Chapter 222: Chapter 222

Bai Shi was starting to find this whole situation absurd.

Was this still the Lands Between he knew?

Although the Lands Between had always been the stage for a grand family soap opera, for the most part, things were still relatively normal.

After all, in a royal family, power struggles and fights for the throne were to be expected. No matter the ethics or methods, it was all within the realm of normalcy.

But the sudden, massive increase in LGBT elements was making Bai Shi lose his composure.

Was this some kind of manifestation of political correctness?

Speaking of which, could Ranni’s blue puppet body have come about this way... No, no, that was probably just the old troll’s personal taste.

He had thought Mohg was the only one, but it turned out Miquella was just as heaven-defying.

Radahn had been targeted by some random little femboy.

The mere thought of it was terrifying to Bai Shi!

And according to what Millicent had dreamed of before, Miquella had been the one to actively seek out Radahn.

But it seemed Radahn had also agreed... right?

Although in the world Bai Shi came from, such things were already commonplace.

For it to appear in the Lands Between, and to change his impression of so many people at once, was just too much.

Seeing Bai Shi just as shocked as she was after learning this news, Ranni felt a bit of solace.

See? This is a normal person's reaction.

This information was just too outrageous. Anyone who heard it would find it preposterous.

Ranni began to speak softly.

But Bai Shi interrupted her. "Wait a moment... I’m thinking..."

Ranni saw that Bai Shi was still lost in the shock of the moment, which was not surprising.

After all, the news was so absurd, it certainly required some time to process.

Ranni shook her head slightly, thoughtfully giving Bai Shi enough time to recover.

It wasn’t that Bai Shi couldn’t handle it, but he was thinking about how these two matters affected the information he had on the Lands Between.

Although Ranni lived in the Lands Between, Bai Shi dared say he possessed far more in-depth knowledge of it than she did.

After all, he was a player, which gave him an absolute advantage when it came to the world's lore and plot.

Therefore, he couldn't just treat this news as a joke, sigh about the decline of modern morals, and be done with it.

This information, combined with the intelligence he already knew, could be used to deduce many things.

Bai Shi snapped out of his initial shock and began to think.

On second thought, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible for Miquella to approach Radahn.

The most important things in the Lands Between were the Elden Ring and its Order, as well as the God-King system required to realize them.

This God-King system didn't necessarily involve love; it was just two positions.

In some cases, it was even possible for the two to have no feelings for each other, or even despise one another.

Of course, if they had a choice, they would certainly choose someone they liked to walk the path with them.

Bai Shi didn’t know if Miquella harbored any unusual feelings for Radahn.

But setting that aside, Radahn was undoubtedly an excellent choice among the demigods.

Godwyn the Golden was the most orthodox golden demigod and extremely powerful. In a God-King system, he might even take the dominant role, and he would surely uphold a pure Golden Order.

However, the Golden Order was powerless against Malenia's affliction. Miquella had to find a different path and a different Order.

In that case, Miquella’s half-brother, Radahn, was a perfect fit. Follow current novels on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵

He was also incredibly powerful and, as a general, ruled over the vast lands of Caelid, commanding the Redmane Knights.

Furthermore, various clues throughout the game indicated that Radahn was a loyal and righteous man.

And by joining forces with Radahn, Miquella could also bring Radahn's three siblings on his side, and the two families could fight against the golden royalty together.

Looking at it this way, Miquella choosing Radahn was indeed a good move.

From Millicent's dream, Bai Shi already knew that Miquella wanted to become a god.

He had also made a pact with Radahn, for him to become some kind of "Promised Consort."

But at that time, Bai Shi had already defeated Radahn, so he hadn't thought much of it.

After all, if the Promised Consort was dead, how could Miquella possibly succeed?

He never expected to learn from Ranni today that Miquella had actually targeted Radahn's soul.

Taking advantage of the moment Bai Shi defeated Radahn, he had taken Radahn's soul to fulfill their pact.

Since Miquella was once again making moves, Bai Shi could confirm it:

Miquella was not being held by Mohg in the Mohgwyn Dynasty; he was completely free.

Although he didn't know how Mohg had managed to abduct Miquella in the first place, the fact that Miquella had been repeatedly active in the Lands Between was rather bizarre.

If that was the case, Bai Shi’s previous assumption about Miquella's whereabouts needed to be changed.

If Miquella had been free to move about since the time he was abducted, that was terrifying.

That was a very long period of time, and there was so much Miquella could have done.

