Bai Shi spent the night in Sellia, deciding not to press on immediately.
Upon arriving in Sellia, he had first skirmished with the sorcerers.
After their reconciliation, he had gone about collecting the town's treasures.
This had consumed a great deal of time.
There had been no time for sleep, and dawn was already approaching.
So, Bai Shi sat at the Site of Grace by the phantom of the Erdtree and rested for a while in its sanctuary.
Although Bai Shi maintained the good habit of sleeping, going a day or two without it was no problem at all.
After all, the Site of Grace could restore his body to peak condition.
Bai Shi carefully examined the Starfall Shadow katana in his hands.
The sword's appearance was quite peculiar.It didn't just look like it; it also had the texture of bone to the touch.
It was hard not to associate it with the Fingerslayer Blade and the Sacred Relic Sword.
However, it didn't require fate to be wielded, so Bai Shi could use it now.
He gave it a few test swings, and it felt good in his hands.
Bai Shi couldn't help but marvel.
"This weapon must have been forged by a master craftsman, and its materials are extraordinary."
"I never expected to find something like this among the Nox technology and artifacts passed down in Sellia."
But Bai Shi had not yet used its skill, nor could he for the time being.
Because its name was followed by the word (Sealed).
It seemed as though the skill was sealed, and perhaps it would only change after he reached an Eternal City.
Bai Shi didn't plan to use this weapon anytime soon.
Without a special skill, it was just a magic-infused katana.
Perhaps he could use it to dual-wield after obtaining the Moonveil.
Melina was at Bai Shi's side, bent over and drawing a map of Caelid.
Bai Shi had specifically asked Stella to find a small table so Melina wouldn't have to kneel on the ground to draw as she had before.
Comparing it with the map of Caelid she'd gotten from Jerren, Melina was meticulously transcribing its details onto her and Bai Shi's own map.
She did this every time they acquired a new map.
Partly to mark the locations of the Sites of Grace, and partly out of habit.
Using a map she had drawn herself made the feeling of exploring and journeying through the Lands Between more tangible.
Hearing Bai Shi's words, Melina, who was busy with her map, paused her work, looked up, and smiled at him.
"The lost Eternal Cities of Nokstella and Nokron, and the Nox Dynasty..."
"A brilliant underground civilization... it's quite captivating to think about."
"I wonder what the false moon and false starry sky that Stella spoke of truly look like."
Bai Shi recalled the mysterious, hazy false night sky from the game; it was indeed quite beautiful.
The well in the Mistwood of Limgrave led to the underground.
Though one couldn't enter Nokron from there, the scenery during the descent was absolutely breathtaking.
Every time Bai Shi had descended that well, he had been struck with awe by the view.
Bai Shi had delegated the underground development they had discussed with Ranni entirely to the Tarnished under his command; he hadn't even been down there himself yet.
After all, he knew that path didn't lead to Nokron, so it would have been a wasted effort.
Speaking of which, when he returned to Limgrave, he could take Melina to see it.
She would surely be delighted by such a beautiful sight.
"I'm sure it will be very beautiful."
"But we will see it one day. Whether it's the underground or the sky, we will reach them all."
"Our journey will undoubtedly become a legendary tale in the Lands Between."
Although Melina was a bit puzzled by Bai Shi's mention of the sky, she agreed nonetheless.
"Mm."
Seeming to remember something, Melina looked up at Bai Shi again.
"About the Primeval Sorcerer, Master Lusat, what do you plan to do with him? Will you release him from his seal?"
When Stella had produced Lusat's Glintstone Staff, she had also told Bai Shi that Master Lusat was sealed in a hidden cave behind Sellia.
He wasn't just sealed away; there were also personnel from the academy guarding him.
Melina believed that rescuing such a figure would be of great help to Bai Shi.
Of course, Melina didn't know that Master Lusat had already been crystallized.
His body was transforming into inorganic glintstone; he could neither move nor speak.
"There's no rush. We know he's here, so we can deal with it later."
Bai Shi had no immediate plans to seek out Master Lusat.
While he was indeed a master who knew powerful sorceries, the problem was that Bai Shi didn't have the key right now.
Moreover, it was best not to let Sellen know of Master Lusat's whereabouts.
Bai Shi currently lacked the means to help Sellen with her research into the Primeval Current.
