"What do we do now?"
"Head to the Village of the Albinaurics first. If that doesn't work, we'll carve a bloody path out!"
He was brimming with murderous intent, but Sellen felt no discomfort. She looked at the dried meat in her hand, thinking that her apprentice had an extraordinary talent for fleeing. When she fled, she only took books, completely forgetting about food.
"I'll leave it to you then. I'll just enjoy the journey."
"You're not planning to part ways with me anymore?"
"These things are too troublesome. Besides, if I travel alone, who will cook and wash clothes for me?"
Sellen yawned and lay down. After a moment, she sat back up as if remembering something. "Oh, right. Once I've crafted a primeval glintstone and completely freed myself from the shackles of the flesh, it won't be too late to part ways then."
A primeval glintstone was an extremely high-end form of sorcery. It could be seen as a lich's phylactery, or as the materialization of the soul. A sorcerer who reached this realm could live normally even if their body was destroyed, simply by switching to a puppet. Slight snoring could be heard.
Thorne gave a bitter smile; his teacher usually hated troublesome things the most, and he also needed her. She wasn't just a tool. After spending over a month together day and night and experiencing several life-and-death situations, Sellen already occupied an important place in his heart. Thorne walked over softly. By the faint moonlight, he looked at Sellen, who was dressed as a village girl. She seemed less wise and cold, her small mouth slightly open with a few meat crumbs remaining on her red lips. She looked ordinary, just like a kind older sister.
After watching for a moment, Thorne took off his coat and covered Sellen with it. He looked up at the sky again; the full moon was casting its pale white light through the gaps in the clouds, spilling over the lake and the small boat. The world was silent, save for Sellen's light breathing. Thorne reflected on the past month—from infiltrating to becoming an apprentice, from killing people to running away—it had been neither too tense nor too leisurely. He had come alone, but when he left, he had abducted the famous genius witch from the history of the Raya Lucaria Academy.
Whether Thorne gained anything was yet unknown, but the Academy had certainly suffered a massive loss! "I already know the path Ranni needs to take, and it happens to overlap with Sellen's pursuit. But where is my path?" The swordsman paused, stroking the hilt-wrap of the star-frost blade, and slowly looked toward the northeast. The massive Erdtree still radiated light, like the eyes of a god looking down upon the land. All living beings were under the order He prescribed. Whoever dared to defy it would face the conquest of the Golden Army or the blades of the Black Knife Assassins.
In The Lands Between, from the high-and-mighty Marika to the lowliest commoner, everyone had to follow the arrangements of the Greater Will. Becoming a god, a king, or a sacrifice was all within a single thought of His. Thorne shook his head and slowly lowered his eyes. If the heavens want to destroy me, then I shall pierce through the heavens. ... The heavens of The Lands Between had not been pierced, but the sky over Liurnia had already fallen into chaos. In Caria Manor, atop a magic tower, Ranni had been standing by the window since noon until the full moon rose.
The royal family was not blind; through allies harassing the lakeside, she already knew that unrest had broken out at the Academy, though she didn't know the scale.
Tap, tap, tap... The sound of rapid footsteps approached. Blaidd the wolfman walked over quickly, catching his breath as he said, "Princess, the latest news: the Academy Gate Town launched a collective petition. After being dispersed, the people fled in all directions." His voice was full of joy. This would greatly drain the enemy's soft power and energy.
While the quality of the Carian army was undoubtedly higher, the other side had more people and money; they had even been recruiting Kaiden Mercenaries recently. The people of Liurnia had long been suffocated by tyranny; a single spark could cause an explosion.
Ranni nodded, then thought of something else: "Why did the people dare to riot? Neither the Academy nor the Cuckoo are known for being soft-hearted."
"The Haligtree Army intervened, making them hesitant to act recklessly." Malenia? Ranni thought of this half-sister.
After a moment's reflection, she didn't believe that Valkyrie would act out of pity; even a lord's duty only applied to the people in their own territory. 'Does she want to display the authority of the Erdtree? Or does she want to intimidate the Academy into not making small moves behind her back?'
The Haligtree Army was on a long expedition from the far north to Caelid in the south, passing through numerous factions along the way. In Leyndell, there was Morgott; as long as an alliance was reached, his character could be trusted.
Liurnia, however, had not been conquered, and its reliability stemmed from military deterrence. If she didn't bare her fangs, how would the Academy and the Cuckoo stay in line? "Has she not considered the consequences of a failed expedition? She's as confident as ever." Ranni didn't think too much on it. Ever since participating in the Night of the Black Knives and killing her own body, she had cut off contact with her former brothers and sisters for safety's sake. "Fortunately, Malenia doesn't care about the golden order. Blaidd."
"Present."
"If I'm not mistaken, the person who ignited this powder keg was Thorne."
"Yes, and I have no idea how he did it." Blaidd was truly bewildered. Setting a fire in the enemy's nest was inconceivable enough, but to incite a riot and somehow escape successfully... He wanted to crack open Thorne's skull to see what was actually inside.
