Holding up the newly reforged Sword of Night and Flame, Lucian couldn't help but examine it closely.
Its edge now radiated an overwhelming sharpness. Simply looking at it was enough to tell that the weapon had undergone a complete rebirth.
The moment he gripped the hilt, he could already feel the surging currents of glintstone sorcery and fire sealed within it.
The Comet Azur it could unleash now was likely no weaker than the original spell itself.
As for the fire...
Lucian wasn't particularly concerned about that.
Whenever he fought seriously, he would be using the Scorching Flame of the Sun, not the sword's innate fire.
Still, perhaps because he had repeatedly channeled the Sun's flame through it before, the fire dwelling inside the blade now carried the faintest trace of the Sun's aura.
Beyond the enhancement of its magical powers, the sword itself had undergone an even greater transformation.
Along the edge of the blade, space itself warped and split ever so slightly.
That meant Lucian could finally perform a genuine dimensional slash.
It was precisely this faint distortion of space-time that had injured Master Hewg's eyes merely from looking at the completed weapon.
Fortunately, the distortion was still extremely weak.
After Lucian cast Lord's Heal, Hewg's eyesight recovered completely.
If forging a god-slaying weapon meant sacrificing a master blacksmith every time, that would have been far too painful.
Lucian was still planning to mass-produce god-slaying weapons in the future.
Although the Sword of Night and Flame had originally relied primarily on its unique skill...
After being strengthened with an Ancient Dragon Somber Smithing Stone, it had gained an absurd degree of sharpness.
Lucian raised the blade and lightly rested its edge against his forearm.
There was only one way to find out exactly how sharp it had become.
With a gentle draw of the sword...
The blade sliced through his incredibly resilient flesh as though it weren't there at all.
Blood immediately sprayed out.
His hand didn't even feel the slightest resistance.
After withdrawing the blade and watching the wound rapidly regenerate, Lucian nodded in satisfaction.
His physical body had become ridiculously durable.
Even without wearing armor or using a Great Rune to break his limits, his body was already tougher than most heavy armor.
And the enemies he would be facing from now on would all exist on the same level as himself.
Their physical strength certainly wouldn't be lacking.
Under those circumstances, the Sword of Night and Flame could still effortlessly cut through his flesh.
That alone was an excellent benchmark.
It could be said that unless his opponent relied on pure physical toughness like Godfrey, he would never have to worry about whether his blade could penetrate their defenses.
After giving it some thought, Lucian arrived at a simple conclusion.
In plain terms...
This sword now had armor-piercing properties.
Since the effect stemmed from the power to distort space-time itself, its practical value was undoubtedly immense.
The god-slaying weapon Euporia: Wilted Heaven, however, was completely different.
Although the blade had been restored by the Divine Essence of Rot, its sharpness hadn't improved dramatically.
Instead, it had fully manifested the unique dual nature of that divine essence, wielding two distinct divine powers.
After thinking about it for a moment, Lucian understood why.
After all, this was simply the characteristic of the Dragonlord's scales.
Different materials would naturally produce different kinds of god-slaying weapons.
Because the Dragonlord resided beyond time itself, his scales carried the power to distort space-time.
If he really mass-produced god-slaying weapons using Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones...
Then every single one of them would likely possess the same razor-sharp armor-piercing effect.
Weapons forged from the same material were destined to inherit the same special property.
Of course, not every weapon was perfectly suited for that kind of enhancement.
But when you were already wielding a god-slaying weapon, who was going to complain?
Besides...
It was an incredibly powerful effect.
Lucian could hardly imagine how satisfying it would be one day to unleash swords like Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon with an entire arsenal of god-slaying weapons.
—
With the Sword of Night and Flame finally strengthened to its absolute limit and elevated into the realm of a God-Slaying Weapon, another achievement unlocked.
"God-Slaying Armament" —Upgrade any armament to its highest stage.
With that, the number of cheat uses available to Lucian had once again been restored to its maximum of five.
From now on, he'd have to be more careful about completing achievements.
There was no point unlocking one if the reward would simply go to waste because he was already at the cap.
Seeing Lucian admiring the Sword of Night and Flame so fondly, Master Hewg finally smiled.
"Satisfied?"
"I'd say it's more than enough to support your grand ambitions."
Lucian nodded, raising the sword before him and letting its unrivaled edge gleam freely.
"Absolutely."
"I'm more than satisfied."
"With a divine weapon like this, I have the confidence to face any enemy."
"Haha... I can't wait to see the birth of the next god-slaying weapon."
Remembering the second Ancient Dragon Somber Smithing Stone still in Lucian's possession, Hewg couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
The forging process might have looked effortless...
