In ancient mythology, the Pillar to the Sky exists. It stands in the center of the entire world and supports the country known as the God's Promised Land - Ita.
This land with the same name as the creator is the original Eden, the legendary paradise. The creator Etta once dropped the first beam of light on this land, and drew the original image of the world from the light. Appearance - the sun rises and the moon sets, the stars shine, the earth and life, the kingdom and the gods. The ancestors of humans, dwarves, elves, Papalars, wilderness people and goblins all came from this paradise, until a disaster destroyed everything.
That day, the Pillar to the Sky collapsed, and the whole world was torn apart. The ancestors of the past had to leave their homes and wander around the barren and dark land outside the paradise. The first world, Aitaria, is said to mean 'the place of exile' in some ancient contexts - it was originally called 'Aita Soda' or 'Aita Solin' , but after repeated transformations in different ethnic languages, it gradually evolved into the word that people see today.
But as time goes by, people have long forgotten everything in the past - Etalia, the four main floating continents above the sea of clouds, have become the new homes of humans, dwarves, elves, papalals, wilderness people and fairies. They call this place their home and homeland again.
Only some ancient classics, in a religious context, still describe the longing for that beautiful land of those who left their homes in the past, Paradise Lost, the Land Promised by God, the moment when sinners atone for their sins, Mortals will also be recognized by Eta again and return to their original hometown - in both spiritual and material senses.
In the era when religion was prevalent in the world, this argument was once popular, and the popes of major temples sold indulgences in this name more than once. In the end, religious ideals became a tool to squeeze the surplus value of the lower classes, and religious revolutions also Then it broke out.
The gods surrendered their power in accordance with the times. The era of divine power declined. Emerging secular kingdoms appeared on this land. Corinth-Ithurian and Oshur all carried out top-down reforms, led by Alchemy. Warlocks replaced the theocratic class as an emerging force, and six hundred years after the Numerin elves left this world, they created a new and prosperous era of magic technology.
And for the Chosen Ones who came to this world, this is what Etaria and the others saw in the modern world——
But when people had almost forgotten the lost paradise, the great geographical discoveries brought about by technological progress brought exciting news among the floating island groups south of Gudasoke: Aboriginal explorers , together with the ship group of the Chosen Ones, they discovered traces of the former existence of the Bridge to the Sky...
It was certainly a powerful moment.
When people walked out of the rainforest of Gudasoke, under the gaze of countless eyes, at the end of the sea of clouds on the other side - the former pillar of the world was falling to the boundary of this world. It was like a huge, giant Natural ruins, covered with mottled scars, traverse the sea of clouds, like a bridge, piercing the connection between the upper sea of clouds and the lower sea of clouds.
Later people gave it another name, the First Continental Bridge. But that was what happened about thirty years after people discovered that they could travel to the upper Kukai—the second world—through this bridge.
Today, people have gradually become familiar with this name, but there are still some people who remember the past era and whisper its other name:
Pillars of Eta.
The road to the second world once became a journey home from civilization.
Although people soon discovered that the upper level of the sea of clouds was not the lost paradise they imagined, but a new world that was very different from the first world. This was the second world.
The noisy sea of elements passes through the second world, and countless ether rivers create a bizarre scene here. The floating continent no longer exists, only a large and small island, divided into four main areas:
The Star Realm, the Sea of Whales, the Lost Lands and the Turbid Realm.
The second world has completely different rules from the first world. The laws of the world here are obviously more powerful than those of Aitaria. Therefore, even people who have reached the limit of their strength in the first world are found to be able to grow further in this world. Starting from an era ago, the powerful people who reached the pinnacle of the first world were called saints, and the saints went one step further and became superiors and extraordinary people.
Therefore, going to the second world is also stepping into the holy realm.
However, for the chosen ones, not every area in the second world is full of powerful creatures. Due to the weird and unpredictable rules, in fact, like the first world, there are many areas suitable for mortal life in the second world. . These areas are often the focus of competition among various countries, major forces and major guilds.
Among the four areas, there are about 27 islands that have the potential to become colonies of various countries in the first world. There are seven in the Sea of Whales, five in the Lost Land, three in the Star Territory, and almost all of the others are located in In the turbid realm. Therefore, the turbid realm has been the center of this vortex almost from the beginning.
The largest island among them, Iron Candle Cape, is under the control of the Oshurs. Among the twenty-seven islands, there was once a neutral island belonging to the free elects-Covenant Mountain. Of course, this island is now under the control of the Oshu people. The legendary land no longer exists, under the joint control of the descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance.
