A chat group where you switch bodies with Alicia at the start?

Several years ago, due to Ryusuke Murata, Schicksal lost control of the Fourth Divine Key, which remained in near-Earth orbit.

Since no major collapse had occurred and it wasn't of much use, Otto didn't pay much attention to it.

However, since it is a Divine Key, the monitoring of the Fourth Divine Key within Destiny is still very strict, with several military satellites monitoring its movements 24 hours a day.

And then you tell me—the Fourth Divine Key is missing?

That thing was huge, the aliens dragged it away, right?!

"It's hard to believe, but it's true."

Amber's tone was also full of helplessness.

With the influence of Destiny spreading across the globe and the Fourth Divine Key under close surveillance, the sudden disappearance of such a large entity can, to some extent, be considered a paranormal event.

"Not even a single clue?"

Otto raised an eyebrow, and Amber proactively turned on the screen mirroring on her portable device.

"...This is a video recording from a monitoring satellite of the moment the Fourth Divine Key disappeared."

The giant display screen showed views of space and Earth as seen from near-Earth orbit.

Of course, the most crucial element is the large object in the picture.

In the slowly playing video, the Fourth Divine Key disappeared from its original position in just an instant.

It's just like--

It was like a magic trick.

Otto rested his chin on his hand, scrutinizing the scene.

"Go back, a little further back, yes, this is the spot, stop..."

He gestured to Amber to adjust the recording speed, finally stopping at the moment before the satellite disappeared.

"enlarge."

As he spoke, the position of the fourth Divine Key gradually stretched, and finally, an extremely small but very conspicuous mark came into Otto's eyes.

The moment he saw that thing, he subconsciously recalled the scene of the Second Great Collapse.

This is...

—Traces left by the use of imaginary number authority.

"...The second Divine Key?"

Upon discovering this, Otto subconsciously placed the blame for the disappearance of the Fourth Divine Key on the Second Divine Key of the previous civilization.

According to the Void Archives, due to the increasing sophistication of technology, the Second Divine Key, made from the core of the Second Herrscher of the previous civilization, is able to do most of the things that the Second Herrscher can do.

Moving large items using imaginary number authority should be no problem.

but--

There is another possibility.

At this moment, an incomparably fervent light shone in the eyes of this Archbishop of Destiny, who had reigned for five hundred years.

...

Lying diagonally on the back of the Primordial Spirit, the pink-clad girl propped her cheeks up, her smooth and full thighs crossed, their reflections gleaming dazzlingly.

Sweet yet slightly languid words rang out in the air, carrying a hint of nonchalance:

"How is it, can it be fixed?"

Although, in reality, thanks to the restoration work done by later researchers of Destiny, the Fourth Divine Key is theoretically intact.

But that only means it's usable and can run.

The researchers at Schicksal dared not touch such intricate mechanical devices as the Divine Keys, especially the Fourth Divine Key, for fear that the more they repaired it, the worse it would become.

So even if we bring this big guy back, we'll have to reorganize it.

"Hmph, this is something I, Vervi, created~ How could I possibly not be able to fix it?"

"But since it's something my future self created, it's really difficult to repair without the relevant design blueprints... Which idiot added this part? Good heavens! Just to maintain this function, they actually changed my design so drastically?!"

The cheerful Vervi suddenly exclaimed, his tone filled with anger and dissatisfaction.

—The broadcast components, once full of art and surprises, have been modified to be incredibly practical and boring.

This is utterly a trampling of Vervier's work!

"Who told you to cram so many weird and wonderful functions into this big guy's body? Heh~ Any decent person would want to make them more practical, right?"

The slightly sarcastic tone undoubtedly came from Mebius, who, unusually relaxed, sat beside Alicia, gazing at the wondrous scene around her, and couldn't help but sigh at the yin and yang:

"However... the fact that you can unfold imaginary space like this suggests that you've also tampered with the Second Herrscher's core quite a bit~"

—The place they are in now is not the base of the Fire Moth. After all, the status of the big V teacher has not reached that high yet, and her studio simply cannot accommodate the huge fourth divine key.

