"Melu, level me up."
Defeating the adult Rune Bear had earned Tarnished quite a few runes. Melina said, "You can gain another level. More vigor?"
"Of course! You can practically read my mind, Melu. We're a match made in heaven!"
Melina finished the job without expression, then vanished.
Tarnished's attributes became:
Level: 19 HP: 506 Focus: 78 Stamina: 96 Perception: 110 Memory slots: 2 Vigor: 14 Mind: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 16 Dexterity: 16 Intelligence: 12 Faith: 10 Arcane: 10
"Tarnished, Father wants you to discuss military affairs." Irina knocked on his door.
"Ah, coming." Tarnished stepped forward and took Irina's little hand, asking with concern, "Why did you come all this way yourself for something so trivial? What if you bumped into something and hurt yourself? Here, let me help you."
"I'm quite familiar with Castle Morne, so it's all right." Irina blushed faintly and tried to pull her hand free. It wouldn't budge, so she could only let Tarnished hold it, her face growing redder.
Thus, when Tarnished and Irina arrived in the castellan's chambers, Edgar was greeted by the sight of some silly lad getting all lovey-dovey with his daughter.
Although he approved of Tarnished, as a father, he still felt indignant at the sight of this pig rooting around his precious cabbage. He kept coughing, reminding Tarnished to behave himself.
Sure enough, Tarnished's expression tightened. He released Irina's hand and asked solemnly, "Lord Castellan, you're coughing so badly. You're not about to die, are you?"
Edgar was about to die of rage, thanks to Tarnished!
He had summoned Tarnished to discuss recalling the garrison at the Tower of Return, but now he decided to give the little brat some extra assignments to keep him away from his precious daughter.
"Those Who Live in Death have reportedly appeared at the Pilgrimage Church. Roars keep coming from the Minor Erdtree, too. Kaiden Mercenaries are pillaging Tombsward, and the Forlorn Hound Evergaol east of the Fourth Church of Marika needs its regular inspection. Don't worry about the Witchbane Ruins to the west; the academy handles that. Take this document and recall the soldiers stationed at the Tower of Return. On your way back, patrol the Ailing Village and make sure there's no risk of the Frenzied Flame sickness spreading."
Tarnished was speechless. "You're working me like a draft animal! Why don't you just have me plow the entire Weeping Peninsula while you're at it?"
Edgar brightened. "Could you? It's planting season!"
"Of course not!" Tarnished snapped.
And so the Tarnished, who was less useful than a draft animal, could only go and complete the castellan's assignments.
But Tarnished wasn't someone who could be pushed around. By the time he returned from his circuit of the Weeping Peninsula, it was Edgar's turn to have a headache.
Because Tarnished had brought back not only the Tower of Return's garrison, but also the Minor Erdtree Guardians and some mushroom people.
The Minor Erdtree Guardians were a group of believers who lived beneath the Minor Erdtree and considered protecting it their sacred duty.
The mushroom people were humanoid creatures covered in mushrooms. Most lived in dark, damp marshes and disliked sunlight.
Edgar pulled Tarnished aside again. "Why did you bring these two groups back?"
"Because I persuaded them to join Castle Morne," Tarnished answered proudly.
Edgar dragged a hand down his face, which was full of helpless resignation. "Honestly, I'm almost getting used to this. Tell me, what's the reason this time?"
"The Erdtree Guardians have a strong affinity with plants and excel at growing them..."
"Wait." Edgar interrupted him. "Didn't you say the Weeping Peninsula had too much rain and too little sunlight for agriculture, which was why you brought the Demi-Humans back to raise livestock? Why have you brought back Erdtree Guardians who specialize in growing things now?"
"What's strange about that?" Tarnished explained, "People differ, and so do plants. Crops like grain don't like the Weeping Peninsula's climate, but some plants do. Take muscle golden-ring grass, for example. It grows around the Minor Erdtree all year long. Because the dense canopy blocks the sunlight, it's long since developed a preference for shade. The Weeping Peninsula's year-round rain and overcast skies make it the perfect growing environment."
"Muscle golden-ring grass? You mean tarnished golden sunflower." Edgar frowned. "What use are those weeds?"
"They aren't weeds. They're gold growing out of the ground!" Tarnished declared forcefully. "Muscle golden-ring grass is the main ingredient in holy water, and the Weeping Peninsula has the perfect environment for it. Only muscle golden-ring grass grown here can produce the highest-quality holy water! What does that mean? It means heaven's handing us a livelihood! It's Castle Morne's flagship product, the broad highway that will lead the people to prosperity, the express carriage that will boost our reserves and drive rune revenue!"
The barrage of terminology left Edgar dizzy, but he keenly grasped the main point. "Wait. You mean selling tarnished golden sunflower?"
Tarnished curled his lip. "What else? I tried feeding it to Radish, and even he thought it was too tough."
