Unfortunately, the following experiments still yielded disappointing results — the Monstrous Dog all perished one after another. After the last few of them died, Lucian no longer continued exposing their corpses to sunlight. Once a hound fell, he simply ordered Hildegard to dissect it and study the cause of death.
When Lucian looked at the Monstrous dog's innards — completely transformed into vegetation — he could only shake his head. Although these beasts had already been gravely wounded and in poor condition to begin with, making survival difficult, it was still clear that the success rate was far too low.
For a living being merged with the Scarlet Rot, survival in such a state was extraordinarily difficult. Though, it couldn't yet be concluded that success was completely impossible.
At the very least, if sunlight was to be used for cleansing, then all personnel would need to be evacuated beforehand. After all, among the Redmane Army, those infected by the Scarlet Rot disease from combat were not rare.
Even though there were no successful cases so far, Lucian didn't leave entirely empty-handed. He had found that if the sunlight's intensity reached a certain high level, the Scarlet Rot seemed to directly sense that the condition for "abundance" was met. At that point, it would no longer attempt to spread — instead, it would immediately begin transforming.
If this point could be exploited properly, perhaps some results could be achieved.
Unfortunately, this discovery came only when the last giant hound remained,so he could only wait until the next batch of experimental subjects to test it further—
That night, Lucian looked up at the flowing stars above, silently pondering the mystery of the Scarlet Rot.
After another two days of research, progress on the plants transformed from Scarlet Rot came to a halt. The experiments on living organisms corrupted by the rot were also left largely undone.
After all, the Scarlet Rot was the power of a god. Though Lucian had long known it wouldn't be easily resolved, he hadn't expected it to be this troublesome.
Still, with the power of sunlight in his grasp, at least he now had a way to break the stalemate. If all else failed, he could simply burn everything — let the flames purify all.
After some thought, Lucian decided that he would leave Redmane Castle tomorrow. Since there would be no progress in a short time, it was better to head for the Eternal City, Nokron.
When morning came, he would use the Grace to teleport directly to the Mistwood edge in Limgrave, and from there make his way toward Nokron.
He would retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade first — that way, he could have peace of mind afterward. That blade was truly an artifact, one that held devastating power against the Fingers themselves, and it would surely not be weak.
Once Ranni severed her connection with the Two Fingers, Lucian would be able to keep the Fingerslayer Blade safely in his possession for later use.
Hmm… perhaps it was time to start planning how to rescue Iji and Blaidd as well.
Master Iji had been killed by the Black Knives, while Blaidd was fated to fall into madness under the control of the Two Fingers. And since the Fingers' envoys had control over the Black Knife Assassins, that much could be confirmed.
As long as Master Iji stayed within Stormveil Castle, there shouldn't be much of a problem. With the Ancient King stationed there — the one surrounded by perpetual storms —even as a spirit, his power of perception far surpassed Lucian's own.
With the Ancient King watching over Stormveil, the Black Knives could never infiltrate easily. Their individual strength wasn't that great to begin with —the only thing that made them dangerous was the Destined Death infused within their blades.
Considering that, Lucian decided that when the Black Knives eventually appeared, he would personally deal with them.
As for Blaidd, his case was much easier to resolve. Master Iji wore a Mirrorhelm, capable of reflecting all interference — even from the Greater Will and its envoys, the Fingers. If there were a second Mirrorhelm, giving it to Blaidd would solve his problem entirely.
However, that helmet was not one of Iji's own creations — it was a relic unearthed from the Nox civilization. And since there was only one, naturally, only one person could wear it.
But Lucian knew there was another place where a similar artifact could be found —the Nox Mirrorhelm, whose appearance differed slightly from Iji's version.
He remembered that this Mirrorhelm was located somewhere in a catacomb beneath Liurnia. He could look for it later.
Although… Lucian began to picture the shape of the Mirrorhelm in his mind, and couldn't help wondering if Blaidd's wolf-like head could even fit into it.
