Bai Shi walked forward to stand beside Hakan.
They were at the end of the narrow path, facing a large chamber below. They would have to jump down to reach it.
Countless coffins were scattered across the ground, and the roots of ancient trees that had grown over them spoke of the area's antiquity.
In the distance, a small Golden Sapling emitted a faint golden light, illuminating a path.
Stone steps led upward toward a lonely, desolate ruin, with four handless, veiled statues of women lining the path, as if guarding the entrance.
"This place is an ancient graveyard, no doubt about it," Hakan said with certainty.
"Graveyards are very dangerous. They're protected by all sorts of stone guardians, and some even have Those Who Live in Death, whom you can't kill."
"Normally, with just two of us, I would never enter a graveyard."
"And as far as I know, there won't be another exit inside."
"But we have no choice now. We can only go in and try our luck."
Listening to Hakan's pessimistic words, Bai Shi felt a sense of joy bubbling up inside him.
He was all too familiar with this place.
Even though the tutorial cave for the sake of gameplay was gone, the terrain and scenery here were unmistakable. This was the first area after the Chapel of Anticipation in the game: the Stranded Graveyard.
This graveyard was virtually harmless because it was merely a passage to the deeper Fringefolk Hero's Grave.
It was only now that Bai Shi understood the true meaning of the name "Stranded Graveyard."
It was illogical that falling from the Chapel of Anticipation would lead directly to the enclosed Stranded Graveyard entrance.
In the game, the player's journey from the beach to the cave and then to the Stranded Graveyard was simply cut out.
And there was indeed a place in the game where you could take a cave from the beach to reach the Stranded Graveyard: the Seaside Ruins.
Everything made sense now.
Bai Shi suddenly remembered that there was an item to be picked up here, although he couldn't recall what it was.
"Hakan, I think there's something over there. Could you light it up for me?"
"Hmm? Where?"
Bai Shi pointed to a spot that the torchlight couldn't reach.
Hakan held the torch forward, and a withered skeleton appeared before them.
The skeleton's clothes had long since rotted away, but something on its body reflected the light of the torch.
Hakan walked over, picked up the item from the skeleton, examined it for a moment, and then tossed it to Bai Shi.
"Huh, you don't want it?"
Bai Shi saw the item, and a small line of text identified what it was: Crimson Amber Medallion.
"I've been paid enough. You can have it. It looks like a talisman that can ward off some kind of power, but the effect probably isn't very strong."
Bai Shi was a little surprised. This guy, who was willing to haggle for "more mone,y" was being so generous in this situation.
Bai Shi didn't refuse. Although the item wasn't very useful, he didn't really need it; he just wanted to collect it. Since Hakan had offered it generously, he might as well accept.
After confirming there was nothing else left behind, the two jumped down one by one, with the white wolf following close behind.
The warhorse had a bit more trouble. A horse's legs are fragile, and jumping from such a height could easily cause a fracture.
The two of them positioned themselves below to help the horse land safely.
There was nothing else to explore. They searched for a hidden exit but found none, so they returned to the entrance of the Stranded Graveyard.
The burned-out candles on both sides and the gazes of the female statues placed a lot of psychological pressure on Hakan.
"This place looks like a high-class graveyard. We need to be careful."
Bai Shi nodded, pretending to be on high alert.
Hakan walked up and pushed open the long-sealed tomb door.
Cold, white candles flickered, separating the graveyard from the outside world.
Cobwebs hung everywhere, and withered bones were scattered on the ground.
Hakan moved forward cautiously, his great curved sword ready.
But after walking a little, they reached the next room without encountering any traps or stone guardians.
In this room, there was a passage shrouded in mist, with a small Gargoyle statue in front of it.
Bai Shi knew this was the entrance to the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, which required two Stonesword Keys.
More importantly, a campfire with a warm glow appeared on the ground in front of Bai Shi—a Site of Grace.
Bai Shi walked over and touched the warm flame with his hand.
It felt less like a flame and more like the residual warmth of a lantern, comfortable and pleasant.
Bai Shi felt a strange sensation, as if he had formed a profound, mystical connection with the Site of Grace.
"Bai Shi, what... are you doing?"
Hakan watched Bai Shi suddenly reach out to touch an empty space. He wondered if Bai Shi had fallen under some kind of spell.