Bai Shi was a little surprised to see that this Ancestral Follower could actually speak.
The Ancestral Followers revered nature, shunning metal and civilization. They had even abandoned the advanced society they once possessed, choosing instead to embrace the wilderness.
But could such people still use language to communicate with other races?
Bai Shi reined in Torrent, bringing him to a halt.
Since they could communicate, he figured it wouldn't hurt to talk.
Simply passing through their territory shouldn't be a problem.
Bai Shi raised his left hand high and waved, doing his best to appear friendly with a smile on his face.
"Don't be alarmed. I mean no harm."
"I just want to pass through here to get to the mountain behind you."
Hearing Bai Shi's words, the Ancestral Followers exchanged strange glances, and their chieftain frowned.He looked at Bai Shi's calm expression, wondering what his purpose was.
He couldn't possibly think there was a path back there, could he? Behind them was nothing but wastelands and cliffs, with no road at all.
He shouted to Bai Shi:
"Please turn back. There are only wastelands and cliffs ahead."
"Whatever you're looking for, I'm afraid you won't find it here, unless you've come to make friends with the animals."
Bai Shi was amused by his words.
Was this what one would expect from an innocent race that had abandoned civilization to revere nature? He had even brought up making friends with animals.
"I know it might be hard to believe, but I'm here specifically for those cliffs."
"I don't want to get into the details, but rest assured, I will not harm you."
The chieftain of the Ancestral Followers opened his mouth, wanting to say more.
After all, Bai Shi's explanation was rather vague and unconvincing.
But when they saw Bai Shi raise his right hand and summon a giant dragon head out of thin air, which then bit clean through a mountain rock dozens of meters high, their doubts vanished.
Explanations were no longer necessary.
The Ancestral Follower chieftain wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
In the Lands Between, power is what truly makes a king.
With that kind of strength, wiping out their entire tribe would be effortless.
If this man had meant them harm, he would have had no need to lie.
He could only be thankful that they hadn't acted offensively or attacked him first; otherwise, things would have ended badly.
"Ah, wel... welcome."
The chieftain's speech even became smoother, no longer as mumbled as before.
He gave the other tribesmen behind him a look, gesturing for the females to take the young and leave the area.
The remaining few warriors also put away their weapons and waited obediently for instructions.
Seeing that the Ancestral Followers were willing to let him pass, Bai Shi nodded.
Indeed, a small demonstration of strength was the best way to communicate in the Lands Between.
Bai Shi dismounted and led Torrent toward the Ancestral Followers.
The Ancestral Followers were quite tall themselves, but unlike the Numen, both men and women were powerfully built and exuded a wild aura.
"Right, sorry to disturb you."
"By the way, I have a request. Could you have someone guide me?"
"Just until I'm through your settlement."
The chieftain nodded hurriedly and walked to Bai Shi's side to lead the way.
"Of course, of course we can."
The chieftain of the Ancestral Followers dismissed the other tribesmen, letting them go about their business.
As he led Bai Shi, the chieftain also took the opportunity to introduce their territory.
"This entire area was once part of the ancient Uld Dynasty, but no matter how glorious it once was, it's nothing more than ruins now."
"The terrain here is quite complex. Without a guide, you would likely lose your way."
"That's one of the reasons our people chose to settle here long ago."
"We call this place the Ruin Labyrinth."
As Bai Shi listened, he glanced around.
It was just as the chieftain had said; the paths in this area were incredibly complex.
The terrain was also uneven, naturally divided into several upper and lower levels.
Often, a path would suddenly vanish, turning into a rock wall or a dead end.
Though it looked like a small area on the map, it was a veritable maze that required countless twists and turns to navigate.
Bai Shi pointed to a tall statue of an elder nearby.
"What are these statues?"
They weren't just here; such statues could be found in various ruins deep beneath the Lands Between.
These statues of elders all shared a uniform appearance: a hooded, robed figure resembling a prophet or sage, cradling a massive stone tablet in both hands.
Statues like this were scattered everywhere, some damaged and reduced to a mere head, others still largely intact, preserving their full bodies or at least the upper half.
