For the moment, Bai Shi had no suitable way to store the daggers, so he had to continue carrying the two Reduvias.
‘It’s constantly dripping blood. Practically a sacred artifact for making blood stew.’
Bai Shi's train of thought inexplicably went off on a tangent. Perhaps it was a form of mental relaxation.
The story of how Nerijus became a Bloody Finger was utterly insane. After hearing it, Bai Shi’s mood was actually quite heavy.
It was probably because he had so thoroughly integrated into this world that he felt such disgust for these people.
The Lands Between had no forms of relaxation or entertainment, nor were there any group chat friends to vent to about his frustrations.
He could only rely on making snide remarks to himself to regulate his emotions.
Ever since the previous night when he had started contemplating how to change the fate of the Lands Between, Bai Shi had been feeling a bit of pressure.
After all, he was just a shut-in in his past life. Changing the world wasn't something you could call his destiny; it was more like something completely unrelated to him.
However, Bai Shi had no intention of running from it anymore. He would shoulder this responsibility and become the Elden Lord.Even if the road ahead was long, he was willing to take the first step.
—
When Bai Shi took the lift and entered Castle Morne, he was stunned by the scene before him.
In the vast, wide courtyard, a dozen or so variously dressed Tarnished were securely tied up, with two or three soldiers standing guard nearby.
What the hell? Had Castle Morne started capturing Tarnished, too?
Bai Shi couldn't make heads or tails of it.
One of the soldiers on guard saw Bai Shi return and immediately ran toward him. It was none other than Bai Shi's little fan, Yulius.
Yulius's orders were to ask Bai Shi how to deal with these Tarnished once he returned.
The bound Tarnished also saw Bai Shi, and upon a closer look, they immediately realized that he, too, was Tarnished.
Seeing Yulius run toward Bai Shi, the captured Tarnished thought he was going to arrest him and began to shout:
"Run!"
"Run, don't get caught!"
When they saw that Bai Shi remained completely unmoved, simply standing there in silence, they assumed he was scared stiff and grew disappointed:
"Sigh, another one's about to be captured..."
"At least we'll have some company when we die, won't we..."
Who would have expected Yulius to run up to Bai Shi and immediately drop to one knee in a salute?
This sudden turn of events left the Tarnished completely dumbfounded.
"?"
Hold on, buddy.
Why is it that we’re all Tarnished, but when he sees you, he practically grovels, yet when he sees us, he just ties us up for some bondage games?
Of course, the above segment was entirely a product of Bai Shi’s imagination.
Yulius stood up and asked Bai Shi respectfully,
"Lord Bai Shi, Lord Edgar wants to know how these Tarnished should be handled."
Bai Shi thought for a moment.
"No, rather than how to handle them, I'm more curious about what exactly happened."
"I was only gone for half a day, wasn't I?"
Yulius pointed at the group of bound Tarnished and began to explain the full story to Bai Shi.
"After you left, Lady Erlisa said she wanted to go outside the castle for a stroll."
"So Lord Edgar had me lead the way and do a patrol at the same time."
"When Lady Erlisa and I arrived at a nearby beach, we saw a dilapidated wooden boat that looked like it was about to fall apart."
"Lady Erlisa froze the entire section of the sea so that these Tarnished could walk directly off the boat."
"But they were very nervous, probably thinking Lady Erlisa was attacking them, so they attacked her."
"And then they were all frozen solid."
Bai Shi looked at the Tarnished's faces. Sure enough, there were red welts from being frozen.
"Their boat seems rather large, to carry such a big group across the ocean." Yulius scratched his chin and spoke, a bit embarrassed.
"Uh, actually, only five or six of them were on the boat."
"The other ten or so weren't with them."
Bai Shi was shocked. He had thought that mistaking aid for an attack and fighting back was the peak of this incident's absurdity.
He never expected there would be an even greater master of folly. Whose brilliant commander was this?
"The other ten or so saw Lady Erlisa fighting them and charged out of a cave near the beach to help."
"And then they were all frozen solid, too."
The Tarnished all hung their heads, having understood everything.
They realized they had made a terrible blunder, misinterpreting her kindness, and had ended up dragging their would-be rescuers down with them.
"Uh, well, this has certainly been full of twists and turns."
Bai Shi didn't know what to say for a moment, then he suddenly recalled a famous line: At a time like this, all you need to do is smile.
And so, Bai Shi offered an awkward yet polite smile.
"So, does Edgar have any thoughts on the matter?"
"I have no objections."
Edgar happened to emerge from a nearby corridor.
He walked all the way over to Bai Shi.
"Since they were captured by the Erlisa you brought back, it has nothing to do with me. Besides, they've done no harm to Castle Morne."
"Do with them as you see fit."
Bai Shi nodded.
"Then let them go. It was just a small misunderstanding."
The bound Tarnished were overjoyed, thanking Bai Shi profusely.
"Oh, right. Don't get too excited just yet. I happen to have a few things I'd like to ask you."
—
Bai Shi lay in bed, resting. After he had released the Tarnished, he had taken the opportunity to ask them about their situation.
The few who had crossed the sea belonged to a single family.
The family wasn't large, nor was it as prominent as that of the Hoslow brothers. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that those who had crossed the sea were the family's last hope.
That was why their boat was in such poor condition; it nearly fell apart before it even reached the Lands Between. Meeting Erlisa was actually quite a stroke of luck for them.
As for the dozen or so who had emerged from the cave, they had arrived on the Weeping Peninsula some time ago.
The first Tarnished among them had discovered that he couldn't get past the Bridge of Sacrifice, so he decided to lay low. Using a cave as a gathering point, he continuously explored the Weeping Peninsula while also helping other Tarnished.
Over time, a group of about a dozen people had gathered, helping one another to survive until now. This time, they had simply been trying to lend a hand, only to get themselves dragged into the mess.
In the end, Edgar provided them with a meal and then let them all go.
After seeing how friendly Castle Morne was, quite a few of them chose to stay and help with chores in exchange for room and board, which was a far better alternative to sleeping in the wilderness.
As for the remaining few who still held grand ambitions and wished to venture out, Bai Shi had Edgar grant them permission to cross the Bridge of Sacrifice. He hoped he might see them again someday, still alive.
Bai Shi was now contemplating an idea sparked by the Tarnished who had chosen to stay.
The Roundtable Hold could take in Tarnished, but he could also take them in on his own territory.
There were far too many Tarnished who couldn't enter the Roundtable Hold, and they represented a considerable force.
As Bai Shi was lost in thought, developing his plan, he failed to notice that the Reduvias in a clay pot had gathered a large pool of blood.
The blood writhed quietly. An eye gradually surfaced from beneath the pool. The eye turned, its gaze fixing on Bai Shi.
He had found Bai Shi.