Hearing Bai Shi speak of the golden needle, a look of surprise appeared on O'Neil's aged face.
"You know of the golden needle..."
The Unalloyed Gold Needle was unique to the Haligtree.
Only Lord Miquella, who studied Unalloyed Gold, had the skill and ability to craft the needles.
Later, a few master artisans of the Haligtree also learned the method under Lord Miquella's guidance, but the number of needles remained scarce.
Although the needle could suppress the Scarlet Rot, an ordinary person shouldn't know of its existence.
Bai Shi nodded.
"Of course I know of the golden needle. Not only that, but I also know that the four you fought earlier came here for your needle."
"So that's how it is."
He hadn't expected those four young women to be after the golden needle as well.But why?
It wasn't surprising that they knew about it.
Anyone with some knowledge of the Haligtree would naturally know of Lord Miquella's Unalloyed Gold.
Though the Unalloyed Gold Needles were few, important commanders could still possess one.
And O'Neil did indeed have one.
However, more than the matter of the needle, O'Neil was more curious about the four young women from before.
"Those four girls... what do you know about them?"
Bai Shi looked at O'Neil's eager gaze, organized his thoughts, and told him what he knew.
"Those four are sisters. I do know a bit about them."
"However, what I'm about to say is my own speculation based on the information I have. It's up to you whether you believe it or not."
"If I'm not mistaken, they are parts that split off after Malenia bloomed the flower of Scarlet Rot."
O'Neil's eyes widened.
Although he had long suspected it, the truth was still astonishing.
Bai Shi didn't give him time to process the information and continued.
"I don't know what method she used, nor whether those girls are clones or separate individuals."
"The only thing I can be sure of is that they are indeed related to Malenia. One might even say they *are* Malenia."
O'Neil trembled all over.
He never imagined such a thing could happen.
"But why? Why would they use the Scarlet Rot and associate with those Kindred of Rot...?"
"If they were truly the Lady Malenia I know, they would never use the Scarlet Rot so freely, so casually."
Just a moment ago, O'Neil had experienced it firsthand:
The four sisters had no hesitation at all in using the Scarlet Rot.
"Because they have been altered."
"Altered..."
O'Neil mulled over the word but couldn't quite grasp its meaning.
Perhaps 'corrupted' or 'eroded' would be more accurate.
After all, the term 'body modification' could easily lead one's thoughts astray.
Come to think of it, the Lands Between had plenty of body modification techniques.
Grafting, Albinaurics, Man-Serpents, Royal Revenants... none of them looked like normal creatures.
Bai Shi nodded.
"That's right. After Malenia and Radahn fought to a stalemate, at the end of the battle in Aeonia."
"These sisters must have been born around that time."
"Still in their infancy, the sisters were gathered up by the Kindred of Scarlet Rot and raised to adulthood."
"And when their bodies had matured enough to withstand the erosion of Scarlet Rot without dying, they were gathered together and corrupted."
"Not far from here is the place where the Kindred of Rot corrupted these sisters."
Bai Shi pointed upward.
O'Neil followed Bai Shi's gesture and looked up.
On the withered branches hanging high above were the vibrant buds that grew in the Scarlet Rot.
"They took the flowers of the Scarlet Rot and placed the sisters amidst their pollen."
"You must know what that pollen does."
"Their bodies and minds were corrupted in that process."
"The goal of the Kindred of Rot is to welcome their Goddess of Rot."
"And these girls, born of Malenia, are to become the goddess's aides after her advent—the Scarlet Valkyries."
Enraged, O'Neil swung his battle standard at a withered branch beside him.
The halberd's blade sliced through the branch, but it did little to vent his fury.
"Damn insects!"
"To desecrate the lord we serve in such a way!"
"I should have known they were up to no good!"
O'Neil cursed loudly.
The movement agitated his wounds, and blood mixed with Scarlet Rot trickled out.
He coughed and fell to his knees, his injuries clearly severe.