MEI had already left for work, leaving only the big V teacher who went to the imaginary space to repair the fourth divine key and the bystander Jiang.

As for Mebius, although he said he didn't want to waste time, he was still dragged into Alice's Wonderland by Alicia's argument that he should take a break and rest occasionally, which might make him more efficient at work. She even said she could give him a shoulder massage.

Don't misunderstand, she didn't have any thoughts about Jiang's shoulder massage service; she simply thought that the idea of ​​balancing work and rest made a lot of sense.

Moreover, being with a living Herrscher allows you to observe their details and habits, which provides valuable research data—something you simply cannot obtain from a dead Herrscher!

Moreover, the imaginary space of the Second Herrscher is not a place that just anyone can easily enter, so this is also an opportunity to observe it.

In short—Dr. Möbius is working!

"I think you really don't understand anything! Art! Art! Pragmatism and such are just a disgrace to art! They lack soul!"

While Vervi was working diligently, connecting to the Fourth Divine Key via his personal terminal and modifying the data within it, he didn't forget to loudly argue his point.

Of course, Snake has no interest in arguing about whether something is art or not.

Those guys who squander funds should all die!

Mebius, whose laboratory was frequently short of funds and whose finances were often cut, was extremely resentful of Vervier's wasteful behavior of using the name of art to justify such spending!

"Yes, right here... a little harder, hmm... heh heh... phew~"

—It seems quite nice to do this occasionally.

Chapter 118 This Damn Feeling of Security

"That idiot was really clumsy before, but... Alicia, aren't you going to tell us something about her?"

Leaning against the girl, Möbius, with his eyes slightly narrowed, felt the perfect amount of pressure. While relaxing his whole body, he didn't forget to ask the question that concerned him.

"Hmm~ You actually noticed my unusual behavior, huh? But judging from your expressions, don't you already have the answer in your hearts?"

Because of Alicia's little revenge plan, Jiang Qiao was unaware of the misunderstanding between Alicia and Mebius, but through Mebius's words, he had already guessed what had happened to that stupid fat woman during the time they were exchanged.

However, he didn't seem to care much about the slip-up.

“So, she really is Alicia.” Mebius said with a knowing look.

Unlike Alicia, who had no contact with MEI or Vervi, she was in contact with Alicia from the beginning, not [Alicia]. Later, although they had only just met, she didn't take this strange feeling of unease to heart.

It wasn't until she saw Alicia again and learned some of the truth from Velvi and Mei that she became certain of this idea.

"What's wrong? Doesn't it look like it?"

"They look quite alike. To be honest, I prefer her to you."

—Except for massage techniques.

When Mebius spoke, there was a hint of disdain in his tone.

Because Alicia's purity is so high, it's natural that Snake's dislike for Alicia is also higher.

But she had to admit that she preferred the current [Alice] massage technique a little more.

"Oh dear, it's really bad to tell a girl you like another girl more in front of her. She's hurt."

but--

That's fine.

After all, I am not Alicia.

The pink-clad girl smiled so brightly.

"I saw the leave you applied for. Where do you plan to go?"

Although he doesn't manage this aspect, Mebius will keep an eye on Jiang Qiao's movements because they are now considered to be on the same side.

Regarding this question, [Alicia] fell into a brief silence.

He didn't know exactly where the Fourth Great Collapse occurred, since Old Mi's description of the previous Great Collapse wasn't very comprehensive.

In order to find the location of the Great Collapse, it is necessary to personally explore various places.

Even MEI, who is also a Herrscher now, cannot do this for him.

Because the ability to observe the imaginary internal energy of the dark side is essentially an extension of the power of the Primordial Herrscher.

Only the Primordial Herrscher can observe this extremely hidden phenomenon by being close to the cocoon.