If she learned of Master Lusat's location prematurely, she might resort to her 'traditional' and 'effective' method of creating a graven-mass of sorcerers.
"Rather than that, I'm more concerned about the Sellia Crystal Tunnel."
"It's currently occupied by the Kindred of Rot. I'll need to find some time to clear them out."
That crystal tunnel was the place one could reach via the transporter trap in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins.
In the game, this hidden route was often used to reach Caelid early.
From there, one could head to the Lake of Rot to pick up the Meteorite Staff and Rock Sling, two essential starting items for a sorcerer.
Now that Sellia belonged to him, the contents of that mine were naturally his as well.
Bai Shi couldn't possibly let those insects occupy his resources.
Just as Bai Shi was wondering when he could find the time to deal with them, Melina made a suggestion.
"Why not just have the knightly order you're training take care of them in a while?"
"The Kindred of Rot aren't particularly strong on average, and you did say you wanted to use those artificial creatures as mounts for your knights."
"In that case, why not just have them ride over, fight inside the cave, and get some practice at the same time?"
Bai Shi thought about it. That made sense.
The knightly order had been training for some time; it was about time to see the results.
While the Kindred of Rot weren't strong, they certainly weren't weak either, possessing strength close to that of regular soldiers.
Furthermore, they were highly social creatures that coordinated well with each other.
Using them to train the knightly order would be a good test.
As for casualties...
A knightly order was meant for war; that was why Bai Shi was training them.
And the men who joined the order weren't cowards afraid of death; they were all proper warriors.
Not to mention, a crucial part of them growing stronger was killing enemies to acquire Runes, fueling war with war.
The Finger Maiden in Stormveil would use the Runes to strengthen them, making them progressively stronger.
After Melina finished the map, the two of them leaned against each other and chatted for a bit.
Then, Bai Shi left the Site of Grace and set out in the morning light.
---
After passing the barrier behind Sellia, Bai Shi rode Torrent up the winding mountain path.
Suddenly, Bai Shi smacked his forehead.
"Ah, I forgot..."
"Hm? What is it?"
Melina's questioning voice came from beside him.
"Stella mentioned that the academy contacted them. A sealed-off academy couldn't possibly have sent someone in person, so it must have been a form of long-distance communication."
"I should have asked them what method they used. If I could master it, communication would be much more convenient."
Bai Shi had forgotten about this earlier and had just remembered.
His methods of communication truly needed improvement. Within Limgrave, the Stormhawks roamed and patrolled everywhere.
Through them, information could be relayed much faster than with ordinary messenger birds.
But this was impossible outside the range of his authority.
For instance, in Caelid now, a Stormhawk coming here would easily become infected with the Scarlet Rot.
And aside from the Stormhawks, Bai Shi's only other means of contact was the finger system between Tarnished.
But since it couldn't convey actual information, it was honestly only useful in emergencies.
Like the golden sign he left in Stormveil, which could alert him to return in case of an urgent situation.
As of now, Bai Shi lacked a stable method of communication.
Even when he needed to find Commander O'Neil later, he would have to go to a pre-arranged location, which was too troublesome.
For the average Tarnished, this wasn't really a problem.
After all, in a place like the Lands Between where one could lose their life at any moment, just staying alive was an achievement, let alone trying to regularly contact others.
Meeting a long-lost friend, remarking on each other's good fortune to be alive, and then continuing on their separate, perilous journeys was the norm.
That was life for an ordinary Tarnished—just trying to survive was enough. But for Bai Shi, who was destined to become the Elden Lord, there was much more to consider.
When to contact subordinates in different regions, and when to mobilize troops, were all things he needed to think about.
If he could master a magical communication method, using sorcerers as hubs and nodes, Bai Shi's future communication efficiency would be greatly enhanced.
"Mm, that's true."
"If they're in contact with the academy, they must have some similar technology..."
"We can ask them about it when we return."
Bai Shi nodded, putting the matter out of his mind and continuing up the mountain path.
The path upwards was a series of switchbacks, twisting left and right in a troublesome manner.
"Bai Shi, look over there! Above us!"
Hearing Melina's exclamation, Bai Shi looked up.
He saw a massive skull embedded in the mountainside.
It was covered in rot-fungus, and thick, deep roots grew out of its eye sockets.
"At first, I thought it was just an ordinary rock formation. I found its shape a bit strange, but now I see it clearly—it's a skull."
