Elden Ring, my witch is a talkative beautiful girl

However, seeing the serious expressions of the two, he gave up the idea of ​​asking further questions.

Although these silver teardrops are good at hiding and lurking, their ability in frontal combat is not strong. He can handle it alone, it just takes a little more time.

The roads in Noklong were stacked up and down, and the broken and deformed remains of houses and the moss-covered stone brick floors blended together to create a narrow space that was difficult to pass through. The closer they got to the central area, the greater the obstacles they encountered.

Not only is the number of silver teardrops gradually increasing, but their combat capabilities are also undergoing tremendous changes with the boundary between the residential area and the experimental area as the dividing point.

From the basic ones that could only slowly crawl towards and spray corrosive liquids at the beginning, to the ones that could transform parts of themselves into spears or axes to stab and chop, and later there were even advanced guards that could transform themselves into mercury bodies and use magic and prayer.

From these three different categories of silver teardrops, namely low, medium and high, we can get a glimpse of part of the experimental goals of the Knox people.

In order to create an eternal Lord of the Night, it is necessary to create from scratch an artificial creature that can continuously learn and evolve.

Step by step, starting from the most basic teardrops, they created advanced teardrops that can simulate human behavior and imitate human movements.

And those failed products during the creation process were not wasted. They were placed throughout the city and took on the responsibility of guarding the city.

Even today, thousands of years later, when their creators have been destroyed, these silver creatures still carry out the tasks they have received day after day.

Tirelessly and without rest, he waits for the master who will never return to the Eternal City.

(Brother Teardrop: Children, I will attack in my enhanced form!)

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 86: On That Day the Princess Met Dark Moon

Under the brilliant starry sky, A-Tu and the other two found a blessed place in the city that was emitting a small light, and took a short rest there.

The false starry sky didn't shift in position, nor did it fade in the morning light. The three people underground couldn't judge the passage of time by the rising and setting of the sun or moon. They could only roughly determine the passage of a day by their own expended energy and physical sensations.

The three of them were exhausted physically and mentally from the constant process of exploring the city and then fighting against the Silver Teardrops.

The difficulty of the battles skyrocketed after entering the experimental area and encountering advanced tears capable of transforming their appearance. Rani and Melina, who had always been sidelined, were forced to overcome their psychological barriers and rejoin the battle, taking on the roles of mage and support. Even with this powerful alliance, their progress was slowed by the increasing number of enemies.

When the accumulated fatigue reached a certain level, experienced soldiers judged that they had to rest, and continuing to maintain a forced march would most likely result in casualties.

Moreover, the Dark Realm located in the core area of ​​the Eternal City is definitely more dangerous. Getting a good night's sleep and recovering to the best condition will help you cope with the possible high-intensity battles later.

"Here, take it." After enjoying their meal, Melina handed her two travel companions some freshly brewed hot cocoa. "This is sweet cocoa that I, a beautiful girl, personally brewed. I guarantee it's super delicious. Drink it all up, not a drop left."

"It's delicious thanks to the royal cocoa beans I provided, not your cooking skills." Lani took the cup, took a sip, and a delighted smile played on her lips. This puppet body was intricately designed, possessing the five senses of a normal human. Everything it ate and drank was broken down into pure magical energy, but it was forbidden to consume too much food at once.

Therefore, she had to decline the mutton soup made by A-Ti with regret and devote herself to enjoying the dessert after dinner.

"You're so ignorant! I can tell you're the type who stays at home all day and rarely travels." Melina curled her lips, downed half a cup of drink in one gulp, and then immediately refilled it. "Good ingredients also need excellent chefs to prepare them. Drinking a cup of steaming hot, delicious cocoa in the wild is much harder than you think. Partner, am I right?"

When she said the second half of the sentence, the witch winked at Atui.

"If you ask me, let me think..." Ah Tui finished the scalding hot cocoa in one gulp, then used his weapon to stir the bonfire used to boil water. "Good craftsmanship and raw materials are both indispensable. The drink you made today is better than ever before, and it is indeed inseparable from the cocoa beans provided by Lani."

After a few days of getting along, Ah Tui gradually mastered the skill of dealing with the situation when the two girls quarreled and directed their fire towards him - praising both sides at the same time.

Although the reason is unknown, after doing this, the witch will enter a short "avoiding war" state.

As expected, Melina twisted her fingers around the cup and looked away. "Tsk, you're such a smooth talker. Since your evaluation is fairly fair, I won't argue with you any further."

