are often more spectacular, and the waves can even roll up hundreds of meters. Sometimes it is like a mountain standing tall, only to be shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye.

The power of nature makes people as insignificant as dust——

Tian Lan was talking nonsense: "Wow, is the sky going to fall!?"

A wave swept across, and everyone on the deck fell down simultaneously - fortunately, the rope nets were tightened to prevent them from being thrown away.

The hull of the ship made a terrible shuddering sound, which made people almost think it was about to disintegrate.

If it were in a real sea, this blow would be enough to cause the sailboat to fall apart.

But fortunately, the impact of cloud waves is much smaller than real waves. The Seven Seas Traveler rises and falls like a leaf in the clouds without capsizing.

The real trouble is the chaotic wind element——

The turbulence hidden under the clouds is what sailors fear most in the air and sea. Once the wind element is out of balance, the sailboat will immediately encounter catastrophe.

"Miss Trish, valve!"

With quick eyes and quick hands, Cui Xisi rushed forward to open the valve.

The exhaust port made a sharp whine, and steam shot out like arrows, so that more gas that had no time to escape overflowed from the gaps in the pipes.

Diffuse into fog.

Miss Scholar coughed several times in the thick fog. She looked nervously at the needles spinning around and rattling the pressure gauges. At least three of the Guy generators were already overloaded.

Jita couldn't help but turn around and remind: "Miss Tata, it's going to be overloaded!"

But what came from the catheter was Fang Plover's voice: "Don't disturb her, I'm doing the math."

As the captain of the Seven Seas Traveler, he was getting up from the deck and looking at the moody Kukai.

The boatswain hung on the rope net and shouted hurriedly: "Mr. Captain, there is a sea wave on the starboard side at two o'clock!"

Fang Plover quickly came to the side, holding the side of the ship with one hand, watching the mountainous cloud waves forming, and immediately issued an order: "Full right rudder, turn the bow of the ship over."

The ship officer did as she was told.

"It will be too late," the Pappara people were jumping anxiously, "We are dead!"

Fang Yu asked the fairy lady in his heart: "Miss Tata?"

"I can still support it," Miss Elf's voice was as calm as ever, "I will maintain the state of the Seven Seas Traveler, but the calculation of the wind element layer can only be left to Mr. Knight."

"Leave it to me." Fang Plover nodded, then looked at Sylvide who was standing aside.

"There is land ahead." She said concisely.

"If a window appears, remind me." Fang Yu said.

Sylvide nodded.

The aerospace ship was turning to face the huge waves rising like mountains, and the sky blue screams were heard.

But Miss Poet subconsciously helped to hold the cable.

Seeing this scene, even Adni's mind went blank for a moment.

She only knew that the outer sea was surrounded by strong winds and huge waves all year round, but she never thought that there would be such a terrifying situation after entering the island chain. She even felt a trace of regret in her heart. Did she come too early?

Baggins was nervously watching the hydrology.

He has rarely seen such bad weather even in the second world. What happened in this sea area? He had been to this sea area with Jazz in the past, but Han Ruina at that time was far less dangerous and mysterious than it is now.

The prayers in everyone's hearts seemed to have been answered. The bow of the Seven Seas Traveler parted the clouds and mist, and was lifted by the wind element as if it was slowly climbing a mountain peak, along the wave ridge to the top of the mountain.

The Seven Seas Traveler sailed on the ridge of huge waves, and the scenery on both sides was even more shocking, just like the waves rushing in the valley, forming different directions.

The turbulence even formed whirlpools, and the sea of ​​clouds turned into a mess.

A black line appeared on the horizon, where the land was, but the waves and dark wind and rain obscured the sight, making the huge island looming.

"Ed, there is a safe channel to the left, and there should be a headland there."

"You might be able to find a safe haven behind the headland."

Sylvide looked in that direction and spoke quickly.

"How did you get it?"

"I saw rip currents. Leave it to me, Baggins. He should be familiar with these hydrological conditions."

Fang Plover nodded, the importance of a good navigator became apparent in such a situation. He can calculate the situation below the wind element layer, but what the ocean currents on the shore are like can only rely on sophisticated experience.

Baggins climbed down from the net and glanced admiringly at the young man.

In the past, Fang Plover satisfied him in every aspect, but none of them were as respectful as this moment.

For sailors who have overcome wind and waves for a long time, a person who dares to judge in a difficult situation and lead them out of that difficulty is often the best captain.