But in truth, he hadn't been confident of succeeding at all.
After letting out a weary sigh, the old blacksmith stood up.
"...Let's talk about that when the time comes."
"Forging a god-slaying weapon isn't something that can be replicated so easily."
"I succeeded this time through good fortune."
"That doesn't mean I'll be so lucky again."
With that, Hewg pushed open the workshop door.
Prayer time had long since passed, and Lucian's weapon had already been completed.
Now it was time for him to return to forging weapons for the other Tarnished.
However, the moment the door opened, he found three Finger Readers' envoys standing respectfully outside, waiting.
The instant they saw Lucian, all three bowed deeply.
"Lord Lucian."
"We've finally found you."
"The Two Fingers wish to see you."
Lucian had been preparing to leave, but he hadn't expected the Two Fingers to summon him again.
Recalling the false Greater Will he had glimpsed before, that bizarre being with fingers for a body, a trace of vigilance rose within him.
'Was this because of that?'
...Probably not.
Regardless, he silently prepared the Shadow of the Stars, just in case.
He had no idea why the Two Fingers wanted to meet him this time.
But the Two Fingers serving the Roundtable had never been hostile toward him.
On the contrary, they had helped him before.
Even Enia had treated him kindly.
There was no reason not to go.
After a brief moment of thought, Lucian nodded.
"Very well."
"Lead the way."
Entering the chamber of the Two Fingers once more, Lucian remained perfectly calm.
He had spoken with them twice before.
But now...
The initiative was entirely his.
Standing inside the chamber, the doors closed tightly behind him, isolating the room from the outside world.
Seeing Enia again after such a long time, Lucian walked over with a smile.
"Two Fingers. Enia."
"It's been a while."
The old Finger Reader broke into a delighted laugh.
"Ohh! It truly has been far too long."
"Before I knew it, you've grown this much."
"This old woman couldn't be happier."
The Two Fingers trembled gently, and Enia immediately translated.
"Look there."
"The Fingers shudder with exuberance."
"You have defeated two Demigods and reclaimed two Great Runes. Among all the Tarnished, you have accomplished a feat unlike any before!"
Lucian knew they were referring to Godrick's Great Rune and Starscourge Radahn's Great Rune.
There was no way the Roundtable Hold wouldn't know about the Radahn Festival.
As for Mohg, however, very few people knew anything about him. Neither the Two Fingers' envoys nor Sir Gideon Ofnir's spies could gather intelligence from that hidden place.
Lucian smiled.
"The Two Fingers entrusted us Tarnished with the duty of restoring order and reforging the Elden Ring. Naturally, I must give it my all."
"To repair the Elden Ring, restore the world's order, and return blessing and grace to all life..."
"Those are the teachings of the Two Fingers, and they are what I ought to do."
His smile widened slightly.
"Besides... who wouldn't want to become Elden Lord?"
The Two Fingers nodded approvingly, and Enia beamed with delight.
Leaning on her staff, she said,
"Ever since hearing that you'd defeated Starscourge Radahn, the Two Fingers have wanted to see you again."
"They wished both to reward your accomplishments and to tell you what lies ahead on the path to becoming Elden Lord."
"Now then, show the Two Fingers those two Great Runes."
Lucian immediately understood why they had summoned him.
Since the Radahn Festival, he had scarcely returned to the Roundtable Hold.
No wonder the Two Fingers had been eager to meet him. Quite some time had already passed.
He nodded and revealed Godrick's Great Rune and Radahn's Great Rune.
Mohg's Great Rune remained carefully concealed.
The moment Enia saw the two Great Runes with her own eyes, she became visibly excited.
"Two Great Runes... proof that you have earned the right to become Elden Lord."
"I've believed for a long time that you had the makings of an Elden Lord, but seeing the proof with my own eyes still fills this old woman with joy."
"I truly did not misjudge you!"
After taking a breath, she continued even more enthusiastically.
"Now, seek the Erdtree, and an audience with Queen Marika."
"To become Elden Lord, and restore the Golden Order."
"...The Two Fingers have great expectations for you."
The Two Fingers trembled gently, signaling Enia to explain the process of restoring the Order.
She immediately interpreted their gestures.
"Queen Marika is the vessel of the Elden Ring, the god of this age."
"Yet after the Elden Ring was shattered, She was imprisoned within the Erdtree."
"As the god who allowed the Order to be broken, Marika committed an unforgivable crime. Even the harshest punishment would not be excessive."
"But despite Her punishment, She remains a god... and the vessel of the Ring."
