Elden Ring, my witch is a talkative beautiful girl

Professor of Magic, Selvis.

The half-werewolf warrior, Blaze.

Giant strategist, Iggy.

Among the three core cadres loyal to Lani, two were their acquaintances, and the remaining one, Selvis, was dressed in regular wizard attire with a hollow and rigid mask on his face.

Among the three, he was the most impatient.

"He's just a country-dweller who's inexperienced and lacks the ability to keep us waiting for so long! Newcomers these days are becoming increasingly unruly." Servais's exaggerated, sharp sarcasm echoed through the first-floor hall. "Sharing loyalty to Lady Ranie with such a fellow is a lifelong disgrace for this magic professor."

"That Faded One is indeed a capable individual." Iggy flipped through the pages of the book, not looking up. "Lady Lani and I have personally confirmed this. You'd better not be so confident."

Blaze echoed, "I agree with the old man. Since this is the person that Lani has chosen, there must be something special about him. It won't hurt to wait a few more minutes."

The two colleagues were both calm and composed. As a professor of magic, Selvis considered himself a respectable and cultured person, so he didn't say anything more.

Just as he suppressed his impatience and continued to wait, a clear voice came from the stairs.

"I thought who was speaking so arrogantly here was nothing more than an old, ugly, short dog who spoke harshly and didn't even dare to show his true face. A broken-backed dog actually dared to bark in public and slander the future King of Elden in the Borderland. He is truly more of a hindrance than a help, and will only cause trouble for his master."

It wouldn't matter if he didn't hear it, but once he heard it, Selvis was furious. He cursed at him so much that he almost told him his ID number.

He shouted angrily, "Who is insulting the great professor of magic? Get out here!"

"Who are you?" Melina, who came around the corner, looked blankly, not even raising her eyelids at Servis. "I'm talking to myself here, so please don't be so stupid as to take it personally. Just looking at you makes me feel like I'm completely clueless. Even the puff slime monsters are smarter than you, and the Argonians who only know howl all day are smarter than you. And yet you have the audacity to call yourself a magic professor, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"You...you..." Selvis was so angry that he couldn't even speak. "I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

"They say people with poor brains should talk less. You can only repeat one sentence, and you don't mind embarrassing yourself." Melina continued to add fuel to the fire.

"You...Ah!" The magic professor was so angry that his blood pressure shot up and he fainted on the spot.

"The number you dialed is temporarily out of service. Please leave a message after hearing the beep..."

After a beep, the magic communication on the other side was also cut off, and Selvis, who was furious, saved his life.

Give Archimedes a fulcrum, and he can lift the entire earth; give Melina a point to complain, and she can talk so much that you will doubt your life. Especially, don't let her hear you say bad things about Archimedes, otherwise you will be rushed to the ICU and have a breathing tube inserted for emergency treatment.

No one on the borderland could stand up to Melina in a head-on verbal battle. Seavis had picked the wrong opponent, and it was getting him into trouble. He could get away with disconnecting from online arguments, but in a face-to-face fight, he'd have to take the finishing blow from the witch.

"Amei, that's enough. Let's hold off on the lashing out." Ah Tui put the brakes on the chatterbox witch, trying to avoid a tense first meeting with a colleague and give her some way out. Otherwise, there was a chance Melina, still unsatisfied, would reach over the internet cable and continue her rants.

Iggy closed the book and said with a smile, "It's okay. Selvius is usually arrogant and domineering, but this time the little girl spoke eloquently, which might help to curb his bad temper."

Although everyone is a colleague and a member of the Lani Club, working towards the same goal, there are also differences in the closeness and distance of their relationships.

Selvis has a weird temper and always acts on his own, and doesn't get along well with other people. Blaze and Iggy naturally have no intention of helping him, but rather are somewhat happy to see it happen.

"Old man, you're right. This guy should focus more on serving Lani instead of doing sneaky, shady experiments all the time." Blaze nodded in agreement, then looked at A-Tai and the others. "I didn't expect our third meeting would be in this kind of setting. I was right. The Lani Club is the best place for you two."

The half-werewolf brother was the leader of the organization and had spared no effort in spiritual propaganda. "But there's a problem now. The production technology for the Lani dolls is in the hands of Selvis. It might be difficult to get your dolls from him later."

