Moon Princess Ranni

"...You're a Tarnished, aren't you?"

"And it seems... you don't look like you'll attack me."

Beside the ruins of the Church of Elleh, the Red-Hooded Merchant raised his head, a merchant's scrutiny in his eyes.

"In that case, would you like to buy something?"

The merchant pointed at the goods beside him, spread densely across the ground.

"My name is Kale. You might not be able to tell, but I'm a merchant."

Xia Tong looked at this familiar old friend, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"I can tell. You're a merchant."

"Oh, is that so? Then would you like to buy something?"

"No, I'm planning to sell some things first."

"Oh? What do you have?"

Xia Tong walked toward the Site of Grace at the Church of Elleh and reached out to his own private space.

With a thought, he took out eight complete Godrick Soldier Sets.

Clatter!

A crisp crash of metal rang out.

The mud- and blood-stained armor was thrown onto the ground by Xia Tong, piling into a small mountain.

Xia Tong pointed at the equipment on the ground.

"Sell all of it."

He was desperately poor right now and urgently needed Runes to level up.

Kale set down the instrument resembling an erhu in his hands, then came over to inspect the items.

"The condition is average... These look like very old, battered suits of armor. They should have come from the nearby Godrick Soldiers, right?"

"That's right. I just hunted them."

"Tarnished truly are born warriors! Those Godrick Soldiers may be somewhat deranged, but their combat strength is still considerable."

Kale praised him, then abruptly changed the subject.

"If I may ask, will they come back to life?"

Xia Tong thought for a moment. Combining the game's setting with his real-world observations, he answered.

"They'll revive at some point in the future, but definitely not immediately. And without all their equipment, they're far less dangerous to the creatures around them."

After chatting idly for a while longer, the two finally began discussing the price of the pile of equipment before them.

When it came time to haggle, Kale immediately put on a different face and became picky.

"This Godrick gauntlet is already dented... The edge of this straight sword is nearly serrated... And this surcoat, the bloodstains on it will be difficult to wash out..."

"Alright, alright. Just offer whatever you think is fair!"

Xia Tong could not help rubbing his forehead.

Sure enough, no matter which world he was in, merchants would always try to lowball him when he sold things.

Though his items really were pretty shabby.

Kale chuckled and held up his fingers as he calculated.

"For the average-condition ones, I'll give you 150 Runes per set. For these slightly better sets, let's say 200 Runes each."

After some bargaining.

The eight Godrick Soldier Sets brought Xia Tong a total income of 1,250 Runes.

Xia Tong silently did the math in his head.

"If this followed the game's settings, selling this junk to a merchant would be ridiculously cheap, only around a hundred per set. But in the real world, the metal and leather themselves have value. This price is fairly reasonable."

With money in hand, Xia Tong immediately felt more confident.

"I'd like to buy a torch and a Crafting Kit."

"The Crafting Kit costs 300 Runes, and the torch costs 200."

The wandering merchant Kale deftly dug an exquisitely made leather kit out of the pile of goods, then handed Xia Tong a torch wrapped in oilcloth.

"Would you like anything else?"

"Not for now."

Xia Tong put away his things and looked at the sky.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"Of course. This is the Church of Elleh. It belongs to every wandering soul."

Kale then took out the large bag of Runes from his robes, the one from their completed transaction.

They were energy crystals emitting golden light.

"Crush these crystals, and the Runes will turn into pure energy and flow into your body."

Xia Tong gently accepted them, carefully turning this "money" over in his hands.

This was his first time seeing physical Runes. The ones he had gained from killing enemies before had directly turned into specks of light and entered his body.

Xia Tong put the Runes away, then suddenly asked.

"While we're inside the Church of Elleh, will the Tree Sentinel outside attack us?"

Kale stirred the campfire and answered calmly.

"No. The Tree Sentinel is an absolute defender of the Erdtree. Even after the Elden Ring shattered, he still retained a clear mind."

"However, when he sees a Tarnished wandering in the wilderness, he categorizes them as a 'threat that must be eliminated.'"

"But within the Church of Elleh, you're safe."

"A knight will not attack someone sheltering inside a church. At the very least, chivalry still lives."

As Xia Tong listened, he found himself unexpectedly moved.

On the road not far away, the Tree Sentinel was slowly passing by on horseback.

Under the setting sun's afterglow, his armor was old, yet it still shone with golden radiance, representing an unquestionable authority.

Xia Tong remembered how, when he had been chased by him that morning, the Tree Sentinel's movements had been so precise and lethal.

They were filled with a knight's skill rather than a beast's savagery.

Night fell.

Xia Tong sat beside the Site of Grace and silently called out in his heart.

"Melina."

Specks of blue light gathered.

Melina's figure appeared within the glow of the Site of Grace.

"Do you wish to turn Runes into your own strength?" she asked softly.

"Yes."

Xia Tong looked at his status panel.

Including the money from selling equipment and the Runes earned from killing soldiers earlier, he now had nearly 1,600 Runes.

Enough to level up twice.

