Bai Shi walked over to the Black Knife Assassin.
A pool of blood had already formed beneath her, but she still clung to life.
She seemed to be unconscious.
Bai Shi didn't touch her directly. Instead, he gently prodded her hand with his Carian Glintstone Staff.
He nudged her twice, but there was no reaction.
Still, Bai Shi didn't rush to help her up.
After all, he didn't know the exact effect of being struck by Destined Death.
Mohg's bloodflame dealt continuous damage, which was already terrifying enough.
Destined Death was surely only stronger, not weaker.
If he was careless and it hit him, he might have to use his Fengling Yueying system again.He could use it for testing or to save his life in battle, but wasting it due to his own carelessness was something Bai Shi couldn't accept.
Bai Shi used the end of his staff to lift the Black Knife Assassin's hood.
The hood had been shredded by the storm, resembling little more than a rag, and a cascade of white hair spilled out.
Flipping the hood back revealed the assassin's blood-soaked face.
When the storm had raged, every inch of her skin had been subjected to its relentless assault. The result was quite grim.
He poked her cheek with the staff. Still no movement.
Seeing that the assassin was almost completely unresponsive, Bai Shi figured she must have truly lost consciousness.
He went over, pried her hand open from its tight grip on the Black Knife, and took it.
Once he had the Black Knife, Bai Shi no longer had to worry about a counterattack.
Without her blade, she had no means of threatening him.
No matter how she might struggle, she would be like a little cat swiping its paws.
Bai Shi helped the Black Knife Assassin up.
Only upon getting closer did he realize her breathing was incredibly faint. It was clear she had no strength left.
After confirming the assassin was incapable of resisting, Bai Shi took out his Flask of Crimson Tears and poured the liquid into her mouth.
As the contents of one flask went down her throat, her vital signs began to stabilize, and her breathing gradually steadied.
Although her wounds hadn't fully healed, she was out of danger.
Bai Shi thought for a moment and poured two more flasks of Crimson Tears into her mouth.
The flask would automatically refill at a Site of Grace anyway, and he had plenty of them now.
Unlike in the game, in this reality, a single Golden Seed could be carved into a new flask; it wouldn't start requiring two or three seeds to make one.
Although it would be easier to control her if she wasn't fully healed, it didn't seem necessary.
Even at full strength, as long as she didn't have her Black Knife, she posed no danger. Bai Shi could still easily control her.
Besides, healing her would be a show of goodwill, making future communication easier.
If possible, Bai Shi preferred not to use forceful methods.
Two more flasks of Crimson Tears were poured into the assassin's mouth, and the effect was remarkable.
Her breathing became completely steady, her wounds stopped bleeding and began to heal.
Though she was still unconscious, her condition might even be better than before the fight.
Bai Shi picked up a piece of cloth that had fallen from the assassin's clothing and wiped the blood from her face.
The Black Knife Assassin's features were fully revealed, exquisite and beautiful.
Combined with her tall frame and full head of white hair, she had the aura of a cool, mature beauty.
It was just that the storm had snapped off much of her hair, so the varying lengths looked a bit strange.
The Numen were generally taller than ordinary humans.
Standing, the assassin would be at least a head and a half taller than Bai Shi, with long, slender limbs.
If she were a character in a certain kind of work, she'd be the very definition of a commanding, mature beauty—a truly impressive woman.
Speaking of which, the Black Knife Assassin's equipment was now in tatters from the storm's onslaught.
Although her Black Knife Armor had a lot of metal coverage, and the armor plating kept her from being completely exposed, the cloth on her shoulders, under her arms, on her thighs, and at the hem of her armor was shredded.
With just a glance, Bai Shi could see large patches of snow-white skin.
Snow-white was no mere poetic compliment; her skin was truly, unusually pale.
The skin of the Numen was somewhat similar to that of the Nox, but it wasn't a reflective silver. It was the pale white of someone who never saw the sun.
Yet, on them, it looked harmonious and didn't give off a sickly impression.
Large swaths of fresh blood stained her skin, appearing even more vivid and striking against its delicate fairness.
How should he put it? Bai Shi had seen many characters and races in the Lands Between.
He had to admit that the Black Knife Assassins, or rather, the Numen, were very much to his liking.