Ah Tui broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this. He had finally cleared up the misunderstanding of the perverted sex maniac. If Lani found out that he had a doll of hers, he would never be able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Sifrates River. His end would be 100% death.

"No need to bother." Ah Tai rejected this terrifying proposal with a righteous attitude, ready to go through fire and water at the command of a single order. "We will just join the Lani Club in spirit. Whether or not we have a token of loyalty to Lani will not affect our efficiency."

"Hmm... Your awareness surpasses that of many ordinary members. They should learn from you." Blaze pondered, deeply moved by A-Tai's sincerity. "Work hard. Once you've achieved enough merit, we'll promote you to the fourth core member." He took out the spotless Lani doll and showed it off. "Then you'll have your own exclusive Lani doll made of the finest material, just like me."

"We can't avoid the topic of dolls, right? You really want to kill me, big brother?" Ah Tui roared in his heart. If he continued at this rate, the day he became a core cadre would probably be the day he was frozen into an ice sculpture by the Snow Witch and put at the door as an exhibit.

Noticing her partner's increasingly grim expression, Melina turned her head, covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled a few times. Then she took the initiative to change the subject, helping the clumsy A'er out of his predicament: "Lani has told us everything about the Eternal City. Can you tell us about the current progress?"

Iggy took over. "Blaze is in charge of the field survey. Besides being the royal blacksmith, I also serve as Lady Lani's military advisor. I'm responsible for mobilizing manpower and resources, providing reasonable advice, and making strategic plans. Let me explain the specific progress of the plan."

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 39: Breaking the Seal

Iggy omitted the previous content about searching for information and spent ten minutes summarizing the current progress of the "Lani Club" in as concise a language as possible.

Their current plan is to use the "Eternal City of Noklon" as a springboard to search for the "Eternal City of Noxstella" hidden deeper in the shadows of history, where there are precious treasures that Rani needs to embark on her journey to the stars.

But the progress of the plan was hindered and stagnated. The clues were completely cut off when Blaze explored the Shivlades River and found Nokron. He searched every corner of the ruins but found nothing.

Iggy described the local cultural environment: "This half of the Eternal City has changed hands over the past tens of millions of years. The shamans who control the power of thunder and lightning have taken root here and established a tribe."

Ten thousand years have passed since the Dark Star destroyed the Eternal City. The original star that fell at the border has disappeared, and a new civilization has been built on the ruins.

The ancestral shamans occupied the land and became kings, established tribes in the ruins of the city, planted totems, and asked for strength from the ancient souls.

Fortunately, their number is small, and the ancestral spirits they worship are not like those of the old man who likes to fool his believers. They will not launch a torrent of waaaaagh to rush to the ground and make the border area, which is already in dire straits, even worse.

"Those minotaurs and goat-headed men are truly formidable," Blaze said, still feeling a lingering fear. "Not only do they harness the power of lightning, they also cast strange, elusive spells. Their arrows can even turn mid-flight. Even I nearly fell victim to them when I first encountered them. The wound on my back was sustained while protecting the Rani doll in battle."

His words are really not convincing and are full of loopholes.

"Normally..."

"Shouldn't you prioritize your own personal safety?"

The duo said.

"Don't worry, I'm in good condition." Blaze patted his chest loudly. "For the sake of protecting Lani doll, this injury is nothing."

"You should pay attention to your own safety first!" A'tai and Melina complained in unison.

If a person dressed like a hedgehog with a dozen arrows shot by shaman ancestors stuck in his back is considered to be in good shape, then perhaps the profession of doctor would no longer be needed in the world.

In other words, Blaze has a special physique that allows him to slowly recover from this kind of non-fatal injuries that do not hurt vital parts. If it were an ordinary Faded One with more than a dozen arrows stuck in his body, he would have fallen to the street to see Queen Marika and wait for the resurrection bar to read.

"Is there any other place we can gather new intelligence about the Eternal City?" As someone in the know, he tried to sort out the chaotic situation from an outsider's perspective and find a feasible solution. "Or maybe we should change our thinking and try communicating with those shamans?"

"I tried to put down my weapon and communicate with them." The half-werewolf pointed at the hair on his head, "but they howled and struck me with a bolt of lightning."

