Hughes slid lightly off Alaxia's back and reached out to pat the golden dragon's massive front paws, which he called a handshake. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Hey, thank you, old friend." He said happily, "It's been a long time since we've gone for a ride, and I really miss the old days." Why don't we find some time and do something interesting? ”

"I only follow Bayard's orders." Jin Long replied solemnly, "If you can convince him, I have no objection. ”

"Oh, don't mention that." Hughes covered his forehead, "Even I can't figure out what Bayard is thinking." I've never understood him! Damn, if she's still around—"

His voice paused abruptly as the golden dragon turned his head and stared at him with a stern gaze.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that...... Well, I mean, I'm sorry. The Ites shrugged, "Let's change the subject...... Well, for example, do you think that Cullen guy can be trusted? ”

Araksha stood up and looked at Hughes condescendingly.

"He's an ally that Bayard identifies with, so I embrace his ideas." The golden dragon slapped a paw beside the Ites, "As far as I can see, you are no more credible than he is. ”

Hughes sighed heavily. That's a sad statement. Okay, let's find your ice beauty! Oh yes, if there's news of 'that person', remember to bring it here! I promise Bayard will be pleased. ”

Araksha flapped his wings and blew the Ites to the ground. "You should know that if 'he' doesn't want to be found, no one will be able to find him." He slowly rose into the air, and the loud sound of the wind drowned out Hughes's shout, "Not even Bayard." ”

The golden dragon flew away.

"And he didn't say anything." Hughes spread his hands, "But that's okay. There is more than one source of the Ites! ”

He quickly climbed down the steep rock slope, lifted a 'rock wall' used as a camouflage, and burrowed into the cavern behind him. This 'reef', which is only a few hundred square meters in size, is located in the deep sea in the south of the continent, and the reef is full of gravel and almost no grass. Since it is not in the vicinity of any major shipping route, it is impossible for those unlucky people who have been shipwrecked to drift to this 'isolated island'.

By the way, they could have arrived here five days ago—if it weren't for Hughes pulling Araxia hard, overturning several pirate ships in the name of 'fighting violence', and looting a lot of treasure along the way.

At this time, the tide had just receded, and the cave was full of scattered puddles. Hughes jumped over puddles of water and walked to the end of the cave. A massive rock figure stood there, slowly raising arms the length of two Hughes.

"See you again, old man." The Ites waved their hand at the statue, a metal badge in his palm glittering, "Speaking of which, what's the password?" He rolled away, dodging the giant arm that the human form threw at him, "I remember!" "Jill is a big fool!" ”

The statue's right arm buzzed, and a dazzling bolt of lightning shot from the tip of its arm, landing on the ground where Hughes had been, and the explosion was deafening, sending rubble flying everywhere.

"Ahh You're going to tear this place down! Hughes appeared behind the Rock Colossus, and the attack didn't bother him in the slightest. He stepped on the back of the Colossus, climbed onto its shoulders in three or two steps, and then leaned his head close to the Colossus's ear and spoke in a voice that only he could hear.

"'Hughes is a big fool.'" ”

The Colossus's action stopped. A silvery-white disc three Hughes tall slowly emerges in an upright position in the center of the cavern. Viewed from the front, the inside of the disc appears to be a mixture of clouds and stars, rotating clockwise, emitting a soft and mysterious glow. And from the side, it resembles an extremely thin layer of paper, the thickness of which is almost non-existent. Hughes jumped to the canvas and stepped into the disc with his feet raised.

The original scene was gone, and the endless wasteland unfolded before Hughes's eyes. There was no sun in the sky, and there was no 'Tess' or the stars in sight—the earth glowing blue was the only source of light here. A tall black tower stands in the distance. The tower is hexagonal in shape, and the walls are as smooth as mirrors, with no decorations, windows, or doors. It was cut off by a black crack in the middle, and purple-black lightning faintly danced in the crack, and there was nothing above.

It wasn't meant to be like this. Hughes remembers vividly that when 'Alparit' was still on the mainland, its walls were crystal clear, and in the sunlight it was like a rainbow piercing the sky. Of course, it was also complete then, unlike today, when the entire upper part is gone.

After that 'accident' twenty years ago, Bayard moved the entire tower here - a half-plane created by him, a space that exists in the gap between the main material plane and the outer plane, with a limited area, and can only be entered or exited by a few fixed anchor points. There were four anchors on the continent of El that led to this, similar to the islands he had just visited, all set up in secluded places, protected by powerful guards.

-- Those are just a façade, and the real protective measures are yet to come.

