Indeed.
A cavern path led directly to the mausoleum. Although it was a bit deep and required some platforming, it wasn't a large area.
Right now, the waves of the shallow sea were above their heads, the echo of them crashing on the shore seemed to reach their ears, and there was a hint of sea salt in the wind. The cavern walls were damp, as expected of the cerulean region.
But Frieren had a sudden idea and knocked on the cavern wall, pressing her long, pointed ear against it to listen carefully.
"There's a larger hollow deep on the other side of this rock."
A preconceived, one-way, long-range perception finally revealed a clue.
"Should we go over?" Melina asked.
"The priority is to deal with the southern nameless mausoleum. A small island like this might have a hidden section. We should get our hands on it as soon as possible," the silver-haired girl analyzed with an air of importance.
Her two companions were used to her usual style; it was all about the collection itself, so of course, they wouldn't pass up a mausoleum.
The journey through the underwater cavern was unimpeded and easy.
Although there were some monster attacks inside, they were trivial for a party of their strength, especially with the Spirit Ash army following them like a small platoon, enough to fight a war. Passing through this narrow path was naturally no problem.
The only thing of any real strength was probably a Great Serpent coiled within.
A Lord of Cinder attacks!
It was much stronger than its brethren from the lakes of Liurnia, growing ever mightier under the protection of ancient power. Unfortunately, it ran into the demigod party.
It would be difficult to find a lineup of such caliber in all of The Lands Between, enough to treat the Cerulean Coast as a scenic viewpoint. They were just a tour group, and a single Great Serpent couldn't possibly block their path.
They continued to walk quickly up the gradually ascending slope. White light shone from ahead, and the sound of the ocean tide grew clearer.
They set foot on the island's soil.
Looking back, the Cerulean Garden was now on the opposite shore. Gazing at each other across the waves, it felt even more vast and brilliant.
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've set foot on an island since coming to The Lands Between..."
"Me too, actually," Melina gave a surprising answer. "Our seafaring technology isn't very good. Crossing the sea of fog is no easy task."
"That's a bit of a shame. Let's enjoy the moment, then."
In reality, Frieren had never seen the sea either, having always lived inland.
But that didn't stop her from having a sudden thought: "If we want to go to the Haligtree and don't want to take the Capital route, then a sea voyage becomes an increasingly viable option. Plus, the transport capacity would be just as good; we could send a large army."
"I could maintain a gravity orb above the fleet to create a repulsive field and avoid large waves... or freeze the sea's surface and cast as we go..."
Frieren enthusiastically brainstormed several plans in one breath.
She believed a grand fleet was indispensable. It would be useful for the future campaign against the Haligtree, and it could be used to rapidly transport troops around The Lands Between before the final battle at the Capital.
Melina could only reply, "I will instruct the artisans to try. Let's deal with the matter at hand first."
With Her Majesty's influence, a single suggestion meant a major project. Shipbuilding was no game. While The Lands Between certainly didn't lack the technology, it would take a great deal of effort and required long-term planning.
Since it was a task she had been assigned, it had to be completed.
Following the mark on the treasure map, Frieren led the party to the cliff of a small hill, where a purple point of light was shining brightly:
[Lana's Perfume Bottle]
[A small bottle wrapped in crimson cloth. It is filled with flammable perfumed oil.]
[Consumes FP to release flames forward.]
[It is said that Lana Dancers secretly carry this item while dancing. When their passionate performance reaches its climax,]
[they release scorching flames and a sweet fragrance to enhance the performance.]
She thought it would be some kind of weapon, but it turned out to be a substitute for a Fire Pot. For Frieren, who could casually toss a massive fireball, it was meaningless, becoming a toy just like the other perfume bottles.
She had never been fond of throwing items.
Because she had faced invading players and witnessed too many nasty thrown items, things that were utterly ridiculous, filled with a desperate desire for victory.
After shaking her head, Frieren stopped her wild thoughts and turned to look at the mausoleum.
The guidance was right, it was indeed a shabby place with no decent rewards. For now, it was the only thing on the surface of the Cerulean Coast that was even worth a look. What was it really like?
