Lloyd created a batch of Pony Girls in Caelid.
When the news spread through the mouths of the watching Redmane soldiers, all of Caelid—and even Limgrave—began to tremble.
Because of Pony Girls? No.
While Pony Girls were indeed cute, the aesthetics of the Lands Between were far too varied for that to be the cause. Forget demi-humans—there were plenty who fancied hand monsters, and even those who aspired to become male mothers. A few Pony Girls were hardly enough to make the Lands Between folk lose their minds.
What truly shocked them was the act of reincarnation itself.
Ever since the Elden Ring was shattered and the Erdtree stopped functioning, the cycle of life and death in the Lands Between had broken down.
That souls were immortal was common knowledge. Even if the body died, even if it was minced to pulp or burned into Spirit Ash, without the Erdtree's ritual, the soul remained trapped inside that rotting, even ashen body, struggling in endless pain and emptiness.
At first, the people of the Lands Between still hoped for the rise of an Elden Lord, someone who could mend the Ring and restore the world to its former order.
But as time went on, by the time Lloyd arrived here, some had already begun wandering into dragon territory—not in hopes of challenging them, but simply to be incinerated by dragonfire.
Even so, that only meant their bodies were reduced to ash. Their souls still found no release.
Now, not only could people die properly, even horses could be reincarnated...
Who wouldn't be bewildered by that?
For Caelid, this was nothing less than a shot in the arm.
After all, when Radahn shattered the Golden Order—though it was so the Scarlet Bloom could flourish—it left a question in its wake. Could the people of Caelid still return to the Erdtree after the Golden Order was broken?
Now, beyond a simple yes or no, a new answer had appeared.
That answer was to have Lloyd perform reincarnation.
Radahn understood this, which was why he insisted on working with Lloyd, no matter how much the little pony objected.
For while Radahn might mess around with pranks on small matters, when it came to the big things, he was absolutely reliable.
"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you're really doing this for everyone's sake—not just because I wouldn't let you into the dungeon, so you decided to recreate one here in Caelid just to play whenever you feel like it?"
Confronted with the little pony's accusation, Radahn stayed silent for a while before guiltily turning his head away.
But in the end, what was done was done. The little pony's grumbling no longer mattered.
So, in a rare show of responsibility, once the Pony Girls appeared, the red-haired pony leapt down from Radahn, taking the lead and organizing all matters related to them.
"Make some space, I'll take care of this..."
"You lot keep an eye on General Radahn. Don't let him run off or start flying around while I'm gone..."
The little pony went off to tend to the Pony Girls.
Left behind, Lloyd and Radahn exchanged a glance and winked.
"About your mother and your sister..."
"Keep it a secret for now."
Lloyd thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Once they've grown up, you'll need to send someone to help me clear a dungeon."
"No problem."
And so the deal was sealed.
After chatting a while longer, Lloyd had intended to explore Caelid, to see the situation here and check if he had overlooked anything before.
But before he could begin, Ranni sent him a message.
[Lunar Princess: My design blueprints are ready. When are you free?]
[Ashen One: Hold on, I'll be right over.]
Ranni had contacted Lloyd through the chat group system he had unlocked earlier.
Although it was called a "chat group," it functioned more like Lloyd's private QQ at this point.
Each time Lloyd granted someone a Golden Branch, a new contact was added to his list for private messaging.
If he wanted to create an actual group chat, he first had to spend traffic points to establish a group, then drag the avatars of his contacts into it. Only then would it count as a true group chat.
Right now, forget group chats—Lloyd's chat interface only had three people: himself, Alice, and Ranni.
Himself went without saying. As for Alice, being the designer, she had naturally been in his list from the start.
As for Ranni, she had just visited not long ago and still had reasons to keep in touch with Lloyd—whether for soul supply, crafting a new body, or simply wanting to get out and play when bored.
Ever since Lloyd had extracted her soul a few times, for a while afterward, she had gotten into the habit of asking him to take her outside after each soul supply.
Since it wasn't an excessive request, and seeing her cooped up there was genuinely pitiful, Lloyd never refused.
