I want to be a faded person for life

The figure removed his hood, revealing his gray hair.

Gao Songdeng turned his head and looked towards the outer wall of Stonewell with his amber eyes. This dead city was shrouded in dark clouds, and even the storm that was famous here became a little quiet.

"What a strange feeling. Was Stonewell a place like this before?"

Deng was a little worried. The last time she came here, it wasn't as dead silent as it is now.

"It's too late to contact Servais. We should find Xiaoxiang as soon as possible."

She recalled the feeling when her magic was triggered, and her expression became confused again.

"...Why, two?"

Chapter 13 Destiny

“There are indeed signs of revitalization…”

The witch Seren lit the candlestick, making the basement bright again.

"The situation was not a problem for a while ago. What have you done recently?"

Xiangzi did not hide it.

"I try to avoid using multiple ashes or pyroxene magic at the same time... but I died once recently."

Se Lian held his forehead and sighed.

"...You're a fader after all, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"Let me tell you some good news first. The pyroxene crystal deposits in your blood have been reduced significantly. You shouldn't have to worry about turning into a magician's ball in the short term."

"But the bad news is that the owner of the Origin Stone is showing signs of awakening... I'm worried that you'll become another person."

The idea that another soul is awakening in your body sounds really creepy.

"Is there no way to separate her?"

Although he himself felt that it was unlikely, Xiangzi still raised the question somewhat unwillingly.

"Maybe."

Surprisingly, Seren did not deny this possibility.

"That--"

Before Xiangzi could show his surprise, the witch broke this unrealistic fantasy.

"In order to transform the source pyroxene into their soul, ancient stargazers would use a specially crafted pyroxene knife to cut open their hearts and step into death."

"—This is a process of separation and extraction of the soul."

"Not to mention that this ritual has been lost for a long time. Even if I could find the tools and steps, I wouldn't be able to separate your soul with my current strength."

The witch poured two tubes of powder into the container, and tens of thousands of crystal powders mixed together could never return to their original state.

"...Your soul and the owner of that Origin Stone are intertwined, like a yolk and egg white stirred and blended. Perhaps only the Full Moon Queen, who wields the power of [Rebirth], can help you."

"It seems I have no choice but to accept the Moon Princess's offer."

Xiangzi was a little surprised when he heard the familiar name from Se Lian again.

"It really is the only way forward... With the full moon and Kalia, it's almost like fate."

The witch Se Lian sighed like this.

"Facing such an inexplicable situation, and then inexplicably being recruited by the Moon Princess—perhaps your fate has long been tied to the Kalia royal family, becoming inextricable."

"Now that the stars have stopped moving, this is truly a strange thing."

"Don't worry too much. I will do my best to delay her awakening, giving you enough time to find Lenara... No one can take you away from me."

The witch touched the girl's hair.

"teacher......"

Having understood his own situation and having received the witch's assurance, Xiangzi felt strangely relieved.

If this was fate, she didn't think her journey would end before the destined day.

All I have to do is make all preparations before that day comes.

After confirming that there was no solution to this problem for the time being, her attention shifted back to other things, such as what Se Lian seemed to have said just now that concerned her.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Se Lian...what does it mean that the stars no longer move?"

"Well, you've become quite studious lately, which is good—I know all about you."

Se Lian laughed, seeming satisfied with this change.

"The fate of the Carlia royal family changes with the stars, and even the Moon Princess, Lani, whom you will serve, is no exception. However, when General Latarn shattered the laws of the stars' rotation, the inherent flow came to an abrupt halt—that man himself was the seal of the stars."

Xiangzi remembered that he seemed to have heard the name Latan somewhere. It seemed that Kenneth Hyde mentioned it occasionally when he was promoting Greg's past "glorious deeds".

[After being defeated, he escaped from the royal city among a crowd of women. Fearing General Latarn, he hid in the city and dared not say a word...]

some type of.

At first, Xiangzi thought this was exaggerated negative news.

After all, Greg is a demigod who possesses the Great Rune.

After all, in her eyes, the sick and crazy old man was actually quite powerful, and in no way was he as cowardly as Kenneth said.

However, even his son Gotok did not deny these old stories that sounded like rumors.

"Seal the flow of the stars... Is that really possible with human power?"

"Well... after all, he's the most powerful demigod in legend. You can't use Greg as a standard for measuring demigod strength; that would be a big problem. If you want to collect the Great Runes and become the King of Elden, you might face an enemy like him in the future."

Compared with this monster that goes beyond common sense, Xiangzi felt that he could understand it to some extent.

After all, she really couldn't imagine herself fighting that kind of enemy.

"Are you scared?"

The witch laughed.

"It doesn't matter if you can't become a king. I will leave a place for my disciples to settle down. Even if you can't become a king, you are still my disciple, Se Lian."

