As expected, Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala, immediately agreed to Aoko's proposal upon hearing it. She was eager to give birth to her adorable Ranni once more.
From Aoko's perspective, it seemed like Queen Rennala thought that Ranni had become less cute after growing up and forming her own opinions. Now that there was a chance to see her daughter's adorable, childlike form again, there was no way Rennala would let it slip by. Besides, letting Ranni continue as a wandering spirit was something Rennala couldn't accept.
"I can't accept this!" Ranni, who had rushed back to the Royal Academy of Caria with two of her subordinates, angrily protested in front of Aoko. "You—you dared to do something like this and humiliate this witch!"
"Calm down, calm down!" Aoko hurriedly tried to appease Ranni, who looked like she was about to strike. "Don't worry, the new body contains absolutely no Golden Tree components—100% natural and pollution-free! Also, you can customize the appearance and body shape to a certain extent, but you'll have to discuss that with Queen Rannala. After all, the Greater Rune is still in her hands, isn't it?"
Ranni's two faces stared intently at Aoko, seemingly trying to figure out her true intention. But in the end, she gave up on holding Aoko accountable. A new, safe body was something she did need.
As a demigod, even just her soul held far too much power for a poor-quality puppet body to endure. Aoko had already seen this in the underground pit of the Cathedral of Manus Celes—the puppet body was full of cracks, and the glintstone circuits inside were severely damaged. If Ranni wanted to wait for the Elden Lord of the Lands Between to be decided, she'd likely have to switch bodies multiple times before then.
However… for someone like Ranni, who'd lived for thousands of years, being born again by her mother was simply too shameful, especially after learning she now had a newborn little sister.
While Aoko and Ranni were arguing about her new body, Queen Rennala had already happily begun work with Touko. Ever since she saw her daughter visit that damaged puppet body, her heart had been aching every moment. She had already lost two children to various tragedies, and now even her daughter had to abandon her flesh and live on as a ghost. It was simply unacceptable!
A small human embryo had already been cultivated once more by Tuoko's hands. Queen Rennala gently stroked the smooth outer wall of the incubation chamber, gazing at the brand-new body of Ranni inside. This appearance was something she had recently seen in her younger daughter, Rena.
"Next, we'll inject and fuse your and Her Majesty Rennala's genetic factors," Touko explained while adjusting her magical equipment. "We've removed all latent defects from the genes and preserved a few advantageous traits from Princess Ranni's original body. This way, it can perfectly bear the full power of a demigod."
Rennala nodded, agreeing to let Touko proceed with the fusion. From that moment on, the body of Witch Ranni was once again born in the Lands Between, deep inside the Royal Academy of Caria.
...
About two weeks later, under the adjustments of Queen Rennala's rebirth ritual, a pink-haired girl, looking about twelve or thirteen years old, was born. After much persuasion, Ranni finally gave up the worn-out puppet body she had used for so long and returned to a body of flesh and blood, once again feeling the warmth and cold of the human world.
As Ranni stood in a daze, feeling the sensation of having a body again, Queen Rennala embraced her daughter and gently stroked her tender back.
Even among demigods, Ranni had always been small in stature. Now, compared to the already tall Queen Rennala, she looked even more miniature.
However, Ranni only struggled for a moment before giving in—as if in that instant, the cunning, god-slaying witch transformed back into a daughter cherished by her mother.
Touko, as the creator, had to stay by Ranni's side for a while longer to ensure this body had no issues.
As for Aoko, she had already run off with Asimi inside her. Through recent conversations with Asimi, she had learned that to further enhance Asimi's abilities, she needed to collect a special item made by the Nokstella people in the past—something called a Sacred Tear.
The Sacred Tear was a unique device used by the Nokstella people to create silver tear beings. It contained a kind of nutrient that Asimi, as a silver tear, desperately needed.
Not long after Asimi was created, the Nokstella civilization perished, so the scattered Sacred Tears were never gathered in time to fully enhance this artificial monarch. Now that she was bound to Aoko by a soul-deep contract, the stronger Asimi became, the more help she could offer Aoko.
There was a Sacred Tear hidden in the original Nokron City. But because Aoko had rushed to collect the Godslayer's Greatsword, even Asimi had forgotten about it. So the matter was only brought up recently, and Aoko agreed.
Teleporting back to Nokron once again, Aoko, alone, followed Asimi's guidance to the location of the Sacred Tear. She picked up the ornate goblet from the altar and frowned at the silver liquid inside, never expecting she'd one day have to drink mercury.
"To your health," Aoko said, raising the goblet with a joke no one in this world would understand, then drank the entire contents without hesitation.
The liquid was odorless and tasteless, with a texture like a thick drink. After swallowing, she only felt a cool sensation at the base of her spine—it was a feeling similar to when Asimi first entered her body. But soon, she noticed a ripple of emotion from within—Ashmi was trembling.
It was a joy—without a doubt, Ashmi's feedback of power had increased.
"Lady Aoko, the Sacred Tear has enhanced my abilities… Ah, thank you for nourishing me," Asimi said joyfully. "Aside from this one, there are still three more Sacred Tears in the Lands Between for you to collect."
"Three?" Aoko asked curiously. "Are they the same as this Sacred Tear?"
"Not exactly," Asimi replied. "Two of them are ordinary Sacred Tears, the same as this one. But the last one…"
"It is Scadutree Chalice, equivalent to my biological mother. Please, find it."
Huh? Scadutree Chalice?
"It holds the secrets of the great stars… Known as the Cradle Chalice, a magnificent creation hidden in another Eternal City," Asimi said in a near-chanting tone. "It will surely allow us to become truly one."