A little modification to its design shouldn't affect its function, right…?
"Lucian, what are you thinking about?" Melina's voice sounded beside him, pulling him out of his drifting thoughts.
Lucian looked down at the girl standing by his side. "I was thinking about ways to cleanse the Scarlet Rot in Caelid," he said.
"You saw the earlier experiments, even the power of the sun isn't omnipotent."
"There are countless factors to consider, but at least it's not a dead end."
Melina nodded softly. "But remember… don't push yourself too hard."
—
The next day, Lucian used the Grace to teleport to the edge of the Mistwood. This was the very place where he had first fought the Night's Cavalry. It was also where he had later met Blaidd and Ranni, forming the beginnings of their cooperation.
He hadn't explored this area since then, leaving the task to his Tarnished subordinates. After all, exploring the underground world beneath the Mistwood required many hands.
He had also ordered them to liberate Fort Haight, and to collect the Crimson Crystal Tear and Greenspill Crystal Tear nearby.
Following the main road, Lucian crossed a natural arch bridge formed by the ruins of ancient structures and arrived at the Third Church of Marika. He vaguely recalled that there was a message left here by Queen Marika herself. Though he couldn't remember the exact words anymore, he knew Melina would be interested.
Soon, the two arrived at the church.
The Third Church of Marika was an enormous structure — far grander than any he had seen before. Though it now lay in ruins, its vast foundation still spoke of its past glory. It was larger than the pilgrimage churches, the Fourth Church of Marika, or even the Church of Irith.
Inside stood a towering statue of Marika, and beside it, on the ground, a large stone basin once used to hold sacred tears. The priests of the Erdtree had once used this basin to bless the faithful with tears of grace.
The sacred flask and crystal tears that once rested here had already been collected by Lucian earlier, leaving the church empty and silent.
As soon as they stepped inside, Melina felt the lingering presence of an inscription. For her, anything left behind by the vanished Queen Marika held deep fascination —for they might contain traces of the truth behind the Lands Between.
"Lucian," Melina said softly, "there is an echo here, one left by Queen Marika."
Lucian smiled knowingly. As expected, Melina had been drawn to it.
"Oh? And what does it say?"
Melina's faint figure moved to stand before Marika's statue. She clasped her hands together at her chest as if in silent prayer, listening to the words only she could hear.
After a while, she turned around and lightly ran over to him. Sometimes, she would still forget that Lucian could already see her, and end up doing such adorably human gestures. Of course, once she realized it, her flustered reaction was equally charming.
Lucian couldn't help but silently thank the two divine beings who had granted him such perception. Thanks to them, his Sense attribute had surged, allowing him to perceive spirits. Since that day, he confirmed that his Sense had risen drastically —to 65 points, now his highest stat.
Moreover, "Sense" functioned much like Insight — it heightened perception and spiritual interaction, and even strengthened the effects of certain incantations.
Melina stood before him again and began to recite: "Then, I shall speak the words of the inscription."
"In Marika's own words.…"Melina looked up at Lucian, her tone carrying both the echo of Marika's words and a hint of her own hidden feelings.
"My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace."
"With thine eyes dimmed,
ye will be driven from the Lands Between."
"Ye will wage war in a land afar,
where ye will live, and die."
Melina rested her cheek on her hand, mulling over the message. "This time, there isn't much new information…" she murmured.
"It seems to be the line that comes before the inscription we found last time."
"But… it's still strange."
"From this, it's clear that Queen Marika had already decided to strip the Tarnished and banish Lord Godfrey's army long beforehand."
"But her reasons for doing so remain unknown."
Lucian copied her thoughtful pose. "Indeed… why did she do it?"
Melina glanced at him mischievously. "You're a Tarnished yourself, don't you know anything about it?"
"How would I know? I wasn't one of those old relics who actually lived through the exile…"
Melina giggled. "Fair enough. But wait, are you copying me right now?"
