Bai Shi and Ranni’s discussion went very smoothly.
His strength and influence were exactly what Ranni, who could not operate in the open, needed.
They swore an oath under the moonlight to rely on each other and walk side-by-side, for now.
“Oh, that’s right.”
As if remembering something, Ranni suddenly spoke to Bai Shi.
“Speaking of which, I have something important to give you.”
Bai Shi paused. What was this about?
Ranni continued, “The Carian Royal Family has passed down a rare and precious sword. Would you be interested in seeing it?”
“I feel that if you were to wield it, it would be a perfect fit.”
To defeat her brother Radahn and unseal the stars he held captive, one needed sufficient power.Although Blaidd was extremely loyal and had volunteered for the task, Ranni knew all too well the gap in power between Blaidd and her brother.
The power levels in the Lands Between were not clearly defined; there were no rankings like tiers or stages.
The weakest were the common folk. Above them were foot soldiers, soldiers, and knights.
Among the knights were high-ranking ones, like the knights of Stormveil, who possessed combat strength beyond that of their regular counterparts.
Sorcerers were similarly divided into lower and higher tiers, and anyone who could wear a glintstone crown could be considered a high-tier sorcerer.
Above them, one reached the level of heroes.
As for the hero tier, the difference in power was immense.
The weakest heroes were merely the best among the knights, earning a small name for themselves within an army.
The strongest heroes, however, possessed power that could rival the demigods.
Of course, that meant demigods who did not possess a Great Rune.
Once, there were many demigods in the Lands Between, especially the numerous descendants of the golden royalty.
They inherited great power and started with a much greater advantage than other beings.
But they were not absolutely powerful. The strongest heroes could still contend with them, and even defeat them.
Erlisa, ordinary Crucible Knights, and Carian Knights belonged to this level.
As for the top-tier heroes, only a few chief knights among the Crucible and Carian orders likely qualified.
However, the first generation of demigods were in a league of their own, worlds apart from the other creatures of the Lands Between.
It was a fundamental difference in their level of power.
This group included Godwyn the Golden, the three siblings of House Radagon, and the Haligtree twins.
Their lineage and strength were beyond question. Even the most elite heroes paled in comparison to them.
Especially after some of them acquired the power of Great Runes, they could each be considered a one-man army.
Not only did the Great Runes enhance their various attributes, but they also allowed them to master a portion of the laws of nature that the runes carried.
Even though Radahn had been driven mad and weakened by the Scarlet Rot, there was absolutely no way Blaidd and the other warriors at the festival of combat could defeat him.
In the current Lands Between, the person with the best chance of defeating Radahn was Bai Shi.
Ranni was well aware of this.
Therefore, arming Bai Shi was a necessity.
The sword passed down by the Carian Royal Family was powerful enough, and with it, Bai Shi could certainly grow even stronger.
That sword-spear Bai Shi carried was decent, but in the eyes of the well-traveled Ranni, it was nothing special.
Besides, Ranni felt that Bai Shi’s terms for cooperation were a bit too simple, so she considered the sword compensation for him.
After all, Bai Shi knew the location of the Academy Glintstone Key, so getting through the academy would be no problem, and transferring her soul afterward would be a trivial matter.
When Bai Shi heard he could get a free weapon, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.
The weapon Ranni was offering was probably the Sword of Night and Flame.
In the game, that weapon’s power was off the charts.
And judging by the Godslayer’s Greatsword, the Sword of Night and Flame here might be even stronger.
“Yes, of course I’m interested.”
“Collecting all sorts of weapons is one of life’s great pleasures.”
Ranni chuckled softly.
“Don’t worry, it certainly won’t disappoint you.”
Ranni turned and walked out of the room first, not forgetting to beckon Bai Shi to follow.
It seemed she was in a good mood today, intending to guide Bai Shi personally.
But being in too good a mood wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The moment Ranni left, the four books she had been using to prop herself up on the chair were revealed.
