Elden Ring: With God Chapter 130: The Scarlet Rot Ecosystem

Bai Shi proceeded along the main road.

He ca across an accident scene on the road, blocking his path.

A coffin carriage lay toppled on the ground. All the surrounding guards and the horses pulling it had been killed.

Giant dogs were gnawing on the corpses on the ground, even though the bodies were already tainted by Scarlet Rot.

Bai Shi easily cleared away all the giant dogs nearby.

He rembered that there was a weapon inside the coffin carriage here.

Bai Shi opened the compartnt of the coffin carriage.

Inside lay a giant iron sword of exaggerated proportions.

This iron sword was extrely heavy, massive, and crude.

It was far too large to be called a sword.

Massive, thick, heavy, and exceedingly rough, it was more like a slab of iron.

But it was too thin to be a tombstone.

It could not even bear an inscription of the life of the warrior who once wielded it.

This was a weapon beyond the limits of human strength.

And because of that, it could be used to slay inhuman things.

Bai Shi lifted the greatsword with one hand and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

With his current strength, wielding this greatsword with ease was no difficult task.

Bai Shi silently sensed the emotions inscribed on the greatsword, trying to understand the warrior who once wielded it.

But unlike other weapons, what ca from this greatsword were not fragnts of mory or weapon arts, but only a kind of pain.

Pain raised the sword.

Suffering swung it.

But there was nothing left on this sword.

Both its master and everything it once fought for had been rcilessly devoured by the Scarlet Rot.

When the Scarlet Rot encroached, life was like a nightmare.

He swung the greatsword, yet he was powerless.

It was not sothing he could face, not sothing he could resolve.

Then, just fight.

Take up the greatsword, again and again, until blood ran dry and all things withered.

Just run wild like a feral dog until all turned to rot.

Bai Shi silently took the greatsword, planning to store it at the next Site of Grace.

The sword reminded him of an old acquaintance.

So he would keep it safe and wait for the right ti for it to enter the stage and settle old scores.

A little further ahead was a stretch of ruins.

This was the Caelem Ruins.

Unlike the other village ruins encountered on the roads of Caelid, there were still creatures active in these ruins.

There were even flathrowing chariots constantly spewing fire on the ground, clearing away the Scarlet Rot.

Bai Shi didn't disturb them. He lit the Site of Grace and moved on.

From the Caelem Ruins, one could directly see the Swamp of Aeonia.

It was a vast lake, a lake of Scarlet Rot.

This lake of Scarlet Rot seed to have a life of its own, surging back and forth like a tide.

This swamp was blocked by another wall of fire.

This was the earliest line of defense in Caelid.

When the Scarlet Rot first descended, soldiers had tried to resist it from here.

Unfortunately, this defensive line, the smoldering wall, had already been breached by the Scarlet Rot.

The crumbling wall still bore the marks of being battered and ravaged by so beast.

But the bodies of the Redmane soldiers left nearby showed that they had not given up without a fight.

Looking along the edge of the lake, there was a wide road.

This road circled the Swamp of Aeonia.

In the past, this place might have been a scene of green waters and verdant hills.

But now it was a breeding ground for rot.

Bai Shi rode Torrent, galloping along the lakeside road.

He watched the surging rot-filled water while contemplating how to cleanse this land.

Lost in thought, ti flew by, making the journey seem short.

Along the way, he encountered many giant dogs and enormous crows.

These creatures were so of the most disgusting beings in Caelid.

He couldn't stand them in the ga, let alone in reality.

Their filthy fur emitted a nauseating stench, their wounds festered, and flies buzzed around them.

Their very existence was hard to accept.

It was like the disgust one felt upon seeing a cockroach.

Even knowing they posed no threat to him, he still found them intensely repulsive.

Soon, Bai Shi and Torrent arrived at the residence Hilbert had ntioned.

On a massive dead tree, there was a strange symbol carved with a small knife.

This was the mark Hilbert and Bai Shi had agreed upon. Seeing it ant he was near the location.

Now, Bai Shi saw the mark Hilbert had left on the tree, glanced around, and confird this was the place.

Following Hilbert's earlier instructions, he went down from the left of the dead tree, facing the lake filled with Scarlet Rot.

Further down, a single wooden cabin stood next to a patch of ruins.

That was Hilbert's residence.

