Chapter 1654: 987: Fireproof Woman (Part 2)

"Boss, where are you meow...""We miss you so much, Boss..."

Looking at the night sky, watching the day about to end, Maru was about to become a little crybaby.

Meanwhile.

"Me? Fire transmission?"

Leon stared blankly at the Fireproof Woman reaching out to him, his mind not quite registering what was happening.

The woman before him was very beautiful, and for some unknown reason, she exuded a distinctly captivating aura.

He swore he wasn’t attracted in a lustful way—he had never been lustful in his life; the attraction was an indescribable feeling.

"Didn’t I transmit fire once before?" he said instinctively, "Do I have to transmit again?"

What, could it be that I’ve become an Ember King and have to be pulled up and burnt again?

"Lord Ashes, it is precisely because you have accomplished the feat of fire transmission before that the Awakening Bell has called upon you."

The Fireproof Woman stepped aside to reveal a stone stele behind her. Leon looked over and saw it inscribed:

"In commemoration of the hero of fire transmission"

"Leon Basque"

His name was at the very top!

Below it were countless other names inscribed in a language he couldn’t understand, and without magical words to translate, he simply couldn’t comprehend them.

"Sain even made a stone stele to commemorate me?"

Leon scratched his head and instinctively chuckled, "I should take a picture and show everyone."

He reached back to grab his Image Stone but found it empty, realizing with regret that he hadn’t brought it; his gaze returned to the woman before him, and after thinking for a moment, he asked:

"Who are you? What’s the situation now? Why do I have to transmit fire again?"

Leon had now woken up completely; a clear mind was useful, and just by seeing the string of names on the stone stele and the Ember Kings on the Fire Transmission Throne, he inferred many things.

At this moment, he found himself in a storyline of a different timeline!

Moreover, it’s the era of the Ember Kings that scholars summarized, the era when Fran Undead Team and other Ember Kings were awakened.

The names on the stone stele prove that fire transmission has occurred time and again, and the undead team on the Fire Transmission Throne alongside Elderly’s skull...

Could it be because he had successfully defeated these two Ember Kings before, that their skulls appeared?

And this blonde woman before him, he definitely remembered meeting her at some other time and place.

It was in the Painting World of the escapee Hawkwood!

The image of that painting world featured this blonde lady, and the church-like building he now found himself in had also appeared there. This place was—

"This place is the Fire Transmission Ceremony, I am the Fireproof Woman guarding this bonfire, also here to serve you."

Indeed, it was the Fire Transmission Ceremony and Fireproof Woman!

To serve, that term is a bit odd, isn’t it? Leon couldn’t help but rub his nose, hiding his expression; he was quite innocent.

However, why has this once picturesque Fire Transmission Ceremony become so eerie, pitch-black, and lacking security?

"Lord of the Ashes, if you wish to seek out the Ember Kings who abandoned their thrones, please feel free to command me, I will be your aid."

"At this moment, you have already been consumed by the Initial Fire and cannot again become the Ash of a Chipped Ember... It should not disturb the dead’s rest, but now that the Ember Kings have relinquished their throne, it’s necessary to awaken the ashes to embark on a journey to reclaim the kingship."

"I will be your aid; if you wish to convert ownerless souls into aid, please touch my inner self."

After hearing these words, Leon roughly understood the current story or, rather, the events at this point in history.

But now the upgrade has turned from bonfire to having the Fireproof Woman help with upgrading; should this be considered advancement or regression?

"Lord of the Ashes, Ashes... So that’s where the name comes from."

Leon recalled the ashes he had seen in an image, and now he finally understood where that name originated.

So when he first transmitted fire, he was recreating the deeds of the Undead Man, and now he’s walking the path of the Ashen One?

"Interesting."

The more he thought, the more things came to mind. The most crucial point being—

"Now the Initial Fire must be quite weak."

Weak enough that Elderly sought ways to navigate the dark and lightless Deep Sea Era, appearing hopelessly weak.

This era is far from when Gwyn was burning in the furnace, much more lifeless and... hopeless.

"But this fire, I will transmit."

He looked at the Fireproof Woman, and she responded with a heart-stirring smile.

No matter the state of the Primordial Flame, his personality would adamantly choose fire transmission!

Leon stood up and looked around, not seeing any Teleportation Gate to leave.

He’s not in a hurry to go; if Maru and the others were here, he believed they would surely understand him.

An adventurer’s desire for exploration upon encountering something new is insatiable! He wanted to thoroughly explore this place!

Moreover, he couldn’t return now.

Leon chatted with the Fireproof Woman for a bit more, she introduced the characteristics of each Ember King, things he was familiar with. After that, he climbed up to the Fire Transmission Throne and ran to Rudes.

"It’s you, come to find me to forge a new soul again." Rudes gave him a familiar look.

Leon raised an eyebrow; the response was identical to every time he had seen Rudes, meaning he was the Rudes he knew.

Even though it was his first time here, and the Fireproof Woman knew him for the first time, Rudes behaved like an old friend, with two Ember Kings on the Fire Transmission Throne.

He could only sigh how chaotic and disordered the spacetime relationship in Lordran was.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, how did your leg get broken?" Leon took the chance to ask.

Rudes pointed at the Fireproof Woman with an expressionless face, "That woman is even more formidable than she appears."

"Ah?"

Seeing Rudes pointing at the Fireproof Woman, Leon’s expression turned inexpressibly marvelous.

This seemingly harmless lady was... quite fierce.

He also encountered familiar Blacksmith Andre and an elderly old woman in the Fire Transmission Ceremony; the former provided him a way to forge weapons, while the latter sold various miscellaneous items.

Leon watched Andre for a long time, but eventually didn’t ask the question he always wanted to—feeling likely there was no answer.

How long has this blacksmith lived, how has he managed to appear even in Lake Lienia...

He spent some time thoroughly exploring the Fire Transmission Ceremony—a surprisingly spacious yet eerily empty place with various nooks and crannies devoid of contents.

Besides the silence, only Blacksmith Andre’s hammering could disperse the lingering quiet here.

Oh, there was another guest—the escapee Hawkwood.

Leon communicated with him briefly and didn’t want to continue; this guy was the same despondent as always, his words not much different from the Painting World, making one feel disheartened.

It’s hard to imagine how this guy eventually made it to the Ancient Dragon Peak, could he have had a final burst of determination?

When Leon had thoroughly explored the Fire Transmission Ceremony, he found the Fireproof Woman and asked, "Where should I go next?"

"Please touch that bonfire, Lord Ashes."

The Fireproof Woman guided him to look at the bonfire, and said:

"The flame will guide your path, it will take you to where the kings gather, there lies the origin of everything."

"Where is that?" Leon couldn’t help asking.

"Losric."

The Fireproof Woman said:

"The homeland of kings, and... the place of converging wanderers."