Melina looked at Bai Shi with concern.
Since destroying the Astels from the starry sky, Bai Shi had become a little strange.
Especially just now, when he had suddenly burst into laughter.
She had never seen Bai Shi express such strong emotions before.
“Bai Shi, what exactly happened just now?”
“It wasn’t just a simple moment of distraction, was it...”
Bai Shi emerged from his thoughts.
He organized his words and explained to Melina:
“Just now, it seems it was because of gravity magic...”
“I was noticed by an Outer God.”“In the starry sky, I saw two powerful and ancient gods.”
Hearing the term “Outer God” from Bai Shi, Melina became quite tense.
“Outer Gods?”
“How could this be...”
Those were Outer Gods, beings that couldn’t be understood with common sense.
And he had even seen two of them.
“What did the Outer Gods...”
“Did they do anything to you?”
Bai Shi shook his head.
“It’s fine, don’t worry.”
“They didn’t do anything to me. On the contrary, They gave me a great deal of help.”
“For example, the fact that I can see you now is probably thanks to Them.”
Melina was stunned.
She only just realized that Bai Shi had been looking right at her as he spoke.
Melina walked in a circle around Bai Shi, then waved her left hand in front of his eyes, as if to confirm.
Bai Shi’s gaze followed her every move.
Bai Shi was amused by her actions and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Melina seemed to realize her actions had been a bit childish.
But Melina was happy now that she had confirmed Bai Shi could see her.
However, a sense of unease still lingered in her heart.
Would Outer Gods really bestow their power for no reason?
Melina didn’t believe Bai Shi had paid no price.
She knew Bai Shi too well.
Even if he had paid some price, he would never tell her voluntarily and make her worry.
Normally, it might not matter, but this involved Outer Gods. It couldn’t be taken lightly.
So, Melina decided to ask directly:
“So, what was the price?”
Bai Shi thought for a moment. This time, there really didn’t seem to be anything that could be called a price.
“There wasn’t really a price.”
“Do you remember the headless Mausoleum Knights we encountered before?”
Melina nodded.
“Those headless Mausoleum Knights follow the soulless demigod, Godwyn.”
“They are trying to use a sunless sun to recall Godwyn’s soul.”
“To do so, they need to completely block out the sun’s radiance.”
“The one who found me was the true sun.”
“What I need to do now is to deal with the ritual that sustains the sunless sun and nail Godwyn’s coffin shut for good.”
“Once that’s done, the true sunlight will once again shine upon the Lands Between.”
Although Melina didn’t fully understand the cause and effect, if it was just a matter of destroying the sunless sun’s ritual, it would certainly be no problem for Bai Shi.
As long as they could find the location of the ritual, it wouldn’t be difficult.
“What about the other one?”
“Didn’t you say two Outer Gods approached you?”
Bai Shi thought for a moment. There was even less to say about the other one.
It hadn't said anything; it had just stuffed him with things.
“The other one...”
“That one was a god of gravity. It seems they appreciated me because the gravity moves I used were very powerful.”
“But I couldn’t communicate with It at all. It just pushed a surge of power into me.”
Melina was a little dazed after hearing this.
How were the Outer Gods Bai Shi encountered so agreeable?
—
Bai Shi believed the sun was undoubtedly a benevolent god... no, that wasn’t quite right.
After all, for a god, concepts of good and evil were meaningless.
Beyond good and evil, it should be said that the sun’s philosophy aligned with Bai Shi’s definition of good.
The other gods couldn’t be called evil either. Even the Scarlet Rot and the Formless Mother simply had their own unique philosophies.
Just as wicked people need their own kind of savior.
And the sun’s behavioral logic was undoubtedly quite consistent with Bai Shi’s values.
It didn’t ask for anything from the worlds it shone upon, only scattering its light.
One could say it was purely a handout to those worlds.
But by the same token, because It had no vested interest in those worlds, it was purely a handout.
So if some worlds couldn’t be touched by sunlight, It wouldn’t intervene.
Just like that world he had seen before, the one that seemed to share the worldview of Bloodborne.
Invaded by various gods, its sunlight blocked, It wouldn’t bother to personally stop it.
It would only try to save worlds like the Lands Between, where someone could still resonate and connect with It.
Therefore, It generously bestowed an immense power upon Bai Shi.
And in the future, Bai Shi would also have the chance to use the sun’s power to infuse the related principles of the sun into Radahn’s burnt-out Great Rune.
Bai Shi carefully felt the power surging within his body.
As he thought, the embers on his body burned more intensely.
Melina looked curiously at the burns on Bai Shi’s body.
“Is this a brand left on you by the sun?”
“Does it hurt?”
Bai Shi shook his head.
“It hurt a little when I first received it.”
Obviously, that ember-like state wasn’t just for show.
This was a blessing personally bestowed by the sun, the Sun’s Blessing.
Bai Shi now had a detailed grasp of his own body and could directly feel some of the enhancement effects.
His health seemed to have increased a bit, but not by an absurd amount.
From what Bai Shi could feel so far, the most obvious and powerful aspect was his resistance to fire.
