Bai Shi stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hakan.
They had reached the end of the path. Ahead of them was a vast space, and they would have to jump down to reach it.
Countless coffins were scattered haphazardly on the ground, and the tree roots coiled around them spoke of the area’s ancient age.
In the distance, a Golden Seedling emitted a brilliant golden glow, illuminating a path.
Stone bricks formed a set of stairs, leading up to a desolate and lonely ruin entrance. Four statues of veiled women with no hands were arranged in pairs on either side of the steps, as if they were guards examining all who approached.
“This place is an ancient cemetery, no doubt about it,” Hakan said with certainty.
“Cemeteries are dangerous. They have all kinds of stone guardians, and some even have Those Who Live in Death that you can never kill.”
“Normally, if it were just the two of us, I’d never enter a cemetery.”
“And as far as I know, there won’t be another exit inside.”
“But we have no other choice now. We can only go in and try our luck.”Hearing Hakan’s pessimistic words, Bai Shi was inwardly ecstatic.
Because he was all too familiar with this place.
Although the Cave of Knowledge—a tutorial area created for gameplay purposes—was gone, the terrain and scenery here were very distinctive. This was the first place one reached after leaving the Chapel of Anticipation in the game: the Floating Cemetery.
This cemetery was virtually free of danger, as it was merely a passage to the Fringefolk Hero's Grave deeper inside.
Bai Shi now understood the true meaning behind the name “Floating Cemetery.”
Falling from the Chapel of Anticipation and arriving directly at the entrance of a sealed cemetery was clearly illogical.
In the game, the sequence where the player drifted to a beach and then passed through a cave to reach the Floating Cemetery had been cut.
And there was indeed a place in the game where one could go from the beach through a cave to reach the Floating Cemetery: the Seaside Ruins.
It all made sense.
Bai Shi suddenly remembered there was an item to be picked up here, though he couldn't recall what it was.
“Hakan, I think there’s something over on the side. Could you light it up for me?”
“Hmm? Where?”
Bai Shi pointed to a spot where the light from the torch couldn't reach.
Hakan extended the torch, and a desiccated corpse appeared before them.
The corpse’s clothes had already rotted and disintegrated, but something on its body reflected the torchlight.
Hakan walked over, picked the object up from the skeleton, examined it for a moment, and then tossed it to Bai Shi.
“Huh, you don’t want it?” Bai Shi recognized the object. A line of small text informed him of what it was—the Haligdrake Talisman.
“I’ve already collected my fee. You can have it. It should be a talisman that resists some kind of power, though it’s probably not very strong.”
Bai Shi was a little surprised. This guy was shameless enough to demand more money, yet he could be quite generous at a time like this.
Bai Shi didn’t refuse. Although the item wasn’t very useful and he hadn’t really wanted it—it was just his collector’s instinct acting up—since the man had offered it so generously, he might as well accept.
After confirming there was nothing else left behind, the two jumped down one after the other, with the white wolf close behind.
Getting the warhorse down was a bit more difficult. A horse's legs are fragile, and a jump from such a height could easily cause a fracture.
So the two of them stood below and stretched out their arms to catch the horse. After some effort, they finally managed to get the animal down safely.
There was nothing else worth exploring. They briefly searched for a hidden exit, but after finding none, they returned to the entrance of the Floating Cemetery.
The burnt-out candles on either side and the watchful eyes of the female statues exerted considerable psychological pressure on Hakan.
“This place looks like a high-class cemetery. We need to be careful.”
Bai Shi nodded with a solemn expression, putting on an act as if facing a great enemy.
Hakan stepped forward and pushed open the long-sealed tomb door with a great effort.
Cold, white candles burned slowly, separating the tomb from the outside world.
The interior was covered in dense cobwebs, with skeletal remains scattered about.
Hakan carried his great curved sword and moved forward cautiously.
But after walking for a while, they reached the next chamber without encountering any traps or stone guardians.
In this chamber, one wall was shrouded in mist, with a small imp statue in front of it.
Bai Shi knew this was the entrance to the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, which required two Stonesword Keys.
But more importantly, a bonfire emitting a warm glow appeared on the ground before Bai Shi—it was a Site of Grace.
Bai Shi walked up and touched the warm flame with his hand.
It felt less like a flame and more like the lingering warmth of a lamp—warm and comforting.
A peculiar sensation washed over Bai Shi. He felt a mysterious and profound connection forming between himself and the Site of Grace before him.
“Bai Shi, what… what are you doing?”
Hakan watched as Bai Shi suddenly reached out to touch thin air. He didn’t know if Bai Shi had been afflicted by some kind of dark magic.