novelnext Chapter 340: Let Me Tie Your Hair for You Again
Chapter 340: Let Me Tie Your Hair for You Again
Bai Shi had Hilbert draw up a list of the materials he would need to prepare.
That way, once he returned to Stormveil, he could have his people gather everything at once.
At the same time, Bai Shi urged her to pack her belongings as quickly as possible.
However, Hilbert had almost nothing to take with her, so she was ready to depart in no time.
Bai Shi flew back to Stormveil at high speed, carrying Hilbert and the little Jar-Bairn she had taken in.
After returning from Caelid, Bai Shi immediately had her join the others who were preparing to head for the Siofra River.
In the meantime, Bai Shi planned to visit Jarburg.
Poachers were still active throughout the Lands Between, and the Living Jars’ situation remained dire.
He had already taken the Albinauric Village, who shared a similar plight, under his protection. Now, only the various jar villages, large and small, remained.
Using a Site of Grace, Bai Shi instantly teleported to the plateau near the eastern shore of Liurnia.
There, Bai Shi cast his consciousness into the sky, communicating with the stormhawks that endlessly patrolled the skies over the lake region.
It would be best if he could find Alexander first.
Soon, the stormhawks located the person he was searching for.
Following the stormhawks’ directions, Bai Shi found Alexander wading through the lake region.
But the person sitting atop him was someone Bai Shi hadn’t expected to see.
Was that Millicent?
He never imagined that after leaving Caelid one after the other, they would end up traveling together in Liurnia.
Bai Shi thought for a moment and gave a slight nod.
Wasn’t this a good thing?
With her severed arm, Millicent could barely use the skills she was once so proud of.
She wasn’t completely defenseless, but she only had just enough strength to survive in the perilous Lands Between.
It was worrying to think of her embarking on a journey like this alone.
Alexander was exceptionally warm-hearted, and his strength was reliable.
If he was also heading for the Altus Plateau, his path would align with Millicent’s.
Now, Bai Shi didn’t have to worry so much about her encountering danger along the way.
However, watching Alexander continually venture toward the center of Liurnia of the Lakes, Bai Shi was a bit confused.
Where was Alexander going?
Jarburg wasn’t in this direction. In fact, that area seemed to be home to some rather nasty enemies.
Just as he was thinking this, Alexander and Millicent ran into trouble.
Seeing the situation unfold, Bai Shi’s eye twitched, and he immediately headed their way.
—
Millicent sat atop Alexander’s head, watching as the fog grew thicker with a sense of resignation.
“Alexander, are you sure your hometown is this way?”
Alexander folded his arms across his chest, a hint of doubt creeping into his own mind.
He had never actually returned to his hometown before.
But he should still remember the general direction... right?
He couldn’t possibly be lost again, could he?
“Ahaha... It’s fine.”
“As long as we keep moving, the road will open before us!”
Millicent sighed inwardly, exasperated.
“What is that even supposed to mean?!”
By now, Millicent was certain: Alexander was definitely lost again.
Although she hadn't been traveling with him for long, she’d been with him for some time now.
This normally dependable friend had a truly, shockingly terrible sense of direction.
But Millicent never thought he would manage to forget the way back to his own hometown.
Gazing out at the featureless, misty Lake of Liurnia, the two could only press onward.
Before long, the dense forests and glintstone formations around them gradually disappeared into the fog-shrouded lake region.
In their place, an open expanse of water suddenly appeared before them.
Not only that, but a gazebo had also materialized ahead.
Inside, the magical glow of what looked like a teleportation gate shone brightly.
Millicent raised her left hand and pointed toward the structure.
“Why don’t we rest there for a while? We can figure out our next move.”
Alexander agreed without a second thought.
After all, he was the one who got them lost. It was time to let his external brain take over.
But as the two drew closer, several spirits suddenly burst forth from the calm waters.
Seeing these troublesome creatures that roamed Liurnia, Alexander and Millicent immediately grew wary.
The appearance of a few spirits often meant many more were nearby.
It was like seeing a single cockroach in your home; it didn’t mean one just happened to wander in, but that the hidden spaces were already overflowing with them.
Sure enough, more spirits were disturbed and gradually materialized before them.
The spirits were highly mobile, and getting caught by them in the lake water would make it difficult to escape.
Their only option was to eliminate them all.
It was strange, though. They usually only encountered spirits near ruins.
Only in such places were the dead who had been twisted by pain into vengeful specters.