So, whenever he had free time, he would bring her out for a walk once her soul supply was done.
Now, after receiving Ranni's message, Lloyd didn't hesitate. He opened the map and teleported straight to Ranni's Sorcerer Tower.
As always, the petite doll sat in her chair, looking down at him from above.
Then she noticed him glance at her seat.
"What are you looking at?"
Of course, Ranni knew he was staring at the book beneath her, but that only made her more annoyed.
As for keeping up appearances?
After knowing this guy for so long, what kind of image did she even have left to maintain?
Rolling her eyes, Ranni stretched out her hand and, with a flick of sorcery, lifted a small booklet from the table and handed it to Lloyd.
"This is the blueprint for my body."
Lloyd caught it and took a look.
It was a body much like her current form.
She hadn't chosen her old red-haired, hulking appearance, because Ranni loathed that red-haired monster so much that she had grown to despise her former self as well.
So, when designing a new body, she had based it on her current appearance, with a few improvements of her own.
Things like stronger physical durability, greater compatibility with Dark Moon magic, and two different forms: one her current small size for everyday use, and another for formal occasions—a towering form taller than the Queen of the Full Moon's hat.
"This request... might be a bit difficult."
After reading the blueprint, Lloyd looked troubled.
It wasn't the dual forms that bothered him—Ranni had already designed a method to switch between them. Tossing the blueprint into the Fragment would be enough.
The issue was that large form.
"There just isn't enough material."
Saying this, Lloyd pulled out the charred remains of Ranni's old body and set them in front of her.
"This is all that's left of your corpse. And you want durability and Dark Moon compatibility on top of that. Even if I dig through my entire stock, it'll be nearly impossible to make the larger body..."
Seeing her own remains placed there so casually made Ranni's eye twitch.
And hearing his evaluation made her feelings even more complicated.
But after a moment, she shook her head, brushed those emotions aside, and focused back on the problem.
"What if we used Magical Power to make up the difference? The smaller form would be the default, and when I want to grow larger, the missing parts could be filled with magic."
Lloyd considered this, then nodded.
"That could work. But I'll need to adjust your blueprint slightly."
"Fine."
Since she was asking for his help, Ranni wasn't about to nitpick. She nodded and watched as Lloyd marked adjustments on the design.
Once finished, Lloyd gave a small nod, then pulled out the Crucible Fragment.
He grabbed the charred remains of Ranni's old body and threw them into the golden flames, where they were instantly refined.
Across from him, watching her former body burn away, Ranni felt an odd sensation—even knowing Lloyd was making her a new body, it still felt strange.
She couldn't quite put it into words, only that it was deeply unsettling.
After a time of roaring fire, as the glow of the Crucible Fragment began to fade, a brand-new body appeared before them—clothed and complete.
Perhaps it was because the Crucible Fragment had evolved with the times, or perhaps because, deep down, no one wanted to see something too unsightly.
So, when forging new bodies, unless specifically requested otherwise, the Crucible Fragment would usually use the leftover essence from creating life to clothe the newborn vessel.
That had been the case with the Pony Girls, and it was the same now with Ranni, as well as with Lloyd's earlier creations.
When the new body appeared, the petite doll hopped down from her chair and stepped up to it, studying it carefully. It was a beautiful vessel.
Delicate features, a well-proportioned figure, soft yet resilient blue skin—and its affinity with Dark Moon sorcery was extraordinary. It stood in sharp contrast to her current, worn-out doll body.
Then...
"Tell me. How do you want to die?"
Lloyd drew Bloodhound's Fang, scanning her body for a point where he could end her in one strike.
She knew he only intended to kill her so he could draw out her soul and transfer it into the new vessel.
But hearing those words still made Ranni's eye twitch. She shook her head.
"Before that, there's one thing I need to take care of."
As flawless as the new body looked, that only made her more unwilling to let it be damaged.
So before she switched bodies, she intended to confront her long-standing target.
Her Two Fingers.
"You'll help me, won't you?"
