After a long while, the woman gently stroked Raven's head and waved her hand, summoning a set of robes, shoes, and a hat out of thin air.
"My child, put these on. It is too cold here," she said tenderly. "Do you wish to go out and see this world? I shall announce your existence to the entirety of the Lands Between. Ah, the youngest son of the Carian Royal Family... the towers of Raya Lucaria shall sing of your birth, and the isles of Liurnia of the Lakes shall cry out your name."
Feeling somewhat bashful, Raven turned his back and dressed as quickly as he could. The slime on his body had long since been absorbed, and though it had stained the woman's magnificent robes, she seemed not to care in the slightest.
"Come, take my hand."
Only then did Raven realize how tall the woman truly was. She wore a high crown and was draped in deep azure robes; a wide, red-and-gold patterned stole hung from her shoulders across her chest. She stood like the embodiment of the elegant night, her refined features as luminous as the moon.
The young girls shuffled to either side, raising their candlesticks high to light the way. Led by the woman, Raven walked through mountains of dust-covered books scattered across the floor. Row upon row of thirty-foot-high bookshelves loomed in the shadows, silently watching them depart.
The woman paused, unfastened the scepter from her waist, and held it high. The tip of the staff erupted with brilliant moonlight.
With a thunderous rumble, the heavy stone doors ground open to both sides. Raven looked up, suspecting that the doorway was large enough for a naval destroyer to pass through with room to spare.
A cool breeze carried the faint scent of mist.
The faint glimmer of morning light spilled in from the outside; it seemed to be the eve of dawn. The sun had not yet risen, and night still reigned over the vast majority of the sky.
Where is this? An alternate world? He hadn't been hit by a truck, nor had any "Yes" or "No" prompts popped up on his computer. All he had been doing was creating a character for Elden Ring—could someone really transmigrate just like that? He wondered if there was any way back to Earth...
Raven suddenly held his breath, as if afraid to wake the sleeping city beneath his feet.
Spires of towering towers rose like a forest before him. In the dim morning light, the silhouettes of the buildings looked like sleeping giants, with mist churning between the high walls. He stood at the highest point of the city, yet facing these structures that seemed plucked from myth, he felt incredibly small and fragile, like a single grain of sand.
This scene looked familiar. Raven's eyelid twitched—he remembered where he had seen it before. It was in the Elden Ring cinematic trailer.
Brother, you really shouldn't transmigrate into a Soulslike world!
Raven recalled a joke from the internet. A fan of Warhammer 40K made a wish to fight for the Emperor; when he woke up and realized he had actually become an Imperial Guardsman, he cried like a Grot who had just had a wrench dropped on his toe. Is a Soulslike world even a place for humans to transmigrate into? Compared to Warhammer 40K, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black—
BONG!
A deep, resonant bell tolled behind them. Raven flinched, wanting to turn around, but the woman gently rested a hand on his shoulder and led him forward.
BONG!
They did not descend by the stairs. Instead, they walked directly into the air, stepping off the balcony and strolling into the sky.
Beneath his feet, the air transformed into a lake as clear as a mirror. Every step he took sent ripples through the surface, yet not a single drop of water wet his boots. The city became a reflection in the water, the shadows of the towers swaying in the ripples, becoming distant and unthreatening.
At the horizon where the water met the sky, a full moon rose slowly.
The twilight line raced toward them like a tidal wave of the light spectrum. As that surging moonlight drew near, it turned into a gentle touch, brushing against Raven's face like a silvery-white veil.
"May the gods of this world lend their ears and listen to my sincere call," the woman whispered. "Please bless this child; bless his birth. For his existence is a gift of destiny, and he shall surely make this world a better place."
The woman lowered her head, locking eyes with Raven's silver-grey ones. His eyes had not turned gold, a testament to his lack of grace from the Erdtree. And with the Starscourge General having locked the stars in place, it was impossible for the gods of the moon and stars to bestow their blessings either.
She smiled faintly and affectionately tousled Raven's hair.
"And if you are unwilling to bless him, so be it—however!"
She raised her scepter high, and her voice suddenly shifted. It became like muffled thunder within dense clouds, like the metallic echo of mountains grinding together. Her shoulders seemed broader than outstretched dragon wings, and her eyes, flashing with electrical light, were more dazzling than the midday sun.
