Being one of the living dead was, to some extent, inconvenient.
Morgott began to contemplate.
How could he, under so much surveillance, disguise himself with an identity that allowed for more freedom of movement?
Although the living dead wandered everywhere, they would be stopped if there were guards at the entrance to certain areas.
Morgott doubted they would allow a living corpse to wander freely into important zones.
However, he wasn't in a rush to change his identity immediately.
This infiltration was primarily for intelligence gathering; there was no urgent objective that needed to be completed quickly.
Since he would be staying in Stormveil for a long time, there was no need to hurry.
First, he would use the identity of a living dead to scout out all the places their presence wouldn't attract attention. Later, he would find a way to evade notice and change his identity.
If possible, it would be best to get rid of this "living dead" identity through a "death."Then he could change into a Tarnished or some other guise and re-enter Stormveil.
Once he had the identity of a Tarnished, he could use it to gather intelligence or even directly join Stormveil's army.
It would be best to join one of the city's defense units to figure out the locations of defensive equipment and important buildings, and to find Stormveil's true strategic points.
In addition, there was the matter of troop numbers, their distribution, their strength, and the number of mid- to high-level combatants...
Studying these things was the key to future warfare.
Morgott stepped back from the window and sat on his bunk, thinking quietly.
Stormveil's greatest advantage was its incredibly rugged terrain.
Aside from the single bridge at the main gate, there was virtually no other way for a conventional army to reach Stormveil.
The armies of Leyndell, Royal Capital, lacked the high mobility required to scale Stormveil's outer cliffs.
As for a frontal assault, it would likely be even more difficult than the past counterattack on Volcano Manor.
Therefore, if they wanted to breach Stormveil, the best method was to find an opportunity to sabotage it from within.
At the very least, they had to destroy the city's important production and logistical facilities.
The specific implementation of this plan was something Morgott would have to study continuously in the days to come.
Lying on his bed, Morgott began to plan his future course of action.
The next morning, Morgott and everyone else in the dormitory were roused and led to a construction site within the city.
The building under construction here had a design similar to the one they lived in, which seemed to be the standard architecture in Stormveil.
Morgott looked at the large pot assigned to him, unsure of what it was for.
The overseer knew Morgott was new and demonstrated for him.
He took the large pot to another area and filled it with a generous amount of adhesive.
Then, he shoveled up a scoop of gravel from the ground, poured it into the pot of adhesive, and stirred vigorously.
He said to Morgott,
"Just one scoop at a time. I hope you can remember that."
Of course, it didn't matter if he forgot; he could just be reassigned to other work.
Someone would inspect the work later. Unqualified batches would be remixed, and any living dead unsuited for this task would be promptly reassigned.
Soon, this pot of materials had undergone its initial processing.
Further processing was beyond the capabilities of these living dead.
Other materials would later be added to these pots to make them usable.
Each pot would be sealed and counted as one unit, convenient for storage and for calling upon during construction.
He took the pot to a designated spot, where another living dead mechanically handed him an empty one.
The overseer watched Morgott go through the process once on his own, felt it was fine, and then left.
And so, from that day on, Morgott's life of mixing mortar in Stormveil officially began.
---
Bai Shi had no idea that a heavyweight character had infiltrated his main base in Stormveil.
He had now used a Site of Grace to teleport to the Liurnia region.
This time, Bai Shi came alone, without having Senessax fly him over.
Compared to flying from Caelid, using a Site of Grace was much faster.
Bai Shi's current location was near the Liurnia Highway.
Soon, he found the statue of a Death-Guiding Shepherd on the edge of a nearby cliff.
Summoning Torrent, Bai Shi headed in the direction the statue was pointing.
He passed through a dense forest and then began searching for the entrance to the catacomb among the rugged mountain rocks.
Bai Shi remembered that the catacomb here was hidden within the mountainside, so he would have to search carefully, or it would be hard to find.
After circling the area twice, Bai Shi finally found the gate leading to the catacomb.