The more complete statues stood dozens of meters tall, rivaling the massive, naturally formed stone pillars that surrounded them.
The Ancestral Follower chieftain scratched his head, unable to explain.
"Perhaps our ancestors knew, but we no longer concern ourselves with such things."
"Our lives now are calm and peaceful. We haven't spoken of the past for a very long time."
Hearing this, Bai Shi decided not to press the matter.
It was only natural for a people who had abandoned civilization to have lost their history as well.
Bai Shi had no opinion on their way of life.
Abandoning civilization was their own choice, and they seemed happy, so what was wrong with that?
Still, it was a pity about these ruins of the Uld Dynasty.
Bai Shi felt that if the Ancestral Followers had paid even a little attention to the ruins, they might have unearthed all sorts of curious ancient artifacts by now.
--
Led by the Ancestral Chieftain, Bai Shi wound his way through the Ruin Labyrinth.
Before long, they arrived at a gathering place for the Ancestral Followers.
There were numerous tribespeople here—men, women, old, and young—along with a large host of various animals.
The animals lived alongside the Ancestral Followers, showing none of the wariness creatures usually display around people.
The older children climbed up and down the stone pillars, occasionally jumping down to run around in the open space.
Meanwhile, the adult tribe members were processing the bodies of animals that had died of old age or sickness, crafting them into wearable furs.
They would also consume the meat, with a reverence for nature.
Other than that, their diet consisted of various berries they gathered. They would never actively harm an animal.
They had given up civilization and metal, living a very primitive existence.
They had not even reached a societal stage of farming and weaving, but rather lived a more primal, gathering-based lifestyle.
The Ancestral Follower chieftain looked at the large jar Bai Shi had been carrying on his back with a rope.
"By the way, milord... er, how should I address you?"
"Bai Shi. No need to be so formal. Just treat me as a regular passerby."
The chieftain nodded quickly.
"Well then, Lord Bai Shi, do you need us to re-tie the rope you're using to carry that jar?"
Bai Shi glanced back at the crude and flimsy rope he had tied himself and nodded.
He was well aware of his own skills; the rope was liable to come loose at any moment.
Since he offered, he might as well let them help. "If you don't mind, then please. I would appreciate it."
"I'm not very skilled at this sort of thing."
Bai Shi took the large jar containing the Black Knife Assassin off his back and placed it in front of him.
As the jar settled on the ground, a "Mmph?!" sound came from within, and the vessel trembled slightly.
The Ancestral Follower chieftain looked up at Bai Shi.
"Lord Bai Shi, that sound..."
"You heard wrong."
"But, it seemed to shake a little just now?"
"Mm-hm, I just didn't set it down steadily."
The Ancestral Follower chieftain was a bit slow on the uptake, only now realizing that perhaps he shouldn't press the issue.
"Oh, oh, you're right. I must have been mistaken."
While he waited, Bai Shi took the opportunity to ask the female Ancestral Follower who was tying the ropes for him:
"Do your people worship that Erdtree over there?"
The female Ancestral Follower looked up and followed his finger to the Minor Erdtree.
Around that small tree, many of her people were kneeling in prayer and dancing.
Though Bai Shi couldn't understand their dance, the shamanistic movements made it immediately clear that it was a display of faith toward the Erdtree.
As Bai Shi recalled, although the Ancestral Followers were a race that deeply revered nature, the vast majority of them lived underground.
And that large group underground did not worship the Erdtree.
However, the woman just looked at Bai Shi with a bewildered expression, not answering.
The chieftain explained to Bai Shi:
"Lord Bai Shi, we normally use our own language."
"Other than myself and a few elders, very few learn this unnecessary tongue for communication. She didn't understand what you said."
"As for your question, we do indeed have faith in the Erdtree."
"Our tribe has lived on the surface for a very, very long time, and the Erdtree is also a part of nature."
"Beneath the tree, there is also an Erdtree Avatar. Living under its protection, we have no reason not to believe."
These Ancestral Followers were also changing in order to survive. Or perhaps, this was the nature they pursued.
