After using Fengling Yueying to clear all the abnormal status effects, Bai Shi began to consider his next move.
The enchantnt Miquella had placed on him was now broken.
The mark, however, remained on his body, though its effects had been rendered completely harmless.
All he had to do now was be a little careful with his words and actions, and he could easily continue interacting with Leda and Miquella’s other followers without exposing himself.
Bai Shi looked at lina.
“Alright, the little trick Miquella left on
has been dealt with.”
“But I’m going to have to keep in contact with them.”
lina gave Bai Shi a strange look.
He still wanted to associate with Miquella’s group? Was the charm really broken?
Or was Miquella’s charisma truly so great that it had given Bai Shi so improper ideas?
lina waved a hand in front of Bai Shi’s face.
“Bai Shi, are you clear-headed?”
“He just used his power to enchant you.”
Bai Shi smiled.
“Yes, and that’s precisely why this is the perfect ti to stay in contact with them.”
lina looked thoughtful and asked:
“What is it? What are you planning to do?”
Bai Shi made the mark from Miquella appear on his body.
“If they found out I’d broken the control, they’d probably be scared witless and flee.”
“But since the mark didn’t disappear after the enchantnt was broken, it perfectly conceals the truth.”
“This way, I can track Miquella’s movents by observing theirs.”
lina understood what Bai Shi ant. After a mont of thought, she nodded.
“Indeed. If you want to gather intelligence on Miquella, this is currently the only way.”
“There are almost no other clues, unless we were to go to the Haligtree.”
“But Leda and the others have revealed almost nothing.”
“I feel that besides Leda, the other two know very little about Miquella’s affairs.”
“As for Miquella himself, we still haven’t t or had any direct contact with him.”
“But the problem now is, can you really be sure not to blow your cover?”
Bai Shi thought about his state under the enchantnt and felt it wouldn't be a problem.
Compared to the forced hypnosis abilities and items seen in various movies and shows, Miquella’s power felt more like a layer that altered one’s fundantal view of him—sothing akin to an ideological stamp.
“Miquella’s enchantnt was different from what I originally imagined.”
“I thought it would be a form of direct control, but it was surprisingly light-handed.”
“He didn’t affect my own thoughts or logic, nor did he change my allegiance or my existing feelings toward others.”
“The only thing he added, at the deepest level, was the idea that I should not be hostile toward Miquella and should help him.”
“So, it will be very simple not to expose myself.”
“As long as I act normally and help them out a little, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Besides, they should be praying they *don’t* discover that the charm on
has failed.”
At that thought, Bai Shi chuckled.
Being exposed or discovered was the least of his worries.
If Leda and her companions found out, their best bet would be to pretend they hadn’t. Otherwise, they would die horribly.
Speaking of Leda, Bai Shi glanced around but didn't see her.
“By the way, where are Leda and the others?”
lina pointed outside the temple, to where they had just fought.
“Leda said the Unalloyed Gold’s power used to suppress Mohg’s body is about to dissipate.”
“To prevent the Formless Mother’s power from erging from the corpse, she’s gone back down to seal it again.”
“Oh, and she also asked what we plan to do with Mohg’s body.”
“I thought we should wait for you to co back before deciding.”
“So, have you decided what to do with the corpse?”
Bai Shi clicked his tongue, finding it a difficult decision.
Mohg’s body...
That was indeed sothing that required careful consideration.
Within that corpse was sothing called ‘Divine Essence’.
A portion of an Outer God's Divine Essence was clearly not sothing that could be disposed of casually.
This was the first ti Bai Shi had encountered such a thing, and he knew almost nothing about it.
He had no idea what consequences releasing it might have.
Bai Shi wanted to hear lina’s thoughts, so he decided to ask for her opinion.
“lina, what do you think?”
lina lowered her head slightly, a finger on her chin, as she shared the possibilities she had considered.
“There is definitely an ulterior motive here.”