"A wonderful voyage," he said. "The captain has the ability of Sir, and he can go to the second world."

The boatswain praised him sincerely.

The most dangerous storms in the second world are nothing compared to this.

Fang Yu accepted it calmly, but he also understood that his understanding of ether theory was far better than that of ordinary sailors and captains, and he had such powerful computing power, which gave him many advantages over ordinary navigators.

But Sylvide glanced at him and warned softly: "Be careful of turning back."

"I know."

Fang Plover is not arrogant.

After passing through the huge waves, the situation behind it became easier. The Seven Seas Traveler slid along the wave surface. As expected, just as the noble daughter expected, it didn't take long to encounter the rip current.

The strong rip current pushed the sailboat forward, but Fang Plover did not let Miss Tata break free because the offshore tide would eventually bring them back to land.

After approaching the edge of the land, the wind and waves suddenly decreased a lot, as if passing through a mysterious barrier, and everything inside the barrier became calm.

Adni had just recovered from the previous violent wind and waves. She looked at the magical scene in front of her and said: "Storms and waves surround Storm Bay, but they also protect this place. The Oshur people in the north They all believe that there is a divine power guarding this place.”

"This scene can indeed be said to be a miracle," Fang Luo had been hesitant when he heard the foundry lady describe the situation here, until he saw it with his own eyes.

He hasn't figured out why this place is like this. Maybe it's because of the barrier, maybe it's for other reasons, but it doesn't really matter. There are so many magical places in Aitaria, and this place is nothing in comparison.

It was a wise choice for the pirate king to choose this place as his secret base. There is a storm surrounding it outside as a natural cover, and the waves inside are as flat as a mirror, making it a good haven. But I don't know how the other party discovered this place.

But Fang Yu is not in a hurry, all questions will be answered, and after they get to the island, the veil of this place will naturally be revealed.

Sylvide said before that there would be a quiet bay behind the cape.

Although the storm had receded, Fang Plover still decided to park the Nanami Traveler there - everyone could already see the promontory protruding into the sea, standing like the sharp teeth of a giant beast among the clouds.

There is a forest above the promontory, and there are many rocks near the cliff. There are seabirds living on it - Fang Plover recognized it as a black-backed seagull and a black-browed albatross, but the sharp-eyed sky is on the tip of the promontory. Found something unusual:
"Look, it's a lighthouse!"

The place Miss Poet was pointing to did indeed look like the ruins of a lighthouse. However, it seems that only half of it is left. The upper part has completely collapsed, leaving only the broken wall of the base and covered with withered vines.

This discovery surprised everyone else. Do Aboriginal people have lighthouses? But Adni said that this was William's secret hiding place. There were only some indigenous people on the island, and the lighthouse didn't look like such a primitive product.

It is more like the architectural style common in imperial cities.

"Could it be left by the pirate king?" Luo Hao threw the rope on the deck, looked up in that direction, and asked.

"It's impossible." Adni looked over there in surprise and shook her head. "William only has a secret port on this island. In order not to expose the secret of his treasure house, he didn't even tell it to his associates. How could it be possible? Build the lighthouse with great fanfare.”

"Can you tell what era this lighthouse is from?"

No one on the ship understood this, so Fang Plover had no choice but to tell Ms. Naturalist to come up to the deck. Cui Xisi, who didn't know what was going on, also followed.

Just now, she thought she was going to die in the belly of a fish, but in the end she had a near miss.

She couldn't help but take a second look at these people, "I didn't expect them to really know how to sail. There are not many teams at this level that can travel between the air and the sea."

"That's the architecture of the empire, Captain." Jita flipped through the book and recognized the architectural style at a glance. "To be precise, lighthouses like this are very common in the north, but they look a bit old. "It can also be seen from the growth of vegetation that this lighthouse has been abandoned for many years, but it has not been as long as a century. Before the innovation of alchemy, the Empire had not used this kind of lighthouse based on magic technology.

Everyone is still trying to determine why this lighthouse appears in this place, but the Seven Seas Traveler has slowly sailed to the other side of the cape. After crossing the corner, a beautiful scenery is displayed in front of everyone.

Just as Sylvide expected, behind the cape was a secluded bay with beautiful scenery and surrounded by woods, but nestled between the mountains was a white port city.

A city in... an imperial style.

Looking at this scene, everyone couldn't help but be stunned.

The foundry girl was the first to react and blurted out: "This...impossible. There has never been any information mentioning that there is an imperial city in the Storm Islands, let alone here...this is William's hiding place..."