Bai Shi helped the old general up, then took a bottle of healing perfume from Torrent's saddlebag and sprinkled it on him.
"I lost my composure."
"It's just that I cannot help but be furious."
"Lady Malenia's will to resist the rot, to fight it to the very end, has been defiled by those insects..."
O'Neil now felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
As a vassal of Miquella and Malenia, he could do nothing.
"I can understand your anger."
"But as things stand, there is still a chance to salvage the situation."
Hearing that there was still hope, O'Neil immediately fixed his burning gaze on Bai Shi.
O'Neil swallowed hard and asked.
"Is there still a chance, at this point?"
"They don't look like they can be saved."
"Besides, the erosion of Scarlet Rot is irreversible. Not even Lord Miquella could stop it."
Bai Shi nodded.
"That's why I need the golden needle."
"You should have one here, right?"
O'Neil's expression fell with disappointment upon hearing Bai Shi's reply.
If it was just the golden needle, it wouldn't solve the current situation.
It seemed this person had only heard about the needle somewhere, but didn't truly understand it.
If the golden needle was all it took, they wouldn't have to worry about Lady Malenia any longer.
"I do have a golden needle. It's embedded in my body right now, warding off the Scarlet Rot for me."
"I do not fear death. I could certainly remove the needle and give it to them."
"But there are four of them, and they've been so eroded by the Scarlet Rot that even their minds have been altered."
"Putting aside how effective the needle would be, they wouldn't be willing to keep it in their bodies. I fear they would pull it out themselves."
After hearing O'Neil, Bai Shi thought silently.
The golden needle wasn't damaged. That was the best possible news.
This way, he wouldn't have to go through Gowry to repair it, and he could avoid any potential tampering on Gowry's part.
Bai Shi looked up.
"I'm not seeking the golden needle for them."
"They are beyond saving... at least, I haven't found a way yet."
"In the future, I will try to find a way to save them."
"But for now, I want to save another of their sisters." "There are five sisters. Four of them have been completely eroded by the Scarlet Rot—the ones you saw earlier."
"But the last one still holds the will to resist, and she has not been completely corrupted."
"I believe that if the golden needle is still effective, there must be a way to save her."
"At the very least, we can stabilize her current condition."
O'Neil was stunned for a moment, then he began to laugh.
If that was the case, it was the best news he could have hoped for.
"Is that so? Well now, that is wonderful..."
"In that case, could you please take me to see this last sister?"
"After I have met her and confirmed that she possesses the will to resist the rot, I will remove the golden needle from my body and give it to her."
Now it was Bai Shi's turn to feel a bit awkward.
O'Neil was already prepared to sacrifice his life to remove the needle, but Bai Shi hadn't even found Millicent yet.
However, Bai Shi didn't try to deceive him. He told him the plain truth:
"We don't need the golden needle just yet, and you can't die yet either."
"I need you and these soldiers."
"To be honest, I haven't found that last sister yet."
"But I will take you to a place. Once you see it, you will surely understand her resolve."
O'Neil agreed.
For someone like him, who had been living aimlessly, as long as there was hope, he was willing to do anything.
Especially since it concerned Lady Malenia.
Though he didn't know why, Lady Malenia must have had her reasons for doing this.
And as her subject, the most important thing was to prevent her plans from being ruined by those insects.
After O'Neil tended to his wounds, Bai Shi led him back the way they came, toward the place where they had seen the flower buds.
O'Neil had no mount and could only walk, so their pace was somewhat slow.
Watching O'Neil walk through the waters of the Scarlet Rot lake, Bai Shi couldn't help but ask:
"Is it the power of the golden needle? You don't seem to fear the Scarlet Rot at all."
O'Neil nodded as he walked.
"Yes, this is the Unalloyed Gold Needle bestowed by Lord Miquella."
"All of us generals who fought alongside Lady Malenia were given an Unalloyed Gold Needle to suppress the rot."
