31. The Silver Rule
Xiling, Lemuen, and Luo Tianyi returned to the interior of the Erdtree. The hole that Kevin had punched through had been repaired.
Once they reached the center of Erdtree, Xiling looked at Lemuen and asked, "Are you ready?"
Lemuen didn't answer immediately. She took a deep, deep breath. The breath seemed to penetrate her lungs. After a moment of tension, her signature warm and bright smile bloomed again, though there was a subtle tremor at the edge of it.
"Yes, I'm ready." Her voice was still clear, but a few notes lower than usual.
"It's just... although it sounds a bit lame, but..." She paused briefly, looking at Xiling frankly, her pink eyes reflecting his figure, clearly reflecting the underlying worry.
"I'm ... still a little scared."
Xiling's lips curled up slightly at this with a faint smile of understanding and confidence. He said: "Hmph. You say that, but you have no intention of backing down, don't you?"
Lemuen straightened her back and smiled brighter and purer than usual, said, "If I really backed down, wouldn't it be truly lame? And..." Her voice softened, filled with complete trust, "Don't I still have you, Hero?"
Xiling's smile faded, and he nodded solemnly: "Yes. With me here, everything will definitly alright ."
No more words were needed. In an instant, a flame suddenly erupted! Elden's Ring and the Silver Rule reappeared in Xiling's left and right hands, fragments of gold and pure silver appearing simultaneously within the space.
Two rays of light illuminated Xiling's left and right. Xiling looked at Lemuen with a serious expression.
"Now, I'm about to begin. Lemuen, be prepared. If anything unexpected happens, I'll interrupt immediately. If you feel anything's wrong, shout it out. Don't try to force it in."
Lemuen's expression also grew serious. She nodded, "I understand."
Xiling nodded, "Then let's begin."
The pure Silver Rule shone brightly, completely eclipsing the light emanating from Elden's Ring. In that moment, the world seemed to shift.
Buzz!
A deep, soul-stirring humming echoed throughout the entire Lands Between! It wasn't just a physical sound, but the vibration of the very Rule itself, a tremor of violent change! The entire interior of the Erdtree, enveloped in this pure silver light, seemed to be plunged into a sea of liquid silver. All color was stripped away, purified, leaving only the purest, most holy silver! At that moment, the world felt as if a cornerstone had been shaken from its very foundation!
Deep within the Scarlet Rot, with the excruciating pain of corruption briefly receded like a tide. Radahn's rotting mass trembled, and his murky single eye struggled to rise, piercing the scarlet mist and gazing toward the distant Erdtree. A ray of long-lost clarity pierced through the madness.
Beside the cradle of the Haligtree, Malenia's slumbering eyelashes trembled violently, the burning at the source of corruption within her body replaced by a cold, pure ache. Her eyes suddenly opened, their sharp glare piercing the Erdtree.
Within the Desecrating throne, the blood from the Holy Grail in Mohg's hand splattered. He felt the sting of the Great Rune being clenched, and for the first time, a look of horror other than madness appeared on his twisted face.
Deep within the volcano, lava tentacles twisted wildly around the desecrated body, and an uneasy roar shook the cavern. At the Raya Lucaria Academy, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, whose face was filled with anger and sorrow as she continuously attacked Radagon with magic, paused her movements and gazed out the window toward the Erdtree, muttering, "...The Rune... has changed?"
The gates of the Beast Temple opened, and a seemingly enormous beast emerged, its veiled eyes fixed on the distant golden tree.
At this very moment, as the world shuddered, time seemed to have been paused by an invisible, giant hand. At this moment, for whatever reason—sensing the Great Rune's movement, driven by instinct, or simply looking up—all beings who cast their gazes toward the Erdtree, whether it was demigods, soldiers, civilians, beasts, or wandering spirits, were momentarily frozen in time.
Time froze. All who gazed upon the golden tree were frozen in a state of daze. Before their eyes, countless minute streams of silver light rapidly climbed from the roots of the Erdtree, along the deep grooves of its ancient trunk. Wherever the silver stream passed, the Erdtree's brilliant golden light, which had illuminated the Lands Between for millennia and symbolized absolute order, quickly peeled away, dimmed, and dissolved like paint corroded by strong acid, completely covered and swallowed by the pure, almost indifferent, and heart-wrenchingly holy silver!
Those who believed in the Golden Rule watched this scene with panic, while those who hated it laughed. Ambitious individuals sensed an opportunity, for they all knew about the Elden Ring; something must have gone wrong with the Golden Rule.
Inside the Erdtree, the remnant of the Elden Ring had completely vanished, leaving only the pure, cold, and endlessly vibrant silver light flowing eternally.
Xiling looked at Lemuen before him—or, more accurately, at Lemuen, who contained the Elden Ring.
