Ranni looked at her mother, her heart aching with a pain she was powerless to resolve.
That bastard of a father had just run off with Queen Marika for no discernible reason.
While becoming Elden Lord as a king consort was certainly a tempting prospect, what did he take his own wife and children for?
Her mother, especially. Her current state was entirely a result of Radagon’s betrayal.
Now Queen Marika had vanished, and that bastard father of hers had disappeared right along with her.
He was probably hiding in so corner, whispering sweet nothings to that Queen Marika. The very thought made her grit her teeth in frustration.
—
Bai Shi watched the ever-shifting emotions on Ranni’s face, trying to guess what she was thinking.
It was likely about Rennala and Radagon.
Only the matter between those two could bring such a complex expression to her features.
As a player, Bai Shi possessed a wealth of information and an almost omniscient perspective. He believed that Radagon truly had deep feelings for Rennala and their children.
At the very least, it wasn't just about fulfilling Marika's orders.
Later on, within the Golden Order, Radagon had used his influence to secure important roles for his children.
Ranni's two older brothers both held crucial positions in the Golden Order.
Radahn was a general with command of the military, a mighty warlord who guarded a vast territory.
Rykard, anwhile, served as a justiciar for the Golden Order, wielding considerable influence within the Royal Capital.
That position was no small thing; it ca with imnse actual power.
Rykard was even involved in the Night of the Black Knives and likely provided significant aid to the assassins who infiltrated the city.
Although Ranni herself held no official title, as the Lunar Princess, she was treated with great favor under the Golden Order.
But none of that changed the fact that Rennala had lost her mind. It was a truth that Radagon could never and, no matter how he tried to make ands. Ranni would never forgive him for it.
A certain sorcerer preceptor who served beside Ranni once described her thusly:
Even should she be a sinner, her gravity is that of a goddess—but Ranni is no more than a frail, sweet girl.
Bai Shi thought Seluvis was actually quite right.
So, he began to wonder if he could do sothing to help his mother-in-law.
The reason Rennala had lost her mind was that Radagon, who had sworn an oath with her in the Church of Vows, ultimately broke that vow, abandoning her to beco Queen Marika’s consort, the second Elden Lord of the Golden Tree.
To put it simply, her husband had run off to be a kept man for a wealthy and powerful woman, leaving her in the dust.
What if he told Rennala that Marika and Radagon were the sa person?
If they were one and the sa, the issue of betrayal would beco much more complicated, wouldn't it?
But after a mont's thought, Bai Shi decided it was best to wait until after he had fashioned a new body for lina.
What if the Queen of the Full Moon’s thoughts strayed elsewhere? The problem might beco even worse.
For instance, what if Rennala concluded that Radagon’s approach from the very beginning was all part of Marika's plan...?
Tsk, tsk. He didn’t dare imagine what kind of scene that would create.
To discover that your lover was not only your enemy from the start but the enemy herself—what kind of story was that?
It would be a pri-ti family drama.
—
Ranni took a deep breath, forcing herself to stop thinking about her bastard father.
Her change in mood pulled Bai Shi back from his own thoughts.
Ranni walked to her mother's side and began to gently guide her to perform the rebirth for lina.
"Mother, there is a sweet child here who yearns to be reborn."
"Let her be born anew in your amber egg."
Rennala giggled like a child.
"Oh, is that so? A rebirth, you say..."
"Which child is it?"
"Let Mother grant you a new life."
Ranni floated into the air, hovering beside Rennala's head, and pointed toward Bai Shi.
"Look, Mother. There is a poor child without a body."
"Let her be reborn, let her be made whole again."
Rennala followed Ranni's hand with her gaze.
There should have been nothing there, but with Ranni's help, she could see a young woman with rose-gold curls standing in the empty space.
"What a lovely child."
But sothing was strange.
There was a familiar aura about her. So similar... and yet not quite...
No, she was just a child. Since she wished to be reborn, a mother should grant her request.
Rennala gave lina a gentle wave.
Seeing this, Bai Shi figured it was a success. He took out the Larval Tears he had collected earlier.
This Godwyn's Great Rune of the Unborn, a gift from Radagon to Rennala, was special. He had no idea where Radagon had dug it up from.
Other Great Runes required activation at a Divine Tower before their power could be used.
But this Great Rune of the Unborn needed a Larval Tear to be activated.
It seed the conditions for using Great Runes varied across different eras. This one had likely retained its original requirents.
Bai Shi tentatively placed a Larval Tear upon the amber egg.
The mont the tear touched the amber, it rged seamlessly into it, as if there was no barrier at all.
