Bai Shi walked forward and pulled out the twinblade standing in the center of the tower. As Bai Shi took the weapon in hand, its name appeared before his eyes—Aeperia. The twinblade was oddly shaped; it looked less like a weapon and more like an exquisite piece of sculpted art. Though the blade's form was perfectly symmetrical, the two ends were vastly different. This twinblade should have been golden all over, but now it had inexplicably fallen into a state of decay, with parts faded to a lifeless black. One end had withered and discolored starting from the tip, and even the blade's edge was partially chipped. The other end, however, had begun to wither from its midsection, the decay spreading all the way to the hilt connecting the two blades. It was uncertain if it could even withstand high-intensity combat anymore. Bai Shi felt the almost powerless weapon in his hands, finding it strange. Could this weapon... truly be called the treasure of the tower? Right now, he had no idea what kind of power it possessed, and it didn't even seem particularly sharp. If there was anything impressive about this weapon, it was that it had already been fortified to +9. At the very least, he wouldn't need to upgrade it himself, which was good news. After fiddling with the twinblade for some time, Bai Shi still couldn't figure out its true nature. At first, he thought it was just a useless weapon, but on second thought, something didn't seem right. Since the Horned Crone had said it was for him to use in battle, it couldn't possibly be some ceremonial piece whose commemorative value outweighed its practical use. And even with the Hornsent’s considerable strength, it was unlikely they would upgrade a completely useless item to +9 and treat it as the tower’s greatest treasure. There had to be some special power within this Aeperia twinblade that he didn't know about. Bai Shi tried to swing the weapon. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much experience with this type of armament before. Handling it for the first time, his movements were somewhat clumsy. Even back in the game, Bai Shi rarely used twinblades. If he were to use only a twinblade, he had basically just played with Eleonora's Poleblade, which had an incredibly flashy Ash of War with spectacular special effects. Its only drawback was that the Ash of War's displacement was too large and too fast, sometimes making it difficult to deal maximum damage. So, when he really wanted to dish out damage, Bai Shi would usually equip the Cragblade Ash of War, dual-wield a Blood-infused Knight's Twinblade in each hand, and play a bleed jump attack build. Twinblades had a significant advantage in jump attacks, capable of landing up to six hits, two more than even dual curved swords. Unfortunately, two of those hits were difficult to land in 90% of situations. That was why twinblades never became popular enough to be considered meta in the game. However, this drawback would hardly exist in reality. Once he became proficient, his attacks wouldn't miss so easily. Although he had handled many weapons since arriving in the Lands Between—all sorts of swords, spears, axes, and halberds—he had encountered very few who wielded a twinblade, a weapon demanding exceptional skill, let alone used one himself. Unable to uncover the weapon's secrets for the time being, Bai Shi put it away, planning to try again later. He then raised his head and looked at the guardian spirit skull floating above him. Bai Shi grabbed it and, in an instant, refined it. In just a moment, Bai Shi had successfully absorbed the power from the guardian spirit. Bai Shi released his hand, allowing the guardian spirit to float once more. His Great Rune's analysis ability didn't require him to destroy it, so the guardian spirit still existed after being refined. Bai Shi planned to return this guardian spirit to the Horned Crone's side later. Indeed, it was better to reunite mother and son. Bai Shi stretched out his hand and began to try releasing vengeful spirits according to the power he had just absorbed. As his magic was consumed, clusters of yellowish-black vengeful spirits flew from his hand, darting about in the direction he commanded. Bai Shi cut off the flow of magic, and the spirits slowly dissipated after floating for a while. With this power, he should now be able to harm spiritual entities. Bai Shi walked out of the tower and surveyed the poison swamp covering the lower levels of the Tower Settlement. Since I'm already here, I might as well take a nice stroll in Hidetaka Miyazaki's swimming pool. It was a good chance to explore the other half of the poison swamp region. Based on his experience, there was definitely another disgusting monster waiting for him there. Soon enough, soaring in the sky, Bai Shi found Hidetaka Miyazaki's little pet, kept in the poison swamp. A Putrescent Tree Spirit, its entire body stained with deep green venom, erupted from the bog. The Tree Spirit raised its head high, its massive body leaping out of the swamp. In an instant, it lunged toward the airborne Bai Shi, carrying with it a torrent of foul-smelling liquid. Bai Shi had originally intended to test out his newly acquired Aeperia twinblade. But upon seeing the Putrescent Tree Spirit covered in a greenish-brown, unidentifiable fluid, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Never mind his new weapon; he didn't want any of his weapons to come into contact with this thing. Bai Shi closed his eyes and sighed. He then summoned the flames of the sun, condensing them in his hands to form an immense, blazing twinblade. Wielding the twinblade that gushed with ferocious crimson flames, Bai Shi plummeted downwards, meeting