Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 86 Hope Within the Morn Tunnels

The next day, at the top of Hyde Fortress.

Kenneth Hyde and Xia Tong stood side by side, watching the ordinary demi-humans in the distance who had regained their senses and were silently collecting the corpse of the demi-human queen.

"Lord Kenneth Hyde, I never expected you to know the language of the demi-humans."

Xia Tong watched this scene and sighed sincerely.

"Do you think I, Lord Kenneth Hyde, am just a boastful bum?"

He glanced at Xia Tong, straightened his collar—though torn, it was still perfectly upright—and said seriously:

"My desire to embrace demi-humans and establish a true Golden Order is not just empty talk."

This time, Xia Tong didn't mock him; instead, she genuinely admired this seemingly arrogant but principled guy.

They actually took action, and almost lost their lives because of it.

"It's just that the current situation is a bit awkward."

Kenneth Hyde sighed:

"Most of the human soldiers who originally occupied Hyde Fortress have either fled or died."

"Only these nearly one hundred ordinary demi-humans are willing to obey my orders, Lord Kenneth Hyde."

"After all, I helped them reclaim the remains of the demi-human queen and gave them their final dignity."

As he spoke, Kenneth Hyde suddenly became smug.

He straightened his clothes and carefully took out a cloth bag from his pocket.

Open it layer by layer.

Then, a brass dagger with an antique luster was revealed.

"Don't let this seemingly ordinary knife fool you."

"This was passed down to me by my father; usually only nobles can wear it."

"If you are devout enough, this knife will grant you unparalleled power."

Xia Tong nodded in agreement, without complaining: "Since you're so powerful, why didn't you use this brass dagger to break through the encirclement when you were surrounded by demi-humans?"

He solemnly accepted the brass dagger.

You should know that this is a very special faith-based weapon.

It can greatly increase attack power based on the user's faith level.

At the same time, it is also a weapon that can be used for combat.

Although the base attack stat of the brass dagger is low, the high faith bonus can bring a qualitative leap in both physical and fire attribute attacks.

Whether it's using Coldness to apply status effects or Flame to apply damage, both are extremely powerful.

Carefully stroking the exquisite plant patterns on the blade, Xia Tong had already decided who this knife was for.

He couldn't use it himself; he had just waved it around in his hand a couple of times and felt a little dizzy.

It's obvious that there's not enough faith.

"Lord Kenneth Hyde, is there a Dikedas Scepter in the fortress?"

Xia Tong asked tentatively.

"How did you know I had this thing?"

Kenneth Hyde was somewhat surprised, but did not ask any further questions.

Afterwards, he led Xia Tong into his own room inside the castle, rummaged through drawers and cabinets for a while, and then handed over the left half of the talisman to Xia Tong.

After receiving the token, Xia Tong accompanied Kenneth Hyde for a while to stroll around the castle.

Seeing the mess in the city, Kenneth Hyde couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.

It is truly laughable that he, as a legitimate lord, has left Hyde Fortress in such a state.

"The Faded Ones... Xia Tong Brothers."

Kenneth Hyde suddenly turned around and asked solemnly:

"Would you be willing to serve as a knight commander under me?"

After saying that, he added somewhat hesitantly:

"I cannot formally knight you at this time."

"But in time, when I find a true king worthy of my service, one who can rightfully rule over Nymgford."

"I will immediately bestow upon you the title of a noble knight!"

"So, are you willing to serve me?"

"willing!"

Xia Tong agreed without hesitation.

This is crucial for long-term livelihood and the task chain.

"But as a faded one, I still bear the mission given to me by the finger, and I cannot stay here forever."

"But if Fort Hyde needs any help, I will definitely rush back to assist!"

Xia Tong made her promise.

This pleased Kenneth Hyde greatly, and a radiant smile, as bright as a golden tree, lit up his previously dejected face.

After dealing with the lovable old man, Xia Tong did not leave Hyde Fortress immediately.

Instead, I wandered around the surrounding area.

Sure enough, they found the little golden sapling they were looking for on the outskirts of the fortress and obtained a golden seed as they wished.

"The Holy Grail can be used one more time."

Xia Tong took stock of it.

This trip to Hyde Fortress was very fruitful.

They obtained the Dikedas Scepter (left), as well as the Golden Seed and the Brass Dagger.

Of course, there's another piece of trash that's not very useful to him right now: Blood Slash.

That thing is hell.

Xia Tong didn't want to cut herself a few times to bleed before each combat skill was unleashed.

……

Sobbing Peninsula, inside the Moen Tunnel.

Aslan, the lion hybrid, stood at the forefront, his hands resting on the Greatsword.

Before him stood hundreds of hybrids.

Most of them are winged hybrids, and a small portion are robust scaled hybrids.

One-third of these mixed-race individuals were elites he had brought from Moen City.

Another small group consists of nomadic people found around the Sobbing Peninsula.

The rest were the tribesmen who had been rescued in the last two days and had been working day and night as slave miners in the Moen Tunnel.

He used his greatsword to cut through the heavy shackles on the feet of these tribesmen, one by one.

Each shackle is broken.

His determination to head north grew even stronger.

By the end, Aslan's eyes were red and his gaze was almost bursting.

That damned Golden Law!

Why are mixed-race people considered inherently inferior?

Why should we be born in shackles?

Aslan stood on the high platform and spoke at the top of his lungs.

Inspired by him, the mixed-race people below also became excited.

Until the very end, he shouted again:

"Is there anyone willing to go north with me?"

He spoke loudly to his people below in his mixed language, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tribespeople below stirred up a commotion.

At first, only a few scattered mixed-race individuals raised their hands.

Then dozens, and then more than a hundred.

In the end, nearly 90 percent of the mixed race raised their hands, willing to follow Aslan.

Among them are many mixed-race individuals, some old and some young.

The Golden Law had ruled for thousands of years, making it an extremely stable dynasty.

The brainwashing of ordinary people in the border areas has continued for thousands of years.

From birth, mixed-race children are told that they are lowly, dirty, and unclean, only fit for the lowest jobs and to live like slaves.

They have no idea what "freedom" tastes like; they only know that if they dare to resist, they will be killed.

Today, the seeds of hope are being sown in the hearts of these mixed-race individuals.

They were first filled with fear, then with confusion.

Then came a longing and yearning that I had never experienced before.

As the lion hybrid roared loudly, these aspirations gradually began to ignite, transforming into a burning love and pursuit of freedom.

……