“Since Miquella isn’t in the Mohgwyn Dynasty, Leda and the others must have co on his instructions.”
“And before, they were willing to risk exposing themselves to drag you into the fight, which clearly shows they were determined to kill Mohg.”
“Miquella’s goal might be to allow Leda and the others to travel to the Land of Shadow through the corpse's arm.”
“However, Leda seems very concerned about the body, which makes
suspect Miquella has a need for Mohg’s corpse as well.”
“Although Leda is acting natural, the fact that she keeps interfering and asking about it is already highly suspicious.”
“Of course, I might be overthinking it. After all, to get to the cocoon, Mohg had to be killed regardless...”
Bai Shi listened, stunned, instinctively finding the idea a bit incredible.
Miquella had designs on Mohg’s corpse?
Was he after Mohg’s body, and he didn’t even care that it was a corpse?
The idea that he wanted Leda and the others to use the arm to reach the Land of Shadow seed very likely to Bai Shi.
After all, if Miquella were alone in the Land of Shadow, his efficiency at gathering information or taking action would be too low.
Having so underlings would be convenient and allow him to accomplish more.
But to say Miquella had indecent designs on Mohg's corpse... wasn’t that a bit too shocking?
Surely that pretty boy Miquella hadn't developed so strange fixation on Mohg's physical form?
Bai Shi felt that Leda’s interference was probably just to prevent the Formless Mother from descending upon the Lands Between again through her Divine Essence.
But after thinking it over, Bai Shi didn’t completely rule out the possibility that “Miquella was lusting after Mohg’s body.”
“Hmm... you’re right, it doesn’t seem impossible.”
“The ancient king told
before that the Horned n exist in the Land of Shadow.”
“In the era when the Land of Shadow was sealed off, horns were still worshiped as a blessing of the Crucible.”
“Perhaps he wants to make use of that aspect of Mohg’s identity.”
lina spoke again:
“In that case, let’s proceed for now as if Miquella does indeed have a need for Mohg’s corpse.”
“We have two choices for what to do next.”
“The first is to take custody of, or even destroy, Mohg’s body ourselves.”
“The most obvious benefit is that we can avoid the risks that might co from Miquella obtaining Mohg’s corpse.”
“Of course, this would be more troubleso and would likely expose the fact that the enchantnt has failed.”
Bai Shi nodded.
Completely destroying Mohg's body shouldn't be a problem, but whether the Divine Essence could be eliminated was another question.
lina continued, “As for the second option, we give it to them.”
“But if we do that, you’ll need to watch them even more closely afterward.”
“So, which do you think is better?”
Bai Shi thought for a mont before replying:
“If Miquella really needs the corpse, then in my ‘enchanted’ state, I would probably only choose the second option.”
“In that case, let’s just see what Miquella is planning.”
“A corpse isn’t irreplaceable. If he can’t have Mohg, he’ll just find a substitute.”
“If we lose this lead now and Miquella finds a replacent later without us knowing, that would be even more disadvantageous.”
“This way, at least we’ll know what bargaining chips Miquella has in his hand.”
Besides, he had already killed the man once while he was alive. What was there to fear from a re corpse?
Even if Mohg were resurrected, Bai Shi could just kill him again.
——
Leda acted again, using Unalloyed Gold to seal the power within Mohg’s corpse.
This ti she wasn’t as rushed and applied more power, ensuring the seal would hold for a considerable length of ti.
After finishing, Leda looked at Dane and Freya.
“In a mont, I will go back up to see Bai Shi.”
“If there’s any commotion, take Mohg’s body and leave. Find a chance to return to the Haligtree.”
“Understood?”
Dane nodded. Freya was confused, but she obediently agreed.
Leda sighed and then removed her helt.
She had a feeling things wouldn't go smoothly. A variety of ominous premonitions left her deeply troubled.
If things didn't proceed as Lord Miquella had predicted, it would be a disaster...