"So long as the Great Runes are offered to that vessel, the Elden Ring can be restored."
"And you shall become Queen Marika's consort... becoming the Elden Lord."
"Such is the guidance of the Fingers."
Lucian listened quietly, though inwardly he was unmoved.
Restoring the Golden Order...
That was merely something worth saying in front of the Two Fingers.
He intended to usher in an entirely new age.
And as for becoming Marika's consort?
Not a chance.
Even if he someday had a harem, Queen Marika would never be part of it!
After all, she was Melina's mother, his future mother-in-law. Queen Rennala was in exactly the same category.
Once he reached the heart of the Erdtree, he'd simply patch Marika back together and return her to Godfrey.
His little blockhead cared deeply about her mother.
With that thought, Lucian gave a slight nod.
"I see."
"I believe... I'm beginning to understand everything."
Seeing that Lucian understood the process, Enia smiled and produced three Talisman Pouches, handing them to him.
"Take these."
"A small gift from this old woman."
"I finished sewing these not long ago, and I can't think of anyone more suitable to use them."
"I could always make more... but six talismans is the limit anyone can carry."
"And at your level, there aren't many talismans left that can still make much of a difference..."
Lucian thanked Enia as he accepted the pouches, feeling genuinely pleased.
His dream of stuffing countless defensive talismans into an absurd number of pouches and turning himself into a walking suit of armor had officially fallen apart.
Still, two additional talisman slots were excellent.
The power a talisman could contain was ultimately limited.
After all, it was only a small object, capable of housing only so much power.
Take the attribute-boosting talismans Lucian currently possessed.
Before breaking past the attribute limit, they had been extraordinarily valuable.
If such talismans appeared anywhere in the Lands Between, warriors everywhere would fight desperately to obtain them.
After all, for ordinary people, gaining even a single point of strength required countless life-and-death battles, or years of relentless training.
Compared to most other talismans, a direct increase in attributes offered immediate improvements in both combat ability and survivability.
But after surpassing those natural limits, the situation was almost completely reversed.
The power contained within those talismans wasn't even enough to increase one point of a transcendent attribute.
Once one's base stats became overwhelmingly high, talismans with unique special effects became far more valuable.
Now that Lucian possessed six talisman pouches, he could freely mix and match all kinds of talismans.
All that remained was collecting the game's most powerful talismans.
The final combination would undoubtedly satisfy him.
While he was still thinking about talismans, Enia suddenly produced another one.
[Erdtree's Favor +2]
One of the legendary talismans, symbolizing the Erdtree's greatest blessing.
It greatly increased maximum HP, stamina, and equip load.
It was said that, at the dawn of the Age of the Erdtree, Queen Marika herself bestowed this talisman upon her followers, giving it profound symbolic meaning.
Lucian was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected to receive this talisman here.
Originally, it could only be found after burning the Erdtree, when Leyndell had been buried beneath an ocean of ash.
Yet now...
He had obtained it this way instead.
Then again, even after burning the Erdtree, finding such a tiny object amid that endless sea of ash would have been nearly impossible.
Delighted, Lucian accepted it.
It was like someone not only handing him a pillow when he was sleepy, but throwing in a blanket as well.
Perfect timing.
However, he had no intention of using it himself.
His Strength and Vitality had already surpassed their natural limits, making the talisman's effects relatively modest.
Instead...
He had just found the perfect gift to bring back to the Realm of Shadow for Melina.
After accepting everything, and seeing that neither the Two Fingers nor Enia had anything further to say, Lucian took his leave.
"Thank you both for your generosity."
"I should continue my journey... to restore the Elden Ring."
—
After Lucian departed, the Two Fingers suddenly trembled.
Slowly, both fingers straightened completely, pressing tightly together in perfect alignment.
Enia's eyes widened in surprise.
She had only ever seen the Two Fingers assume that posture when attempting to commune with the Greater Will.
Several moments later, however...
The Fingers slowly relaxed again and fell silent.
Confused, Enia merely shook her head and emptied her thoughts.
The Two Fingers had shared nothing with her.
She could not possibly know what had happened.
On Lucian...
The Two Fingers had sensed traces of Their Mother's power.
That discovery filled Them with overwhelming joy.
It had been so very long since They had lost contact with Their Mother.
So long that They no longer knew what to do.
At times, They had even begun to wonder whether They themselves had somehow broken.
But now...
Evidence that Their Mother had once been active had finally appeared.
For the first time in ages, They saw hope.
Only...
Even after reaching out once more...
Their Mother still gave Them no reply.
—
[T/N: Looks like there's no mother-daughter combo here... (╥﹏╥)]