Xiangzi shook his head firmly. It was too early to give up now. It was ridiculous to be scared by such an absurd story.

This is not only for the promise with Melina, but also for her most important wish.

So what if there was a huge disparity in strength? After all, when she first arrived at the border, she never thought she could defeat an opponent like Greg.

"Teacher, about Stonewell..."

Xiangzi talked about the information he had obtained. After all, it would be difficult for Seren, who had been staying in the basement, to learn about the latest happenings outside in a timely manner.

Se Lian was silent for a moment, lowering his head and thinking about something.

"Don't worry about my safety. In my current state, it would be difficult for me to die even if I wanted to."

......

On the outskirts of the fog forest.

"Oh...it's you."

Kenneth Hyde was still sitting on the arched ruins stone with no intention of coming down.

"You haven't decided to complete my commission yet... Well, I understand. After all, the fortress that once belonged to me is as solid as a rock and has never been breached. Even if the brave Faded One wanted to break through the defenses there—"

Xiangzi did not explain, but simply rang the summoning bell to awaken the ashes of Knight Commander Dolan - there was no better proof than this.

"What are you trying to do...? Oh, the Knight Commander is dead!?"

Kenneth laughed loudly, looking extremely excited.

"Excellent, very good. Although I know you're not doing this for a reward, it's truly commendable."

No, I actually did it for the reward... Xiangzi didn't say it out loud, but just stared at the guy who had previously said that he would give a generous reward.

"...Here, these are your rewards."

Kenneth was a little embarrassed and stopped performing.

He pulled out a brass dagger with an ornately carved sheath, a semicircular symbol and a golden seed.

Putting aside the first two, the golden tree species is indeed what Xiangzi really wants to collect now.

"As someone who dreams of becoming king... this is rude. As a faded being who follows the guidance of the blessing, this should be considered the highest reward, right?"

Kenneth's expression was confident.

Chapter 14 Prelude

"The left half of the Diktas symbol... I didn't expect it to be in your hands."

Melina appeared beside the two of them at some point.

What is that again?

Xiangzi had a bewildered expression.

"Of course, this is the sacred mission I've been given. Please accept it generously!"

The blond uncle looked proud as he talked about his next plans.

"There's a mountain of things to do. First, we must reestablish communication with the demihumans... Seeing your skepticism, it goes without saying that even demihumans deserve protection under the Golden Tree."

"The proper order will not exclude those who are lowly. This is also the responsibility of me, Kenneth Hyde, the descendant of the legitimate ruler of Nimgerfu."

If it is true as he says, then Kenneth Hyde is probably a good nobleman indeed.

At least in this land of the border, he would be a much better ruler than a pervert like Greg.

"Well, it's time for me to return to my territory..."

Kenneth suddenly turned around and made a suggestion with an expectant look on his face.

"Will you work for me? I can make an exception and knight you. As long as you follow the right order, even the light of blessing may one day return to the eyes of you faded ones."

"Take care of your own territory, uncle. I have other things to do."

Xiangzi waved goodbye to the blond uncle.

-

"Melina, what is the symbol of Deedas?"

Xiangzi asked from horseback.

"To reach the foot of the Golden Tree, you must possess two complete talismans at the Dikedas Elevator in Lienia. Only then can you reach the Yatan Plateau... It's not that I intentionally concealed it, but I didn't expect you to obtain half of it so early."

Melina seemed to become a little more talkative on this topic.

"Hmm... so, I've finally made some progress—I've completed half of the preparatory work I agreed to with you?"

"Half, to be exact."

Melina offered additional explanation.

"A quasi-king who possesses two Great Runes must raise the talisman aloft in the Great Elevator. Thus... he will be qualified to proceed to the foot of the Golden Tree."

"Now that you have the left half of the scepter and have obtained Greg's Great Rune, you can say that half of the preparations are complete."

"It went much faster than I expected. It went really smoothly, Melina!"

The blue-haired girl raised her fists in front of her chest as if to cheer herself up, with a bright smile.

Although she is just a burden to Deng now...but even so, she has a meaning of existence in this world, at least that should be the case for Melina.

In this way, the many sufferings she endured were not in vain.

Even though my body is in its current state and I don’t know how long I can live, I have achieved some good results.

Xiangzi's mood improved a lot, and deep down in his heart he quietly gave up some thoughts of meeting Deng.

Fulfill the promise with Melina and find a way to return to the original world - when the final moment comes, ask Deng for his opinion.

Melina looked at her smile, opened her mouth, and her eyes suddenly became a little complicated.

But this complexity was so fleeting that it was difficult to notice. The one-eyed girl nodded and responded with the same ethereal voice as before.

"Yes, it went very smoothly."

"The reaction is too dull. Shouldn't you be happier at a time like this?"