"What? No. Clearly you're the one copying me."
—
Leaving the ruined church, Lucian didn't immediately head for the crater. Instead, he went behind the church, where a teleporter to the Beastial Sanctum stood. But that wasn't his destination this time.
Standing at the foot of the cliff, he looked upward. From above, a rocky outcrop jutted out, and upon it, he could faintly see an arm dangling — a corpse's arm.
Focusing his gaze, Lucian gathered the power of the storm and leapt agilely up the rock face, stepping on protruding stones until he reached the ledge.
There, protruding from the corpse's chest, was a golden-red sword.
Lucian pulled it free and, with a sweep of wind, cleaned it of grime. The weapon gleamed faintly — it was the Regalia of Eochaid, a relic of the Eochaid, a lesser, long-vanished domain, said never to decay.
He planned to bring it back for study, particularly its unique skill — Eochaid's Dancing Blade. That art was a technique that channeled 'Energy' to make the sword dance, something Lucian found deeply fascinating.
Descending the cliff, he mounted Torrent and followed the main path through the Mistwood.
The road had already been cleared. Since collaborating with Ranni, Stormveil Castle had been tasked with exploring the Siofra River Region beneath this forest, a mission requiring plenty of manpower and steady supply lines.
For that, the trolls had been freed from their iron stakes and now pulled the supply carts freely, no longer shackled. The runebears, however, remained dangerous. Even a group of trolls could fall prey to them, for those beasts knew no fear.
The forest was crawling with countless runebears, so Lucian had dispatched many Tarnished and even summoned several Storm Knights to hunt them down.
The wild beasts were eventually either slain or driven away, and the roads throughout the Mistwood were restored and reinforced.
Thus, Lucian was able to make his way smoothly to the massive crater beside the Mistwood Ruins —the crater left by the falling star.
That meteor was truly terrifying. Not only had it pierced through the land, but it had devastated all the surrounding lands. The Mistwood Ruins and much of the nearby forest had been completely obliterated.
The people in Fort Haight must have been frightened out of their minds when it fell.
Now, soldiers from the fort stood guard around the crater. When they saw Lucian, they immediately saluted.
He stopped at the edge of the massive pit. A terrifying energy of gravity filled the air.
This power was so intense it distorted the local gravity itself. In this area, massive boulders floated eerily in midair — an unnatural sight.
Lucian looked down into the crater's depths, but he could see no bottom. He leapt onto a floating stone.
As soon as he entered the zone saturated with gravity, his body felt weightless, suspended like an astronaut in space.
Surprised, he found himself drifting gently. After experiencing the strange sensation for a while, Lucian began to control the wind to push himself forward, gliding toward other floating rocks.
Still, he remained cautious, always keeping himself above a stone in case the gravity field shifted and he fell into the endless abyss below.
As he ventured deeper into this vast zero-gravity zone, he saw the architecture of the Eternal City.
At the edge of the crater, where the meteor had struck, a massive cavity opened up. Many of Nokron's ancient structures had collapsed, revealing the false sky beyond.
Those buildings of the Eternal City, once majestic,had already been half-destroyed by Astel's devastating meteor,and now they were completely crushed beneath this colossal star.
Lucian couldn't find the small cave entrance that existed in the game, but now there were many gaps large enough to enter through.
He chose one that seemed most convenient and stepped into the ruins of Nokron, the Eternal City.
The moment his body entered the ruins, gravity returned to normal. His feet touched solid ground again, and that sense of stability returned.
Through a broken window on the other side, he could see—below him stretched a vast sprawl of ancient buildings,their outlines fading into the distant darkness.
Under the false night sky, the ruins appeared solemn and magnificent,their shattered silhouettes faintly illuminated by the starlight above.
No one lived here anymore —only the grand remnants of a once-great civilization remained, silently telling of the glory of an age long gone.