After listening, Hanachirusato slowly nodded.
She looked at the body lying flat on the ground before her, anticipation and unease mingling in her eyes.
In the next moment, she stepped closer, crouched down, and gently reached out to touch the mark at the throat of the body.
She remembered clearly—the Chaotic Furnace Core was hidden there.
At that moment.
Under the watchful gazes of Lin Mo, Hanachirusato, and Sayu, Hanachirusato's translucent soul brushed against the Chaotic Furnace Core.
The instant contact was made, her soul began to flicker between light and shadow.
Her once-clear spiritual outline grew increasingly blurred.
Gradually, Hanachirusato's soul vanished from everyone's sight.
"She… she disappeared…"
Sayu murmured softly.
Her little fists clenched tightly, betraying her nervousness.
Fox Lady Saiguu was even more tense.
One hand pressed against her chest, her eyes filled with both anxiety and urgency as she stared at the motionless body on the ground.
The worry in her gaze deepened with every second.
At last, she could not help but ask,
"Sasayuri… has it failed?"
Lin Mo did not answer.
He simply stared at the delicate body lying there, his own heart filled with apprehension.
After all, this was his first time attempting "forging a body and calling back a soul" by creating an artificial human.
Yet now, more than three minutes had passed without the slightest reaction from the body.
Just as Lin Mo was about to step forward to examine it—
"Eh~?"
Sayu's soft sound of surprise immediately drew both Lin Mo's and Fox Lady Saiguu's attention.
They followed her gaze to the face of the body.
That face, nearly identical to Hanachirusato's.
Those eyelids that had been tightly shut—the long lashes were trembling ever so slightly.
"Did it… work?" Lin Mo asked uncertainly.
Like the other two, he clenched his fists tightly, tension gripping his heart.
In that moment, he finally understood the anxiety of a father waiting outside a delivery room.
Under the intense gazes of the three of them—
Hanachirusato slowly opened her eyes.
At first, her beautiful eyes were clouded with confusion and haziness.
But as her pupils gradually focused, light returned to them.
The very first people she looked at were Lin Mo and Fox Lady Saiguu.
It seemed as if she wanted to say something.
After a brief pause, she struggled to part her soft, pale lips and spoke faintly:
"Lord Sasayuri…"
"Lady Fox Saiguu…"
"I… have come back to life…"
…
"Haa…"
The heavy weight in everyone's hearts finally lifted.
Fox Lady Saiguu immediately turned her gaze toward Lin Mo.
At this point, she could already be certain.
With this single feat of "forging a body and calling back a soul," Lin Mo's authority surpassed even that of the Seven Archons.
After all, creating life was not unprecedented in Teyvat.
In ancient times, there was alchemy of living beings.
In more recent history, there was the civilization of Khaenri'ah.
Even Ei herself had created Kunikuzushi and the Raiden Shogun.
But reviving someone who had been dead for so long?
Barring any surprises, Lin Mo was the first.
"It's good that you're alive,"
Lin Mo said, looking at Hanachirusato with eyes full of relief.
"Don't just lie there—try to get up."
"Mm… I'll do my best…"
Hanachirusato nodded, trying earnestly.
"Your best?"
Lin Mo froze for a moment.
Only then did he recall—
When Albedo and Durin had been created, neither of them had been able to walk right away.
Back then, Lin Mo had assumed it was because Albedo's soul was newly born, requiring a period of recovery like an infant—time to adapt to his body.
That so-called recovery training simply meant walking together, jogging lightly, and gradually getting used to moving.
By that logic…
Hanachirusato was likely in the same situation now.
Sure enough, she braced her hands against the ground, trying hard to push herself up.
Lin Mo quickly stepped forward, placing her arm over his shoulder and helping her rise to her feet.
"I'm sorry… I don't seem to be able to fully control this body yet…"
Hanachirusato said softly.
"It's fine. That's not your fault," Lin Mo replied gently.
"This isn't your original body. It's perfectly normal to need time to adapt."
"When I created artificial beings before, it was the same for them."
Smiling, he added,
"During this time, if you're free, we can do some rehabilitation training together. For example, I can support you while we walk around Mt. Yougou, helping you get familiar with this body?"
"…Th-that would be too much trouble for you, Lord Sasayuri…"
Hanachirusato's cheeks flushed red, her eyes filled with a hint of flustered embarrassment.
In her eyes, both Fox Lady Saiguu and Lin Mo were legendary figures in Inazuma's history.
"Rehabilitation training…"
Fox Lady Saiguu spoke up suspiciously.
She stepped forward and gently reached out to touch Hanachirusato's arm.
"Lady Fox Saiguu… w-why are you pinching me…"
"Hahaha… that tickles, Lady Fox Saiguu…"
Although Fox Lady Saiguu was the one who pinched her arm,
The one tickling her, however, was Sayu, who had quietly crept up beside them.
Sayu stared at Hanachirusato with wide-eyed wonder.
"Oh… so an artificial body feels just like a real person's."
Sayu's innocent remark echoed exactly the concern rising in Fox Lady Saiguu's heart.
She looked at Hanachirusato's graceful, well-proportioned figure.
Her fair face flushed crimson.
Then she glanced at how close Hanachirusato stood to Lin Mo while being supported by him.
For reasons she could not explain, a spark of jealousy flared fiercely in her chest.
She immediately grabbed Hanachirusato's arm, pulled her away, and glared at Lin Mo with clear vigilance.
"Rehabilitation training doesn't need your help. I'll handle it."
"And you—stay away from the shrine's miko."
"Stay away? What do you mean, stay away?" Lin Mo looked completely baffled.
"I'll have to check her condition regularly, you know. After all, this is my first time reviving someone who's been dead for so long. What if there are hidden issues?"
"Ch-check her… body…"
Just imagining that scene was enough to make Fox Lady Saiguu clench her fists tightly.
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T/N:
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