Bai Shi glanced at the four thick books on Ranni’s chair but said nothing and quickly followed her.
If he were to expose Ranni’s little trick, she would likely become angry out of embarrassment and ignore him.
Bai Shi followed her, and the two rode the lift down from the magical tower.
The Black Knife Assassin had been leaning against the doorway. Seeing Ranni and Bai Shi emerge, she immediately stood at attention.
Ranni glanced at the disheveled Black Knife Assassin, then at Bai Shi beside her.
“Looks like Slude has had a rough time with you.”
So, Slude was the name of this Black Knife Assassin.
Bai Shi shrugged, replying with a helpless tone.
“After I found her, I just wanted to borrow her black knife for a look.”
“But no matter what I said, she wouldn’t stop, so I had to be a little rough.”
“I didn’t expect to find information about you on the knife, though.”
Ranni sighed.
“Honestly, what can I say? It must be fate...”
Ranni looked at the tattered Black Knife armor on Slude.
The armor was almost completely ruined; Slude even had to hold it in place with her hands.
A few more movements, and the entire set would probably fall apart.
“This set of armor looks like it’s done for. Go change your clothes in a bit.”
“For him to find you when you were hidden so well, it must be destiny.”
“After you’ve changed, you will follow this Lord of Stormveil, Bai Shi. Obey his commands and serve him as your master.”
Slude’s expression was a mix of emotions, but she nodded in agreement.
“As you command...”
Hearing Slude’s somewhat raspy voice, Bai Shi was deeply surprised. She actually spoke.
Ranni released a wisp of pale blue mist, guiding the Black Knife Assassin named Slude in another direction.
After watching Slude walk some distance away, Bai Shi looked at Ranni.
He questioned Ranni's decision to have the Black Knife Assassin follow him.
“Why have her follow me?”
Ranni tilted her head slightly.
“What? You don’t want her to?”
“She’s quite strong. You should have experienced that firsthand.”
Bai Shi shook his head.
“It’s not that I don’t want her. Expanding my forces is, of course, a happy occasion.”
“But isn’t she one of your subordinates? You said yourself that you don’t have many people you can use. Won’t she continue to work for you?”
Ranni nodded.
“That’s true, but I don’t have anything for them to do here.”
“More important to me than strength or manpower is not exposing my identity and not leaking information.”
“The identity of the Black Knife Assassins is too sensitive, even if they aren't wearing their gear.”
“Even if they change into completely unrelated equipment, they are likely to attract prying eyes due to their Numen appearance.”
“If they were discovered elsewhere, the Two Fingers might find me, which would be the worst possible outcome for me.”
“But within Stormveil, it’s different.”
Ranni paused.
“Even if it’s revealed that you have Numen among your subordinates, it doesn’t matter if the news gets out.”
“Because no one would connect you to the Night of the Black Knives.”
“For someone with your public standing, who would dare to suggest you’re involved with the Black Knife Assassins?”
“And who would dare to investigate their identities and origins within Stormveil?”
“You are an important partner. Expanding your forces and allowing them to act is the way to maximize our mutual benefit.”
Bai Shi nodded. What Ranni said made sense.
If the Black Knives were discovered, it would expose her existence, which was why she had them hide.
But in Stormveil, so what if Numen walked the streets freely?
Bai Shi was already promoting coexistence among all races.
If anyone wanted to search them for black knives, the silver knights would show them what a pincushion looked like.
Ranni took a map from the wide sleeve of her robe and handed it to Bai Shi.
“If you wish, I can have the other recovering and hidden Black Knife Assassins disguise themselves and follow and serve you as well.”
“Having them lurk in the shadows to help you deal with some troublesome matters would also be quite good.”
“I wouldn’t even mind if they served as your handmaidens.”
Of course, Bai Shi had no objections.
How could he refuse the offer of several free Black Knife Assassins?
“Then when the time comes, I’ll think of how to arrange them. I’ll make sure it doesn’t trace back to you.”
Bai Shi took the map from Ranni. On it were five circled locations.
