Ch. 81 - Witness My Glory

When dawn spread white cloth across the stone platform, draping it over a flawless body.

Tang Qi finally understood where that so-called 'monument aura' on him actually came from—

The Journal.

This was the only unique artifact on him.

And it bore the same responsibility as the Forgotten Monument.

To record everything the poets experienced.

From this perspective, it was hard to say they had no connection...

And amid these doubts, Tang Qi was first startled:

"Wait, if they really are connected, hasn't everything I wrote in my journal already been made public?"

After hesitating, he felt the impact probably wouldn't be too severe.

"Fortunately, I originally planned to publish it anyway, so I recorded the story in the style of an 'autobiographical novel' rather than a true diary. There shouldn't be anything too embarrassing.

The only thing worth being vigilant about is that I wrote my name in the journal...

If the monument displays the content exactly as written, perhaps my colleagues back in the Terran Empire already know about my exploits on the other side of the continent?

Ha, the instructor probably went mad already—

I did mock his baldness and completely defied the academy's principles..."

Besides the necessary concerns, Tang Qi also felt somewhat pleasantly surprised.

While exposing his identity would certainly bring him certain troubles.

He had originally planned to make his name resound across the entire continent, exchanging greater fame for more rewards—exposure was inevitable sooner or later.

If his story was truly spectacular enough to make even his colleagues at the Poet's Academy sit up and take notice, thereby spreading his name and story...

He might not need to worry about a lack of fame.

However, everything about the Journal currently remained mere speculation:

"To verify further, I'd probably have to make a trip back to the Terran Empire.

Forget it, I'll wait until my fists are harder. Going back now would only get me dragged away and dissected.

Increase my strength, or find some powerful backers to cling to...

In any case, I need to have more confidence when I go 'home'."

"Tang Qi—"

While lost in thought, Catherine's call suddenly reached his ears.

"Can we hurry back to camp? Let Father Lynn stabilize Anbi's injuries..."

She hadn't meant to interrupt Tang Qi, but Anbi had been solidly hit by the necromancer's Chill Touch, and now lay unconscious.

In her coma, the cold air had nearly invaded her entire frail body, making her face deathly pale.

Dais possessed the ability to cast fourth-circle spells, which made even cantrips exceptionally powerful in his hands.

If not for her beastified skin blocking part of the damage.

An ordinary person would probably already be dead.

Even so, Anbi's condition was far from optimistic.

Tang Qi was even somewhat worried whether she could hold on until they returned to camp.

So he dared not delay and nodded to set out.

But Dawn suddenly spoke, this time not just a thought directed at Tang Qi alone, but also reaching Catherine's ears:

"I can expend energy to ease the sufferer's pain."

Having certain means to heal injuries was also the foundation upon which paladins stood at the peak of professions.

So while explaining, she walked toward Catherine and the little girl in her arms.

Anbi was curled up from the cold, like a cowering little wolf.

And because of Dawn's 'headless' appearance, Catherine instinctively held her tighter, using her body to shield the girl.

Tang Qi quickly reassured her:

"Don't worry. Her healing should be more effective than Father Lynn's."

Her trust in Tang Qi dispelled Catherine's doubts.

Dawn then gently pressed her deathly pale yet delicate palm onto Anbi's wounded waist and abdomen.

A chant as ethereal as a hymn suddenly rang out:

"Holy Healing."

Tang Qi clearly saw several bright golden fine lines, like the veins of leaves or her blood vessels, spreading outward from her wrist until they seeped from her palm, flickering with a gentle radiance.

"Hiss—"

A restrained groan mixed with echoes rang out.

Under the illumination, the frost covering Anbi's waist and abdomen gradually receded, and her originally pale, bluish complexion also became increasingly rosy.

Realizing the little girl was improving, Catherine finally let out a long breath:

"Thank you, kind... headless lady."

But immediately after, she pointed at Dawn's palm in horror.

"Wait—that... Your, your palm broke off!"

Tang Qi then saw this abnormality—

While Dawn was healing the injury, that sacred radiance had actually spread to her already 'dead' palm.

Along with it, her skin was burned, exposing charred brown flesh.

Her left hand, like an outer garment with broken threads, fell to the ground with a "plop."

Seeing this, Stonecrusher couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and mutter:

"That's what they mean by 'live long, see much'?

Even running into a 'zombie paladin'—I've got another story to brag about now."

Tang Qi pinched his brow, suddenly realizing that the pained groan had actually come from Dawn being burned by the holy light:

"I almost forgot you're an undead creature."

"It's alright. She was injured because of my inexcusable responsibility.

If I can save her life with just one palm, then it's worth it."

"Damn it, don't display paladin Bearing at a time like this, will you? Now I feel bad about criticizing you."

"You're more than welcome to do so—

I never deny my faults, only attempt to repay them with noble deeds in the future.

Your reproach and the pain of being scorched by radiance will both be motivation urging me to atone for my sins."

