Bai Shi remained with Godfrey for quite some time, asking every question he could think of. Ultimately, Bai Shi gleaned a wealth of information about that land from the former lord. For instance, there were the ancient forging ruins that had piqued Bai Shi's interest. Forging was once a skill unique to the giants, a ritual to honor their god, and it was eventually passed down to their descendants, the Trolls. During the war against the giants, the Trolls helped forge numerous weapons, including a type of golem. The golems now scattered throughout the Lands Between, wielding greatbows or giant halberds, were creations from that place. This included the Imps and the Watchdogs; they were all products of their craft. In addition, there was the homeland of the drakes—the Spire of Spike, and the mysterious pits left by the Fingers—the Finger Ruins... After listening to Godfrey's tale, Bai Shi clicked his tongue in wonder. He felt as though he'd missed out on an entire expansion's worth of content. Bai Shi had since departed from his throne. After hearing so much astounding news from Godfrey, he needed a moment to decompress. So, Bai Shi decided to go and play with Shivr for a while. Bai Shi hadn't taken Shivr with him when he'd led the Dragonblood Knights to Caelid. He had simply instructed the logistics personnel to bring the Dragonblood Knights' supplies back to Stormveil Castle, having them bring Shivr back as well. Selinsax had already flown back from Caelid ahead of time, and she was the one primarily looking after Shivr. Now, Selinsax was living with Shivr in a building near the plaza before the throne room. However, the scene that greeted Bai Shi as he entered the room left him stunned. Selinsax sat on a chair to one side, carving meat from the leg of some wild beast to feed Shivr. Meanwhile, Shivr, who had grown quite a bit larger, was pinning a "toy" under its body and batting it around with its paws. Every so often, Shivr would scamper to the side, crouch down, and pounce on it again. The "toy" it was teasing was a plump, silver tear. But no matter how Shivr played with it, the silver tear remained completely unresponsive. Bai Shi looked toward Selinsax and asked: “Where did this thing come from?” Selinsax tapped her chin, thought for a moment, and replied: “Shivr found it and brought it back.” Bai Shi opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Selinsax nodded and continued. “That’s right, it found it.” “I found it pretty incredible when I first heard, too.” “The logistics team that brought Shivr back told me that it suddenly bolted off when they were passing through the Mistwood.” For more chapters visıt 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱 “By the time they caught up and found Shivr, it had already picked up this silver tear.” “But this tear doesn’t seem to have much life in it. It hasn’t moved at all since Shivr dragged it back.” “I figured it was either defective or on its last legs, so I didn’t pay it much mind and just let Shivr play with it.” Bai Shi pondered this silently. A silver tear found in the Mistwood... That place was quite close to the meteor crater that led to Nokron. Could it be the Mimic Tear that got away? The more Bai Shi thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He walked over, gently pulled Shivr aside, and knelt before the silver tear. Bai Shi poked the listless silver tear on the ground a couple of times, but it still didn't react. He rubbed his chin, trying to figure out its current state and how to wake it up. After a moment's thought, Bai Shi took out the Teardrop Chalice he had acquired from the secret chamber in Nokron. As he brought out the chalice, the dense, almost liquid "mystery" within it immediately began to diffuse its arcane aura throughout the surroundings. It was only now, away from the esoteric atmosphere of the underground, that Bai Shi realized just how concentrated the "mystery" in the chalice truly was. As the arcane energy filled the room, the silver tear on the floor quivered slightly. Shivr, already quite lively, became a hundred times more energetic, on the verge of tearing the place apart. Bai Shi held the Teardrop Chalice in his hand and waved it in front of the silver tear. Within seconds, the silver tear stirred. As if coming to life, it surged forward, drawn to the Teardrop Chalice. Selinsax stood up and walked over to kneel beside Bai Shi. She watched the suddenly animated blob of silver with some surprise. “It really reacted. It seems to have woken up.” Bai Shi pulled the chalice back, causing the tear to lunge at empty air. “You’re awake? What are you?” The silver tear seemed to only just notice the people in front of it and began to slowly undulate. Spreading out on the floor, it spoke to Bai Shi: “Wuu, I’m so thirsty...” “I want it so badly, the chalice... Can you give it to me?” Bai Shi wiggled the Teardrop Chalice in his hand. “If you want it, you have to answer my questions first.” Though the silver tear had no limbs or facial features, Bai Shi could feel it "staring" intently at the chalice in his hand. “My name is Ashmi. I am a silver tear.” “I can transform into various creatures, mimicking their every move.” “But unlike my companions, I was born with intelligence. I have self-awareness, the ability to speak, to think... and to desire.” “So, please, could you give me the chalice? I would be most grateful...” Bai Shi silently moved the Teardrop Chalice away from Ashmi, who had begun to creep onto his body with a complete lack of personal space. Good news: this was indeed Ashmi, the Mimic Tear. She was cut content from the game, a tear with self-awareness. A tear with consciousness was far more formidable in a fight than any other mimic tear. “You want this? What can you offer me in return?” Ashmi thought for a moment, trying to understand Bai Shi’s words. Oh, now that he mentioned it, she seemed to recall hearing something back in the Eternal City. Apparently, if you wanted something in the outside world, you needed an equivalent exchange. But what could a mere silver tear like her possibly have to trade? Seeing Ashmi