"Hear me, gods in the heavens and kings of the many lands! If anyone dares to harm the youngest son of the Carian Royal House, if anyone dares to manipulate this child's fate—
"I, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, shall pursue the source of that malice with hatred and boundless fury! I shall dash them to pieces, even as a potter's vessel! When the Moon of Vengeance strikes you, you shall know my name is Rennala!"
Raven stared blankly at Rennala's silhouette.
"Seluvis, it's not that I won't help you. Before, when the Queen wasn't managing affairs, I thought forming a council to take over the Academy was a good idea, and supporting you as the High Councilor was acceptable. But now that the Queen is awake... if you persist, you'll be suspected of rebellion. Don't contact me again. I'm cutting the projection."
As the bells of Raya Lucaria tolled one after another, Seluvis, Professor of Sorcery, sat in his chair. The veins on his temples throbbed in rhythm with the bells.
"Aaargh!" In a fit of rage, Seluvis swept everything off his desk. Vials containing beast blood shattered into pieces.
"Why? Why?! Couldn't you just stay tucked away in the Grand Library, cradling that stupid egg and sleeping yourself to death? You've been asleep for over a decade—why wake up now?! I paid such a high price, spent so much effort to win people over—"
He gritted his teeth and thought for a long time before crushing a stone, projecting his image to a distant underground laboratory.
"Respected Master Azur, forgive the intrusion. Is our previous agreement still in effect?"
"Hmm—but I heard the bells, so..." A disheveled old man looked up from a pile of manuscripts and spoke sluggishly.
Knowing how to communicate with such eccentric scholars, Seluvis went straight to the point: "Think about it. Did the Full Moon ever support your research into Primeval Sorcery? If the Council takes charge and I become the High Councilor, I will elevate the status of the Primeval school—elevate it to be equal to Glintstone Sorcery!"
"Mm—" Master Azur fell into a long silence. Just as Seluvis thought he had fallen asleep, the master spoke. "I must be assigned a large classroom, a wizard's tower must be built, and the restrictions on taking disciples must be lifted. Yes, and my portrait must be hung back in the Cuckoo Hall."
Seluvis nearly ground his teeth to dust. A mere Primeval heretic dares to ask for so much! Once I'm High Councilor, I'll throw you out of the Academy—no, I'll drown you in the muck under the Academy's waterwheel! I won't let you threaten my position!
"Those conditions are quite reasonable."
"Good," Azur said happily. "I support you for High Councilor."
"In that case, can we schedule a time for a secret meeting to discuss our next steps?"
"Can't we talk now? What's there to discuss? I've agreed to vote for you."
"I'm afraid it's not something that can be explained in a moment. How about this: first, have one of your trusted disciples come forward and accuse the Carian Royal Family of misappropriating Glintstone research funds. I have already manufactured enough evidence. As long as you appear in court to testify, Master..."
"Of course, such means won't topple the Queen, but you must take some action first to prove you are trustworthy. Only then can I reveal the true plan to you."
Noticing Azur's expression was slightly off, Seluvis hesitated and decided to reveal a bit of his hand.
"You needn't have any concerns, Master. In Leyndell, the Royal Capital, there are great figures who do not wish for the Full Moon Queen to awaken. Truly great figures." Seluvis pointed upward and winked. "Our backing is beyond your imagination. The Queen is destined to fall, but if we can achieve results first, just think—"
"What are you talking about? I only promised to give you my vote when you run for High Councilor."
Seluvis was dumbstruck. The premise for a vote was the Queen being asleep; now that she was awake, he wouldn't dare initiate a vote even if he ate the hearts of ten Ancient Dragons.
"But you said... what about your disciples? They..." He was incoherent.
"Who my disciples vote for is their business. How could I have the time to manage their votes!" Master Azur said impatiently, raising a hand to dispel Seluvis's illusion. "Fine, I will vote for you. I have experiments to do. Do not disturb me for seventy-one hours."
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Seluvis panted heavily, his breath coming in ragged gasps. That old bastard! That senile fool! I curse you to be chewed up and swallowed by Greyoll, the Dragonbarrow Mother, and shat out into the Aeonia Swamp!
"Rennala, I could have let you off, but you just had to be difficult." He let out a cold snort. "Just wait. The Royal Capital will surely send assassins to eliminate that unwelcome child of yours. And then, you will go completely mad, won't you? Hahaha.
"When that time comes, I will torment you properly... I will savor every bit of your beauty... Oh, Rennala..."
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(21 Chapter - Ongoing)
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