She picked up the left hand that had fallen to the ground and placed it over her heart. Though she sounded utterly sincere, it still looked bizarre no matter how you looked at it.

Dais was a necromancer.

What he could create were naturally also zombie shells—

Flesh Golems.

These were originally a type of construct creature created by infusing magic power into various stitched-together bodies.

Because ordinary golems required a 'brain' to function, most housed elemental spirits with intelligence equivalent to young children.

But clearly, Dawn was a 'normal person' who had truly obtained a body through a 'soul' array.

She didn't reside in the brain but used her tempered soul to drive the body.

This allowed her to perceive everything around her without needing eyes, ears, or a nose and mouth.

To adapt to her soul, Dais would inevitably have to make certain modifications to this golem.

And because he needed to maintain the flesh's vitality, he ultimately shaped it into a necromantic body similar to a zombie.

So strictly speaking, the current Dawn, a Paladin pursuing glory...

Was actually an undead creature.

So much so that when reciting sacred blessings, she would inevitably burn her own skin.

And her two consecutive Divine Smites earlier had already left these stitched palms hanging by a thread.

After being illuminated by holy light, they had completely broken off onto the ground.

Tang Qi was curious about the severed hand:

"Can it be reattached?"

Dawn thought for a long while before replying through her thoughts:

"There should be Restoration Gel nearby—that mage used this substance to stitch together bodies."

Only when she said this did Tang Qi remember that he'd been so busy being vigilant about this paladin that he hadn't had time to loot the tomb.

He hurriedly searched around with Stonecrusher, finally only finding a large chest in a workshop-like room.

He angrily questioned Dawn, who was holding her own hand and staring blankly:

"Didn't you say the tomb stored many burial goods? How is this all that's left—though it's not exactly little, I thought there'd be a mountain of gold!"

"There was indeed a mountain of gold once. Perhaps he spent it over these five years."

Tang Qi ground his teeth enviously.

He finally understood why that damned necromancer could casually throw around 5,000 gold coins:

"How could you be so wasteful? You just gave it to him whenever he spent it? Don't you know how to save?"

Dawn hadn't expected Tang Qi to 'reproach' her like this.

Faced with something she wasn't good at, like 'frugality', she seemed somewhat flustered.

Her mental voice answered haltingly:

"Be-before finding a new body, I had no way to attend to every matter—

In fact, I often fell into deep slumber to ensure my remaining consciousness and memories wouldn't fade."

"Remaining? You have amnesia?"

Tang Qi blinked, somewhat disappointed.

"So the story about the Golden Kingdom was something you made up?"

"The Golden Kingdom truly exists."

At this point, Dawn had no reason to hide anything and answered truthfully.

"It's just that I didn't die because of the Golden Kingdom..."

She hesitated as she recounted, but suddenly sensed a hint of 'excitement.'

When she followed that almost 'greedy' gaze with her soul toward Tang Qi, she noticed this wandering poet seemed to have unconsciously licked his lips.

As if sizing up some delicious prey.

She instinctively gripped the broken sword in her hand, feeling inexplicably panicked:

"Wh-what are you trying to do?"

"Nothing, I just smell the scent of a 'story'."

Now that Anbi's injuries had improved, there was no need to rush back to camp.

Tang Qi wanted to hear more stories to record in his Journal for future publication to build his reputation:

"So you once slew a 'False God' and truly obtained the title Sword of Dawn. After that, what caused your death?"

"Too much time has passed, and my memories have become blurred. I only vaguely remember that my remains were buried in the northern dangers."

"Ha! In dwarf fairy tales, no one named Sword of Dawn ever appeared! We grew up laughing at giant stories."

As Ironforge was the center of the northern territories, Stonecrusher had full authority to speak about northern affairs.

Tang Qi frowned deeply:

"Why weren't your remains buried together in the tomb?"

"I don't know."

"You remember the Golden Kingdom but not how you died?"

"I remember every single one of my glories—

From the small one of using an axe to chop off a bandit's head at fifteen.

To the great one of shattering the False God of the Golden Kingdom with my holy sword at twenty-seven...

If you wish to hear it, I can recount three days and nights of achievements to you.

Every honor has become a brand on my soul, making me stronger.

If I haven't remembered the cause of my death, there's only one reason—

I failed."

Tang Qi sighed, grateful she didn't actually plan to ramble for three days and nights:

"So you're unwilling to recall your defeat."

"I only remember doing something right, which allowed me to enjoy the courtesy of offerings.

And let me feel at peace accepting people's praise during the long years as a soul."

Dawn's mental voice gradually became dejected.

"But as time passed and the crowds faded, when this temple gradually became deserted.

My soul began to languish and lose itself, even beginning to doubt the reason I was forgotten—

This made me no longer willing to face that failed outcome, acquiescing to it, and even allowing my memories to forget along with it.

But in my slumber, I inevitably became curious about that failure.

I gradually longed to seek the truth, and even more longed to make up for that failed ending."

