Bai Shi listened with a cold expression to Varre's nonsense. He knew Varre was a salesman for the Mohgwyn Dynasty, poaching people to join their cause.
They targeted Tarnished who had no Maiden and could not see the guidance of Grace, yet still possessed combat skills.
They used Stormveil Castle as a test to gauge these Tarnished and then recruit the best ones as Blood Knights.
However, Bai Shi wasn't in a hurry to attack Varre. He wanted to keep him around.
Once he used Varre to get into the Mohgwyn Dynasty, that's when Varre would pay for his smart mouth.
So, at this moment, Bai Shi pretended to be half-convinced, silently heading in the direction Varre had pointed.
"Hehe, I have a feeling we'll meet again very soon, my dear~"
Bai Shi ignored him, afraid that staying any longer would make him kill Varre prematurely.
And so, Varre watched Bai Shi walk away.
The eyes behind his mask were cold and deep. No one knew what he was thinking, and only the blood-stained white mask smiled on.
Following the direction of the Grace, Bai Shi climbed over one small hill after another, finally arriving near the ruins of a church—what was once the Church of Elleh.
He was just one hill away from the church ruins, but Bai Shi stopped.
He crouched in a nearby bush, removing the helmet Hakan had given him to prevent any glare from revealing his position.
He did this because a powerful field boss, the Tree Sentinel, patrolled this area.
This was not the time to fight him. Bai Shi had to use a cheat just to defeat an elite monster like the Grafted Scion, let alone a field boss like the Tree Sentinel.
Although he had the Fling Trainer, it seemed the uses didn't regenerate over time, or perhaps he hadn't spent enough time yet for them to do so.
In any case, every use of the Fling Trainer was precious.
Compared to the Tree Sentinel, Bai Shi would rather save his cheats for the main bosses who held a Great Rune.
Bai Shi remained motionless in the bush, searching for the unmistakable golden figure of the Tree Sentinel.
But after a long time, he still didn't see the Tree Sentinel's gleaming form.
With such a bright color scheme, if it had entered his field of vision, he would surely have noticed it.
"Could it be different from the game? Is the Tree Sentinel not stationed here at all, or was he moved somewhere else?"
Bai Shi stood up and stepped out of the bush, but he immediately darted back in.
A cold sweat ran down his back. As soon as he had stood up, he saw a golden figure emerging from his blind spot on a dirt road below the hill he was on, a road that led to the Church of Elleh.
Back in the bush, Bai Shi watched the Tree Sentinel, clad in golden armor, slowly patrol the dirt road on its massive, equally golden-armored steed.
Its huge body was as tall as the trees on the side of the road.
"How long is this guy's patrol route? He came from the direction I just came from."
Bai Shi had been worried about soldiers patrolling the road and had avoided it, traveling instead over the hills. He hadn't realized he had just narrowly missed the Tree Sentinel.
"Phew, that was close. But at least now he's in my line of sight, so I don't have to worry about him suddenly ambushing me."
Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the dense bushes closer around him.
He had decided he would wait here until he had a solid grasp of the Tree Sentinel's patrol route before moving.
Grumble~
Bai Shi's stomach rumbled. He looked up at the sky.
He saw only the giant Golden Tree and remembered there was no sun in the Lands Between.
He decided not to worry about the time and just eat when he was hungry.
Bai Shi slowly pulled out the pack of white meat slices from his pouch.
These were just ordinary meat slices, not soaked in any special potion, so they had no special effects beyond filling the stomach.
They were dried for easy preservation and carrying, so the taste wasn't good.
And the fact that the meat had been soaked in seawater during his journey didn't help.
This was truly just something to fill his stomach. Bai Shi chewed with difficulty while keeping his eyes on the Tree Sentinel.
The Tree Sentinel moved very slowly. Fortunately, because the meat was so hard to eat, Bai Shi ate even slower than the Tree Sentinel was moving.
As the last piece of meat went down, Bai Shi had a clear understanding of the Tree Sentinel's patrol pattern.
"His patrol range is a lot bigger than in the game. It takes him over half an hour to complete one round."
Although the Tree Sentinel moved slowly on horseback, the sheer size of his steed meant the patrol was a long one.
"And he never patrols the area to the left where there's no road. Once he leaves the hill I'm on, I'll go around from the left."
With his plan set, Bai Shi patiently waited for the right moment.
When the Tree Sentinel passed below him again, Bai Shi counted to three in his head and then quickly slipped out of the bush.
Nothing unexpected happened. Bai Shi jogged along and arrived safely at the Church of Elleh.
The ruined church was more than half collapsed, with broken walls scattered around, turning the building into an open-air structure. Only the main entrance at the front still had some of its facade intact.
Upon entering the church, Bai Shi saw a fire burning in the corner and a person with a scrawny donkey beside it.
The person was dressed in a festive-looking outfit: a bright red coat with a white scarf, orange-yellow pants, and a large, plush red hat with a few strange feathers.
He was holding a peculiar instrument, playing a tune while humming an unknown song.
Upon seeing someone suddenly visit the broken church, he froze, and his humming stopped.
Seeing that Bai Shi had no intention of attacking, he gradually relaxed.
"You're a Tarnished, aren't you? And you don't look like you're going to attack me. In that case, would you like to do some business?"
He put his instrument away and introduced himself:
"My name is Kale. It might not look like it, but I'm a merchant."
Kale looked at Bai Shi. His hair was long and streaked with gray, and the lower half of his face was covered by a mask. He certainly didn't look like a shrewd merchant.
Bai Shi nodded. He remembered that Kale had some useful early-game items.
"Sure, let me see what you have."
Kale stood up and began unloading his goods from the donkey, spreading them out in front of Bai Shi.
"By the way, that Tree Sentinel patrolling outside won't come in, will he?"
"Oh, no worries. He doesn't bother anyone who isn't a Tarnished. I've been here for a long time. Just be careful not to be seen by him."
Knowing the Tree Sentinel wouldn't enter, Bai Shi let out a sigh of relief. The Tree Sentinel had killed him more than once in the game, so he had a bit of trauma from it.
Bai Shi started browsing the various items.
After looking them over, Bai Shi chose a torch, a telescope, a crafting kit, and two sets of notes from a wandering warrior.
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