freeze in place, completely stiff, Bai Shi asked: Ashmi slowly shrank back. “Ashmi... has nothing to exchange...” “The chalice... cannot have...” Bai Shi was a little confused, but he had no intention of letting this chance to capture Ashmi slip by. “It’s fine. If you have nothing to trade, you can work for me.” “As long as you create value for me, you can use that value as your exchange.” Realization dawned on Ashmi. So that was an option! Coming to the outside world was the right choice after all. After some thought, Ashmi said to Bai Shi: “Mm-hm, in that case... would you allow me to live inside your body? If I reside within you, I can help you in battle.” “This way, the power of the chalice will, in turn, become your own strength. What do you think?” For Ashmi, this was essentially a contract of servitude. The allure of the Teardrop Chalice was just that irresistible—no, not to people, but to tears. Besides, Ashmi had no concept of freedom, so she sold herself away with little hesitation. Bai Shi nodded. It was a done deal. Ashmi drew close to Bai Shi again and said: “I am different from my kin. I require a special process to take on another's form.” “Please, come close and draw me into your body with your mouth. Then, I shall become one with you.” As she finished speaking, Ashmi parted her body, revealing her true core within. Unlike the cores of other tears, Ashmi's was a peculiar thing. This core was a pale green, like a gas, existing somewhere between the ethereal and the physical. “I once heard the people who cared for me say this.” “My core was born from a spirit grave, a very rare form of ethereal life.” “Therefore, I can only assume a form by merging with someone. I have never truly transformed before.” Beside them, Selinsax’s eyes widened as she looked at Bai Shi. “Are you really going to suck this thing of unknown origin into your body?” “And she said parasitize! Parasitize! She said it herself!” Bai Shi was actually a bit hesitant now. After all, a game was a game, and reality was reality. Being asked to suck this blob into his body in the real world was, frankly, a bit strange. He had no idea what it would feel like. But after thinking it over, Bai Shi made his decision. “If anything goes wrong, I can just use the power of the sun to roast it dry from the inside.” Bai Shi leaned closer to Ashmi's core and inhaled it. ‘Wow, Host, it’s so warm inside you.’ Upon entering his mouth, the ethereal core spread throughout Bai Shi's body, quickly reaching every part of him. Ashmi could now communicate with Bai Shi directly, as if she were a spirit. ‘Host, it’s a success.’ ‘I can now switch between physical and ethereal forms.’ ‘When you need me, just call me out.’ ‘I’m in your care from now on, my Host.’ Bai Shi checked his body, sensing no abnormalities. “Ashmi, come out and let me see.” Ashmi complied, and a physical form began to coalesce in the empty space beside Bai Shi. During the process, Bai Shi could feel the presence of Ashmi within him diminishing, though a single core remained behind. Soon, a "person" with an appearance and clothing identical to Bai Shi’s materialized next to him. Ashmi's materialization had consumed a portion of Bai Shi’s health, mana, and stamina. However, it was an amount that would recover quickly. Ashmi looked at the body she was now mimicking and was deeply shocked. “Wow, Host, I can’t seem to completely replicate your power.” Bai Shi nodded. His stats were extremely high now, so that wasn't surprising. But if he could strengthen Ashmi with the Teardrop Chalice, she should soon be able to manifest his full strength. Selinsax wasn’t surprised to see Ashmi transform into Bai Shi; she had seen plenty of Mimic Tears in the Eternal City. Shivr, however, was startled by the sudden appearance of a second Bai Shi. It ran back and forth between the two, staring at each for a long time, completely unable to understand what was happening. Bai Shi looked at the Ashmi before him, who was his perfect double, and suddenly felt a bit strange. After all, a being that looked exactly like him had suddenly appeared right in front of him. So, Bai Shi asked Ashmi: “Can you change your current appearance?” Ashmi cocked her head, slightly confused. “What is it, Host? Is my imitation not accurate enough?” Bai Shi shook his head slightly. “No... It’s because it’s too accurate...” Ashmi was very puzzled. “But I can't imitate anyone else, and if I become someone else, I won’t have your power.” Ashmi began to think as hard as she could about how to satisfy her host’s request. It seemed the host wanted to change her appearance but keep her power... Understood. In that case, she would change into a female form. It just so happened that she considered herself female anyway. And so, Bai Shi watched as the version of himself standing before him suddenly began to change. The hair grew longer, while the Adam’s apple and facial structure subtly shifted. The chest of the sorcerer’s robe slowly began to fill out. After a moment, a woman who bore a strong, seven-tenths resemblance to Bai Shi stood before him. Ashmi now had beautiful, long black hair cascading down, and her face was strikingly handsome. “How is this? What do you think now, Master?” Ashmi spun around, her voice having completely changed to a woman's. This time, Shivr could tell Bai Shi and Ashmi apart. It spent a long moment studying Ashmi, memorizing her new appearance. Selinsax, however, suddenly found it hard to contain herself, looking like she was about to burst out laughing. She took another look at Ashmi and finally let out a giggle. It had to be said, Ashmi had certainly retained many of Bai Shi's features. Viewed on her own, she was simply a beautiful woman. But standing next to Bai Shi, the resemblance was uncanny; even siblings might not look so alike. Bai Shi watched the feminized version of himself, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Alright, he supposed he was the one who asked for it... Though it was a little hard to take seriously, it looked pretty good now. This would do. It was better than having an exact copy of himself around.