Bai Shi rode Torrent to the front of the cabin.

Bai Shi dismounted, walked up, and knocked on the wooden door.

"Knock, knock~"

"Thump, thump, thump, thump."

The wooden door swung open to the sound of hurried footsteps.

"You arrived much faster than I expected."

Hilbert looked at Bai Shi in disbelief.

Torrent was indeed fast.

Except for rescuing Alexander and getting involved in Patches's affairs, he had been galloping nonstop the entire ti.

Both his speed and stamina were incomparable to other horses.

Because of this, he had arrived in just over a day.

A normal journey on horseback, with stops for rest, might have taken three or four days.

To travel this distance on one's own two feet would likely take a month or so.

It had only been a few days, but more fungi were growing on Hilbert's body.

Liquid Scarlet Rot dripped from his body, and his hands were covered in the sli of so strange creature.

"You're a crucial figure in cleansing Caelid, after all. I ca early to avoid any unexpected problems."

"What's... going on with you?"

Hilbert, acting as if nothing was wrong, casually pulled out a towel and wiped his face clean.

He wiped the sli from his hands and crumpled the towel into a ball.

"Oh, you an this Scarlet Rot on ."

"I just ca back from a trip to the swamp."

"Today, a group of Wandering Nobles went into the lake, seeking death."

"I took the opportunity to gather so research materials and was just studying them."

Hilbert tossed the towel onto a nearby rack and motioned for Bai Shi to enter.

But he suddenly changed the subject, his expression eager. "By the way, I bet you've never seen it, that scene."

"A very, very amazing phenonon occurred today. If you go now, you should be in ti to see it."

"You really should go see it. It's spectacular. I'll take you."

"After seeing it, your understanding and perception of the entire Caelid ecosystem will beco much deeper."

Bai Shi hesitated.

"But you said yourself, the Scarlet Rot in the Swamp of Aeonia is especially potent."

"It's one thing that you're not afraid of the rot, but shouldn't you prepare so protection for ?"

Bai Shi was indeed curious about what this so-called ecosystem looked like.

Could other creatures really survive in that lake?

"Mm-hm, that's right. It doesn't matter to , but if you went down there, you'd likely get infected."

"But watching from a distance is fine. Even without protection, you won't be affected."

Seeing Hilbert's eagerness to show him, Bai Shi decided to go and see for himself.

Led by Hilbert, the two went to the very edge of the lake, watching from afar behind a large, dead branch.

"This is truly... quite a sight."

By the Swamp of Aeonia, the Kindred of Rot were subrged in Scarlet Rot.

So held their hands high as if in prayer, while others wielded weapons, patrolling as guards.

In the rot-filled waters, countless immortals were moving toward the center of the lake.

They stumbled and trudged forward, their steps unsteady.

They were trying to reach the center of the forr battlefield of Radahn and Malenia, hoping the demigods' lingering power would kill them.

Beneath the Swamp of Aeonia, there seed to be other creatures lurking.

These immortals were periodically dragged under, only to resurface later with missing limbs.

The Scarlet Rot continuously sloughed off their flesh, revealing ghastly white bone underneath.

All sorts of strange rot-fungi then grew on them, rapidly eroding and infecting their bodies, staining them with the unique color of decay.

The mushroom people gathered on fungi and dead branches, prostrating themselves in worship toward the lake.

Giant crows and dogs helped the Kindred of Rot and mushroom people carry collected corpses, continuously tossing them into the rot-lake.

Upon entering the Scarlet Rot, the flesh was gradually stripped from these corpses. They then slowly sank to the bottom of the lake, becoming a part of the Scarlet Rot itself.

The scarlet flower bud on a massive dead branch in the lake grew even more vibrant.

As if having absorbed enough nutrients, the bud finally blood, scattering a large cloud of pollen.

As the pollen fell, the creatures in the lake descended into a frenzy, reveling in the blessing of the Scarlet Rot.

The Kindred of Rot raised the insect eggs in their hands, allowing their offspring to bathe in this grace.

The eggs writhed, burst open with a splatter of fluid, and pupa-like nymphs erged.

As if invigorated, the Kindred of Rot began to mate fervently.

The mushroom people used the mushrooms on their bodies to collect the pollen, then lay prostrate on the ground in a state of ecstasy.

