Hui Xin Ge's "Reminiscence"

"Hawkwood."

In the Zane Dungeon, looking at the unfamiliar man in the painting, Da Er silently read out the man's name.

This person looks like a member of the Farron Undead Legion? Since he's wearing armor, then he probably is.

So what experiences of his are hidden in this painting? What is his identity? Could it be that he holds an important position in the Undead Legion and wields great power?

Da Er came up with this idea because the last painting discovered was called The Wolf Knight, which depicted the legendary story of Artorias.

So he subconsciously felt that this Hawkwood might also have a legendary experience no less than that of Artorias.

He was currently in the Zane Dungeon, intending to enter and see what stories were recorded there.

The other Farron Guard surrounded him. Although they already knew the rule that only one person could go into the painting room at a time, everyone was quite worried because Da Er had been in there for several days before and came out in a daze for a long time. Some of them tried to persuade Da Er not to go in.

But someone always has to explore the unknown. Humanity can only make progress by stepping on the footprints or even the corpses of pioneers.

So Da Er resolutely decided to enter this Painting World, and these Farron Guard came to see him off.

Some of them were hoping for the best, thinking that maybe Da Er would be able to get out soon this time, and then someone would need to take care of him when he was exhausted.

So some people voluntarily stayed here, waiting for Da Er to practice their swordsmanship while they waited, since there was no difference between practicing swordsmanship on the ground and in the dungeon.

His backpack was filled with all sorts of supplies, including potions and scrolls of various sizes; these were the supplies that everyone had prepared for him.

"I really don't need that much." Da Er's mouth twitched as he looked at the mountain-like backpack. If he were to carry that, he probably wouldn't even be able to roll over.

"Just in case, please accept it, brother. It's a token of everyone's goodwill." A girl named Te Li Li used her voice and appearance to her advantage, coaxing Da Er into putting on the backpack.

He has never been able to handle a woman's coquettishness; he used to be easily teased by Malu.

Once inside, put your backpack down at the respawn point. Luckily, the items dropped after respawning won't disappear, Da Er thought to himself.

Then, amidst everyone's farewells, he entered the Painting World.

Just before his consciousness was about to be swept away, Da Er suddenly had a strange feeling—why did everyone's expressions look like I was about to die?

That's really bad luck!

The process was exactly the same as last time; he once again experienced someone else's story, or rather, their memories, from a first-person perspective.

But this memory is a little different.

He found himself sitting in a dimly lit building. He didn't know the name of the building, but he felt that it was very large, and that there were several thrones built high in the center. Hey, there was a little old man with a broken leg sitting on one of the thrones.

For no apparent reason, he sensed a solemn and dignified atmosphere here, along with a faint sadness.

As his gaze shifted, he saw a woman standing not far away. When he saw her face clearly, Da Er's breath caught in his throat for a second or two.

She was beautiful, more beautiful than he could comprehend. The woman with the blindfold was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen in his life; even the Elf Race couldn't compare to her.

Compared to her Lu Lu Wo is like a country girl from the countryside. Wait, why did I use Lu Lu Wo as a comparison?

Da Er suddenly felt a sense of anticipation, hoping that he might be able to have some interaction with the woman when he was free to move around later.

He had no blasphemous thoughts whatsoever, and his personality prevented him from engaging in frivolous behavior. All he wanted to do was hear the other person's voice and take a second look at their appearance.

His mindset was similar to that of a teenager who saw a beautiful older sister next door but didn't dare to talk to her and could only watch secretly.

And just then...

"Crackling and popping"

The sound of flames igniting filled the air, and suddenly the entire building burst into flames, dispelling the darkness and bringing a wave of warmth.

In the center of the field, a bonfire was lit, and the one who lit it was a stranger wearing armor that Da Er had never seen before.

He bore the marks of battle, as if he had just gone through a not-so-easy fight. As soon as he plunged the Spiral Sword into the ashes, the campfire immediately ignited.

Who is this? Since he has appeared in Hawkwood's memory, he must be an important person, right?

Da Er saw the man walking towards "himself," and at that moment, "himself" spoke.

"You're one of those guys who can't die either, just like me. We've accomplished nothing, we can't even die, it's ridiculous that we have that mission, making us half-baked people do that kind of thing, how could we possibly do it?" Hawkwood's words were full of negativity.

Why does the main character in this painting look so dejected?

"Oh, you're planning to challenge Sunlight King? Heh, what a bold fellow. Go ahead and do it. I'll just be here sighing."

"What, you want to know the whereabouts of the Sunlight King? Hmm. Alright, I'll tell you."

"Pass through the high walls of Lothric and reach the Undead Settlement. If you are capable, go and challenge the Cathedral of the Deep. Beyond that is the Fortress where the Farron Undead Legion of Sunlight King, reside. Go and challenge them."

Upon finally hearing the familiar term, Da Er felt a sense of relief, but what did "Sunlight King" mean? It sounded like firewood.

What he wanted to complain about most was that he didn't hear what the other person was saying at all; he was just listening to Hawkwood talking to himself the whole time.

"Want to get information about the Farron Undead Legion from me? I can tell you."

"I advise you to prepare yourself mentally. The Farron Undead Legion are a group of formidable individuals."

Hawkwood's tone was nostalgic, memories welling up in his mind, and it was at this moment that the scene before Da Er's eyes changed once again.

