Turning right from the shattered section of Leyndell's wall, Arthur entered an interior hall — and there, conveniently, lay another Site of Grace.
He activated it.
Melina appeared again, her spirit form shimmering in the golden glow.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For bringing me to the foot of the Erdtree.
Here… I am finally able to move freely.
And with that, our agreement has now come to an end."
She paused, and her voice grew even gentler.
"Truly… I am grateful.
Long ago, I noticed that even without converting runes into strength, you continued to grow stronger."
"And now that you stand as a Empyrean, I can no longer assist you in any meaningful way.
In the end… our agreement was nothing but your one-sided effort."
"Thank you again.
We shall part here, for now.
This is the method to convert runes into power — perhaps it will still be useful to you.
Also… please take care of Torrent for me."
"…Farewell. I must go confirm my own purpose.
I hope you achieve yours as well.
You have fought through countless trials already — surely you can become a lord… an Elden Lord."
It was the first time Melina had ever spoken so many words at once.
Arthur could hear it — a faint touch of reluctance buried beneath her calm tone.
Two full years together…
So the wooden-faced maiden wasn't without feelings after all.
"Well then…" Arthur smiled faintly. "Let's say our goodbyes here.
I have a feeling we'll meet again soon."
He reached out and gently touched Melina's cheek.
It was the first time he had ever made physical contact with her.
Unlike other spirits, whose bodies felt cold and insubstantial, Melina's face carried a subtle warmth — the warmth of the flame she harbored within her, the flame meant to burn the Erdtree.
Melina froze at his touch, then—
Smiled.
It was the first time Arthur had ever seen her smile — a beautiful expression blooming on a face that was usually calm to the point of lifelessness.
For a moment, Arthur was stunned.
Still holding that faint smile… her body dissolved into motes of light and vanished.
This time, she did not linger in secret to watch him.
She truly left.
"Lord… are you quite done losing yourself?"
A small voice grumbled from Arthur's arms.
Ranni, tiny and pouty, glared up at him — her tone brimming with displeasure.
The Moon Princess was annoyed.
Her lord was perfect in every way… except for being hopelessly soft when it came to women.
He already had her, the dignified Princess of the Moon — and still had the nerve to admire another woman's smile?
And worse, her lord had a face that attracted trouble all on its own — a face no woman could easily refuse.
The only thing Ranni was grateful for…
was that her lord's standards were extremely high.
He wasn't someone who picked up every pretty girl he saw.
Still — jealousy was a princess's right.
A bit of vinegar now and then kept his attention where it belonged.
Arthur snapped back to himself and quickly apologized.
"Sorry. I drifted off for a moment."
Of course he didn't explain why he had drifted off.
Telling his fiancée that he was stunned by another woman's smile was no better than suicide.
Ranni saw through him easily, but didn't press the matter.
She understood her lord's nature far too well by now.
Instead, she shifted the topic smoothly:
"Lord, you haven't cooked in some time."
Arthur instantly understood.
Ranni wanted his cooking.
"'Some time'" was an excuse — he had cooked just two days ago — but he wasn't about to expose her.
In one decisive motion, he logged out of the System realm and took Ranni by the hand.
"Where are we going?" she asked, puzzled.
"To buy ingredients," Arthur said with enthusiasm. "Tonight, I'll make a feast for my princess."
Morgott?
Leyndell?
The capital?
All irrelevant.
If his wife was hungry, everything else could wait.
Ranni's lips curved into a soft smile.
Now she understood why her lord was so irresistible — not just his looks, but the way he treated those he acknowledged.
Once Arthur accepted someone…
he gave them everything.
That was how she had fallen too.
Thinking of that, Ranni slipped her hand into his elbow.
Arthur looked down; Ranni smiled up at him.
"Lead the way, my lord."
Arthur chuckled, nodded, and walked out with her.
Arthur said they were going out for ingredients, but in truth he didn't intend to buy much.
Vegetables?
His Zen Garden produced more than enough.
Meats?
Liurnia's wildlife offered every kind imaginable — sheep, boars, bears, and even the enormous crabs and lobsters whose claws alone could feed a family for days.
The real purpose of this outing was simple:
Take Ranni around the city.
Enjoy a date.
Pick up a few spices for Eastern dishes.
But after combing through the markets around the city, Arthur found none of the specific seasonings he needed.
Then he smacked his forehead.
Of course.
Chinatown.
The Eastern enclave in London — the home of ingredients he needed.
He brought Ranni to Soho, Westminster, where Chinatown stood proudly behind an ornate Chinese gate inscribed in traditional characters:
London Chinatown.
Walking through the entrance, Arthur felt a sudden rush of nostalgia as Chinese characters filled the storefronts around him.
Stepping into a Chinese supermarket, the feeling intensified.
Ranni sensed the shift in his mood.
"Lord… what troubles you?"
"Nothing," Arthur said, shaking his head. "Just… missing home a little."
"Your homeland… the East?
If there is ever a chance, I will accompany you there," she said softly.
Arthur's lips curved — but before he could speak—
A gentle, elderly voice spoke behind them.
