"Hey, don't play dead. I'm asking you a question. Can you use transformation to take a human form yet?"
"...Not for the time being."
Facing Lansseax's prodding, Abelar silently turned her head away, adopting the philosophy that if she didn't see the hitting, she wasn't actually being hit.
"For the time being?"
"Yeah... I haven't fully mastered these new powers yet. I need time..."
"Fair enough. For now, stay in this area. When I have a use for you, I'll send someone to notify you."
"What exactly do I need to do?"
Abelar turned her head back toward the two, her eyes filled with confusion. She truly couldn't fathom why these two—possessing such overwhelming strength—would go through the trouble of capturing a wyvern like her, who wasn't even fully grown.
"Well, I need you to help transport grain."
A string of question marks practically manifested over Abelar's head.
"You captured me just for that?!"
Abelar's voice suddenly spiked in volume as she looked at them, her emotions flaring.
"What, you got a problem with that?"
Lansseax suddenly turned her head, fixing Abelar with an unfriendly glare.
"I... I do not..."
Abelar started with a high-pitched protest but quickly lowered her tone to a whisper. A dragon under someone else's roof has to know when to bow their head.
"Don't you have that teleportation technology? Why do you absolutely have to drag me here to be a transport plane?"
"Teleportation through the blood pools can indeed solve a large portion of our logistical issues, but it doesn't work for food. Certain foodstuffs are affected by the energy within the blood pool once they pass through. To remove that influence, I'd have to intervene personally, which isn't practical. Therefore, we have to rely on conventional transport."
Mohg offered an explanation, then stepped forward to pat Abelar on the head.
"Relax. At the very least, your strength has increased significantly. And believe me, joining the Dynasty will be the wisest choice you've ever made."
"Say whatever you want, I don't exactly have a choice anyway..."
Abelar turned away gloomily and buried her head back into the blood pool. Since receiving the blessing of the Formless Mother, she had discovered she actually quite enjoyed the sensation of soaking her entire body in these crimson depths.
Following the Blood Blessing and the influence of the pool, the color of Abelar's hide had begun to shift, trending toward a dark, bruised crimson.
"By the way, what was with that form you showed earlier?" Mohg asked Lansseax.
"Oh, that's just the manifestation of using Cursed Blood power. Normally, as long as I don't draw upon that specific power, I remain in my standard Ancient Dragon form."
"Oh? It seems this ability has quite the deceptive quality to it..."
Mohg rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Unfortunately, this method didn't quite apply to him; otherwise, he might have tried to see if he could impersonate his elder brother. The kind of impersonation where even the physical appearance held no flaws.
"However, this is usually only possible if the blessed individual already possesses power that exceeds the blessing itself. You have to be able to suppress the manifestation of the power to keep it hidden."
"Understood. So, if the blessing the Formless Mother bestowed upon you was roughly equal to your innate Ancient Dragon power, you wouldn't be able to stop your body from changing."
"That's about right."
Lansseax nodded in confirmation.
"Anyway, I assume the matters regarding Caelid and the Dynasty's base are settled for the moment. What do you plan to do next?"
"Hmm... Let Pilar continue digging into the secrets of the Hornsent culture. Nibla will arrange for personnel to contact the local food production sites in Caelid and manage the transport. Some foods that aren't sensitive to the blood pool's influence can be teleported directly from Limgrave."
Mohg considered it for a moment before continuing.
"It would be best to bring some seeds as well. The unaffected forest land we've preserved can be used as farmland after it's developed. When I have time, I'll also research the effects of blood power on crops and livestock to see if we can promote some beneficial mutations."
"Ugh... just hearing that makes my head hurt. You can think about that stuff yourself. I'm going to go 'reconnect' with Abelar."
Lansseax let out a sharp breath, shook her head at Mohg, and walked off toward Abelar.
Mohg wasn't surprised by her reaction. He knew exactly what kind of person—or rather, dragon—she was. He turned his attention toward Nibla.
"My Lord, do you have new instructions?"
Nibla looked up at Mohg, his face filled with reverence.
"Yes, Nibla. From here on, I'm entrusting the construction of the Dynasty's base to you. You were a lord of your own territory once; you certainly have more experience in this regard than I do. I have matters to attend to elsewhere and will be leaving for a while. I'm counting on you during my absence."
"I live to serve the Sovereign."
Nibla's expression turned solemn. He pressed a hand to his chest and bowed deeply.
"Alright, there's no need for such stiff formality. I'm not a fan of rigid protocols."
Seeing Nibla's constant state of tension, Mohg couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. He stepped forward and patted Nibla on the shoulder.
"As the saying goes: if you use a man, do not doubt him; if you doubt a man, do not use him. I trust your ability and your loyalty. Just as a lord chooses his subordinates, the subordinates choose their lord. I have chosen you, and you have chosen me. I will not betray the trust you've placed in me. I may not be as powerful as the Storm Lord right now, but time will prove that you made the right choice."
"My Lord..."
Nibla's pupils flickered, and for a fleeting moment, he was dazed. It was as if the person standing before him was the wise Storm Lord he had once served so faithfully.
"My Lord, I humbly request that you grant me a new title!"
With that, Nibla dropped to one knee before Mohg. His voice was thunderous, drawing the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
Many of those gathered were former warriors of the Storm Lord. They knew Nibla well, and seeing him take such a stance, they understood exactly what it meant. In that instant, the group's collective recognition of Mohg as their leader ascended to a whole new level.
"Since you request it... then from this day forward, your title shall be the Red-Wind Knight. You are now the Chief of my Pureblood Knights!"
Mohg pulled a Pureblood Knight's medal from his robe and handed it to Nibla with solemn gravity.