"You two continue searching here. I'll be right back."
The silver-haired girl eagerly hurried to the mausoleum, leaving only a hasty silhouette behind.
Melina and the Mimic Tear exchanged glances and decided to stay. The distance was short, so any commotion would be within support range. Besides, the aura from within the mausoleum's seal wasn't very threatening. It would be better to spend more time searching the island for loot...
BOOM!
The magical seal separating the inside from the outside was broken.
A dancer in red appeared before Frieren's eyes, her clothes thin yet ornate, holding twin blades, radiating killing intent.
She raised an eyebrow, on alert.
She didn't know if it would be a powerful enemy like the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, so in her usual cautious style, the silver-haired girl held back, waiting for the right moment, allowing her opponent to raise a ball of fire in her hands.
WHOOSH!
Flames rushed forth, but their temperature was far different from what she had expected.
It seemed to be activated by [Lana's Perfume Bottle]. The attack dissipated upon hitting her personal protective Twisting Light Wall, lacking the power to break her defense. A pure energy attack without any magic-breaking properties would have a hard time being effective against her.
The next moment, a Sun-Star counterattack flew out, only to be easily dodged by the Lana Dancer with a roll.
At least it had humanoid agility; standard attacks weren't easy to land. This level of probing wouldn't yield any feedback.
Ancient Death Rancor.
Grayish-black skulls flew, swarming towards the target from the air in a dense black mass. The petite Lana Dancer immediately began to roll and dodge, avoiding most of the spells even though they had tracking properties.
It was quite skilled, but unfortunately couldn't overcome the difference in numbers.
Frieren continuously cast the rancor skulls, keeping up the pursuit and forcing the Lana Dancer to be too busy evading to counterattack.
The two were locked in a kiting battle.
A powerful battlemage indeed had a disadvantageous matchup against a flexible assassin-type enemy. Even an experienced dancer like this one seemed harried, but she never lost her ability to fight back.
Frieren didn't change her tactics further, but waited for the moment her opponent couldn't hold back any longer—
SHING!
Suddenly, the Lana Dancer lowered her stance, holding a blade in each hand, and with nimble and rapid dance-like steps, she swiftly broke through the encirclement of Ancient Death Rancor. In a flash, she had closed the distance.
I must seize this hard-won opportunity, or I'm done for. A full-powered strike aimed for the silver-haired girl's throat.
A sorcerer forced into such close quarters was already in extreme danger. Die.
However, her opponent lightly raised her staff, a seemingly casual motion that carried immense impact force.
Carian Retaliation!
Immediately after, a blue blade of light returned along the same path.
SHLICK!
Frieren's Carian Greatsword slashed across the Lana Dancer's shoulder, splattering blood. Using the force of the impact, the dancer quickly rolled away to create distance; otherwise, a follow-up attack would have been fatal.
"A good dodge, very quick reflexes."
This move was, of course, aimed at her heart. At the last second, her opponent managed to evade most of the sword's energy.
Her fighting style integrated dance, combining agility and beauty.
The next moment, the Lana Dancer raised a flask and drank it all. The wound she had just sustained healed completely, restoring her to perfect condition. Frieren wasn't surprised by this; humanoid enemies, while a bit fragile, mostly knew to drink flasks to recover, giving them considerable sustain.
SWISH!
She threw another perfume bottle as a probe. The flames blocked the silver-haired girl's path, not intended to cause damage, but to ensure her target couldn't charge freely.
Trying to prevent me from catching her while she drinks her flask? Quite experienced.
Glintblade Phalanx.
Since it's a humanoid enemy, its poise should be relatively low. After all, not everyone was like her, wearing armor and stacking poise. A single glance told her that the Lana Dancer had a weakness in this area.
With a thought, the Glintblade Phalanx flew past.
It was too fast, instantly targeting her slender body with a full volley, staggering her relentlessly.