"Now that you mention it, the skulls we saw on the road earlier were the same..."
"To think there are skulls this enormous... it's incredible."
"I wonder if this belonged to one of the legendary giants."
Hearing the awe in Melina's voice, Bai Shi was very pleased.
Melina seemed to be growing more animated; she was genuinely enjoying their journey.
Bai Shi could feel her becoming more and more like a living person.
She no longer cautiously asked for his opinions and didn't keep everything buried in her heart.
"Yes, it really is a huge skull."
"I wonder if all the giants were this size. That would be too exaggerated."
"What must the war between the Golden Order and the giants have been like? Just imagining it is spectacular."
With no one else around, Bai Shi and Melina talked freely.
Until they were interrupted by a rumbling sound.
It sounded like something rolling, and it was getting closer.
Soon, a giant iron ball came rolling down from ahead.
The smooth iron ball descended with incredible force, seeming to crush everything in its path to dust.
Bai Shi knocked it aside with his sword-spear, sending it crashing into the rock face, and then continued forward.
The road ahead was littered with gravestones.
Many skeletal Those Who Live in Death crawled out from among them, attempting to ambush Bai Shi.
But with Torrent's incredible speed, these slow-moving beings had no chance, and were left far behind.
Soon, another iron ball appeared ahead, and this time Bai Shi saw how it was formed.
A white summoning circle lit up on the ground, and the iron ball materialized from within.
This was the academy's technology. Identical summoning circles could be found within the academy.
Bai Shi had been sent flying by them more than a few times.
The academy had always been fond of using this kind of summoning sorcery.
At the place where Sellen was guarded, that graven-mass of sorcerers had also appeared after a similar summoning circle emerged.
As for this iron ball, it was likely an imitation of the black moon-like sphere that a Silver Tear could transform into.
At least in appearance, it was quite similar.
It seemed these were the traps the academy had set on the road to guard Master Lusat.
Continuing onward, Bai Shi soon arrived outside the Church of Plague on the mountain.
However, there were no Kindred of Rot present.
Likewise, upon entering the church, Bai Shi only saw the large statue of Marika, but not Millicent.
It seemed Millicent was still in the Swamp of Aeonia.
In that case, he would probably have to wait for O'Neil to find her in the swamp.
Bai Shi picked up the sacred chalice in the Church of Plague, lit the Site of Grace, and placed the chalice within it.
This chalice from the Church of Plague, compared to others, showed no signs of change.
It had been left on the rot-infested ground, yet not even fungus had clung to it.
He wondered what kind of power it possessed.
Leaving the Church of Plague, Bai Shi first glanced at the entrance to the cave where Master Lusat was sealed.
After confirming the cave's location, Bai Shi turned and headed towards a more distant cliff face.
There was a spiritspring there, which he could use to leap directly onto the cliffs and reach Dragonbarrow.
Above the spiritspring was Fort Faroth, which contained an item Bai Shi needed.
This route also saved him the trouble of running back from the Site of Grace at the Caelem Ruins.
The path was filled with graves, and a large number of skeletal Those Who Live in Death.
As usual, Bai Shi ignored them and ran straight to the end of the road, where a large spiritspring waited.
Reaching the spiritspring, Torrent didn't slow down at all, charging straight into it.
Upon entering the spiritspring's range, Torrent kicked off the ground, launching himself and Bai Shi into the air.
They instantly soared nearly a hundred meters high, easily leaping from there to the cliff where Fort Faroth was located.
The spiritspring's effect lasted until Torrent landed.
After guiding Torrent to a safe landing, the spiritspring's power finally dissipated.
However, as soon as they arrived, Bai Shi and Torrent were spotted by two young dragons.
These two dragons were very small; for dragons, they were still in their youth.
They were even smaller than the young dragon that had been near Agheel when he was killed.
Not only their size, but even their color had not fully developed; their scales hadn't yet turned a glossy black.
Upon seeing Bai Shi, the two young dragons immediately sensed the draconic aura emanating from his gear.
They instantly understood that the person before them was a formidable dragon slayer, and that even one of their powerful brethren had been turned into his equipment.
So, the two young dragons quickly turned and fled.
Bai Shi paid them no mind and headed towards the Smoldering Wall in the distance.
Beyond the Smoldering Wall was Fort Faroth.