A Little Interlude

Miss Surtr reached a conclusion.

The verbal skills she learned in other dream realms, which could be replicated or not fully replicated in Terra, could be used directly in Lordran after the mouth and nose were transformed, without requiring her to painstakingly edit them—just like how the dragon shouts in The Elder Scrolls were essentially driven by the earth bones, which are the physical laws of Nirn, but earth bones don't even exist here. When she shouted that Unyielding Force, the physical laws of Lordran would be directly activated, without her needing to first decipher the physical laws of this land.

"It feels a bit like a translator, a technological black box." The girl pursed her lips and gave a conclusion. "The principles and the Storm Ruler are re-edited in Terra, just as Yelena's Originium Arts can be reproduced in the Dark Souls world in a similar way. The world itself is responsible for translating this ability, just like the falling rocks on the mountain create the rhythmic scales of the symphony of fate. And now, I have also received some similar privileges."

"However... Hmm, why aren't the Originium Arts of Terra weakened here, while the powers of other Dream Dimensions are generally downgraded or diminished to some extent? Is it because I came from Terra... Ah, speaking of which, I have never actually traveled from one Dream Dimension to another. So that must be it."

She felt that her judgment was correct.

Therefore, this study can be largely concluded before any new special circumstances arise.

"That's the basic situation. I've now... synchronized my speech and sense of smell with my original body in Terra. I can now use various speech-based Originium Arts belonging to Terra without needing Originium amplification. I can also use the corresponding powers from other dream worlds to some extent, but the degree of power reduction varies depending on the worldview."

At night, Miss Surtr returned to her temporary camp.

The Fire Keeper's prayers had long since ended, and a variety of sumptuous dishes were prepared over the campfire—strangely enough, after learning some of the red-haired creature's behavior and her hasty departure from Kal'tsit, the Fire Keeper then modified the original court recipe, which even the undead could discern, into a delicacy suited to the tastes of Lordran.

The meal was delicious, with soup and vegetables, and looked and smelled wonderful. Miss Surtr enjoyed it very much, and Kal'tsit, who seemed to have rediscovered her place, also seemed pleased. After they had eaten their fill, Miss Surtr explained why she was leaving and shared her research findings.

"Unfortunately, my knowledge of verbal Originium Arts is limited to amplification and directional long-range communication. Therefore, this change won't significantly enhance my combat capabilities. However..."

Miss Surtr stretched out her hand, and a wisp of flame shot out, outlining a series of complex rune structures on the ground.

"This is..." Kal'tsit stared at the runes, a thoughtful expression on her face. "The structural model of Originium Arts? These circuits seem somewhat similar to the structure of the audio-enhancing arts... but everything else is so strange?"

"This is magic... Correction, it's driven by sinful flames, so it should be pyromancy. It's a pyromancy transcribed from the Originium Arts of Amplification, based on the rules of the Lordran world—I used my body to memorize the power flow of the pyromancy when I cast it. Then I drew the corresponding model based on my memory," Miss Surtr explained, then looked at the Fire Keeper.

"Fire Keeper, can you decipher the structure of these spells?"

She saw the Fire Keeper lean towards the runic structures—the silver blindfold never seemed to impede Fire Keeper sight or hearing.

And a few seconds later...

"It's a very complex spell model. Twelve main circuits and thirty-seven secondary circuits. Nearly forty percent of the structure is beyond my comprehension—but, miss, I have also studied sound projection magic. And if we use general soul-driven magic to structure it, the structure can be simplified to about one-third of what you have provided."

"I know," Miss Surtr nodded. "But general-purpose souls and Profaned Flame are two different systems. You certainly can't put coal for burning earth in an alchemical furnace— Fire Keeper, could you please mark out those circuit structures you don't understand?"

The Fire Keeper nodded gently and used the thin iron wire from the roasting meat to mark the corresponding areas on the runic drawing on the ground.

Before Miss Surtr could look to the other side, Kal'tsit used another wire to circle a large area that partially overlapped with the aforementioned area.

The two circles overlap, and the overlapping part accounts for about 15 percent of the overall structure.

It's obvious that she herself doesn't touch that 15% of the content.

"So that's the key," Miss Surtr nodded. "Terra's technology, Lordran's technology, and the remaining fifteen percent is the link created by the world's rules. A new knowledge that stitches the powers of the two worlds together. And once I crack it, I can use many of the skills I learned on Terra in this world. Some problems that were not easy to deal with before can be solved here."

Miss Surtr, she thought. She thought of the Flame of Burning Time, and also of exploring the layers of consciousness. A vague idea surfaced in her mind, though it wasn't very clear yet, but it gave her a vague feeling that she seemed to have found a way to break the cycle of fate in this world based on fire.

"Lothric can help you, my lady," the Fire Keeper advised. "The royal city has Grand Archives, filled with many ancient secrets. If you can arrive in the royal city with overwhelming force, I think the scholars, priests, and knights there will be willing to serve you."