Besides the two catacombs from the game that contained Black Knives, there were three other catacombs or ruins that hadn't appeared in the game.
He would go and collect them later. For now, he should follow Ranni to see that sword.
Putting the map away, Bai Shi followed Ranni out of the tower.
Ranni floated slowly in the air and turned back to look at Bai Shi.
“Alright, call out Torrent. It’ll be faster.”
Seeing Ranni fly, Bai Shi was somewhat amazed.
“Is this flight some kind of sorcery?”
If he could learn to fly, it would be much more convenient.
He could even go directly to the Mohgwyn Dynasty or Farum Azula.
Ranni spun in the air as if showing off to Bai Shi.
“Of course it’s sorcery. Want to learn?”
“You just need to find a moon.”
Well, so much for that... at least for now.
Bai Shi decided he would find time to use his Great Rune to analyze the Crucible Knights’ crucible lineage and learn their Aspects of the Crucible: Wings.
After Torrent appeared, he went over and affectionately nuzzled Ranni’s hand.
Ranni stroked Torrent’s head and horns.
“Torrent, you’ve truly chosen a good master.”
—
Bai Shi rode Torrent, following behind Ranni.
Ranni did not lead Bai Shi to the location he remembered from the game, where the Sword of Night and Flame was kept in Caria Manor.
Instead, she headed toward the great cliff behind the manor.
When they arrived, Ranni clapped her hands.
An invisible wall disappeared, and an opening immediately appeared on the cliff face before them.
Ranni led Bai Shi into this hidden cave.
Here, countless enormous, brilliant glintstone crystals were scattered throughout the entire cavern.
And within this cavern, all sorts of items were placed on numerous shelves.
Among them was a considerable amount of military equipment and weapons, as well as various other items.
However, the vast majority of the shelves were empty. The ones with items on them were few and far between.
As Ranni led the way, she explained the purpose of the cave to Bai Shi.
“After the Night of the Black Knives, I abandoned my flesh and have been acting from behind the scenes in this puppet body.”
“This is where I stored some of the provisions I prepared for my brothers during the Shattering.”
“Even the war didn’t fully deplete them, and they haven’t been touched since it ended.”
“There are still many things left here. If you see anything you want, feel free to take it.”
“The supplies I sent you in our previous cooperation were also taken from here.”
Bai Shi scanned the shelves. Not only were there Carian-style weapons and items, but there were also many items from other regions.
In addition, there were many scrolls, which probably recorded numerous incantations and sorceries.
But without exception, nearly all of them were for warfare.
Ranni looked at the pile of supplies with no use for them, also feeling a bit helpless.
“Still, there isn’t much of value left...”
“If we’re talking about what’s truly precious, it would be over here.”
Ranni clapped her hands, drawing Bai Shi’s attention away from the various strange and curious items.
“Do you see it? In that stone box over there.”
“I think you’ll find it more satisfying to open it yourself.”
Bai Shi looked toward a large stone chest in the distance.
The chest was extremely thick and heavy, bearing the沧桑 of ages. The carved patterns on it were almost worn smooth by time.
“Then I won’t be polite.”
Bai Shi walked over and opened the box.
In an instant, an ancient aura, long dormant, emanated from within.
A magnificent sword lay inside the stone box.
It was a straight sword, not particularly long, with a hollowed-out blade that was double-edged.
On one half of the blade was a line of embedded emerald-green glintstone crystals. Looking at them was like gazing into the distant, ancient night sky.
The hilt was crafted from several pieces of red gemstone, polished and joined together with inlaid gold wire.
At the end of the pommel was a golden ornament shaped like the top of a scepter, making it look even more splendid.
It perfectly fused the powers of night and fire, creating a unique and mysterious sense of power and charm.
This sword was not just a beautiful ornament; it was an object capable of evoking a sense of awe for the ancient past within one's heart.
This was none other than the legendary Sword of Night and Flame.
Bai Shi was instantly captivated by it.