"Alright, we're here."
Bai Shi blinked. He had just taken Melina's hand.
Then, in just a second or two, Melina said they had arrived.
"Really? I didn't feel a thing."
Melina gave Bai Shi a sidelong glance.
"I don't make such unfunny jokes."
"That's not it... It's just, that was way too fast."
Bai Shi stood up. The space of the Site of Grace receded, and the surrounding ruins and the shocked expression on Kalé's face proved that this was indeed the Church of Elleh.
Bai Shi re-entered the space of the Site of Grace and dragged the entire large bag of equipment over to Kalé's side.
"Uh, should I say long time no see?"
Kalé stared at Bai Shi, who had just appeared out of thin air. He opened his mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.
"What a great harvest. I feel amazing."
Feeling the rush of Runes pour into his body, Bai Shi felt a sense of comfort wash over him.
In the end, Bai Shi only kept a brass shield and a Lordsworn's Greatsword, selling the rest in a bundle to Kalé.
He sold them for a total of 1600 Runes. He already had 500 Runes on him, plus about 1200 from his plundering at the Gatefront Ruins.
That brought the total to 3300. Since there was nothing he urgently needed to buy, he could use it all for leveling up.
Bai Shi also crushed the miscellaneous Golden Runes he had on him, which he had forgotten in his bag during his last level-up.
Three of the smallest Golden Runes yielded 600 Runes for Bai Shi.
After bidding farewell to Kalé, Bai Shi sat back down at the Site of Grace.
"Melina? Are you there?"
Melina's figure appeared once more, in the same spot where she had vanished.
"Have you taken care of that equipment?"
"Yeah, it was a great harvest. I'll have to trouble you to turn these Runes into strength for me in a moment."
Melina nodded, but instead of holding out her hand, she looked around the ruined church before her gaze settled on the Site of Grace before them.
"This small glint of gold is the grace of the Erdtree. In the past, this golden grace vanished from the eyes of you Tarnished."
"And now, it has reappeared, to guide you."
"You can see it, can't you—the direction the grace points."
Melina looked seriously into Bai Shi's eyes.
"In the cliffside castle of Stormveil, there is a Shardbearer, Godrick the Grafted, who holds a piece of the shattered Elden Ring." "Please, go there. If you can truly see the guidance of grace, if you are truly guided by the Elden Ring."
Melina wanted to be sure, to confirm if Bai Shi was truly being guided by the Elden Ring. This was very important to her.
Bai Shi answered her with equal seriousness and resolve. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Of course. That's what I came for."
"But the time is not yet right. I need to go to the southernmost part of the map first. I've heard there is a castle there, and its lord is a highly skilled Banished Knight. I plan to seek him out and learn from him first."
Melina was a little perplexed.
"I have seen a complete map before. There is indeed a castle on a peninsula to the far south, but if I'm not mistaken, it should be under Godrick's rule now."
"Haha, I have the Stormhawk ashes on me. I can go and claim some kinship. If he doesn't accept me, I'll just run away."
Of course, that was just a joke.
Bai Shi's real plan was to get acquainted with the castellan by saving his daughter, Irena. Even if the man didn't accept him as a student, saving Irena was always a good thing.
But he couldn't explain any of this to Melina.
Who would believe such a childish plan! They might see that he was Tarnished and hack him to bits.
Melina complained silently in her heart.
"Don't worry, the word 'miracle' was made for me. As soon as I'm done learning, I'll rush straight to Stormveil and turn Godrick the Grafted into Godrick the Amputated."
Melina looked at Bai Shi's confident expression, at a loss for words.
She simply held out her hand, gesturing for Bai Shi to place his own upon it.
Bai Shi was galloping down the road to Castle Morne.
This time, he had spent all his accumulated Runes on leveling up, adding two points to his life and one to his strength.
He had just over 700 Runes left. He had also asked Kalé to make him a waterskin and bought some simple jerky.
This cost him 300 Runes, leaving him with only 400, making him even poorer than before.
But holding onto Runes was useless; increasing his strength was what mattered most.
Bai Shi had also tested something. He tried pouring the Sacred Tears into the waterskin, but they passed right through it.
Melina's explanation was: "The Flask imitates the legend of a sacred chalice receiving the tears of grace. It is a ritual in itself, which is why it can hold them."
It seemed he still needed to collect Golden Seeds. One crimson and one cerulean flask was truly not enough.
Riding Torrent, the world flew past him in a blur. Bai Shi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
If the Elden Ring hadn't been shattered, living in the Lands Between wouldn't be a bad choice... well, it would still be pretty dangerous. What if I got defiled by the Loathsome Dung Eater here in the Lands Between?
But at least the scenery is nice, isn't it?
Amidst the picturesque landscape, Bai Shi's journey to become the Elden Lord had officially begun.