Frieren relayed the intelligence revealed by Trina to Ansbach. She also included her conversations with Leda and Thiollier along the way. The explosive amount of information was enough to shock anyone, yet the head knight merely hugged the ancient tome tighter, listening without moving a muscle.
"...And that's everything."
"I will stop Miquella, and of course, I will destroy the monster he created using Mohg's corpse. That is not Radahn, and it is certainly not a king."
The decisive words brought Ansbach back to his senses, pulling him slightly from his shock. Who could have imagined the pure Empyrean would do such a thing?
"This is horrifying news. My lord's death on the path to contest the Elden Ring was just, but to be treated this way is a true desecration. Even someone like me, who harbors fear, knows that some acts cannot be tolerated in this world."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Forgive me, but I wish to think this over alone. What should I do next? What will become of the Land of Shadow?"
"I would welcome you if you choose to join the ranks to strike down Miquella."
So far, the chief blood knight had made a good impression on Frieren; he was upright, well-read, and incorruptible. Although he had previously spoken of his fear of the Empyrean, he never wavered when it mattered. An indomitable courage still resided in Ansbach's heart. A person with spirit does not fall easily.
He pondered for a moment.
"My intuition tells me that I will have to settle things with Lady Leda's squad in the future. We can speak then. But I will not commit to the army that destroyed the Bloody Dynasty."
Ansbach refused clearly, neither servile nor overbearing. They could fight a common enemy as a faction with aligned interests, but he would never join them.
"Very well. In any case, my army will concentrate in the Spiral Tower area. That will become the site of the final battle in the Land of Shadow. Take care of yourself. We shall meet again later."
Frieren didn't linger for pleasantries, turning invisible again and departing.
Ansbach, left standing there, fell into deep thought. The sudden torrent of information required careful digestion. It would take half a day, at least.
Since Miquella was preparing to ascend, initiating a war of conquest between god and king, then the Lord of Cinder and the Empyrean of the Stars' law would surely answer the challenge. The powers supporting both sides would never permit them to shrink back. Victory was imperative.
In a way, the Lord of Cinder's army, which had enjoyed smooth sailing thus far, had encountered a severe challenge. They were originally focused on the Royal Capital's army, but for a god and a king to suddenly emerge from the Land of Shadow was simply absurd. It would certainly provoke a fierce reaction from them. This battle would be enough to shatter the Land of Shadow.
Though Frieren had appeared calm as she walked away, Ansbach could feel her surging, endless fighting spirit. It was already ignited, a will that could only be satisfied by tearing the enemy asunder. He too had to consider what specific role he would play in this war...
Second floor.
Ascending to a higher level didn't grant the party a clearer view; instead, they were met with dense, tightly packed bookshelves.
Fortunately, Frieren continued her exploration with methodical calm, almost never backtracking, as if a precise route map existed in her mind. Now, she had taken the lead, with Melina, the one holding the map, responsible for offering opinions on branching paths. If Frieren didn't sense any useful collectibles, she would proactively detour around the area. This was a compromise for efficiency.
Normally, a place like the Specimen Storehouse would be worth scouring three times over; the exploration wouldn't be complete until her footprints had touched every corner. But today, she was pressed for time, so she only picked out key collectibles: such as the new weapon she had just acquired, the [Dueling Shield].
[Combines a thrusting weapon and a shield. A piercing shield that unites offense and defense. Can defend while attacking.]
[A weapon for combat rituals—battles dedicated to the Golden Order.]
[This custom is still preserved in the Land of Shadow.]
The weapon skill was quite ordinary. Just a simple and unadorned shield attack. However, a weapon that could thrust while defending was a rarity. Because of its uniqueness, Frieren added it to her collection. She accepted all comers; as expected, the Specimen Storehouse held many good things.
With the party's speed, coupled with being invisible the entire time, it was as if they were in an unguarded land, leaving no clue overlooked.
On the middle floors, they also encountered Miquella's sigil and a letter from Leda, who was looking for a way to bypass the flooded parish, likely planning a route to the Spiral Tower. Now, they no longer cared about the messages.
"Look at this scroll over here!"
