But for him personally, this might not be good news. Taking in a noble lady could mean conflict with the Ishurian Royalty—specifically, Colin Ishurian.

At least, it meant conflict with the party of the Prime Minister.

He asked himself, was this his own choice? To involve others for the sake of one person, Hilveld?

Yet, Fang Hong understood the sincerity in her heart. Otherwise, a noble lady would not make such a request. She truly hoped to stay with the team.

If he refused, she might indeed take a desperate gamble and embark on a point of no return.

And he asked himself—was he willing to see her take such a tragic path? The answer had been clear for a long time.

But he still needed to consult with the others.

Seeing him leaning against the counter and staring blankly at the plaza outside, the innkeeper put down his cloth and picked up a mug, approaching him to ask, "Are you looking at that statue out there, lad?"

Fang Hong was taken aback—there was indeed a statue in the plaza, but there was only a base constructed, and it was impossible to make out what it was supposed to be.

But the innkeeper, already chuckling, put a plump hand on his shoulder and introduced, "You haven't been in Cloud Harbor for long, have you, lad? On that statue, is the hero who saved us all—including you."

He sighed, "What a pity, he couldn't make it out in the end, otherwise we would've thrown him a grand victory celebration."

He wrapped an arm around Fang Hong's shoulders and pushed a mug of ale towards him, "Here, let's drink to our hero."

Fang Hong blushed a bit.

Not just because he didn't drink alcohol, but also because of what the other man had said.

Fortunately, he had removed his mask, and the people around couldn't recognize him. He had never imagined that one day he would become a hero spoken of by many; he thought he would feel somewhat proud, but upon touching the mask outline on his chest, his heart felt heavy.

People believed he had disappeared in the dungeons of the Black Holy City.

His communicator had been broken in that incident, so people couldn't find his original communication ID, and since his Invoker ID had never been registered at Stargate Port, it seemed as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.

Yet this coincidence made him consider a possibility—perhaps it would be better to let his identity, the hero in people's minds, remain forever asleep there.

It wasn't that he didn't care about the honors.

But Miya's words had given him a wake-up call.

His current identity was at the forefront of a power struggle. As the 'sole' person who had seen the Obelisk beneath the Black Holy City, and as one of the Hailin Crown wielders, the Descendants of Flor would naturally not let him go.

And if he chose not to cooperate with them, retaliation would follow.

During the incident on Fenris Isle, Fang Hong had indeed realized his most significant problem—

That was, his level was too low—

Although the outcome of this incident was satisfactory, that was largely thanks to the fact that the mission took place beneath the Black Holy City, where the Xinsas Serpentfolk's strong Puzzle Lock Barrier limited everyone's power.

To the world, his performance might seem nearly perfect. After all, what more could one expect from a Level 15 (as others believed) Invoker? But the problem was, Fang Hong knew that his opponents would not always wait for him, nor would they always remain at the same level as him.

In fact, if the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team, the Blood Oath Alliance, and the Night Lizard People could have sent stronger opponents—not Level 15, but Level 18, or even Level 20 or above...

The result would have been utterly different.

Invokers above Level 20 and monsters above Level 20 are naturally worlds apart. It's like when they had killed a Boss Level Rock Shark during their journey to Elpaxin, a creature much higher in level than themselves.

But if that Rock Shark were replaced with an Invoker around Level 20, just equipped a bit more finely, it would be enough to cause them to lose troops and suffer losses. As for leaving the opponent behind, that's out of the question.

And the Ancient Monarch Hunter he killed through some means underground, if it had been Miss Sicape or Mr. Kroid, who are of comparable level, perhaps they could hang ten of him up and give him a good beating.

And some of the higher-level Elite Invokers, like Qin Zhi whom Morning Dawn Star encountered at the time, in the right environment, could alone make everyone, including Miss Sicape and Captain Kroid, utterly incapable of moving.

Not to mention that during the Fenris Isle incident, there was a legendary Giant Dragon, Toragotos, who never took to the battlefield personally.

Ultimately, in Eteliria, raw power is the primary determining factor; special environments like the Black Holy City are after all rare. And as his Level increased, and the team's raw power grew, dealing with the Descendants of Flor's reprisal naturally became much more manageable.

So after much thought, he found that his disappearance this time may have been 'just right', perhaps letting the identity of Xiaya temporarily disappear, keeping the attention of the Descendants of Flor off him for the time being.

Let them waste their energy searching for the 'missing' Xiaya, it would be more in line with the team's current interests.

They could just take this opportunity to quietly make a fortune and really boost their strength.

After all, Knowledge and experience are the real currency in Eteliria.

For the same reasons, it seems that contact with the military could also be slowed down.

After all, that likewise meant moving from behind the scenes to the forefront, and even if he could change his identity, it's hard to ensure that people wouldn't detect some clues, since there could well be spies from the Descendants of Flor at the Stargate Port.

Thinking of this, he finally raised his head.

In the direction of the port, a red sun was sinking below the sea's horizon, the sky aflame with clouds, as if casting a layer of bronze glow on the Cloud Island above.

The disaster half a month ago left no trace on the calm Sky Sea of today, and the terrifying aspect the Cloud Sea had revealed was already back to tranquility.

In the sailors' ballads, this 'Goddess' who embraces the sky is sometimes gentle, sometimes berserk.

But the scars left on the earth at that time were slow to fade—the Seagull of the Dew Sea was slightly tilted during the earthquake, and the crack across the square outside the wooden-supported gate was only half-filled now.

Above the crack stood the pedestal of a statue.

Although Fang Hong didn't drink, looking at his own statue, he still picked up a glass, took a sip.

After drinking, he wiped the foam from his mouth, raised his glass, and gestured to the other party.

Seeing this, the plump owner laughed heartily, patting his shoulder, perhaps thinking Fang Hong was one of the many disheartened people who lost everything in the disaster, as a way of comfort.

But little did he know that as Fang Hong set down the glass, he had already made his final decision.

The inn was still abuzz with activity.

And under the lamplight, Fang Hong saw a few familiar faces—a Forest Elf Lady filled with wild vitality, wearing a tight leather armor, her wheat-colored skin exposed at the neck and shoulders.

A towering Lion Person dressed in splendid armor, puffing on a pipe, with a great sword and heavy shield on his back, and a Scepter of Authority at his waist, looking utterly indifferent.

Then there was a tall young man and the two girls with him, and one of them, excitedly waved at him:

"Brother Ade, we've arrived!"

Fang Hong smiled faintly; that was Tianlan.

Yes, his companions had arrived.

...

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