"Young people should return home whenever they can."
Arthur and Ranni turned.
An old Chinese grandmother stood there, kind-faced and warm.
Arthur immediately switched to Mandarin.
"奶奶您好.我叫亚瑟.请问您的姓氏是什么?"
("Hello, Grandma. My name is Arthur. May I ask your surname?")
The old woman blinked with mild surprise, then chuckled.
"No need for formalities, child. Call me Grandma Zhao.
Strange though — I've never seen you on this street before."
Arthur explained his living situation.
"Not bad," Grandma Zhao said approvingly. "You speak Mandarin beautifully, even without growing up among Chinese folk."
Arthur smiled faintly. "One shouldn't forget their roots."
"Hahaha! Good child! For that alone, everything you buy today gets a twenty percent discount."
Arthur hadn't expected the grandmother to be the owner of the supermarket.
He didn't refuse her kindness.
"Thank you, Grandma."
Her eyes drifted to Ranni.
"And this young lady is…?"
"My fiancée, Ranni," Arthur introduced.
Grandma Zhao sighed dramatically.
"Ah, foreign girls also like arranging engagements young, it seems. I was thinking of introducing my granddaughter to you!
But looks like she wasn't meant for such a handsome boy."
Arthur almost choked.
This grandmother's imagination was too strong.
Quick to steer the topic away from matchmaking, he asked:
"Grandma Zhao, do you manage such a large store alone? Is it safe?"
He had heard that Chinatown here mixed many nationalities — not always peacefully.
Grandma Zhao waved her hand dismissively.
"No need to worry. Chinese communities stay close and help each other.
And besides — we have Xiao.
He's a real Taoist.
Whenever something big happens, we call him."
"Oh?" Arthur raised a brow. "A real Eastern cultivator?"
Just as Grandma Zhao opened her mouth to explain, the entrance bell chimed.
She turned.
"Speak of the devil — here's Xiao now."
Arthur followed her gaze — and froze.
A burly man walked in.
Not in Daoist robes, but casual clothes.
He wore his long hair tied into a topknot with a simple hairpin.
His beard was thick — almost too familiar.
"Zhao-auntie!" the man boomed in a heavy Northeastern accent. "Came to check in on you! How've you been?"
Grandma Zhao answered with a smile, then gestured toward Arthur and Ranni.
"I was just telling this young man about you."
The burly man turned — and grinned.
"Oh! New faces! Handsome lad and pretty lass.
Name's Li Xuanjian.
And you two?"
Arthur's mouth twitched.
Li Xuanjian?
That name screamed "Xianxia protagonist senior brother."
With that beard, Arthur half-expected him to announce he was actually Yan Chixia.
"I'm Arthur Qi, and this is my fiancée, Ranni."
Li Xuanjian gave Arthur a thumbs-up.
"Good lad! Already engaged at your age.
And your fiancée's a beauty!"
"Ah — don't call me uncle. I'm not that old. Just a little over thirty. Call me big brother."
Arthur blinked.
"...I'm not even fourteen yet."
Li Xuanjian choked on his own saliva.
His gaze ran over Arthur again — tall, mature, composed — absolutely unlike a boy his age.
To be fair, after absorbing the powers of Mohg and Miquella, Arthur's height had shot up past 1.7 meters, and his presence felt far older than his appearance.
"Cough— well, calling me uncle is fine too."
He quickly changed the topic. "So what were you saying about me earlier?"
"Grandma Zhao said you're a real Taoist practitioner," Arthur replied. "I've never met someone from the Eastern mystical side. I wanted to learn a little."
Li Xuanjian paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You're… a sorcerer from this side, then?"
"I study at Hogwarts," Arthur said calmly.
"Ah! That explains it.
I thought you'd come looking for me specifically."
Arthur shook his head, raising the seasoning packet in his hand.
"No — we came to buy ingredients.
We only heard about you by coincidence."
Li Xuanjian coughed again, embarrassed.
Young people these days didn't follow conversational etiquette — leaving old cultivators like him floundering.
"Ahem.
Well—
This isn't the place to talk about such things.
If you want to see Eastern magic, follow me."
"Wait," Arthur said, lifting his basket. "I still need to finish buying things."
Li Xuanjian stared at him.
Right.
He himself was here to shop.
After paying for their items, Arthur took Ranni and followed Li Xuanjian to an apartment building.
He unlocked a door on the first floor.
"Here we are — my place."
Arthur entered with Ranni and looked around.
A very typical Eastern-style apartment —
A bulky television,
an altar with a statue of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord,
and a desk covered in talismans and brushes.
"I thought you'd at least have a Taoist temple," Arthur remarked.
Li Xuanjian waved dismissively.
"I'm nowhere near good enough to open a sect.
My master said opening a Daoist temple without enough skill only shames the lineage."
Arthur's interest sharpened.
"Then… may I ask, what kind of factions exist in the Eastern mystical world?"
He had been curious about this for a long, long time.
And Li Xuanjian grinned.
Now this was a question worth answering.
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