These low-level areas of the second world, because of the more powerful world laws, have also become the base for major guilds and forces to cultivate core talents. Almost all major guilds that Fang Plover can count have their branch forces in the first world, such as the Spear of the Silver Forest to the Crown of the Silver Forest, the Jefflite Red Team to BBK, and even the Twilight of the Gods. , Argent Vislan and the Rose Crusaders.
But these branches are actually just a station of the major guilds in the first world. They are used to accommodate the peripheral members of the guild and continuously provide blood to the second world. The core of these guilds, without exception, is not in the second world. Their core guilds in the second world are often located on the twenty-seven different islands described above.
However, the opportunity to travel back and forth is so rare, and the cost of cultivating a new person in the second world is much higher than that in the first world. If it were not for the core talents they are optimistic about, it would be almost difficult for ordinary people to obtain a trip to the second world through such channels. Ticket to the Second World.
Of course, if there is a top boss from the second world who is willing to fly with you, such as Miya and Bai Hua, it is not difficult to go to the second world. However, there are several sea witches in this world, and even Miya, taking him and Bai Hua there is already the limit.
Compared with the major guilds, forces, mainland countries and the military, there are still thousands of quotas a year, and the probability may be relatively higher. However, as Sophie said, with the further expansion of the Star Gate, in the future The competition for this ticket is likely to be even more intense.
Unless he is willing to take another path, that is, after reaching level 50, he can use his own power to open the door of Aguilar and lead to the second world. But generally speaking, except for people who have no connections, few people will make this choice. Compared with the rich resources of the second world, the first world is unimaginably poor. Although the cost of training a new person there is higher, the growth rate of new people is often faster, and the upper limit is much higher than that of the first world.
At least from Sophie's point of view, it might not be the best strategy for Fang Yu to stay in the first world for a long time.
Of course, Fang Plover himself understood this. He never thought that he would have to reach level 50 in the first world before going to the second world. Then when would he have to wait? But taking the first path is of course not that simple, not to mention that what he wants to get is not a personal ticket.
It’s the tickets for the entire Seven Seas Troupe.
The difficulty of obtaining such a ticket can be understood just by looking at the efforts that the Oak Knights of Tapolis have put in over the past ten years. If it weren't for the military connection, even Fang Plover himself would not dare to think about this. However, with the support of the military, they might actually have this opportunity.
After listening to Fang Yu's description, Ai Xiaoxiao stayed with his mouth open for a long time before asking blankly:
"Then how do we get the tickets? And what is the world emblem? Why can't Sister Sophie and the others come back after passing through the Gate of Aguilar?"
"It's not like you can't come back," Fang Pliong looked at the sea of clouds floating outside the porthole and replied softly: "It's just that you can't come back in a short time. First, sending a novice to the second world requires a very high cost. Generally speaking, a ship In the group, every ten newcomers need at least three to four superiors to protect them. Regarding superiors, I have explained to you before, that is, those who are over level 50 and have entered the extraordinary realm - these people usually They are the core force of a guild and force, and they are often on the front line of fighting for the guild's interests. It is difficult to estimate the time cost of just one mission."
Ai Xiaoxiao nodded seriously.
"For the same reason, releasing these people back to the First World is also a huge waste of resources." Mei also spoke at this time, her voice was soft and pleasant, "Because the First World has very few resources. It is said that staying for a long time will harm the performance of these people. If it is not necessary, the top people will rarely return to the first world. For this reason, a large number of top people returned to the first world some time ago. It will cause a sensation in the world.”
"I see, I understand," Ai Xiaoxiao replied, "I didn't expect Miss Mei to know so much."
"My teacher told me these." Miss Knight was very modest.
Fang Yu continued to answer: "Because of the above reasons, the major guilds and forces obviously have no reason to send the newcomers to the second world and then spend the same amount of energy to send them back. But based on the strength of the newcomers, it is almost It’s impossible to cross the mainland bridge and return to the first world by yourself.”
"But -" he changed the topic, "This is only one of the reasons, the other reason is the world emblem. The world emblem is a recognition of the world's laws for mortals. In the second world, only after reaching the third level of power can it be used in the second world. The emblem seed is formed in the spiritual world, which is also the origin of the Dragon Knight system. Only with the emblem seed can we open the door of Aguilar in that direction in the second world and return to the first world."
Speaking of this, Fang Plover couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't have the emblem seed, but how did he obtain the dragon knight system. He turned back to look at Miss Tata, and was a little confused for a moment. Or could the Zero Crystal go directly past this point and hold the dragon soul without the emblem seed?