"Of course."
Lloyd nodded.
"Do we leave now?"
"Yes."
Ranni nodded, asking Lloyd to store the body in his inventory first. Then she led him onward, toward another sorcerer's tower.
At the top of the tower, they found a portal.
"It's there."
Drawing the Moonlight Sword Lloyd had given her, along with another staff, Ranni turned to him.
"Are you ready?"
"I'm ready, but..."
Lloyd glanced around, puzzled.
"You're not calling Blaidd? He's a fighter too..."
Blaidd would definitely be a strong asset in battle, but Lloyd also didn't want to miss any story beats.
Blaidd...
At the mention of his name, Ranni's gaze dimmed before she shook her head.
"He... won't come."
Shadows were beasts bound to Empyreans by the Two Fingers. Blaidd, however, was one of the special cases.
There were two ways a shadow could be created.
One was when someone willingly pledged allegiance to an Empyrean and underwent alteration by the Two Fingers, becoming their Shadow-bound Beast.
The other was when the Two Fingers created one from the start, designed for a purpose—to serve, or more precisely, to monitor the Empyrean.
Blaidd was the latter.
Made by the Two Fingers, he had been placed at her side with an agenda from the very beginning.
Even if, over time, he had developed real feelings for her, even to the point of betraying the Two Fingers, his very existence still belonged to them. The Two Fingers had left a backdoor in him, and once it was triggered, he would be forced to turn his blade against her.
And once the Two Fingers were gone, the best fate awaiting Blaidd would be to lose himself to madness, becoming a feral beast.
From the moment she broke with the Two Fingers, she had already abandoned Blaidd.
She never hid this fact from him—she had told him so many times. Yet Blaidd still chose to stand by her, willing to die for her ideals.
And that was exactly why she couldn't face him.
She always said she would abandon everything, betray everything.
But if she were truly as heartless as she claimed, she wouldn't need to keep putting on that act, repeating to everyone that her heart had already hardened.
Seeing Ranni didn't want to talk about Blaidd anymore, Lloyd didn't press. Once he confirmed she was fine, he reached out and touched the portal.
In the next instant, he was transported to a new map.
The Ainsel River Main.
Beside him, the blue-skinned witch floated, gazing into the distance.
"Oh, I can sense it. Its messenger is just ahead..."
"So we just move forward?"
"Yes."
Ranni nodded.
"Is there a problem?"
"Not exactly..."
Lloyd shook his head, then added,
"But remember what I told you before? Once we get there, I've got a buddy who might be able to help. If you don't mind, I'd like to go call him over..."
A buddy?
Ranni froze.
She had thought Lloyd had just been spouting nonsense back then—about servers, base stations, or some other abstraction.
But now...
"Fine, go ahead."
Even without the Fingerslayer Blade, she couldn't destroy the Two Fingers itself, but neither could it destroy her in the short term.
Before setting out, she had Lloyd restore her completely, and now she carried the legendary Moonlight Greatsword.
Even if the Two Fingers arrived with its messenger and she chose not to flee, the outcome would still be uncertain.
With that thought, she nodded.
Then Lloyd vanished.
The instant his figure disappeared, the surrounding light dimmed.
"Oh? Couldn't hold back the moment he left?"
As soon as Lloyd was gone, a gaze fell upon her.
It was one Ranni knew all too well.
Shadows rippled, and two forms emerged.
Burly wolf-women, each wielding a greatsword.
Blaidd.
Or rather, Blaidd's sisters—creations of the Two Fingers, the same kind but from different batches.
In the next instant, black-red flames blazed along their blades.
The flame of Destined Death—the very one that slew Godwyn.
Then—
Whoosh—
Their blades swept down.
The greatswords, wreathed in the flames of Destined Death, slashed across where Ranni stood.
The ground split as the weapons struck, and the flames erupted, swallowing everything nearby.
But the strike hit nothing.
When the greatswords cut through 'Ranni,' the two shadows realized too late that what lingered was only an afterimage.
Her true form had already shifted elsewhere, light blazing at the tip of her staff.
