Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Looking at the golden rune light rising in my hand, Laya's eyes also sparkled: "Oh, this, this is the rune, it turns out that everyone uses this thing to exchange! I was wondering what it was... Zero, then can I have a rune too?"

I smiled and nodded, saying, "As long as they are creatures in the border area, they should have runes that can be used. Laya, try to use your strength in your left hand as well."

"Oh~" Laya imitated the posture of my left hand clenched into a claw, then puffed up her little face and tried hard.

——It turns out that Laya really doesn’t know what a rune is…

But it makes sense.

She is the eldest daughter of the Volcano Mansion and the daughter of Justice Lacard. She is taken care of on a daily basis and naturally has no need for Rune.

Maybe he sneaked out alone on this trip.

Innocent and pure, this reminds me of Roderica. In comparison, Roderica is like a noble lady who has just entered the society and is unaware of the dangers, while Laya is even more of a spoiled greenhouse flower.

"Wow, Zero! Look, I really have a rune too!" Laya excitedly held out her hand to me, and a red shadow passed behind her.

——It’s the tail!

——Laya, your tail is exposed! Did you use too much force just now and forget your human form transformation?

"Ah, um." I could only pretend not to see it and looked at Laya's rune, which was only a little over a hundred.

——It’s really pitifully little. Perhaps it was some of the small animals that Laya ate while traveling and left for her.

I sighed, "But now, you know why that gangster stole your necklace. That place is probably his territory, and you took his things and didn't give them to Rune, so that guy must be angry."

"Woo——" Laya puffed up her cheeks cutely again, "... Well, well, I'll give him this rune and ask him to return Lady Tanis's necklace to me."

"Well, I'll go with you anyway." I stood up and asked Laya to lead me to Brother Xia's shabby house.

——After all, I haven’t unlocked any map tablets in the Lienia Lake District yet.

There is nothing here but water and trees, and a light mist in the early morning. Even in the game, I often get lost without looking at the map, let alone in the real world.

——By the way, I found Laya because I got lost when I came out of the town in front of the college last night.

——If she hadn't called me back in time, I would have plunged into the ruins of Lascar and fought three hundred rounds of ghosts. Going to the west coast of Lienia to find Edgar would have been even more of a distant prospect.

Therefore, I decided to help Laya complete her initial side quest as a way of thanking her for helping me correct the direction.

"Sniff~Zero, I smell that delicious scent again!" The little greedy ghost's eyes lit up again.

——You have a very sensitive nose, I haven’t smelled anything yet!

However, I had to remind her quickly: "Laya, we are here to apologize and get the necklace back. Don't be greedy and make others angry again."

Laya touched her face with her hand a little embarrassedly: "I, I know."

Led by Laya, we walked through the bushes and saw a two-story shabby house rising from a small open space on the lake. When we walked over, we found that there was no one in front of the house.

The fire was burning, and there was a sound of boiling coming from the big black pot.

Curious, I walked up the steps to the shabby house and knocked on the door. "Hello, is anyone there?"

No one responded.

On the other side, Laya's voice was heard: "Zero, there seems to be no one in the room. Ah——"

--Um?

When I heard the scream, I quickly drew out my hound fangs and rushed over.

I saw a bald man grabbing Laya's shoulders and trying to molest her.

——It’s Nelius!?

I rushed forward angrily: "Let Laya go!"

Combat Skills——Hound Sword Skills·Level 1······

"Oh, oh, oh - man, man, don't, don't be impulsive, calm down!"

——Wait, this cunning voice is...

But the fighting skill had already been used, and my body automatically slashed the blade. Fortunately, the opponent raised a large shield in time to block my attack.

"Patch?"

"Hmm? This voice, could it be my old friend, Zero!" The bald man poked his head out from behind the big shield, and it was indeed that guy Patch!

I couldn't help but laugh: "Why are you here?"

Patch asked back, "Old buddy, I heard that you really defeated Greg from Stonewell?!"

Laya also intervened and said, "Hey, Zero, do you know Crazy Patch?"