"I know." Miss Surtr nodded, then shook her head. "But that's not enough—though time isn't exactly pressing for me. But some things are better done sooner rather than later—you should know that I've been to the Duke's Archives, and I've met the finest mages and sorcerers of antiquity, and compared to their talents, the spellcasters of this era..."

She didn't continue. Her thoughts drifted back to her past life—there were indeed scholars who taught knowledge in the era of Dark Souls III. But the question was, what level were they at?

No offense intended, but the Swamp Sorcerer will soon admit they've been surpassed by the Ashes. Orbeck, who taught magic, died on his quest for knowledge in the Grand Archives because he couldn't understand the crystal scrolls brought by the Ashes. And the disgraced Saintess who was poisoned by a dark miracle is another story altogether. As for the only witch with any skill capable of studying ancient dark magic Carla, she's not even in the Profaned Capital's underground prison at this point in time.

No, we can't count on them. Entrusting these things—transcribed and edited from the rules of the world, which in the context of the Xianxia world would be categorized as innate Dao runes—to these people would be like sending them to handle something. Even if they achieved the most basic results, it would probably take several years, and it wouldn't even be as good as Miss Surtr messing things up herself.

She shook her head forcefully for the second time.

"No. I need the help of a wiser, more learned scholar... Fire Keeper, do you know where Ashen Lake is?"

"I know that place, Miss." However, the Fire Keeper lowered her head apologetically. "But I'm sorry, the miracle of teleportation cannot take you there directly. Because long ago, the path to that underground place was..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Miss Surtr had already guessed the answer.

"They were sealed away along with the Abyss by Farron's Undead Legion... Well, that makes sense, after all, Ashen Lake is a place where demons live. Although the Abyss is actually their enemy, it's not surprising that they are considered a type of Abyss. And since it's a seal, teleportation will naturally be cut off."

"Do you need me to teleport you to Fran immediately, Miss?"

"No need," Miss Surtr shook her head. "Although it's urgent, it's not so urgent that we need to travel for several days... How long does it take to drive from here to Fran?"

"At least three days and nights, Miss," the Fire Keeper replied. "But I can work a miracle to make the caravan move faster and more smoothly than the gargoyles."

Miss Surtr glanced at the caravan's 'horses'—good, the gargoyles were right there. So she meant the caravan could fly?

"Very well, let's do it that way." She nodded, agreeing to the Fire Keeper's suggestion. And she remembered an idea she had earlier.

"By the way, Fire Keeper. There's something I'd like to ask you."

"Please speak."

"Was the god you were praying to just now named Filianore?"

Chapter 195 - A Little Interlude

Strangely enough, when Miss Surtr asked the Fire Keeper that question, she saw the Fire Keeper's figure visibly stiffen.

"You... you knew all about it?" The usually poised and elegant Fire Keeper stammered at this moment.

—You know? Is there something worth hiding?

"Hmm, just a simple speculation. After all, the Lothric lineage worships the sun." Miss Surtr tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled. "Is this some kind of surprising discovery? I don't think it should be considered a secret?"

"...Few people know of Filianore. Miss, and you didn't even know her fourteen thousand years ago..."

"You didn't go to the Ringed City to steal the Dark Souls, right?" The Flame-haired maiden shrugged slightly. "There was no other way. There were too many things to do 14,000 years ago. Besides, the Ringed City wasn't easy to enter back then, and my style of doing things was very different from now. So, 14,000 years ago, the King's Soul that was infused with the First Flame was ultimately missing a piece."

"However, this problem must be solved eventually... Fire Keeper, I remember that among the awakened Lords of Cinder, there was a dwarf king named Ludleth, is that right?"

"Yes..." The Fire Keeper hesitated for half a second, then said in a low voice, "Lord of Cinder Ludleth is a king from the Ringed City. That season of linking the fire was marred by two mistakes. The Ringed City had just experienced a dwarven rebellion known as the Chaos of the Mad King. Thus, Ludleth, who was chosen as the new king of the Ringed City, took on the responsibility of clearing the dwarves of their treason. He gained the qualification to become a Lord of Cinder through a spell called Soul Refinement, and then he linked the fire and joined the ranks of the Lords of Cinder. The Ringed City was still ruled by the dwarves."

—I see, that makes sense. After all, it's rather abrupt for a dwarf king to suddenly appear in the game and start linking the fire. Now I understand why.

—Hmm...no, if that's the case. Logically speaking, Ludleth shouldn't have any obsessions; it should have gone straight to the Firelink Shrine and ascended the throne, just like in the game.

—Has something changed Ringed City?

"Where is this dwarf king now?" she asked.

She received the answer a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Lord of Cinder Ludleth has been missing since he was awakened, and I have no way of pinpointing his location right now... Perhaps he is in some hidden area, or perhaps he has placed some kind of cover for himself."