After being burned by the sun’s fire, Bai Shi now possessed extremely high fire resistance.
He roughly estimated it to be about sixty or seventy percent fire resistance.
It could be said that most fire attacks in the Lands Between would be little more than a tickle to him now.
If he also wore equipment with excellent fire protection, he could even achieve near-total fire immunity.
This point alone was already absurdly strong.
But this was just one of the effects; there were many others.
The recovery speed of his stamina and mana seemed to have increased as well.
However, the remaining effects couldn't be determined just by sensing them here.
He would have to test them tomorrow.
Perhaps there would be an extra bonus during the daytime.
Bai Shi put away the Starscourge Greatsword and turned to walk toward Redmane Castle.
As he was about to leave, Bai Shi suddenly recalled the figure with fiery red hair he had seen on a distant sand dune.
‘That must be Ranni...’
‘Does her soul still have its original appearance?’
‘She looked beautiful like that, too.’
Bai Shi had no objections to Ranni’s doll body.
But it was clear that Bai Shi found Ranni’s original appearance even more beautiful.
—
The warriors had already retreated to a safe distance earlier.
Now that the dust had settled, they, who had been shocked by the world-destroying blow, came back to their senses.
Among them, some had seen the storm that pierced the heavens at Stormveil from afar.
But seeing it up close was a completely different experience from seeing it from a distance.
Such an attack was simply too powerful, even making them fearful.
Could anyone in the Lands Between truly possess such power? Even General Radahn, the strongest gravity sorcerer in the Lands Between, probably couldn't have unleashed such an attack in his prime.
Moreover, in the previous battles, besides the Ruins Greatsword, Bai Shi had never shown any mastery of gravity.
The warriors each pondered how Bai Shi had done it, but they couldn't imagine how.
It was simply too far beyond common sense.
When the warriors saw Bai Shi’s figure appear in their view, they went to greet him.
They looked at the burning marks on Bai Shi’s body, some bright, some dark, as if he had been incinerated, and were secretly astonished.
It seemed using such power was not without a price for Bai Shi.
Did he have to burn himself to gain such power?
Some of the Tarnished who had participated in the war against the Giants quickly made a connection to the Fell God worshipped by the Giants.
The Giants also sacrificed themselves to gain power from the Fell God.
Could it be...
But, this was completely different from how the Giants made sacrifices to the Fell God.
What was going on?
Bai Shi looked at the people before him, their expressions varied as they stared at the burn marks on his body, and guessed what they were thinking.
It seemed they had mistaken the ember state for a side effect.
But that was perfect. He would let them guess blindly.
Bai Shi couldn’t possibly explain it to them, but the commotion caused by using Fengling Yueying's Super Damage was completely impossible to hide.
It was a powerful attack buff that could turn even his basic attacks into nuclear bombs.
Exchanging such power for some kind of side effect was a fairly reasonable explanation.
Bai Shi believed they would come up with their own theories and find an explanation to convince themselves.
Jerren stepped forward, looking at the safely returned Bai Shi, unsure how to express his gratitude.
Bai Shi had not only helped General Radahn find release, bringing him a final, thrilling battle.
He had also protected General Radahn’s remains from being desecrated by those two monsters, and saved the lives of countless Redmane Knights.
“Lord Bai Shi...”
“This combat festival was a success all thanks to you. Otherwise, I’m afraid it would have been a complete mess.”
“If you are not in a hurry, please, you must stay in Redmane Castle for a couple more days.”
“We will hold a grand banquet to celebrate your victory.”
—
Although the ember state looked a bit shocking, it didn't actually affect his daily life much.
Other than the bed planks being burned through by the embers' scars when he lay down, Bai Shi didn't feel there was any problem.
After lying on the floor without any regard for his image, Bai Shi decided it was necessary for him to get a glintstone crystal bed in the future.
After a good night’s sleep, Bai Shi felt completely refreshed.
Using a Site of Grace, Bai Shi teleported back to the square in front of the throne at Stormveil Castle.
The space here was wide enough for him to test things freely, and most importantly, there was no one else around.
Redmane Castle was crowded and full of prying eyes. If Bai Shi were to test his abilities there, a large crowd would definitely gather to watch.
Bai Shi stood in the square, using the daylight to test the new power he had received.
The sun was still visible in the Lands Between. Although it was very far away, as long as it was there, its effects could be transmitted.
So, just as expected, the ember state did have extra effects during the day.
Bai Shi could clearly feel that the recovery speed of his mana and stamina had increased.
Although the recovery rate wasn't particularly exaggerated, it was more than enough.
After all, with Bai Shi’s current strength, he didn’t consume much stamina or mana on a normal basis anyway.
This small increase in recovery was enough to multiply his endurance many times over.
And now that he was in the ember state, there was naturally a significant increase in his fire damage as well.
Bai Shi casually ignited a ball of Black Flame. Using the same amount of mana as before, its size and power far exceeded what they used to be.
Bai Shi hadn’t learned any other fire-based incantations, so he didn't know how much they had improved.
It seemed he would have to set aside some time to learn more.
After exploring Nokron, Eternal City, he would begin his path of learning.