"The suppression effect is quite strong. It's very difficult for external Scarlet Rot to invade the body, though injuries are another matter."
"As for the Scarlet Rot already inside the body, it is also firmly suppressed by the needle."
"Lady Malenia herself uses a special needle."
"I don't know much about that needle, but to suppress the Scarlet Rot in Lady Malenia's body, it must be an even more powerful one."
As they talked, Bai Shi soon brought O'Neil before the five flower buds.
Seeing these buds that corrupted life, O'Neil sighed.
He was furious, yet helpless.
The four girls were already eroded and corrupted, beyond salvation.
What was done was done. All he could do was hope for the last one.
O'Neil saw the last flower bud.
The tear opened from within the bud, the right arm severed bit by bit—all of it spoke to the girl's determination:
If she was to be turned into something that was not herself, she would rather die.
O'Neil was moved.
"You were right."
"She does possess a tenacious will."
"That puts my mind at ease."
"Thank you for bringing me here. I will now send out soldiers to search for her."
"When they find her, I will remove my needle and give it to her."
Bai Shi looked at O'Neil.
"If you remove the needle, will you die for certain?"
O'Neil nodded, then shook his head.
"Probably. I'm not entirely sure."
"But the golden needle isn't a panacea."
"It only suppresses the Scarlet Rot. The amount within the body doesn't lessen one bit."
"In the end, it merely prevents the Scarlet Rot from erupting. It remains a hidden danger within the body, unresolved."
"So once the needle is removed, the Scarlet Rot inside will immediately, and more violently, erode the body."
"For someone like me, who has been active in areas of Scarlet Rot for years, removing the needle is almost a certain death sentence."
"Besides, I've grown old. I no longer have the strength to resist the Scarlet Rot."
"But if I can be of help to Lady Malenia, what does it matter if I die?"
"In the Lands Between, there are always things more important than death."
A faint smile appeared on O'Neil's aged face.
It was the first time Bai Shi had ever seen him smile.
"In truth, if I could have, I would have died long ago, preferably in the battle of Aeonia."
"Then I wouldn't have ended up like this, a ghost wandering the battlefield."
"I've already lost my reason to live."
"The only reason I'm not dead yet is because I hadn't found a reason to die."
"So I thank you for letting me know that, after living for so long, there is still something I can do."
Bai Shi said nothing.
He silently wondered if he could help him with neutralizing boluses.
O'Neil's condition was likely better than Millicent's.
After all, the needle had been in him for so many years; at the very least, his organs probably hadn't been too severely eroded.
With a combination of neutralizing boluses and preserving boluses, he shouldn't die on the spot.
He might still have a breath left in him...
If possible, Bai Shi didn't want anyone to die.
But for now, Bai Shi didn't mention any of this to O'Neil.
One should only promise what one can deliver, so he would not make a casual promise.
Bai Shi himself wasn't certain he could save him.
If he promised him now but ultimately found himself powerless, it would only be giving the man false hope.
Although the old general, who was already resigned to death, wouldn't mind, Bai Shi's conscience would not be clear.
"Alright, I'll leave the search to you then."
"But when you find her, please don't rush to give her the needle. You must let me assess her condition first."
O'Neil agreed.
After they arranged a place to meet later, Bai Shi took his leave.
Millicent's four sisters had been grievously wounded by Bai Shi. They definitely wouldn't be able to recover in a short time; they would need at least a month or so to recuperate.
The two who could still move would likely be no match for O'Neil.
So for the time being, he didn't have to worry about the safety of O'Neil and the golden needle.
All he needed to do was wait for Millicent to be found, and then he could try to treat her.
Next, Bai Shi planned to go through Sellia, Town of Sorcery, to reach the Church of the Plague.
Bai Shi wanted to see if Millicent was there.
If she wasn't, he would have to continue searching in the Swamp of Aeonia.
If she was, then perfect. He could rescue her from the clutches of the Kindred of Rot.