Though close-quarters brawling and hacking into flesh with every swing felt exhilarating, it could sometimes be far too crude and exhausting.
Xia Tong continued studying the scroll intently. A rigorous, complex geometric structure was drawn upon it.
It was an irregular polyhedron.
Its interior was divided and intersected by countless sharp straight lines.
Above it was a symbol denoting divergence.
Countless dotted lines violently burst outward from the center, forming a fan-shaped strike zone.
"What is this?"
"With 18 Intelligence, I still can't understand it?"
Xia Tong's head swelled for a moment, his mind buzzing.
Fortunately, dense notes had been written beside the diagram.
They were ancient script from the Lands Between.
As a Tarnished who had inherited the original owner's memories, Xia Tong was familiar with them.
He calmed himself and studied them carefully for a while.
He also discussed the principles of magical energy flow with Melina.
About fifteen minutes later, a glimmer of understanding flashed through Xia Tong's eyes.
He felt ready, so he began his first attempt. He handed the torch to Irina and told her to hold it securely.
He gripped the Demi-Human Queen's Staff with both hands and faced the only remaining wall.
He closed his eyes slightly and adjusted his breathing.
Xia Tong did not immediately wave his staff.
Instead, within his mind, he tried to construct the geometric figure he had just imprinted while discussing it with Melina.
It was an unstable polyhedral structure whose interior was collapsing and whose energy was pouring outward.
As the geometric figure gradually took shape and lit up in his mind,
Xia Tong felt his mental reserves being drained, flowing down his arms and into the staff. As his mind resonated with the staff, the massive purplish-red glintstone at its tip emitted a faint, high-frequency hum.
It seemed filled with violent energy, eager to burst forth and explode.
"Crystal Barrage!"
Xia Tong abruptly opened his eyes and thrust the staff forward!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A violent torrent of blue magical power erupted.
Half a meter from the staff, it instantly condensed into more than a dozen pale-blue glintstone crystals with sharp edges and irregular shapes.
With piercing shrieks, those sharp crystals
shot toward the brick wall several meters away like a shotgun fired at close range!
"Boom—!"
Another tremendous crash rang out.
The once relatively intact residence of the Demi-Human Queen suffered another round of devastation from Xia Tong's shield and staff.
Now, only two crumbling, drafty walls remained.
Dense clusters of translucent blue crystals were embedded in some of the hard bricks, glinting coldly in the firelight.
Other stone bricks had been blasted with bowl-sized craters by the immense impact.
Rubble scattered everywhere.
Soon, those blue crystals began to fade and disintegrate.
They were essentially manifestations of magical energy and could not exist for long.
"So this is Glintstone Sorcery?"
Xia Tong stared at the devastation before him, his heart pounding wildly.
The feeling of wielding supernatural power was simply incredible.
But then a powerful wave of dizziness struck him, making him stagger.
He had just fought a battle, and after using both combat skills and Glintstone Sorcery, his mental strength had finally reached exhaustion.
Summoning Spirit Ashes consumed Focus Points.
Combat skills consumed Focus Points.
Naturally, Glintstone Sorcery also consumed a great deal of Focus Points!
His focus really was not enough!
"Miss Irina, it isn't safe here. We need to continue on our way. We can't spend the night here."
After searching through the entire Demi-Human Ruins, Xia Tong summoned Torrent and prepared to continue toward higher ground.
Who knew what strange trouble might arise in the forest at night?
This was the Lands Between, not some fairy-tale world.
Besides, there was no telling whether those scattered Demi-Humans would return.
Melina's figure slowly vanished as she returned to her spirit form.
Irina and Xia Tong mounted Torrent and headed northwest.
Fortunately, although the sky had gone completely dark, the moon was especially bright that night.
Even without a torch, they could still see the road clearly by moonlight.
After traveling for around half an hour,
they were finally far from the ruins of the Demi-Human Queen and nearly out of the forest.
A distant sound of wind came from ahead.
Only after Xia Tong and the others drew closer did they discover that it was a Spirit Spring rising from the ground.
Torrent leaped onto it with practiced ease.
Under the bright moonlight, the two riders and their steed soared high into the air, then slowly descended onto a towering platform carried by the current.
This was a perfect camping spot.
Xia Tong looked around.
It was a square elevated platform. Only one side faced a steep mountain slope, while the other three sides were sheer cliffs.
It stood far above the ground, effectively eliminating threats from ground-based beasts.
As for flying enemies, there were very few in this area. Ordinary Winged Misbegotten posed no threat to Xia Tong at all.
He took out the camping tent, then gathered together the scattered branches and leaves atop the platform.
He lit a campfire.
The flames rose and drove away the chill at that height, making Xia Tong feel much warmer.
He expertly set up a pot and cooked a pot of soup.
The dried meat they had brought was nearly depleted, with only three strips remaining.
Fortunately, before storing the flour obtained from Sick Village in the Site of Grace Space, he had deliberately kept aside a small bag for emergencies.
It came in handy now.
He poured in the flour and stirred it evenly, making it into a pot of thick noodle soup.
He sprinkled in some salt and herbs picked from the roadside.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Tong tossed in some Smoldering Butterflies he had gathered earlier.
Not only could these things be used to make Fire Grease,
but their phosphorous powder could also give the soup a unique spicy flavor, improving its taste while warding off the cold.
Xia Tong and Irina sat around the campfire, drinking hot soup and making do with a haphazard meal.
"Irina, were you afraid during that battle just now?"
"I mean the battle with the Demi-Human Queen."
Watching Irina sip her noodle soup in small mouthfuls, Xia Tong asked softly.
"Lord Xia Tong, I'm sorry."
Irina held her bowl and lowered her head, firelight reflecting off her guilt-ridden face.
"I didn't help at all. I could only hide behind a large rock like a weakling."
"After you summoned Torrent away, at least five or six Demi-Humans found us."
"Thankfully, Sister Melina took care of them all."
"Although I can't see, I could hear very clearly."
"Sister Melina's blade was very fast. I could hear it slicing through the Demi-Humans' skin and striking their bones."
"With Sister Melina beside me, not a single Demi-Human could get close to me."
Melina's figure materialized beside the campfire.
Her semi-corporeal phantom gently stroked Irina's hair, silently comforting her.
She told her to get some proper rest.
It seemed the blind girl had indeed been badly frightened by the battle earlier.
Irina nodded, set down her bowl and utensils, and curled up inside the tent to sleep.
"You should rest too, Xia Tong. I'll keep watch tonight."
Melina turned to Xia Tong and said.
Xia Tong looked at her with concern in his eyes.
"Though there were only five or six Demi-Humans, forcing yourself to manifest your power must have exhausted you too, right, Melina?"
"My physical body was burned away long ago. Only my spirit form remains, and I usually reside within the Spectral Steed Whistle."
Melina spoke calmly.
"I don't particularly want to say too much about myself."
"Besides, the closer we get to the Royal Capital, the stronger my power becomes."
"If one day we can reach the foot of the Erdtree, then I may even be able to move freely."
"You still haven't answered my question, Melina. So you still expended quite a bit of power by acting this time, didn't you?"
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