Lloyd's decision to have the Finger Reader Crones work overtime for Yhorm wasn't meant to make things difficult for the elderly—or to force them into some kind of delayed retirement. The truth was simpler: the Lands Between had no proper system for caring for the aged.
Moreover, the Finger Reader Crones had devoted their entire lives to their calling. Finger reading wasn't just a duty to them—it was their very purpose. To end their work outright, even setting aside the question of overtime, would leave them adrift and purposeless.
Now, by gathering all these grandmothers together—not just the Finger Readers—they could share the workload through rotation, while also enjoying company during their downtime: chatting, playing cards, organizing little senior activities. With the help of the Fingers, it even functioned as a kind of retirement home—beneficial for both sides.
Incidentally, while their appearance might seem bizarre to ordinary people, the "Fingers" themselves possessed surprising intelligence and a distinct culture of their own—thanks to blueprints inherited from a certain "Greater Will" that preferred to remain nameless.
They understood gratitude and filial piety. In the chaotic, abstract world of the Lands Between—where humanoid stars roamed freely—these seemingly grotesque creatures were, paradoxically, among the most human of them all. That was why Lloyd chose to look after them.
With that settled, the matter was closed.
After assigning the Crones their new duties and chatting briefly with Yhorm, Lloyd went to visit the Fingers. He spoke with the Great Fingers, played for a while with the Little Fingers, and after finishing up there, went to check on Borealis and the Astel stationed nearby.
The former, growing lonely in the frozen wastelands, had heard of Greyoll's situation and asked Lloyd to take her there. She also pledged her allegiance to him, earning herself a place in Lloyd's catalog as a blue-and-white ice-type Dragon Lady.
As for the latter, though they had been dispatched to handle the Eternal City, protocol dictated they be retrieved afterward.
However, due to Metyr's malfunction, those poor beings had been abandoned—cut off from all resupply. Even after forcing themselves to complete their mission, no task completion notice came, and they couldn't return. They were left stranded, discarded like unwanted remnants.
Now, with Alice's help, retrieving them posed no problem for Lloyd.
But after being gone so long, their positions had long been replaced by new units. Returning them would only cause complications.
So, after some consideration, Lloyd decided to take them in. His collection catalog expanded once again, now including several Astel girls.
[Acquired Item: 'Astel Light Garment']
[Garment imbued with the power of the stars]
[Increases the damage of Gravity Sorcery when worn]
[Also increases damage taken]
[Legend says the dark Abandoned Ones were once stars of the heavens]
[Made from the delicate wings they shed as they grew]
[A garment said to exist only in legend]
The Gravity-boosting robe was powerful despite its defense penalty. Combined with other equipment, it could easily form a setup capable of one-shotting an average boss.
Unfortunately, Lloyd hardly had any "average" bosses left to fight, and his wheelchair setup didn't exactly pair well with the outfit. So, despite its quality, it never saw use in battle.
Still, its design was exquisite. When walking—or even lightly channeling magic—it shimmered with ethereal nebula effects. It might not have been fit for combat, but as a fashionable accessory in the Lands Between, it was perfect.
With the Astel matter settled and his rewards in hand, the situation in the Consecrated Snowfield was more or less resolved.
Next was the Haligtree.
Since Lloyd had recently been there to treat the rot and inspect the tree's condition, there was no need to wander. He went straight to meet Seriel to discuss the Haligtree's future.
"To put it simply," Lloyd said, "I plan to make this the Lands Between's window to the outside world."
Though later, Miquella's various schemes—and her excessive attachment to her brother—had shaken even the gods, including Marika herself, leaving them unsure how to face him and giving him more than a few emotional scars...
Outside of that, however, Miquella had done remarkably well—both in caring for his sister and managing the Haligtree. He was widely regarded across the Lands Between as exceptional. The Haligtree's condition was proof of that, standing far above other regions in both environment and order.
