Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 453 The Truth About the Ruins
The sun's light gradually dimmed.

Bai Shi withdrew his power, and the Shadow Land seemed to have returned to its half-dead state.

However, the many warriors did not feel sad or reluctant about the departure of this light.

Because they clearly knew that the light had merged into their bodies and transformed into the power of their souls.

Even when they come to their senses and find themselves still in this abandoned world, they can still face the cruel reality with courage.

Bai Shi illuminated the world with his light and bestowed this blessing upon the warriors of the Shadowlands.

Looking at Bai Shi, Messermo's expression was somewhat complicated, a mixture of joy and a hint of helpless confusion.

Where on earth did Melina find such a 'terrifying' existence?

When he first met Bai Shi, Bai Shi's strength was still beyond what Messermo knew.

But now, it's completely unimaginable.

In such a short period of time, which is not even a snap of the fingers in the history of the border region, he witnessed Bai Shi's strength increase dramatically, and now he has become a true god.

He had only told me before that he was a god-king who was both a god and a king, but now the situation was so exaggerated that I didn't know what to say...

Messermo greeted Bai Shi as he descended from the sky and exclaimed in admiration:

"What a remarkable feat..."

Bai Shi smiled, no different from usual, and replied:
"It's nothing, all thanks to that selfless god from beyond the heavens."

"'The sun' is truly full of kindness and has helped me so much."

Messermo nodded, then asked:

"Any instructions next?"

"Our soldiers can be mobilized at any time."

Although the weather wasn't cold, it wouldn't be inappropriate to add a yellow robe.

Although he understood what Messermo meant, Bai Shi was not prepared to do so.

Bai Shi looked at the group of warriors below, their eyes burning with determination, and shook his head.

"Let the soldiers go back to the city and get some rest."

"In the future, I will take them back to their homeland on the Asian Plateau."

Bai Shi now possessed sufficient power to break the seal on the Shadow Tree and restore the land in the center of this border region to its original position.

However, Bai Shi believed that the time was not yet right.

The sheer size of this land that appeared out of nowhere in the center of the border area was astonishing.

Most importantly, large areas of this region are connected to the Asian Plateau and even the royal city.

Bai Shi originally planned to build up his armed forces and army, intending to gradually advance onto the plateau and forcefully open the gates of the royal city.

However, after learning that Gefulei was going to return openly and that he had enough power, Bai Shi changed his mind.

Once he defeats Gefuli in a fair and square duel and subdues him with his strength, what's the point of the two armies fighting each other?

In some other world, this would be an idealistic and impossible thing to achieve.

Because it involves various political, power, and religious struggles... even if they lose their leader, there will be many warriors who will fight to the death.

Fortunately, this is a border area, both wild and simple.

Power is the reason to be king.

Once Bai Shi defeats Ge Fulei, he will be the biggest and most powerful guy on the border.

Based on Bai Shi's understanding of Ge Fulei's character, he would definitely fight to the death and never surrender.

But if he were to truly defeat Goefry, he would generously and admiringly hand over his prestige, power, and hopes.

Everyone wants to prevent the border area from falling into chaos and fragmentation, so there's no need to add unnecessary casualties.

By then, Bai Shi's path to becoming king will be fully open.

No one can oppose him from any angle, whether in terms of power, prestige, or legitimacy.

By then, even if Montgomery still wanted to keep the Golden Tree, he would have to ask the army and residents of the royal city for their consent first.

Once the royal city is successfully and peacefully recaptured, the Shadowlands will naturally be unsealed.

Messermo looked at Bai Shi, nodded, and said nothing more.

It was just a suggestion; ultimately, it depended on Bai Shi's thoughts and decision.

"Alright, then once the battlefield is completely cleaned up, I'll lead the warriors back to Shadow City to await orders."

"No soldier will hesitate as long as you give the order."

"They have needed this light and hope for a long time..."

Surrounded by the warriors, Bai Shi made his promise:

"The light will never die."

"Those days of pain and torment will never come again."
-
Bai Shi slowly walked towards the most intense battlefield in the ruins.

Upon seeing Bai Shi arrive, Vic and Bernal bowed respectfully, fulfilling the etiquette of knights.

