Enlightenment · Eight

Having reached a conclusion through her contemplation, she pondered for a moment, then raised her hand, and nine stone tablets appeared in the air before her. She swiftly inscribed all the original runes and their corresponding methods of application into every material structure within the stone tablets. Furthermore, she imbued the stone tablets themselves with a self-healing structure.

"Miss, this is..." The Fire Keeper asked Surtr softly from the side—she would be in charge of maintaining the system later.

"Instruction manual," Miss Surtr replied. "One original and eight copies. I have written the design method and operating mechanism of this Heart of the World into the stone tablet and set up the corresponding shortcut operation mode. This is also a remote control. I plan to hand them over to the main races of this world in the future. Apart from the original, which has high authority, all changes and maintenance to the Heart of the World will require joint approval and verification to pass."

"Of course, you can also call them Stone of Destiny, Axis of the World or something like that... Anyway, the effects are pretty much the same. And before I come back, you can use them to manipulate the Heart of the World... which is the city beneath your feet."

The Fire Keeper's lips parted slightly. "Miss, has your plan already...?"

"Hmm." She nodded, waved her finger, and the first original stone tablet that had been made floated to the Fire Keeper's front, where the Princess instinctively caught it.

"My plan has been very successful; now only a few final steps are missing. Oolacile Township, the First Flame —once I resolve these two matters, the time before we leave this world will not be long." — She felt the spellbook in her arms tremble slightly.

Ah, that's right. Clara certainly didn't know she was leaving soon, much less that she could take people with her.

So, you can tease her a little.

The Fire Keeper bowed her head. "The world will remember your kindness, miss."

"Of course it will remember," Surtr snorted softly. "But it doesn't matter if it doesn't remember, because I will take what I consider to be an equivalent reward...you, Filianore. Tsk, too bad, Clara doesn't want to see me. Otherwise, I would definitely take her with me."

"You mean that witch?" the Fire Keeper chimed in.

"Hmm." Surtr nodded. She calculated the time; the trial operation of the Heart of the World would still need a while to ensure its stability.

So she placed her finger on the spellbook.

"Let me tell you my story with Clara," she said.

—'Clara was not the first witch, but she was the source of all sorcery. The First Lord of Cinder saved her from the destruction of the ancient witch and Izalith, and in return, she shared the fire of sorcery with First Lord of Cinder.'

"It's hard to imagine that there's no connection between Profaned Flame and the legendary Soul of the Life King. However, there's no conclusive evidence yet. In any case, with the help of the First Lord of Cinder, Pyromancy spread across the continent of Lordran as a new and unique power system. And the characteristic of this power lies in its inheritance."

"Indeed, sorcery demands very little from its user. With proper instruction, even an illiterate person can cast simple spells. There are two ways to create the Profaned Flame. The first is through master-disciple transmission. The disciple often inherits the vast majority of the master's power and skills. The second is to transform a powerful Soul of Flame (usually a demon) into the seed of sorcery; however, this method often makes it difficult to construct a complete system when casting spells."

"—This is why there are fewer and fewer sorcerers these days. Because demons are becoming increasingly rare. And not all sorcerers are willing to pass on their spells. For fire is the soul; to carve out one's own Profaned Flame is to carve out a part of one's soul. Under normal circumstances, only apprentices who have undergone rigorous trials are allowed to be taught spells. In some schools, the transmission of spells is even linked to bloodlines."

"Yes, that's right. In the customs of sorcerers, the inheritance of sorcery is equivalent to the inheritance of bloodline. And if a sorcerer is willing to share their fire with a woman of the same age, it is often seen as a subtle proposal. And within this system, some legends become particularly intriguing."

"After all, while the witch Clara pioneered the path of pyromancy, there's no record of her giving her flame to anyone other than the First Lord of Cinder. Therefore, their relationship might be somewhat difficult for outsiders to understand... Later generations cannot know the circumstances of that time. But at least one thing is certain: as the founder of pyromancy, there was absolutely no earlier Profaned Flame before Clara. What she shared was undoubtedly her own soul. So, could it be considered that she was the First Lord of Cinder's lover—"

Kal'tsit closed the book in front of her and placed "An Inquiry into the Origin of Sorcery" back on the shelf. She felt there was no need to waste her precious time on such unfounded speculations.

