Fang Plover stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the vast shadow of the sea of trees below, like a dark green shadow extending to the horizon.
He looked at the forest extending under his feet, moving towards the side of the ship, and then retreating. This was not the first time he had come here, but every time he felt the same majesty to this sea of trees.
The shadow of the tower can already be seen in the distance, standing alone among the sea of trees. Next to it is Selva, the stronghold of the empire in the sea of trees. The spire of the Temple of Knowledge in the town stands opposite the tower.
The Tower of Winter Solstice is very different from the one on the shore of Lake Nevade. It was built earlier than that one. The people who built these spiers are a mystery, and they may be elves.
It could also be the early occultists.
In short, it has been guarding here silently for thousands of years, and its surface is covered with marks left by history.
The tower probably witnessed the empire's youth, and its architectural style is filled with the rough and majestic beauty from that era. Wind and rain have left traces on it and smoothed the edges of the stone bricks.
After I visited the airship tower in Selva, then came down from the tower, walked through the quiet and uninhabited woods, and saw the tower again from the ground, I had another different feeling.
Tower builders built this tall tower with stones many centuries ago. The towering tower is square and square. There are no windows or holes on the tower, only a huge, closed and quiet arch.
The door is fifteen feet high and stands in front of everyone.
The young people participating in the competition were whispering to each other, and there were about fifty people in total who arrived here.
Luo Wei and others were beside him, and Fang Yu also saw Vikki and Zheng Yongzai beside her. The two of them greeted him. The girl's attitude was not too good, but at least it didn't get worse.
The people from the Artisans Guild—or the Alchemists Guild as the Empire calls them—prefaced the announcement by saying that the second part of the trial was not so much a challenge, but rather an encounter.
It is a reward for the series of difficult and dangerous challenges they have gone through before.
In essence, it is similar to the younger generation of alchemists going to the Tower of Summer End in Kaolin-Yinxiulian, except that various recommendations and qualifications are required there.
Or it has the approval of the tower owner.
But here, what the young alchemists get from the tower depends only on how far they can go in the tower.
In other words, how many doors were opened in the Hall of Thousand Doors ultimately determined how many of the fifty people could go to the flower-filled inner courtyard of Ayinbrok.
An extremely sacred place in the eyes of alchemists, the Hall of the Holy King.
To be precise, half of the fifty people, plus five, a total of thirty people can receive this honor.
The young alchemists here prove their level by everything they have learned. If two of them go the same distance, their qualifications will only be determined by their time.
Therefore, before the contestants arrived here, the team leaders asked them to pay attention to the time factor in all activities in the tower.
It's just that the soul fingerprint didn't say much about this aspect. After all, if the person who got the first place in the first trial couldn't go to the Hall of the Holy King, it would make people doubt the second place.
The authenticity of field trials.
She couldn't think of the possibility of that kind of scene happening, so she only conveyed Ming's words:
"The opportunity of the Twin Towers Trial is not available to everyone. You can try your best to open the doors that interest you and go far enough."
'I heard that you broke a record in the Summer End Tower, but that fellow Anloser has been tight-lipped about how many doors you opened. If possible, I hope you can break a record here and let me see.
.'
As for the record he broke, Fang Yu was embarrassed to mention it, and Mr. Anlosser didn't mention it probably for the same reason.
If he remembered correctly, he made it to the end.
Fang Yu silently looked at the magnificent door. The patterns on the door came from a long time ago. It is said that they were actually left by the people who built the tower.
He actually knew those patterns, they were related to the Oath Keepers clan.
"The Silver Helmet Guards are the holy guards of the Magic Emperor. In that war about the past, the Silver Helmets were the backbone of mortal power. They have experienced many tragic battles, and the remaining ones are still the most trustworthy in the empire.
Guards, they guard all the secrets of the empire."
In the silver space of the tower, Farif was telling him the story about history:
"The Light Leaders are the knights of the Loya elves. They fought side by side with the first generation Elf King Quvenral. They once galloped on the battlefield, and now they guard the holy white forest. Except for the white branches and shadows, they have long lost everything.
Don’t ask any more questions.”
