“This body... it’s not Miquella’s, is it?” Bai Shi looked at Leda, waiting for her to continue. Leda nodded, admitting it directly. “As expected, nothing escapes your sight.” “During the Shattering, Mohg launched a surprise attack on the Haligtree and abducted my lord, Miquella.” “Lord Miquella later devised a plan and managed to escape.” “To this day, Mohg has not seen through the deception. He believes this body is Lord Miquella’s.” “But even so, I must have my revenge on Mohg for what he did during the Shattering.” Bai Shi listened in silence. In any case, he was certain that what she had just said wasn’t the whole truth. To this day, Bai Shi still didn’t understand why Malenia had gone to Caelid to fight General Radahn, even going so far as to detonate the Scarlet Rot. He figured Leda wouldn't tell him everything, either. Without betraying any emotion, Bai Shi asked coolly: “What does Miquella want to do?” Leda gazed at the arm extending from the cocoon and answered slowly: “To create a better Lands Between.” “To... create a world filled with love, where all beings can live together in peace.” The words left Bai Shi a bit dazed. A world where all beings could live together in peace, filled with love... That was what he had always hoped for, what he had always considered his ultimate goal. Long ago, when he had first arrived in the Lands Between, his prior knowledge of the Haligtree had once led him to use it as a model to emulate. Bai Shi had always believed that Miquella’s Haligtree had made progress and was a system worth studying as a reference. At the time, Bai Shi had even lamented that Miquella had fallen victim to Mohg’s vile scheme, forcing the Haligtree project to be abandoned. But with the appearance of Leda and the others, he had begun to uncover Miquella's various clandestine activities, hidden behind the curtains of the world’s events. Whether it was the battle in Caelid, Malenia's unease in Millicent's dreams, or the fake body now lying in this cocoon... All of it made Bai Shi begin to doubt Miquella’s true intentions. Was he truly fighting for the world he described? It was possible that Miquella genuinely believed in that goal and had been working toward it all along. But how he planned to achieve it had now become a source of unease for Bai Shi. He decided he’d better keep a close eye on the situation. Bai Shi pointed to the arm extending from the cocoon and asked Leda: “Where does that body lead?” With his perception attribute pushed beyond its limits, Bai Shi could see the arm was connected to some strange place. It emanated a profound radiance he had never seen before. It was dim, as if shrouded by a veil, yet beneath that shadowy covering lay a light of even greater brilliance. This body was definitely a gateway to somewhere special. In his past life, many had speculated that this very arm would be the entrance to a possible DLC. And it seemed they were right. Bai Shi had discovered its unique nature, though he still didn't know where it led. Leda gave a wry smile; she knew Bai Shi would ask. “May I ask, have you heard of the Land of Shadow?” Hearing Leda mention the Land of Shadow, Bai Shi’s eyes narrowed. He already knew that there had once been another region at the very center of the Lands Between, which was now completely sealed off. He wondered if the Land of Shadow Leda spoke of was that very place. “Tell me everything.” Leda quietly began to speak of that unknown place: “The Land of Shadow... It is a god-forsaken land, a place forgotten by the Lands Between.” “Something happened there that the world could never be allowed to know, and so it was completely cut off from the Lands Between.” “And that fake body has now become the passage connecting to the Land of Shadow.” Leda took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. “Lord Bai Shi, Lord Miquella wishes for you to go to the Land of Shadow.” “He said that there, you will find all the answers you seek.” “Come. Touch that withered arm, and go to the Land of Shadow.” As Leda spoke these words, she still couldn’t believe what Miquella had told her only moments before. ‘Invite Bai Shi. Invite him to the Land of Shadow.’ To actually invite Bai Shi to the Land of Shadow... Leda was vehemently against it. This was the first time she had ever voiced an objection to Miquella’s decision. Letting Bai Shi go to the Land of Shadow was far too risky. His power was immense; his presence there would introduce countless variables. Lord Miquella was unwilling to even explain his plans to them in detail, communicating only vaguely with her alone. If Bai Shi decided to obstruct their actions, they would be utterly powerless to stop him. But Miquella saw it differently. ‘Even if you try to stop him now, he won’t be swayed by your words. It will only make him suspicious.’ ‘If he puts his mind to it, he can easily deduce that I am not, in fact, being held captive by Mohg.’ ‘At that point, it will just result in a few more corpses, and you still won’t be able to stop him.’ ‘I would prefer to avoid conflict, if circumstances permit.’ ‘Just invite him to the Land of Shadow.’ Leda still couldn’t bring herself to accept the request, her mind in turmoil. Seeing her hesitation, Miquella soothed her gently. ‘Leda, I am grateful that you have always followed me. So please, trust me.’ With that, Miquella withdrew his consciousness, ending his communication with Leda. In the secret Land of Shadow, Miquella sighed. In the Lands Between, conflict would never cease. At the Haligtree—the bounteous and beautiful Haligtree in which he had once placed so much hope—he had come to understand this truth with bitter clarity. Faith, self-interest, survival... all manner of factors would ultimately conspire to ensure that true peace could never arrive. Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 Only by establishing a single, supreme standard that all conflicts must yield to could peace be achieved. To find happiness, one must turn a blind eye. Even if it meant taking away a measure of freedom, Miquella wanted all people to prioritize life and coexistence above all else. On that foundation, they could have their own pursuits and beliefs, but all of it had to be governed by a common standard to prevent conflict and to stop such things from claiming lives. Only then could a world of nothing but happiness and peace be born. And establishing this common standard to which all would yield was something only Miquella could do. It meant using his innate ability to make all beings fall in love with him. With the shared faith that all the world loves Miquella, the conflicts and hatreds between people would be diluted by love, and they would yield in the face of love. Miquella knew this would be incredibly difficult to achieve, and there was no guarantee that he himself could consistently uphold that ideal of an eternal world. But the future could be considered in the future. Even if it was only for the present, he wanted the Lands Between to know peace. No matter what methods he had to use, that was his wish. Despite Leda’s words, Bai Shi remained skeptical. Miquella was inviting him to the Land of Shadow? It felt like a trap. Nevertheless, Bai Shi couldn’t just ignore the Land of Shadow. Setting aside the history of the Lands Between that was hidden there, the Land of Shadow held tangible benefits for Bai Shi. If he could control the Scadutree within and make it produce dew and blessings once more, Bai Shi could undoubtedly gain vast resources. It was a blatant scheme, he mused. They were betting on his interest in the Land of Shadow, waiting to see if he would go. But before deciding whether to go or not, there was one more thing Bai Shi needed to do. The thought had just occurred to him. He still had a little time left on his Fengling Yueying's infinite mana, which could perhaps be put to further use. The Great Rune he had just seized from Mohg had been infused with the power of the Formless Mother, possessing a portion of the laws related to blood. This Great Rune, bearing the power of an Outer God, was fundamentally different from the original Great Runes. And Bai Shi had another Great Rune, the one he had obtained from Radahn. During that world-shaking battle, as Radahn burned away his very existence, that Great Rune had completely lost its power in the flames. He still hadn’t found a use for this Great Rune. Inspired by Mohg’s Great Rune, Bai Shi thought he might try to infuse it with the power of the sun. With his infinite mana still active, perhaps he could give it a try. Even if he couldn't instill the sun's power to the level of a fundamental law, under the effects of infinite mana, the sheer quantity of energy would be more than enough. Who knew what effect it might have? So, without responding to Leda’s invitation, Bai Shi allowed the spectral image of the grayish-white Great Rune to emerge from his body. The spectral Great Rune floated upward, eventually merging with the sun Bai Shi had created. Under Bai Shi’s deliberate control, the sun’s power began to pour into the Great Rune. Unfortunately, the process did not go smoothly. A vast amount of the sun's power couldn't enter; only the purest form of mana slowly seeped in. The existing laws of the Lands Between consistently repelled the interference of Outer Gods' powers, and the sun was no exception. Leda was mystified, having no idea what Bai Shi was doing. However, she had no intention of disturbing him, so she stood aside and waited quietly. Melina, on the other hand, had already figured out what was on Bai Shi’s mind. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief. Was Bai Shi trying to infuse a Great Rune with the power of the sun? Was such a thing even possible? Seeing the lack of progress with the Great Rune, Melina suddenly felt a flicker of intuition and instinctively took Bai Shi’s hand. At that moment, her gloam-colored eye opened once more, and as if by instinct, Melina began to participate in the process. Bai Shi immediately felt the repulsive force on the Great Rune begin to yield. The power of the sun could now truly enter it. Bai Shi cast a grateful look at Melina, and the two exchanged a smile. Melina sighed in relief. As long as she could help Bai Shi, that was all that mattered. She didn’t know what kind of power resided in her gloam eye, or if it was truly inherited from the legendary Gloam-Eyed Queen. To be able to intervene in matters concerning the fundamental laws and Great Runes was truly unexpected. However, this alone was not enough. Melina was not an Empyrean chosen by the Two Fingers, nor was she the Gloam-Eyed Queen. She couldn’t truly imbue the Great Rune with a new law. But there was something on Bai Shi that might just make it possible. Using her status as a trueborn demigod of the Golden Lineage, Melina began to touch upon the Anchor Rune within Bai Shi’s body, guiding it to exert its influence. With the aid of the Anchor Rune’s all-encompassing power, the energy of the sun flowed smoothly into the grayish-white Great Rune. Although there was still some resistance from the Great Rune, it was completely different from before. Even if the efficiency was extremely low, to Bai Shi, who currently possessed infinite mana, it was no problem at all. Bai Shi continued to pour power into it until only a few seconds of infinite mana remained. It wasn't that he wanted to waste these last few seconds, but rather that the Great Rune was nearing the point where it could no longer withstand such a massive influx of power. Finally, the power of the sun completely filled the Great Rune. Unfortunately, without the involvement of an Outer God, their methods were ultimately too crude. So, for now, it was merely a matter of using the Great Rune to store a portion of power. They hadn’t altered its fundamental nature, nor could they bestow upon it a portion of the sun’s laws. In the days to come, whenever Bai Shi needed it, he could release the sun’s power from within the Great Rune. Even so, the ability to indirectly preserve the power of Fengling Yueying through this method was undoubtedly exhilarating news for Bai Shi. Mana was like electricity; you could store it up while the supply was infinite. Unfortunately, his other options weren’t so convenient. He couldn't exactly start canning his own flesh while under the effects of infinite health. That was just ridiculous. Having completed his task, Bai Shi finally stood before the cocoon. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to venture inside and investigate. He turned his head and said to Melina: “Melina, wait for me out here for a little while.” Melina looked puzzled. Just as she was about to ask why they couldn’t go together, she suddenly understood. Bai Shi was surely worried that Miquella had some trick up his sleeve, and thus needed her to stay behind. Melina nodded obediently and squeezed Bai Shi’s hand tightly. Bai Shi stood before the cocoon where the fake body slumbered. He looked at the withered, outstretched arm but didn’t rush to touch it. Bai Shi silently called out to Ashmi in his mind. ‘Is there something you need me to do?’ Bai Shi thought for a moment before giving Ashmi her instructions: ‘Ashmi, after I touch that arm, if you notice anything strange about me...’ ‘No matter how subtle the strangeness is, if there is anything different from my usual self, tell me immediately.’ ‘If I don't show any alarm when you point out the difference, then you are to go find Melina and tell her what’s happening.’ Ashmi was a bit confused, but she agreed. She hadn’t been by Bai Shi’s side for long and didn’t quite understand these things. But since the Host was doing this, he surely had his reasons. Only after giving his instructions did Bai Shi dare to reach for the withered arm. Miquella was an Empyrean, born with the ability to compel affection from all things. If he were just an ordinary Tarnished, he would never risk his own skin . But he wasn’t an ordinary Tarnished. He was a Tarnished with a cheat system; a Tarnished with Fengling Yueying. Although this Fengling Yueying wasn’t at full power, it still had an option to ‘Remove All Debuffs.’ No matter how outrageous Miquella’s powers were, could they possibly be stronger than Fengling Yueying? As long as he could use Fengling Yueying to remove the status effect, he feared no form of control. The only problem was whether he would be able to realize he had been affected in the first place. There was a famous line from an anime that Bai Shi still remembered vividly: ‘When were you under the impression that I wasn’t using my power?’ That was the most difficult problem to solve when it came to mind-altering effects. If Bai Shi himself couldn't detect the abnormality, then there would be no talk of using Fengling Yueying to remove the effect. As a Mimic Tear, Ashmi would not be affected by status ailments, making her the perfect person to remind him. Beyond that, Melina was forbidden to touch the withered arm for now, serving as his final insurance policy. With all his arrangements in place, Bai Shi took a deep breath. He let go of Melina’s tightly clasped hand and reached out to touch the withered arm.