This catacomb was called the Cliffbottom Catacombs.
However, its main door was now wide open. It seemed that grave robbers had already beaten him to it.
Bai Shi frowned slightly, hoping the grave robbers weren't too skilled.
If it were an ordinary catacomb, being plundered would just mean a wasted trip.
But the Nox Mirrorhelm in this catacomb was an extremely important item. Not having it would be very troublesome.
There might not be another Mirrorhelm in the entire Lands Between.
Even if there was, it wouldn't be in a location Bai Shi knew of.
Bai Shi casually touched the Site of Grace at the entrance to the catacomb, then proceeded straight down into it.
Melina looked at Bai Shi, who was clearly acting with premeditation, and shook her head.
Bai Shi was great in every other way, but sometimes, he seemed to have a particular fondness for catacombs and caves.
And it seemed it wasn't just Bai Shi; many of the Tarnished under his command were the same way.
It made one wonder, do the Tarnished really have a knightly spirit?
Bai Shi was unaware of Melina's thoughts about him.
He couldn't help it; it was the nature of a Tarnished.
After all, the catacomb was right there.
As for knightly spirit... he could only say that the blood of a true Souls V player flowed with the desire for victory.
No one cares about chivalry when there are cheap shots to be had.
Bai Shi descended the steps one by one and soon saw a lift.
Riding the lift all the way down, he finally reached the true interior of the catacomb.
As soon as he got off, an imp statue in the wide room ahead rushed toward him, shooting two throwing knives as it came.
Bai Shi summoned a storm to block the knives and simultaneously swung an empty hand, sending out a blade of air that shattered the imp to pieces.
He walked into the spacious room and then, as if anticipating it, spun around and grabbed an imp that leaped out from a corner by the doorway.
Gripping the imp's arm, which was clutching a forked hatchet, Bai Shi smiled faintly.
Heh, as a veteran Souls-like player, how could he not know the little tricks of the catacombs?
You could never let your guard down around a corner.
After casually dispatching the imp, Bai Shi surveyed the wide room.
He saw that besides the two imps he had dealt with, there were a few other scattered imp corpses.
In addition, there was a highly decomposed human corpse, dressed in what appeared to be noble attire.
Perhaps this was the mastermind of the previous grave-robbing attempt.
It looked like he had been ambushed and killed by the imps from behind.
Bai Shi stroked his chin. If even a noble died here, the tomb raiding was probably unsuccessful, right?
Hopefully, no one escaped with the treasure.
Bai Shi turned left and headed down, continuing his exploration of the catacomb.
Turning left and descending from this room, he came upon the chamber where the tomb's guardian resided.
The outside of this great door had a stone-carved archway, flanked by two statues of skeletons in long robes holding staves.
In the Lands Between, many catacombs were structured this way, with the guardian's room located in the outermost area.
This metal door was carved with the massive roots of the Erdtree.
Normally, the doors to these tombs would be sealed by a mechanism and difficult to open; one would have to find the corresponding lever.
But the mechanism for this door had already been activated.
The heavy, mechanically-sealed metal door was now open.
Since that was the case, it saved Bai Shi the effort of kicking it down again. He walked down into the room.
Once he reached the boss room at the very bottom, Bai Shi finally saw the guardian of this catacomb.
It turned out to be an Erdtree Burial Watchdog.
The Erdtree Burial Watchdog was another type of mechanical golem.
It had three peculiar heads arranged in a row, and its body had an indescribably strange shape.
This particular Erdtree Burial Watchdog wielded a massive scepter, far heavier than a standard warhammer.
The Erdtree Burial Watchdog had already stood up, its two legs moving mechanically as it advanced on Bai Shi without a word.
Bai Shi was very calm, even having the leisure to look around.
He saw several decomposed corpses of Kaidan Sellswords on the ground. These bodies were very old, the flesh almost completely rotted away, with only the equipment retaining some of its shape.
It seemed the earlier noble had also hired Kaidan Sellswords as muscle.