"Stop, come one at a time!" It's hard to communicate with one another if they talk at the same time. I quickly stepped forward to preside over this three-party meeting. "I'll answer Laya first. I do know this Crazy Patch."

"Um... you know this one? Old man, who else do you know?"

"Don't interrupt me, just tell me what you are talking about. Why are you here?"

Patch cleared his throat. "Well, it's because there aren't many Faded Ones in Nimgefu, so it's hard to do business. That's why I took the lead from the cliff path to Lienia and opened my Patch store... But I always feel that there aren't many people here."

"Um... didn't you know that there's a battle memorial in Galid, so most of the Faded are going there?"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Patch was so speechless that he slapped his forehead.

I was a little surprised: "I thought you had already heard about this and went to Gared."

"······Gallid, I've actually heard of it, but think about it, is there anyone who can go to that kind of hellhole?" Patch sighed, "Oh, I thought that after Greg was dealt with, all the people from Stonewell would flow here. It was my mistake!"

"Galide?" Laya also joined our conversation. "I heard Lady Tanis say before that there are many powerful people there. I originally wanted to go there and help Lady Tanis find real warriors."

"No, no, no!" Patch and I said in unison to stop her from thinking this.

"It's too dangerous there. There are all kinds of monsters everywhere. Moreover, even the air is not clean. If you breathe it in, you will pass out and be eaten by wild dogs!" I threatened Laya.

And Patch followed up by saying, "Yes, that's right. And, if we talk about a true warrior, the guy in front of you is it! He challenged the 'Golden King' Greg and even defeated him, and conquered Stonewell's strongest fader!"

"Oh——" Laya stared at me with sparkling eyes.

I waved my hands quickly: "Don't eat my cows. Yesterday I was chased by a group of cuckoos. Come on, what were you doing here, Patch?"

——In the game, Patch seemed to know Laya, but he did not come to the dilapidated house to help. Instead, he ran his Patch shop on a nearby hillside.

Patch glanced at Laya, then pulled me aside and whispered, "Dude, can't you see that this little girl is a noble? If you can sell her for a bit and get along with the man behind her, you'll be rich in the future~"

——Okay, okay, you sneaky Patch, so this is what you were planning.

"Well, what are you talking about?" Laya came over curiously.

"Nothing~" Patch quickly found an excuse, "We are discussing how to get your necklace back, Laya. The gangster is out now, we have to find a way to go in and search, we should be able to find it."

"Wouldn't it be even worse if he suddenly came back? We would have to fight."

As soon as I finished speaking, Patch immediately put his arm around my shoulder and patted me: "Aren't you still here, old buddy?"

"Uh, you haven't beaten him by yourself, have you?"

"Hahaha, what are you talking about? I'm a businessman, and harmony is the most important thing. Harmony is the most important thing."

It sounds like a set of things to say.

I sighed, turned and walked past the fire outside, intending to lift the lid of the pot to take a look.

When Laya saw this, she quickly held me down with her little hands: "No, no, Zero. We can't eat secretly, or that gangster will be angry!"

——Uh... But, Laya, the saliva at the corner of your mouth has already betrayed you.

I comforted him, "Don't worry, I'm just taking a look, I'm not stealing... maybe I can even summon that guy over."

"Yes, is that so?" Seeing me say that, Laya also let go of her hand.

I lifted the lid and saw that, well, it was basically just a pot of water with a few tiny red crab legs bobbing up and down with the boiling bubbles.

"Maybe he went to hunt prawns to prepare for today's meals." I looked around, but Brother Shrimp still hadn't shown up. "How about we go look for him?"

Laya asked again: "But where will he be?"

——Well, that’s a good question.

Although I know several places with big lobsters, without a map, I would be like a headless fly.

"I have an idea." Patch took out a black, festering finger from his pocket and squeezed it hard. A faint blood-colored liquid floated out. "Let's follow this thing. We should be able to find the nearest Faded One."

——Hmm? Is this how the Festering Blood Finger is used? It looks a bit similar to the Hooking Finger Potion.

So, we followed the flash of blood in the air into the nearby woods, looking for the gangster who cooked the shrimps.