Especially their physique and figure—tall yet slender, and not gaunt.
Moreover, the tall, slender build of the Numen was not as exaggerated as that of the Zamor.
A Zamor like Erlisa was simply too tall; Bai Shi only came up to her waist.
The Zamor's proportions were also quite different from humans, strangely gaunt.
But the Numen, who shared a race with Marika, didn't give off that feeling.
Their overall proportions were very harmonious, similar to humans, just giving the impression of a tall, very mature, and imposing woman.
Bai Shi shook his head, clearing the strange thoughts of interspecies appreciation from his mind.
He sat across from the Black Knife Assassin, holding her blade, turning it over and over in his hands to examine it.
The design of the Black Knife was quite peculiar.
Besides the main blade like a normal dagger, a curved edge extended out below it.
The handguard on the hilt was also formed from two more curving blades, each twisting outward.
In other words, a single Black Knife had a total of four blades.
Bai Shi highly doubted that these three extra blades were for decoration. They must each have their own function and purpose.
Presumably, the assassins could use them to attack and assassinate their enemies from various angles.
But the most obvious feature of the Black Knife was the crack that snaked its way down the blade's surface.
Bai Shi knew this was the proof that the blade was imbued with Destined Death.
Back then, Ranni had used a ritual to infuse the power of the Rune of Death into the Black Knives.
But how could an ordinary weapon withstand the power of the Rune of Death?
Even though the Black Knife was no ordinary blade, it inevitably fractured after the ritual.
The mark of the ritual was thus indelibly left within the crack on the blade.
Rituals held a special meaning in the Lands Between.
Items that had undergone a ritual often gained extraordinary properties.
For example, the Sacred Flask could not be tainted by anything, and even time could not change it.
Ritual Pots, unlike Cracked Pots, could repair themselves after use.
The fact that Ranni and the others couldn't remove the traces left by the ritual was also due to its sacred nature.
Although the ritual could serve as evidence of their crime, the ritual itself was a noble power used to transfer a rune.
In essence, this ritual was a grand ceremony acknowledged by the world itself, which was why it left behind an indelible trace and the identity of its orchestrator.
However, no matter how much Bai Shi examined the Black Knife, he couldn't figure anything out.
Honestly, he had no idea how Rogier had managed to study the mark on the blade and glean the information left on it, let alone deduce that Ranni was the one who presided over the ritual.
But it didn't matter. Bai Shi didn't need to prove that Ranni conducted the ritual.
Because he knew the plot.
As long as he showed the Black Knife to Ranni and told her he found it inside the catacombs, she would never suspect him of tricking her.
After all, when the evidence and the correct conclusion are presented right in front of you, you're not likely to question the process, especially with something so secretive.
Ranni would simply admit to it freely.
So Bai Shi didn't need to worry about that. All he had to do was go find her.
But he had to do it soon. He couldn't delay this matter for too long.
He had to find Ranni before the Radahn Festival.
Because the other bargaining chip he held was the Starfall Shadow katana.
Ranni didn't have the Fingerslayer Blade yet.
And the Starfall Shadow in his possession indeed had an undeniable connection to the Fingerslayer Blade.
But a weapon of unknown origin could only serve as a secondary option.
After the Radahn Festival, the fate of the Carian Royal Family would begin to turn, and the path to Nokron, Eternal City, would open.
Once Ranni or her subordinates entered Nokron and obtained the Fingerslayer Blade, there would be no point in him approaching her with the Starfall Shadow.
Compared to a weapon of unknown origin, the Fingerslayer Blade, with its known history and purpose, was what Ranni truly needed.
The game was the game, but reality was reality.
It was impossible for him to join Ranni's service now and act as her hired muscle like in the game's storyline.
If Bai Shi actually did something like that, people would laugh at him for the rest of his life.
So, the best course of action was to forge a deeper cooperation, to become allies who could help each other.
Bai Shi wanted to cooperate with Ranni not just to further his relationship with her and make it easier to win her over later, but also to leverage her power to achieve his own goals.
For instance, helping Melina regain a physical body.
Bai Shi wanted to first ask Ranni about the secret art of "rebirth" that the Full Moon Queen possessed.
If he could use the queen's secret art to create a body, he wanted to make one for Melina.
