Making plans

"O..."

I held it in! I actually held it in!

Holding Melina's hand again, I traveled between Sites of Grace, and we arrived beside Castle Morne's outer wall.

Sure enough, it would take a while to get used to this intense motion sickness.

Fortunately, this trip was shorter than the last, and I managed to fight down the nausea without embarrassing myself in front of Meme again.

Then, with Torrent's help, we leaped up the high cliffs and returned to Oridys's Rise. After all, it was the only reasonably safe place I could think of.

The sky was gradually waking now, a bluish-white glow appearing in the east.

That led me to an unexpected discovery: grace could completely dispel a Tarnished's drowsiness. An entire night had slipped by, yet I wasn't sleepy at all.

In other words, with the right approach, the Tarnished could conquer the entire Lands Between without ever sleeping or resting.

Of course, the human brain needed rest. Forcing myself to go without sleep would ultimately do more harm than good. My head would explode without time to process all that information.

So I could try to find the right balance going forward.

"Now then, Lord Zero, what did you want to talk to me about?" Melina asked curiously, stroking Torrent.

I answered with a question of my own. "Melina, can you sense the Frenzied Flame?"

The Frenzied Flame.

The moment she heard those words, Melina's hand froze. She looked at me in surprise. "Wh-why do you ask, Lord Zero?"

So I told her everything about my encounter on the Weeping Peninsula and the conclusions I had drawn.

"I remember that night at the Dragon Communion Church. You said, 'The fire is burning.' And around that same time, Irina must have fallen victim to someone wielding the Frenzied Flame." I asked the same question again. "So I want to know, Melina. Can you sense the Frenzied Flame?"

"I see." Once she understood what I meant, Melina shook her head helplessly. "Unfortunately, Lord Zero, I cannot precisely sense the power of those who wield the Frenzied Flame. As for Irina... what I said that night came from the vague information I read in the Erdtree's fallen leaves."

"...Huh? In the f-fallen leaves? You can do that?" I was astonished.

"The Erdtree contains almost all life in the Lands Between, so the leaves that fall from it also carry a certain amount of information."

-The fallen leaves tell a story.

That was the first line of Elden Ring's opening. I'd thought it was just a metaphor, like "The wind brings word that autumn has arrived." Apparently, you really could read something in fallen leaves.

Come to think of it, my teacher Sellen had also said that the stars contained life, and capable sorcerers could read fate within them.

By the same logic, Melina's existence was closely tied to Marika, the Eternal Queen, who had founded the Golden Dynasty. It wasn't surprising that she possessed such an innate ability.

"But the Frenzied Flame... it truly is a terrifying power, a chaos that devours all life and all consciousness." Melina raised her eyes, a hint of sorrow seemingly lingering in them. "If possible, I would wish for nothing to come into contact with it or be tainted by it. That includes you, of course, Lord Zero."

"Ahaha." I brushed it off for the moment.

If we reached the part where the tree had to burn and Melina still intended to sacrifice herself, I would have no choice but to consider the Frenzied Flame's help.

-Oh dear, Meme seemed to have noticed I was dodging the issue. I'd better change the subject, fast.

"B-but the most pressing issue right now is that someone has already been tainted by the Frenzied Flame, and even intends to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame," I reminded Melina. "Besides, that person seems to come from another world, just like me, and knows most of the information about Elden Ring. They'll even be competing with me for resources... so I wanted to ask you, Melina: what resources do you think I absolutely need to get first?"

"...You should know that better than I do, Lord Zero. After all, my knowledge is limited." Melina didn't give me a direct answer. "Whatever first came to mind when you asked that question is the resource we need most right now."

Uh, what wonderfully helpful advice, Meme.

My first thought... My first thought was the Wondrous Physick Flask of Crimson Tears, at the Third Church of Marika on the edge of Limgrave's Mistwood. It was also a unique, multipurpose item in Elden Ring, capable of enhancing one's power through different crystal tears.

If we set out from here, we would pass Fort Haight first.

There, we could obtain half of the medallion for the Grand Lift of Dectus, which would help us reach the Altus Plateau and the Royal Capital of Leyndell.

After all, I wasn't particularly keen on climbing up through the nearby Altus Tunnel. Its final boss, the Great Wyrm, hit hard and had a massive health pool. Honestly, it was rather obnoxious and difficult to handle.

While I was thinking, Melina spoke again. "There is, however, one thing I can help you with, Lord Zero."

"Hmm?"

"The Roundtable Hold is a gathering place for many Tarnished, powerful warriors who aspire to become a lord, just as you do. I can take you there."

Oh, right. I still hadn't shown my face at the Roundtable Hold.

But honestly, everyone there had their own personality and private agenda. Even if I told them, I might not find anyone willing to help... Sir Gideon Ofnir might be a possibility. He had plenty of eyes and ears working for him, so I could ask him to investigate that Frenzied Flame wielder's whereabouts.

Oh, and there was the Tarnished's "Wings of the Storm"-Nepheli Loux.

Come to think of it, could she already be inside Stormveil Castle? Would something happen to her if she tried to take on Godrick alone?

After all, she was a warrior with a considerable sense of honor and justice in the Lands Between. Aside from Godrick's endless atrocities, she would also help us challenge Lord Godfrey later on.

Nothing could happen to the "Wings of the Storm."

Then should I head to Stormveil Castle first? But could I handle Margit with my current level and abilities?

I really needed to level up first...

No, no. The more I thought, the more tangled everything became, and the harder it was to decide what came first.

"...Lord Zero? Lord Zero!" Melina waved a hand in front of my eyes.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Did I space out just now?" I scratched my head sheepishly. "What were you saying, Meme?"

"..."

Oh, crap!

Melina didn't seem to like me calling her "Meme," so I usually only used it in my head. Just now, it had slipped out without thinking.

"Ahem." Fortunately, Meme wasn't angry. Instead, she repeated her question. "Lord Zero, I was asking whether you wished to visit the Roundtable Hold."

"Oh, that... I've thought it over, and I'll pass for now." I made up my mind. "Let's discuss it once I enter Stormveil. Right now, the most important thing is leveling up and growing stronger... I'll stick to what I said earlier: look around Fort Haight first, then head to the Third Church of Marika to get the item... that might still not give me enough levels, but fortunately, there are a few beginner caves I can visit. Hopefully, that person hasn't beaten me to them."

"Speaking of growing stronger..." Melina offered me her hand. "Lord Zero, you have just finished your journey through Castle Morne. You should have enough runes to strengthen yourself, shouldn't you?"

Oh, right! I'd kept saying my level wasn't high enough and completely forgotten that I could level up!

I took Melina's hand. "Thank you, then, Melina."

"You're welcome. This time... you have enough to improve your attributes twice again, Lord Zero."

"Then let's do the same as last time and increase strength and agility first."

As I watched the power of the Golden Runes spread through my body, I silently made up my mind.

You can do it, Zero!

Aim to march on Stormveil within a week, challenge Margit, and help Godrick keep his hands!