"But have you considered that the reason you were forgotten might simply be because it was too long ago? History books couldn't record your achievements, and people gradually couldn't find this temple."

"That's exactly why I wanted to meet you.

I hope you can record me on that monument, letting the name Sword of Dawn flow through the river of history."

"I will."

Seeing this, Tang Qi's expression also became serious, solemnly promising,

"I'll record the 'glorious' deeds of a hero who died who knows how many years ago, who to regain the glory in her heart, resolutely lured and killed adventurers, and was finally resurrected."

"Of course... wait, what?"

Dawn froze, nearly dropping the burial shroud draped over her.

Tang Qi shrugged. Thinking of the journal's characteristics, he stated honestly:

"I may—note, I said may—possess the ability to inscribe on the Forgotten Monument.

But you know, that's a graveyard of history, so what I can record can only be things that truly happened."

The journal's characteristics meant that even if Dawn deceived Tang Qi, the truth or falsehood of the story could still be proven afterward.

"I can recount three days and nights of achievements to you. Both rescuing children from devils and challenges of hunting deep-sea aberrations... and guarantee that each event truly occurred. As a wandering poet, these can all become your inspiration."

"Useless, don't care, too lazy to listen."

The Journal could only record his 'experiences.'

Simply listening to stories wouldn't earn rewards.

"..."

The headless body's chest heaved dramatically, and the black smoke from her neck also wavered unsteadily, as if about to erupt.

"Then what if I let you personally witness my glory?"

Tang Qi pretended to be confused while understanding perfectly, shaking his head:

"You mean follow me around? Please, I won't let an unstable factor join the team. For glory, isn't there nothing you wouldn't do?

Honestly, if not for the series of fierce battles that exhausted our warriors, I'd even consider whether to rid the people of this menace while you're missing a hand—

Though you saved Anbi, you were the cause of everything.

But after thinking about it, I don't think it's reached a life-or-death situation, so there's no need to waste that effort."

Hearing this, Stonecrusher also waved his hands repeatedly, sitting on the ground to recover his strength:

"Without letting me eat, I can't use my combat techniques again."

Unable to gauge this headless paladin's level, the dwarf wasn't sure if he could withstand another Divine Smite.

Dawn understood:

"So I need to earn your trust."

"Mm-hmm?"

In Tang Qi's deliberately ambiguous response, he saw a pure white radiance flicker at Dawn's chest.

Flickering on and off, a platinum ring wreathed in golden flames emerged from the glow.

Stonecrusher rubbed his eyes and exclaimed:

"Hey, I think I've seen this thing before... looks a bit like what those priests take out when praying to the gods."

"What's it for?" Tang Qi turned and asked.

"Don't expect me to fit anything but fine wine in my head, okay?"

"So you can't remember the dwarf jokes I sing either?"

"Go to hell! Anyway, Falto said it's 'faith.' That guy came from the Holy City, he wouldn't be wrong."

Dawn explained to him:

"This ring bears my divine soul fire. It's the source of my power and the key to why I can still remain in this world—crush it, and my soul will return to eternal nothingness."

Her voice was no longer transmitted as a mental message. Though slightly echoing, it let everyone present hear her gentle yet resolute tone clearly.

Tang Qi was stunned:

"You mean... you're giving it to me?"

"Actions speak louder than words."

Dawn walked closer.

Until finally, she knelt on one knee before Tang Qi.

Letting the 'cloak' draped over her body fall in the firelight, in the tomb.

She set down her left hand, instead cupping the poet's fingers.

Tang Qi couldn't see her appearance but suddenly felt as if she were a knight pledging loyalty.

This made his very soul seem to resonate with hers.

Dawn 'kissed' his fingers:

"Recorder of history.

I am willing to offer you my loyalty, life, soul...

And my everything.

I grant you the right to regulate my behavior, the power to destroy me.

I will regard protecting your safety as the most sacred faith.

As your sharpest sword, shattering barriers on the path ahead.

I only beseech you to witness me atoning for my sins, reclaiming that glory and radiance."

Someone who pursues distinction never cares who they serve or obey.

She only cares whether this can let her leave glory in the world.

And no longer be obscured or forgotten by history.

Tang Qi instinctively withdrew his finger, not letting that ring slip onto it:

"What if I have no connection to the monument at all and am not a recorder of history?"

"Then you will ultimately still become a legendary poet, singing this magnificent epic, and I would be happy to see it."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I can see at a glance that restless heart of yours—

You possess flames similar to mine, both seeking a future worthy of this life.

Moreover, your skill is already quite exquisite."

Dawn answered sincerely.

After a long pause, her voice suddenly became somewhat bashful:

"The song praising me... was also very pleasant to hear."

Her praise made even Tang Qi feel uncomfortable.

Moderate compliments truly could make one's heart leap with joy.

But he still shook his head, feigning refusal while trying to gain more:

"Your power even corrodes your body. When you can barely protect yourself, how can you guarantee my safety?"

"I know Resurrection."

"You're in."

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