"He is a genius—those were your words." Ranni looked toward the massive structure in the distance, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned in the glass reflection.
"With your bravery, Iji's wisdom, and the disguise of a Black Knife, these things are not hard to achieve." The praise was so high it made Blaidd a bit jealous, thinking he could clearly squeeze the boy's guts out with one hand. But as a colleague, he remained fair. "Thorne Wright is indeed a rare talent, but he is in great danger right now." That was an obvious statement, but there wasn't much Caria could do. Breaking through to meet him was out of the question; more importantly, they didn't know where Thorne had run off to.
"What do you think Thorne will do after escaping the Academy?"
Kill his way back, of course! The wolfman swallowed those words. That kid was quite clever and wouldn't come back to seek death, so he simply put himself in Iji's shoes to think. "Going north is impossible. Going west would mean running straight into the Cuckoo. Hmm, he should be heading south to the Village of the Albinaurics, using the cover of the Albinaurics to return." Ranni remained silent for a moment, then thought, "If you can think of it, so can the Academy. This will be difficult."
Blaidd showed no sign of standing by while allies were surrounded. He immediately knelt on one knee. "Princess, please give your command."
"Very well. Have the manor prepare for a breakout to pin down the Cuckoo forces. Dispatch Adula to the Village of the Albinaurics to investigate. And most importantly—" Ranni paused, turned back to her desk, took out an envelope, and used all four hands to write. Before long, she had finished a letter. The man walked over to take a look and couldn't help but grin. "You're writing to Malenia to ask her to protect Thorne? Will that work?"
"It's better than doing nothing. The Albinaurics led by Loretta also went north, which is enough to show she has no hostility toward Caria." Ranni gave a gentle smile, packed the letter, dripped wax, stamped it with the royal seal, and handed it over. "But the Academy's desecration of the Golden Lineage cannot be erased. Have someone deliver this as quickly as possible."
"Understood." The wolfman turned to leave but was called back at the door. "Blaidd, if Thorne really cannot return..." Ranni's voice was as cold as moonlight, her azure eyes looking out the window, filled with royal majesty.
"He must absolutely not die!" Author's Note
Dear readers, thank you for reading this far.
Unknowingly, it's time for the VIP launch again. As an old writer with eight million words finished on Ciweimao and over ten million across the web, I'm always nervous at launch time. The success of a book comes from the popularity of the subject, the quality of the content, and the creativity. But I think what's more important is the professional attitude—writing seriously and doing one's best. Readers will then provide feedback through subscriptions.
As for this book itself, I have a few thoughts to share. First, the selection of material. After all, one must consider earnings when writing.
To be honest, I hesitated at first. There are many elden ring fanfics, but almost none have achieved great results. Compared to Arknights, Genshin Impact, or Honkai, it's incredibly cold. But I wrote it anyway, as a way to give an account for years of waiting. This reminds me of what I said when writing about ninjas: Trends pass, gimmicks become outdated, but seriousness always pays off. Second, the content.
FromSoftware's games have always been very, very difficult to write—at least much harder than mobile games. It's because they have a unique atmosphere called 'Souls-like,' which requires a heavy sense of epic scale, and that is very rare on Ciweimao. Furthermore, the setting is very complex, with many things being vague. I want to thank Reimu and other 'Souls scholars' for providing lore support. After all, aside from what is explicitly stated in the text, many things in Miyazaki's work rely on speculation.
Even the views of several 'Ring scholars' on Bilibili differ—for example, Melina's identity, who cut off the Dragon Lord's heads, what the Roundtable Hold in the capital really is, the relationship between the Erdtree and the crucible of life, etc. Scholars can argue all night, and messages will hit 99+ at any time. So, as long as it's something reasonable for everyone to discuss and not something Miyazaki has explicitly stated, it can't be set in stone. I will write according to the most reasonable settings. Third, the outlook. I have poured great passion into this book.
While maintaining rigorous deduction, it remains exhilarating. I aim to change the course of the world, keep side characters intelligent, and strive to write a classic elden ring fanfic while also focusing on depth and doing my best to create an epic feel. Of course, I will also take care of 'cloud readers' who don't know much about elden ring. By the way, are there any cloud readers? If so, you can just treat this as a high-quality Western fantasy novel. Thorne embarks on his journey from Liurnia, and his footsteps will cover The Lands Between.
Through his eyes, whether you know elden ring or not, you will see stories of love and hate, tragic songs of time, heroic epics, and the twilight of warriors. The paths he walks, the wine he drinks, the enemies he kills, and the people he meets will all remain in your memory, and finally—
Be forged into that brilliant and immortal elden ring! Heroes never die, glory lasts forever! So, Tarnished—
See you tomorrow! Sala Twin Trees
Night of May 12th
Chapter 44: Laskyar Town
Laskyar Town, on the southern shore of Liurnia of the Lakes.