—Tsk, what a womanizer.

—Shameless!

She gave a soft hum, turned around, and continued searching for the next book she needed.

As she moved, the nearby sages and scholars were used to her movements—yes, this was the Grand Archives of Lothric. And now it was the end of her first year in the city.

She had found the bookshelf the Fire Keeper had mentioned long ago, but hadn't activated the password. The sages in the Grand Archives were always watching her. And she couldn't be sure what the consequences would be if she took out the 'Lothric's Supreme Arcane Technique'.

So she decided to proceed step by step.

During that year, with Gwyndolin's permission, she voraciously absorbed all the knowledge here—miracles, sorcery, magic, Weapon Skill —and discovered that she had an unexpected talent for learning them. She never encountered any obstacles; she grasped everything she learned instantly.

Now, she is able to move freely under the noses of the Sages of the Library without attracting any attention.

—Perhaps I really can become a hero.

She thought, and felt, that today was the day to uncover that secret.

She accomplished much in the past year: socializing, mediating, and maintaining international order— the outbreak of the Undead Curse seemed to have subsided two months ago, but with the suppression of these domestic concerns, the conflict between Lothric and Irithyll became increasingly irreconcilable. Rumors circulated that Pope Pontiff Sulyvahn was preparing for war, and the Dragon Knights of Lothric were undergoing a large-scale mobilization.

War... No one can quell this war until the conflict is resolved. No matter how she mediates, the conflict Twin Princes who refuse to link the First Flame and the Whitebeard who are determined to do so, and even between the world itself, cannot be eliminated. Because there are no new heroes left in the world. And the awakened Lords of Cinder are nowhere to be found.

There are accounts of the Giant King appearing in the distance, and of the Undead Legion operating on the borders of Lothric. But beyond these accounts, there has been no further contact.

"War is inevitable, and I intend to stage a coup before Irithyll makes its move." — Gwyndolin had conveyed this message to her quite frankly a few days earlier. And she knew that Gwyndolin wasn't just saying it casually.

In fact, given the current situation, it is quite easy for anyone of importance in the capital to guess Gwyndolin's next move.

The princes' armies are gathering, and the Princess's knights are preparing for battle. Some things are already out in the open, and some disasters are brewing.

—This city will be destroyed.

—I don't want this city to be destroyed.

Kal'tsit thought to herself, and walked towards her destination where no one was paying attention.

Therefore, I need power. I need enough power to persuade one side to prevent this war from breaking out.

She took a deep breath and looked at the correct book.

Facing the bookshelf, I uttered that lost name in a tone brimming with complex emotions—

"Surtr".

—I need your strength.

Cricket hunters, do you also want to restrict your 42-year-old grandma?

29/75

Chapter 219 Enlightenment Part 8

The Crystal Scroll—a treasure discovered by Kal'tsit in the Grand Archives. The scroll contains information about a type of magic originating from the ancient White Dragon, Seath, known as Crystallization, and considered forbidden by later generations. This magic has always been possessed only by the royal family of Lothric.

It is said that this magic possesses the power to change the very fabric of the world.

It is said that this magic can drive weak mortals mad after they study it.

However, in Kal'tsit's eyes, this magic called crystallization gave her a special association.

—Originium.

She spent a day learning the basics of Crystal Magic. When she applied her Crystal Breath to a giant experimental rat, she observed the rat's soul crystallizing under the magic's influence, piercing through all its organs and flesh, and blooming on its fur like a flower.

The giant rat died, and the crystals on its body detached and landed on other experimental rats, having a similar effect. The souls of living beings thus crystallized on a large scale, and the crystals themselves possessed the ability to infect and spread, seeking out more soul hosts.

—I remember that the sorcerers of Lateran could directly and remotely interfere with the Originium crystal within the bodies of infected individuals, thereby performing some not-so-complex, but extremely deadly Originium Arts.