Although Millicent and Alexander found it odd, they immediately prepared for battle.
The fight would rely mainly on Alexander; Millicent could only offer support with the longsword in her left hand.
Despite being outnumbered, Alexander was a hero-class Warrior Jar and felt no nervousness facing these ordinary spirits.
As the spirits swarmed them, Alexander swung his heavy arms down with a crash.
The stone limbs descended with unstoppable force, instantly smashing two of the dark, crawling spirits to pieces.
Millicent raised her longsword with one arm, blocking a spirit that pounced from the air.
Alexander’s giant hand shot out, snatching it mid-air and flinging it away.
But at that moment, all the surrounding spirits stirred, swarming toward the pair in unison.
There were so many of them they could easily be overwhelmed, making a clean escape impossible.
Yet Alexander remained perfectly calm. Instead, he opened the lid on his head and said to Millicent:
“Millicent! Get in, quickly!”
“There are too many of them! You’ll be swamped!”
Seeing the sheer number of spirits, Millicent didn’t hesitate for a second. With a nimble leap, she jumped into Alexander’s pot.
Although a Warrior Jar’s body is filled with the remains of fallen warriors, Alexander had set aside a special netted compartment for carrying items, which was just the right size for Millicent.
As soon as he sealed the lid, the spirits descended.
They swarmed over Alexander, blanketing his body and attacking relentlessly.
Assaults rained down from all sides, but to Alexander, they were nothing more than minor scratches.
“Hahaha! Such feeble attacks are no match for ‘Iron Fist’ Alexander!”
Completely surrounded by the spirits, Alexander extended his arms and began to spin his entire body at high speed.
Alexander spun like a top, whipping up huge sheets of lakewater and sending the spirits flying.
The spirits, not known for their intelligence, were flung away only to charge back in, oblivious to their impending doom.
But his hard, thick arms became deadly weapons as he spun, tearing the spirits to shreds in mid-air.
Though his method of attack was simple, his overwhelming strength allowed him to finish off the creatures with almost no effort at all.
Only after completely annihilating the spirits did Alexander open his lid again.
“Phew—dealt with that smoothly.”
Millicent clung to the rim of Alexander’s pot and clambered out, her hair and clothes in disarray.
“Ugh, I feel a little dizzy...”
“But thanks.”
After a moment to recover, Millicent finally pulled herself out of Alexander’s body.
“Hahahaha! I don’t get to use it often, but it’s certainly an effective technique.”
Just when they thought the crisis was over, something unexpected happened.
A terrifying aura suddenly emanated from ahead, sending a shiver down both Millicent’s and Alexander’s spines.
It felt as if something horrifying was emerging.
Beside the gazebo, a thick, yellow-black mist swirled, heavy with an endless curse.
A much larger creature with a deathly pale face and countless centipede-like limbs appeared before them. It was a terrifying Royal Revenant.
Seeing the dreadful creature, Alexander immediately stepped forward, shielding Millicent behind him.
The next moment, the Royal Revenant twisted its head at an unnatural angle, its empty eye sockets fixing upon them.
Millicent’s heart sank. It was the first time she had seen such a ghastly creature.
Suddenly, as if in the blink of an eye, the Royal Revenant was right in front of them.
It reared up high, letting out a sharp, painful screech as the twisted pairs of limbs beneath it hammered down in a mad frenzy.
Facing the relentless storm of attacks, Alexander swung his fists in an attempt to fight back.
But two fists are no match for four hands, and the Royal Revenant had far more than four.
Alexander's defenses and counterattacks could only block a portion of the strikes; the rest landed solidly on his body.
Even though his punches were much stronger than the revenant's blows, he could at best hold off the constant assault from three or four of its limbs.
Feeling the force of the blows, Alexander's heart sank.
This thing’s strength was in no way inferior to his own!
Moreover, its physical form gave it a clear advantage in combat.
Cracks began to appear again on his body, which had only just been mostly repaired with the adhesive.
As he felt the damage to his body worsen, Alexander was suddenly filled with regret.
Perhaps he should have spent more time recovering at Redmane Castle and returned to full strength before setting out.
In his current state, Alexander couldn’t say for certain that he could defeat the Royal Revenant.
‘This is going to be another tough fight.’
‘I need to get Millicent out of here, now!’
But at that moment, Millicent had already slipped out from Alexander’s side during the frantic exchange of blows.
Seizing an opportunity, she swung her longsword, sinking the blade deep into two of the Royal Revenant’s adjacent arms.
