The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 81 Witness My Glory (5k)

As dawn broke, the white cloth spread across the stone platform enveloped her flawless body.

Tang Qi finally understood where the so-called 'stone tablet aura' on his body came from—

【log】.

This is the only unique and unusual item he possesses.

It shares the same responsibility as the [Forgotten Stone Tablet].

It records everything the poets experienced.

From this perspective, it's hard to say they are completely unrelated...

Amidst these doubts, Tang Qi was the first to be startled:
"Wait, if they really are connected, haven't my previous blog posts already been made public?"

Hesitantly, he felt the impact shouldn't be too severe.

"Fortunately, I had planned to publish it anyway, so I used the method of 'autobiographical novel' to record the story, rather than actually writing a diary, so there shouldn't be any social problems."

The only thing to be wary of is that I wrote my own name in my journal...

If the stone tablet were to display the contents exactly as they were, perhaps my colleagues in the distant Terran Empire would already know about my deeds on the other side of the continent.

Haha, my supervisor must be furious!

I did criticize him for being bald, and he completely defied the academy's rules..."

Aside from the necessary concerns, Tang Qi also felt a bit of a pleasant surprise.

Exposing his identity would certainly cause him some trouble.

But he had always intended to make his name known throughout the continent, using greater fame to gain more rewards, so exposure was inevitable.

If one's story is truly compelling enough to impress one's fellow poets at the academy, thus earning them recognition and widespread acclaim for one's name and tale...

Perhaps then I wouldn't need to worry about the scarcity of 'fame'.

However, everything regarding the [log] is currently only speculation:

"To verify this further, we'll probably have to return to the Terran Empire."

Forget it, let's wait until we're stronger. Going back now will only get us taken away and sliced ​​up.

Improve your strength, or find some powerful backers to rely on...

In short, we need to feel more confident when we go 'home'.

"Tang Qi—"

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard Catherine calling my name.

"Can we get back to camp as soon as possible? Let Father Lynn stabilize Ambly's injuries..."

She had no intention of interrupting Tang Qi, but Anbi had been hit squarely by the necromancer's [Frozen Touch] and was now lying on the ground, unable to get up.

While unconscious, the cold air almost invaded her entire frail body, turning her face deathly pale.

Dais possesses the ability to cast fourth-circle spells, which makes the power of those spells extraordinary in his hands.

If it weren't for her beast-like skin, which shielded her from some of the damage...

An ordinary person would probably be dead by now.

Even so, Ambi's situation is not optimistic.

Tang Qi was even a little worried about whether she could hold out until she made it back to the camp.

So, not daring to delay, he nodded and prepared to set off.

But Chenxi suddenly spoke, this time not only addressing Tang Qi's thoughts, but also reaching Catherine's ears:

"I can expend my energy to alleviate the pain of the victims."

Having certain means of healing injuries is also the key to a paladin's ability to stand at the pinnacle of the profession.

So she explained as she walked toward Catherine and the little girl in her arms.

Ambi huddled up because of the cold, like a timid little wolf.

Because of Dawn's 'headless' appearance, Catherine instinctively hugged her tighter and shielded her with her side.

Tang Qi quickly comforted him:
"Don't worry. Her treatment should be more effective than Father Lynn's."

Catherine's trust in Tang Qi dispelled her doubts.

As dawn approached and the sky turned deathly pale, a delicate hand gently caressed Ambi's injured waist and abdomen.

A chant, as ethereal as a sacred hymn, suddenly rang out:
"【Holy Healing】".

Tang Qi could clearly see several thin, bright golden lines, like the veins of a leaf or her blood vessels, spreading outward from her wrist until they seeped into her palm, shimmering with a soft light.

"hiss--"

A muffled groan, accompanied by an echo, rang out.

Under the bright light, the frost covering Anbi's waist and abdomen gradually faded, making her originally pale and bluish complexion even more rosy.

Realizing that the little girl was getting better, Catherine finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"Thank you, kind... headless lady."

