Elden Ring, my witch is a talkative beautiful girl

"Of course I do." Ole stepped forward.

Unexpectedly, Charles swept down with a kick, catching him off guard and sending him sprawling to the ground. "If you want to know the origins of his greatsword, go to the archives and look it up. Clean up the dust that's accumulated there. Report to the main city wall before dusk."

In the past, during the conquest of Moren City, Charles was also defeated by alien warriors. He witnessed with his own eyes the courage of the former owner of the Sword Skeleton Greatsword who stood alone in defending the city, facing thousands of troops alone, and never gave in even in the face of the King of the Beginning.

The owner who can gain the recognition of that great sword may really have the potential to become a king.

......

Inside the main festival venue, a constant stream of visitors brought a long-awaited surge of activity to the dilapidated fortress. Before the finale, the atmosphere and entertainment were no different from those of any other festival.

Eating, drinking, having fun, and letting guests relax and enjoy themselves, this is the meaning of the festival.

As soon as Melina entered the venue, she looked around, her eyes shining, and she was excited.

"Buddy, look over there! That guy wearing super heavy goat-shaped armor and carrying a hammer bigger than a man is the zealous Faded One, 'Big Horn' Terages!"

"It does look powerful. That hammer is several orders of magnitude heavier than the Sword Skeleton Greatsword."

"Wow, who else cosplays as the Black Onion Knight? He looks so cute and chubby."

"He seemed to be asking people around, like, did he lose something? But everyone he was asking had these bewildered expressions on their faces. It was really strange."

"And that big warrior pot drinking over there and the half-werewolf, what a cool combination. Plus, they look so familiar."

"Warrior Pot and the Half-Werewolf?" A Tui looked in the direction of Melina's finger. "Wait a minute, isn't that Alexander and Blaze? When did they meet?"

Melina stuck out her tongue and said, "Hey, it seems like they really are. I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't told me."

"They should have passed the test and are ready to participate in the next battle." Ah Tui was ready to chat with his two old friends first. "I'll go talk to them, Ah Mei, you just..."

"Don't worry, go ahead." Melina's interest had shifted from people to food. "I'll just browse around and buy something I like." She licked her lips. "The marshmallows on the right side of the stall look delicious, soft and fluffy like clouds."

Since his partner said so, A'er felt relieved to go. After all, Melina was not a child who would lose her way while wandering around or be kidnapped.

When A Tui got closer, he saw that both Alexander and Blaze were slightly tipsy. There were a lot of empty wine bottles piled on the table. It seemed that they had been sitting here drinking for quite some time.

As soon as they saw him, they greeted him warmly.

"Oh wow, isn't this A-Tu? It's been a while since we last met. You're here to participate in the battle festival after all."

"Atai, you're a little late, but at least you made it to the festival in time. Lani will definitely be happy too."

It seems not too difficult to understand that the two people with similar personalities, one person and one pot, could become friends at the battle festival.

"Long time no see. Something delayed me on the way." The first half of the sentence was addressed to Alexander, and the second half was to explain to Blaze why he was a step behind. "Gallid is full of mutated beasts. I'm sure it must have been difficult for you to come all the way here?"

Even with the beast-repelling torches that Melina had carefully prepared, they still suffered a lot along the way. The special fuel was not endless, otherwise it would not be enough for them to survive until the return journey.

"Beast? No." Alexander crossed his arms. "As you can see, I am a warrior. Beasts will not chase what they cannot eat."

"It's a similar situation here. Those low-IQ beasts pose no threat to me." Blaze gulped down half a bottle of spicy liquor. "Want to warm up before the festival officially begins? If you want to fight, we're here for you."

"..."

Ah Dai was speechless. These two guys really don't know how to chat. They kill the conversation right away and start fighting after just two sentences.

After Ah Tui finished his pleasantries and finally managed to find an excuse to escape the two drunks' urging, he discovered that Melina, who was enthusiastically shopping, had actually started arguing with the vendors: "Why can't you sell me alcohol? Look carefully, I'm an adult, not a child!"

The reason for the quarrel is also obvious.

"But..." The wandering merchant pointed at the ID card on Melina's chest with an embarrassed look on his face. "Didn't you register 17 as your age? Alcoholic beverages can only be sold to adults over 18, otherwise my wandering business license will be revoked. Come back to me during the festival next year, and I will definitely sell it to you."

It is still unknown whether the battle festival will be held next year, because no one can guarantee that this year's participants will be able to kill Latan. Even if he is really dead, the demigod may be resurrected due to some extraordinary possibilities.

But one thing is certain: by this time next year, Melina will still be 17, after all, "forever 17," and she probably won't be able to buy alcoholic beverages on her own for the rest of her life.

The forever 17-year-old beauty was having a great time making noise here, and the "guardian" listening in the back was really confused.