"Calm down, Ms. Adney," Fang Plover was much calmer than her. "This port is abandoned."

He looked at the port from a distance. The city had lost its vitality. The piers and piers stretching into the empty sea were empty. There were no people or sailboats, only a dead ruin, just like the Like a dead lighthouse.

The city is covered with green vegetation. Grass and cracked ruins grow alternately. Shady vines climb all over the white walls. The tree crowns cover the streets. The sea breeze blows and the port makes a rustling sound. From a distance, There is a strange beauty.

Fang Plover looked at Jita.

Miss Naturalist shook her head, "Captain, there are not many documentary records about Xinta'an Northland. This is the last territory developed by the empire, and dotted ports dot the poor coastline."

She said: "Ms. Adni is right. I have never heard of rumors that the Oshu people went deep into Hanrui to establish an advance stronghold. It looks like a fortress. It may be a secret of the imperial people."

This sudden situation made everyone a little silent. The island that was originally thought to be the Pirate King's hiding place actually had a city belonging to the Empire.

But since there is a port here, Fang Plover simply let the Seven Seas Traveler sail into the harbor and dock on the trestle. They tied the anchor piles, jumped off the ship, and set foot on the land of this strange city for the first time. A light layer of chalky sand.

Walking on the pier, there is an empty rustling sound, which seems to confirm that the city is indeed empty.

Fang Yu asked Miss Cat Paladin, Xiang Xiang and Papalar to stay and watch the ship with Boatswain Baggins. Luo Yu was not on the ship. Fang Yu temporarily gave the position of mage chief to Xiang Xiang. Ji Ta was not on the ship, only This middle-aged boy can guard the core crystal and Guy generator.

Miya didn't intend to join them either. This level of adventure made her uninterested. "If you run into trouble," the wolf girl said to Fang Plover, "I will go find you, just give me the coordinates."

Fang Plover nodded.

So the only people who entered the city to explore with him were Alyssa, Mei, Luo Hao and Adni. Sylveide, Miss Maid and Tianlan were responsible for going ashore to draw maps, and Miss Naturalist was responsible for providing the two teams with information. Technical Support.

As soon as the group set foot on the port, they first noticed something unusual.

Fang Plover saw a human skeleton not far away, wearing standard armor, falling to the ground. A strange silver blade penetrated the gap between its ribs and was inserted into the chest.

He walked over and pulled out the strange silver blade and held it in his hand. It should be a long-handled weapon with a curved blade attached to one end.

He had never seen such a weapon, but this did not prevent him from judging that it was not a human weapon, because he did not see the magic circuit on the curved blade spear, which meant that it was not connected to the magic furnace for combat.

"This is Naga's weapon, a long curved blade," Jita said. "As dark creatures, they do not need to use magic skills like mortals. Their weapons are made of cold iron and are naturally equipped with magic."

"Could it be that Naga captured this city?" Alyssa asked.

Fang Plover shook his head.

He suddenly felt something in his heart and raised the blade from his hand. The next moment, several golden and red curves stretched out from it.

The line stretched along the curved surface of the long blade, and there was a 'chi' sound, turning the strange weapon into fly ash in an instant - the metal blade also fell to the ground like a liquid, and solidified again.

This startled Fang Plover himself——

He originally wanted to try the real dragon knight's domain, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful. The unfolding line was actually the law domain, representing the law of the fire element. The destructive flames instantly decomposed the curved blade into its most primitive state.

But Fang Yu himself didn't feel well, and the backlash of elemental power almost turned him into ashes, if he hadn't reacted quickly.

Others looked over inexplicably.

Fang Plover hurriedly laughed, thinking that indeed, the dragon knight's power was really not something he could control at his level.

Skip this little interlude.

The group of people walked along the pier and saw more and more battle scenes along the way, but there seemed to be no winner in the battle. The bones of Naga also appeared, that kind of snake-like creature entangled horribly with humans. Together.

No one recovered the weapons and armor seen along the way. It was as if the battle was frozen in the last moment. A sudden disaster swept both warring parties and stopped the time of the entire city at that moment.

"Look over there!"

The short knight lady, Mei suddenly said in a crisp voice.

Everyone looked in that direction and saw a figure appearing in the city for the first time, but the figure was motionless and it was difficult to tell whether it was a living person.

Luo Hao raised his big shield and leaned over there cautiously. Only when he got close to a certain distance, a strong smell of blood came from the wind. Tianlan suddenly made an "ah" sound and took a step back in fright.