However, this issue was too complicated to delve into further. He couldn't think of any reason at the moment, so he just shook his head and ignored it. Existence is reasonable, and he is already in this situation anyway. As for why, maybe the truth will be revealed after going to the second world.
He then continued on with the previous topic: "As for how to get tickets to the second world, there are actually many ways, but most of them are not suitable for ordinary people."
"What's going on?" Ai Xiaoxiao asked.
"Mainly through various competitions——"
"Contest?"
"Xiao Xiao," Tian Lan said at this time, "Don't you know the three top competitions?"
"I know something about this," Ai Xiaoxiao nodded quickly. In fact, it was through such competitions that she truly began to understand the world. That was more than a year ago, and Fang Plover's match in El Paxin made her connect with the world.
The so-called three top events, which are held in the second world and represent the highest level of super competition, are the Ten Kings Battle, the Professional League and the most famous one, which symbolizes the highest honor of super competition - —Super Competitive Championship.
As the name suggests, the Battle of Ten Kings is actually a competition for the top honors of various combat professions. It is held every three years. It divides hundreds of main profession categories and thousands of sub-professions in Aitaria into ten main profession categories. And set a unique champion in different professional categories.
That is, the title of king of each profession, the origin of the ten kings.
The Battle of Ten Kings is a cup-like competition, but it is not decided from one game. To participate in this super competitive event, you must first use your representative profession to participate in many lower-level professions designated by the Super Competitive Alliance. race.
And gain points from these competitions. When the triennial battle for the Ten Kings officially begins, the Super Competitive Alliance will invite the top 300 players in different categories of professional points to participate in this highest event and decide. The only champion.
That is, the successor to the current title of Ten Kings.
The last Ten Kings Competition ended just a year ago. The positions of the Ten Kings have almost no changes compared to the previous one, and the next one will have to wait until two years later.
As for the Life Professional League, it is for life professions. It is somewhat similar to the Continental League played in the first world. It is also a league-type competition. However, the Continental League is mainly for newcomers, and the title of Rookie King is also determined, while the Life Professional League is much more professional - not only for selectors, but also for aboriginals.
Since the Life Professional League has no age limit, it is actually the most prominent competition for Aboriginal people, and Aboriginal champions are born almost every year.
The last championship, known as the top honor of the Super Competitive Alliance, is for teams and guilds. The lower level events of this competition actually start when the selector enters Aitaria and joins a certain team. .
"Yes, Xiaoxiao, you guessed it right," Tian Lan, who was born in a wealthy family of Twelve Color Iris, obviously knows these things very well, "This championship of top honors, like the battle of the ten kings, is also based on points, but This point—that is, the point we accumulate during our daily adventures.”
She waved her hand, "Of course, the points in the first world are pitifully small, which is basically meaningless for this competition, but in the second world, various guilds compete for mission authority, and there are regional wars, but they are much more intense than the first world. More. This is why the time of the superiors is so precious - because they are also the sharp sword of a guild, the core resource of a guild, and they must be used on the edge of the knife."
"Tian Lan is right," Fang Plover praised Miss Poet, "Simply speaking, the championship game is both a team game and a guild game. At the same time, it is also the basis for the origin of the top ten guilds in a competition area. The so-called top ten guilds are actually That is, listed according to the final ranking in the competition - in theory, it should be called the top ten guilds, forces and teams, but generally speaking, this honor is monopolized by the major guilds, and small teams basically have no chance."
Ai Xiaoxiao nodded in understanding.
She thought for a moment and then asked: "But what does this have to do with tickets?"
"Because the tickets for each major competition area are determined from the lower-level competitions derived from these three major competitions," Tian Lan replied: "Of course, the major guilds and forces, as well as various countries and the military have their own There are quotas, but those quotas basically have nothing to do with us. If Brother Ed is interested in tickets, he can only pursue free tickets."
"Free ticket?"
"They are tickets outside the monopoly of the major guilds. More than half of these tickets are issued through these small competitions, but they are usually limited to the champion, and occasionally include the runner-up. Don't think it's simple, little one," Tian Lan sighed He took a breath and said: "There are many participants in such a competition. Since it is a free ticket, geniuses from the big guilds can certainly compete, so for ordinary people, there is basically little hope. I have seen this kind of thing much more .”
"The remaining way is that the adventurers and craftsmen associations in various regions occasionally release some tasks," Fang Pultru added, "but such opportunities are few and far between, and they are no simpler than various competitions. Just like the military not long ago For the missions released by Charter City, only over thirty places have been issued for those who have passed the level of Dragon Witch."