Suddenly, Melina sharply spotted an ancient, crack-filled scroll. A quick glance revealed mottled, faded script. This kind of blurry handwriting was completely illegible to Frieren, but fortunately, Melina accurately translated the most critical part:
"It is said that within the tower concealed by shadow—there is a God's Gate."
"The text records a secret ritual for the God's Gate, but only a very small portion can be deciphered:"
"For a god to return, the guidance of a king is needed."
"A king's soul requires a vessel to inhabit."
Even the Mimic Tear, who was lazy about thinking, had a sudden realization: "Isn't this talking about Miquella and the king of promise? They must assist each other."
"There's more. Back then, Marika and Godfrey must have performed the same ritual." Melina carefully put the scroll away and asked, "So, one day, will you and Ranni have to do the same?"
"What's the purpose of this ritual? To make it easier for a god to bear the Elden Ring?"
"Probably."
The Mimic Tear shook its head. "No, I don't trust what this says. What does it mean, 'a king's soul requires a vessel to inhabit'? Does the soul have to leave the body? Or be affected by some other ritual? Mother is perfect, the strongest. She doesn't need guidance from some scroll of unknown origin."
As she spoke, she placed her hands on Frieren's shoulders as if for display. See, the strongest quasi-king needs no external objects.
Melina also nodded.
"We have our own way; we don't need this. Besides, we can wait until we've defeated Miquella, capture him, and ask about the ritual."
"Guiding another's soul is simple for me, but I can absolutely never allow my soul to leave my body," Frieren asserted with great solemnity.
It wasn't that she couldn't do it; it was too dangerous. Because the essence of her soul was the First Flame and her body was that of an Old God, they mutually restrained each other. Coupled with factors like the blood of the Sakura Dragon and the Dragon Communion, a delicate balance had been achieved. To recklessly break it would be to court her own doom.
If it were merely a danger to herself, that would be one thing. The fear was that a catastrophe beyond imagination would engulf the world.
The three of them dropped the discussion about the secret ritual and continued their exploration. Upon careful consideration, it likely wouldn't be needed. This was probably a contingency plan, not a necessary one. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.
"This is so hard... What do I do with this thing?"
They hadn't gone far before they heard Freyja's exclamation. This Redmane Knight was quite wild; even her muttering was loud.
"I should have asked Ansbach for advice."
"He's busy too."
Frieren took the initiative to appear, waving a hand in greeting. Freyja stared blankly for a moment before coming to her senses:
"You look well, Your Majesty."
At that moment, Freyja was half-squatting before a stone tablet, observing it carefully, yet she had found nothing. With her level of knowledge, she couldn't recognize it at all.
Freyja stood up and looked directly into the silver-haired girl's eyes.
"Has Your Majesty made another choice?"
"That's right. And by the way, the king of promise Miquella has chosen is Mohg's corpse, containing Radahn's soul. You should understand, right?"
She had been present for both the war that defeated the Starscourge General and later when the followers collected the remains of the Lord of Blood. So she certainly knew these two things would be of use sooner or later.
"I understand perfectly. So Lord Radahn has fulfilled his promise to Lord Miquella. They will bring a new order to the Lands Between together. A childhood promise fulfilled today, isn't that a fine story? Besides, I believe it's more in the General's style to keep fighting on."
"...So that's how you see it. I'll be on my way. Ansbach might be looking for you later."
"I will wait for him here."
Now that their respective stances were clear, there was nothing more to discuss. When the time came, their actions would speak for them. Even someone as dense as Freyja understood that she had chosen a different path from the Lord of Cinder. This was a conversation of parting ways.
Frieren continued toward the depths of the Shadow Keep.
With prescient knowledge, she activated a mechanism. With a series of creaks and groans, a massive specimen in the air moved, forming a bridge. The unbelievable shortcut left Melina and the Mimic Tear nothing short of amazed. Who could have thought of that?
The map was practically useless. As expected of an adventurer, her spatial understanding was beyond ordinary. It was hard to imagine how much Frieren had experienced to cultivate such expertise. Her imagination was the best navigation, always clear.
