Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Radagan silently stood up, without even trying to exert any force, and the ropes, which looked like ornaments, crackled and slipped off his body.

He lifted his foot, intending to walk towards Xiling.

Lani, who had already woken up, spoke at this moment:

"Silver King, may I be counted in?"

Xiling glanced at it casually and nodded indifferently, "Okay, let's go together then."

......

Ta-da… Ta-da…

Two distinctly different footsteps echoed forlornly in the corridors of the shattered palace.

Xiling's steps were light and casual, as if she were strolling in her own backyard.

Ladagan's steps were heavy and sluggish.

Lani, hovering to the side, was like a silent ghost.

Suddenly, Xiling, who was walking at the front, spoke up, her tone as relaxed as if she were asking an old friend about the weather:

"How do you feel after witnessing all of this?" Xiling turned her head slightly. "Do you still hold onto your original thoughts..."

"Or... have you had other ideas?"

This question was clearly posed to Ladagan.

Under the shadow of the massive stone pillar, Radagan paused slightly before resuming his steps. He did not answer immediately, his head bowed, gazing at the cracked paving stones beneath his feet.

The stone slabs that were once as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the majesty of the Golden Law, now bear the weight of soil, dust, and nameless, tenacious moss.

Lani's gaze was also fixed on her father. Her cold, doll-like face revealed no emotion. She, too, was waiting, waiting for the answer that this father, who had molded her into the embodiment of the Golden Law and was ultimately bound by it, would utter.

Faced with this suffocating silence, Xiling showed no intention of urging him on.

He even whistled a tuneless tune, the sound leaping and colliding in the empty corridor, strangely neutralizing the heaviness.

They walked on in silence, their footsteps and whistles mingling, creating the illusion of old friends taking a stroll—if one ignored the fact that the place was a former royal palace and the identities of their companions.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

At the end of the corridor, a vibrant garden appeared. Radagan stopped again, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This was the royal garden he knew well, yet it felt so foreign.

The exotic flowers and rare herbs of my memory have long since disappeared.

Instead, there was an almost savage vitality, with vast swathes of wildflowers and weeds he had never seen before spreading wildly, colorful and chaotic, exuding a vibrant atmosphere that mixed the fragrance of soil with the scent of exotic flowers.

Resilient vines climb up broken stone pillars and collapsed statues, as if gently mending old wounds.

After passing through this unfamiliar yet vibrant sea of ​​flowers, they arrived at a small courtyard. The scenery here hadn't changed much in Radagan's memory.

The rustic stone table and benches, the low wall covered with some kind of plant—everything was just as it had always been. Xiling unceremoniously sat down on a stone bench, casually resting her cheek on one hand, her gaze fixed on the courtyard beyond the low wall.

From this angle, you can get a perfect panoramic view of the entire royal city of Rodel.

Xiling's eyesight allowed him to clearly see the vivid expressions on the faces of the figures moving below like industrious ants:

The workers carrying the boulders grinned as they encouraged each other, the commanders waved their arms with focused eagerness, and the simple joy of sharing food and water during breaks... Sweat soaked their clothes, and dust clung to their faces, but what was etched deep in their eyes was not exhaustion or numbness, but a kind of burning light—hope, hope, and faith.

Radagan and Lani also arrived at the low wall.

Lani floated, her doll-like face remaining expressionless. But Radagan's face was filled with indescribable, complex emotions.

He saw those smiles, which involuntarily reminded him of the golden age of the dynasty.

People back then were also full of faith, but it was a fervent worship dedicated to the Golden Law and to the eternal Queen Marika. They prayed day after day, placing the meaning of their lives in the Golden Law.

How could they have imagined that the Eternal Queen they worshipped, the supreme being regarded as the law itself, would personally wield the great hammer and shatter the Elden Ring along with the entire stable world order, plunging the borderlands into boundless chaos and suffering?

Radagan gazed at those tiny yet resilient figures for a long, long time.

Radagan finally sat down on the stool and looked at Xiling.

