"Oh dear…"
Inside Stormveil Castle, Morgott reluctantly dispatched another one of his avatars.
Although this consumed a large amount of his power, the thought of the Tarnished swarming toward Stormveil Castle like locusts, one after another, made Morgott decide to endure the hardship himself for now.
After all, Stormveil Castle, as the first line of defense in The Lands Between, must maintain a high level of vigilance.
This was not only to protect the deranged Godrick but also for the Great Rune in his possession. If the Great Rune fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it would be a disaster for all of The Lands Between.
Morgott silently prayed in his heart:
"May my meager strength be able to stop the ambitious Tarnished outside the castle."
Morgott looked up at the sky, his heart heavy with worry.
The Erdtree was becoming increasingly decayed, and he himself felt utterly exhausted.
Yet, the Golden Order had placed all its hopes on these Tarnished, who were now like the rising sun, their strength growing day by day, placing immense pressure on him.
Morgott couldn't help but wonder whether he could truly hold on until the day his elder brother returned.
From that day onward, a mysterious Omen warrior appeared on the outskirts of Stormveil Castle.
He called himself Margit, the Fell Omen, and with his unpredictable blade techniques, he mercilessly reaped the many Tarnished who came to challenge him under the guidance of Grace.
...
...
"Clip-clop, clip-clop~~~"
The crisp sound of hooves echoed along the country road like an ancient and mysterious melody.
Xiao, riding his ox, slowly approached the towering Chapel of Anticipation in the distance.
This magnificent structure stood above the skyline, appearing exceptionally grand.
As the distance closed, Xiao could clearly feel a powerful force surging from within the Chapel of Anticipation, like a vast and endless tide.
It was the aura generated by the continuous transmission of Tarnished back to The Lands Between.
Just as Xiao was sensing this power, a Tarnished dressed as a samurai suddenly appeared beside him.
The appearance of this Tarnished came without warning, as though he had materialized out of thin air.
His body gradually condensed from nothingness, finally manifesting completely before Xiao.
"Hello, my name is Yura. Are you my Finger Maiden?"
The Tarnished looked at Xiao's face and immediately felt as though he had fallen in love at first sight, even beginning to think of names for their future children.
"Hmm… I'm just a wandering merchant passing by. Your Finger Maiden is over there, waiting to be claimed."
As he spoke, Xiao pointed toward a nearby Site of Grace, indicating for Yura to go there and find his true guiding Finger Maiden.
"(⊙o⊙)…???"
Yura looked in the direction Xiao pointed and indeed saw a Finger Maiden slowly taking shape there.
Her figure gradually became clear like a phantom, exuding a beautiful and mysterious aura.
Yura's gaze was immediately drawn to her, and a surge of excitement welled up in his heart.
He once again began thinking of names for his future children.
"My apologies, madam. I will return to speak with you later!"
Yura bowed apologetically, then unhesitatingly ran toward his Finger Maiden, leaving Xiao alone.
There are thousands of beautiful women in the world, but they do not belong to the Tarnished.
However, according to the Greater Will, Finger Maidens are entirely the private property of the Tarnished.
It was precisely because the Greater Will promised to provide a wife that Yura decided to accept the summons and return to The Lands Between.
The appearance of the Finger Maiden clearly satisfied this pervert from the Land of Reeds, even making him a little impatient.
But in reality, this was precisely because the Two Fingers had extensively modified the physical forms of these Finger Maidens to better control the Tarnished.
After the modifications of the Two Fingers, every Finger Maiden was a beauty chosen from a million.
However, if the Tarnished observed carefully, they would discover that these beauties were actually mass-produced models replicated from a few top-tier beauties.
In fact, when a large number of Finger Maidens gathered together, there might even be awkward situations such as encountering someone who looked exactly the same or mistaking one for another.
Thinking of this, Xiao couldn't help but look forward to seeing a Tarnished mistakenly flirt with someone else's wife because he had mistaken her for his own Maiden.
Such a chaotic scene would probably be very interesting~~~
...
...
As dusk gradually fell, Xiao lit a bonfire in an abandoned church near the Chapel of Anticipation, set up a grill, and began roasting the goat he had hunted along the way.
Cumin and mutton, gently roasted by the flames, emitted an exquisite aroma.
Yura, together with his Finger Maiden, followed the scent and found his way over.
"Sit down and tell me your story. I love listening to stories!"
Xiao smiled and invited Yura and the Finger Maiden over. Then he pulled out two flasks of fine wine from his backpack and handed one to each of them.
"Good wine~~~"
Yura took the flask, took a sip, and then introduced himself:
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Yura, from the Land of Reeds."
After speaking, the samurai-dressed man adjusted his helmet and continued:
"This land is my father's homeland. In his descriptions, The Lands Between seemed like a very beautiful place."
The Finger Maiden listened quietly, neither speaking nor making any movements, simply drinking wine and nibbling on the roasted goat.
The existence of the Finger Maidens was like that of pre-programmed machines. They would only speak actively at specific times.
Otherwise, they only spoke when the Tarnished asked them something, and even then, only about matters they knew.
"It used to be like that. In the earliest age, Grace flowed endlessly, and the Golden Order was benevolent and abundant, characterized by blessings and patronage, attracting a large number of followers.
But that was only a fleeting age of prosperity.
Now, times have changed.
Queen Marika the Eternal has imprisoned herself, the Elden Ring is shattered, and the Golden Order stands on the brink of collapse!"
Xiao leaned lazily against the cool body of the Blasphemous Serpent, eating meat and drinking wine while leisurely recounting stories of the past.
However, Xiao suddenly changed his tone and became serious.
"Tarnished, who returned from beyond The Lands Between, have you come back to mend the Elden Ring?"
"I don't know either. The Greater Will didn't even ask for my opinion. I was simply summoned back to The Lands Between!"
Yura scratched his head, looking helpless, though inwardly he was constantly repenting before the Greater Will.
There was no way he could admit that he came back because he was given a wife.
Xiao nodded, indicating his understanding.
Then he asked Yura:
"What are your plans next?"
"I don't know either. Perhaps settling down here wouldn't be bad. Anyway, I'm tired of the chaos in the Land of Reeds, and I no longer have any relatives there."
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