With a view from above, exploration became much more convenient, looking down upon the storehouse from a high vantage point. Although it was complex, it was actually an accumulation of bookshelves and specimens, not a purpose-built labyrinth. Therefore, as long as one was good at discerning, a correct path could be quickly found.
Frieren also casually obtained the [Pearldrake Talisman +3]. The entire process was relaxed and effortless. Her nimble movements, leaping up and down, were so swift that Melina and the Mimic Tear almost couldn't keep up. It was as if she were strolling through her own home.
They were getting closer and closer to the upper level.
"We still haven't gotten out, this place is built so large," the Mimic Tear marveled. "While Messmer was destroying the Hornsent, he also preserved samples of their civilization."
"Brother considered things thoroughly. There are also wards below for treating the Numen, so their injuries can be cured later."
"We should be more restrained fighting in such a nice place. It would be a shame to break all the jars and vials."
"No, you absolutely mustn't hold back. After all, just suppressing my brother will be difficult enough."
"I know what to do."
Being overly cautious was never Frieren's style; she simply chose different tactics. Facing Messmer, she would just use another build combination, trying to minimize destruction through skill.
She was also very fond of the Specimen Storehouse. Compared to Seath the Scaleless's inhumane laboratory or the countless death curses hidden within the Grand Archives of Lothric... this place existed for the sake of collection, and was even attempting to save the Numen in different ways. In the Land of Shadow, this was a true rarity. It represented that the line of the Golden Order was far more ethical than the Hornsent faction. Such a fine place should be properly maintained.
As she was thinking, the party followed the path of specimens and arrived at the outer layer of the Shadow Keep.
It was shrouded in clouds and mist. It was already built at a high altitude, and combined with being on the upper levels, steam and mist swirled about, creating a hazy view. The Raufoss Ruins area could be faintly seen in the distance.
According to Leda's deployment, they should be passing through here.
Melina noticed Frieren's curiosity and proactively explained: "That is the only path to the God's Gate. I hear it's inhabited by a swarm of Scarlet Rot creatures, so it's not so easy to pass through."
The silver-haired girl subconsciously touched the Flower of Aeonia on her head. It had been a long time since she used it.
"To get the main army through, the ancient ruins must be purified. But the immediate priority is the Shadow Keep. We can deal with that later."
Suddenly, the storehouse map gave another prompt. Not only that, but the indicated direction also had a large number of message traces.
A place that would make players frequently leave tips for those who came after was either extremely dangerous or held a top-tier reward.
Her guard raised, Frieren walked forward quickly and discovered a point of light on the edge of a cliff. The position was very precarious; falling off would be no joke. So she carefully sensed her surroundings before picking it up:
[Thorns of Rejection]
The pitch-black, unremarkable sorcery immediately brought to mind the Tower Town of Belurat. It was this kind of thorn that blocked the path to the other God's Gate. It was equivalent to a top-tier seal. Even she would have to spend some effort to break it. Now, its prototype sorcery was right before her eyes.
[A sorcery cast by those who, through their piety, fell into despair and finally abandoned incantations.]
[Forms Thorns of Rejection, born of the Shadow Tree, from the ground.]
[Can be cast in succession.]
[The compassionate Shadow Tree conveys a message:]
[Reject all, harm all—for we have been forsaken.]
It was rare to find a decent sorcery. Unlike the mud and ghostflame types, this was a type Frieren could accept. From the description alone, one could see a deep resentment, a mixture of hatred and rejection.
She had already felt it before the seal in the tower town; if converted into a sorcery, its power would surely be impressive.
With a thought, a black thorn wrapped around her staff, exuding a deadly aura, thirsting for blood to exact revenge.
Release!
More black thorns sprouted from Frieren's staff, spreading forward like an overwhelming tide, forming a small stream filled with a thirst for blood. It had a relatively long range and could even climb walls.
It had the foundation for large-scale use. Moreover, it could be cast successively to form a continuous tide of thorn streams, an unending flow. Once it caused hemorrhage, the target would surely be severely weakened.
Thorns of Rejection was a sorcery born from despair, and its properties carried a touch of wickedness.
However, Frieren had mastered countless wicked sorceries and incantations. One more wouldn't make a difference. It even caused the related energies within her body to stir with excitement.
____
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