Hearing Miniature Ranni mention those sorceries, Lucian was quite tempted.
Comet was a sorcery that only the most outstanding sorcerers in the Lands Between could master. It could even serve as a symbol of one's status and standing.
Its FP cost was enormous, but its power was equally absurd, making it completely worth the expenditure.
And the signature sorcery of Ranni, the "Lunar Princess", Dark Moon, was one of the legendary sorceries.
It could call down a cold, dark moon before sending that moon flying toward the enemy.
As it traveled, the Dark Moon could dispel every sorcery it came into contact with. When it finally descended, it would explode, dealing damage.
Enemies struck by the Dark Moon would also be afflicted with a mark that lowered their resistance to magic.
Seeing how enthusiastically Miniature Ranni was promoting her own sorceries, Lucian did not turn her down and readily agreed.
"Then that would be even better. I'm looking forward to it."
"But there's no need to rush right now."
He might as well learn them later, after returning to the Lands Between and going to the Altus Plateau to find Ranni's true body.
While he was there, he could also make a trip to Volcano Manor and see if he could find any traces of Master Azur.
If possible, Lucian wanted to learn Comet Azur as well and collect the Cerulean Hidden Tear while he was at it.
No sorcerer could possibly refuse infinite FP combined with Comet Azur.
——
After spending quite some time, the three of them finally finished looking through all the sorceries and incantations.
Among them, Erdtree incantations were the most numerous, making up nearly forty percent of the collection. Most of them were incantations from the ancient Erdtree tradition.
However, there was a huge difference in quality among this group. Some were powerful, while others were weak.
Lucian had already mastered almost all of the relatively ordinary and widely circulated ones.
For example, Blessing's Boon and Golden Vow.
There were also quite a few powerful incantations that Lucian had not yet had time to collect and master.
For example, Erdtree Heal and Blessing of the Erdtree.
Both of these were healing incantations. Their effects differed slightly, but both were among the very best healing incantations.
One provided an enormous amount of healing all at once, while the other provided a massive amount of healing continuously over time.
Since Lucian had never deliberately gone out of his way to collect them, and there were also places he had yet to visit, he had never had the opportunity to obtain these incantations.
Now, thanks to the astonishing stockpile inside the Specimen Storehouse, the number of Erdtree incantations he had previously failed to collect had suddenly increased by a huge amount.
At this point, he could say that he had mastered almost all of the Erdtree incantations.
Among the Erdtree incantations Lucian could think of, the only one he had yet to learn was Elden Stars.
Aside from those, the Tower Settlement incantations and spells were the most numerous, all of them confiscated during the Crusade.
Unfortunately, the sorceries and incantations from the Tower Settlement were fairly mediocre. None of them were powerful enough to give Lucian any particularly new inspiration.
The same was true for most of the other gravity sorceries and Fire Knight incantations.
Lucian's own mastery of gravity sorcery was already more than sufficient for him to use all kinds of techniques, and he could even create entirely new ways of using it himself.
As for the incantations Messmer had granted to his Fire Knights, some of their techniques gave Lucian a little inspiration, but when it came to raw power, they could not compare to even a fraction of the power of the sun.
What Lucian needed now were sufficiently powerful, high-end sorceries and incantations, so he skipped over all of these.
As a result, by the end of it all, the only new offensive abilities he could actually master were Ancient Death Rancor and the Impenetrable Thorns.
Hopefully, they would perform well.
Lucian stood up, rolled his neck, and stretched his body.
He had not studied this seriously in far too long. The feeling reminded him of his school days...
Now those had truly been nightmares.
Lucian looked toward Melina and Miniature Ranni.
"Next, I'm planning to head to the Forging Ruins and take a look at those Ancient Meteoric Ore."
"Are you two coming with me?"
Miniature Ranni rose from the scroll and gave Lucian and Melina an elegant, slight bow before speaking.
"Alas, I fear I must excuse myself, for now."
"Yet I shall await the day we meet again, upon the Altus Plateau."
With that, the frosty aura surrounding Miniature Ranni gradually dissipated, and her head slowly drooped beneath the enormous hat.
Seeing that Ranni's consciousness had already withdrawn, Lucian reached out and stuffed the doll back into the spatial disc.
Melina sat beside Lucian. Then she suddenly remembered something from earlier and spoke.
"By the way, while I was in the Specimen Storehouse, I saw one of Miquella's golden crosses."
"It was on the fourth floor. He had abandoned his right arm there."
"Because of the power it possessed, everyone in the surrounding area simply ignored it. The Fire Knights were no exception."
