At dawn, as the first rays of the Erdtree's light arrived, Zhao Si slowly woke. He had asked Helena to dispel the fatigue from yesterday's training with an Erdtree incantation last night, leaving him refreshed and greatly improving the efficiency of his training.
Having a maiden around sure is nice!
When he stepped outside, he saw Goldmask standing by the door, facing the Erdtree in the pose for Law of Regression. It looked as though he was performing his morning devotions. After a moment's thought, Zhao Si decided it was best not to disturb him.
"Morning, little loser." Alberich came up behind Zhao Si and patted his shoulder.
Every hair on Zhao Si's body stood on end. "Could you people stop scaring me like that? You'll scare me to death!"
"You people?" Alberich paused. "Who else likes scaring you, hmm? Little loser."
"I'm not a little loser." Zhao Si irritably slapped Alberich's hand away.
"You're learning sword techniques from Blaidd?, right? Want to try magic, then?" In a rare gesture, Alberich was being friendly toward Zhao Si.
Zhao Si scratched his head. "Magic? You're willing to teach me magic?"
"Give it a try. The more possibilities we have for Glintstone Sorcery, the better." It seemed Alberich was treating Zhao Si as a test subject.
That was understandable enough. Anyone who dabbled in magic had a researcher's heart. Alberich had her own unique way of casting spells, and Zhao Si suspected she might have received some guidance from Goldmask on matters of faith.
Using faith to compensate for intelligence when casting spells-Alberich really took absurdity to a whole new level.
Gideon interrupted their plans, gathering everyone around the great round table on the second floor.
Gideon introduced Helena to the group. "This is Helena, a Finger Maiden. She can maintain contact with the honored Fingers while you're away."
Blaidd? asked, "Do we finally have a mission?"
Zhao Si froze. He had only mentioned going out last night, and now they already had something lined up this morning. What a coincidence. He couldn't help looking at Helena and found her smiling sweetly.
Gideon nodded. "Indeed. This morning, the honored Fingers received a prayer from Edgar, the lord of Castle Morne. A disease called 'Frenzied Flame Sickness' has appeared in a village on the Weeping Peninsula, and the local garrison is struggling to deal with it." He hadn't expected something related to the frenzied flame to arise today, when he had only learned about it yesterday. The timing was so coincidental that it almost seemed someone was pulling the strings.
"A disease, but they need us..." Blaidd? left his sentence unfinished.
Looking utterly relaxed, Alberich spelled out the cruel truth. "Aha. Instead of calling a doctor or using incantations, they're sending us. They want us to kill all the patients, don't they?"
"Yes." Gideon didn't deny it. "There is no cure for this disease. Only by killing both its source and those infected can we stop it from spreading. Once you reach that village, you must find a man named Shabriri and kill him."
"Isn't that a little... couldn't we just kill Shabriri?" Zhao Si had never killed anyone. Hearing something like this so suddenly, he couldn't help feeling compassion.
"Heeheehee, little loser, we only exist to do the Two Fingers' dirty work." Alberich patted Zhao Si's shoulder. "If you're scared, just stay behind."
"Blaidd? will lead the team. Set out immediately," Gideon ordered. "First, go to Castle Morne and meet Edgar. Learn the details before deciding what to do. Helena will explain the frenzied flame to you along the way."
They hurried through breakfast and prepared the essentials for their journey. Since Zhao Si had the Inventory, he secretly packed a particularly large amount of food and water, along with changes of clothes.
He took the Sharpened Weapon from the armory and equipped it, then picked up a shield just in case. His gauntlets had to be properly secured to cover his wrists, and he found a hat to put on as well.
Dressed in a short, tidy outfit that allowed him to move freely, he finally followed Blaidd? to the stables.
Alberich and Helena were traveling with them. Including Zhao Si and Blaidd?, there were four of them in total.
"The Weeping Peninsula is so far away. Can't the Two Fingers teleport us there?" Zhao Si complained. "I don't even know how to ride."
The Weeping Peninsula lay at the southernmost end of the Lands Between, with mountains and seas separating it from the royal capital, Leyndell.
"Teleportation isn't that simple. We don't have a portal leading there." Alberich giggled. "Don't hold us back, little loser."
Watching the other three mount their horses with practiced ease, Zhao Si huffed and struggled for ages before finally climbing onto his horse's back. Before he could even try controlling it, the horse spooked and bolted out of the stable.
Fortunately, Blaidd? caught up and grabbed the reins.
Still shaken, Zhao Si wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thanked him.
"I'll have to teach you on the way." Holding Zhao Si's horse's reins in one hand and his own in the other, Blaidd? led the others toward a side gate of Leyndell.
They left through the side gate and rode swiftly onward, traveling from the Altus Plateau toward the Weeping Peninsula. With distant mountains and rivers along their route, there was no telling how many days and nights the journey would take.