"Really? I think A-Tai is obviously more inclined towards you, but I have always been generous and would not mind this little bias." Lani originally wanted to give the two of them a lesson on the planting, selection and storage of royal cocoa beans, but when she saw A-Tai using the "Sword of Night and Fire" to light a bonfire and then using it as firewood, she felt that it was a waste of resources and decided to change the topic.

"And I'm not like what that chatterbox witch said, staying in the Mage Tower all day studying magic. In the past, when I had free time, I would go out and travel with others."

"Going on a trip?" Ah Tu raised his eyebrows. "Like when we first met?"

Hearing him talk about that time when they were fully prepared, with full special effects, but the result was so different from what they had imagined, even an awkward first meeting, Lani blushed slightly and coughed softly. "That can't be called a trip. It was just a whim at best."

Melina swung her legs: "Then tell me about your past travels. It's still early to go to bed." She was also very curious about the Dark Moon Princess's past experiences. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

"It happened so long ago, it's okay to tell you about it." Lani placed the cup flat on her knees, tilted her head back slightly, and thought for a few seconds before speaking. "One night when I was fifteen, I snuck out of the fortress alone. I knew the layout of the city's traps like the back of my hand, and the patrol routes of the Kalia Knights were predictable. Without triggering the magic barrier alarm, I managed to escape easily with some effort."

Ah Tui's hand, holding the cup, froze in mid-air, thinking to himself, "This isn't the story I imagined. Why do these two people like to skip school and the house?"

He originally thought that Melina was a special case, but now it seems that she is not.

The Fader seems to have a magical passive ability that can invisibly attract runaway girls.

Melina interrupted, "Fifteen? How old are you now? By the way, I'm always seventeen."

Lani smiled and raised her index finger. "Are you still hungry after dinner? Want another dish of Comet Azrael?"

Sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Lani, the witch smiled awkwardly: "Just kidding, go on, go on."

"I still remember that night. The stars were dim, and I wandered aimlessly through the forest. The black moonlight, shrouded in frost, illuminated my path." Lani continued, "At the end of the path of light, I met the person who would influence my life: my teacher, Reina the Snow Witch."

"Snow Witch Lena?" A Tu repeated the familiar name, "Isn't that..."

"Yes, that was the pseudonym I used when we first met." Lani guessed what A-Tu wanted to say, "But I just borrowed the name of the late teacher and the way she used to dress when I went out. The Snow Witch really existed.

My teacher was once considered one of the most gifted magicians of her time, along with my mother, the Full Moon Queen, and my aunt, the Twin Moon Knight. She was a master of puppetry, runes, and potions, and the prototype of this puppet's body was designed by her personally.

From meeting to getting to know each other, from misunderstanding to becoming an apprentice, Lani is immersed in the happy memories of the past, recounting the years of traveling and learning magic with her teacher.

A Tui and Melina stopped interrupting and quietly played the role of qualified listeners.

As the bonfire died down and the boiling kettle cooled, the story of the Dark Moon Princess came to an end.

"Teacher was only a mortal after all, lacking the resilient bloodline of a demigod. Years of research and working with dangerous materials caused her physical condition to deteriorate, ultimately reaching a point of no return. She imparted all she had learned throughout her life to me, and passed away in her secluded place."

"That sounds so sad. Miss Reina is such a good teacher." Melina wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Ah Tu nodded in agreement, then asked, "You said Miss Reina died because her body could no longer bear the burden. Then why didn't she move her soul to a new puppet body like you did?"

Lani sighed softly. "Back then, this type of magic wasn't mature enough, and the risks were too great. If things went wrong, the soul wouldn't even be able to return to reincarnation. It was many years before I could fully perfect the magic involved."

Even now, the magic of transferring the soul of a living person to a puppet still has many flaws. It has very high requirements on the quality of the attached body and the toughness of the soul of the person being transferred, and there is a high probability of rejection reaction after the transfer.

The best proof of this is that Lani has to fall into a deep sleep every once in a while to adjust her own state.

Even the soul of a demigod will experience this unavoidable side effect, so one can imagine what will happen to an ordinary person's soul after it is transferred.

Perhaps it is possible that we sleep for 364 days a year and wake up only once in each long cycle.

Gem people can't stand this kind of loneliness.

The story ends here. In a slightly sad atmosphere, the three of them packed up their things and prepared to rest in batches.

According to the schedule set by Melina, Atai would guard the first half of the night, and she and Lani would guard the second half.

But at this moment, untimely applause broke out from twenty meters away.

“Snap, snap, snap—”

"It's a very good story, full of true feelings, without any falsehood or lies. The last time I heard someone tell me a story was over a thousand years ago, by that old man who reeked of blood. He brought many books from the outside world, and in exchange, he received from me a piece of land and a large amount of treasure in the city."