This tragic incident shows that... this road is blocked and the local residents have no intention of communicating peacefully with outsiders.

"I heard that orcs are very xenophobic," Melina added. "And the place where the shamans are is considered a forbidden area for tribal rituals. From their perspective, we are all intruders who have trespassed into the forbidden area. It would be harder to get information from them than to kill them."

"I think there must be something we've overlooked." Igi pondered for a moment. "I've also read all the relevant books in Kalia Castle. If there's any chance of finding new information, it's probably only in the royal family's secret library—Kalia Library."

The giant blacksmith moved his massive body and faced A-Tai and the others. "Blazer and I are both busy, so it's not convenient for us to go to the study (one is a doorman, the other is illiterate). Could you two please go and take a look? I'll greet the members guarding the place in advance."

"Before we go to the study, we have to go to Galid to attend the battle festival of Starshatter General Latan." A Tai said bluntly, "We will rush over as soon as we finish our business there."

Things have their priorities, and it takes a long time to look up information. The battle festival is a rare limited-time event, and once it's over, it will be gone forever. Where can they get the Big Rune after it's over?

Iggy suddenly started to move: "Wait a minute, what did you just say?"

"Uh...will you rush over as soon as you finish your business?"

"No, the first one."

"Going to Gallid to participate in the battle festival of Starshattering General Latarn?"

"That's right!" Iggy's mind flashed with inspiration. "I finally know what we've overlooked, General Shatterstar... I've actually overlooked something so crucial! As Lady Lani's military advisor, Iggy couldn't see through this. I'm truly ashamed."

Ah Tui's unintentional words had an unexpected effect, which could be said to be a wake-up call for the people in the dream.

"Broken stars... stars... I see." Melina guessed what the giant military advisor meant from his expression and words, and waited for the professional to give the standard answer.

People with more knowledge have already made a rough guess, but some people are still confused, as if they have skipped an entire season of an anime.

"What do you mean?" Blaze asked, "Old man, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."

"Boom boom boom!"

The dull sound of drums suddenly interrupted his question. Blaze was very familiar with the owner of that voice, as he had fought the drummers too many times in the past two weeks.

"Damn it! Those ancestral spirits are beating their drums to march again at this very moment." Blaze drew his greatsword and parried a feathered arrow that curved from the air. "I'll excuse myself for now. I'll contact you once I've dealt with this trouble as quickly as possible."

The communication was hung up, and Blaze's phantom disappeared from the hall. The sudden attack made people worry about his condition.

"Don't worry about Blaze," Iggy called their attention back. "He's Lady Ranee's shadow, a lone wolf roaming the shadows. This little trouble will be dealt with quickly. Please listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

Ah Tui nodded seriously, indicating that he was ready. "It's about General Shatterstar, right? I've heard that he's an invincible warrior and also Lani's brother."

"Indeed, the fate of the Kalia royal family follows the stars. Lady Renee is the legitimate heir to the Kalia royal family, and her fate is naturally no exception." The giant blacksmith closed the book and abruptly stood up. "Lady Renee's brother, General Latan, was nicknamed 'Starbreaker.' In the past, during the Battle of Selia, he broke the laws of the stars' movement to protect the royal family. From then on, the stars were sealed and no longer moved. But now, the tide of time has changed, and this unchanging past must also be changed."

Iggy's gaze passed through the morning mist over Lake Lienia, gazing eastward at the Galide Plains. "So...if we defeat General Starshatter, we can unseal the stars. Then, Lady Ranee's fate will surely change, and perhaps even the path to Noxstella will open."

Melina frowned and said, "Latarn is the most powerful demigod. Fighting him will be extremely dangerous. There is no possibility of mercy from the partner. Old man, do you understand what this means?"

Unlike the battles with Greg and Lenar, where there was still room for recovery, the battle with Latan would inevitably be a desperate fight with all his might. Defeat would mean death, and it was very likely that Atai would kill Leni's brother with his own hands.

"I understand your concerns, but Lord Latan is no longer the same. As a subject, I cannot elaborate on the specifics. You'll understand when you meet him. My old friend Jeremiah is currently in charge of the Red Lions. Just mention Lady Lani's name, and he'll certainly not make things too difficult for you." Iggy's tone was heavy with regret. "Leave Blaze to inform him. Please accompany him to the battle festival venue, the Red Lion Fortress deep within the Crimson Plains of Galid."