the charging Putrescent Tree Spirit head-on. The Tree Spirit reeked of a foul stench, clearly having been pickled to perfection in the poison swamp. The vile odor was enough to make one shudder, even after the wind had dispersed it. Bai Shi dodged sideways to avoid the Tree Spirit's bite, then crossed past it. The crimson flames in his hand easily sliced through the Tree Spirit's body, leaving a continuous trail of injuries in their wake. With the swift dance of the twinblade, flames began to flicker all over the Putrescent Tree Spirit's body. By the time Bai Shi landed, a violent torrent of red flames erupted, incinerating the Putrescent Tree Spirit to ash from the inside out. After dealing with the Putrescent Tree Spirit, Bai Shi noticed an item prompt near the corpse. Following the words that appeared before his eyes, Bai Shi found the item within the ashen remains. It was a necklace with a strangely shaped horn hanging from it, called the Immunizing Horn Charm +2. Bai Shi remembered that the Immunizing Horn should increase one's immunity to poison and rot. An Immunizing Horn Charm +2 should have a very impressive effect. After stowing the talisman, Bai Shi began to think about his talisman pouch. He had collected quite a few talismans lately. Perhaps he should pay a visit to Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold again. While he was there, maybe he could swipe a few more talisman pouches. With the talisman collected, Bai Shi figured there wouldn't be any more good items to gather in the Tower Settlement. So, he flew out of the town. Soon, Bai Shi arrived at Miquella's Cross in front of the Tower Settlement. Mur was no longer in sight, but Ansbach remained where he was. Ansbach was sitting on a wooden crate Mur had left behind, a thick, yellowed book in his hands and a pen for writing in the other. Ansbach was very alert and quickly noticed Bai Shi's approach. He looked up and confirmed the newcomer's identity. Seeing it was Bai Shi, Ansbach put away his book and pen and stood up. "Sir Bai Shi, have you finished your exploration?" Bai Shi had already removed the Divine Beast's head and landed in front of Ansbach. In response to Ansbach's question, Bai Shi nodded. "Yes, I've dealt with all the enemies in the Tower Settlement that would hinder exploration." "The town is now in a state where one can come and go freely." Ansbach nodded and stroked his beard. "I see. Thank you for your hard work." "Now I can continue my own deeper exploration." Bai Shi pointed at the book Ansbach held in his hand and asked, "Is all of that your own writing?" "That's an impressive thickness." Ansbach glanced down at the book in his hand and smiled. "Indeed. As one gets older, memory tends to decline." Read complete versıon only at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽 "To make it easier to record my findings and organize the information I've collected, I've compiled it all here." Speaking of information, Bai Shi asked Ansbach, "By the way, during your exploration of the Tower Settlement, did you come across any information regarding a betrayal?" "I'm very curious about the reasons behind what Queen Marika did in the past." "Including that war Messmer's army calls a 'Holy War'... or rather, massacre. What was that all about?" Ansbach glanced at the Holy War Medallion pinned to Bai Shi's chest and stroked his beard. He had seen that medallion before. It was worn by the knights and commanders of Messmer's army. Ansbach began to recall the information he knew. "The medallion you wear is proof of that war." "It is a medal for those who fought alongside Messmer and gave their lives for the Holy War." "They killed indiscriminately, claiming it was to burn away all filth..." "There was no mercy, nor any honor. It was a pure massacre." "Only those who firmly believed it to be a Holy War could find a sliver of excitement amidst the wails of the dying." "After all, they knew full well they were committing slaughter." After a moment of thought, Ansbach spoke again. "The Holy War seems not to have concluded successfully in the end." "The continued existence of the Hornsent seems to contradict the war's ultimate objective." "I suspect that war-weariness grew too strong, and even shielding their minds with the notion of a holy war, the soldiers could no longer accept it." "Furthermore... after the Holy War, all the statues of Queen Marika in the Land of Shadow seem to have had their heads destroyed." Realizing his statement might be too absolute, Ansbach quickly added a clarification. "At least, all the statues of Queen Marika that I have seen are in that state." "Perhaps in the final stages, Sir Messmer and Queen Marika were not entirely of one mind?" "There is still too little information. It is merely my speculation, so you need not pay it too much mind." Bai Shi listened silently, constantly organizing the information. When he heard about the destroyed heads of Marika's statues, he couldn't think of a reasonable explanation. He had yet to see such a statue, nor had he met Messmer, so he didn't know what hidden truths lay behind it all. But if this phenomenon was common throughout the Land of Shadow, then it was indeed strange. Bai Shi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I understand." "Then, regarding the cause of this Holy War—Marika's betrayal—is there any news on that?" Ansbach shook his head. "The records in the Tower Settlement do indeed mention Queen Marika's betrayal." "However, they don't elaborate on what exactly happened." "What their relationship was like before, what Marika's act of betrayal was, the reasons for her betrayal... all of this is unknown." Ansbach thought to himself