"And of all people, only the Oathkeepers can best adhere to the boundaries between darkness and light."
For some reason, Fang Yu thought of Ms. Misu.
He had seen the breathtaking darkness at Traveler's Rest, and the dragon's wings and the golden flame ring lingered in his mind like shadows.
The story of the taciturn inn owner, Mazak and his old servant, and the Oath Keepers clan.
But the Oath Keepers in the sand sea of Instania are just one of the mysterious tribes scattered across the continents.
He asked Princess Rupert, and Her Royal Highness said that she had heard of those people in the past, but they had always been quite mysterious in the sand sea and had never had much contact with the outside world.
But the Oath Keepers have actually been to many places.
As early as when they took over the dragon-slaying sword from the goblins and made an oath with blood, they quietly spread their branches in this world.
They just hide in most corners of the world and abide by their oaths.
"So what is the power of darkness? The Oath Keepers drank dragon blood, but in the end had to accept the fate of becoming monsters," he asked at the time, "but alchemy also comes from the green and uses the same
Power also has different properties, how to define the properties?"
"The power of darkness comes from many similar worlds, and those worlds have experienced a huge disaster at the same time," Farif replied. "When the stars dim, that world becomes a void with only existence."
Shell, a worldly 'corpse'."
"And just as the dead will long for life," the old man's old face was written with those memories of the past, and he recalled the knowledge he had learned, "those dead worlds will instinctively be attracted by the stars that are still shining.
, it will be close to our world. When the two worlds get too close, disaster will come."
In the dream shown to him by Dragon Queen Alesha, Fang Plover saw a corner of the dying world.
"Will Aitaria become like that," he asked, "Can a world that has lost its starlight be able to be 'resurrected' again?"
"Have you ever been to the Ashen Land of the Empire?" Farif asked. "There was a great battle south of Lucerne. Magic left scars on the land all day long. The dead were twisted by the power of the war.
Under the guidance of the master, they turned into undead. Those soulless things wandered in that land, coveting the living people in the past, but they occasionally met an unfortunate person, but after eating flesh and blood, would they become living people again?
"
Farif shook his head, "The extinguished stars cannot be ignited again, and the dead world cannot be refilled with life, just like the dead cannot be resurrected."
"So the shadow people used a sword to kill their own world," Fang Plover murmured. "Their world died with it, along with everything in the world, including themselves."
"That world has turned into the undead," he asked in a low voice, "About that world... everything about those worlds has become a source of darkness."
It was like a plague, or a black hole. A void with no place for stars to shine, endlessly yearning for those worlds where stars still shine.
This is an irreversible process. Once anyone touches the sword, he will become a part of the sword.
The starlight will become the source of its nutrients, and those people will also become part of the darkness.
Fang Yu suddenly thought of the taboo alchemy that Stargate Port was pursuing. Those stone tablets from under the abyssal sea turned out to be more than just records of knowledge.
It also records dangers.
But it was also the first time that he realized that there was not just one such world, but many.
Therefore, the misfortune comes again and again. Behind the greenery, there is a collection of many similar unfortunate worlds. The occultists and oathkeepers have been doing their best to protect their own world.
Let Aitalia not make the same mistake again.
Those cold, dead worlds seemed to him like cold tombstones, with the epitaph of a world engraved on them.
The epitaph is a mockery of fate, like a ghost. The ghost is holding a long chain in its hand, and the other end of the chain is tied to those who made everything possible.
Fang Yu couldn't help but think of those dragon worshipers.
The same ignorance and numbness turned them into slaves of fate.
And that chain is their desire for eternal life, but eternal life is sometimes not a blessing, or it may be an endless curse given to them by the God of Death.
Just like what the filmmaker is going through.
Fang Yu felt vaguely worried. Is everything in the past reappearing now? Is there a conspiracy hidden behind the El Paxin fire?
Will the world behind this star gate become like that?
He asked: "If this is the case, aren't the Imperial people now following the same path as the Shadow people?"
"No," Farif shook his head, "This all starts with the Great Prophecy. Have you ever heard of the Great Prophecy?"
Fang Plover shook his head.