Xiling withdrew her gaze from the royal city and landed on Radagan's eyes.

Deep within those pupils, something seemed to have shattered, yet new light was struggling to emerge.

Xiling chuckled softly: "It seems... your thoughts have changed?"

Radagan nodded.

"Can you tell me the reasons for the change?" Xiling asked curiously.

Radagan remained silent, but Lani, who was floating nearby, spoke coldly: "What's the point of saying all this?"

"Of course it works!"

Xiling immediately retorted, her expression matter-of-fact, even somewhat self-righteous, "I'm more than happy to hear your opinions! What if... there are any shortcomings in the Silver Law that we can improve upon?"

“Improve?” Radagan repeated Xiling’s words. Can the law be improved?

“Yes, improvements are needed.” Xiling nodded affirmatively.

He raised his head, gazing at the enormous, silvery tree above the courtyard, its light radiating a soft silver glow. His voice was clear and calm, “Time is a relentless torrent, the era a ceaseless wheel, and the law… should be even more so.”

Xiling withdrew her gaze and looked directly at Radagan: "It is a lighthouse that guides people forward. How can the light of a lighthouse remain unchanged? The waterway changes, the fog changes, and the lighthouse's light must naturally be adjusted. If there is a mistake, it must be corrected; if it is not suitable, it must be changed, so that it can illuminate the path forward for people in different eras and under different circumstances. This is the meaning of the lighthouse's existence."

Radagan's lips were a little dry: "The law... the law should be the eternal cornerstone, ensuring the stability of order. Changing it... easily breeds chaos..."

In the end, Radagan recalled the devastation caused by Marika's destructive actions.

Those who believe in the Golden Law are like corpses, while those who do not believe in the Golden Law are truly alive.

Xiling shook her head. "Permanence can indeed be a good thing at times; it can keep everything stable."

Hiling's gaze returned to the vibrant reconstruction scene below. "But when the law itself becomes an obstacle preventing people from pursuing a better life, its permanence becomes the greatest evil."

Radagan fell silent as Xiling spoke, but then Lani spoke up.

"Well then, I have a question I'd like to ask you, Silver King." The doll's face couldn't express any emotion, but the seriousness hidden beneath its calm tone was clear to everyone present.

Xiling looked at the broken doll and said, "Please speak."

“Even if you changed the Golden Law,” Lani’s voice echoed clearly in the courtyard, each word like a pebble thrown into still water, “you still rely on the Elden Ring and use your Silver Law to become the new core of people’s faith. Doesn’t that essentially mean that the borderlands are still under the control of ‘it’ or the unspeakable entity behind the Elden Ring?”

Does the change of a throne truly alter the meaning it represents? It's merely a matter of replacing one prisoner with another who appears to be free. When will this border region truly usher in freedom for the people living on this land?

Lani's gaze was fixed intently on Xiling's eyes.

She wasn't seeking comfort, but rather a sharp blade aimed at the heart of the matter; she wanted to see how this Silver King, who had ascended the throne as a disruptor, truly viewed the issue.

Faced with this pointed question, Xiling nodded calmly:

"That's right, just as you said."

"The foundation upon which the law operates remains the Elden Ring, and the underlying rules governing the boundary are indeed still in the hands of others—or rather, in the hands of the distant will symbolized by the Elden Ring."

Although he had made an agreement with Wushangyi—who seemed to only want to see "unknown possibilities" and promised not to interfere too much—the very existence of the Elden Ring was an inescapable constraint that shrouded the borderlands.

Even if that being chooses to stand aside, this land still operates within the rules it has established.

Xiling understood this better than anyone else.

Lani remained silent; the shattered doll simply floated, waiting. She knew that the king's answer would not stop there.

"Lani" Xiling's voice lowered:

"I know your thoughts, or rather, your aspirations: a world where every life born here has complete autonomy over its destiny."

Xiling looked directly at Lani and said, "This idea is noble and worth pursuing. It's... quite good."

"?" Lani's doll head seemed to tremble very slightly, and the light in her eyes froze for a moment.