But then, she pointed at Chenxi's palm in horror and said...

"Wait—um...your hand is broken!"

Tang Qi then noticed this strange phenomenon—

As Chenxi was healing her injuries, that sacred radiance unexpectedly spread to her already 'dead' hand.

Her skin was also burned, exposing the charred, brown flesh.

Her left hand, like a garment with a snapped thread, fell to the ground with a "thud".

Seeing this, the pebbles couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and mutter:

"That's why they say 'the longer you live, the more knowledge you gain'."

"I even ran into a 'zombie paladin,' now I have another bragging point."

Tang Qi pinched his brow, suddenly realizing that the groan of pain actually came from the dawn being burned by the holy light:

"I almost forgot you're an undead creature."

"It's alright. I bear an unshirkable responsibility for her injury."

If it could save her life with just one hand, it would be worth it.

"Damn it, can you please not show your paladin-like manners at a time like this? I'm almost embarrassed to criticize you."

You can do that—

I will never deny my mistakes, but will only try to repay them with noble deeds in the future.

Your accusations, and the agony of being scorched by the radiance, will only serve as the driving force for me to atone for my sins.

She picked up her left hand, which had fallen to the ground, and placed it on her heart. Although it sounded very sincere, it still looked strange no matter how you looked at it.

Dais is a necromancer.

What he can create, of course, is the shell of a zombie—

【The Flesh Golem】.

This was originally a construct created by infusing magic into the stitched-together bodies.

Ordinary golems require a 'brain' to function, so most of them house elemental spirits with intelligence equivalent to that of young children.

However, it is clear that [Dawn] is a 'normal person' who obtained a body through a 'soul' magic array.

She doesn't reside in the brain, but rather uses her refined soul to drive her body.

This allows her to perceive everything around her without needing eyes, ears, mouth, or nose.

In order to adapt to her soul, Daisy would have to make certain modifications to the golem.

In order to maintain the vitality of the body, it was eventually shaped into a kind of undead body that was almost like a zombie.

So, strictly speaking, the current Dawn is a [Paladin] who pursues glory...

They are actually undead creatures.

So much so that when reciting divine blessings, her skin would inevitably be burned.

Her previous two consecutive "Supreme Slash" had actually made her stitched hands teeter on the brink of collapse.

Bathed in holy light, it finally broke completely on the ground.

Tang Qi was curious about the severed hand:
"Can it be connected?"

After thinking for a long time, Chenxi replied in her mind:
"There should be some [restorative glue] nearby—that's the substance that was used to stitch up the mage's body."

Her words reminded Tang Qi that he had been so focused on being wary of the paladin that he hadn't had time to loot the tomb.

They quickly searched the area with the rubble, but eventually found only a large box in a room that looked like a workshop.

He angrily questioned Chenxi, who was holding his hand and staring blankly into space:

"Didn't you say the tomb was full of burial goods? How come there's so little left? Although it's not a small amount, I thought there would be a mountain of gold!"

"He did indeed once own a mountain of gold, but perhaps he spent it all in those five years."

Tang Qi gritted his teeth, his eyes red with envy.

He finally understood why this damned necromancer could casually ask for 5000 gold coins:
"How can you be so wasteful? You give him money just because he spends it? Don't you know how to be more frugal?"

Chenxi never expected to be 'criticized' like this by Tang Qi.

She seemed a little awkward when faced with things she wasn't good at, such as 'frugality'.

The answer from the heart was also hesitant and stumbling:

"Until I find a new body, I can't manage everything at the same time—"

In fact, I often fall into deep hibernation to ensure that my remaining sanity and memories do not fade away.

"The only one left? You've lost your memory?"

Tang Qi blinked, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"So all the stories about the Golden Kingdom were made up by you?"

"The Golden Country truly exists."

Now that things had come to this, Chenxi saw no need to hide anything and answered truthfully.
"However, I did not die because of the Golden Kingdom..."