for a moment before speaking again. "Among the information related to Queen Marika, a special term was mentioned: 'Witch'." "According to the records, it seems Queen Marika was one of these Witches." "The Hornsent's description of the Witches is strange. They said Witches could grant rebirth, allowing people to become good and kind." "I speculate that 'Witch' is a profession, perhaps they served a role similar to priestesses, responsible for performing rites when the Hornsent died?" "Perhaps the betrayal the Hornsent perceived is also related to Marika's status as a Witch." "After all, judging from the records, this role seems to have been entirely in service of the Hornsent people." "Unfortunately, because the descriptions are so abstract, it's impossible to draw any definite conclusions." Ansbach looked up at the distant cliffs. "According to those documents, it seems there are Witches in a gaol, responsible for helping prisoners be reborn as good people." "I previously heard from the Hornsent gentleman in our group that there is a gaol in the Tower Settlement." "The gaol is located near the Tower Settlement, yet is completely disconnected from it." "There might be a Witch there." "You might find the information you're looking for there. Unfortunately, I have yet to determine its exact location." Hearing this, Bai Shi was already determined to investigate that gaol. If he could meet one of these so-called Witches, he might learn something about what happened in the past. Speaking of which, it was quite impressive that Ansbach had gathered so much information; he was worthy of being called a scholar. It completely subverted Bai Shi's perception that everyone from the Mohgwyn Dynasty was a lunatic. It seemed he could ask him more questions in the future. Bai Shi nodded at Ansbach. "Alright, thank you for the information." Ansbach stroked his beard and asked, "Sir Bai Shi, would you like me to go back into the Tower Settlement and search for records of the gaol's location for you?" "Now that there are no enemies, I might be able to find rarer information, known only to higher-ranking Hornsent." Bai Shi shook his head. "No, I can't wait any longer. It will be faster if I just go look for it myself." "As for your desire to explore further, please, feel free." "The main gate of the Tower Settlement has already been opened by Leda and the others. You can enter now and head straight to the deeper sections without taking a detour." Ansbach nodded and prepared to head back into the Tower Settlement. He was actually quite idle at the moment, with nothing to do. The task of searching for the remains left by Lord Miquella was being handled entirely by the native Hornsent. Mur was taking care of gathering supplies for their companions. And there was no need to mention Leda. Since she had arrived in the Land of Shadow, they just had to wait for her decisions on their main course of action. Until they expanded their range of activity, even map-making was temporarily unnecessary, so he was completely free. But he was happy with that. Ever since leaving the Mohgwyn Dynasty, he had felt an inexplicable emptiness. For an old, wounded soldier, gathering intelligence and exploring for information was something he was happy to do. After his last exploration, he had become very interested in the history of the Hornsent people. Unfortunately, there was still too little information, and everything remained shrouded in mist. This was perfect. Now that his companions had cleared out all the enemies in the Tower Settlement, it was time for a second expedition. Bai Shi flew high into the sky and looked towards the distant Tower Settlement. From this altitude, he could get a bird's-eye view of the surrounding terrain. To the west of the Tower Settlement was a sheer cliff, with a bottomless drop below. It was obvious no gaol would be there. To the east, however, the view was obstructed by a mountain range. That mountain range did seem to be connected to the Tower Settlement. Could the gaol be hidden within it? If so, that's where he would go first. Bai Shi flew in that direction, donning the Divine Beast's head and summoning a fierce wind above the Tower Settlement. Instantly, the entire vicinity of the settlement was enveloped by the grand power of nature. The wind became Bai Shi's eyes and ears, clearly constructing a map of the surrounding terrain in his mind. Using the storm to scout, Bai Shi quickly and thoroughly surveyed the environment around the Tower Settlement. Sure enough, to the east of the settlement and north of the gravestone plains, there was a hidden entrance. This entrance was well-concealed at the base of a cliff. The opening was narrow and exuded a cold aura. Bai Shi immediately sped towards that location. In front of the gaol's entrance was a large lake, in which lay a rather large wyvern. Beside the large lake were also many strange things that looked like iron birdcages. Although they resembled birdcages, their size seemed to be for holding people. Bai Shi descended from the sky, arriving before the entrance of what was presumably the gaol. With his arrival, the wyvern in the lake slowly rose to its feet. Bai Shi had originally intended to spare the wyvern and pay it no mind. But upon seeing the wyvern up close, his interest was immediately piqued. Because the wyvern before him was a dead wyvern. The creature was in an advanced state of decay. Its skin was rotten, hanging loosely on its body, with large portions exposing white bone. Upon the withered bones, countless maggots writhed ceaselessly, causing the decaying flesh to heave and pulse. This wyvern was one of Those Who Live in Death, a creature affected by 'Death'.