Topos

Even though Sir Gideon Ofnir was a man of great composure, Lin Luo had completely broken through his defenses.

After calming down for a moment, Sir Gideon Ofnir still tore the paper from the doorway.

There was no choice, the two of them still had to cooperate…

After a while, the two said goodbye to Little Red Riding Hood and, through the Site of Grace, returned to Godrick's royal court.

Passing through here, they would reach the Lake of Liurnia.

"Lin Luo seems to think highly of Sir Gideon Ofnir… It seems like this is the first time Lin Luo has been so invested in someone…"

Melina spoke up at this moment. The Erdtree was filled with the aura of the Greater Will… She could only stay by Lin Luo's side, not wanting to cause him any trouble.

"Aren't you the one I care about the most?"

Lin Luo looked at Melina, confused, unsure if she was being intentional.

"W-what are you talking about? I'm being serious…"

Melina blushed and lightly patted Lin Luo's hand.

"Haha…"

"I'm just teasing you…"

Lin Luo smiled before saying, "As for Sir Gideon Ofnir…"

"How should I put it… While he's not exactly a good person… I do admire him."

Lin Luo paused.

"Melina, if you only learned about the Greater Will's conspiracy because of me… then Sir Gideon Ofnir, he is the only person besides Queen Marika who has touched upon the truth."

"He truly lives up to his title…"

"Oh…"

Melina nodded, she really hadn't expected Sir Gideon Ofnir to be so formidable.

Pushing open the great doors of Godrick's royal court, the two arrived at the cliff above Liurnia.

"The scenery here is quite nice…"

Lin Luo stretched, greedily inhaling the fresh scent carried by the wind, feeling completely refreshed.

"By the way, Melina, do you remember that sorcerer I told you about last time?"

"Sorcerer Sellen? No… is it the sorcerer named Topos?"

Melina was taken aback for a moment, then said.

"Yes… he's right here…"

"At the Church of Irith up ahead."

Lin Luo pointed forward.

"Let's go meet him…"

Following the path, they soon reached the Church of Irith. The church looked dilapidated, its surrounding walls covered in moss, some parts looking like they were about to collapse, and even the roof had several large holes.

The only relatively intact structure remaining was the statue of Marika in the center.

There was a small bench next to the wall, and Topos was sitting on it, head bowed as if deep in thought…

The arrival of Lin Luo and Melina broke the silence, and Topos noticed the two guests.

"Oh?… Are… are you a Tarnished?"

Topos looked at Lin Luo, his pale face appearing somewhat weak.

"If you are, could you spare some Runes for me?"

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"As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover… I once spent some time at the Raya Lucaria Academy, where I studied Glintstone Magic…"

Topos continued with a hint of pleading in his voice, "If you can give me Runes… I can teach you magic."

"Of course."

Lin Luo smiled, took out a Hero's Rune from his satchel, and handed it directly to Topos.

"Ah?"

Topos was stunned for a moment; the amount of Runes Lin Luo handed him truly startled him.

"Oh, I only need ten Runes… I… I'm just… a waste of stones kicked out of the Raya Lucaria Academy… You… you don't need to give me so many Runes."

"No, this is what you deserve…"

Lin Luo said with a serious expression.

"You are my junior martial uncle… Sorcerer Sellen is my teacher…"

"Senior Sellen? You're her disciple…"

Topos became a little excited, but quickly deflated again…

"Even though she was expelled from the Academy and labeled a Heretical Witch, I… I can't believe such a kind, beautiful, and talented woman could be like that…"

"…I can't be considered your martial uncle… Sorcerer Sellen was a renowned prodigy in the Academy's history… Someone like me, a useless pebble, would never have associated with her…"

"No!"

Lin Luo said earnestly, "Teacher Sellen heard about your Force Field Magic theory. She said that while your magic is antithetical to anti-magic, anti-prayer, and completely different from Glintstone Magic, isn't the meaning of magic itself innovation?"

"Teacher Sellen approves of you! Those mages who mocked your theory simply don't understand what your magic represents!"

"R-really?!"

Topos was taken aback, then his eyes began to redden, and large tears dripped down one by one…

"I… I… sob sob…"

Topos immediately choked up, finally experiencing the feeling of being recognized. Even a talent like Sellen acknowledged his magic; was he finally going to shed the title of a useless pebble?

Topos didn't doubt Lin Luo's words. After all, he and Lin Luo were strangers, and he had nothing worth deceiving him for… Therefore, he clearly took Lin Luo's words to heart.

Lin Luo had indeed deceived him, but he knew that even if Sellen saw Topos's force field, she would absolutely be astonished by the person who created it.

"Thank you! Tarnished, you're truly a good person. You've helped me regain my confidence. If I can ever return to that hallowed hall of learning, I will definitely perfect this magic!"

"It's what I should do…"

Lin Luo bowed to show respect, then handed over the Hero's Rune.

"Then, martial uncle, please accept these Runes. These should be enough for now. If you need more, you can contact me. Teacher Sellen told me to help you with all my might if you needed assistance!"

"Ah… this is enough…"

This time, Topos didn't refuse. Seeing Lin Luo bow, Topos also quickly stood up and helped Lin Luo up.

"Thank you… Thank you, Senior Sellen, and thank you too, Tarnished."

"Just call me Lin Luo…"

Lin Luo smiled happily, seeing that Topos had accepted the Runes.

"Then… Lin Luo… I have one more request I hope you can grant… if possible."

"That goes without saying…"

"You must be visiting here for the first time… I'll tell you everything I know about this land."

"Look north from here, do you see the building standing on the water? That is the Raya Lucaria Academy, the hallowed hall of Glintstone Mages. However, the Academy has been sealed for a long time. To uphold the tenet of non-interference in the Shattering War, the Academy placed magical seals on its east gate facing the Royal Capital, as well as the south gate leading to this land."

"…The seals haven't been broken to this day. Without a Glintstone Key, one cannot enter the Academy."

Topos slowly recounted everything he knew about the Academy, as if wanting to do whatever he could for Lin Luo.

"If you can find a Glintstone Key… I hope you can give it to me… I want to return to that chapel of learning and complete my unfinished… magic…"