But after a few seconds, Rodrika did not receive the criticism she expected. Just as she was about to look up, a warm, large hand suddenly rested on her head.
"Running away is shameful but useful, but you can't just keep wallowing in self-pity forever. Even if you can't do anything now, the future holds infinite possibilities. Why not try believing in yourself?"
Xia Yu stroked Rodrika's head while feeding her some 'chicken soup for the soul'.
As someone living in a Western fantasy medieval world, Rodrika had never heard such motivational speech before, and she lifted her head blankly.
Seeing this, Xia Yu smiled gently again and said, "When you're sad, vent as much as you need. Once you've vented, you must pull yourself together. There are still so many people who care about you in different ways. So, you are not alone."
"Are there still people who care about me?"
Rodrika's eyes flickered, but then she spoke with some hesitation, "But, my companions all went to be grafted, and only I escaped."
"Tsk, why are you such a stubborn child?" Xia Yu rubbed Rodrika's head vigorously. "I will bring back your companions' mementos for you, but in exchange, you must pull yourself together. How about it?"
Hearing this, Rodrika was somewhat surprised. "You don't have to be so kind to me, I'm just a runaway..."
Looking at Xia Yu's gaze fixed on her, Rodrika's voice grew weaker and weaker until she finally closed her mouth.
After a moment of silence, Rodrika stood up and gave Xia Yu a serious bow.
"Thank you very much. I will head to the Table of Grace and then find out what I can do."
"I won't run away anymore. Please take this." As she spoke, Rodrika pulled out a golden seed and handed it to Xia Yu.
golden seeds were one of the erdtree's self-preservation methods when the elden ring shattered. The erdtree cast golden seeds across various regions, so they can be found beside the roots of phantom golden saplings.
Even so, golden seeds remain extremely precious because they can be used to enhance the power of flasks.
Flasks are a blessing of the erdtree, and as seeds specifically distributed by the erdtree, golden seeds naturally enhance their power.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Xia Yu had no intention of declining repeatedly and directly took the golden seed.
Seeing this, Rodrika smiled, bowed slightly again, then tightened her hood and walked out of the dilapidated wooden shack.
Though her figure looked somewhat frail from behind, her footsteps were very firm. She had swept away her confusion and knew the path forward.
"Good deed of the day, accomplished!"
Watching Rodrika depart, Xia Yu tossed the golden seed in his hand and casually put it away.
This was a gift from someone else and had great sentimental value. Anyway, there wasn't just this one golden seed for enhancing flasks, so he naturally wanted to keep this one for his collection.
He wasn't worried about whether Rodrika would be safe leaving alone. According to the game's plot, Rodrika not only reached the Table of Grace by herself but also successfully made a trip to Stormveil Castle.
This was because players could pick up Rodrika's red hood at the chrysalids in Stormveil Castle.
She discarded her hood, mourning her dead companions in this way and saying goodbye to her past self.
Only after Rodrika's figure had completely vanished did Xia Yu leave the small shack.
Then he summoned his good buddy Torrent and rode up the hill. On the stone path leading to Stormveil Castle, many Godrick Soldiers were patrolling.
They had also contracted the blight and turned into mindless living dead, but they still followed their bodily instincts, wandering around the area.
"Let me grant you release."
Looking at the half-dead soldiers, Xia Yu pulled out several straight swords and infused them with his spiritual energy to refine them. In a few moments, these straight swords had turned into flying swords.
The Imperial Sword True Art was one of the cultivation techniques contributed by the cultivator Xia Yu. Mastering it allowed one to fly directly on a sword or even perform a cultivation version of 'Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor'.
Now, please call him the Elden Sword Immortal!
Swish, swish, swish—!
Under Xia Yu's sword-finger command, the refined Lordsworn's Straight Swords suddenly took flight into the air, tearing through the atmosphere and dancing freely.
Compared to the Regalia of Eochaid which uses Qi to drive the blade, these flying swords were more flexible, though perhaps slightly weaker in power. However, they were more than enough to deal with ordinary soldiers.
The patrolling Godrick Soldiers ahead had only just noticed the flying swords dancing in the sky when, in the next instant, those swords came whistling down.
"Awoo!"
Dry, raspy roars rang out one after another. Those soldiers were no pushovers; even though their minds were clouded, their bodies instinctively dodged the moment they saw the flying swords descend.
They then drew the weapons at their waists to fend off these unpredictable flying swords.
But how could weapons that can fly be blocked just by standing on the ground? Moreover, these weapons were being controlled by Xia Yu alone. Thus, under the coordinated strikes of the flying swords, the group of patrolling Godrick Soldiers was soon decapitated.
Even the wild wolves watching from the side had their lives taken by a few sword strikes.
Regarding the wild wolves, Xia Yu expressed that he held quite a grudge. In the game, he was frequently harassed by wild wolves and even chased and bitten by them.
Since he had come to this world, it was naturally time for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
For instance, the indomitable Patches.
Oh, damn Patches, your skin is as thick and disgusting as the poison pools in the Farron Swamp next door. I'm definitely going to put on the Horsehoof Ring and kick your ass... After riding Torrent for about an hour, the gates of Stormveil Castle appeared at the edge of Xia Yu's vision.
Along the way, he had dealt with about seven or eight patrol squads and harvested a large pile of weapons. As long as the weapons weren't broken, he took them.
A bad habit left over from playing games: regardless of whether it's useful, it must be collected.
And he needed at least three: one for use, one for the collection, and one as a backup for the collection.
Xia Yu didn't recklessly run toward the front gate. He still remembered that an army was stationed there, along with powerful ballistae.
In the game, a bolt from a ballista could directly take away more than half his health, and they were hard to guard against.
But here, he... was still a bit afraid. There was no helping it; those things had left too big a psychological shadow on him.
Although he knew that with his current strength, it would be hard for those ballistae to hurt him, knowing was one thing—only an idiot would go full 'Dynasty Warriors' when they could sneak in.
He was a mage, after all, not a brainless warrior.
After dismissing Torrent, Xia Yu stealthily slipped into the woods. The forest was overgrown with shrubs, and there were soldiers patrolling with torches.
However, to Xia Yu, who had extremely strong perception, those patrolling soldiers were all just sitting ducks.
He could almost see the red dots on the soldiers' necks.
Taking out his refined flying swords, Xia Yu flicked his sword-finger. The flying swords tore through the air, decapitating the nearby patrolling soldiers almost in the blink of an eye.
Then, he continued to sneak toward the castle gate.