Immediately followed by a star-like volley. Fortunately, the dancer struggled to roll away in time, barely dodging it, or she would have been critically injured. However, the wounds left by the phalanx weren't so easily erased, and she had no time to drink a flask. Her opponent was surely anticipating that.
Suddenly, the silver-haired girl thrust her staff straight out, its tip instantly erupting with blue light.
Carian Piercer!
Who would have thought a sorcerer could dual-cast simultaneously, and with such a short casting time—no, it was completely seamless.
The lightning-fast shock in her mind was no match for the piercing light.
CLANG!
At the last moment, the dancer barely reacted and blocked with her twin blades, but the instant they made contact, she knew something was wrong. The force wasn't that of a thrust, but an upward cut. The terrifying power numbed her arms and sent a shock through her entire body.
The small red figure was uncontrollably launched into the air. Though it was shaped like a sword, it was wielded like a long spear.
This force was all wrong.
However, the changing battlefield gave her no time to think. The moment she lost her balance, Frieren flicked her staff viciously, sending her, now poise-broken, crashing into a wall.
Immediately followed by a thrown Soul Crystal Spear.
The Lana Dancer only had time to raise her twin blades in a cross-block, but the web of her thumbs split open and her magic was thrown into disarray. The output from her opponent was absurdly powerful; her all-out resistance didn't budge it an inch.
And only then did she realize the crystal wasn't even a stable solid, but would explode.
RUMBLE!
The soul magic bloomed from the crystal entity, its shards easily piercing through the mausoleum's structure, appearing from the outside like exploding crystal spikes.
Melina and the Mimic Tear, still searching, couldn't help but glance over. As always, it was a huge commotion. But they weren't worried about the battle. From the auras they sensed, the victor would be decided soon.
In the end, the target was just an obsessive monster that had been sealed for many years.
As they had judged, in the collapsed ruins of the mausoleum, the red figure was engulfed by the fragments from the Soul Crystal Spear's explosion. Only a wisp of lingering thought remained, finally journeying to the Erdtree to find release.
Frieren shrugged, looking with lingering interest at the loot left behind.
Not much of a challenge.
The difficulty of the Cerulean Coast was about the same as the starting graveyards, not very threatening.
She turned her attention to the loot. The set looked good, but unfortunately, unlike the Dancer of the Boreal Valley's attire, which had some protective effect and was crafted with considerable care, this was different. To be safe, she had to wear some armor, so the dancer's outfit could only be a collector's item.
[Lana's Dancing Blade]
[A decorative sword adorned with crimson, symbolizing passion. Becomes a paired weapon when two-handed.]
[A weapon used by the Lana Dancers.]
[When using a heavy attack, the attack becomes a dancing combo.]
[Weapon Skill - Endless Dance]
[A skill that unleashes continuous slashes while dancing fiercely.]
[While activated, as long as stamina remains, the dance can continue.]
Although it wasn't very strong, it was quite unique. It was the first time she had seen a weapon skill that could theoretically be used continuously. If paired with the Greenspill Crystal Tear she had just obtained, couldn't she just spin to win?
Frieren was amused by the thought. It wasn't that easy; a battle involved too many variables. The ideal environment never exists.
In any case, it was a weapon, much better than the pile of miscellaneous junk outside on the Cerulean Coast...
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a roar from outside interrupted her thoughts, causing the silver-haired girl to hurry out of the ruins, where she saw a Ghostflame Dragon.
Its entire body was dried bone covered in rotting flesh, and grayish-black ghostflame accompanied every flap of its wings. As its roars intensified, undead soldiers emerged and clashed with the Spirit Ash army, creating quite a lively scene. Its breath swept across the land, sending grass and trees flying.
The entire area from the mausoleum island to the Cerulean Coast had become a battlefield.
Naturally, it was met by Melina and the Mimic Tear, especially the former, whose holy-ascribed flames were devastatingly effective.
The attack, empowered by an extraordinary level of Faith, made the Ghostflame Dragon miserable, forcing it to retreat with every flap of its wings. However, the Mimic Tear wouldn't let it go, immediately giving chase and firing a barrage of Night Comets.
"You came, and now you think you can run?"