With a heart full of trepidation, she walked all the way back into the temple.
Upon entering, Leda imdiately saw Bai Shi, who had already returned.
In Leda’s eyes, a golden mark, visible only to those who served Miquella, had appeared on Bai Shi’s body.
Leda froze for a second, and in the next mont, her mood instantly relaxed.
Without a doubt, that was Lord Miquella’s crest.
Wonderful. Lord Miquella had succeeded.
Bai Shi was now one of them. They could now work together to create a peaceful world.
As long as Bai Shi was part of their plan, success was right before their eyes.
Smiling, Leda walked forward.
“Lord Bai Shi, you’ve returned.”
“How was it? I trust the Land of Shadow did not disappoint you?”
Bai Shi nodded.
“The Land of Shadow is indeed astonishing. I look forward to exploring it more deeply.”
“By the way, you ntioned deciding what to do with Mohg’s corpse, correct?”
Leda’s heart skipped a beat, and she tensed up instinctively.
“Yes. How do you believe the body should be handled?”
Bai Shi walked step by step toward Leda, finally stopping right in front of her.
Leda’s expression was impassive, though she now regretted taking off her helt.
Bai Shi, however, could sense her feigned composure masking her nervousness, and he found it a little amusing.
“I think... dealing with it myself would be far too much trouble.”
“The power of Unalloyed Gold can suppress the power of Outer Gods and seal the energy within that corpse, correct?”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll have to trouble you to seal it for .”
“That should prevent any risk of that terrifying Outer God’s power from leaking out, right?”
Unalloyed Gold was exceptionally effective against Outer Gods, possessing a natural counter at a fundantal level.
While the Erdtree’s canopy still covered the Lands Between, the power of the Outer Gods—and even their Divine Essence—could be completely isolated by Unalloyed Gold.
If he ever had the chance, Bai Shi hoped to master a portion of this power for himself.
Leda sighed in relief upon hearing this.
She had been trying to figure out how to persuade Bai Shi, and now he had just handed the corpse right over to them.
She felt she shouldn’t have doubted Lord Miquella before.
Leda bowed slightly.
“Please rest assured. I swear on my na as a Needle Knight, I will handle Mohg’s corpse with the utmost care.”
Bai Shi nodded, then asked again:
“What else do you know about the Land of Shadow?”
“Tell
in detail. Tell
everything you know.”
Leda glanced at the withered arm extending from the cocoon, then t Bai Shi’s gaze.
“I do not know much myself, only bits and pieces I’ve learned from Lord Miquella.”
“If you wish to hear them, I can relay them to you.”
Bai Shi gestured for her to continue.
Leda took a deep breath and began:
“I understand. I will directly recite Lord Miquella’s words—”
lina canted her head slightly. For so reason, that line sounded familiar.
“It all began with temptation and betrayal.”
“Thus, gold was born, and with it, the shadow took form.”
“Then, war erupted. A war never to be celebrated, a war that was covered up.”
“It was a slaughter without grace, without honor.”
After reciting Miquella’s words, Leda continued:
“...After that, the Land of Shadow was completely cut off from the Lands Between, sealed away so thoroughly that not even a sliver of information could get out.”
“But now, we finally have a true way to get there.”
Bai Shi asked Leda:
“You and your companions plan on going to the Land of Shadow next, don’t you?”
Leda nodded and replied:
“I have companions in the Land of Shadow as well.”
“Like , they are guided by Lord Miquella.”
“Lord Miquella has left his mark there, and my companions and I will follow in his footsteps together.”
“If you are interested, Lord Bai Shi, you are welco to travel with us.”
Bai Shi stroked his chin. It seed Leda had already let her guard down around him, now that he bore the mark.
She clearly saw him as a trustworthy individual and had already extended an invitation.
Well then, things were about to get very interesting.
“You already have companions waiting in the Land of Shadow?”
“That’s excellent. I hope I’ll get to et them all soon.”
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