Hughes stepped forward and stepped forward. The half-plane entrance and the tower seem to be empty, but there are invisible traps everywhere. As long as you take a wrong step, you will be cut into pieces by the rift in space, or you will be thrown into the void space that you cannot get out of, until you die miserably.

I'm not afraid of that, Hughes thought happily, and navigating this 'labyrinth' was one of the few pleasures he'd ever had. Even among the Ites, Hughes's audacity and quest for excitement were quite rare. He tossed and turned across the flat wasteland, skilfully and deftly avoiding every position that might be dangerous. Half an hour later, he was standing at the foot of the tower with a full face on his face.

"Open the door, Alpari." He put his hand on the smooth wall and said loudly.

The dark walls rippled like a lake, then parted to the sides, forming a door just long enough for him to pass upright. Hughes walked through the door, and his eyes transformed into the corridor he knew, the floor paved with dark marble and the crystals embedded in the ceiling casting a faint fluorescence. From the other end of the hallway, there was the sound of footsteps and the rustle of robes, and he looked over there to see the black-robed man walking towards him.

The smile on Hughes's face vanished.

"Cullen, you coward." He greeted the black-robed man and whispered. "I made a bet with Jill that you could survive a minute under the little witch!"

The black-robed man stood still in front of him, his hood covering most of his face, but Hughes could feel the gaze.

"How much did she gamble?" Cullen asked.

"Thirty seconds." Hughes replied gloomily, "But who would have thought that you would run away without a fight!" ”

"I've accomplished the purpose of my trip." Cullen said softly, "I don't like pointless fighting, it doesn't bring happiness to anyone. ”

Hughes scoffed. "So, if you kill Archbishop Martin, is that 'so-called'? I haven't heard of anything worth killing him! ”

"The battle of beliefs may not be worth mentioning from an outsider's point of view." Cullen shook his head, "But he and I, only one of them will survive." ”

"Faith...... What a strange thing. Hughes muttered, "You said you achieved your goal, but whose goal did you achieve?" ”

"Bayard's, yours, and mine." The black-robed man placed his right hand on his chest, "Now you just have to wait in peace until she is truly mature." ”

"And what are you going to do now?" Hughes asked.

"Go and do my job." Cullen replied sincerely, "Bring hope to this continent for my lord." ”

Hughes turned his head away and ignored Cullen. He had long since disliked talking to such babbling creatures - the little witch was an exception, she didn't look like a believer at all most of the time, but she had a surprisingly good relationship with Leonos.

Well, at the moment, Cullen is still an 'ally', but if he finds something wrong, he won't care about any ally. Gambling on a hundred Imperial Gold Coins, this man is not to be trusted, he said to himself.

He walked to the end of the promenade and climbed up the spiral staircase. The closer he got to the upper part of the tower, the dimer the light became, and the dark spatial rifts tore and closed around him from time to time, as if the next time it would swallow him whole. But the Ites did not hesitate to move forward until the rift in the tower was cut and reached above him.

Hughes looked up, trying to touch the crack, but as if Bayard's serious face flashed in front of him, he sighed and withdrew his hand.

"Bayard, are you awake?" He focused his mind on the rift and asked in his mind.

No one answered.

"Don't sleep, big lazy!" Hughes stared at the top of his head, rubbing his hands together anxiously, "I know you can hear me!" ”

The lightning flickered before his eyes, and Hughes felt like they were laughing at him.

"If you ignore me, I'm going to come in!" He shouted.

"Enough!" A stern voice exploded in Hughes's head, causing him to shudder.

"I know what you're trying to ask." The voice continued, "Do your own job and don't bother with unnecessary things. His voice slowed and became more somber, "Everything is in my plan. ”

Hughes sighed heavily. "Bayard, you weren't like this before."

"No one stays the same forever, not even me." The voice responded coldly.

"Okay, I understand." Hughes sighed again, "I understand that I can't convince you, just as I can't convince the little witch." He slapped his cheek vigorously to dispel the sudden sadness, "The girl named Yuffie...... Do you want to bring her here? ”

"Not necessarily." The voice was cold and calm, "I don't need her for a while, and neither does Cullen. ”

"Oh, you're finally willing to answer my question head-on." Hughes stretched, almost touching the crack between his fingertips, "Thanks, Bayard." He turned his back and whispered, "Good night." ”

The voice in my head was gone. Hughes slowly walked down the stairs.

Thinking about the good thing, Hughes thought to himself, and there was another excuse to meet the little witch. Of course, he must avoid Pfister, he can't stand the man's terrible sense of responsibility. Staying with him was like what a mistake I had made.

"One day I'll prove me right." Hughes muttered quietly.

"At that time, I have to let him stand upside down and apologize in front of everyone in the Brigade."