"—Just obediently become material for a new heart."
The battle-hungry Lord of Night chased the Ghostflame Dragon, sending it stumbling along the shore.
It regretted it. It shouldn't have come running just because it sensed a trace of living beings. It never expected to run into such tough opponents.
It wasn't that the Ghostflame Dragon didn't want to fly to evade, but Melina's Lightning Spear was stuck in its wing, and the continuous electrical paralysis made it difficult for the behemoth to escape.
This was something she had cast right from the start. After all, the goal was to clear out any threatening targets on the Cerulean Coast, so of course, none could be spared.
As for the wraiths summoned by the Ghostflame Dragon, they were even less worthy of mention, mostly wiped out by the warriors of the Spirit Ash army.
"Almost done?" Frieren asked as she approached. Melina beside her reined in her magic and nodded. It looked like the Mimic Tear intended to take down the enemy alone, so they wouldn't interfere for now.
"It's called Lana's Dancing Blade. Not very practical, but the weapon skill is interesting."
The silver-haired girl performed a baffling spin on the spot, even needing to drink a Greenspill Crystal Tear to keep spinning. Unfortunately, she had no dance foundation and no sense of aesthetics, making it look quite awkward.
But Melina still showed a look of approval, feeling joyful inside. Adventuring with the Tarnished was certainly never boring.
At the same time, the Ghostflame Dragon not far away let out a sorrowful cry.
The Mimic Tear was seen first using Gavel of Haima to send the behemoth reeling, then took advantage of its fall to execute it, aiming for the head.
The Mimic Tear viciously pierced the Ghostflame Dragon's head with its Blade of Night. The hard skull was no match for it.
The magic in her hand sawed through the ghostflame body.
The power of death offered no protection to the flying dragon's fragile body. After one execution, it was on its last breath, driven only by the instinct to leave. It folded its wings and began to walk, limping slowly like an old hen foraging for food.
At this point, it was at the end of its rope. But to be safe, she still swung a large fireball, aiming for the wing that the Lightning Spear had previously wounded...
BANG!
With that, one of the great Ghostflame Dragon's wings was blown to smithereens, completely robbing it of its ability to fly. Now with only two legs, it had no hope of escaping the magical bombardment.
"So you're the overlord of the Cerulean Coast? Is this all you've got?"
The Mimic Tear loathed enemies that had lost the will to fight. It was utterly boring, offering no sense of interaction. Since Mother was watching, it might as well end it quickly.
Comet Azur—
A torrent of magic enveloped the Ghostflame Dragon's body, grinding it away bit by bit, leaving it with only enough time to cry out in agony.
The wraiths also panicked. Without the support of their caster's magic, they immediately crumbled, disappearing before the Spirit Ash army even had a chance to clean them up, leaving the entire Cerulean Coast empty.
The wandering monsters in the distance tucked their tails and fled, not daring to linger for a moment.
They had met a fierce dragon crossing the river today. Whatever stood in its way was crushed, slapped aside with a single blow. They were completely outmatched.
They instinctively sensed the prelude to change.
They had a premonition ever since the terrifying aura from the bottom of the Frenzied Flame Valley and Spike Mountain disappeared. Even the dullest creature knew the Land of Shadow was about to undergo a dramatic change, brought on by this group. It was best to lie low until the dust settled.
The three spread out their perception and found that the monsters had indeed thinned out considerably. Anything threatening was gone.
Frieren shook the bell to recall the Spirit Ash army. She wouldn't need them for sweeping up anymore. The remaining small fry were no threat. The important thing was that underground entrance.
She pointed into the distance: "The aura I sense is over there."
"From the map, it's a protruding peninsula with a large drop-off. It should be worth exploring," Melina agreed.
The party strode forward.
After a short while, they reached their destination. It was indeed a cracked underground opening. A damp and cold wind blew in their faces, and the temperature dropped sharply.
An ordinary person wouldn't have found it, but they immediately detected an unusual magic reaction. It was down below!
It seemed to be some kind of stable magic that resisted interference, which fit the description of a seal.