"Amei, stop it. Your physical condition isn't suitable for drinking. It would be better if you had some juice or something."

Ah Tui grabbed his partner who was about to continue arguing and apologized to the owner: "I'm sorry, I'll take her away now."

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 56: The Magic Professor Who Digs His Own Grave

The Three Sisters Magician Tower.

Lani woke up from a short nap and was listening to the reports of two ministers.

"Lady Lani, Blaze and Ate have arrived at the Red Lion Fortress. The battle ceremony will begin tonight," Iggy explained. "Whether the plan can proceed smoothly depends on whether they can defeat Lord Latan and break the shackles of the stars."

Lani nodded slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "They're both capable of fighting a thousand men. I have confidence in them. All we have to do now is wait patiently for good news." The girl lowered her eyes. "After so many years, Brother-sama has finally been freed from that state of being neither human nor ghost."

Although she had already decided to let go of everything, the time she spent with her brother was not fake, and this feeling could not be easily severed.

Some people have lower emotional intelligence than wood, and those who don't know how to read the atmosphere of the scene just try to make their presence felt at this time.

"Lady Lani, please do not overlook my contribution," said Professor Selvis, asking for a reward. "The puppet I carefully selected has arrived at the fortress and has already gained considerable popularity within it. She will surely be the final piece in our battle to defeat Latarn."

"Tsk." Lani frowned, her long, crescent-shaped eyebrows irritated by Servis's complacency. "I don't need you to remind me. I've always been clear about rewards and punishments. You'll get what's yours."

"It seems that I have said too much. I have to go back and concentrate on controlling the puppet. I will take my leave first." Selvis saluted and then cut off the projection directly.

Even the gentle giant blacksmith couldn't stand the magic professor's arrogant attitude: "Lady Lani, do you need me..."

"No need." Understanding what Iggy was about to say, Lani raised her hand to stop him from taking the next step. "I have my own arrangements for Selvis. Grandpa Iggy, please focus on the possible turning point in fate that may arise next. No one knows how the passage to the Eternal City will be opened."

Upon hearing this, Iggy loosened his grip on the hammer again: "I understand, old minister."

Princess Dark Moon can tolerate her subordinates having their own little thoughts, and does not mind cooperating with those with ulterior motives, but she cannot allow any unreasonable thoughts that exceed her bottom line.

Meanwhile, a certain funny clown is still immersed in happiness and feeling complacent, not knowing that he is about to face a disaster.

The great cause is about to be accomplished, and the time of reckoning is about to come.

......

The main venue of the festival.

It took A-Tu a lot of effort to divert Melina's attention from not being able to drink, and at the same time, some of the runes accumulated in his pocket also disappeared.

A small part of those runes still emitted a hot fragrance in the witch's hands, but most of them changed into another form, turning into a maple leaf hairpin pinned on the hair beside Melina's ear. The fiery red hairpin jumped as she walked, like a flame that would never go out.

"By Queen Malika, I no longer believe in nonsense like just picking randomly." It took more than an hour just to choose the hairpins that Melina liked. A-Tai almost took out all the goods in the merchant's bottom drawer, and was even so tired that he learned his partner's usual habits.

"Hello, do you need treatment?" A gentle female voice sounded in A'tai's ears like a warm spring breeze.

"Huh?" Ah Tu thought to himself, "It seems like I've been approached by someone strange again. She seems to be wearing a travel windbreaker similar to Ah Mei's style, and she mentioned healing. Is she another finger witch?"

Before he could react, Melina, who was busy shopping in front, rushed back at lightning speed and stood between the two of them. She said in a very fast voice: "Thank you, but you don't need it. You can go now. Goodbye."

The strange witch looked to the left at Atui, then to the right at Melina, and left without saying a word. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and clenched her fists tightly, as if trying to restrain the urge to hit someone.

Seeing that she had no intention of pestering him, Melina breathed a sigh of relief. Having just been poached, she was quite sensitive when she met a lone colleague. "Buddy, you should change your bad habit of picking up girls on the street. Stop being a weird comic book hero who picks up random people and takes them home."

"I haven't had the chance to speak yet..." Ah Tui shrugged innocently, "I don't even know her name."

Their conversation attracted the attention of the soldiers on the roadside, and the nameless patrolman came over very proactively.

"You mean that person?" a passing patrol soldier introduced. "That's Miss Serolina. Since arriving at the fortress a few days ago, she's been treating the brothers' injuries free of charge. Unfortunately, she declined Lord Olga's offer to stay and is leaving after the festival. It would be great if the medical team had a few more beautiful, gentle, and intelligent miko like her."

If a patient prefers to see a burly, bald priest or a gentle, soft-spoken nun, given such a choice, I believe that 99% of people will choose the latter without hesitation. We should also respect the experience of the remaining minority.

