As the last wisp of golden Rune entered Lin Luo's body, the two Great Runes were finally fully absorbed.
Though he could not feel any obvious improvement, Lin Luo sensed that he was closer to that threshold.
Lin Luo let out a breath of stale air and slowly rose to his feet.
Only then did he notice Melina beside him.
He had no idea how much time had passed. The sky, which had been dim before, was now flooded with sunlight.
"Melina, how long have I been sitting here?"
Lin Luo asked in confusion, looking quite refreshed.
"Um... it's already the morning of the second day..."
Melina nodded. The facts proved that her staying here had been somewhat unnecessary. Although the Full Moon Queen had been imprisoned in the academy, no clueless sorcerers dared come here.
Besides, a thin shield of light surrounded Lin Luo while he absorbed Runes. If anyone touched it, Lin Luo would know immediately.
Hearing Melina's answer, Lin Luo frowned.
"It took this long to absorb them this time..."
"Those demigods must be even stronger, then..."
Lin Luo grinned, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
"Then let's go find the Snow Witch Ranni first."
Lin Luo suddenly remembered something. He froze for a moment and carefully looked at Melina.
"Ahem... they're enemies of the Greater Will too..."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend..."
"I know..."
Melina looked at Lin Luo strangely and cutely tilted her head.
Why does Lin Luo seem so strange...
"It's nothing... I'm fine!"
Lin Luo quietly wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, then heavily slapped his chest twice.
"No time to waste. Let's go!"
Lin Luo grabbed Melina's little hand and began guiding the grace...
It looked like Ranni was very important to Lin Luo...
She had only said that to herself...
Lin Luo skillfully guided the grace. Their figures flickered, then slowly vanished...
Boilprawn Shack.
Shrimp Bro was happily stewing a pot of prawns. His right hand was hooked, and he stared intently into the pot as seasonings fell evenly over the prawns' surfaces...
"Braised lobster~ I love to eat it~"
Shrimp Bro hummed a little tune, deeply inhaled the aroma drifting from the pot, and wore an expression of bliss.
"Simmer for ten minutes, then it's time to eat!"
Shrimp Bro slowly sat before the prawns and ceremoniously tied a neat piece of tattered burlap over his chest.
Only after finishing all that did Shrimp Bro lift the lid of the pot.
Just as he was about to eat, two figures suddenly appeared before him...
"Pfft!"
The prawn Shrimp Bro had just stuffed into his mouth flew straight out. Like Little Red Riding Hood, he was a Tarnished who could not see the guidance of grace.
Having two people suddenly appear in front of his face while he was eating—he was lucky he had not choked to death on the spot!
"Cough, cough!"
Shrimp Bro frantically pounded his chest, coughing nonstop as furious emotions brewed within him.
Without even noticing who stood before him, he grabbed his fist weapon. He swore he would teach this person a lesson—he had to feed him to the prawns!!
"You motherf—"
Shrimp Bro cursed angrily and stood up.
What he saw was Lin Luo's "friendly" gaze.
"What were you about to say...?"
Lin Luo's Black Sword "accidentally" slipped out, its massive blade smashing directly onto Shrimp Bro's foot.
"Hiss..."
Shrimp Bro jerked his foot back as if electrocuted, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Ah... this... you... may you be in good health!"
"Yes! Big brother, may your mother be in good health too!"
Shrimp Bro twitched his lips into an ugly smile. Then he seemed to remember something and slowly shuffled closer to Lin Luo...
"Mmm~ What smells so good~?"
Lin Luo raised an eyebrow and revealed a meaningful smile.
"Nothing! Nothing, you must have smelled wrong."
Shrimp Bro looked utterly flustered. Then he suddenly noticed Melina nearby.
"Right, it must be this young lady's body fragrance!"
"Pfft..."
Melina could not hold back her laughter...
"Hey, hey! That's unnecessary, little Shrimp Bro!"
Lin Luo helplessly held his forehead.
"It's just a few prawns... Is there any need for this..."
"Melina is a spirit. Where would she get body fragrance?"
A few? That was an entire pot, damn it!! You wiped it all out in five minutes!
Shrimp Bro cursed wildly inside, but he could only keep smiling on the surface...
"Uh... uh-huh."
"Here's some money. Make us one, will you?"
Lin Luo shrugged.
"I just dealt with the Full Moon Queen, so my hands are still a little dry..."
Shrimp Bro's smile gradually vanished, replaced by disbelief...
"The... the Full Moon Queen!"
"Wait, you were threatening me just now, weren't you? You were threatening me, weren't you?!"
Shrimp Bro came to his senses and finally understood Lin Luo's "sinister intentions."
"Hahaha...! Eating prawns... what a wonderful thing..."
"Everyone, eat up, eat up..."
Shrimp Bro scratched his head. In the end, he still yielded beneath Lin Luo's tyranny.
"Uh... do you have some kind of codename?"
"Like Pangolin?"
Lin Luo blurted that out for no reason, completely confusing Shrimp Bro.
"Pan... Pangolin?"
Shrimp Bro looked at Lin Luo with a puzzled expression.
"No, I only like prawns!"
Lin Luo hesitated for a moment, but in the end surrendered to Shrimp Bro's prawns.
Lin Luo shamelessly dragged Melina over, and the three of them shared the prawns in the large pot.
Lin Luo and Melina ate comfortably enough, but Shrimp Bro finished his meal with tears in his eyes...
"Smack, smack..."
"Little Shrimp Bro, interested in working for me?"
After finishing the prawn in his mouth, Lin Luo sucked his fingers and spoke.
"It's not embarrassing to become the chef of the future Elden Lord..."
"Impossible!"
Shrimp Bro slammed the table.
"I absolutely will not—"
"Two thousand Runes a day..."
"Alright, deal!"
"?"
Lin Luo stared at Shrimp Bro in disbelief. He had agreed that readily!?
"Ahem... there's no need to rush right now..."
Lin Luo coughed twice, then continued.
"You can't just stay at this lousy lake every day. Go to Stormveil Castle and find Nepheli..."
"Stormveil Castle?"
"No, no, no, I'm not going! The lord there, Godrick, is a freak! I barely managed to escape from there!"
Fear filled Shrimp Bro's face. "He has ten thousand arms and specializes in hunting Tarnished!"
"Besides, there are no prawns in Limgrave!"
"Uh... that last part was the important part, wasn't it..."
Lin Luo's face twitched involuntarily, but he quickly composed himself.
"Uh... as for Godrick, I already killed him..."
"The current lord is my friend."
"Stormveil Castle is much safer than Liurnia now."
"When the time comes, you can open a 'Shrimp Bro Seafood Stall.' Nepheli will provide the prawns, and you'll handle the cooking. Tsk, tsk, tsk—then you can open branches all across the Lands Between!"
Lin Luo slung an arm around Shrimp Bro's shoulders and spoke animatedly, as though they were old friends who had not seen each other in ages.
Shrimp Bro seemed to have already immersed himself in the grand dream Lin Luo had painted for him, occasionally letting out strange "geigeigei" laughter...
Seeing Lin Luo like this, Melina hurriedly dispersed. No other reason—her skin was too thin...
"Let's do it!"
Shrimp Bro slammed the table, his eyes filled with longing for the future...
Before you continue