Boom—
Glintstone radiance burst forth.
A beam of Dark Moon light shot like a laser, slamming into the two shadows. Even though they raised their greatswords in time to block,
the next second they were blasted away, gravely wounded.
Yet Ranni's expression did not ease.
She knew the Two Fingers would never stop at just this.
Sure enough, as those two fell back, another shadow rose behind her. Darkness writhed as it swung a greatsword down at her.
Clang—
The Moonlight Greatsword caught the blow.
Her staff flared again, shaping a blade of dark-moon sorcery. She countered with a fierce swing.
Boom—
Magic and icy air exploded. The shadow was hurled back, its form torn apart by the blast.
At the same time, more shadows appeared, their blades leveled at her.
As Ranni steadied herself—Moonlight Greatsword in one hand, three staves floating at her side, ready to unleash destruction—
something else emerged.
A Two Fingers.
The main body itself?
The moment she saw it, Ranni didn't hesitate. She aimed all three staves at it, power gathering.
Then—
Bang!
The three magic beams were blocked.
"Hey, hey—wrong target! That's my buddy."
Ranni froze as Lloyd suddenly appeared in front of the Two Fingers.
In that instant of distraction, a shadow behind her seized the chance, leaping high to cleave her in two.
But just as she moved to dodge, something rose from the ground.
Three Fingers, glowing faintly with lingering flame, burst upward and caught the shadow mid-leap.
At first, it seemed ready to burn the creature to ash right there.
But when it sensed the message from the Two Fingers, it relented—
and instead flicked the shadow aside, slamming it into another that had been about to strike.
In the middle of the battlefield, Lloyd's Two Fingers pressed together and raised itself high.
The same posture as before, when it had been stuck.
Golden light shone—
Boom—
A wave of golden radiance erupted, sweeping across every shadow.
The next second, they all collapsed where they stood. No wounds marked their bodies, yet they lay motionless.
The battle was over.
Ranni glanced from the fallen shadows to the nearby Two Fingers, then to the Three Fingers swaying beside it. For a long moment, she said nothing.
Was she still dreaming? But no—the truth was plain before her.
The Two Fingers looked over the shadows, rubbed its tips together in confusion, then gestured for Lloyd to drag over an unconscious one. After a quick check...
Ranni saw, for the first time, what a finger looked like when it jumped.
Under her gaze, the Two Fingers sprang upright. Standing tall, it signed furiously with movements even she could understand.
"It's cursing... mostly just nonsense swearing," Lloyd explained, translating.
"But cut out the filler, and the gist is: 'You absolute idiot, you couldn't even copy homework right...'"
"That girl never passed Creation Studies back when she was with her mother. To fulfill her mission, she begged it for tutoring... half a day straight."
"But her foundation was so awful that nothing stuck. In the end, it just tossed her its own homework and told her to copy it word for word..."
"And now? Turns out she even messed that up. This thing isn't a Shadow Beast at all."
"A Shadow Beast is supposed to be a beast! What's this? Some half-baked beast-eared girl? Didn't even finish the modules, did you?"
"And the structure isn't the one it gave her, nor does it look like her own invention. So what on earth did she copy...?"
Listening to Lloyd's translation, Ranni fell into silence.
For a long time.
"The buddy you mentioned... that's the Two Fingers?"
"Yep."
Lloyd soothed the agitated Two Fingers, then patted the Three Fingers beside it.
"And this one's my newest friend. Alright, alright, come here—hug time."
Watching Lloyd embrace the Three Fingers, Ranni sank back into silence.
Again, a long pause.
Then a weary sigh.
"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked.
"Nothing."
Ranni's gaze lingered on him, her tone unreadable.
"I was just thinking... maybe giving up on thinking altogether, becoming a fool who doesn't think about anything... might feel easier."
"...Are you calling me an idiot?"
"I was, before."
Ranni looked at him, then at the five fingers pressed together beside him, and let out a deep sigh.
"But now... I actually mean it."
...
[Up to 20 chapters ahead for now]
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