Lemuen slowly opened her eyes. The afterglow of the erosion of the Rule lingered in her pink eyes. She blinked, her gaze returning to Xiling. "Is this... considered... a success?"
Xiling shook his head. "The underlying principles of the Golden Rule have been completely removed and overwritten. The framework of the Silver Rule has been successfully embedded into the world's origin, but due to the lack of the Great Rune, it cannot fully function."
Not only the Great Rune, but also the Death Rune, the Predestined Death, must return to the Elden Ring.
Only when the Elden Ring is truly perfected can the radiance of the Silver Rule unimpededly cover every inch of land, every breath of air, every living soul in this world, completely replacing Gold and becoming the defining Rule of all things.
And at that time:
The Golden Blessing vanishes into thin air.
Predestined Death will befall all equally. The cycle of life will resume. Under the Silver Rule, all life—The Tarnisheds, mountain goblins, hybrids, and even life forms that are yet unimagined—will share the equal origin of the "Silver Blessing."
Contribution—as the only pass for Silver Rule:
The Silver Rule is like a cold machine with precision, scans every being equally. Regardless of their birth, race, or strength, the only criterion is creativity, driving "contribution"!
For example, if someone creates a new spell, they are a contributor.
For example, if someone forges a new weapon, they are also a contributor.
The diligent will receive blessings.
The brave will receive blessings.
The kind will receive blessings.
The hardworking will receive blessings.
If the Golden Rule is eternity, then the Silver Rule is the pursuit of progress.
Like a machine of order, the Silver Rule will observe all equally. Anyone who believes in the Silver Rule will receive its blessings.
Just as Lemuen tried to sense the Elden Ring within her, a strange sensation emerged. Her body began to transform, and her gaze ascended, as if she were observing every part of the Lands Between from everywhere.
She saw those praying devoutly, she saw Kevin and Houraiji Kyuushou, their faces obscured by armor in Redmane Castle, and she saw the Tarnished and Morgott beneath Caelid.
"See more," Lemuen instinctively thought, and then her vision began to shift again. Soon, a tall man radiating a powerful aura stood up, heading from afar; his destination was the Royal Capital. As if sensing Lemuen's gaze, the man glanced upwards, and at that moment, Lemuen's vision shifted again.
In the center of the storm, a giant dragon circled, perhaps waiting to wither. Her vision shifted again, and a beast advanced from Caelid towards the Royal Capital at unimaginable speed.
Lemuen could sense something sealed on the back of the man's hand. Just as Remian was about to examine it further, a pulling and painful sensation on her cheek brought her back to her senses. She looked at Xiling, who was looking worriedly at her in front of her.
Xiling watched as Lemuen's pupils regained focus and lingered on her. He breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest. "Don't scare me, are you okay!"
Remian was still a little dazed.
"What's wrong with me?"
Luo Tianyi, standing beside her, spoke worriedly.
"Sister Lemuen, you don't know. Your eyes just turned silver. It scared Xiling and me."
"Don't ask anything yet. Lemuen, do you feel anything wrong with you right now?"
Xiling's eyes kept scanning Lemuen. Although no matter how he looked at it, she seemed to be fine. Not only that, her health was actually improving. In response to Xiling's question, Lemuen briefly felt her body condition.
Then, with the help and guidance of Luo Tianyi and Xiling, she slowly stood up from her wheelchair. Once she stood steadily, she even jumped slightly before offering Xiling and Luo Tianyi a smile.
"As you can see, there's probably nothing wrong with my body."
Xiling and Luo Tianyi finally felt relieved.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Countless corpses lay on the desolate sand dunes. Iron boots clattered silently on the sand. A figure enveloped in black armor stared directly at the massive figure.
Radahn, with a glimmer of consciousness, felt a tremendous pressure, a pressure that intensified with time.
At this moment, Radahn rejoiced, for he sensed a premonition of death. He roared with excitement, "My name is Radahn the Redmane General!"
The sound of his voice swept across the wasteland like a physical entity, stirring up a sandstorm that obscured the sky! As the sandstorm passed, the already dead corpses were instantly reduced to dust, and even larger rocks were scraped away layer by layer!
Faced with the terrifying sandstorm, Kevin remained unmoved. The surging torrent of crimson sand underwent a strange transformation as it approached a radius of about ten steps around him.
Hiss...
That wasn't a blocked sound; it was more like the whistle of death, the sand instantly ignited and sublimated! The moment the raging sand and dust approached Kevin, it felt as if it had collided with an invisible and extremely hot barrier. Every grain of sand instantly ignited, transforming into a tiny yet blazing flame!
Without any unnecessary movement, Kevin's hand grasped the hilt of the greatsword slung across his back. With a low, harsh sound of metal grinding, the sword was slowly drawn out. The sword tip was raised, pointed straight at the massive figure atop the dune. Kevin's voice, muffled and cold, emanated from beneath his helmet:
"Feel this...blessing from the Supreme Will."