Judging by the time, these sellswords were likely not Hakan's companions.
They were another group of Kaidan Sellswords, hired by a different noble to raid this tomb.
But it seemed they had failed as well, falling at the last hurdle against this guardian.
Bai Shi stood his ground, the Ancient Dragon Sacred Seal in his hand glowing faintly.
Then, faint arcs of electricity appeared out of thin air on the Erdtree Burial Watchdog's body.
It had been locked onto by Bai Shi.
Incantation—Honed Bolt.
A bolt of orange-yellow lightning struck down precisely on the Erdtree Burial Watchdog's head.
This single strike shattered one of the heads on the watchdog's head, sending it and part of its torso rolling to the ground.
Bai Shi used Honed Bolt twice more, destroying a small part of its body.
However, this Erdtree Burial Watchdog was not so easily defeated. It endured the lightning and continued to advance on Bai Shi.
Wounds that would be fatal to any ordinary creature couldn't stop this bizarre machine.
The scepter in the Erdtree Burial Watchdog's hand began to glow with magical light. Several small magical orbs drifted out from the glintstone embedded in its center, all flying toward Bai Shi.
At the same time, the Erdtree Burial Watchdog raised its scepter high and swung it straight down at him.
Red lightning spread from Bai Shi's hand, covering his entire body and enveloping him.
With a casual wave, he easily shattered all the incoming magic orbs.
Then Bai Shi extended one hand and firmly caught the watchdog's falling scepter.
The stone tiles beneath his feet were shattered by the watchdog's immense force, but Bai Shi's body didn't even sway, standing firm and unmoving.
Surging lightning burst forth from the hand holding the scepter, completely engulfing the Erdtree Burial Watchdog. The sound of the golem's body cracking echoed repeatedly.
In a matter of seconds, the Erdtree Burial Watchdog had been completely reduced to rubble.
Bai Shi picked up the watchdog's scepter from the ground and looked it over.
This scepter was quite sturdy; it was only slightly damaged and hadn't been destroyed.
However, it seemed there wasn't much use in keeping it.
After a moment's thought, Bai Shi picked it up anyway and placed it in his spatial disk.
It was a spoil of war, after all. Even if it was a bit useless, throwing it away felt like a bit of a waste.
Bai Shi looked at the ground. Among the debris of the watchdog were many ornate decorations and gems, as well as some things that looked like glintstone fragments.
These items were quite valuable in the Lands Between. No wonder a noble would risk sending Kaidan Sellswords against a guardian watchdog.
Or perhaps they thought there would be some treasure in this guardian's room?
After defeating the Erdtree Burial Watchdog, Bai Shi looked around at the corpses of the Kaidan Sellswords.
Among them was one lucky soul whose spirit had been preserved, turning into spirit ashes.
Bai Shi took out a small box and collected the ashes.
Because he had been picking up spirit ashes frequently lately, he had prepared some boxes specifically for this purpose.
After all, not every spirit ash was as considerate as those sorcerers who came with their own glintstone crowns to hold their remains.
Confirming there was no other loot here, Bai Shi walked out and continued down to the lower levels of the catacomb.
Along the way, Bai Shi handily dealt with all the imp statues.
Before long, a multi-layered, three-dimensional gallery appeared before him.
The level Bai Shi was on was in the middle, with a staircase in front of him leading to the next level down.
But directly opposite was a massive statue, which would definitely require a detour to reach.
Generally, the lever to open the boss room door was located beneath that statue.
And there was a ladder in this area, propped against the level with the statue.
Presumably, the Kaidan Sellswords had used that ladder to reach the lever and open the gate.
Since there was nothing left up there, Bai Shi had no intention of going over.
So he followed the stairs and proceeded to the next level down.
To be honest, Bai Shi didn't have a very deep impression of this catacomb.
He only remembered that the important item, the Nox Mirrorhelm, was here.
Mainly because most of the catacombs in Elden Ring had the same design. Except for those with unique structures that left a deep impression, it was hard to clearly remember the paths inside the others.