She spoke hesitantly, but suddenly sensed a thrill of excitement.

When she followed that 'greedy' gaze and looked at Tang Qi with her soul, she noticed that the bard seemed to lick his lips unconsciously.

It looked as if it were eyeing some delicious prey.

She instinctively tightened her grip on the broken sword, a sudden, inexplicable panic washing over her.
"What...what do you want to do?" "Nothing, I just smelled a 'story'."

Now that Ambi's injuries have improved, there's no need for her to rush back to camp.

Tang Qi wanted to hear more stories to record in his "log" for future publication, hoping to increase his visibility.

"So it's true that you killed the 'False God' and obtained the title of 'Sword of Dawn'. But what caused your death afterward?"

"Time has passed so much that my memory has become blurred. I only vaguely remember that my body was buried in the perilous northern lands."

"Ha, there's never been a 'Sword of Dawn' in any dwarf fairy tales! We grew up watching giants make fun of us."

As the central hub of the North, Ironforge, the capital of the Dwarves, gives Shattered Stone a significant say in important news about the North.

Tang Qi frowned deeply:
Why wasn't your body buried in the mausoleum?

"I do not know."

"You remember the Golden Kingdom, but you don't remember how you died?"

"I cherish every honor I have received."

When I was fifteen, I used an axe to behead a robber.

At the age of twenty-seven, he shattered the false god of the Golden Kingdom with the holy sword...

If you want to hear it, I can tell you about my achievements for three days and three nights.

Every honor will become a source of strength imprinted on my soul, making me stronger.

If I cannot remember the cause of death, there is only one reason—

I failed.

Tang Qi sighed, relieved that she didn't actually intend to ramble on for three days and three nights:
"So you don't want to recall your defeats."

"I only remember doing one right thing, which allowed me to enjoy the honors of being offered to me."

It also allowed me, throughout my long life as a soul, to enjoy the praise I received from others with a clear conscience.

The dawn's voice gradually grew melancholy.

"But as time passed and the crowds thinned out, the temple gradually fell into disuse."

My soul began to sink and become lost, to the point that I began to doubt the reason why I had been forgotten.

This made me unwilling to face the failure, so I acquiesced to it, and even forgot about it.

But even in my sleep, I couldn't help but feel curious about that failure.

I gradually yearned to find the truth, and even more so, to make amends for that failed ending.

"But have you ever considered that the reason you've been forgotten might simply be because it's too ancient? History books can't record your achievements, and people are gradually losing sight of this temple."

"That's why I wanted to see you."

I hope you will inscribe my name on that stone tablet, so that the name of the "Sword of Dawn" may flow through the long river of history.

"I will."

Seeing this, Tang Qi's expression also became serious, and he solemnly promised,

"I will record the 'glorious' deeds of a hero who died many years ago, who, in order to regain the glory in his heart, lured and killed adventurers without hesitation, and was eventually resurrected."

"Of course... huh?"

Chenxi was startled and almost failed to grab the fig leaf draped over her body.

Tang Qi shrugged, and considering the nature of a log, he truthfully replied:

"I may, remember, perhaps possess the ability to engrave a stele of oblivion."

But as you know, it's a tomb of history, so all I can record are the actual events that happened.

The nature of the log meant that even if Chenxi had fooled Tang Qi, the truth of the story could still be proven afterward.

“I can recount to you my exploits for three days and three nights. From rescuing children from the devil to hunting monsters deep in the ocean…and I assure you that every single one of them actually happened. As a bard, these can all serve as your inspiration.”

"Useless, don't care, too lazy to listen."

The log can only record his 'experiences'.

Simply listening to the story won't get you a reward.

"..."

The headless body's chest suddenly began to heave, and the black smoke around its neck flickered as if it were about to erupt.
"What if I let you witness my glory with your own eyes?"

Tang Qi pretended to be confused, shaking his head and saying:
"You mean stay by my side? Please, I won't let a troublemaker join the team. You'd do anything for glory, wouldn't you?"