"And because Brother hadn't visited the fourth floor in such a long time, he hadn't discovered it either."
After hearing Melina's explanation, Lucian gently nodded.
Just as expected.
Miquella had indeed left part of his body here and was continuing some kind of ritual.
He did not know what would happen at the end of this ritual, nor did he know whether Miquella would actually be able to enter the Spiral Tower.
In any case, the best choice was not to let his opportunity succeed.
So far, they had still been unable to find any trace of Miquella himself. They could only follow the trail of the crosses he had left behind.
Miquella...
How exactly was he supposed to find him?
Melina looked at Lucian, who was clearly deep in thought, and suddenly spoke.
"Are you thinking about Miquella?"
Lucian nodded, still considering whether there was any way to uncover Miquella, who was hiding in the shadows.
Melina blinked and asked:
"Why not let Sif give it a try?"
Lucian froze for a moment before instinctively rejecting the suggestion.
"This... is that really a good idea?"
Wouldn't this method be a little too simple?
But after turning it over in his mind, Lucian realized that there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it.
Lowering his head, Lucian pondered and muttered to himself:
"No, no... yes. That's right..."
After all, there was no cost to letting Sif give it a try.
These were merely bodies that Miquella had discarded. Sif's own safety would not be an issue, especially with Lucian right beside him.
Although Sif was a wolf rather than a dog, there shouldn't be much difference.
On top of that, Sif itself was an extraordinary species, practically a legendary creature. Its sense of smell was certainly beyond that of ordinary beasts.
After all, Asimi had originally been found and brought back by Sif.
Even if Miquella himself was an exceptionally special being, it was not as though he had become completely impossible to track.
Now Miquella was leaving parts of his body everywhere. They could simply dig up a couple of pieces and use them as markers.
If it worked, everyone would be happy. Miquella would be dragged out from hiding, and his entire plan would be ruined.
And if it failed...
Well, it would just mean Sif got two more chew toys.
That would be a good thing too.
Lucian stroked his chin and thought about it for a while before finally speaking, still slightly hesitant.
"Hmm... let's bring him over next time and give it a try."
"Before Miquella completely abandons all of his body, there might still be a chance of finding him."
"His plan is too dangerous and too mysterious. Even now, all we know is only the tip of the iceberg. We have to at least give it a try."
Having said that, Lucian turned his head toward Melina again, returning to the question from earlier.
"Then, are you coming with me to the ruins later?"
Melina shook her head.
"It's only to confirm the condition of the ancient meteoric ore. There isn't really anything I need to do."
"I'll go with you when we return to the Altus Plateau."
"I want to go back to the foot of the Erdtree... I really miss it."
"I was born at the foot of the Erdtree, and that was also where Mother gave me my mission..."
Melina let out a soft sigh before pointing toward the few incantations and sorceries that had been set aside separately.
"Hmm... I'll go return these first."
"We're keeping only these few, right?"
Lucian nodded and rested his head against Melina's.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"We'll be back in the Altus Plateau soon enough."
——
After leaving the room, Lucian stood atop the towering walls of Shadow Keep, gazing into the distance at the Shadow Altus.
Then it was time to set out.
Lucian took out the map he had obtained from Messmer and found one of the ruins marked on it.
Ancient Meteoric Ore Ruined Forge.
The smithing ruins were located south of Shadow Keep, still within this region of the Shadow Altus, and they were not very far away.
After raising his eyes to confirm the direction, Lucian transformed into a violent gust of wind and sped away.
This time, there was no need to bring anyone along. Lucian traveled at full speed, rapidly crossing most of the plateau.
In the blink of an eye, Lucian's figure had already appeared outside the ruins.
Standing on this plain was an enormous and conspicuous rectangular stone structure. This was the forging ruins.
The portion of the smithing ruins above ground was extremely orderly in appearance. Countless enormous stones had been stacked together, their surfaces covered in mysterious patterns, while several magnificent stone pillars surrounded the structure.
At the front of the ruins, two braziers blazing with roaring furnace fires illuminated the entrance.
The enormous entrance was currently sealed shut, leaving only a narrow side passage through which one could descend.
Although this place had nominally been occupied by Shadow Keep, there were no personnel stationed here to guard it.
There were only sparse patrols of Messmer's soldiers along the distant main road.
Enir-Ilim was not far from here either, and a large number of soldiers were stationed there.
Perhaps because they considered the fortress capable of monitoring the movements in this area, they had not bothered to assign additional personnel to guard these unusable materials.
