Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 148 The Woman on the Chains (Thanks to Mo Shang Ling Yuan for the donation!)

After walking for several more minutes in the fog, Xia Tong finally discovered her destination.

In the distance, the outline of a small house could be seen faintly in the thin mist, accompanied by the smell of cooking fire.

As the distance closed, Xia Tong could see more clearly.

This "distant house for boiling shrimp" is not exposed alone on the dangerous shallows; it clings to the center of a ring of dilapidated but extremely heavy stone walls like a parasite.

Several massive, tilted, collapsed stone pillars intersect to form an almost unshakeable natural barrier, protecting the small house.

As Xia Tong approached the small house, she looked it over.

The lower level is made of heavy bluish-gray stone bricks, while the upper level is a slightly old-fashioned dark wooden attic.

The sloping wooden roof, though somewhat damaged, had a cozy feel to it.

"This location is really well chosen," Xia Tong thought to herself.

"If it had been built in an open lake area, it would have been bulldozed by those giant lobsters long ago. But by building it here, with these stone pillars acting as a natural barrier, those large monsters simply can't get in. I have to say, Shrimp Bro is quite clever."

Upon reaching the destination, the Stormhawk circled in the air and cried out loudly.

This caught the attention of the homeowner, who saw a figure emerge from under the eaves.

Xia Tong also lightly kicked Torret's horse's belly, increasing its speed.

The person looked at him from afar, while Xia Tong spurred his horse and galloped up to him in no time.

Just as Xia Tong had predicted:

The man was dressed in a somewhat worn and simple coarse cloth robe, and wore a distinctive yellow metal mask on his head, revealing only his eyes, completely covering himself.

It was none other than the rogue "Brother Shrimp".

"Hello, I am a faded person, passing by and came to pay my respects."

Xia Tong dismounted and greeted them politely.

"Did you come because you've heard so much about it?"

Brother Shrimp raised his eyebrows, which were hidden behind the mask, and looked Xia Tong up and down.

The firewood in the nearby bonfire crackled with a dull popping sound, and the rich, sweet aroma of shrimp meat wafted from the large iron pot over the fire was incredibly tempting.

"If you want to eat shrimp, trade it for runes. I don't give alms to poor bastards."

Shrimp Bro casually sat back down on a wooden box, his tone somewhat impatient.

"Judging by your menacing appearance, you must have been chased all over the place by this giant lobster in the lake and fled here for your life, right? Hahahaha!"

He chuckled, then continued, "A while ago, I saw nearly a hundred hybrids passing through this area. They were really in trouble; I don't know how they offended those lobsters."

"After a chaotic battle, more than ten tribesmen were injured, and the ground was covered in fur and blood, hahaha."

"To be honest, they're really blind. What are a bunch of bastards doing in this godforsaken place? Are they looking for death?"

"However, that lion hybrid that was the leader seemed pretty good. He was agile and managed to take down a giant lobster all by himself."

Xia Tong's heart skipped a beat.

"Is he referring to Aslan, the lion hybrid?"

"It seems they're alright, otherwise they wouldn't have only lost a dozen or so tribesmen. Aslan and his hybrid lurkers, though they suffered some losses, should have safely crossed this dangerous lake area."

"As long as they don't provoke the Magic Academy and Kalia Stronghold, crossing the lake region to the edge of the Yatan Plateau shouldn't be a big problem, given the sheer number of their people."

"May I ask your name?"

Xia Tong snapped out of her thoughts, first introduced herself, and then asked.

"What should I call you? Just call me 'Brother Shrimp'," the masked man replied casually.

"Hello, Shrimp Bro. I'd like to buy—500 Runes worth of shrimp meat."

Xia Tong looked at the large pot and said, "I've heard that the shrimp meat here has amazing effects."

"Hmph hmph hmph————"

Upon hearing this, Shrimp Bro immediately perked up, as if he had been tickled.

He stood up, pointed with an iron spoon at the bright red shrimp meat in the pot, and said smugly, "You know your stuff, kid! My secret recipe shrimp meat will not only fill you up, but it will also make your skin and muscles as tough as a lobster shell."

"It can reduce the damage to you by at least 20%, and it might even save your life in a critical moment!"

As Shrimp Bro skillfully scooped several steaming pieces of shrimp meat from the pot, wrapped them in a large leaf, and handed them to Xia Tong, he casually asked, "I see you're a guy who fights a lot, right? Are you one of those guided faded ones too?"

"You're a Faded One too, right?" Xia Tong didn't answer directly, but instead asked with a smile.

This silenced Brother Shrimp.

His hand holding the iron spoon paused, as if those words had stirred up some extremely unpleasant memory.

After a long silence, a heavy sigh came from beneath the mask.

"Ugh—what kind of 'fading color' is this? I don't want to be one!"

Shrimp Bro's voice became somewhat low and irritable.