And outsiders were almost completely unaware of his whereabouts. Even Bai Shi, who knew the plot, had assumed he was in the Mohgwyn Dynasty the whole time.

If not for the intelligence from his subordinate Freya and the information from Ranni, Miquella would have remained completely hidden in the shadows.

Furthermore, Bai Shi recalled the contents of the dream Millicent had described to him.

When Miquella had shared this news with Malenia, he had said:

"Malenia, I have already found the Promised Consort."

"As long as I can become a god, he will, as promised, become my King."

Since Miquella was already going after Radahn now, did that mean Miquella had become a god?

No, that couldn’t be right.

It was impossible for Miquella to have already become a god. That meant, at the very least, Miquella had found the means to become one.

But perhaps for some reason, he hadn't ascended yet, otherwise he would have revealed himself long ago.

The matter of godhood was something Bai Shi had never been sure about.

In the original game, there was almost no mention of the process and methods required for godhood.

Did one need to undergo a special method beforehand to become a god?

Or did one become a god simply by becoming the vessel for the Elden Ring?

Right now, Miquella had no access to the Elden Ring.

Therefore, Bai Shi couldn’t determine whether Miquella needed an alternative method for godhood, or if he was simply unable to access the Elden Ring for the time being.

Bai Shi decided to raise Miquella’s threat level once again.

Miquella was simply too terrifying.

It wasn't just his various schemes; the main issue was that it was hard for a normal person to understand what this guy was thinking.

Miquella had initially studied the fundamentals of the Golden Order with his father, Radagon.

Then, because he couldn't cure Malenia's rot, he abandoned fundamentalism to research the Haligtree and Unalloyed Gold.

But this guy, who seemed to do everything for Malenia's sake, had somehow allowed his beloved sister to fight his Promised Consort, Radahn, and even unleash the Scarlet Rot.

It was utterly baffling.

No matter how hard Bai Shi thought, he couldn't figure out why.

Bai Shi reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

And it wasn't just Miquella; that fake Greater Will was also a huge problem...

Bai Shi sighed, committing these matters and details to memory, intending to analyze them slowly when he returned.

It was probably impossible to figure all of this out right now.

Seeing that Bai Shi had calmed down, Ranni spoke again.

"In any case, I have told you the news."

"I hope you will be more careful in the future."

Ranni paused for a moment.

"Also... although the matter between my brother Radahn and Miquella is rather intriguing..."

"Our cooperation does not cover these subsequent events."

"You need not interfere. I will investigate it myself later."

"What follows is my personal advice: you must be careful of Miquella."

Then, Bai Shi asked Ranni,

"Do you have any idea where Miquella might be? Even a guess would be fine."

Any additional information would give Bai Shi a better chance.

Unfortunately, Ranni shook her head.

"There are no traces whatsoever."

The Lands Between was vast, and the current information was not enough to pinpoint Miquella’s likely location.

Since even Ranni had no ideas, Bai Shi had no choice but to set the matter of Miquella aside for now.

It was impossible to guard against a thief forever. He couldn’t be on high alert 24/7.

He would just continue with his business as usual, while keeping a watchful eye out.

Besides, he probably wouldn't run into Miquella anytime soon.

That being the case, it was better to deal with the matter at hand first.

Bai Shi looked at Ranni.

"Ranni, do you have a map of the Academy of Raya Lucaria?"

After all, the Academy was once under the control of the Carian Royal Family.

It was such a complex place; without a map, it would be a bit troublesome for Bai Shi to explore.

Ranni glanced at Bai Shi.

He just had to touch a sore spot. Ranni had thrown something like that away who-knows-where a long time ago.

"I really don't have such a thing."

"With your strength, no one at the Academy will be able to stop you."

"A map isn't that important for you, is it?"

Bai Shi thought about it, and it seemed to make sense.

Worst case, he could just grab a couple of sorcerers to lead the way.

After bidding farewell to Ranni, Bai Shi teleported away again.

Only after Bai Shi left did Ranni completely relax.

The puppet's body leaned back against the chair, preparing to enter slumber once more.

"The Fingerslayer Blade is in hand. Now I can begin the final preparations..."

Ranni recalled the scene with the chair from just a moment ago.

"Honestly, that was so close. I almost gave myself away."

Ranni picked up the book in her hands, intending to set it aside, but suddenly noticed that the words on it seemed wrong.

It seemed she had been holding it upside down.

Ranni stared at the inverted book in her hands, frozen on the spot.

A moment later, a frustrated voice echoed from within the magic tower:

"Damn you, Bai Shi! You have brought shame upon the witch!"