The items Bai Shi chose were all very useful in the early game.
The Lands Between at night is fraught with danger, and a torch is essential for nighttime travel, as well as for exploring caves and catacombs.
In the game, the telescope was purely for sightseeing.
But now, with the map being so vast, the telescope could be used to scout the terrain and locate enemies beforehand.
The crafting kit was even more useful, containing a knife, a chopping block, a mortar, and other tools for processing hunted game and crafting items.
It could be considered an essential item for survival in the Lands Between.
The various crafting notes described how to use the kit to create items, providing the knowledge needed to survive when you had nothing.
For example, these two notes taught him how to craft bone arrows, fletched bone arrows, and bone bolts in one, and stanching boluses, strengthening cured meat, and strengthening white cured meat in the other.
"Thanks for your patronage. That will be 2,000 Runes."
Bai Shi only had a few scattered Runes, certainly not enough to pay for all of it.
He remembered that after he killed the Grafted Scion, some Runes floated into his body. The Scion was an elite enemy, so his Runes should have been worth thousands.
But Bai Shi didn't know how to use them.
"Um, I just arrived in the Lands Between. I defeated an enemy and gained some Runes, but they're inside my body. I don't know how to use them."
Kale, as a wandering merchant, was indeed knowledgeable and began to explain.
"I see. Let me tell you about Runes."
"Runes are essentially the Grace that resides in the inhabitants of the Lands Between. They can be condensed into coin-like objects for trade or crushed to return the Grace to the body."
"When you kill an inhabitant of the Lands Between, the lingering golden essence flows into your body. That is also Runes."
"Give me your hand."
Kale held out a hand, gesturing for Bai Shi to put his hand on top.
Bai Shi placed his hand on Kale's. He then saw a golden energy float out of his body and transfer to Kale.
Bai Shi didn't feel a strong connection to this energy, but he had a feeling that he could stop the transfer with a single thought if he wanted to.
Kale received about half of the golden Runes and then stopped the transfer himself.
"Alright, I've taken 2,050 Runes from you. The extra 50 is for my explanation."
"You still have over 1,800 Runes left in your body."
Bai Shi nodded. He hadn't expected Runes could be traded in this manner.
But a new question arose.
"Runes are the Grace of the Golden Tree, so why didn't I feel weak or uncomfortable when they left my body?"
Kale thought for a moment, seemingly organizing his words.
"Well, let me put it this way: for the golden inhabitants of the Lands Between, Runes are a symbol of their identity and status."
"They aren't powerful because they have Runes; they have the corresponding Rune Grace because they are powerful."
"However, I've heard that for the heroes blessed by the 'Eternal Queen' Marika, that Grace truly did enhance their abilities... but there's no point in talking about that now. Those heroes are a thing of the distant past."
"Losing Rune Grace means being disowned by the Golden Tree. For the golden inhabitants of the Lands Between, it's equivalent to losing their lives."
"But for you, Tarnished, it's different. Since you left the Lands Between and have now returned, you don't need that recognition. So you can wantonly turn Runes into power."
"Because Runes aren't a part of your body, you don't feel weak when they leave you. They only truly become yours after you've turned them into your own power."
Bai Shi had an epiphany. So that's how it worked.
Runes were like badges given by the Golden Tree, a proof of identity and status. They could be traded, but you had to have at least some on you.
The Tarnished, on the other hand, were like thugs from another land. They didn't need this kind of certification. They were here to become the lords of the Lands Between, not to be mere inhabitants.
So it didn't matter if the Tarnished had no Runes on them; they simply didn't care.
"So, do you have a way to turn Runes into power?"
Bai Shi knew that he needed a Maiden's help to turn Runes into power, but he might as well ask if Kale had another method.
Kale shook his head.
"Only the Two Fingers' messengers, the Finger Maidens, know how to turn Runes into power."
"After your lord, Godfrey, became Elden Lord, the Finger Maidens were all from your own kind. When you were all exiled, they took the method with them."
"The next Elden Lord, Radagon, ruled for such a short time that the Two Fingers couldn't even choose new Maidens before the Ring shattered."
"After the Ring shattered, the people of the Lands Between started to lose their minds, and I could hardly do any business. It's only thanks to you, Tarnished returning, that I have a little income."
Bai Shi was lost in thought.
'So that's why the Tarnished need a Maiden to accompany them.'
'But it seems that the only people in the Lands Between who can turn Runes into power aren't just the Tarnished Maidens. In the era before the Tarnished, there was the time of the Ancient Dragons, and there might still be ways to convert Runes into power. Melina isn't a Tarnished, yet she knows this method.'
Bai Shi put away the items he had bought. The telescope and crafting kit were small enough to fit in his pouch, and the torch could be tied to his waist.
Bai Shi looked at the sky. The Golden Tree's light had faded a bit, but it was still very bright, probably around two or three in the afternoon.
Bai Shi first went to the center of the church and lit up the Site of Grace there.
He decided to continue his journey. It wasn't evening yet, so he had plenty of time to get to the Gatefront and see if Melina would appear.
"My name is Bai Shi. I'll be back to shop again. Goodbye."
"Oh, it was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to your next visit."
Bai Shi walked out of the Church of Elleh. Looking out, he saw a dense forest. The tree crowns intertwined, blocking the Golden Tree's light, making the forest quite dark.
The bushes on the ground were also growing wildly, and he didn't know what dangers might be lurking.
Bai Shi climbed up a broken wall of the church, took out the telescope he had just bought, and began to carefully observe the forest.
'Two faint moving lights. They must be patrolling Godrick soldiers. And a big bright spot, which looks like a bonfire.'
Not finding anything else, Bai Shi boldly walked into the forest.
Once inside, he found that it was unusually dark, but not so dark that he couldn't see the path, which was perfect for his plan.
Bai Shi stealthily approached, and soon he was next to a Godrick Soldier.
The soldier wore a bronze helmet and a bi-colored tunic. The left side was green with the pattern of the ancient Golden Tree, and the right side was yellow with the image of the Lion Guardian.
This Godrick Soldier was holding a torch in one hand, slowly patrolling the forest.
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