Speaking of which, he probably needed to test his fire resistance a bit...
His own estimate of his fire resistance would surely be less accurate than experiencing it firsthand.
Black Flame was once a flame that held the power of Destined Death, a god-slaying flame.
But ever since the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Godskin Apostles were defeated by Marika's shadow-bound beast, Maliketh, who sealed Destined Death, the Black Flame no longer possessed its god-slaying power, only retaining some of its life-draining properties.
Bai Shi took off his armor, lest the already tattered set be completely incinerated.
Bai Shi released a ball of Black Flame from his hand and smashed it against his own body.
The Black Flame had almost no effect on Bai Shi. Besides the searing heat, it only caused a tiny wound.
Bai Shi was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected his previous estimate of sixty or seventy percent fire resistance to be conservative.
He hadn’t held back with that blast of Black Flame.
Based on the current situation, it seemed his fire resistance was around ninety percent.
Excluding the boost from the daylight, his fire resistance in a normal state was probably about eighty percent.
He also tested some ice-attribute magic and skills, and their power hadn’t decreased.
However, any ice or snow near him would quickly melt, so there was a minor effect.
These were all permanent effects, which grew stronger during the day and peaked at noon.
To summarize, the sun’s blessing gave Bai Shi:
Increased health, increased mana and stamina recovery, extremely high fire resistance, and increased fire power.
Aside from the extremely high fire resistance, the other buffs weren’t too absurd.
They could mostly be achieved with incantation buffs.
But since it was a free, permanent passive effect, having such a comprehensive set of benefits was already excellent.
Although it wasn’t completely without negative effects.
For example, no matter what armor he wore, part of it would be damaged by the flames.
In that case, the armor’s defense rating would drop significantly.
In addition to these permanent passive effects, Bai Shi also gained other, incredibly powerful abilities.
As kindling, how could he not burn himself?
Bai Shi could burn himself, using his body as fuel, to gain a boost in his attributes.
When maintaining a minimal burn, his natural recovery could sustain it for a long time.
In a fight, it could be considered a semi-permanent effect.
If combined with the Flask of Crimson Tears and other healing effects, he could burn longer and brighter.
The more intensely he burned, the greater the boost he received.
However, if he burned too quickly, he could easily burn out.
If he burned without restraint, while the attribute boost would be enormous, it would burn Bai Shi to death in just over ten seconds.
But for Bai Shi, this terrifying health-draining effect was no problem at all.
Because he was the man with Fengling Yueying.
As long as he turned on infinite health, he could use the maximum burn directly, which was equivalent to a permanent, high-magnitude buff.
Before, every time he used Fengling Yueying, he had to choose between using infinite health and invincibility to survive or using super damage for output. Now, he basically didn't have to choose.
A five-minute super buff, plus infinite health—a perfect balance of offense and defense. Bai Shi didn't know who could possibly fight him.
And as for the other ability...
A warm ball of light appeared in Bai Shi’s hand.
This was sunlight. He could shine this warm power of the sun on others to heal them.
It was similar to restorative incantations like Blessing's Boon.
But unlike the various tiers of restorative incantations, the healing effect of the sunlight simply depended on how much mana he put into it.
In the future, he could also develop other effects, like group attack and defense buffs.
This wasn’t just warm sunlight; it could also become a blazing sun that destroyed everything.
The next moment, with Bai Shi’s will, the warm sunlight turned into an orange-yellow, blazing flame.
This flame emitted such high heat that even space itself was distorted.
The flames used in the Lands Between basically originated from prophecies of fire or the flame of a Fell God.
The rest included Ghostflame, Black Flame, the golden flames of the Elden Beast, and Mohg's bloodflame, among others.
But what Bai Shi was using now was the unique power of the sun.
Because of its unique form of existence, it didn't flicker like a normal flame but could be shaped at will.
Bai Shi condensed the flame in his palm, and it turned into an orange-yellow spear.
Although it was fundamentally different from the Sunlight Spear of Dark Souls, who could say it wasn't a Sunlight Spear?
Because there was no suitable target to test it on, the sunlight spear in Bai Shi’s hand was not launched and dissipated in his hand.
Bai Shi thought about the flame and began to ponder.
Although the power of this flame seemed quite strong, it didn’t seem to have any special properties.
When he returned to Caelid, he would try using this flame against the Scarlet Rot.
As another power from a god, its effect should be much stronger than ordinary fire.
The power granted by the sun was quite formidable, and Bai Shi was very satisfied.
Bai Shi also took the opportunity to test what kind of power the white dwarf star had given him.
The power of the Wave of Destruction released by the Ruins Greatsword was a bit stronger, but there was nothing else.
Bai Shi guessed it was probably a gravity magic enhancement or a buff like gravity magic affinity.
But since he hadn’t learned any gravity magic, Bai Shi had no way of knowing if there were any other effects besides the increase in power.
Bai Shi still couldn't forget about using gravity magic to gather rocks and pilot a Gundam.
This was a man's romance!
After staying in the square before the throne for a while longer, Bai Shi used a Site of Grace to teleport back to Caelid.