Only then did the group see clearly what a terrifying scene it was - a man was hung on a stone wall, with long nails nailed to his limbs, his eyes were blinded, a gash was cut in his throat, and there was blood. It gurgled down, forming a hellish scene.

Without saying a word, Luo Hao stepped forward and untied the man. He looked around with his hands, turned around and shook his head to everyone, indicating that he could no longer be saved.

Sylvide frowned, turned her head away unbearably, and covered her mouth with her hand.

Tianlan was already vomiting on the side.

"The Naga clan did it," Jita took a deep breath, her face a little pale, "Naga is a matriarchal clan society, cruel and bloodthirsty, they will capture foreign women into their lairs and use them as food and slaves. The men were killed on the spot."

She adjusted her glasses slightly and added: "But Nagas don't like people to die too quickly and are keen on torturing their prey. These long nails are their handiwork. Only Nagas will do this."

"Disgusting race."

Even the maid lady couldn't help but speak in disgust.

"This is the nature of dark creatures. The giants who also live in Harina are no better than them. Nagas and giants have attacked the northern border of the empire several times in the past, causing many tragedies..."

"This man is not dead yet."

Fang Yu interrupted the others. He saw a faint white light floating on the body of the killed man. Humans are a race blessed by gods. Obviously, the man's star power has not yet been exhausted.

But Naga's methods are extremely vicious. Only the chosen one who is loved by the star gate will fully recover from all injuries after being killed, while ordinary people will depend on the strength of the star, such as a broken hand. , Injuries like blindness are generally difficult to heal.

Fang Yu suddenly remembered something.

"So there are still people in this city."

Even more than just people, Naga is also there——

They initially thought that the city should be destroyed in the war with Naga, but that war had ended long ago, and all the signs in the city indicated that the battle occurred at least decades ago.

"That's not quite right..."

Adni shook her head. After arriving on the island, they lost the last clue. The notes left by Jade Ram could only guide them here.

Originally, they were supposed to search for all noteworthy places on the island, but the sudden situation of this island made the foundry girl a little at a loss. "...This island is protected by the storm, which makes the wild waves and huge waves, as well as the dark creatures... Don't go near this place... this port..."

"This person is an aborigine, not an Empire person," Adni looked up and said, she had identified the person through his clothing, "...but why are the Nagas here? Ordinarily they can't pass through that shelter. …”

"What do you mean?"

"This island is protected by divine power," the foundry girl said: "All storms and dark creatures are inaccessible. It is impossible for the Naga family to pass through the protection and come here. Something must have happened here."

"An accident?" Tianlan finally recovered and coughed twice and asked: "But this island also has this sudden city, right? Look at the traces of the battle here, the Nagas have been here a long time ago... "

Adni was speechless.

Her brows furrowed tightly.

"Whether it's right or not," the ship officer adjusted her mentality at this time and said: "Since we have landed on the island, we must at least confirm whether the pirate king's treasure house is here. The origin of this port is mysterious, but Maybe it can give us some information on its own.”

Fang Yu nodded after hearing this, and he also thought of this: "If this port is destroyed in the war, the Naga family will not take away human documents. Maybe we can go to the city hall and see if we can get it there Find clues as to what happened to this city—"

"The pirate king really regards this island as his hiding place. It is unlikely that he can avoid this city. If he really has a secret base, it might be in this port."

His analysis was recognized by everyone present.

Mei also nodded, "I think Captain Ed's analysis is right. No matter what, we will find out if we go and take a look. If those dark creatures are killing people in this city, we can just bring them to justice." Law."

She looked at Luo Hao beside her and said in a childish voice, "Mr. Luo Hao and I will protect everyone."

Luo Hao couldn't laugh or cry after hearing this. Although there were some civilian personnel in their team, both the leader and Jita were actually quite capable of fighting, and they might not be able to protect them in turn.

However, he didn't refute it. He got a piece of armor that he liked very much in his previous adventure, and he just wanted to test its quality in the battle below.

After everyone reached an agreement, they turned towards the city hall. The ports of the Oshu people were much the same. With Miss Jita and Miss Tata's mobile library, they didn't have to worry about finding the wrong location.

However, the group of Sylvide, Siesta, and Tianlan originally planned to act separately. Due to the potential risks in the port, they decided to act together with them before they were sure of the threat from the Naga clan.

... (end of this chapter)