She had imagined all sorts of rebuttals, explanations, and even rebukes, but she never expected to receive such straightforward approval from the Silver King.

Even Radagan, who had been silent to the side, looked at Xiling in surprise.

Facing the two's instantly focused, astonished gazes, Xiling merely gave a slight twitch of the corners of her mouth, a fleeting smile quickly replaced by seriousness. "Your idea is excellent."

Xiling stood up, walked to the edge of the courtyard, placed her hands on the low wall, and looked down at the bustling and vibrant royal city below, which resembled a giant beehive. "But the idea... is too ahead of its time."

"The entire border region cannot withstand the test now. Free will and autonomous destiny should develop in a more stable era, not during the most turbulent time for the entire border region."

"When your plan succeeds, when the law is completely banished, how many lives will survive on this ravaged land? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Enough to fill a corner of the royal city?"

"The rule of the law is too deep and too long! How many of those who struggled to survive in the chaotic times, how many of those who are now working with hope below... how many of them survived the long night after the collapse because of their faith?"

Xiling's words left Lani silent for a long time.

Radagan emerged from his silence and looked at his daughter as well.

The broken doll sighed. "So, what path do you ultimately want to lead people down?"

Xiling shook her finger. "You've got one thing wrong. I'm just an agent. The choices we make from here on out are up to the people in your border region."

"What!" Radagan and Lani both exclaimed in surprise.

They could hardly believe their ears.

"Are you... joking?" Lani's voice lost its previous cold calm.

I'm so tired, so alone

The Silver King, who led the Borderlands out of the abyss and rebuilt the law, now claims to be merely an agent!

Xiling simply shook his head calmly, his voice clear and resolute, unwavering in the slightest. "Just like I said, I'm merely an agent. The rest of the journey is yours to walk."

"The only ones who can determine your future direction and lead you are the people of your border regions."

"You really aren't from the border region." This suspicion had been swirling in Lani's mind for some time, and now it had been confirmed.

She pressed on, her tone inquisitive: "So, who exactly are you?"

Xiling smiled. "If I had to define it... let's just say it's the will behind the Elden Ring—what you call the 'Supreme Will'—that summoned me to clean up this mess."

"Strictly speaking, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I'm a sharp blade temporarily lent to the border region by the 'supreme will'."

Radagan and Lani fell silent, clearly not appreciating Xiling's humor.

Sensing the silence, Xiling cleared her throat slightly awkwardly, her smile fading as she adopted a serious expression and said, "Let me reiterate."

"I will not, and cannot, choose the path for you."

Their gazes fell upon Xiling as he stood up and walked into the garden. Bathed in the soft light of the silver trees, he looked at the two in the courtyard and spread his hands. "But before you choose your path, I will create a framework for this world, a brand new and stable framework for this warped borderland."

"That framework is not me, but—the order established by the Silver Law."

"Within my framework, order will be rebuilt, civilization will begin to develop, people will continue to move forward, and ideas will continue to expand, and then..."

Xiling looked at Lani: "Lani, if you still yearn for a borderland where you can completely escape the control of external forces..."

Xiling's voice suddenly rose, "Then, become king!"

"...Become a queen?" Lani repeated softly, the doll's voice carrying a hint of uncertain bewilderment.

This word seems to contradict her pursuit of the cold, starry path.

“Yes! To become king!” Xiling answered resolutely, his hand pointing straight at the deep, boundless sky! The light of the silver tree illuminated his tall figure.

"Become the king recognized by this land, the one who bears the fate of all living beings! Then, with your will and your power, lead your people—those who look up to you, trust you, and are connected to you by blood—to break through!" Xiling's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in the courtyard:

"Break through the ruins of the Golden Tree! Break through the protection of the Silver Law! Break through the shackles of the Elden Ring! Break through everything you believe imprisons you and hinders your path to true autonomy! Towards the stars and the unknown you yearn for, smash through that invisible bondage!"

Xiling's voice echoed in the garden for a long time.

Lani was completely stunned.

Is this still possible?

Do not!

Absolutely!