At present, the Haligtree remained hidden deep within the snowfields, cut off not just from the outer world but even from much of the Lands Between.
Yet, thanks to Miquella's past efforts and the ideals of inclusivity and harmony he had left behind, the place already possessed the perfect foundation to serve as a bridge for external exchange.
And though civilization in the Lands Between wasn't particularly advanced, the Great Caravan instance had proven that both the Lands Between and the Golden Order Dynasty stood as symbols of progress and refinement among neighboring realms.
Thus, Lloyd wasn't worried about outside cultures disrupting local order. As long as he stationed enough forces to keep the occasional barbarian from causing trouble, it would be fine.
Of course, this wouldn't be achieved overnight. Turning it into reality would be far more complicated than Lloyd made it sound.
But that was fine.
As he'd told Yhorm earlier—meals are eaten one bite at a time, roads are walked one step at a time. Even with experience from another world, Lloyd wasn't arrogant enough to think his methods could be directly transplanted into such a different environment.
Everything had to be built slowly. Everything was a fresh start. Everything still needed to be discovered.
Though it might appear he was assigning structured positions and systems across the lands, in truth, Lloyd had merely drawn broad outlines—paths unlikely to fail, leaving their actual evolution to time.
What form they would take, whether they suited each region, only time could tell.
Lloyd wouldn't interfere too much, nor would he try to shoulder everything alone.
For he believed the path of the Lands Between must ultimately be walked by its own people. Even if they stumbled, took wrong turns, or made mistakes—
it would still be their path.
He certainly had the power to control everything—but aside from the sheer effort it would take, it would also be unbearably dull. A one-man puppet show, no matter how grand, was still just that.
"So, we'll leave it at that."
After finishing his talk with Seriel, Lloyd opened his map again and fast-traveled back to his castle.
As usual, he spent a while playing with the Black Knife maids. When they were done, he visited the nearby town to check on the other Black Knives and the newly joined Numens.
After greeting everyone, he stopped by to visit the Shadow Beasts that now served him, tossing balls for the big hounds to fetch and scratching each one until they rumbled happily with contentment before letting go.
Afterward, he went to see the Two Fingers.
And then...
He saw it.
A floating head, suspended in midair, using its massive twin ponytails to walk itself down the corridor.
"...Wait, where's your body?"
"In the room," Moonlight answered plainly, her Two Fingers twitching slightly.
"It's too much of a hassle to control everything at once, so I just left my body there and came out like this."
As she spoke, she twisted her twin ponytails proudly, showing Lloyd how nimble and flexible she'd become now that she'd shed the "burden" of a body.
To be fair, Lloyd could tolerate her like this. But considering the other maids in the castle—and their sanity—he sighed, reached out, and gently lifted the floating head into his arms. He planned to bring her to Metyr, have a talk, and ask her to help keep an eye on the Two Fingers.
Then he saw it.
Scattered across the floor were the dismembered limbs of a young girl. The scene looked like the aftermath of a murder—pieces everywhere. And when he arrived, those limbs twitched and writhed, crawling toward him to cling to his body.
"...Wait, what is this supposed to be?"
"Being all tangled together made it too hard to move," Metyr explained matter-of-factly. "So I just cut myself apart. I didn't get hurt or anything—and honestly, it's way more efficient now."
As she spoke, she wriggled a few detached limbs, demonstrating how each part moved independently. And indeed, they worked far better than her old, knotted-up form.
Lloyd stood in silence for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"You two… you really are related, huh..."
And it wasn't just Metyr. Thinking of a certain golden voice—and her constant attempts to slack off and avoid work—Lloyd couldn't help but sigh again. He realized the Lands Between, maybe even this entire world, was just one colossal lazy creature.
Including himself.
Still, after that moment of reflection, Lloyd told the two of them to try and appear as normal humans whenever possible.
Once they agreed, he returned to his bedroom. Lying down, he drifted into the realm of consciousness.