Since the Full Moon Queen was Ranni's own mother, he had to give her a heads-up first. Otherwise, Ranni might misunderstand and think he had some ill intentions toward her mother.
Besides, Ranni had experience with transferring souls into bodies.
Although she transferred her soul into a doll, she still had a method for it.
"Bai Shi, can I see that dagger?"
Melina made a rare request.
Seeing Bai Shi staring blankly at the Black Knife, Melina wanted to touch it.
Both the blade and its wielder gave her a strong sense of familiarity.
Melina had a premonition that this time, she would surely be able to recover a part of her memory.
"Yes, of course. What's wrong?"
Faced with Bai Shi's question, Melina didn't hesitate to share her thoughts.
"This weapon, and that person, both feel very familiar to me."
"I want to hold it and see if I can remember anything."
Melina could only manifest at a Site of Grace, so they had to leave the catacombs and go to the one at the entrance.
--
First, Bai Shi carried the Black Knife Assassin outside to the Site of Grace at the entrance of the catacombs.
He tore a loosely hanging piece of cloth from the assassin's clothes and stuffed it into her mouth to prevent any dramatic scenes like biting her tongue to commit suicide.
Then, he took a sturdy rope from the bags on Torrent's back.
He used the rope to tie the Black Knife Assassin up securely, preventing her from disappearing the moment he left the Site of Grace.
Since Bai Shi wasn't particularly skilled in the art of bondage, he wrapped the rope around her many times, until she was bundled up like a rice dumpling.
Only after all this was done, ensuring the Black Knife Assassin couldn't break free, did Bai Shi feel at ease entering the Site of Grace with Melina.
Melina took the Black Knife from Bai Shi's hand and examined it carefully.
The moment she held it, an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her.
Melina couldn't help but make a few tentative swings with the blade, and the familiar feeling grew stronger with each movement.
Soon, Melina stood up and began to swing the Black Knife with wide, sweeping motions, her movements becoming increasingly practiced.
Bai Shi watched from the side as Melina expertly wielded the Black Knife, just like the assassin had, and his expression grew a little subtle.
Is Melina about to awaken memories of a past life?</<>
Bai Shi was very familiar with this kind of feeling.
It was like finding an Eclipse Shotel and some Soporific Grease in the game, and maybe a Fire Prelate armor set for good measure...
Or perhaps finding a straight sword that burst into flames...
At times like these, it seemed memories of a past life always awakened.
But jokes aside.
Bai Shi remembered that in the game, Melina's combat AI used the Black Knife Assassin's moveset.
Furthermore, the weapon art of her Blade of Calling was similar in form to that of the Black Knife.
Because Melina's origins were shrouded in mystery, Bai Shi didn't know who she was in her past life.
However, it was certain that Melina had a connection to the Black Knife Assassins.
Speaking of which, when he was learning Black Flame incantations earlier, Melina hadn't seemed to say anything.
The sealed left eye of Melina's was precisely the Gloam Eye.
And the Gloam-Eyed Queen was the one who commanded the Black Flame and Destined Death, and who ruled over the Godskin Apostles.
He wasn't sure if Melina hadn't noticed the connection between herself and the Black Flame, or if she had just kept quiet about it.
After swinging the Black Knife for a while, Melina returned it to Bai Shi, a hint of joy on her face.
"Bai Shi, I think I've recovered some of my forgotten memories."
"A dagger of this design... I must have used one for a considerable time in my life."
"The moment I held it, the techniques for using it came back to me. But I still don't know if I was an assassin like her in my past life."
"In my memories, I only remember using healing incantations."
"I never thought that my former self was also quite familiar with combat."
Bai Shi watched Melina's smiling face and breathed a small sigh of relief.
In this situation, it seemed she had simply recalled how to use this weapon and her own fighting techniques.
Although Bai Shi also wanted to explore Melina's past identity and what had happened to her, it wouldn't be good if she remembered her mission right now.
If Melina were to remember her mission, both of them would probably be at a loss.
"That's great. Congratulations."
"You're one step closer to recovering your lost memories."
Melina met Bai Shi's gaze, and suddenly, her happiness dimmed a little.
So what if she knew she was skilled in combat in her past life? So what if she had mastered her former fighting techniques?
She was just a spirit. How could she help Bai Shi?