Start by logging into the Old Man's Ring at Hogwarts

Secondly, only in this way can a new era be ushered in.

Zicomo speculated that perhaps the giant cauldron of fire was once a furnace of life.

The Golden Tree Era did not begin after the defeat of the Ancient Dragon and the Dragon King.

It doesn't start from the time when the predetermined death was sealed and the fundamentalist laws of the Gold Standard were established.

It started after the flames were defeated.

Because the Forge of Life was born in the Borderlands, while the Golden Tree came from outside the Borderlands, the two represent different eras.

Only when one era ends can a new era begin.

Furthermore, because the Furnace of Life is closely connected to the Borderlands, the flames of the Furnace of Life will never go out as long as the Borderlands are not destroyed.

Moreover, due to its inherent characteristics derived from the Forge of Life, it can only be guarded by giants.

If it were an ordinary person, they would be punished by the furnace and turned into a hybrid demi-human, who is inherently inferior to humans.

The 'winged hybrid ashes' in Zicomo's possession had a description provided by the system.

It reads: "A soul with a hundred wings, shooting arrows as it flies. The birth of hybrids is said to be a punishment brought down by contact with the furnace. Therefore, they are born slaves and are called defilers."

The appearance of so many demi-human races in the border region may be related to the past war between giants.

In addition, there is some indirect evidence that the Golden Tree and the Forge of Life are at odds.

For example, the Forge Knights, who were followers of the First King Gavriel, should have been people of high status and prestige.

But the Forge Knights that Zicomo sees at the border are usually in some obscure or hidden locations.

Some were even sealed in prisons.

This shows that the forces of the Golden Tree and the Forge of Life are inherently incompatible.

However, even under such hostile circumstances, to become the King of Elden and to have an audience with the Elden Ring, one must rekindle the Giant's Cauldron of Flames.

Only by burning away the thorns that the golden tree's surface resists can one enter the golden tree's interior.

Moreover, Melina, who was chosen to ignite the flame, was chosen by Marika, the very person who had once tried to extinguish it.

It has to be said that fate is truly unpredictable.

However, none of that had much to do with Zicomo, since he never intended to become the King of Elden.

All Zicomo wanted was to find a way to preserve Melina's soul.

This blockhead still doesn't believe that Zicomo has a way to remove her identity as a Fireborn.

Chapter 267 The Flames Could Not Burn, the So-Called Illusion

Melina still doesn't believe that Zicomo has any way to remove her status as a Fireborn.

But that's okay, Zicomo will prove himself with his actions.

The Giant Flaming Cauldron is located at the easternmost point of the entire snowfield.

It's unclear whether it was because Marika wanted to keep people away from the giant's cauldron of flames, or because the war against the giants was so intense back then.

The cauldron of the fire giant is located on a separate island.

The only connection to the land was a huge chain, two or three meters thick.

From a distance, the large pot was covered in cracks, which looked like Marika's original work.

Upon seeing the flaming cauldron, Zicomo considered whether he should also bring it to his "Zen Garden".

But after careful consideration, Zicomo abandoned the idea.

The thing looked dilapidated, and Zicomo had no idea how to fix it or what use it was.

Putting it in the "Zen Garden" serves no purpose other than as a space-consuming spectacle.

Moreover, this large pot is essentially tied to the border area.

Not to mention whether that eternal flame will still exist after it is materialized into reality.

Zicomo didn't know if losing this large pot would have any negative impact on the border area.

His teacher and mother-in-law still live in the border area. If something unexpected happens to them, it will be too late to regret it.

Zicomo shook off his thoughts and rode Toret toward the giant's cauldron of fire.

A moment later, Zicomo climbed onto the giant's cauldron of fire, or more accurately, stood on the rim of the cauldron.

Looking down from here, the entire interior of the large pot appears quite empty.

Only at the bottom, like an ordinary earthen stove, were piled high with glowing red charcoal embers.

There was a layer of burnt-out ash on top of the charcoal fire.

Zicomo turned his gaze away from the inside of the cauldron and went to the gap on the rim.

There is a blessing point here. After lighting it, Melina's figure slowly appears before Zicomo.

She didn't look at the giant cauldron of flames, but instead looked at Zicomo.

Melina said, "Thank you for bringing me here. My journey will end here."

"Throughout the journey, I kept watching and observing the border area."

"I thought to myself that this world must be repaired, and I also believed that death must be brought to everyone equally."

"...Are you ready?"

Are you ready to say goodbye?

In the original game, Melina's words here should be "Be prepared to commit a serious crime."

But she didn't say that now.

Because she is a living, breathing person, not a program.

She knew that with Zicomo's power and his lawless nature, he would never take the so-called crime of burning the Golden Tree seriously.

"Wait, don't be impatient."

Zicomo said, "Let me try first and see if I can burn away the thorns that the golden tree refuses."

Melina remained silent, stepping aside to watch Zicomo's actions.

Zicomo came to the edge of the pot and raised his left hand.

A brilliant crimson-gold flame rose in his left hand.

After the flame appeared, it continuously emitted high temperatures, and it also contained the breath of life.

Zikomo obtained the Nirvana Fire and the Flame of the Sun from Huangxi and Donghuang.

After fusing the two flames, it became the new flame he now possesses.

The fusion of two advanced flames is not usually so easy.

However, Zicomo's body had already maxed out its fire resistance.

The two flames merged within Zikomo's body, becoming a new power within him.

Before the heat of the flame in his hand could spread further, Zicomo threw it to the bottom of the giant's cauldron of fire.

The flames slowly descended, eventually touching the charcoal fire at the bottom of the large pot.

The next moment, the flames spread rapidly from the point where they fell to the entire cauldron of fire.

Seeing this, Zicomo looked up at the golden tree in the distance.

However, the golden tree did not burst into flames as he had imagined.

Zikomo didn't understand. Couldn't he just use a fire to ignite the giant's cauldron of flames and burn away the thorns that the Golden Tree refused to pierce?

The flames are now burning, so why is the golden tree not reacting at all?

At this moment, Melina spoke up from the side: "I told you, it's useless. Although I don't know why your flames were able to reignite the cauldron."

"But without offerings, this is all you can do."

Zikomo, refusing to believe in evil, waved his hand and summoned fierce fire.

The blue flames he modified surged headlong towards the crimson-gold flames below.

However, it serves no purpose other than adding a different color to the flames in the cauldron.

Zicomo frowned, pondering where things had gone wrong.

He recalled a word Melina had just mentioned: "sacrifice"!

He had heard the word "enya," the old woman who explained the finger in the round table hall, mention it when he was playing games in his previous life.

Zicomo recalled Enya's words: "...Go find the fire. At the highest point of the borderlands, there is a giant cauldron with wisps of smoke rising from it—the fire that can burn down the Golden Tree is in the cauldron."

"To make the fire in the pot leap up, you need a special kind of fire and someone who can see the illusion of the flames."

"Only by sacrificing that person can the Golden Tree be burned down with the fire of the cauldron. The path to the Rune of Death will then become clear."

The term "virtual image" doesn't appear often in border areas, but it carries a unique meaning.

Enya once interpreted the words of the two fingers in the Hall of the Round Table: "Malika committed a heinous crime and deserved severe punishment. But even if she was severely punished, she was still God and a vessel for illusions."