"I'm selling shrimp meat now, and it's not bad enough to make a living."

He pointed to the dilapidated house behind him, "Look, this is still a two-story building. It's isolated from the world, nobody can find me, how peaceful!"

"What bullshit demigods, what shattered war, what repairing the magic ring—none of it concerns me!"

Hearing him say that, another familiar figure involuntarily surfaced in Xia Tong's mind.

"Patch's values ​​are quite similar to this Shrimp Bro's; they are both thorough egoists and escapists."

"However, Patch's nature is even worse. That guy makes a living by cheating, swindling, stealing, and robbing. He has no bottom line whatsoever. On the other hand, Brother Shrimp at least runs a legitimate business with his skills. Although he has a bad temper, he is much more sophisticated."

In fact, Xia Tong knew very well that Brother Xia was also a pitiful person.

As a veteran player, he certainly knew about Brother Shrimp's tragic experience.

He was once imprisoned and unfortunately shared a cell with "coprophagists".

Brother Shrimp witnessed firsthand how the coprophagists cruelly defiled, tortured, and killed their companions, ultimately even cursing their souls.

That deep-seated fear completely destroyed his fighting spirit and courage as a warrior.

This has led to his current extremely timid personality, making him only want to find a corner in this crazy world to eke out a living, and he never wants to get involved in any more conflicts.

Xia Tong looked at the yellow metal mask and thought to herself, "This mask is somewhat similar to the iron hood worn by You Tanzhi in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'."

"Brother Shrimp, you've built a really nice house. It's like a paradise in this lake district."

Xia Tong changed the subject and gave a compliment.

"That's right, that's right. It took me a whole year just to find the materials and reinforce this house."

When Shrimp Brother heard the praise, his tone softened considerably.

"Brother Shrimp, could I stay here for the night? This lake area is full of monsters, and it's really not safe on foggy nights," Xia Tong said, making the request.

It seems that Xia Tong's generous purchase of 500 runes for shrimp meat had put Shrimp Bro in a good mood.

He sized Xia Tong up and down, nodded, and said, "Hmm—you don't seem like the kind of troublemaker you'd expect."

"Stay if you want. But it's 200 runes a night, so pay up."

Xia Tong readily took out 200 runes and handed them over.

He did not immediately ask about the girl Laya and the necklace.

He was mentally calculating what to do if he immediately confronted them with, "Did you steal someone's necklace? Give it back right now!"

If I did that, I'd probably be kicked out immediately by that eccentric shrimp guy, and he might even hold a grudge against me.

Xia Tong decided to first calm the other party down and try to get closer to them.

On the way here, Xia Tong had already strolled around some of the iconic pavilions in the lake area, but had not found Li Ya.

This left him somewhat unsure about the current timeline.

There are only two possibilities: First, the necklace has already been stolen, and Laya is hiding in some corner crying; second, the necklace has not been stolen and nothing has happened yet.

"Never mind, let's settle in first. Since Brother Shrimp is here, we can always resolve the necklace issue."

Xia Tong simply stopped thinking about it.

As evening approached, the thick fog dissipated somewhat.

The two sat around the campfire, eating hot shrimp and drinking meat soup, which served as their dinner.

Xia Tong then started chatting casually with Brother Xia on the first floor.

"May I ask, Brother Shrimp, who exactly is setting the rules in Lienia these days? And what's the current state of Reyalukalia Academy and the Kalia Royal Family?"

Upon hearing this question, Brother Shrimp paused for a moment while poking at the charcoal fire with his tongs.

A rough, mocking laugh came from behind the mask.

"Let's look north."

Brother Shrimp raised his finger and pointed to the outline of a huge building that was faintly visible deep in the fog.

"The towering Realucaria Academy in the very center of the lake district is the culprit behind this mess."

"Once the War of Shattered Stones began, those stone-headed, self-proclaimed wise gem mage turned into complete cowards."

"They set up a sealing barrier on the gate that even ghosts couldn't pass through, sealing the entire academy completely."

"These self-proclaimed noble fellows neither bow down to the Golden Tree nor venture out to compete for the Great Runes. They spend all their time hiding in the tower, studying their gleaming, broken stones."

Xia Tong listened quietly, her fingertips habitually stroking her chin.

"As for the dirty and tiring work outside, the academy dumps it all on those cuckoo knights."

Shrimp Bro spat into the fire, making a "sizzle" sound, his tone full of undisguised disgust.

"Those mercenaries with strange birds embroidered on their chests are like a pack of hyenas. They've turned the Lake District upside down."

"The academy teaches them some rudimentary magic, pays them runes, and they become a pack of mad dogs who bite people for money."

"The Cuckoo Knight's greatest prey must be the Kalia royal family, who once ruled this place, right?" Xia Tong said, following the other person's words.

Shrimp Bro snorted and used his tongs to forcefully crush a piece of burning charcoal.