The giant crows and dogs opened their maws, breathing it in greedily, and their bodies began to swell visibly.

So weaker individuals soon couldn't withstand it and collapsed into the swamp.

But even after seeing the tragic fate of their kin, these beasts showed no resistance to the pollen of the Scarlet Rot, instead breathing it in even more desperately.

One giant crow couldn't resist and flew into the air, hoping to get more pollen.

But before it could succeed, it was shot down by insect threads and venom.

The blessing of the Scarlet Rot was fleeting.

Once the flower closed, the giant dogs and crows began to gnaw on the corpses of their dead companions, desperate for a little more of the pollen.

The mushroom people and Kindred of Rot ignored the beasts, leaving in their respective groups.

Hilbert turned to look at Bai Shi.

"This is Caelid."

"Welco to the Scarlet Rot ecosystem."

Bai Shi stared at the scarlet flower that had just scattered its pollen and asked Hilbert:

"What is that pollen?"

"Why do they gather here? Does it happen at a fixed interval?"

Hilbert nodded and explained to Bai Shi:

"These flowers that bloom from the Scarlet Rot scatter their pollen once every cycle."

"The one we saw is just one of many."

"Although each flower blooms at a different ti, it's always within a day or two of each other."

"These creatures throw all the corpses and other potential nutrients into the lake."

"Based on my observations, the amount of nutrients thrown in during a cycle is not related to the length of the cycle, but it does have so correlation with the amount of pollen."

"This pollen sends all creatures into a unique state. While it still infects them with Scarlet Rot, it also heightens their emotional state."

"A portion of the ingredients for the preserving boluses I gave you earlier was this pollen."

"The toxicity of the Scarlet Rot is reduced, but the stimulation to the body and emotions becos more intense."

"As for those Wandering Nobles, they just wandered in here by mistake and happened to arrive at this ti."

Bai Shi looked at the scarlet flowers, lost in thought.

Such massive branches and flowers often grew in areas of Scarlet Rot.

From the looks of it, even without anyone controlling it, the Scarlet Rot would instinctively develop its population's strength through natural growth.

It would continue until the entire area was transford into a paradise of Scarlet Rot.

These species that receive the Scarlet Blessing are all followers of the Scarlet Rot.

As helpers of the Scarlet Rot, they are granted the boon of the pollen.

However, this gift does not co without a price.

Just as they had seen earlier, so of the rot-infested beasts that couldn't handle the stimulation would gradually lose their lives.

They would ultimately beco nutrients for the Scarlet Rot once again.

Even so, the other beasts still flocked to it eagerly.

Bai Shi and Hilbert returned to his cabin.

Next, Hilbert needed to pack so things and prepare to leave with Bai Shi.

Bai Shi sat on a simple chair, looking at the various bottles and jars inside the small cabin.

Although he was curious, Hilbert was busy packing, so Bai Shi didn't ask.

A Jar-Bairn stood in a corner of the room, secretly watching Bai Shi.

Next to him was a wooden stake marked with fist prints.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, but it seed their journey wouldn't be so smooth.

Torrent's ears twitched, and he snorted at Bai Shi.

Bai Shi knew Torrent had detected sothing, so he quieted his mind to sense it.

With the faint *shuffling* sound of limbs scraping, nurous creatures surrounded their cabin.

Bai Shi stood at the door, ready to face the creatures outside. The newcors were clearly the Kindred of Rot.

Before he could push the door open, several white, thread-like objects shot through the door toward him.

From outside, two ghastly white bone halberds pierced the door simultaneously, thrusting at Bai Shi.

But Bai Shi's spear was faster.

A storm swirled around Bai Shi, blocking the insect threads.

And his spear, though moving second, struck first. Bai Shi utterly destroyed the already dilapidated door.

A single sweep of his weapon sliced all the attackers outside in two. They fell to the ground and crawled about, leaving a trail of disgusting fluid all over the floor.

Outside were countless Kindred of Rot, their ghastly white limbs overlapping in a dense, tangled mass.

Seeing the fluid oozing from the Kindred of Rot's wounds, Bai Shi felt as if he had seen it sowhere before.

Suddenly, Bai Shi rembered.

When he had just t Hilbert today, his hands were covered in a strange sli, which was sowhat similar to this.

He had said he'd just obtained new research materials...