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 40: The Scarlet Plains of Galide

The moment he set foot on the land of Galid, Atui was very suspicious that he had come to the wrong place.

The dark red loess beneath his feet seemed to be stained with countless blood. Looking around, there was no one living within a thousand meters. It didn't look like the place was preparing for a lively festival.

Moreover, although he knew that the ecological environment of the border area was extremely high-end and majestic when he was in Nimfogg, and he had seen half-meter-long dragonflies, storm eagles as tall as a person, and super-large aquatic fire kings, after seeing the two-story-tall wasteland hounds and meteorite crows through the telescope, A Tui was still amazed.

For several kilometers around, there wasn't a single intact house, a single living person, or even a few scattered trees or weeds. What on earth had these local creatures been eating since childhood to grow so large in a desolate place like Galid?

Seeing A's expression of doubt, Melina explained, "Buddy, don't be so surprised. This is the site of the final battle of the Shattered War, the Battle of Ionia. It is said that the Honored Knights, loyal to the Valkyrie Marennia, and the Red Lions, led by General Latan, fought day and night on the Galid Plains. From beginning to end, no one fled the battlefield. The two strongest legions on the border refused to give in and fought to the very end."

In the Battle of Nimgefu, Xiao Ge was quickly defeated by a wave of rush from the Valkyrie. The war had just begun and ended before it affected the entire land.

During the Battle of Lienia, Rhea Lukalia activated a protective barrier to stay out of the conflict. Although the town in front of him was destroyed, no intense conflict occurred.

Only on the final battlefield of the Shattered War, the Battle of Ionia, did the two most powerful demigods clash fiercely on the Galide Plains, the blood of the Knight of the Noble Corruption and the Knight of the Red Lion dyeing the earth red. It was only there that Atai truly realized the brutality of the struggle for the throne.

Hearing Melina's moving recounting of the wars of the past, Ah Dai seemed to be back on the battlefield of those days. The beating of drums and the sounds of fighting from both armies resounded through the heavens, and the soldiers fought with all their might and sacrificed their lives for glory. "Who won the battle?"

"No one won," Melina sighed and shook her head. "The commanders of the two armies, Marenia and Latarn, engaged in a one-on-one duel. In the critical moment, the Valkyrie detonated the scarlet corruption flower within her body, leaving both sides in dire straits, suffering countless casualties and unable to fight again. Thanks to the scarlet corruption, the once picturesque Gallid Plain has become a horrible state. It assimilates and corrodes all matter. If you accidentally get it, you must quickly consume moss balls to heal it, otherwise it will be too late to heal once the disease is terminal."

If possible, she didn't want to come to this damn place from the bottom of her heart, but she accepted Lani's commission, and General Starbreaker's Great Rune was waiting in front, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.

As long as they remain vigilant and act with caution, even a minor scarlet corruption will not pose much threat to the two.

"I've used all the runes Grandpa Iggy gave me to buy supplies, and I've also stocked up on moss balls and sweetened dried fruits for Torret." A'tai patted his dimensional bag, the blood surging in his chest boiling. "What exactly is the battle festival held by the most powerful demigod like? I really want to fight him right away."

A warrior's instinct is to yearn for a duel between the strong, and Atai is no exception.

"Don't get too excited just yet. Red Lion City, where the battle festival is held, is located in the easternmost part of Galid, while the Beast Temple D mentioned is located in the northernmost part." Melina unfolded a map with the two destinations marked on it. "We need to cross the Crimson Swamp below the canyon. After participating in the battle festival, we'll go to the Beast Temple to deliver the Dead Root. On the way, when we pass through the town of Selia, we can stop by to look for the treasure that Teacher Serlian mentioned."

The environment in Galid was harsh, several notches more dangerous than Ningerform and Lienia, and there was no room for carelessness. The witch had done her homework, stocking up on supplies from wandering merchants and meticulously planning her itinerary for the next few days.

The town of Selia that we passed by on the way was the branch of the Magic Academy in the past located in Galid. It mainly studied gravity magic. In the past, it had violated taboos in its research and caused a rebellion.

In the swamp near that town lies a legendary staff.

