Warrior Jar Alexander

The two of them bickered and played around, laughing all the way.

Lin Luo could have taken a shortcut to Dragon-Burnt Ruins and found that chest.

There was a teleportation trap there that could send him straight to Caelid, but it would cut off Lin Luo's connection to the Site of Grace.

That would mean losing the chance to snuggle with Melina, and Lin Luo would never do something so foolishly counterproductive!

Besides, Starscourage Radahn was stuck there and couldn't get out anyway. There were still two days before the Hero's Feast, so there was no need to rush.

Torrent slowly trotted along the little roads of Limgrave.

The scenery around him slowly receded before Lin Luo's eyes. A gentle breeze brushed across his face, carrying the scent of Caelid.

It was a faintly fishy, foul odor—the smell of Scarlet Rot.

Back then, Goddess of War Malenia and General Radahn had fought in Aeonia Swamp of Caelid. The Goddess of War had been the first to fall short, forcing her to unleash the Scarlet Rot within her.

Radahn had been corroded by Scarlet Rot and lost his mind, imprisoning himself in the Wailing Dunes. Malenia had been gravely injured and fallen unconscious; the Cleanrot Knights had protected her on the journey back to the Haligtree.

Neither of them had gained anything. Malenia had wanted to reclaim Miquella, yet she did not know that Radahn himself had no idea how Miquella had ended up with him.

The two had muddleheadedly fought each other, and all of Caelid had suffered for it...

The entirety of Caelid had been tainted by Scarlet Rot. Almost no normal living creature could survive on that land.

Lin Luo could not help sighing at the chaos of the Lands Between. There was not a single peaceful place anywhere.

Still, surely the Lands Between would get better and better along Lin Luo's future path. Were Castle Morne and Stormveil Castle not proof of that?

"...Hey—anyone there—? Can anyone help me? I'm stuck—hey—hey—is anyone there?"

At that moment, a hoarse voice interrupted Lin Luo's thoughts.

The voice came from the hillside beside Saintsbridge. Lin Luo patted Torrent on the rump, signaling it to head over.

When they reached the hillside, they saw a Warrior Jar stuck in the earth. Half its body was buried underground, leaving it unable to move as it called for help. Seeing someone approach, the Warrior Jar happily said,

"Oh, you're just in time! I'm Warrior Jar Alexander, the Iron Fist. As you can see, I'm stuck in this hole. I hope you can help me out of this predicament."

"Hmm... no problem."

Lin Luo answered with a curl of his lips.

"You'll help me? Thank you! Then please use anything big enough to strike my bottom. That should get me out smoothly. I'm very sturdy, so don't worry. I've trained my body, after all. Just hit me hard."

Alexander flexed both arms, indicating that he could take it.

Seeing this, Lin Luo did not stand on ceremony and walked straight behind Alexander.

Naturally, he would not be stupid enough to use the Black Sword to strike him.

Lin Luo rummaged through his storage bag for quite some time before finding the Golden Halberd he had gotten upon leaving the beginner village.

He swung it fiercely at the bottom of the Warrior Jar.

To his surprise, Alexander did not budge an inch. Instead, he cried out in pain,

"Oh! Ooh! You, wait a moment! Isn't that a bit too much force?! I'm going to crack! Please, a little gentler, just a little gentler!" Alexander sounded rather pained.

"Uh, got it..."

Lin Luo scratched his head, feeling that Alexander's cries sounded a little strange.

So Lin Luo adjusted his strength, aimed the blunt side of the halberd at Alexander's back, and smashed it down hard.

Alexander's body immediately gave off a crisp crack as it flew out violently. His round body rolled across the ground several times before slowly coming to a stop.

Lin Luo hurriedly tucked the halberd into his storage bag and began whistling as if nothing had happened.

Alexander climbed up from the ground, covered in dust, and laughed heartily. He did not seem to blame Lin Luo for using such excessive force.

"Ah, what a splendid blow! It was so powerful I nearly split in two. Wahahaha! In any case, thanks to your help, I escaped safely. Thank you. Please accept this as my token of gratitude."

Alexander handed Lin Luo three Hero's Runes.

Lin Luo naturally did not stand on ceremony. He took the chunks of meat and tossed them straight into his mouth, chewing heartily.

He also gave one to Melina beside him.

Alexander patted his jar body and continued.

"Oh? You're a Tarnished, aren't you? Then this lady must be your maiden..."

Melina looked at Alexander in surprise. Hmm... he seemed to be one of the few who got it right... Everyone else said she was Lin Luo's wife...

Then why did that make her a little unhappy instead...?

"No..."

Lin Luo wrapped an arm around Melina. "She's my wife."

Melina lowered her head slightly, but this time, she did not deny it.

"Oh, oh, oh... My apologies. We folk from Jar Village do not understand love very well. I apologize for that."

Alexander spoke with a trace of embarrassment, but quickly adjusted his mood and solemnly continued,

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Warrior Jar Alexander, the Iron Fist. To temper myself, I am currently heading east."

"Beyond here lie the Caelid Wilds, covered in Scarlet Rot. And I've heard that Redmane Castle, south of the Wilds, is holding a Warrior's Festival. A Warrior's Festival—doesn't that sound like something that only appears in stories? Just hearing the words gets one's blood pumping! Wahahaha."

"I'm setting off there right away."

Alexander laughed loudly and said to Lin Luo, "Tarnished, you look very strong. Given the chance, I will spar with you..."

"As for when, fate will surely bring us together!"

Alexander gave several hearty laughs and headed straight toward Caelid.

Melina watched Alexander's departing figure and could not help saying,

"This jar seems different from all the ones we encountered before..."

Whether in Stormveil Castle or Liurnia of the Lakes, Lin Luo had encountered jars before. Yet they had all seemed mindless, charging at Tarnished without hesitation until they shattered.

But this Alexander was truly one of a kind.

"He's not merely a jar. He's a warrior."

Upon hearing that, Lin Luo looked at Alexander's retreating figure and could not help saying it himself.

He climbed back onto Torrent and continued toward Caelid.

There was much to do, and Lin Luo had already planned out the road ahead.

First, he would get the Moonveil Katana, then deal with Dragon Mother Greyoll. After that, he would go to the Divine Tower to obtain Godslayer's Greatsword. Finally, he would deal with Radahn and claim one of the legendary weapons in the city—the Ruined Greatsword. That would more or less conclude his tour of Caelid.

Oh, right, there was also that poor girl Millicent. Once he saved her, he could prepare to head for the Eternal City.

Having finished his plans, Lin Luo sorted through his thoughts and set off toward his next objective.

The reason for seeking the Moonveil Katana first was simple: it was not far from the border between Limgrave and Caelid. Picking it up along the way would save quite a bit of time.