A few days later. Raya Lucaria Academy, the Grand Library.
Since Rennala had recovered her memories and awakened in the Dream Corridor, she had returned to the place she knew best. Each day, she acted as her daughter's assistant, helping her with the numerous affairs concerning the region of Liurnia.
But today, she was occupied with another important matter—the lengthy rebirth ceremony of a demigod, this time for her other child.
To this end, Rennala had asked her eldest son, Radahn, to remove his armor, set aside his swords and bow, and enter the amber egg unclothed, while the Unalloyed Gold Needle suppressed the Scarlet Rot within him.
Radahn obeyed.
Gradually, the amber egg absorbed the massive Radahn, like a python swallowing an antelope. The egg swelled considerably, and Radahn floated within it.
Radahn slowly sank into a deep slumber, his eyes closing.
Rennala stood by the amber egg, as if performing a most complex operation. Using her magic, she cleansed, extracted, and transformed Radahn's flesh and blood, expelling the tainted Scarlet Rot.
No one knew how long this rebirth ritual would last. It could not be interrupted, so Ranni personally came to the Grand Library to erect a magical barrier for her brother and mother.
Now, only a select few, such as Niđhöggr, could enter and exit through the barrier of the Grand Library.
For Niđhöggr, it was only natural; he cared about Ranni and the outcome of the ritual.
Niall and Jerren also came and went, helping Rennala remove the Scarlet Rot that was gradually being exuded from the amber egg, sealing it away within the academy for research.
The restoration of Caelid and Redmane Castle was important, but ultimately, without their king, it was especially crucial at this critical moment.
Not to mention that when Caelid returned to the Junction, it unexpectedly also brought back most of the structures from the royal capital of the Empire of Yoda. This area was quite large and could already accommodate many people, so the reconstruction of Redmane Castle was not so urgent.
Morgam, Blaidd, and Iji guarded the doors of the Grand Library, forming the first line of defense should anything happen.
"It seems this will take a long time."
As Ranni and Niđhöggr left the Grand Library and descended the long steps, she spoke.
"I need to ensure the stability of both this ceremony and all of Liurnia simultaneously. I'm afraid I won't be able to attend the daily Roundtable meetings."
Niđhöggr replied, "That's fine. Melina is there, and otherwise, I'll come here to exchange information with you in a timely manner. You can say whatever you need."
Ranni nodded and said:
"Regardless, I must thank you for this journey. You managed to suppress the Scarlet Rot in Radahn's body, and also dealt with unexpected circumstances like the Ancestral Spirit and the Fallingstar Beast. Otherwise, my mother's thoughts would have always remained a castle in the air."
Niđhöggr smiled calmly and accepted the thanks. In truth, in their relationship, there was no need for such formality.
Ranni paused, then continued, "As for the 'Heretic Witch' Sellen, I have pardoned her transgressions. She may freely come and go from the academy in the future, but she must not violate the taboo again."
The "taboo" in question meant she could no longer experiment on other sorcerers at any cost to achieve her academic goals. As for the study of primeval sorcery, she had slightly relaxed the restrictions for Sellen.
Niđhöggr knew that in the previous timeline, Sellen's excessive study of primeval sorcery had led to her transforming into a sorcerer's ball, harming both others and herself.
However, this clearly had not led to a second meteor catastrophe, and the greatest threat to all of Junction through the study of primeval sorcery did not actually exist.
Ranni required her to confine herself to ordinary and advanced academic research, not to harm the lives of innocent people, let alone conduct human experiments. Then she would be free.
Sellen was not very pleased with this, but ultimately, this was Niđhöggr and Ranni's territory, so she agreed. After that, she dared not cross the red line at all.
However, she still intended to continue her search for the two primeval sorcerers.
Having read more books on Primeval Sorcery in the Grand Library, Sellen prepared to go to Caelid alone to try and find Lusat, one of the primeval sorcerers.
Additionally, Ranni also mentioned the "Great Sorcerer" Daiba.
As a prisoner, Daiba had been brought to the Academy of Magic, where he underwent labor reform, mainly performing manual tasks such as cleaning and carrying glintstone for the sorcerers.
From time to time, a sorcerer from the academy would place a seal within him to prevent him from regaining his spellcasting power.
Apart from physical labor, Daiba occasionally discussed the similarities and differences between the two systems of sorcery and incantations with the sorcerers from the academy, which was one of his daily ways to relieve boredom.
However, the academy sorcerers were generally more exclusive. Even towards the spirit-tuning sorcerers from the Fairies' Island, they obeyed Ranni's decree, pinched their noses and tolerated it, let alone incantations.
Among them, only Thops was extremely diligent. Although his aptitude destined that he was not meant to study sorcery, it did not diminish his curiosity for learning techniques.
Thus, Thops recorded a booklet on Daiba's techniques and also exchanged magical information with him, which could be considered a friendly academic exchange between a sorcerer and an incantation user.
Ranni knew about this but had no intention of stopping it.
Niđhöggr shared the same idea: since Raya Lucaria Academy was now open to the public, it couldn't just be a formality.
Ranni wanted to continue attending to state affairs, so Niđhöggr bid farewell and left. Through the guidance of grace, he teleported directly to Castle Stormveil.
This was a different kind of inspection.
The child of Kenneth Haight and Kaethin, Frode, could now walk. Boc often teased him, and he would laugh, fingers in his mouth, his big, dark eyes sparkling.
Niđhöggr arrived here and unexpectedly encountered Melina, who happened to be here.
Melina was now at the heart of the Roundtable Hold. All information was gathered here, and she simultaneously performed the duties of a judge on behalf of the law.
The law here was not the Golden Order, but a secular one, effective throughout the Lands Between. It was formulated by the members of the Roundtable Council, and violators must be punished according to its provisions.
When the Greater Will cast her into this world, not only had some of Ranni's thoughts changed, but Melina's thinking had indeed changed as well.
After her confrontation with the Greater Will, she no longer felt excessive devotion to the Golden Order and Queen Marika.
The Golden Tree and the Golden Order were important, but they should not determine the future of all the Junction.
Now, Melina was also willing to study how to use secular laws to create a more orderly and peaceful existence in the land.
Today, she was pronouncing judgment on a rebellion. Thanks to advance information, she had been able to unite with Kenneth Haight, Kaethin, and others to extinguish the flames of the uprising.
The person who had secretly tried to start the rebellion was Kenneth Haight's son. He had seized his father's Castle Stormveil and had been confined to Fort Haight.
Now, the son was in chains, listening to Melina's verdict.