Since he learned magic, Ah Tui has been using common novice-level equipment. The pyroxene staff has seriously hindered his spell output. Now he has the opportunity to upgrade his spellcasting equipment, which he certainly cannot miss.

"That's true. This road is not easy to walk. Should we change to walking?" A Tai tried to comfort Torret, whose four legs were trembling. In a land full of carnivores, the safety of a herbivore like him was not guaranteed. Everywhere were dinosaur dogs with glowing red eyes, gazing at him with eager eyes.

Melina curled her lips and said, "How unspirited! You're a spirit horse, how can you be frightened by a few beasts with low intelligence that won't even eat the Crazy Laughter Technique?"

Torrett's eyes widened as he neighed, "Neigh—" (You know I'm a spirit horse, don't you? Do I have any attack power? Please respect your means of transportation and don't add functions that it doesn't have and can't do, okay?!)

The Spirit Horse's only advantage is its unlimited resurrection and ability to outrun, making its combat effectiveness infinitely close to zero. Expecting an off-road vehicle to battle a tank is clearly unrealistic; Batman's armored Batmobile would be more effective.

"Amei, please don't make things difficult for Torret." A Tui fed the spirit horse some dried fruits. "It's not easy for it to carry us on our journeys every day. Please don't add to its pressure."

After eating the dried fruits, Torrett did not forget to lick A'ti's hands a few times. The new owner was really good to the horse. He could eat his fill every meal following him. The dried fruits made by him were sweet and delicious.

Melina sniffed. "Just spoil it. You've spoiled it. Now it's picky about food."

If this were a world of cultivating immortals, and the gluttonous spirit horse changed its gender, it would probably absorb the essence of the sun and the moon naturally after a few hundred chapters, and then transform into a human-shaped loli, and some unspeakable things would happen between it and its master.

However, at the border, it can only act cute and adorable.

"Luckily, this beautiful girl is well prepared. Don't try to find excuses to be lazy." The witch imitated Doraemon and took out a wooden torch wrapped with cloth from her four-dimensional pocket without any sense of incongruity. "Ding ding! Beast-repelling torch!"

The spirit horse's body is not made of flesh and blood, and is not affected by toxins and scarlet corruption. If it wants to cross the entire corrupt swamp, Torret's presence is indispensable.

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 41: The Incarnation of the Little Golden Tree

The beast-repelling torch, as its name suggests, has special spices added to the torch fuel. By spreading a smell that disgusts wild animals, it has the powerful effect of repelling wild animals. It is one of the many special torches sold by wandering merchants.

It's well known that dogs have a keen sense of smell. The dinosaur dogs, the most common beasts in Gallid, despite genetic mutations, still belong to the canine category. Therefore, beast-repelling torches are particularly effective in driving these dogs away, making them a must-have artifact for any Gallid trip.

The beasts on the ground were dealt with, and all that remained were a few meteorite crows circling in the air.

The two had originally intended to fight off the crows or avoid them, but they were incredibly annoying, constantly swooping down to harass them or simply soaring through the sky, taunting them with "quack quack" noises on the screen. Having exhausted his patience, Ah Tui and Yue Yinju decapitated the crow in close combat. After that, the two changed their minds and decided to kill any meteorite crows they encountered along the way.

The reason is simple. This flying creature gave too many runes. The runes decomposed from a meteorite crow were equivalent to five dinosaur dogs. Melina's eye lit up when she saw it.

This isn't a crow, it's a bird-shaped mobile ATM flying in the sky! If you let it go, you'll be putting your wallet at risk.

Over the next few days, while earning money for the journey, Atai and Melina continued along the main road marked on the map. On both sides of the road, they saw only ruined houses and the few people living in Galid, most of whom were undead, like the walking dead.

These dying people crawled on both sides of the road, waiting for passing travelers to arrive, and then rushed over, pulled them into the ranks, and transformed them into new compatriots.

Witnessing the tragic scenes along the way, Ah Tui frowned and said, "Amei, since the Red Lions' fortress is located in Galid, haven't they ever thought about improving the harsh environment here?"

A thousand years had passed since the Shattering War. He thought that no matter how great the trauma suffered by the Red Lion Legion in the war was, it should have recovered by now. Allowing the situation in the territory under its charge to deteriorate was not what a qualified army should do.