"Live in Sumeru… under what identity?"
At Idris's words, the Greater Lord blinked—then quickly caught on.
"You… you mean I still have a chance to return to life?"
"I do." Idris shrugged. "When I said I'd be your last sage, I meant Sumeru won't need anyone to be a sage for a god anymore. From now on, sages exist for the people—not for thrones.
That doesn't mean my god is doomed to die."
He produced two pills.
"These are the highest-grade elixirs I can currently refine.
"One is the Soul-Restoring Pill. It can only be taken by a soul; it condenses a remnant back to its full integrity—perfect for your current state.
"The other is the Flesh-and-Blood Rebirth Pill. It lets a person refine flesh from essence and reconstitute a body.
"On top of that, you can borrow a bough from the Irminsul itself as your vessel—snap off a twig; for you, that's equivalent to a native body. With these two pills, your present remnant, and the Irminsul behind you, you can shed the old and be reborn."
He set the pills before her. The Greater Lord felt the dense, surging power within them—and along with Idris's plan—a flood of emotions rose in her chest.
For five hundred years she'd steeled herself for self-sacrifice. Even after hearing how Sumeru now flourished under Idris, she hadn't dared move—her remnant leaving this place might mean dissolution, and worse, losing control over the taint in the Irminsul.
Yet now, not only had her sage found another way to handle the corruption—he'd also handed her a path to new life.
Nahida looked at Idris with unhidden gratitude. Though she and Rukkhadevata had never truly met, essence and station bound them closely. If the Greater Lord could return, Nahida's joy would be genuine.
Understanding Idris's intent, the Greater Lord's expression turned wryly complex.
"Alchemy truly is wondrous. If I really do go on living, I'll have to study it in earnest." She smiled. "I never imagined the one to save me—and Sumeru—would be the Grand Sage of the Akademiya. The world does love its reversals."
"There'll be more where that came from," Idris said. "But you know that once you revive, your status changes—politically, too. The other nations will learn of it, sooner or later. You'll need a reasonable identity to keep things stable."
Off to the side, Nahida couldn't help a tiny pout—this man was a consummate workaholic. Even at such a happy moment, he was thinking policy. Still… for a Grand Sage, that wasn't a bad thing. And he was right: the Greater Lord would need a role that fit the new order. Sumeru would still have gods, but no longer enthrone them.
Rukkhadevata understood the subtext—and laughed.
"That's fine by me. Since you've made Nahida the Little Auspicious Princess, why don't I become the Elder Princess? How about that?"
She also now understood why Idris had scolded her before revealing the seed and the pills. Beyond waking her up, he was making something else clear: this Sumeru moves by his word. Even a former ruling god would have to align with it. Domineering for a sage—but perfectly right for a king.
Seeing her assent, Idris nodded.
"Elder Princess works. Once you're fully revived, I'll make the announcement. But titles alone aren't enough—I don't keep idlers."
The Greater Lord chuckled. "So strict. I haven't even taken the pills and you're already planning how to squeeze work out of me. As for the assignment… I'll leave it to you, Grand Sage."
"Good," Idris said. "We're missing a key post: a qualified instructor and presiding elder for the Alchemy Faction. I'd planned to put the Little Princess there and later promote her to elder, but she insists on staying by my side as my secretary. The Alchemy Faction will be a pillar of the Akademiya—can't hand it to just anyone. That leaves… you."
A "parachuted" appointment? Maybe. But once her identity was public, no one would object.
"Gladly," the Greater Lord replied, grinning with a Nahida-like "ehe~." With the same face, even her mirth looked impish.
Behind her, the dusk-tinted sapling continued to draw filth from the Irminsul. With the plan set, she took the two pills. First the Soul-Restoring Pill—her spirit swelled, whole and lucid. Then the Flesh-and-Blood Rebirth Pill—she reached back, snapped a tender twig from the Irminsul, and made it her vessel.
Her soul flowed into the sprig. This way, she could be safely carried out of the mental realm.
Idris caught the twig in both hands. "The body will take time to form—no more than half a month. I'll keep you somewhere secure."
The leaf tips trembled—like a grateful nod. Idris, realizing how awkward it might look to keep her on his person, handed the sprig to Nahida instead. Nahida's smile bloomed.
"Grand Sage, I can feel it—the Irminsul's permissions are open to me now. Thank you!"
Idris only shook his head—no need for thanks. Nahida clasped his hand and led him out of the realm.
As they drifted up from the mindscape, a clear chime rang in Idris's head:
[Congratulations to the host for changing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's canonical fate through alchemy and an Irminsul seed.]
[Reward granted.]
[New skill acquired: Fire-Eyes Golden Gaze.]
[Effect: Reveals hidden souls and unmasks all illusions or transformations; ocular arts may strike concealed spirits directly. The host's eyes have been tempered; when inactive, they appear perfectly normal.]
Fire-Eyes Golden Gaze—the Monkey King's signature. Excellent. With this, no shapeshifted tricks before him, no ghostly ambushes. And as with his other body-bound skills, his two black-and-white avatars would inherit it as well. A huge win.
Outside the realm, Nahida's sprig glimmered—the Greater Lord's body-forging had begun. Such a precious vessel needed the safest place in the nation.
Which, of course, was Idris's own quarters. Only there could he be certain no one would intrude.
(Well… Nahida had intruded before. But she didn't count as "people.")
One last problem: by the time they returned from the Irminsul, night had fallen. Time to sleep.
Back in his room, Nahida cradled the sprig in both hands and stared at Idris's bed, deep in thought.
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