"It's not surprising that you don't know. After all, that happened centuries ago," Farif replied. "Those strange rumors are only circulated among the nobles now, and not many people mention them anymore."
He continued, "That was about seven hundred years ago. Before the battle in the south of Lucerne, astrologers gathered there to conduct a divination about the future of Aitaria."
"That divination predicted many things, about the division and reconstruction of the empire, about the birth of the Northern Empire, and the establishment of the seven magician families."
"Even the second world and the seven obelisks are actually the result of that prophecy. That big prophecy even predicted the disaster of the dragon witch that would happen in Kaolin-Yinxiulian a few centuries later."
"But the most important result in the prophecy is still about the destruction of the world, the recurrence of disasters, and the return of the dead enemies."
Farif said in an chanting tone:
"The azure comet travels in the sky, and its long light tail is reflected in the etheric sea. The first disaster is the fire that overturns everything, and the entire Aitaria will be reduced to ashes in the sea of fire."
"That's the whole picture of the prophecy."
The old man walked towards the towering crystal, "Seven centuries have passed, and the great prophecies have been verified one by one. Since many, many years ago, the empire began to prepare for that world-destroying disaster."
He turned back and looked at Fang Plover, his silver-gray eyes flashing with an indescribable light, "Actually, it's not just the Imperial people, but the Kaolin people as well. Do you still remember the Age of Exploration, during the craze of heading to the second world?
, there are shadows of the royal family and nobility behind them..."
"But the Chosen Ones are also involved," Fang Plover looked a little confused, "But why don't we know anything about it?"
"This is normal. You are in a different position," Farif shook his head. "As you said, your government and your alliance also played a big role in this, didn't they?"
He pointed out another point, "Do you still remember the seven obelisks? You must have heard about them. It has been rumored a lot in those days. I heard that there was a big battle in the northern border of Yinxiulian because of this, and that you and the imperial people
war between.”
Fang Plover suddenly realized.
He had not only heard about the legend of the seven obelisks, but had also seen those obelisks in person.
It's just that ordinary people attracted attention to the superficial phenomenon, and the rumors spread in Gula, and spread widely in the wilderness of Sanshak and even Lotao.
It seems to have appeared out of thin air. Doesn’t this mean that someone is behind all this?
Now that he thought about it, his encounter with Miss Attila and the others, and the real starting point of his adventure, seemed to stem from this fable.
Fang Yu was silent for a moment, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
"Everything the empire is doing now is just preparation for the prophecy," Farif said. "Now the empire is not repeating the same mistakes, but re-examining everything the elves gave us."
The old man looked up at the crystal erected in the tower and tapped it gently with his hand. The crystal made a dull echo, which was the pulse of ether.
"Of course we know the history of alchemy, and we also know the taboos involved," he said, "and the peek from the abyss behind it. But without improving ancient alchemy, we won't be able to achieve what we have today."
He sighed slightly, "Mortals are too weak, so we have to accept this gift. Everything we do is based on alchemy, even Aitaria, which still exists today."
"It's just what the elves once did, can we repeat it?" Atush said, "This is a question raised by His Majesty the former emperor to us."
Farif said: "But your Majesty doesn't know that this question was actually asked by his ancestors seven centuries ago."
"Seven centuries ago, wait..."
Fang Yu was startled. He suddenly came to his senses and said, "During the Northern Empire, were you the ancestor of His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Exactly the one you are thinking of, the founder of the dynasty," replied Artush, "who had traveled with the three geniuses Jeldham, Helinwell, and Friston, and who had personally agreed to the plan.
, and then destroyed it with his own hands.”
He looked at Fang Plover, "You must also know the reason. But in fact, because of the great prophecy, the Empire has never given up efforts in this direction since then. We even joined forces with the Lizard People and borrowed them
The artifacts are all designed to improve this path——"
Fang Yu didn't expect that there were so many twists and turns and stories.
He couldn't help but think of the lizard prince of Andasok, Teneric. Is it just a coincidence that the envoys of the Great Council came to the empire at this time?
"So what you and Mr. Curator want to tell me," Fang Plover asked, "is that the Imperial people are actually improving the technology, improving the technology that the three geniuses obtained from the Green Star?"