"That's right. The Academy betrayed Queen Renara and imprisoned her in the Grand Archives."

"Then they hired ten of those cuckoo riders to besiege the city of Kalia in the northwest."

"And what happened? Those greedy mercenaries didn't even get to touch the steps of the hall before they were torn to shreds by the terrifying defensive magic of the fortress and those finger monsters that crawled all over the ground like giant spiders."

"It's now a forbidden area; no living person can get in except for the deadly magical traps that roam there and the man-eating monsters."

Shrimp Bro sighed, "Besides the dogfight between these two major forces, this lake area itself is also full of dangers."

"In the southern swamp, there are those Platinum Sons crawling around everywhere; deep in the water plants, there are also spirit summoners who shake bells and call vengeful spirits."

"In short, the waters of Lienia are far deeper than those of Nymgfor, where you are. Since you say you come from Nymgfor, you'd better be very careful."

"Also, let me give you a friendly reminder. If you don't find the Radiant Stone Key to unlock the academy's barrier, even if you have extraordinary abilities, you'll only be able to stand outside the academy gates and watch helplessly."

After listening to this rough but extremely realistic account, Xia Tong had a clear understanding of the current power distribution in the lake area. He already knew the background of the game, but he just wanted to confirm it with Brother Xia again.

"Brother Shrimp, you must have extraordinary skills to be able to cook shrimp and live a leisurely life in this chaotic world."

Xia Tong offered a timely compliment.

Shrimp Bro was clearly enjoying himself; his eyes behind the mask narrowed into slits, and his laughter became much more hearty.

"That's right! Don't you even know who I am!"

"Come on, eat shrimp! Don't be shy! This meal is on me."

Shrimp Bro immediately took a large piece of sizzling, oily shrimp from the grill next to him and generously placed it on Xia Tong's plate.

Afterwards, the two ate and chatted, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious. They began to share their adventures with each other.

Of course, Xia Tong did not mention that she was now the nominal king of Stoneville City, nor did she mention her feats of slaughtering everyone in her path.

He only said that he was an ordinary wandering knight who happened to participate in that war to slay the gods.

Even so, the brutality of the civil war in Stoneville and the shock of the demigod's fall still captivated Shrimp Bro, who had been living in the isolated Lake Lienia region.

Overjoyed, Brother Xia even pulled out a bottle of his treasured fruit wine from a corner of the warehouse and shared it with Xia Tong.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xia Tong, seeing that the time was right, casually started a conversation: "By the way, Brother Xia, I wonder if you've seen a girl around here recently?"

"Girl? What girl?" Shrimp Bro hiccuped and replied casually.

"She was a girl with a very hunched back," Xia Tong gestured.

"She was bowing very deeply, as if she were bowing to someone. And her facial expression was rather stiff. She was wearing a dark green outfit with exquisite embroidery."

"Oh—you mean that girl!"

Shrimp Bro slapped his thigh, "I remember, I remember! It was about two weeks ago."

"Now that you mention it, I remember something. Let me tell you, bro—"

Shrimp Bro suddenly lowered his voice, leaned closer, and spoke in a mysterious tone.

"That girl, I knew immediately, she wasn't human!"

"Huh? What do you mean by 'I can tell she's not human at a glance'?"

"And then? You asked her to help you with your cultivation?"

"What do you mean, 'help me cultivate'? Bullshit!"

Shrimp Bro waved his hand dismissively, "I never rely on women! Women only influence me!"

"She seemed suspicious and her behavior was strange; she definitely didn't seem like a good person."

"So I snatched her necklace—no, not exactly snatched, just took it—to teach her a lesson."

"She's hiding somewhere crying right now."

Shrimp Bro took a sip of his drink and continued, "But a few days ago, when I went out to catch shrimp, I think I saw her in that dilapidated pavilion in the distance."

"You can go and take a look over there if you have the chance. She tried to get close to me several times before, but I chased her away with the pliers each time."

"Brother Shrimp, you said she's not human, you must have your own guesses, right?" Xia Tong continued to steer the conversation.

"Good brother, you've seen the world." Shrimp Bro patted Xia Tong on the shoulder.

"Have you ever heard of Mount Gemir? Or rather, have you heard of the legendary volcano's official residence, the one that supposedly hunts down those who have lost their youthful appearance?"

"She reminds me a lot of those snake-people kept in the Volcano Mansion!"

"Of course, although she has a human face, her slippery posture and eyes are just too similar."

"I understand, I understand." Xia Tong nodded.

"Brother Shrimp, could you let me see that necklace? I'm quite curious."

"Okay, why not? Wait here, I'll show you."

Shrimp Bro got up and rummaged through a wooden box next to him for a while.

"Look, look! This chain looks really well-made."

Brother Xia handed a necklace to Xia Tong, his tone tinged with admiration.

"Look at the woman carved here, she has such elegance! I wonder what her relationship is with that strange little girl!"

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