He suddenly realized that what he was about to see was a memory within a memory!

You can play like this? It's like a dream within a dream.

"Hey, newbie, Hawkwood, stop spacing out."

Feeling someone pat his face, Da Er looked up and saw a tall, muscular man standing in front of him. The man was also wearing the Undead Legion's armor and was not wearing a helmet.

He called me Hawkwood?

Da Er was now able to move freely, but found that his backpack was gone, and only his personal belongings had been kept.

He looked around at his surroundings and realized he was in what seemed like a training ground. The surrounding mountains and rivers were beautiful, and the air was clean, like a paradise, much cleaner than the Farron Keep.

"What's wrong?" Da Er asked cautiously. The feeling of "playing" someone was novel, but he had to be careful.

"What's wrong? You've even forgotten what day it is today?" The man tossed him an ordinary longsword and said, "Today is training day. You just passed the team entrance exam, so today I'm going to teach you something real."

Training? Assessment?

Da Er had a vague idea of what was going on.

"I'll only demonstrate once. I'll demonstrate a second time when you're screaming in pain after being hit."

When the man demonstrated a sword technique that was exactly the same as the one used by the Farron Undead Legion, even Da Er, who had a good temper, became excited.

The man in front of him, who appeared to be a member of the Undead Legion, was actually teaching him the Undead Legion's swordsmanship!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, unlike the imitations he had when fighting the Undead Legion; this was a genuine lesson for him.

Da Er naturally wouldn't let this good opportunity pass him by. He thought to himself that if the conditions for clearing this Painting World weren't too difficult, he could let all the Farron Guard come in and learn!

The man kept his promise and only demonstrated once. Da Er was still eager for more and asked the man to do it again.

"Do you understand now? If you do, then practice with the Ghrū."

The man clapped his hands, and a group of Ghrū carrying various weapons and equipment walked in.

"If you win, can you demonstrate again?" Da Er asked.

"As long as we can win, you can watch it as many times as you want."

Great, the enthusiasm is back!

Da Er's eyes burned with the fire of war; at this moment, he had no time to ponder any question—

How could the timing and purpose of this painting be so coincidental?

The Zane Dungeon is controlled by a pair of unseen hands.

Unseen by anyone, these large hands were constantly making subtle adjustments to the underground city, striving to make the area as perfect as possible.

While making adjustments to the underground city, Gong Qiying also kept a close eye on the situation in Bede City. No information in the city could escape his notice!

Why can he access intelligence anytime, anywhere?

"Have you heard? That Da Er actually promised the survivors of Val City that he would personally help them take revenge!"

"It wasn't done personally, but rather he trained those people, and it seems he used swordsmanship he stole from the Farron Undead Legion."

"The Undead Legion's swordsmanship... how about we join them and see what's going on? Maybe we can learn it if we join them."

"You can try, I won't stop you, but many people with the same ideas as you have been rejected. They have their own set of selection criteria over there."

"Tch, I'm going to find the Undead Legion too. If Da Er can learn it, there's no reason why I can't."

"Good luck."

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, this is the place where all information converges—the tavern!

If you spend two hours here every day, you can basically keep up with all the latest gossip in the entire Bede City.

A pub is the perfect place to relax and listen to gossip. You can satisfy your most primal curiosity by ordering a drink and sitting there.

Gong Qiying naturally learned of Da Er's formation of the Farron Guard.

"You have a lot of ideas, young man. You have a bright future." That was his evaluation.

Da Er's actions are undoubtedly beneficial to the Zane Dungeon; Gong Qiying can list a whole host of advantages he can think of right now.

And most importantly, he derived a sense of pleasure from it.

It's astonishing that someone in this world genuinely respects the Farron Undead Legion and has even formed a similar organization. It seems they will carry on their spirit and stage a high-level cosplay event. Gong Qiying's current mindset is like seeing his favorite work being turned into a high-quality derivative work.

It seems that the dungeons he created were indeed loved by people, which made him happy and excited, and he was even more motivated when adjusting the prototype of the Val Dungeon.

Unfortunately, based on his observations over the past few days, he discovered that Da Er's Farron Guard was currently too weak and its development was rather slow.

Gong Qiying was never a stingy person; he could be very generous as long as it didn't harm the interests of the dungeon.

So he casually designed an alternate dimension as Hawkwood's "Memories," allowing every adventurer who enters it to experience what it's like to be trained under the guidance of the Undead Legion.

This level isn't very difficult to complete, and the reward you get is quite ordinary—just White Light Spot items like Green Blossom and grass.

However, being able to receive training from the Undead Legion is the biggest hidden bonus.

Training won't improve an adventurer's stats; it can only refine their skills. How much insight they gain largely depends on their talent. This can be considered a small cheat code that Gong Qiying generously gave to the Farron Guard.

"Keep it up." Looking at Da Er's hard work through the Crystal Ball, Gong Qiying's eyes revealed admiration.

Just then, a letter appeared on the Shrine. The color scheme was familiar; it came from the Boulder Dungeon.

His impression of the Dungeon Lord is not bad. The other party seems to be a friendly guy. The two have already communicated, but have not yet had in-depth exchanges.

"What are you going to say now?"

He opened the envelope, and the first sentence he read was:

"Brother, there are quite a few dungeons that are shamelessly copying your ideas!"