Lucian walked up to the main entrance. There were no soldiers in sight, but he unexpectedly discovered two Misbegotten wandering nearby.
One of the Misbegotten noticed Lucian first and let out a shrill screech.
It flapped its wings and flew toward Lucian, while the other only realized what was happening afterward and came running over with a blade in hand.
The next moment, the Misbegotten flying at the front was pierced through from the air by a golden greatsword like a needle, collapsing helplessly to its knees on the muddy ground.
The Greatsword of Damnation entered through the top of the Misbegotten's head, with the tip of the blade emerging from behind its waist.
As a torture instrument intended for the longest and most agonizing forms of execution, the very purpose of the Greatsword of Damnation was to make its victim experience the utmost pain.
As a result, the sword possessed an intricate design and unique power that prevented an attack piercing straight through the body like this from immediately taking the victim's life.
Amid the Misbegotten's screams, the structure of the Greatsword of Damnation began to transform. Golden barbs within the blade burst out through its body one after another.
At the same time, countless illusory golden barbs rose around the Misbegotten, impaling the other Misbegotten that had just arrived and turning it into a hedgehog.
Lucian casually pulled the Greatsword of Damnation back out, unable to help being amazed by the weapon's suppressive power.
Although he had personally experienced the injuries caused by this thing exploding inside his own body before, actually wielding it himself was indeed a completely different experience.
As long as it struck an enemy that was roughly humanoid head-on, it could almost always inflict terrifying damage.
Lucian put away the Greatsword of Damnation and followed the narrow passage down into the interior of the ruins.
Perhaps they had heard the screams of their companions outside, because many Misbegotten were already waiting in the area he had just entered, their eyes bloodshot.
These Misbegotten held various weapons from within the forging ruins and charged toward Lucian without saying a word.
Lucian looked at the dozen or so Misbegotten in front of him, somewhat bewildered.
Why were there so many Misbegotten here?
According to what his brother-in-law had told him, the forging ruins should contain things like Golem Smith and Living Magma.
Had the Misbegotten turned this place into their home?
What was this forging ruin, some kind of park occupied by beggars?
Or were the Misbegotten plotting something else?
Listening to the overlapping cries of the Misbegotten, Lucian no longer had the inclination to worry about them.
Since they had already attacked him, they were perfect targets for testing out his new techniques.
Lucian took out his Crystal Staff and thrust its sharp, spear-like end into his own body.
Drops of blood splattered outward, staining the otherwise crystal-clear staff crimson.
Imitating the actions of those desperate believers, a dark and twisted power gradually emerged.
As Lucian moved, the Misbegotten involuntarily stopped their charge one after another. A sense of danger descended over them, making it almost difficult for them to breathe.
When faced with danger, the instincts inherited from beasts became even more sensitive.
A heavy rumbling sound came from underground.
A cluster of thick thorns rose from beneath the earth, rapidly surging toward the Misbegotten in front of Lucian.
The thick scales that the large-bodied Scaly Misbegotten took pride in were pierced through in an instant. The black, razor-sharp thorns sank deep into their flesh, greedily sucking their blood.
As though trying to drain every last drop of blood from them, the thorns continuously contracted while greedily growing deeper into their bodies.
This was the hatred of the abandoned Scadutree.
A hard shell of thorns born from rejecting everything outside itself, formed from the 'self' that emerged from that rejection.
The remaining Winged Misbegotten saw the miserable state of their kin and released sharp, piercing screams. They each spread their wings and flew toward the top of the ruins, attempting to escape those terrifying thorns.
However, this was not a technique that could simply be avoided by flying into the air.
Just as they were still trembling with fear, believing that they had escaped disaster, the black thorns suddenly changed direction once more and shot upward into the air.
Although they took the form of thorns, the Impenetrable Thorns were fundamentally the hatred and curse of the Scadutree.
The Impenetrable Thorns were not affected by terrain. Whether the target was in the air or underground, they would relentlessly pursue and kill it, bringing despair down upon it all the same.
In only a few seconds, the Impenetrable Thorns had demonstrated their power before Lucian.
The wooden training dummy was extremely weak, but the sensation of casting the spell had already given Lucian a clear understanding of its destructive power.
After sensing the might of the Impenetrable Thorns, Lucian was pleasantly surprised.
As expected of the Scadutree, which had once coexisted with the Erdtree, this power was truly astonishing.
Under Lucian's control, the Impenetrable Thorns gradually transformed into shadow and disappeared. He then quickly made his way deeper into the smithing ruins.