Frieren, taking the lead, leaped down.
With her leading the way, it was much safer. She could also reinforce any weak footholds along the way.
So the party reached the bottom of the pit without much effort.
It's a seal!
A layer of golden energy blocked the path ahead, inscribed with arcane symbols that could be runes or some kind of pattern. Whatever it was, it was indestructible, refusing all passage.
The Mimic Tear stepped forward and thrust with its Blade of Night, but it didn't budge or even leave a scratch. One could imagine its durability.
"It's created by the power of a Great Rune and Miquella's own barrier," Frieren stated.
"You're the expert, do you have a way?"
"Melina, unfortunately, I'm not skilled with barriers, but I've done some cramming... so I need some time to try."
After speaking, Frieren half-knelt and began to analyze the barrier. A power involving a Great Rune couldn't be broken with brute force; it required skill. It was also a test of the results of her research with Serie and Flamme.
The remaining Melina and the Mimic Tear also sat down quietly, waiting for good news.
Meanwhile, at the Finger Ruins adjacent to the Cerulean Coast.
A White Phantom sitting on a chair was repeating a sentence over and over:
"Ah, just as I suspected, the Fingers were born in that ruin. So, if that hanging bell were rung... would I too be held in her embrace? Would that beautiful mother embrace me, too?"
Standing before it were none other than Rellana and Ranni. The two had followed the trail to the Finger Ruins, and hearing this delirium immediately sent them into deep thought.
"What is the hanging bell?"
"It's literal. At the center of the ruins, there is often a huge, finger-shaped hanging bell that can supposedly be rung." The Twin Moon Knight's tone revealed her apprehension. "There are several such ruins in the Land of Shadow. What is their meaning?"
"I guess we have to ring all of them, and there are bound to be monsters outside interfering," Ranni asserted.
She had seen similar puzzle-solving exploration before and had figured out most of it from experience.
"In any case, let's go to one of the Finger Ruins first."
With their speed, a quick march was easy, and it didn't take long for them to reach a land that was entirely grayish-black.
As the name implied, there were special textures resembling palm prints everywhere. It was indeed the style of the Finger Ruins.
Their sudden arrival stirred the lurking Fingercreepers in the surrounding shadows to action. There was also a slender, caecilian-like monster that opened its maw and bared its teeth, looking extremely bizarre.
PFFT!
Suddenly, a ring of magic bound the blue-haired girl's body, but the next moment it was countered and dispelled. The former shrugged, free once more, completely at ease.
"Looks like we're not welcome."
Seeing her junior being attacked, Rellana drew her twin swords, which flowed with magic.
"No need for a full assault, just contain and drive them off. Our goal is to ring the hanging bell and test its effect, not to exterminate them."
"I'll cover you."
With the support of a top-tier battlemage, Ranni could quickly traverse the middle of the ruins, guarded by a Glintblade Phalanx and Glintstone Pebbles at her side. The low-level magic of these monsters was not even worth mentioning.
Although there were a few large Fingercreepers with some skill, they couldn't escape Rellana's twin blades.
Under their telepathic mutual cover, the two easily broke through the monsters' defensive line. Anyone facing an attack from two demigods would tremble, let alone a perfectly coordinated sorcerer and warrior.
Soon, Ranni arrived beneath the so-called hanging bell.
Should she ring it? Would something unexpected happen and cause trouble for Frieren? But should she abandon the clue about the Mother of Fingers...
Recalling the silver-haired girl's always-determined gaze, she made up her mind.
"VOOOM—"
A distant bell toll echoed in all directions, carrying an immense magical pressure that made the monsters retreat in droves. In a daze, a strange mental connection seemed to reverberate in her mind. That special feeling was like... the Two Fingers?
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming.
"This is definitely not that hocus-pocus stuff from the Two Fingers. It's a more distant power, from the stars."
"She's hidden deep, but the Mother of Fingers must exist in the Land of Shadow. The ruins are the clue. We should continue our investigation."
Ranni was sure that sooner or later, she would find the hiding place of this main culprit.
____
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