"And it's useless for us to get one or two tickets," Tianlan added: "If Brother Ed wants to bring the entire Seven Seas Troupe to the second world, what we need is not individual tickets, but team tickets. .”
"Team ticket?"
"To put it simply, if more than 70% of our team members have individual tickets, it will automatically be upgraded to a team ticket," Tianlan replied: "But the chance of this is too small, because the tickets It is invalidated every year. Generally speaking... it is almost impossible to get that many individual tickets within a year. So we have to take another way, which is large-scale tasks..."
"Large mission?"
"For example, if we kill that annoying prime minister and that young king, and let that prince become the king of Corrin-Ithurion, he might give us a team ticket , in the name of Kaolin Kingdom——" Tianlan replied.
"Tianlan, what are you talking about?" Fang Pliong said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense."
Tianlan quickly stuck out her tongue, "I'm just making an analogy. Of course, this violates the "Stargate Declaration". But the principle is this. The so-called large-scale mission is to change the history and even politics of a region. Face mission, because your influence is large enough, you might be able to get enough benefits from it to allow you to go to the second world."
Ai Xiaoxiao's eyes widened: "This sounds even less reliable than the first possibility."
"Yes," Fang Plover nodded: "But there is a third possibility, which is to use points to buy. This is also the path taken by the Tapolis Oak Knights. They first obtained some through the first path. Individual tickets, and then use the points accumulated in previous years to buy tickets for other people, so that they can send a team to the second world. In fact, the first route and the third route are combined, This is exactly the way most guilds choose.”
"But," Ai Xiaoxiao couldn't help but say, "hasn't that evil super competitive league banned us from participating in all super competitive events? Wouldn't that have blocked our first road?"
Mentioning this, Fang Yu couldn't help but frown. It is precisely for this reason why the Super Competitive Alliance is such a strong deterrent to the selectors and the major guilds. But fortunately, they can only govern the chosen ones.
"They can control the selectors, but they can't control the aboriginal people," Fang Yu replied: "Although most of these competitions are organized by the Super Competitive League, there are also some aboriginal competitions like the Continental League. , some of which are also ticket-eligible.”
"That's it." Ai Xiaoxiao didn't know how many times she said it.
Only then did she finally figure out the background of the previous conversation between Sophie and Fang Plover.
The little girl held her chin and thought for a long time, and suddenly remembered something. She raised her head and said blankly: "By the way, about the Pillar of Eta... People have discovered relics from ancient times, doesn't that prove the myth? The legend in it is indeed true, but what happens next? The second world is discovered, where is the legendary Eta?"
When Fang Yu heard this question, he couldn't help but look at the ship officer who was not far away.
Sylvester also smiled slightly and took the initiative to say: "People think so too, Xiaoxiao."
She turned around and looked at the floating clouds outside the window: "Because that is the driving force behind why the mortals of Aitalia have been constantly traveling to the second world to look for the Sky Bridge since that era..."
And her father is just a part of this mighty historical torrent.
…
Luo Yu looked at his parents.
He shifted his gaze slightly and looked at the portrait hanging on the wooden wall next to the bed: there was a man and a woman holding a young boy with delicate features. The little boy had short hair, red lips and white teeth. His dark eyes were as bright as stars, and his eyebrows were somewhat similar to the boy in front of him.
The blinds were closed tightly, and the cabin was a little dark. The only light came from a flickering light screen suspended in mid-air. The communication crystal lay aside, shining a beam of light on the projection, and the light passed through the floating screen. Motes of dust are like countless shining tiny creatures, swimming in the air.
After a while, the person above the light curtain finally spoke.
"Xiao Yu, your father and I have discussed this," the elegant woman pushed up her glasses and said in a serious tone, "You should still remember what we said to you before, right?"
Luo Yu frowned and just nodded silently.
"Just remember," the woman nodded: "We have high expectations for you, you must be the best. Of course, I understand your thoughts - of course you have to be responsible for your friends and the team. Be responsible. It’s a good thing to be responsible. We absolutely support you—"
"Let's do this," she said, "Xiaoyu, if you have time, please help us get in touch - your father and I also want to meet your friends, how about that?"
Luo Yu opened his mouth and looked at the two people in the picture, but finally made no sound.
And the woman didn't seem to need his answer: "Take care of yourself and don't put yourself in danger again. If there's anything else, let's talk about it when we meet."
"Remember," she said with a firm voice, "your father and I are waiting for you there."
The screen went dark.
Luo Yu just stood there looking at his communication crystal, motionless.
…