And then...
Nothing.
When he eventually awoke—after who knew how long—he licked his lips and realized he felt... pressed down by something. Or rather, by someone—one large and two small spiritual presences.
"...Forget it. Let them do as they please."
He knew perfectly well that those three probably hadn't cooled down in his absence. Once they came to their senses, they'd definitely start doing all sorts of things to him.
Especially since one of them had a clear fondness for certain... bedtime activities. Even if the other two stayed put, she'd never be able to resist. Before leaving, she'd even asked Lloyd to do the same things to her physical body in reality—
which, to put it mildly, didn't sound promising.
But considering all the help those three had given him, Lloyd decided to let it slide.
After finishing his business in the consciousness realm, he visited the girl group again, spent some time talking—and "playing"—with them, then opened his map once more.
This time, his destination was the Royal Capital—Leyndell.
Or rather, the Elden Throne.
After traveling across the lands and tying up countless matters, preparations here were finally nearing completion.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Alice continued weaving the golden threads in her hands without turning around.
"The dungeon's nearly ready," she said. "And not just that thing. For safety's sake, I built an extra-large structure around it. I also merged in several of your unfinished instances. It'll stabilize the space and raise the difficulty. But if you manage to clear it all in one go, the rewards will be far greater—and quite useful for you."
With that, the golden weaving came to an end.
The golden-haired girl turned to face him, her expression unusually serious.
"Just a warning in advance. Because I packed so much into it, this dungeon will be very long. Your power will also be heavily restricted inside."
"You can unleash your full power partway through and blow the whole thing apart, but if you do, the contents will suffer permanent damage. Even I won't be able to restore it completely—or give you another chance."
"So I strongly suggest you prepare as thoroughly as you can before entering. Take your time if needed; I can still manage things here for now."
"But if you insist on going in right away, remember this—"
"This will be a long battle."
"And its difficulty will far exceed anything you've faced before—any dungeon, any adventure."
Lloyd had never seen Alice so solemn before.
Even so, after a brief smile, he nodded.
"All right. It's fine. Let's go in now."
He knew he still had a few loose ends—Sky City, where the ancient dragons dwelled, as Greyoll had once mentioned; the scattered cave relics hidden in forgotten corners; the faraway Land of Reeds beyond the sea.
But honestly, dealing with those things wouldn't help him here.
Because in truth, no matter how much the Lands Between seemed to be thriving—its problems resolved, its people prospering—Lloyd had always known one thing: the greatest, most crucial issue still unresolved was himself.
If this ticking bomb inside him wasn't defused, no matter how perfect the Lands Between became, it would all eventually crumble into ruin.
But if he faced it—if he cleared this final dungeon—then even if imperfections remained, even if there were things beyond the Lands Between or beyond the stars left undone, he could always fix them afterward.
And so...
"Begin."
He spoke quietly, his expression hardening into focus.
Alice watched him for a while. Once she was certain he meant it, she said nothing further and slowly raised her hand.
But nothing happened.
No golden threads appeared, no pulse of law or power rippled through the air. It was as if she had merely lifted her hand, and to everyone else in the Lands Between, nothing had changed.
But Lloyd felt it.
That motion wasn't a release of power—it was a summons.
Summoning something vast.
A massive, black void.
Without warning, it appeared above the Lands Between—an all-consuming darkness that swallowed everything. Even the Erdtree, radiant by its own light, was devoured, its golden glow vanishing into endless shadow.
Just as people began to comprehend what was happening, fear rising in their throats, a faint light flickered at the edge of the abyss.
It was fire.
A flame—bright and warm, yet laced with agony and chaos.
The black void stretched out a hand.
The chaotic flame reached out in turn.
Their hands met—darkness and light entwining.
Then—
Crack.
The world itself fractured.
The gentle flame, along with all of creation, fell into the endless abyss.
Silence.
And stillness.