Along the way, Zhao Si gradually grasped the trick to riding-relaxing his body. When the horse galloped, he needed to stop fighting its movements, hold the reins lightly, and let his body sway with it.
After falling off twice, he got the hang of it. A cause for celebration, indeed.
During their breaks, Alberich also explained magic to him, hoping he could learn the simplest spell, Glintstone Pebble. Yet even after spending ages studying with the Sinner's Staff in hand, Zhao Si still couldn't figure it out.
"You're such an idiot, little loser." Alberich shook her head in frustration and only calmed down after killing two deer as sacrifices.
Zhao Si held the staff and scratched his head, feeling that he might really be an idiot with nine intelligence.
When they set up a simple camp to rest, Helena explained the frenzied flame to them. "I convey the will of the honored Fingers to explain the frenzied flame to you Tarnished. It is a yellow flame that erupts from the eyes of those afflicted and can inflict madness on Tarnished. Please be very careful."
"I have a question!" Zhao Si raised his hand. "If it only inflicts madness on Tarnished, does that mean people with Grace can't contract Frenzied Flame Sickness?"
Helena wagged her index finger, rejecting Zhao Si's suggestion. "The eyes of those afflicted are affected by the frenzied flame, causing their eyeballs to ulcerate. In other words, this is a disease, and its method of transmission is unknown. Grace can only keep people from being afflicted with madness. It cannot keep them from catching the disease. And if they suffer long enough, they might still lose their minds."
Grace wasn't all-powerful. It seemed more like something that existed in the background. Considering that the Erdtree's original form had been the Crucible of Life, its Grace pertained to life-in other words, it bestowed long lifespans upon others.
But the frenzied flame was something outside that framework. Like scarlet rot, it was something the Erdtree's system had no means of resolving.
Alberich was rather displeased. "Tarnished really aren't welcome anywhere. Even fire discriminates against us."
Zhao Si couldn't resist mocking her. "You're already crazy. It makes no difference whether you touch the frenzied flame."
Alberich immediately sprang up and hooked an arm around Zhao Si's neck. "What nonsense are you spouting, little loser?"
"Let go, you crazy woman! Let go!" After spending more time with her, Zhao Si was no longer as afraid as before. He had realized that Alberich actually treated her own people quite well.
"I think you're asking for a beating." Alberich made as if to hit Zhao Si's face, leaving him no choice but to helplessly cover it with his hands.
Helena watched from the side and giggled, while Blaidd? lowered his head, speechless. Their racket sent birds scattering from the woods. They looked less like people setting out to kill and more like people on a picnic.
The wilderness wasn't all that dangerous. At least they didn't have to worry about mindless soldiers jumping out to block their path. Most of those they encountered along the way were human soldiers, and once they saw Helena's Finger mark, they readily let the group pass.
The Two Fingers had established Roundtable Hold and sent Tarnished out as their emissaries. Naturally, the relevant people had been notified. Thus, the wish-fulfillment scenes Zhao Si had anticipated never materialized. They passed through Caria and Stormveil, successfully crossed the Bridge of Sacrifice, and entered the Weeping Peninsula.
Drizzling rain blanketed the region, and its terrain was rugged and largely mountainous. Castle Morne wasn't particularly large, either. One noteworthy detail was the large number of Misbegotten enslaved within it.
"The moment we set foot here, the rain started soaking us." Helena wore a waterproof cloak, but she still sounded a little disgruntled.
The others also wore cloaks to keep off the rain. As the water struck them, their bodies felt increasingly heavy.
"That's just how it is here. It's always raining. Why else would they call it 'Weeping'?" Zhao Si looked disgusted. "What an unlucky name."
"Haha, I don't get it. The people living here probably can't even get their laundry dry." Alberich offered her own assessment of the miserable place.
Only Blaidd? remained silent, leading the way without a word. He seemed especially familiar with every place they went.
"Speaking of which, if there's nothing else to do on the way back, could I go look around Caria?" Zhao Si asked Blaidd?.
"I don't know. Ask her," Blaidd? replied, pointing at Helena.
Oh, right. Helena's our overseer now.
He looked at Helena. "Once we finish the mission, if there's nothing else to do, can I go there?"
Helena nodded. "Of course. It's not as though the honored Fingers have you tied down."
Alberich pointed at her neck. "Ahahaha! Can't you see the collar? Can't you?"
Then her expression darkened. "I don't want to go to Caria. Passing through is fine, but going in for fun? Forget it."
"You're afraid the academy's legitimate sorcerers will arrest you, aren't you?" Zhao Si couldn't resist mocking her again.
Furious, Alberich urged her horse after him.
Talking and laughing, the group approached Castle Morne-an intact Castle Morne, with no piles of corpses. The gates opened, and Edgar, the lord of Castle Morne, came outside to greet them. He wasn't showing them respect, but the Two Fingers.
At that moment, Zhao Si felt like an agent of the Eastern Depot.
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