When Ian was meditating in front of Site of Grace, he received a gift from Erdtree. The first benefit was a pocket dimension where he could put weapons, armor and other items. As long as he thought about it, he could summon the things placed inside. The pocket dimension also contains two dew drop Holy Grail bottles: red Flask of Crimson Tears and blue Flask of Cerulean Tears.
"What are the results of the analysis?"
"The red bottle contains a potion rich in powerful life energy, and the blue bottle contains a power that can relieve mental fatigue," Morgana reported. This analysis result is consistent with his understanding. The red bottle can treat injuries, while the blue bottle is used to restore concentration, which is the key to magic in this world.
The second gift he received was an item called Finger Seal, which allowed him to cast prayer. The world was a [Wizarding World], which meant that people had no magic or other energy within them. Well, at least, no energy to cast magic. Instead, they used external energy sources, such as Erdtree or the stars.
This world also works similarly to those with Mana Network. Magic casters are limited in the number of spells they can use at one time, and Ian starts with only two memory spaces, meaning that in combat, he can only use two spells. He doesn't like this, but it's not his turn to make the rules of this world - at least, not yet.
"So, what's the plan?" Morgana asked.
'Melina should have appeared and guided me on how to increase my strength, but she didn't. Probably because I don't have any Rune yet, so let's go hunting first.'
"Leave it to me." Morgana released the microsatellite to observe and map the area. "We are currently at Limgrave, and there is a herd of wild boars and deer nearby."
"Okay, let's go hunting. But first, let me see if I can use Alchemy in this place." Alchemy's success is the basis of his plan, so this is the first thing he has to do. Ian closes his eyes and feels the energy emanating from the tectonic plates.
"Huh?" He didn't sense the crustal plates, but he sensed several forces. First, he sensed the energy from the planet itself. This energy was mainly earth element, but also mixed with some other elements. Ian guessed that it might be water energy and other natural elements.
The second power he identified was the sacred power that had the same characteristics as Site of Grace. Erdtree's root system spread throughout Lands Between, so it made sense that its power was contained in the earth. However, Ian also perceived a third power, a power that was deeply entangled with Erdtree.
'The power of death,' Ian murmured to himself, a look of surprise flashed across his face. The Golden Order of Queen Marika began to end when her son, "Gold" Godwyn, was assassinated and died. This was originally impossible to happen because she had eliminated Rune of Death from Elden Ring+. After his death, Queen Marika broke Elden Ring+ into many Great Rune in "extreme grief" and divided them among her Demigod heirs.
Those heirs then began killing each other for decades or even centuries, trying to seize each other's Great Rune and repair Elden Ring+. That event became known as Shattering.
After Godwyn died, he was buried in Root in Erdtree. This is the highest honor that only the heroes of Golden Order and Defenders can enjoy. However, Godwyn's body was contaminated by the power of death, and this power subsequently spread to Erdtree, kicking off the chaos of Lands Between.
Ian did not pay too much attention to these other powers, but focused on the earth. He tried to use the energy of the earth to manipulate the rocks on the ground to make a weapon. It succeeded, which was good news for him. Now, he is more confident in executing his plan.
"Let's go."
One advantage of Ian is that he can fly, which makes his movement in this world much easier, because apart from flying creatures like dragons, he is the only person with this ability. He quickly reached his destination and killed all the surrounding creatures, leaving behind several dark golden round objects.
"It's a combination of Erdtree's Grace, life energy and soul," Morgana said. "Its power seems to be very malleable and can be used for many things."
"I have some doubts," Ian said suddenly.
"Of course you will be suspicious, but why?"
"This mission is very strange. Normally, the main hall sends people to complete a goal, but the task will never give people the opportunity to greatly improve their strength. But in theory, I can take my time and use Rune to upgrade from an ordinary person to the Tier 5 or Tier 6. Will the main hall really allow this to happen?"
"It's possible," Morgana replied. "Cultivating a Tier 6 usually requires experiencing many worlds, but if a Reincarnators is smart enough, they can skip the steps of those worlds and reach the sky in one fell swoop."
"If this is a normal Main God who is powerful enough and doesn't care about the life and death of his men, I will agree with you. But don't forget, Purple-robed Daoist (Purple-Robe Daoist) is actively controlling the growth rate of these Reincarnators, so it is in his best interest to let them grow slower - well, unless there is some way, and he needs a lot of soldiers."
"What you said makes sense," Morgana nodded. "In addition, the world is ruled by monsters like Cthulhu. You should be cautious when using their power."
"Yes, we have to be careful." Ian first summoned three Doom Bots and asked them to help him kill the surrounding creatures and collect more Rune. After that, he followed the guidance of Grace to the next Site of Grace. As he meditated in front of the golden tree roots, he felt a connection with another Site of Grace. He also learned that he could teleport to the Site of Grace with whom he had established a connection.
'Well, that's quite convenient,' he thought to himself. In addition, he also learned that he had gained access to another secret dimension called Roundtable Hold. He planned to go there and check it out, but not now. Ian waited for a few seconds, and as expected, Melina, who was actually a disembodied soul, appeared. She talks about having a mission, and since Ian is a "witch-less" Tarnished, she proposes to make a deal with him to serve as his Finger Maiden and help him use Rune's power. Ian doesn't reveal that she was the witch who killed him, and agrees.
"Do you want to improve your vitality, concentration, physical attributes, intelligence, faith or induction?" Melina asked.
"Can you upgrade it with Rune?" Ian asked, pointing to Doom Bots.
"Strange. It has no soul, not even soul fragments, but it can function normally," Melina commented.
"It is my proudest masterpiece," Ian boasted. "How is it?"
"Grace without soul and Erdtree, it cannot use the power of Rune."
"I understand. Then, let's talk about it after it has a soul." Ian sent her away and started working. He used Alchemy to separate part of Morgana's soul, created a new soul for Doom Bots, and named it Elden Lord Armor.
Morgana's soul is connected to his soul, and now it is connected to this suit of armor, thus sharing Erdtree's Grace. This three-way connection is a kind of protection for himself, because if someone wants to play any tricks, the armor will bear the brunt of being destroyed, followed by Morgana, and her central server is essentially an entity (Tier 11).
"Such a few fragments are not enough to create a complete soul," Morgana said.
"I know."
The most important thing Lands Between lacks is the soul. Due to the elimination of Rune of Death and the occurrence of Shattering, the soul no longer returns to the tree after death. Therefore, after people die, their souls will get lost, Fusion with other people or things, and have countless other consequences. Therefore, through the correct method, Ian found countless lost souls, purified them, and created pure energy to shape the soul of Elden Lord Armor.
After everything was arranged, he found another Site of Grace and summoned Melina. "So, what now?"
Melina glanced at Elden Lord Armor and then at Ian. This Tarnished was very mysterious and seemed to be full of secrets. However, this may be a good thing. Countless Tarnished tried to become Elden Lord, but none of them succeeded. Maybe this one will work. In any case, she lost her memory, and only with the help of Tarnished can she find her lost mission.
"What do you want to improve?"