Torrent: Feed me peanuts!
The castellan was stunned by Tarnished's wild idea. "Would anyone buy weeds like those?"
"Of course! There are so many idio... believers in the Erdtree. If you don't have a few bottles of high-purity holy water at home, you'll be too embarrassed to talk to anyone when you go out."
"But since the Elden Ring shattered, people's faith has diminished considerably."
"That's precisely why it's a good thing." Tarnished lowered his voice. "Why did the Elden Ring shatter?"
"They say the goddess Marika smashed it herself."
"Why would the goddess smash the Ring?"
"Because the eldest prince, Golden Godwyn, died. As his mother, the goddess was overcome with grief. Perhaps she went mad, or perhaps she hated the Elden Ring for failing to protect her son, so..."
"Let's not get into the exact reason. There are all sorts of theories, and nobody knows for sure. Little people like us shouldn't talk politics, just observable facts. Tell me, besides causing the Elden Ring to shatter, what else did Godwyn's death bring about?"
Understanding dawned on Edgar. "You mean... Those Who Live in Death?"
"Exactly. Those Who Live in Death." Tarnished struck his palm with his fist. "How they came about is something for scholars to study. But these things keep reviving, over and over. They won't stay dead, and they've seriously disrupted the normal operation of catacombs everywhere, not to mention people's safety on the roads. High-purity holy water can solve that problem. It completely destroys their unclean bodies and stops them from reviving. In the past, holy water was just a luxury used to show off your status. Now it's a necessity that concerns your personal safety. Do you think people will buy it?"
After hearing A-Tui's analysis, Edgar realized selling tarnished golden sunflower really did have potential.
"Are you sure those Minor Erdtree Guardians will work for us?"
"Of course," Tarnished said confidently. "Didn't you ask me to investigate the mysterious roaring at the Minor Erdtree? The source was the Erdtree Avatar. I helped the guardians kill the Avatar, so they owe me a big favor. All I asked was for them to grow some grass. Besides, that grass absorbs excess moisture, which helps the Minor Erdtree grow anyway. Naturally, they wouldn't refuse."
Edgar looked puzzled. "Aren't they protecting the Minor Erdtree? Why would they thank you for killing the Erdtree Avatar? Shouldn't they have attacked you?"
"First, I showed them the written order you gave me to prove I represented the Weeping Peninsula's authorities. That got them to talk to me. Second, the Minor Erdtree's Avatar isn't the Minor Erdtree itself. It's a sort of emergency response, like bamboo flowering. Both signal drastic changes in the external environment. Probably because the Elden Ring shattered, the Minor Erdtree produced an Avatar to seek a new way forward. But that uses up enormous amounts of energy and actually hastens the Minor Erdtree's death. Their faith prevented the guardians from attacking the Avatar. By killing it, I solved their most urgent problem."
Edgar clicked his tongue in wonder. "So killing the Avatar lets the energy return to the Minor Erdtree?"
"No idea," Tarnished said honestly. "Anyway, I saw them bury the Erdtree Avatar beneath the tree. Probably recycling was... returning to its roots."
"All right. Castle Morne agrees to accept the guardians as new residents." Edgar asked, "If they're working for Castle Morne, what does Castle Morne have to provide in return?"
"Water, food, clothes, other daily necessities, and some building materials," Tarnished answered. "Because of their faith, the guardians will continue living near the Minor Erdtree. Castle Morne needs to provide supplies and materials, and in return, they'll deliver a batch of muscle golden-ring grass every month."
"That's all?" Edgar was a little surprised. "That's nowhere near the value they'll create."
"They're doing it for love." Tarnished shrugged. "They have faith, after all. Die-hard fans are the easiest to exploit."
Edgar's expression became complicated, because he had faith too. His ability to use the incantation [Golden Vow] was the best proof of that.
"Stop agonizing over it. If you really feel bad, just send them more supplies."
"As we should. The devout deserve blessings." It was hard to tell whether Edgar was referring to the guardians or himself.
In any case, the matter of the guardians was settled, and Castle Morne gained another new group. Although they were currently only outlying residents responsible for growing cash crops, Edgar was confident that humanity's powerful ability to assimilate others would eventually bring these highly skilled guardians fully into Castle Morne's great family.
"How do you intend to split the income from the tarnished golden sunflower?" Edgar asked A-Tui.
Tarnished had already decided. "Thirty-seventy!"
Edgar frowned. "Why do I only get seventy?"
"I'm the one getting seventy!"
"That won't do. Castle Morne is supplying the materials, after all."
"Without me recruiting the guardians, Castle Morne wouldn't get anything."
After some haggling, the two finally agreed on an even split.
"I won!"
Both the castellan and the Tarnished felt they had gotten a tremendous bargain. The tension vanished, and they were all smiles again.