After glancing at the prisoners behind the two men, whose behavior varied, Bai Shi turned his gaze back to the two men.

Looking at the two men with slight wounds on their armor, Bai Shi praised them:

"Thank you for your hard work in the previous battles."

"This battle has given me a better understanding of your strength. You truly are knights I can trust."

Both of them bowed their heads respectfully and humbly agreed.

"We will live up to your guidance."

"Everything for a bright future."

Bai Shi nodded, then looked at Bernal and asked:
"Any progress on the investigation of the ruins?"

"Hopefully, we'll get the results we want there."

Previously, when recalling Bernal, Bai Shi simply issued the order through the mark of the sun.

Therefore, there was no time to hear the report on the investigation results.

Now, let's take advantage of this time to hear the results of the investigation into the Finger Ruins, so that Bai Shi can reassess the situation.

After all, the guy who might be hiding behind that isn't someone easy to deal with.

Not only are they powerful, but most importantly, they know nothing about the other party's thoughts.

These kinds of guys are the most dangerous because you never know when they might suddenly go crazy.

Faced with Bai Shi's question, Bernal raised his head, pondered for a while, and recalled the various details of the ruins.

After tidying up his words, he respectfully reported to Bai Shi about the events within the fingertip ruins:

“Lord Bai Shi, I have successfully penetrated the Finger Ruins and indeed discovered some unusual phenomena.”

"The most important discovery was a strange hanging bell."

After hesitating for a moment, Bernal continued:
"Although its appearance is hard to associate with a regular hanging bell, its function is the same."

"Amidst the embrace of countless giant stone fingers, a finger riddled with holes hangs down, its shape matching that of the hole necklace you gave me."

"After the bell was rung, an unfamiliar scene appeared in my mind..."

Bernal's gaze hardened, as if he was still savoring that strange experience.

"Amid the echoing of the bell, a boundary between ancient times and modern times appeared in my mind."

"That is the memory of this land, thus recording the traces left here after a terrifying being descended upon the border region."

"He merely stayed in this area, and because of his presence, the surrounding terrain was affected."

"The rocks transformed into enormous fingers, converging with that terrifying life form, and the finger remnants rose from the ground as a result." Bai Shi's eyes revealed astonishment; he hadn't expected it to be a scene recreation.

Bai Shi then asked again:

"Did you see the other person's true form in that memory?"

Bernal shook his head and replied:
"No... the scene was very blurry, and the figure was shrouded in a hazy starlight that was impossible to look at directly."

"But that terrifying power and presence are unmistakable."

“He must be the being you told me before, the one who impersonates the Supreme Will.”

"He truly exists, and there are traces of Him."

Seeing Bernal's excitement at finding a clue, Bai Shi wasn't particularly surprised.

What lies within these two finger-shaped relics are likely just tantalizing clues, not the truth.

Ymir must know a deeper truth, and she knows that anyone interested in the guy behind those ruins will be eager to cooperate with him after exploring the site.

I had this feeling before, and now I'm basically certain. The other party is also a cunning and scheming weasel.

After all, he himself said that this was merely guiding people toward the truth, not the truth itself.

As for the magic professor Ymir himself, he must have discovered the truth.

—They learned the truth about the finger-like creatures that impersonated the Supreme Will and manipulated the fate of the borderlands.

Clearly, Ymir has no intention of sharing this secret for the time being.

Even so, exploring the Finger Ruins is still very necessary.

Although it's impossible to directly trace the clues to find the person behind it, gathering intelligence is still a very important thing.

The more you know, the more confident you will be.

Bai Shi thought for a moment, then asked Bernal again:
"By the way, is there anything else noteworthy in the ruins?"

Bernal nodded immediately, his expression somewhat unusual, as if recalling some repulsive creature.

"Lord Bai Shi, the Finger Ruins are filled with all sorts of strange creatures."

"In addition to the extremely large number of finger insects, there is also a kind of creature that has never been seen in other parts of the border area."

"They have slender, leech-like bodies, human limbs, and four pairs of symmetrically arranged human eyes on their heads."

"They come in two colors, black and pink, and possess different powers. They use a kind of white sapphire magic to refract attacks in the air."

