Pillar of Yita

The Earl's gaze swept over the crowd, particularly the traditional allies of the Westwood Sibika family. Although everyone remained silent, their expressions revealed their inner thoughts— the Rose Workshop was of vital importance to the Southern Alliance, and most were unwilling to hand it over to an outsider—especially when the other party was a somewhat unreliable 'Holy Chooser.'

However, Count Westwood Sibika had anticipated this, and his heart settled slightly at the thought. He glanced at the young man, who nodded gently to him.

So, the Earl turned back, lightly clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, and solemnly spoke: "Everyone, the Rose Workshop was handed down to me as the result of ten generations of joint efforts from the Westwood Sibika family, including the hard work of the Southern Alliance members. I am more aware of this than anyone else."

He paused as if allowing his words to settle in the hearts of his audience: "However, my choice of Rolin as the next heir to the Rose Workshop is not without aim. I invited you all here today to unveil a secret."

The crowd was momentarily stunned.

They watched as the Earl turned around. At his signal, the young man stepped forward, placing an object in the Earl's hand.

The hall fell silent. In everyone's eyes, it was a black, edged perfect octahedron, somewhat resembling a much smaller Annihilator QV700, small enough to be held in one hand.

Yet it was evidently more sophisticated than the Annihilator, its craftsmanship not a product of this era. Only the Numelin Elves' art from an era ago could reach such a near-artistic level.

And it was undoubtedly a flexible Construct.

But most in the hall had never seen it before.

"This is..." Only Fang Hong gasped in surprise.

Because he had seen this item not long ago, in the Hall of Thousand Doors, where it was one of two types of Combat Fairies—the Black Star. But when the Phantom Realm disappeared, neither type of Combat Fairy remained, and everything felt like a dream back then.

Later, Aquitez recreated the design of Combat Fairies, which bore some resemblance to the former, leading him to realize that the Combat Fairies in the Phantom Realm might have truly existed. He never imagined seeing the Black Star's physical form in this place.

Only those who had fought with this kind of Clockwork Fairy would truly understand its formidable nature. If the Silver Combat Fairy he controlled in the Phantom Realm could be technically traced, then the technology behind this type of Black Combat Fairy seemed almost an era ahead of contemporary Alchemy.

He almost instinctively took two steps forward, eager to examine the structure of this thing himself.

Fortunately, the words that followed pulled him back to reality.

The Earl gazed at the black Construct in his hand, saying with a hint of emotion: "This item was discovered by my father and me in a Numelin relic thirty years ago, yet to date, I haven't figured out the philosophy and thought process behind the Numelin Elves' design."

"Not to mention controlling it," the Earl lifted the Black Star slightly, "it's extremely difficult."

Indeed, he closed his eyes, gently raising his left hand, which wore a metal glove. But the black Construct only rose half an inch before quickly falling back into his hand.

This scene left everyone in the hall astounded.

Count Westwood Sibika was the foremost Fairy Master of the Southern Alliance. Although Fairy Masters seldom controlled Constructs other than Fairy Figures, it didn't mean they couldn't. In fact, their powerful calculative power allowed many Fairy Masters to also maneuver other Flexible Constructs smoothly.

Yet this tiny Construct appeared so challenging to control under his guidance.

The crowd couldn't help but whisper among themselves:

"...This, this must be a relic of the Numelin Elves Era."

"Indeed, only Numelin Elves with magical abilities could wield such a flexible Construct, right?"

"Sadly, we humans are naturally devoid of Ether affinity, relying instead on Core Crystals for conversion."

The Alchemists were all in awe at the technological marvels of the Numelin Era, yet they were also curious about the secret the Earl intended to reveal. If it was just about this Construct, it surely didn't qualify as a 'secret.'

Though not many Numelin-era relics were unearthed each year, a significant number had accumulated over time.

Even if this one was more exquisite, it was merely an 'artifact.'

But just then, the Earl softly instructed the young man beside him: "Rolin, you do it."

The young man stepped forward, took the black Construct, raised his right hand wearing a metal glove, and placed it in his palm.

The Earl then turned around and began speaking loudly: "Generations of you have lived on this southern land, and you surely know its history and legends better than I do. You should recall a well-known legend about the Dragon's Mark—"

"The Dragon's Mark?"

A few low exclamations echoed in the hall.

Fang Hong was puzzled by this unfamiliar term. Before he could ponder further, the Earl continued: "It is said that the magic abilities of the ancient Numelin Elves were taught by the Giant Dragons, hence they called it the Dragon's Mark."