To be honest, if it weren't for the exhaustion from the series of fierce battles, I would have considered taking advantage of your broken arm to rid the people of this scourge.

Although you saved Ambi, you were also the cause of everything.

But after thinking about it, I still felt that it wasn't a matter of life or death, and there was no need to waste my energy.

Upon hearing this, Sui Shi waved his hands repeatedly and sat down on the ground to quickly recover his strength.
"If you don't let me eat, I won't be able to use my combat skills anymore."

Unable to gauge the headless paladin's strength, the dwarf was unsure if he could withstand another [Holy Slash].

Chenxi said knowingly:
"Therefore, I need to win your trust."

"uh-huh?"

In Tang Qi's deliberately ambiguous response, he saw a burst of pure white light flash from Chen Xi's chest.

In the flickering light, a platinum ring imbued with golden flames appeared within the halo.

Shabby rubbed his eyes and exclaimed in surprise:
“Hey, I think I’ve seen this thing before…it looks a bit like the things those priests take out when they pray to God.”

"What is it used for?" Tang Qi turned his head and asked.

"Don't expect me to have anything in my head other than fine wine, okay?"

"So you can't remember the dwarf joke I sang either?"

"Screw you! Anyway, Faltto calls it 'faith.' That guy came from the Holy City, so he must be right."

Chenxi then explained to him:

"This ring carries the fire of my soul. It is the source of my power and the key to my continued existence in this world—crush it, and my soul will return to eternal nothingness."

Her voice no longer conveyed her innermost thoughts; though it echoed slightly, everyone present could clearly hear her gentle yet resolute tone.

Tang Qi was stunned for a moment:

"You mean... give it to me?"

"Actions speak louder than words."

The dawn was drawing ever closer.

Finally, she knelt down on one knee in front of Tang Qi.

He let his cloak hang down in the firelight and in the tomb.

He lowered his left hand and instead held the poet's fingers.

Tang Qi couldn't see her face, but he suddenly thought she was a knight who had pledged his loyalty.

This made it feel as if his soul was resonating with hers.

The morning light kissed his fingers:

"The recorder of history."

I am willing to offer you my loyalty, my life, my soul...

Even everything I own.

I give you the right to regulate my behavior and the power to destroy me.

I will regard protecting your safety as my highest belief.

As your sharpest sword, it will shatter any obstacles in your path.

I humbly request that you witness my atonement for my sins and my regaining of that glory and light.

A person who seeks glory will never care who they serve or obey.

She only cared whether this would leave her with glory in the world.

And no longer be obscured or forgotten by history.

Tang Qi subconsciously withdrew his finger, preventing the ring from being put on his finger:

"What if I have no connection whatsoever with the stone tablet, and am not a recorder of history?"

"Then you will eventually become a legendary poet, singing this dramatic poem, and I would be happy to see that."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because I can see it at a glance—your restless heart."

You share a similar flame with me, both of us seeking a future that will not let us down.

Moreover, your skills are already quite superb.

Chenxi answered sincerely.

After a long pause, her voice suddenly became somewhat hesitant:

"The songs praising me...are also very beautiful."

Her praise made Tang Qi feel a little uncomfortable.

Appropriate praise can indeed make people happy.

But he still shook his head, feigning refusal, trying to get more:
"Your power can even corrode your own body. How can you guarantee my safety when you can't even protect yourself?"

"I know the [Resurrection Spell]."

"You've joined the team."

　I understand that some men may not be able to accept this persona.

　　However, I also hope that readers will trust the author as much as possible and write these relatively complex characters well.

　　I never intended to disgust the readers by writing these relatively complex characters.

　　The author believes that a wonderful story is woven together by people with different personalities, and everything done is for the purpose of writing a satisfying story.

　　The differentiated factions are also an essential part of D&D.

　　The most important thing about a novel is its storytelling.

　　I'll save the more specific things I want to say for my post-launch remarks.

　　I'm working hard to draft the manuscript. Thank you all for your support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)