But is that true?
Although ancient alchemy was also improved by the Numerin elves.
Theoretically speaking, what was possible in the past can naturally be repeated today. Although the elves are superb in their craftsmanship, mortals have not been able to make any concessions for a thousand years.
But the magic furnace creatures he saw in the space of the sea of trees were exactly the same as the scene seen on the Shadow People's floating ship. Those weird and twisted products were definitely not the technology of this world.
Although it's just a phantom.
But since the Imperials can reproduce everything in the tower, it means that they must have mastered the corresponding technology in reality.
Faced with the imminent pressure of survival, who can guarantee that people will not take risks at the last moment?
After all, compared with what is required, the future of the world seems to be something illusory, but the disaster is coming again, and the fall of Etalia seems to be close at hand.
Ordinary people may not be able to notice it yet, but the declining readings of Geyin crystals reported by craftsmen's associations in various places point to this fact.
At least the influence of the greenery still continues, and the only three floating continents left in the world are at risk of sinking into the abyss.
"Are you worried that the Empire will take risks?"
"If it fails, there is no guarantee that there won't be anyone eager for quick success," Fang Pulver said. "The assumption of the Silver Tower must be based on the fact that everything the empire does is correct."
His tone was unusually serious: "However, once someone picks up that sword, we can't turn back. The empire is doing such dangerous things, and it's hard not to be used by those who are interested."
He pointed out, "Even if the starting point is good, good intentions may not lead to good results. What I am more worried about is the traces of the Dragon Worship Cult behind this."
Everything Kaolin-Yinxiulian saw reminded him of the possibility.
What Fang Yu was even more worried about was that there might even be people on the other side of the Star Gate involved in reality. If the information they got was misled.
So how many points are left that point to the truth?
He had to doubt.
Atush and Farif looked at each other, with strange looks in their eyes.
When Farif looked at Fang Plover again, he couldn't help but nodded with great satisfaction, "Very good. If you think so, it means that he is indeed the person chosen by Miss Tata."
He smiled slightly, "After all, everyone looks at the problem from their own perspective. If there is a lack of some key information, it is not surprising to draw such a conclusion from this perspective. But in fact, since you and Miss Tata appeared,
From the moment of , the answer to that question has been solved——"
"?"
Fang Yu was stunned and looked at the two of them doubtfully.
The old man smiled and replied: "The original intention of the existence of the Silver Tower is to protect all the knowledge and secrets of mortals since the era of Numelin. Whether it is the second technical route or everything prepared for the return of the evil star, the occultists
Everyone is involved.”
"Even Atush, I, and Miss Tata have sacrificed everything for this ideal. Otherwise, we wouldn't be standing here today," Farif said, "but the reason why we think this is feasible
, naturally because we have succeeded before."
After the old man said this, he kept silent. He only smiled and looked at Fang Plover, and together with Atush beside him, both of them had complicated expressions in their eyes.
They seemed to be looking at something wonderful, with an expression that was almost lost and found.
Not only him, but even Miss Goblin was slightly startled after hearing these words. A deep light flashed in her eyes, and then she also suddenly understood.
"Wait a minute," Fang Yu looked at these people. He naturally felt the subtle psychological changes in his Miss Longhun, "What kind of riddle are you trying to solve?"
"Do you still remember," Artush said, "the question His Majesty the former Emperor asked - can we repeat what the elves did before?"
He continued, "The answer to that question is actually what we have been pursuing. We once had a direction, but that direction and the answer were burned in a fire fifty years ago."
"That fire..." Fang Yu couldn't help but speak.
Artush nodded, that was the fire that turned the Elpaxin Silver Tower into ashes fifty years ago.
He looked at Fang Plover and replied: "All of them are just efforts to reach the same goal through different paths. Starting from Miss Tata's grandmother's generation - the fairies are not related by blood, but they are all seeds of light born on the same tree.
——”
"In fact, we started working on this plan from then on," Farif took over. "We simulated the internal structure of the light crystal and confirmed that the fairy dragon soul could exist. So at that time, in fact
We already have that potential answer—"
"If the fairy dragon soul can exist, it indirectly means that a certain strength of non-attribute crystal must exist in this world."