As the Larval Tear was absorbed, the Godwyn's Great Rune of the Unborn hidden within the amber egg began to glow faintly.
Rennala silently watched Bai Shi's actions.
Though she didn't know what this object was, she could feel that the rebirth now seed... more complete.
Surely this would be enough to bring that lovely child into the world.
Ranni, on the other hand, was staring at the Larval Tear in Bai Shi's hand, lost in thought.
Even she didn't know how to use the Great Rune within the amber egg, only that it was sohow connected to the rite of rebirth.
When Bai Shi had first sought her cooperation, his ultimate goal had been to use this rite. At the ti, Ranni had told him all of its flaws, but he had seed utterly unconcerned, as if he already knew the solution.
Bai Shi was truly a mysterious man.
Seeing that the Larval Tear worked, Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
He then took out the remaining tears and placed them on the amber egg.
He added three more in quick succession, and the Great Rune within the amber egg flared with a dazzling light.
With that, the Great Rune was fully activated.
The rite of rebirth could finally be perford in its true, complete form.
Bai Shi glanced at the two Larval Tears still in his hand and shook his head slightly.
He'd originally thought that six tears would be more than enough, but it turned out to be a close call. He had almost run out.
He had planned to save three or four tears to shape lina's body, but it seed he would have to lower his standards a bit.
Still, two tears should be sufficient. After all, two Mimic Tears had been enough to replicate his own physical attributes.
It was more than enough to sculpt a powerful body for lina.
This ti, the two tears he placed on the amber were not absorbed by the Great Rune of the Unborn.
Instead, they gathered at the center of the amber egg, slowly squirming before lting into one.
Then, the mass gradually changed shape, soon resembling a biological embryo. Bai Shi could feel a pulse from within it.
The ti had co to reshape lina's body.
Soon, lina would regain her flesh, transforming from a spectral form into a living, breathing being.
In a way, it wasn't so different from a spirit gaining physical form and manifesting in the world.
lina materialized before Bai Shi.
She had been deliberately avoiding him for so ti now, not once appearing before him of her own will.
lina looked at Bai Shi, pouting as she said:
"I've been watching you this whole ti, you know..."
"So... once I have my body, all those things you did with those other won... you have to do them all over again with ..."
"No, it has to be more than what you did with them... more... hmph."
"Otherwise, I won't forgive you so easily!"
After she finished, lina couldn't maintain her composure, and a blush crept up her cheeks.
But she held her ground, looking steadfastly at Bai Shi, waiting for an answer.
Bai Shi simply smiled at her.
"Forget doing it once. We can do it as many tis as you want."
"The mories I create with you will be deeper and more profound than any other."
lina let out a long breath, and when she looked up again, her eyes were filled with tenderness.
She spoke gently to Bai Shi:
"Bai Shi, thank you."
"Soon, very soon, I'll be able to truly touch you."
Bai Shi nodded solemnly.
Ranni watched the two of them stare at each other for a long while before blinking and asking:
"Alright, are you two finished?"
"It won't be long before you see each other again."
At Ranni's words, lina's face turned red once more.
Saying such things in front of soone else was indeed a bit embarrassing, and she shyly turned her head away.
Ranni floated over to lina's side and extended her hand.
"Alright, co now. I'll guide you into the amber egg."
"From here, you just need to rest and be reborn."
"It will be like having a dream. You won't feel a thing."
"When you wake, you'll be able to walk the Lands Between in your own true body."
Although lina already existed in a spirit form, the way she had maintained it for so long was unusual. A normal spirit could not remain so stable.
Therefore, lina needed Ranni's help to enter the amber egg.
lina nodded and took Ranni's outstretched hand.
After one last look at Bai Shi, lina allowed Ranni to lead her slowly into the amber egg.
The mont lina touched the amber, a strange sensation washed over her.
It felt as if her entire being was subrged in water, and an invisible pressure from all sides made her uncomfortable.
Ranni said to lina:
"Don't worry. Your soul is being anchored to the tear."
"This is the weight of the flesh."
"Savor this feeling. It has been a long ti since you last experienced it."
lina nodded and stepped further, sinking deep into the amber egg.
Once she was completely inside, her soul began to rge with the Larval Tears within.
A wave of fatigue washed over lina's spirit, and she felt herself about to fall asleep.
At the sa ti, a sense of peace blood in her heart.
It was the security of returning to infancy, safe within a mother's womb.
The Queen of the Full Moon... she could be a mother to her.
And with that final thought, lina's spirit slowly and completely fell silent.
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