The race of Ancestral Followers seemed quite interesting.
But he figured that even if he tried to recruit them, they wouldn't agree.
Through the efforts of the female Ancestral Follower, the jar was soon bound tightly with ropes, with two loops extending out for Bai Shi to easily carry on his back.
The knots used by the Ancestral Followers weren't complex—in fact, they were quite simple—but they were surprisingly firm and reliable, very practical.
With everything ready, Bai Shi and the Ancestral Chieftain walked out of the Ruin Labyrinth.
Along the way, Bai Shi chose to ignore the Minor Erdtree and the Erdtree Avatar, opting not to start a fight.
Was it reasonable to invade someone's territory and kill the object of their worship?
Bai Shi was no butcher of the Lands Between.
As they emerged from the Ruin Labyrinth, the scenery opened up dramatically.
The path ahead became a flat expanse, with a few small lakes scattered about, providing water for all the life here.
In the distance, two or three colossal Walking Mausoleums could also be seen.
As they wandered aimlessly across the plains, one could easily feel the tremors caused by their movements.
"Our usual range of activity ends here. We don't wander into other areas to disturb the lives of other beings."
Despite saying this, he still led Bai Shi to the edge of the cliff.
"This is the very edge of the mountain."
"Although I don't know what you plan to do here, there's no road ahead."
Bai Shi looked down from the cliff.
Here was another gate to the Academy, covered by a blue seal.
Moreover, the great bridge behind the gate was completely destroyed, making entry from this side impossible.
A great road stretched from this gate into the distance.
In the distance along the road, he could vaguely make out the Cuckoo Knights' encampment and their siege engines.
This was the Bellum Highway, the very path Bai Shi had chosen to reach Caria Manor.
Bai Shi saw the familiar stone stelae on the cliff face and confirmed they were intact, which meant he wouldn't find the path cut off midway.
Thus, Bai Shi gave the Ancestral Follower chieftain a wave.
"Yes, this is the place."
"Thank you for guiding me. I wouldn't have found it this easily otherwise."
This was the truth. That Ruin Labyrinth had been full of twists and turns.
If Bai Shi had been left to wander on his own, it would likely have taken him far longer than it did.
The Ancestral Chieftain didn't know what Bai Shi was waving for.
Until he saw Bai Shi mount Torrent and leap off the cliff.
"Uh... Ah?!"
He watched, dumbfounded, as Bai Shi fell, landing on a stone stele at the cliff's edge.
Riding Torrent, Bai Shi leaped from stele to stele, swiftly descending from the mountaintop to the Bellum Highway below.
The chieftain rubbed his head.
This lord was certainly... unconventional.
--
After descending from the cliff.
Bai Shi lit the first Site of Grace in this area.
With a part of the map now opened in this new region, returning in the future would be much more convenient.
From here, one could travel all the way to the Grand Lift of Dectus.
Bai Shi now possessed both halves of the medallion, so he could ascend whenever he pleased.
Without lingering, Bai Shi followed the road to the nearby Bellum Church.
The statue enshrined within the Bellum Church was not of Marika, but of Radagon.
At the same time, the Bellum Church had the most unique design of any church in the entire game.
Next to the massive statue of Radagon was a downward-sloping ramp.
This ramp led all the way down to the valley floor, which was the method Raya had mentioned for reaching the Altus Plateau.
Although Bai Shi had no need to go to the valley floor, his current path was in the same direction.
After picking up the Sacred Tear inside the Bellum Church, Bai Shi left via the sloping passage.
Along the way, Bai Shi encountered a nomadic merchant warming himself by a fire and bought two Rune Arcs for 2000 runes.
Not only that, but Bai Shi also found the destination of his journey with great ease.
An enormous stone.
This ridiculously large stone stretched like a bridge across the wide canyon.
The massive rock protruded from the mountain where Caria Manor was located, with one end resting on the road here, connecting the two locations.
Riding Torrent, Bai Shi easily leaped onto the extended stone.
Next, I just need to find Master Iji at the gate to lead the way. I should be able to meet Ranni directly without a fight.