But it didn't matter. With his strength, exploring this place was like a stroll in the park.
Even if he had to wander around a few extra times, clearing the entire place was no problem at all.
As Bai Shi was walking, an imp suddenly dropped from the ceiling and pounced at him.
Before it could get close, Bai Shi had already kicked out, shattering it to pieces.
But the scattered remains of the imp triggered a mechanism on the floor ahead.
From a trap at the end of the passage, three glintstone pebbles shot out in a row, their width matching the path perfectly.
This was followed by a second and a third volley.
But magic of this level was no problem for Bai Shi at all.
He casually applied a layer of wind armor to his armor, not even needing to dodge.
Further ahead was a fork leading to the right. Bai Shi stepped into it.
After emerging from that passage, he faced an even more open space with a three-level design. This time, Bai Shi was at the very bottom of the area.
Bai Shi couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of this catacomb.
The Black Knife Catacombs he had visited before was nowhere near this scale.
Aside from a second floor and a basement, there wasn't much else to speak of.
But this Cliffbottom Catacombs required a lift right from the start, followed by continuous downward movement.
Now there were paths leading constantly upward. There were at least five levels vertically, which was absurdly large.
On the ground floor here was a pool of stagnant water, pale green in color, in which the severed bodies of Kaidan Sellswords were soaking. It was already showing signs of turning into a poison swamp.
Poison and Scarlet Rot were one and the same, both belonging to a distant, ancient god.
As long as water ceased to flow, it would attract corruption.
It starts with poison, but in time it will deepen, eventually becoming Scarlet Rot.
The enemies guarding this area were somewhat strange, surprising Bai Shi.
Because guarding this place were actually two Omen Bairns.
The first Omen Bairn was hiding in a dark corner, with a few bellflowers in front of it. It was unclear if it was admiring them.
The second Omen Bairn stood on the second level.
Bai Shi's arrival once again shattered their peaceful existence.
The Omen Bairn directly facing Bai Shi spotted him first. It stood up and charged at him, brandishing a large blade.
Although it didn't know Bai Shi's intentions, anyone appearing in a catacomb was surely a grave robber.
In that case, there was no need for words. Eliminate the grave robber immediately.
Bai Shi continued to use the lightning incantations he had just learned, honing his application and understanding of lightning.
A bolt of lightning snaked across the ground, and a series of thunderbolts struck the Omen Bairn fiercely, leaving its skin torn and its body charred black.
The Omen Bairn fell to the ground in agony. Its thick hide, which could withstand much damage, now became a burden that prevented its release.
Bai Shi followed up with another lightning strike to lessen its suffering.
The other Omen Bairn on the floor above, as well as two imps, also heard the commotion.
The two imps on the top level frantically threw items, but to little effect.
The Omen Bairn on the second floor let out a roar, leaped down, and attacked Bai Shi with the force of a mountain splitting, only to be sliced in two by a blade of wind in mid-air.
As for the two imps above, Bai Shi fired two wind bullets from his fingertips and finished them off.
Walking up the stairs to the second floor, he faced a special room sealed by an imp statue.
Seeing that the seal was intact, Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the previous grave robbers had failed after all. The Nox Mirrorhelm should be there.
Bai Shi inserted a Stonesword Key, and the contents of the hidden room were fully revealed.
In the very center of the room, a hidden chest was placed, clearly of "Eternal City" style.
Bai Shi walked over and pushed open the chest. Inside, nestled in soft cotton, was a strange helmet.
This was the most precious treasure in the entire catacomb, the Nox Mirrorhelm.
Storing this relic of an ancient civilization in his spatial disk, Bai Shi considered whether to stay and explore the rest of the catacomb.
He had already obtained the most important item, the Nox Mirrorhelm. The remaining things were rather ordinary, nothing of great importance.
However, after a moment's thought, Bai Shi decided to finish exploring the catacomb anyway.
There was an old saying in his hometown: since I'm already here.