The mercury man, whose face could not be seen clearly, walked out from behind the corner of the ruins. No one noticed when he came so close and how long he listened to the story there.

Ignoring the obvious hostility emanating from the three men, the Mercury Man strolled leisurely as if he were a master strolling in his own back garden.

The imitation teardrop is an artificial king created by the Knox people with the efforts of the entire tribe, the perfect king who rules the fake starry sky under the night sky.

Of course, there is no truly perfect thing in the world, so at the beginning of the design, the Knox people formulated a design concept that allows the creation to evolve infinitely.

It can imitate any living creature it sees, with all its changeable properties from appearance to internal structure; it can read minds and read memories the moment it recognizes its target; it can restore and regenerate itself, and has an immortal and ageless body.

Combining the above three points, the bionic teardrop that can continue to evolve was finally born.

The moment it was created, the people of Knox firmly believed that their glorious era was about to begin.

However... their ambitions failed to come true. Because they were too arrogant, they were sent down as meteorites by the "Supreme Will" and became a historical legend. The newly born replica teardrop survived due to its characteristics and led its intellectually retarded compatriots to take on the task of defending the Eternal City.

In the absence of external stimulation, its evolution was extremely slow, and it took tens of thousands of years to acquire intelligence equivalent to that of a normal human.

In this city rarely visited by outsiders, the uncrowned king endures unimaginable loneliness day after day, and looks forward to the arrival of every guest more and more.

Therefore, as he longed for more emotions and knowledge in his heart, there was no reason for him to let go of A'tai and the other two.

The next second, when their eyes met, time froze.

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 87: The King of the Cracks in the Eternal City

When Lani came to her senses, she found herself standing in the corridor of the Rhea Lukalia School of Magic.

The underworld doctors on both sides roared in unison. The classroom of Jiu Temple Jiuba was empty. There were no students or teachers. Only the portraits of past principals hanging on the wall were staring at her intently.

"Come out, I know you're here."

The touch of her soul told Lani that this was not reality. She could not feel the subtle sense of disharmony that she had when she was in the puppet body.

The portraits' eyes swiveled simultaneously, their gazes converging like spotlights. At their intersection, a silvery fluid solidified into a straight humanoid form. "Ms. Lani, you're remarkably calm. I thought I'd at least scare you a bit."

"I didn't expect that the Eternal City has such highly intelligent guards?" Ignoring the other party's teasing tone, Lani went straight to the point and asked the doubts in her heart.

It can transform and speak, and has the intelligence to communicate normally with others. This is the first time she has encountered such a high-level silver teardrop since she entered the city to explore.

"Haha, don't be so hostile." The teardrop replica said in a kind tone, "You've hurt so many of my men. According to your human logic, I should be the one angry, right? But a king should be magnanimous. In consideration of the wonderful story you told, these minor past scores will be written off."

Although ordinary silver teardrops have low IQ, they still have the basic property of immortality and cannot be completely killed by ordinary means.

Teardrops scattered in the air will gradually condense back into a jelly-like shape over time, just like water transforming from gas to liquid.

"King? The second deadly sin of the Nox people, the legend of the replicant teardrop, is actually true."

Lani originally thought that everything was destroyed by the meteorites falling from the sky, leaving only unconscious mercury bodies inside and outside the city. She didn't expect that she could witness the last legacy of the Knox people here with her own eyes.

"Since you know me, that makes things easier." The teardrop transformed into the form of the Dark Moon Princess, perfectly imitating her thoughtful expression as she placed her fingers together on her four hands, two by two, between her lips. "I know it was you who broke the seal above the city, and I also know why you and your companions set foot in my city. As the King of the Eternal City, I would like to make a deal with you. Are you interested?"

In just a few words, the teardrop mimicked acted as if it knew everything.

Witnessing the entire transformation process before her eyes, Lani's eyes widened slightly. "You can peek into our inner emotions and read our memories? I understand. This is my own unique world of memories. No wonder everything that materializes is familiar to me."

After a brief thought, she immediately grasped the essence of the other party's ability.

Ordinary silver teardrops can only imitate the rough appearance of the object being imitated, but the replica teardrops can truly imitate the essence with connotation. From Lani's own perspective, the degree of similarity is about 50%.

Without saying a word, it can confuse Blaze for thirty seconds.

Lani had previously studied spiritual magic to treat her mother's illness and was no stranger to this field. "What do you want to trade? Tell me."

