Bai Shi returned to the Roundtable, carrying a large cache of supplies bestowed by the Two Fingers, and entered the space of Grace.
Although he hadn't bought the items he intended to, such a trivial matter no longer seemed important.
Right now, Bai Shi just wanted to hurry up and count how many Runes the Two Fingers had given him.
Inside the space of Grace.
Melina was sitting on the round table, holding a few black feathers in her hand, turning them over and over as she examined them.
She was studying the black feathers she had collected from the headless soldiers they had encountered earlier.
She had never seen such feathers before, and there was nothing related to them in what remained of her memory.
However, Melina sensed the aura of a very ancient presence on them. These were certainly no ordinary feathers.
Bai Shi's excited voice interrupted Melina's thoughts.
"Melina, we're rich!""Hm?"
A hint of confusion appeared in Melina's eyes as she looked at Bai Shi.
She remembered Bai Shi had said he was going to the Roundtable Hold to repair his armor and buy some items. What did he mean by "rich"?
"Look!"
Bai Shi took off his Exile Hood and began to place the items given by the Two Fingers on the round table one by one.
First was the Flask of Wondrous Physick, followed by the Flasks of Crimson and Cerulean Tears, and then two Talisman Pouches.
Melina looked at these items, her expression also turning to one of surprise.
The Flask of Wondrous Physick, the Sacred Flasks, the Talisman Pouches—all were incredibly precious items.
Having more means of survival would be a great help in battle.
Just as Melina was about to ask Bai Shi how he had obtained these items, she saw that he was still taking more things out.
One after another, large Golden Runes glowing with a soft, golden light were placed on the table.
Among them were three or four that were perfectly whole and round—Runes that had condensed from the deaths of heroes who once received the Erdtree's blessing.
Melina's eyes widened. She hadn't finished counting, but there had to be more than a dozen Golden Runes.
Melina roughly estimated that the Runes contained within these Golden Runes amounted to at least 200,000.
Bai Shi laid everything out. Seeing the table laden with items, he felt extremely satisfied.
Seeing them on someone else's plate was one thing, but having them in his own hands was a completely different, more thrilling feeling.
"Where did all this come from? Didn't you come here to buy items? How did you end up with so many things?"
Melina was genuinely shocked. She had only waited at the Roundtable for a short while, yet he had returned with so many Runes.
Bai Shi could understand Melina's astonishment. It was as ridiculous as a family member saying they were going out to buy groceries, only to come back saying they bought a lottery ticket on the way and won hundreds of thousands.
Bai Shi cleared his throat and began to recount what had happened.
"Well, you see, didn't I get Radagon's Soreseal from Erlisa?"
"The Two Fingers sensed Radagon's Soreseal on me, so it had an envoy lead me through a secret passage to grant me an audience. It said I had the makings of a king."
"It seems dissatisfied with the current state of the Roundtable and wants me to defeat Godrick to become a role model and paragon for the other Tarnished."
"So I said, 'Me, fight Godrick? For real? Lord Two Fingers, could you perhaps offer a little sponsorship?'"
"And believe it or not, the Two Fingers actually gave me a ton of good stuff. This is a huge win for us."
Bai Shi looked at the gleaming Golden Runes before him and laughed happily.
Hearing that these things were from the Two Fingers, Melina was happy for Bai Shi, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Was it really that simple? For the Two Fingers to be so generous, could there be some other conditions?" Bai Shi thought for a moment, recalling his conversation with the Two Fingers.
"The Two Fingers didn't mention any conditions. If I had to name one, it would be to defeat the demigods, but that's something I was going to do even if it didn't ask."
"The Two Fingers must be getting anxious. The Roundtable Hold has been inactive for a long time."
"Although these resources were given by the Two Fingers, they don't really have much to do with it personally. It wouldn't be stingy when it decided to act."
Bai Shi had also spoken with the envoy a bit more just now. To be precise, the envoy had come to suck up to him.
"The envoy who led me here said that these are the public resources of the Roundtable Hold, used to reward accomplished Tarnished."
"However, the resources kept piling up, yet not a single Tarnished was able to earn the reward. This time, the Two Fingers used finding the consort's Soreseal as a pretext to reward me."
It seemed to make sense, but Melina still felt that something was off.
Melina began to ponder, quickly piecing together what Bai Shi had mentioned about the relationships within the Roundtable Hold. She surprisingly arrived at the correct conclusion.
"Bai Shi, I'm afraid the Two Fingers wants you to go against that Sir Gideon Ofnir you mentioned last time."
"Many of these supplies were gathered under the orders of the Two Fingers by Gideon himself. As the overt leader of the Roundtable, even the Two Fingers shouldn't have bypassed him to reward you in secret."
"Moreover, if these supplies were truly meant for accomplished Tarnished, then the award should have been made public, because it's a tribute to a hero."
"Unless... the relationship between the Two Fingers and Sir Gideon has become extremely tense. It wants to invest in you early to counter him."
Bai Shi was taken aback for a moment, then began to think.
"Yes, you're right. To recognize a hero with achievements, even without a Great Rune, the Two Fingers could have easily opened the main doors to summon me."
"For the Roundtable in its current state, even a small boost in morale would be precious. Unless... the Two Fingers wants me to remain hidden, to not be exposed to Gideon's sight before I obtain a Great Rune."
Melina nodded and reminded Bai Shi once more.
"You must be careful of that man called Sir Gideon Ofnir."
"If this is the amount of resources he's revealed, the amount he's collected for himself is likely much, much greater."
"I'm afraid that after stockpiling so many resources, his power has become truly terrifying."
Bai Shi felt a little worried. That Gideon fellow ran deep, and he had no idea what his situation was.
Forget it, I'll deal with it later. Bai Shi crushed the Golden Runes one by one, letting the power flow into his body.
Now that it's come to this, it's time to level up.
—
In Sir Gideon's room, he was still at his desk, constantly flipping through books and documents.
An informant emerged from a secret passage and came to whisper in his ear.
Gideon multitasked, continuing his studies while processing the new information.
After the informant left, he suddenly muttered to himself.
"The Two Fingers is finally making a move. It seems my own actions were a bit too obvious."
"That Tarnished... although his equipment is different, he isn't a Banished Knight."
"But today, I felt that same aura again, one that resembles Marika's. Could it be him?"
He then shook his head.
"I wonder if that fellow is someone who can be reasoned with. I, too, hope for an ally."
"But if he's just another hot-head who gets fired up after a little sweet-talking from the Two Fingers, then I can only hope he doesn't interfere with my plans."
A long, long time ago, when Sir Gideon had his audience with the Two Fingers, he had known.
The Two Fingers... had long since been broken.