The old man looked at Fang Plover with a smile from the corner of his eyes, "So young man, do you understand? I'll give you a little hint. The key to the problem actually lies in the tower magic furnace——"
Wait, Fang Yu felt that his brain was about to be overloaded.
Of course he knew that the Empire was studying the tower magic furnace, and he also understood that it was probably because of the design drawings left by the three geniuses.
But the non-attribute crystal, the tower-type magic furnace—what’s the relationship between these? Fang Yu frowned slightly, feeling vaguely that he seemed to have grasped that key node.
Wait, tower magic furnace, non-attribute crystal?
He suddenly raised his head.
That’s it, that’s it!
The answer turned out to be like this. He should have thought of it when he was studying the magic furnace. Fang Piao even felt a little annoyed. The answer that the imperial people were looking for turned out to be here.
Then everything makes sense.
Why do the Imperial people admire the tower magic furnace so much, and why do they even go to Instania to find the answer to that question.
Because there is not only a tower magic furnace, but also a green star.
But the Imperials were actually misled.
And he was misled by the imperial people.
What was the form of the magic furnace they found underground in Nozpiz? The Imperials probably thought it was just an ordinary, even somewhat old, tower-type magic furnace.
That was the answer sheet left by the three geniuses, and it was also where all the questions lay.
They couldn't get an answer from the tower magic furnace.
But he had already found the real answer to that question from the moment he saw the magic furnace.
Because it's not just a tower magic furnace.
That is a non-attribute crystal magic furnace.
Therefore, the Imperial people's research on the tower magic furnace has actually gone down a wrong path. So many Imperial alchemists were actually confused by the appearance.
At this moment, Fang Plover had a profound enlightenment like an enlightenment.
Tower Magic Furnace, the empire's research on the Tower Magic Furnace, the key to that improvement route is actually so simple and so clear.
Crystal without attributes.
"You should have thought of it," the old man continued, "the three geniuses were more or less aware of the road to improvement, so they left the relevant design drawings."
"It's just that they woke up a little late. At that time, they broke with the Emperor too decisively. We don't know what happened afterwards. It's just that the Empire was confused by the appearance of the Tower Magic Furnace and didn't notice it.
The true meaning of the design drawings left by geniuses——"
"Actually, we were also deceived," Atush replied, "but the occultists were so deeply involved in this plan that Farif and I were already confused from the moment we saw you and Miss Tata.
The reaction came back. We were all wrong. The real answer is the attributeless crystal."
Fang Plover's heart was pounding.
Of course he understood what Artush was talking about. They had already verified the structure of the light crystal. If the Fairy Dragon Soul existed, then the Zero Crystal must exist.
Here, he and Ms. Tata have already proven that Hayne-Fram's technical route is successful.
Not to mention, he also demonstrated the design method of non-attribute crystal in the competition.
What’s more, what’s more important is…
He suddenly connected the whole clue, why Helinwell went to Kaolin-Yinxiulian with the design of the attributeless crystal.
Why is Hayne-Pham's legacy in that place.
Even why the fragments of the Hailin Crystal were taken to that place, all the questions seemed to be vaguely pointing to that answer.
But the key now is who is behind all this.
He looked at Atush and Farif, but neither could get the answer. The fire in Elpaxin burned everything, and also burned away the key clues behind it.
"But Farif and I promised you to keep your secret," Artush continued, "so before you arrived at the Silver Tower, we didn't mention anything about the second technical route to the empire.
.You don’t have to worry about it. Regarding the Holy Crystal, no fourth person will know about it until the plan is actually realized."
"That's why the empire is still studying the tower magic furnace," Farif said, "but once they incorporate the improvement of non-attribute crystals into that plan, everything can get back on track."
"Of course, there is no need to rush this. There is another more interesting thing than this. The president, you should know that he is the tower guard of the Winter Solstice Tower.
You left some little surprises. Before the little surprise is revealed, it’s better to let those people work in vain for a while."
Probably thinking of something, the old man couldn't help but smile.