In short, after listening to his introduction, Atai and Melina realized that Serolina was the priestess who had previously signed up for the battle festival.

"Okay, okay, thank you for your introduction. Please return to your post." Melina pushed the soldier's back and sent the uninvited, daydreaming man back to his patrol route.

"Amei, Miss Serolina is also a finger priestess. Do you know her?" A Tui asked his partner for this information not because he had any improper thoughts. It was simply because he sensed a sense of disharmony from Serolina when they met just now. That feeling was very similar to what he felt from Lani.

"I don't know. Chewing, chewing..." Melina swallowed the super-springy grilled squid. "When I was studying prayer at the academy, I was always top of the class, and never cared about being second in the back. Most of the other miko besides me were strict about the rules and methods. I couldn't get along with them."

Melina's words implicitly admitted that she was a special case in the Miko Academy. No wonder the old woman who explained the situation said that she was the most mischievous and also the most favorite student she had ever taught.

After teaching honest children all his life, who seemed to be produced wholesale in a factory and were cast from the same mold, he suddenly met Melina, who was sweet-mouthed, good at talking, learned quickly in class, and was smart and able to apply what she learned to many situations. Which old man would not like her?

"That's quite the answer from you." Ah Tui shook his head and laughed, then walked forward. "Well, we'll see each other again at the festival later anyway. If you're joining the battle, you'll have to stay with her in a safe place."

The witch swallowed the food in her mouth in two bites. "Don't worry, I will stay in the safest place and watch you defeat Latarn."

She took a step back and glanced in the direction where Serolina left. A gloomy look appeared in her golden eyes.

"Someone unconsciously poured a potion into her and turned her into a puppet? It's practically the same as being dead." After all, they were classmates. Even if they weren't close, Melina couldn't tolerate someone doing such a despicable thing to another witch. "That smell is familiar. That guy's doing. But before you do anything, you should check with the blue-skinned woman first. Give her some respect."

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 57: The Heroes Gather

For the entire afternoon before the battle festival officially opened, A'tai and Melina visited almost all the stalls, enjoying the long-lost quiet time amidst the hustle and bustle.

"Amei, almost... almost done?" Ah Tui glanced at the endless amount of shopping in his dimensional bag and silently thanked Brother Crow for the large amount of runes he had contributed along the way. "Before the festival begins, we should also pay a visit to the Lord of Red Lion Fortress, Jerlian."

If I continue shopping, my dimensional bag will burst. It will be a big challenge to organize all these messy things.

"Hmm... Let me see. For food, drink, and daily necessities, we've basically reached 80% of our target. Considering our savings..." Melina pondered for a few seconds, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied. "Next, let's go meet the city lord."

Thank God, the 17-year-old girl's uncontrollable desire to purchase was finally satisfied, otherwise A-Ti would have to buy a carriage and let Torret pull it away.

According to what Orel told them, all faded people participating in the battle festival must gather in the central square before sunset.

At that time, Jeremiah, who serves as the acting city lord, will officially announce the start of the ceremony as a witness, and the challengers will take a special elevator together to the location of Latarn, the final battlefield of the Ionian War - the Weeping Dunes.

"I wonder what kind of man City Lord Jerlian is?" A'tai imagined what Jerlian might be like, based on the knights he'd met along the way. "He must be a very serious man, with great martial arts skills, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to manage this fortress in such an orderly manner after the war and take over the Legion from General Shattered Star."

Melina swore, "I bet he's a muscleman with explosive muscles, capable of arm wrestling with mountain goblins and giants, and capable of unleashing fire and lightning with a single swing of his sword. Otherwise, how could he possibly be friends with Mr. Iggy?"

Her unconventional thinking made her image more like a comic character.

A few meters away, a sloppy old man holding a huge grilled squid in his left hand and a super turkey leg in his right hand naturally joined the conversation. He seemed to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the festival more than Melina did.

"Young lady, you're wrong." The old man smiled cheerfully. "Jierian is just an old man who can barely lift a sword. He became the acting mayor of Red Lion City only because of his seniority and because they couldn't find a more suitable candidate."

These words basically belittled the city lord Jie Lian to nothing. Ah Tui was slightly shocked: "Old man, isn't it not a good idea for you to speak of the city lord like this in Red Lion City?"

Eating and drinking on someone else's territory and then scolding someone else's boss is a bit too arrogant.

"That's right. What if the patrolling soldiers hear you and catch you and beat you up?" Melina nodded in agreement, her eyes drifting towards the two soldiers nearby.

"Hahaha, you're worrying too much." The old man swallowed a mouthful of barbecue and laughed heartily. "I can't say for sure about other places, but in Red Lion Fortress, you'll never be expelled or even thrown into prison for speaking the truth. You can speak freely."