"Excuse my bluntness, but these are truly the most twisted creatures I've ever seen before, even more repulsive than those finger worms..."

Vic listened from the side and couldn't help but click his tongue.

He knew Bernal quite well; a guy who was single-mindedly fighting towards his goal would never react like that easily.

It's clear that those creatures left a very deep impression on him.

Bai Shi's expression gradually became strange, and he couldn't help but feel grateful for his earlier decision to send Bernal to explore.

Just from the description, you can tell that this thing is as mentally polluting as finger bugs.

However, Bai Shi also discovered a key point mentioned by Bernal.

Those creatures use white sapphire magic attacks, and the magic refracts through the air.

Bai Shi stretched out his hand and released the Radiant Stone Claw towards the open space beside him, asking Bernal:

"Is this the kind of brilliance stone magic?"

Without needing a reply, Bai Shi had already gotten the answer he wanted from Bernal's dumbfounded expression.

Is it a 'trick to make people think about the truth'?

Ymir, you bastard...

Bai Shi got the answer, and the various clues immediately connected, allowing him to instantly learn part of the truth.

Clearly, the secret medicine that Ymir gave to Bai Shi in the past did indeed have the effect of turning people into fingers.

However, what they transformed into were not creatures like Two Fingers, but the monsters that Bernal encountered in the ruins.

That kind of thing is clearly a failure.

Ymir has been recruiting explorers of the Fingers, perhaps to test the drug and achieve her own goals.

Unexpectedly, the effects of that secret medicine were even more bizarre than Bai Shi had imagined.

Previously, Bai Shi had given Hilbert a sample of the secret medicine so that she could analyze it.

Unfortunately, the results were not satisfactory.

The physical components of that stuff can indeed enhance a person's attributes, but the side effects are incomprehensible.

Because that's beyond the scope of pharmacology; it involves mysterious forces.

Thinking about it this way, it might mean that the power of those kinds of creatures was so great that it had an assimilation effect.

Or perhaps the power of the fingers is similar to the materialization of fantasy.

This is why those who wanted to become fingers were able to successfully transform into their ideal form, ultimately revealing a terrifying appearance that was neither quite the same nor the intended one.

It's hard to say for sure about this possible power yet, but Bai Shi seems to think it's a possibility.

Because the origin of that finger is so great that its mere existence can transform the surrounding area into a suitable mysterious ruin.

The power that the Two Fingers used to create Shadow Beasts was clearly beyond reality. It would be reasonable to say that it came from the power in their hearts, since they were beings that could use themselves as antennas to communicate.

Moreover, even the finger insects possess a mysterious magic that binds people in place, a magic not caused by gravity.

Bai Shi kept this in mind as a guess about the other party's abilities.

By making various plans and deductions and considering countermeasures, even if the opponent does not have the ability, it will only require more effort to think. In the future battle, you will definitely gain an advantage.

Bai Shi let out a breath and decided on the next arrangements for the Finger Ruins.

Looking at Bernal and Vic, Bai Shi gave the instructions:

“Vic, Bernal should have mentioned the ruins to you.”

"The entity hidden behind that is a false supreme will that has plunged the border region into such a state."

"Follow Messermo's army back, and then depart from Shadow City; you'll reach the ruins in no time."

"Then, the two of you shall proceed together to the second finger-shaped ruin."

"Ensure your own safety, and then try your best to find out the truth."

Bernal and Vic both lowered their heads and earnestly accepted the order:

"Yes, as you wish."

Bai Shi thought for a moment and continued:

"Once things are settled here, I will arrange for you to return to the border area."

"I'm sure you still have a lot of things to do."

Bernal's witch is still in Galid, constantly trying to burn herself.

They could be reunited without her having to try to act as a spark.

Meanwhile, Vic also has the important Lance Sands waiting for him on the Alpine Plateau.

Now that they have both devoted themselves to the reign of the Sun, it is only right that they make up for the regrets of the past.

As for Vic's witch, she'll probably have to wait until the spirit world returns and she's reincarnated.

Both of them were very excited, yet also a little apprehensive about their reunion.

Even those aspiring to become champions face challenges that they cannot easily overcome.

Bai Shi walked past them and headed towards the prisoners of war who were being closely guarded behind them.

(End of this chapter)