However, the slash from her left arm was far too weak.
Her left arm wasn’t her dominant one; the difference in strength and technique was too great for her to sever the limbs cleanly.
Seeing her blade stuck on the bone, just shy of cutting through, Millicent gritted her teeth.
With another surge of strength, she sent the two limbs flying, splattering a foul, black liquid into the lake that sizzled like acid.
But this delayed attack came at a great risk.
The Royal Revenant shrieked in pain.
The roar slammed into Millicent, making her shudder as blood instantly streamed from her ears.
The revenant’s remaining arms ceased their attack on Alexander and whipped around to strike at Millicent.
Alexander, currently tied down, could only watch in frantic helplessness.
Fortunately, though Millicent had lost her right arm and her primary means of attack, her physical prowess remained.
As an individual born from the rot, with an unknown connection to Malenia, Millicent’s physical abilities, like those of her four sisters, started at a hero’s level, with immeasurable potential for the future.
With a simple duck and a nimble leap backward, Millicent once again created distance between herself and the Royal Revenant.
Although she had severed two of its limbs, the situation hadn't improved significantly.
Just then, a beam of light shot down from the sky.
A ray of brilliant sunshine pierced through the fog that blanketed Liurnia of the Lakes.
Bathed in the light, the Royal Revenant let out an agonized scream.
Its twisted form began to melt and dissolve under the sunlight, until it vanished before their eyes without a fight.
Millicent and Alexander, startled by the sudden turn of events, warily scanned their surroundings.
They only relaxed when a familiar voice called out to them.
“I didn’t expect to find you two all the way out here.”
“It’s been a while.”
Bai Shi’s figure had appeared in the nearby gazebo.
With his dragon-slaying armor damaged, he was now wearing a new set of clothes that Boc had tailored for him, finally no longer needing to go about bare-chested.
Seeing Bai Shi, Alexander grew excited and rushed to greet him.
“Haha, so it was you!”
“I was wondering who could be so powerful as to obliterate such a strange and terrifying creature in an instant.”
Bai Shi smiled and looked at the new cracks on Alexander’s body.
“Oh dear, are you alright?”
“Looks like you’ll need to be patched up again.”
Alexander patted himself nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry, a small wound like this will heal quickly on its own.”
“Besides, that adhesive is excellent stuff. I made sure to get some from Hilbert before I left. I’m carrying it with me right now, haha.”
Hearing Alexander’s words, Bai Shi felt relieved.
He then turned his attention to Millicent, who was standing off to the side.
Since he had appeared, Millicent had stood there silently, her lips pressed together.
Seeing Bai Shi, Millicent was naturally overjoyed.
But she suddenly realized that she hadn’t seemed to have made any progress at all.
Not only was she still unable to repay Bai Shi, but she had just been saved by him yet again.
Millicent felt like she didn't know how to face him.
Seeing her continued silence, Bai Shi had no choice but to walk over to her.
“Millicent, long time no see.”
“How has... how has your journey been?”
Millicent watched Bai Shi approach and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Ah, yes... the journey.”
“Limgrave is much more peaceful than Caelid, and Stormveil is incredibly lively and prosperous.”
As she spoke, her head lowered again.
“...I’m sorry. We finally meet again after so long, and you see me still so weak and powerless.”
“It seems I still can’t repay my debt to you...”
Looking at Millicent, who was constrained by her own pride, Bai Shi sighed inwardly.
Millicent was a strong girl, but sometimes, she was too strong.
She could very well rely on others more right now.
But that was also part of her charm.
Even in this situation, she would never abandon her dignity.
Bai Shi wasn’t sure how to comfort her.
Besides, a little comfort wasn’t what she needed at this moment.
Perhaps she would truly start to feel better after he gave her the prosthesis.
In that case, it was best to change the subject for now.
Bai Shi reached out and gently touched Millicent’s messy hair.
With only one arm, Millicent still couldn’t tie her hair very well on her own.
The braid Bai Shi had done for her before had long since loosened, and after the recent battle, her hair had fallen completely free.
“Your hair is a mess.”
“Let me tie it for you again.”
Millicent hadn’t expected Bai Shi to suddenly say this. She quickly looked down at her reflection in the lake.
Only then did she realize her disheveled state, especially in front of him.
Nodding hastily, Millicent turned around.
“Yes... please.”
Although her back was to Bai Shi, the blush creeping up her ears and neck was unmistakable.