He looked up at the gray sky and wiped his sauce-stained white beard with his hand. "It's getting late, young man, you should hurry up and enjoy the festival. I'll be watching your performance from the stands."

After saying that, the old man left happily. From beginning to end, the soldiers around him did not even glance at him because of his big talk, as if he did not exist.

Melina blinked her long eyelashes. "This old man really enjoys the festival. We should learn from him and immerse ourselves in the atmosphere better."

"You've already fully integrated into it..." Ah Dai rolled his eyes, "But how did he know that we were the challengers participating in the battle session?"

"Perhaps they guessed it from your attire?" Melina replied. "Or perhaps it's because your kingly aura is so strong, my partner. Your reputation as the future King of Elden has spread throughout Gaileed. This proves that my publicity work is truly excellent."

Before Ah Tui could ask what exactly the "propaganda work" he mentioned was, a gleaming bald head and its owner's lewd smile appeared in their view. It was Patch, an old acquaintance they hadn't seen in a long time since they parted ways at Lake Lienya.

You can meet Patches wherever there are treasures; you can meet Patches wherever there are runes; and you can meet Patches even more often where there are faded ones!

Because the presence of Faded Ones means the presence of treasures and runes, Patch is everywhere, and this time in Galid is no exception.

"Hehehe, who was I thinking was this distinguished guest?" Patch rubbed his smooth chin and let out his signature lewd laugh. "Isn't this the Fader and his witch, special customers of Patch's shop?"

He looked like an old friend who had been reunited after a long separation, with tears in his eyes and an extremely moved look. If someone was not familiar with Patch's character, they would definitely be deceived by him, and then the person would be counted for him after being sold.

But A'tai and Melina were old acquaintances of his, and having experienced this before, they would never believe Patch.

Melina gave him a look of disdain. "Why do we keep running into you wherever we travel? And now you've absconded with the money again and are opening a branch in Gayleed?"

In her mind, the image of the bald man as a profiteer who opened a shell company, exploited his employees, and made capitalists shake their heads and sigh has been deeply rooted.

"This is a battle festival. With so many people gathered in Gallid, I have to hurry up and run my shop, set up a casino, and make a killing." Patch grinned from ear to ear. It was a rare opportunity to run a business legally in a crowded place, and to earn such a large sum of runes in one go was enough to make him laugh even in his dreams. "At this rate, I could use all the money I earn to buy the core mechas from the comics. It would be great if there were festivals every day where I am."

The witch frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Wait, from what you said, could it be that all the stalls here were opened by your younger brothers?"

"That's not the case, it's just..." Patch spread out his five fingers, "Fifty percent of the stalls are run by my younger brothers, and a lot of weapons and equipment in the city are imported through this channel."

"Damn it... I should have thought it had something to do with you." Melina covered her face with one hand. Her ominous premonition had come true. Half of the runes they spent went into Patch's pocket. Now they finally understood why the Red Lion Legion had run into a financial deficit and was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the festival. It was because they had purchased goods from the largest profiteer in the border area.

A'tu decided to change the topic. Continuing the conversation would be too nostalgic. He couldn't help but feel distressed when he thought of Rune who was taken away by Patch.

"You seemed to have known we would come here. Thank you for pretending to be surprised." He looked at the odds table posted on the main entrance of Patch Casino. His name was written in the third place.

Other challengers, such as 'Fearless' Lionel, 'Big Horn' Telages, the old man from the Land of Reeds and others are also included.

A-Tai was third on the payout chart, while Melina was even lower than Serolina, the second-to-last, and held the last spot. No one was betting on the two Mikos just because they had the highest payouts, hoping to get rich quick. It was clear to everyone that supports couldn't get kills.

In addition to the Challenger column, there is also a column for General Latan's great victory. The dynamic odds are as low as an outrageous 1:1.1. It seems that most people are not optimistic that any of the Challengers can defeat General Shatterstar.

"My partner only came in third?" Melina didn't care that she was last, but she was quite bothered by the fact that Ah Dai didn't take the top spot. "Aren't these betting people really shortsighted?"

"Dark horses are common, but talented individuals are rare." Patch patted A'tai's shoulder firmly. "You've risen to prominence in a short period of time, defeating 'Limb Reaper' Grek and 'Full Moon Queen' Reinara, seizing the Great Rune they held. If you can defeat 'Star Shatterer' Latan this time, I guarantee you'll become the most famous Fader in the Borderlands. Whether I can make a killing at the festival this time depends on your performance."

Logically speaking, the bookmaker who opened the gambling market was guaranteed to make a profit; it was just a matter of how much he would earn. But what Patch said implied that he was secretly placing bets outside the market, placing the largest bet on A-Tai.