"What about those mushroom people?" Edgar looked toward the other group. "I remember them being followers of rot."
"They are followers of rot, yes, but the Weeping Peninsula is at the southernmost end of the Lands Between. Scarlet Rot can't reach it at all, so this branch of mushroom people worships deadly poison instead of rot. Strictly speaking, it was the ancient Mushroom Lords who worshipped rot. I wouldn't say all their descendants are innocent, but some really have been saddled with their ancestors' sins."
"I've read the stories of the Mushroom Lords. They were among the first races to swear allegiance to the Goddess of Rot." Edgar frowned. "Even if these Mushroom People no longer worship rot, worshipping deadly poison is hardly commendable either. I don't see how they could help Castle Morne."
"You can't see something this obvious?" Tarnished asked in surprise. "Mushrooms! Mushrooms! The answer's right there in the name. I recruited mushroom people to grow mushrooms!"
"Huh?" The castellan was utterly baffled. "Why grow mushrooms?"
Tarnished looked speechless. "To eat, obviously. What else would we do, stuff them into pots and make exploding bombs?"
"Eat?" The castellan was even more confused. "Don't we have the Demi-Humans raising livestock?"
"Nothing but meat?" Tarnished countered. "Wouldn't you get sick of it?"
"As long as it fills our stomachs..."
"People should have some aspirations. If we had no choice, fine, but if we have the means to live better, why shortchange ourselves?" Tarnished shook his head. "Besides, livestock alone really won't fill our stomachs. Animals take a long time to grow. We'll need other foods to fill the gaps. Mushrooms are fungi, so they grow quickly and yield a lot, making them perfect for that. The mushroom people are all expert mushroom growers. With the Weeping Peninsula's climate, we won't just have enough to eat ourselves—we might even have some left to sell!"
Edgar frowned. "Why does everything have to be sold? Are you obsessed with money?"
Tarnished sighed. "Can't help it. The Elden Ring's a snob. Broke bastards don't get to be lord!"
Edgar: "..."
Melina: [...]
"Anyway, that's the situation. I found these mushroom people in a cave in Tombsward. The Kaiden Mercenaries' rampage had them trapped inside, unable to leave. I killed the raiders and did them a huge favor. Then I used your written order to invite them on behalf of the Weeping Peninsula's authorities. To my surprise, they actually agreed. They even gave me this as a show of sincerity."
As he spoke, the Tarnished took out a medallion.
[Green Amber Medallion]: A medallion inlaid with green amber. Raises maximum stamina. Amber was considered the Erdtree's ancient sap. In the age of Godfrey, the "first Elden Lord," it was regarded as a special jewel containing the primordial power of life.
Edgar nodded. "A sincere gesture indeed. Only such ancient races could produce an ornament this old."
"Then these mushroom people..."
"You've already brought them here. How could I embarrass you by turning them away?" Edgar said irritably. "There's a poison swamp outside Castle Morne. I'll designate it as their settlement. They can live and work there, and Castle Morne will provide the necessary resources and protection. But the mushroom people must ensure their poison doesn't contaminate the soil or water, and they must never harm Castle Morne's residents."
The Tarnished looked toward the mushroom people. Their leader bowed slowly along with the rest of the group and spoke in an ancient cadence. "We thank the castellan for his generosity. By poison we swear: we shall forever serve Castle Morne."
Edgar nodded and ordered the soldiers to prepare supplies for the Minor Erdtree Guardians and show the mushroom people around their new surroundings.
"Right, I remember the area the Kaiden Mercenaries were raiding wasn't far from the Weeping Peninsula's Forlorn Hound Evergaol. How is it? Is the seal still sound?" Edgar asked.
"Not great. The seal was already very loose."
Edgar's expression tightened. "What did you do? Reinforce the seal?"
The Tarnished was speechless. "How would I know how to do that?"
"True. I'll send someone to find an astrologer or prophet to reinforce it. Tch. Stormveil Castle used to send people over directly. It may be troublesome now."
Edgar looked worried, but the Tarnished was perfectly relaxed. "Actually, you don't need to worry."
"Why?"
"Because when I saw the seal coming loose, I simply killed the prisoner inside. The Ancient Hero of Zamor or something. Pretty slick with that big sword, and could use frost magic too. Had some real skills, but still lost to my shield pokes, packed with precision and technique. Here, this is the loot."
The Tarnished handed over another item.
[Radagon's Soreseal]: An eye engraved with the Elden Ring, said to be the seal of Radagon, the royal consort. Raises vigor, endurance, strength, and dexterity, but increases damage taken. The seal marks someone chosen by a god, and thus brings both blessings and trials.
Edgar was speechless. You killed the prisoner because the prison was falling apart?
He suddenly felt that this Tarnished fellow might be a bit of a maniac!
Before you continue