As dawn broke, fully armed Cuckoo Soldiers were busy outside the town, setting up chevaux-de-frise and guard posts.
They cleared all the trees on both sides of the road, leaving no blind spots. Anyone wishing to leave the town would have to pass right under their noses.
Several knights galloped over, their cloaks covered in mud and frost.
As soon as they jumped off their horses, they ordered the soldiers to form a shield wall, blocking back those residents who wanted to leave. The storm from the town had reached this place as well.
After completely losing hope in the Academy, a large number of Liurnia people were preparing to flee to Limgrave, crowding the small town to capacity. People were already trying to leave early in the morning.
The Academy had somehow reached an agreement with the Haligtree Army, as the Cuckoo Knights did not resort to violence. They only claimed to be catching fugitives and said people could leave in an orderly fashion once the checkpoints were set up. Of course, a high toll was unavoidable. No money? Then please go back and leave once you've saved enough.
The number of people on the southern shore grew. After all, going to the capital Leyndell required passing through the Grand Lift of Dectus, and without a solid family fortune, who could afford the toll?
But heading south wasn't a great choice either; the Haligtree Army was clearly set for a major battle with Godrick, the lord of Limgrave, and the latter didn't have a good reputation—there would surely be more extortion. But the commoners had no choice; they could only numb themselves with thoughts of Limgrave's fertility, as if going there would lead to a better life.
"In the vast Lands Between, there isn't a single inch of peace. It's truly hard to be an ordinary person." Thorne lay behind a thicket, shaking his head while spying.
He had to remark that this body was quite capable; if he had transmigrated as an ordinary person, it would have been miserable.
Oh, the location was also good. If they were on the lake and a Giant Crawfish suddenly jumped out, he'd probably be GG on the spot.
Sellen was right beside him, yawning lightly, looking like she hadn't slept well.
"Are you sympathizing with them?"
"No, I just find it ironic."
Thorne knew Sellen had no pity, so he skipped the topic, found a corner to sit down, and muttered to himself:
"This is tricky. The Academy reacted too quickly. Those soldiers all have portraits of the two of us. It'll be very difficult to slip through."
He mimicked Sellen by rubbing his chin. This was already the southeastern corner of Liurnia. Further ahead was Stormveil Castle. As a neighbor, Godrick might have connections with the Academy, so they should try not to alert the enemy. These Cuckoos were quite professional, cutting down all the trees.
In broad daylight, they didn't look blind or deaf. Taking a detour would also be difficult. Returning to Caria Manor from here would mean going nearly halfway around the lake, and they'd have to pass through the main Cuckoo camp in the center. No matter how powerful Sellen was, she couldn't possibly kill an army of thousands. Besides, I still have to wait for Ranni's reaction. I just don't know who will arrive first—her or the Academy's pursuers.
"How about we head back onto the lake?" Sellen suggested quietly, seeing his dilemma. "Teacher, don't forget why we came to Laskyar. That Glintstone Dragon is very hard to deal with on the lake surface."
Thorne rolled his eyes. He had already heard the dragon's roar in the latter half of the night and had quickly changed direction. According to the original plan, he had intended to go to the Village of the Albinaurics to meet up with those Carian allies. It was obvious the Academy had anticipated this after their search in the northwest proved fruitless. Sellen didn't rush him; she just sat there waiting. Feeling a bit bored, she simply took out a sorcery book to pass the time.
She had only read two lines when her shoulder was lightly tapped. "Got a plan?"
"No, but retreating is suicide. Don't worry, I learned some disguise techniques from a nin—no, an adventurer. We'll sneak in first to scout the situation, then find a chance to slip away."
Sellen thought to herself, 'Who's worried?' She had no objection and was about to continue reading when Thorne leaned in.
"What are you doing?"
"Making some disguises." Thorne reached out and pulled off the hair tie Sellen used, letting her black hair fall into a mess, then gave it a vigorous rub until it looked quite disheveled.
That wasn't all. He grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it on her face. Before long, the elegant witch had turned into a grimy village girl. Sellen didn't bother to struggle; as a sorcerer of the Primeval school, she didn't care much for the physical body. It was just that the dirt was a bit smelly, making her frown.
"Done." Thorne pulled her up and, ignoring her protests, hid all the sorcery books inside a ring. "Let's go, let's head in and take a look!"
Just after noon, small boats continued to come ashore. The crowd in Laskyar grew larger.
The cries of children, the discussions of the people, curses, and prayers drifted from all around, creating a scene of wartime chaos.
War is a catastrophe where all human morality and conscience become worthless, but the resulting chaos is the best disguise.
Thorne and Sellen, equally dirty and smelly, easily blended in.
"Hide the food well, don't show your face."
"Don't mind the heat, wrap your clothes tight, and don't look at the Cuckoos passing by."
The cries of children, the discussions of the people, curses...