Since Aoko was not entirely sure about the exact point in time she had arrived at the Lands Between, many familiar faces that should have appeared in Limgrave had yet to be encountered by her. A typical example was White Mask Varre, the front desk manager of Mohg's Bank.
However, Aoko didn't think much of that foul-mouthed guy in the first place, so even if she didn't see him, it didn't matter to her. After all, if she ever felt like traveling to the Moghwyn Dynasty, she could simply enter the underground world from another entrance in the Eternal City and fly straight there. That was the advantage of being part of the noble flying units.
Aside from Varre, who wasn't well-liked, Aoko also didn't come across the "Car Crash Girl," Irina, on her way to the Weeping Peninsula. Irina was probably still living with her castle lord father in Castle Morne, and the misbegotten had yet to rebel.
As for Ranni's temporary Finger Maiden, Miniature Ranni, her whereabouts were currently unknown. Since she was a spirit like Torrent, it would be incredibly difficult for anyone to find them if they wanted to hide. Although Aoko was quite interested in the Tarnished that Miniature Ranni followed—the so-called "protagonist"—there was nothing she could do if she couldn't find them for now. There was no need to dwell on it too much.
As she flew, Aoko kept searching and, along the way, found a glowing Golden Seed at the base of a golden phantom tree. That easily fulfilled one of her major goals in coming to the Lands Between.
Uncertain whether the seed's vitality would last, Aoko took out a sample container made by Touko and placed the Golden Seed inside before storing it in her imaginary pocket.
She then changed direction, soaring up onto the highlands west of the phantom tree, and continued flying roughly northwest. Along the way, she passed by a small Erdtree, probably over a hundred meters tall, and spotted the massive wandering tree guardian—the Erdtree Avatar.
However, Aoko had no interest in it for now. After all, she currently didn't have a Flask of Crimson Tears on hand, and whether such flasks, which were based on the power of the Erdtree, could still function on Type-Moon's Earth was highly questionable. She figured it would be better to consider this matter after passing by the Third Church of Marika.
The first place Aoko arrived was the Fourth Church of Marika. After touching the Site of Grace and collecting the Holy Tear from the golden chalice on the altar, she left immediately, as the irritating ringing nearby was making her restless.
The source of the ringing, of course, was the four-legged church—the Wandering Mausoleum.
Aoko wasn't sure what practical use the mausoleum had in reality, but since she couldn't access the Roundtable Hold (as she wasn't a Tarnished), she did not need its internal functions for now. Thus, she simply ignored it.
After a round of intensive magic missile bombardment, Aoko wiped out all the combat golems and the foolish-looking magic sphere guarding the Witchbane Ruins. She then entered the dungeon where Sellen's true body was imprisoned.
Unlike the relatively cozy little nest of the Waypoint Ruins, the dungeon beneath the Witchbane Ruins was a true dungeon—a small, enclosed space filled with various rusty torture devices (some even bearing suspicious dark red stains) and overgrown roots.
In the darkest corner of the dungeon, a young woman in a miserable state was bound to the wall by a glintstone, unable to move. Upon noticing Aoko's arrival, she weakly raised her head to look at her, as if trying to say something.
"Your... speed truly surprises me..." Sellen's real body spoke intermittently. "Then... please... take my..."
Perhaps too weak to continue, Sellen passed out before finishing her sentence. But Aoko already knew exactly what she meant. To save Sellen's true body, all she had to do was extract the Primal Glintstone from her heart and implant it into a new body.
In that sense, the Sellen before her wasn't her true body—the esteemed sorcerer teacher's essence was that star-shaped Primal Glintstone.
To ensure Sellen wouldn't wake up in pain during the extraction, Aoko used a hypnosis spell as a magical anesthetic. Then, she reached out her right hand, activated the Fifth Magic circuit, and carefully searched around Sellen's left chest, confirming the location of the Primal Glintstone.
…Huh. Surprisingly, the size was quite considerable.
After confirming the spot, Aoko's hand became as sharp as a blade, easily piercing Sellen's body. She meticulously searched within the flesh, and although Sellen was under a mind-control spell, she only let out a muffled groan.
The sticky, slippery warmth of the flesh made Aoko frown slightly. Sellen's ribs had been shattered when her hand pierced through.
This witch's body had long ceased to be normal. Her heart had been entirely replaced by the Primal Glintstone, and the blood pumping through her veins was infused with its magical energy.
It wasn't that Aoko didn't want to save Sellen's body—it was just that the damage was far too severe. Even if she wanted to send Sellen's injuries into the future, the required time displacement would be too long to be worth the effort.
It wasn't that healing was impossible—it was simply more cost-effective to make a new body.
Aoko carefully extracted the star-shaped Primal Glintstone, still carrying traces of flesh, from Sellen's heart. It continuously radiated a deep azure light, proof that Sellen's essence remained intact.
Her hand and forearm were now drenched in blood, but Aoko paid it no mind. Instead, she studied the Primal Glintstone for a while, realizing it might bear similarities to Touko's materialized soul. Those two would surely have a lot to talk about.
After using magic to cleanse the blood from her arm and the glintstone, Aoko carefully stored it in her waist pouch. Since it involved someone's soul, putting it in an imaginary space wasn't safe—it was better to carry it personally.
She then removed Sellen's witch's glintstone headpiece, took out a camera, and meticulously photographed Sellen's face to provide Touko with a reference for crafting a new body. Afterward, she stashed the headpiece in her imaginary pocket for safekeeping, as it was the only valuable item left on Sellen's body. She could return it to her once she was revived.
With everything settled, Aoko checked Touko's location, then vanished with a teleportation spell.
...
When she reappeared, even she, as a battle-hardened magician who had seen it all, couldn't help but remark, "Now that's some good work."
The towering Fell Omen Margit had already been beaten to his knees by Messmer. With spears piercing his body, even speaking through his temporary vessel was a struggle.
Standing opposite Messmer, locked in a standoff, was a young girl dressed in a dark green cloak, with short pale pink hair. Beside her stood a confused-looking Tarnished, clad in worn-out knight armor, with black hair tied into a small ponytail at the back of their head.
No way… Could it be Melina and the Tarnished?