It wasn't difficult for her to escape this spiritual space and return to the outside world. However, a powerful dragon cannot defeat a local snake. Seeing that the Imitation Body Teardrop had no intention of resorting to violence, and since they were staying in someone else's territory, it wouldn't hurt to listen to his request.

"A wise choice," the replica teardrop praised with a smile. "As you know, my creators wanted to create the perfect king. Even after their death, I continue to act according to this ideal. Over the long years, I have read many books and gained the knowledge necessary to become a king from scattered visitors. Theoretically, I believe I have what it takes to be a king, but a congenital defect still means I lack one element."

"Is it that kind of factor?" Lani motioned for him to continue.

"Emotions. I lack the emotions necessary to become a perfect king," the replica teardrop said. "I can only simulate, not understand. A king without emotions cannot be called 'perfect.' Therefore, I need to empathize with more people and understand their intense emotions to complete my final learning. This requires your cooperation. Release access to my deep memories. In exchange, I will give you the secret treasure of Nokron, the original sin that led to the city's destruction."

Imitation only requires a single copy, while learning requires countless samples as references.

Mimic Teardrops lack inner emotions and can only master this innate ability of other creatures through learning.

After careful calculations, he came to the conclusion that a king who could not empathize and understand the people's emotions would one day be abandoned by the people, and this was exactly the outcome that the Perfect King could not tolerate.

So, he offered the Dark Moon Princess a deal that she could hardly refuse.

Machines don't lie, and this applies to the teardrops as well. After weighing the pros and cons, Lani asked, "I can grant your request and open up some of the memories you wish to view, but it only applies to me. My two companions won't be on this side of the scale, and I have no right to dictate their choices."

Pain, anger, joy, sadness... Human strength comes from genuine emotions that come from the heart. The word "empathy" itself speaks volumes, and she didn't want to drag A'tai and Melina down with this.

"Your two companions..." Bionic Teardrop hesitated, a strange look on his face. "My ability allows me to communicate with all three of you simultaneously. Melina has agreed to the deal I proposed. To be more precise, she's actively imparting knowledge to me. Her ability to accept new things is truly the most intense I've ever seen. And as for the Faded One you all admire, I've made him an offer he can't refuse."

He suddenly felt cold all over, and found that Princess Dark Moon was glaring at him with an icy gaze. "You could have... Why do I feel an unpleasant, perhaps murderous, feeling from you? Did I say anything to offend you?"

"No! No!" Lani forced out the two words fiercely. Seeing someone say these words with her face, she felt an inexplicable anger rising in her heart. "Since they have no objections, let's start as soon as possible. I will let you experience the same emotions I have experienced, but you must not cross the line."

"As you wish, let us begin." Lani, mimicking the teardrop, snapped her fingers, and the mural corridor shattered. "I'll retrace the path you once took. I believe that after that, I'll understand the source of your anger."

(PS: As an excellent imitator, it’s normal for Big Brother to have some mind-reading abilities!)

Volume 2: The Flowing Stars: Chapter 88: Dark Moon (Part 1)

The space of memory was recast after being shattered, and the door that appeared in front of Lani was engraved with the emblem of the moon and stars, which was the mark of the Kalia royal family that she was very familiar with.

As the owner of the space turned the handle of the door, buried memories appeared before her and the replica teardrop.

On a warm afternoon, at the training ground of Kalia Castle, a tall man with long red hair was teaching another young man who looked similar to him how to ride a horse.

The fledgling colt at that time had a similar stubborn temper to its future owner who would cross countless battlefields together. Neither the man nor the horse was willing to submit to the other, and the wrestling between the two sides lasted from morning to noon.

Radagan, who was watching from the sidelines, remained silent except for bringing the horses and giving a few words of guidance at the beginning. No matter how many times his son fell from the horse or how hard he fell, he stood firm on the sidelines like a statue.

A male lion will let his young offspring fight and grow in harsh environments, and learn and hone fighting skills through pain.

Since Latan has chosen the same warrior path as his father, Radagon will not show mercy and will treat his own son with the strictest requirements.

In the pavilion where the cool breeze was blowing, Lenarra held her five-year-old daughter Lani in her arms. She looked at her son who fell off the horse again and again in the training ground. Her beautiful eyes were full of heartache, but she did not intend to speak out to stop her husband's barbaric way of education.

The son admired his father and wanted to be a hero like her husband, so Lenara naturally respected his wishes.

In the golden sunlight shining from the side, the mature-looking young man was holding a heavy book with great effort, reading the knowledge in the book at a glance.

The second son, Lacard, is not interested in the way of force. He believes that in this peaceful and prosperous era, martial arts only need to be practiced enough to protect oneself. Only by learning more knowledge can the family have a better future.