Nibla's eyes shimmered. He took the medal from Mohg's hand, and though he said nothing, he expressed his feelings through action—performing an impeccable Blood Dynasty salute of fealty.
"Is there any news yet?"
Rellana frowned as she questioned the Lonely Gaol Knight, Mossa.
The response she received, however, was a disappointing shake of the head.
Rellana let out a long, weary sigh. Ever since the day Gwyn left for the Altus Plateau, it had only been a few days before they received furious messages from above, along with threats to terminate all trade unless reparations were made.
She had known then that something had likely gone wrong with Gwyn.
Truthfully, she had found it hard to believe at first. This trade had been carried out many times before without issue. Who could have known that the moment Gwyn went up, disaster would strike?
Later, after investigating the situation across various factions, they realized the problem lay in the intelligence.
Following the "accident" of the previous merchant and the subtle shifts in the political landscape of Altus, Kane's mindset had changed.
Kane knew that his individual strength could never compete with the great nobles and the Royal Family of the Capital. He couldn't hold onto the profits of the Grand Lift forever, especially since the war between Altus and the Ancient Dragons was nearing its end.
He was looking for a way out.
Kane knew the Capital's next target would be Liurnia, and the biggest obstacles in Liurnia were the Academy and the Carian Royal Family.
Thus, he had intended to use this merchant to establish a new chain of interests, using the contact to reach out to Marquis Quiros and attempt to flip him.
This was the primary reason Rellana and the others had found out—the merchant sent down by Marquis Kane had actively sought out Quiros.
The result was predictable. With almost no effort, they had pried the information regarding the attempted defection out of the man's mouth.
The price, however, was that intelligence from the Altus Plateau was now locked down even tighter. The cliffs that served as a natural chasm between Liurnia and Altus grew more silent. After Kane realized his plot had been exposed, he seized total control over the Grand Lift's operation.
As for the Cuckoos... this incident had finally confirmed that the two sides were not on the same path. They had decisively moved to dismantle one faction and win over another.
The Cuckoo Knights near the Academy were quickly brought under control. The Academy itself had no power to refuse, as everything had already fallen into Rennala's grasp.
However, they currently had no way to deal with the Cuckoos stationed near the Grand Lift.
In truth, the Cuckoos at the Lift weren't having a great time. Their relationship with Kane was still in an "ambiguous" stage.
Because Kane's relationship with the Capital was also in a state of flux, he couldn't give the Cuckoos any real promises... much less send troops. He was counting on his own forces to negotiate with the Capital. If he sent troops away...
If he sent them in the morning, the Capital would notice his depleted strength by the afternoon, and by evening, they'd have scattered his ashes to the wind.
"At least we know Gwyn isn't dead. But from the looks of it, he's probably trapped on the Altus Plateau and can't get down..."
"Highness, we need to prepare early. Intelligence from Altus is paramount. If we can secure information sooner, we can move our pieces earlier."
Suddenly, an aged voice spoke from Rellana's side.
This was Iro, the military advisor to the Carian Royal Family. He had once been the Chief of the Carian Knights. Though old now, his prestige remained.
Though I am old, my arrows are still sharp. It was that kind of aura.
"I know that, of course. But the problem is, we have no way to get to Altus to gather intel."
"Actually, there is a way. The only question is whether we are willing to take the risk."
Rellana fell silent. Just as Iro said, they did have a way to reach Altus, but it required a heavy price. How many would die was an unknown variable, and whether they could even afford the cost was a massive question mark.
If they were lucky, they might achieve their goal in one go. If they were unlucky... they would face a situation where they squandered massive amounts of manpower and resources for absolutely nothing.
"The Four Belfries left behind by the ancient civilization. There are portals there dating back to the old era. All we would need to sacrifice is a small amount of manpower and resources..."
"A small amount? I don't consider it 'small' at all... Our records regarding that place are extremely limited. Even now, we've only confirmed one of the destinations: the underground Eternal City. The remaining three are all unknown locations."
"But we have deduced that one of them is a portal to the Royal Capital, Leyndell! And based on that deduction, the destination would be the very heart of the Capital!"
Iro didn't back down. He stepped forward and met Rellana's eyes.
"No, I disagree. This move is too risky, and the potential gains are too limited. Even if we don't get intel from Altus, if they want to enter Liurnia, they must pass through the Grand Lift. We will still have time to prepare!"
Rellana stared back at Iro with firm eyes, rejecting his proposal.
"I will not allow my warriors to die such a senseless, mysterious death!"
"But we are willing to give our lives for Caria! I am already old—let me be the first to go in!"
Iro's emotions were beginning to flare.
"Enough! This matter ends here. I will find another way!"
Rellana loudly cut Iro off, then waved her hand to signal Mossa to lead the old advisor out.
Iro looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing Mossa move, he fell silent. With a long, weary sigh, he slowly retreated.
Just as Rellana was starting to feel the weight of her exhaustion, the doors were thrown open by Sellen.
"Highness! There is vital news!!"
"Sellen, I believe I've told you not to be so frantic..."
Rellana felt like her life was simply too difficult. She rubbed her forehead and shook her head.
"No, Highness, this news really is important. It's Gwyn! Gwyn has returned!"
"What?!"
Clang!
Hearing the news, Rellana surged to her feet. Her armor let out a sharp metallic ring from the sudden movement.
Iro and Mossa, who hadn't yet left, exchanged surprised glances. Then, a smile broke across Iro's face.
Whatever the case, Gwyn's return was excellent news. It meant they wouldn't have to take massive risks or waste resources just to get a scrap of information.
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (512 Chapters – Full)
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