"Just once. Let me touch you."

Melina extended her hand.

Xia Tong placed his hand in hers as well.

Melina's fingers were slender and cool, but when she tightly held Xia Tong's hand, waves of warm strength flowed through him.

Their palms faced each other.

"What attribute would you like to increase?"

"Put it all into Vigor."

Xia Tong did not hesitate.

In this world, the thicker his health bar, the more room he had for mistakes. He had to stay alive before he could deal damage.

Melina nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

As a low, ancient chant rose, the Rune crystals Xia Tong had crushed turned into a golden torrent. Flowing through their joined hands, it poured into every part of Xia Tong's body.

The feeling was incredibly wondrous, as though every cell in his body were cheering while his bones and muscles were reshaped and strengthened.

The process lasted a full ten minutes.

[Character Data]

Level: 3

Runes Held: 18

Vigor: 12

...

Xia Tong slowly released Melina's hand, stood up, and stretched.

He truly felt that the blood and vitality throughout his body had become far more abundant. His body was lighter, and his endurance had improved as well.

But this had also nearly drained every last bit of Xia Tong's savings.

The remaining eighteen Runes sat alone on his panel, looking tiny and laughable.

"So this is what paying to get stronger feels like..."

Xia Tong sighed.

Before he knew it, the night had grown deep.

At the other end of the Church of Elleh, the wandering merchant Kale's campfire had been lit again.

But Xia Tong did not go over.

He sat alone atop a broken wall, seemingly waiting for someone.

Yet even when the moon reached the middle of the sky, that person never came.

Drowsiness washed over him.

So he asked the wandering merchant for a worn piece of felt, found a sheltered corner, and slept on the ground.

Although the Elden Ring had already shattered, Limgrave's nights were truly beautiful.

Golden fireflies danced through the night sky like a dream.

After both Xia Tong and Kale had fallen asleep.

Strange pale-blue mist suddenly spread around the Church of Elleh.

Though Xia Tong was clearly asleep, he vaguely regained awareness.

He felt as though he were experiencing a lucid dream.

In the dream, he saw a translucent witch radiating a soft blue-white glow, quietly sitting atop the church's ruined wall.

She had four arms, and her skin was as pale as snow.

She wore an enormous, peculiar snow witch hat, its wide brim concealing half her face.

Only one azure eye was visible, as though it contained the entire starry sky.

An ethereal, tranquil voice seemed to ring directly in Xia Tong's mind.

"...You're a Tarnished, aren't you?"

"I heard that someone acquired a Spirit Steed."

The witch tilted her head slightly and looked down at Xia Tong.

Xia Tong's heart jolted.

She's here!

Moon Princess Ranni!

Though she currently called herself Renna, Xia Tong, as a transmigrator, knew her background all too well.

What do you mean, heard? As a demigod, what could Princess Ranni possibly not know?

Xia Tong could not help grumbling internally.

Outwardly, however, he maintained an inscrutable expression and did not panic like an ordinary person.

He spoke in a composed, sage-like manner.

"The Spirit Steed has its own destiny. Like the stars in the sky, it cannot be bound by the laws of the earth. I merely happened to walk this path."

Upon hearing those words, the witch on the wall froze slightly.

A clear trace of surprise appeared in her formerly indifferent expression.

"I am Renna."

She did not acknowledge that name. Instead, she continued using her alias, with a hint of pride in her voice.

"I only happened to learn of that matter, which is why I meddled in this way."

"The Spirit Steed's former owner asked me to pass two things on to you."

The witch gently raised one hand.

Then, two objects appeared from thin air and slowly floated down before Xia Tong.

One was a small silver bell emitting a faint glow—the Spirit Calling Bell.

The other was a pinch of gray-white ash containing sealed souls.

Rather than ashes, it looked more like a gray-white crystal, faintly marked with the image of three wolves—Lone Wolf Ashes.

"The Spirit Calling Bell is very easy to use. Ring it, and at the same time call upon the Spirit Ashes you wish to summon in your heart. You will be able to summon back souls that have yet to return to the Erdtree."

The witch explained in a cool voice.

Xia Tong reached out and accepted them, feeling their weight in his hand.

"Thank you. I will allow these lost souls to fulfill their proper purpose in my hands..."

Xia Tong raised his head and met the witch's azure eye, speaking meaningfully.

"To challenge those 'guidances' that should not exist."

Xia Tong placed particular emphasis on the words "guidances."

As the Princess of the Moon, Ranni had long grown weary of the Two Fingers' constant surveillance and control over her.

That statement would surely appeal to her.

Sure enough.

The previously nonchalant witch finally became somewhat serious.

She gave Xia Tong a long, deep look, a teasing curve lifting at the corner of her lips:

"...Is that so?"

"Then let me see just how far this 'use' of yours can go."

Her body began to dissolve into motes of blue light.

"If one day, you can prove that you have the ability to break free of the puppet strings..."

"Come find me at Caria Manor in the north."

With those words, the Moon Witch's figure vanished completely into the mist.

The dream ended.